#sudden cash influx

[fastlane-freedom]

Sudden Cash Influx: Manage It Effectively for Long-Term Gain

Money has always been a crucial aspect of our lives. We work hard to earn it, save it, and invest it, all in the hopes of securing our financial future. However, what happens when we suddenly come into a large sum of money? Whether it be through inheritance, lottery winnings, or a successful business venture, a sudden cash influx can present a unique challenge. The temptation to indulge in…

[itadores]

surprise!

note: everything i write is a little bit silly! i hope u enjoy u and sakura opening blind boxes hehe

pairing: sakura haruka x gn!reader

word count: 1.4k

tags: gender neutral reader, fluff, established relationship, haru and baby used to refer to sakura

Your hands hover over your phone as the device precariously balances against your water bottle resting on the table. Once you’re confident that your phone won’t come tumbling down anytime soon and fall screen first against the wooden surface of the table, you turn towards Sakura and pat the open seat right beside you.

“Come sit, Haru!”

Sakura eases himself down onto the bench, his leg briefly brushing against yours before hastily retreating. You don’t allow him to go far, bumping your knee against his, a silent reassurance that he doesn’t have to go anywhere. Sakura doesn’t look at you as he scoots a little closer to you, thigh touching your own, nearly feather-light. You lean more into the weight, which is more than a welcomed presence.

“Why do you have your phone out?” Sakura questions after clearing his throat, unsure of its necessity.

You multi-task, replying to Sakura as you pull up the camera app on your device. “I want to videotape our unboxing!”

Sakura’s brows knit in confusion. “Why? Are you going to post it or something?”

You shrug. “No, I just want to film it.” You turn to face Sakura as light concern washes over you. “Are you okay with that? It’s not going to go anywhere besides my camera roll, so you don’t have to worry about anyone seeing it.”

“Yeah that’s fine,” he replies, agreeing rather easily. Sakura ends up giving in and going along with most of your desires, but he usually needs far more persuasion. “Just don’t go showing it to Suo or Nirei or any of the guys,” Sakura grumbles. “Don’t need them spamming my phone with messages for no reason.”

“Deal!”

If that’s all it takes for Sakura to agree to be filmed, then you’re more than happy to oblige him. It’s not too big of an ask, especially considering that you know he can still find it a little overwhelming when he receives a sudden influx of text messages despite having been in a group chat with his old friends since their first year at Bofurin.

“Okay, I’m going to start filming then. Are you ready?”

You wait for Sakura to nod before you hit record.

“Hi guys!” you say to your imaginary audience, waving at the screen. “Haru and I just went shopping and we bought some blind boxes that we’re going to unbox for you all today!”

You turn your attention away from your phone onto Sakura. Although there’s nobody else around listening to you, you lower your voice into a hushed whisper. “Baby, can you get our blind boxes out of the bag?”

Sakura grabs the plastic bag lying on the other side of him and sets it aside onto the table where it won’t block the camera.

“Thank you, Haru.” you give him a quick peck on the cheek, the skin warming beneath your lips.

“Yeah,” Sakura mutters under his breath as you reach across and grab the two blind boxes you purchased together out of the bag. Well, the two blind boxes Sakura purchased because he refused to let you pay for yours or the one you insisted upon him getting for himself. He had put cash down onto the counter of the cashier before you even had a chance to get your card out. When you tried to protest, he just mumbled that he was buying it, the tips of his ears burning red. You didn’t put up too much of a fight after that, resolving yourself to simply enjoy the sweetness of Sakura.

You place one of the blind boxes in Sakura’s hand before holding your own up towards the camera.

“These are the blind boxes we got.” you show the camera all the different angles of the packaging. You nudge Sakura lightly with your shoulder, prompting him to hold up his blind box in one hand. He’s a bit stiff and his movements are a little awkward. Sakura’s obviously unused to being in front of the camera and the center of its attention, but he’s endearing all the same.

“Which one do you want?” you ask as you inspect the back of the packaging, eyes roving over the different possibilities that you could be met with once you tore into the blind box. Sakura's brows furrow as he does the same.

"I'm fine with any of them," he says, shrugging. You roll your eyes, knocking your shoulder against Sakura's.

"Haru, you have to pick at least one you would really like to have!" you insist, voice bordering on a whine. You huddle closer to him, bringing your blind box between you two. "I think they're all super cute, but I really like this one," you say as you point to the option you like the most: a gray and white cat figurine with a shrimp tempura wrapped around its waist. "What about you, baby?"

Sakura's face screws up in concentration as he looks over the options again. You resist the urge to smoothen out the crease between his brows. "I guess I like this one the most," Sakura says, a little unsure, pointing at an orange and white cat figurine with a boiled shrimp wrapped around its head.

You nod in agreement. "That one's also super cute!"

Upon hearing your words, some of the tension leaves Sakura as he relaxes against you. You smile to yourself before looking back up at the camera. "Okay, we're going to unbox now!"

You attempt to open the box nicely, but after struggling for a bit, you, not so neatly, tear the cardboard apart. Your eyes fly to Sakura's face before you can catch a glimpse of the contents of the now ruined box. "Don't look inside yet, Haru!" you suddenly cry out. Sakura startles, hands pausing from opening the box. "Let's look at the same time."

"Okay," Sakura slowly says, head tilted in mild confusion. However, he doesn't question you.

"Okay, on the count of three! Ready?" You wait until Sakura nods to begin. "1...2...3..."

Once the number three leaves both of your lips, you immediately begin to truly tear into the packaging, pulling the figurine out of the wreckage of destroyed cardboard.

"Baby, I got the one you wanted!" you happily exclaim, showing off to Sakura the silly orange and white cat figurine with a boiled shrimp wrapped around its head that he liked the most.

"Isn't this the one you wanted?" Sakura asks, holding up the figurine he just pulled. Your eyes widen when your gaze falls onto the gray and white cat figurine with a shrimp tempura around its waist. The one that you wanted so badly.

"Oh my god, it's even cuter than I thought," you squeal. There’s no resistance on Sakura’s end as he lets you take the figurine from his loose grip. You bring the figurine close to your face, your eyes greedily soaking it all in. “It’s so cute,” you happily comment as you gently place it back into Sakura’s open palm.

“Do you want to trade?”

“Hm?”

Sakura rubs the back of his neck, his fingers twisting and tangling through black and white strands.

“Do you want to switch?" he asks again. "Since I got the one you really wanted,” he mumbles, the tips of his ears glowing a soft pink.

Your eyes light up.

“Oh, that’s perfect, Haru!" you gush. "Here," you say as you slip the figurine you unboxed into Sakura's free hand. He follows suit, handing the figurine you wanted off to you.

"Ah, it really is super cute," you say once more, admiring the cat figurine now in your possession. You lean further into Sakura, dropping your head to rest against his shoulder. "Thank you again for buying them, baby," you murmur, lifting your head slightly to press a light kiss to Sakura's neck. You feel his pulse jump. "And for switching with me. I hope you like the figurine you got."

"It's no big deal," he tries to brush off, but the pink hue coloring his skin says otherwise.

"Still," you insist. "Thank you, baby."

"Yeah, you're welcome."

Most of the remaining tension in Sakura's body escapes into nothingness as he allows himself to fully sink into the weight of you. You happily sigh, utterly content with your current position. So long as Sakura indulges your want for PDA, you’ll continue to take advantage of it. Just as you're starting to get really comfortable, you abruptly sit up straight, startling Sakura into doing the same.

"I almost forgot to stop the video!"

[loving-n0t-heyting]

Cash-transfer studies can be especially divisive. “Some of the men married a second wife, some homes broke apart, some wives left their husbands,” said Andrew Wabwire, a field manager for REMIT, a research company. As with Okela-C, rumours have spread that the money is cursed – that people would turn into snakes if they accepted it.

as we all know, if you provide a person with a sudden influx of aid giving them newfound financial independence and they then respond by leaving their spouse, this is an infallible sign you have done smth horribly wrong and are undermining the marital bedrock of society

imagine if the transfers did snakify you but it turned out there were enough scalies in the experiment group that the reported improvement in life satisfaction balanced it out 🐍🐍🐍

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Please be careful sharing requests for money. I'm seeing more and more people falling victim to predatory asks.

Some things to consider:

Mistagging an ask for donations with fandom tags that have nothing to do with it goes against Tumblr ToS. Tags are filling up with tragic stories that are irrelevant to those tags. Whether they're real or fake, no one should be jumpscared by tragedy. Tag appropriately.

Sharing a con only emboldens more con artists to do the same thing. It also marks you as gullible, and your url could get picked up more bots trying to squeeze you for sympathy and cash.

Posting a request for donations without verifying and donating yourself is not activism. It's irresponsible to your followers/mutuals and only helps the scammers.

I've received at least twenty different requests in the past week alone. They come in batches, a few within minutes of each other, not organically like humans would send. Most of them are worded differently, but some have been worded identically, even though they come from separate named blogs. These are not real people.

If you see an adult ask a child they don't know for help, be suspicious. An adult should never need to ask a child to take on some sudden responsibility. They're after something else, and they're just trying to gain trust first. So I'm suspicious when I see a sudden influx of supposed asks for help and money coming to tiny little Tumblr blogs. This is Tumblr. No one here has money, or reach. We don't do that here.

These tragic asks in your inbox are a scam. Report it as spam - because it is spam - delete it, and move on with your day.

[thedupshadove]

Thought that came to me out of a clear blue sky…Little Shop of Horrors roleswap au. 

Same setup at the beginning, but it’s Audrey who impulse-buys the Strange and Interesting Plant (which she probably names Seymour the Second), cares for it, and discovers its…unusual dietary needs (maybe instead of bandaids, she covers the wounds on her hands by wearing gloves more often, apparently as a fashion statement. Or maybe she chalks it up to Orin.) Success comes to the shop, with Audrey being the one to get radio interviews and sudden acclaim (boosting her confidence somewhat, but only convincing Seymour even more firmly that he could never ask her out. She was always too beautiful for him, and now with this influx of cash she’s going to end up a lady, so how could somebody like him have any chance? If only he knew…)

Once the plant begins to talk, it convinces her to kill Mushnik first, by highlighting how mean he is to Seymour after that boy’s done nothing but slave for him all his life in exchange for scraps of scraps. She tells herself that she’s going to confront him first, and only if she can’t make him see reason will she use the derringer in her purse, but inevitably… 

I want to preserve the “I can off this guy by staying in the chair” moment, but obviously Mushnik doesn’t use nitrous oxide recreationally…right now I’ve got it down to a choice between a sudden heart attack where Audrey just…doesn’t call an ambulance, or else he’s eating during their conversation (to show how little mind he pays to requests to treat Seymour better), and she conspicuously fails to Heimlich him when he chokes. 

In the aftermath of Mushnik’s death (which of his two assistants did he leave the shop to? I’m not sure yet), Audrey does her best to help Seymour through his tangled emotions, assuaging his guilt at not being as sad as he should be by pointing out that Mushnik was never as nice to him as he should have been, after all. This culminates in an impulsive kiss that breaks the tension between them into an open declaration of love…which Orin just happens to overhear. 

He corners her later that evening, more angry than she’s ever seen him (and we all know that’s saying something), but unfortunately for him he made the mistake of staging his jealous little rage in the flower shop, so when she bats her eyes and calls him “Doctor” and explains that the plant has some spines on the front, so if they make love with her back against it surely that will show him just how sorry she is…well, Suppertime indeed. 

From there things can run pretty much the same as the original, to whichever version of the ending you prefer. Now, let’s talk songs! 

Most of them can be kept pretty much the same, with at most some shuffling around parts and re-writing lyrics. “Suddenly Seymour” can even keep its title phrase, with the lyrics being shifted to be about Audrey convincing Seymour that he’s someone worth paying attention to. The only real sticking point is “Somewhere That’s Green”. Since Audrey, as our new main character, will be getting the likes of “Grow for Me” and “The Meek Shall Inherit”, it seems only fair that Seymour, having been moved to the position of Love Interest, should get the Love Interest Song. But it can’t be as simple as moving some pronouns around–a guy wishing for the woman he’s interested in to be a parody of a 50s housewife has a different vibe from a woman wishing to be one herself. It’s a little too unsympathetic, especially now that Seymour isn’t even the murderer. But then what do we do with it? With Audrey being the one leading the way to financial success, is the song now about Seymour’s secret, socially-deviant desire to become a malewife?

[theanticool]

Seeing as the PFL/Bellator rumors are being openly talked about by fighters involved with both promotions, guess it’s time to wildly speculate.

I’ve seen some positive sentiment around PFL’s rumored buying of Bellator MMA. A lot of it stemming from how Bellator has been run since the Viacom/Coker takeover. That’s 100% fair. Bellator went from a place that developed its own talent, to a side show, to a place talent the UFC didn’t want anymore went, and is only now enjoying an influx of homegrown talent (at a reduced rate tbh). The hiring of Big John on commentary is baffling, as he’s terrible at it. Viewership fell off the map as they moved off Spike/Paramount TV. Cards are full of slow grind fest or mismatches. So I get the idea of Bellator going away being a potential positive.

What I don’t get is the enthusiasm around PFL being the ones to buy them out. PFL has many of the same problems. Cards laden with mismatches because of their odd seasonal format necessitates highly paid talent advance out the first round. A bizarre desire to be a PPV company without any fighters who appeal to a casual audience. No promotional ability. Like, they can’t sell out the goddamn Hulu theater! I was in the Hulu Theater for Serrano-Cruz and Glory and both times they were packed. That’s how little name recognition PFL has, despite years on ESPN. That’s the other thing, their deal with ESPN is up soon. It wasn’t much but that was a significant amount of the actual revenue PFL generated. Outside of VC and Saudi money, PFL has been a fire pit for cash. They’re trying to expand to all these places: Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, etc. They’re paying $10 million+ for a Francis Ngannou fight in 2024. Where is all that money coming from? They don’t have a TV deal. They don’t sell PPVs. They barely move tickets. I doubt they’ve sold 100 PFL t-shirts.

Not to mention, PFL is the same organization who’s former matchmaker had to be quit because he was the ACTING MANAGER for many of the fighters on roster. Lord knows how much influence Ali Abdelaziz still has in the office.

I understand that Bellator and PFL needed to make changes. They could not both keep limping along pretending they were viable alternatives to the UFC. But all of a sudden, we’re going from three “big” North American promotions to two. That means fighters are going to lose their jobs. That means you have less options on what to watch. That means fighters’ (little) leverage at the bargaining table is being cut. It means that one of the biggest media companies in the world decided a secondary MMA promotion to the UFC was not a viable investment in a landscape where sports are the things drawing eyeballs to the TV.

Like I always say, I’m hoping for the best. But buying Bellator does not address the #1 issue facing any of these promoters - you have to draw people to the product. No one but us and a handful of other sickos watched Bellator religiously. They won’t care that PFL has Johnny Eblen on roster now. You have to build stars. Maybe instead of spending 8-9 figures to buy a company with like no name value, you buy Kayla Harrison or OAM a publicist?

[dukeofishgard]

I posted about it on Twitter and it seems a lot of ppl also agree with me, but it is super bizarre to me, as I start poking at new venues to possibly visit to RP at with Duke (he and Dracyn are overdue for a date night) the sudden influx of venues that charge actual gil for their food and drink.

This was pretty unheard of during what was, imo, the "heyday" of FFXIV rp, particularly on Crystal/Balmung. It was always "gil is for immersion only, tips appreciated!" And oftentimes Dracyn and I would tip oocly because the venues we'd go to were not only cool, but even on busy nights the people running them would take the time to interact, and oftentimes remember regulars who'd make it a point to come back weekly, and that was 10000% worth both the experience and to let the roleplayers know that they were doing an awesome job.

But charging people 5k per drink, for what (especially if it's ends up busy.) amounts to someone roleplaying handing you a drink, is absurd lmao. If you have to charge people to roleplay with you - i honestly wonder if you're roleplaying because you ... enjoy roleplaying? And considering most people are gonna have their characters sit and chill, 2-3 drinks will wind up being 15k actual gil, and again. For what will likely be a completely a bare bones interaction because there's venues also charging for table services upwards of 50k+ gil (per hr) for personalized unlimited drinks and service. The server at the bar is gonna be swamped and they're not gonna give a damn about actually engaging in roleplaying with visitors cos they're gonna be overwhelmed!

And I get it - nobody is forcing anyone to go to these venues (tho I had a friend who went to one, was told it was not real gil paid for drinks, and then... were told to cough up the gil as they left lol.) and I've written off a few already despite my initial interest.

But it's a very odd thing for me to see, especially as someone who's been roleplaying for 20 yrs, not including XIV rp.

And also the pricing is *absurd*.

Again, 5k for a drink, and its not even like they're crafting and handing you an actual in game item in return. (Those venues are even more rare, but I could understand that a little more as they're giving you actual items in return.) But 5k gil for a fake drink? That doesn't even make sense on a monetary level.

Like, for reference - I run events for FFVII twt rp. Here's the menus for our 7th Heaven Night:

And while I joked to my fellow mods/admins who help run the events that we should put our cash app up when we do the events (a joke). These prices make more sense than charging 5k gil for:

"/em hands <player name> a triple deluxe rainbow titty twister supreme on a coaster."

Like huh?

Ultimately it makes me sad, and again - i recognize that I do not have to patronize these venues (and won't) but it also just - why? Roleplay isn't a job. We're all writing make believe, and I was under the impression - because we all love writing. Or at least, that's why I roleplay. And as someone who's worked in venues, and has been given ooc tips out of nowhere - that beats the hell out of nickel and diming players for the "luxury" of roleplaying with me/at my venue. Because then you know they're not doing because you're breaking their kneecaps - they did it because they enjoyed the experience.

Ok rant over.

[ace-of-zaun]

Drunk Mind, Sober Hearts: pt. 3

young silco x gn!reader - SFW, 2.3k words

Warnings: jealousy, possessive behaviour, teasing, drinking, established relationship, suggestive 

A/N: For the lovely @kikiiswashere who is not only such a kind person, but also an incredibly talented writer! Please go and read their story ‘Children of Zaun’, it’s honestly such a brilliant story, and is so well written. Kiki is genuinely a master of characterisation and worldbuilding, 100% recommend all their works! -el x

Part 1 | Part 2

-

There was no doubt about it. You absolutely adored the days where Silco would shower you in affection, making his love for you abundantly clear with each little action and word. 

But, whilst you loved the soft side to Silco, there was just something so delicious about teasing him until he couldn’t help but ravish you. 

You and Silco had been together for a few months now and honestly, you couldn’t imagine how you ever lived your life without him in this way. 

It was like he unlocked a better version of yourself. 

One that loved freely. Openly. And with all your heart.

Even life as The Children was better. More recently, Vander and Silco had managed to intercept a shipment of scrap mechanical parts that would easily sell during the new trend of people augmenting their bodies.

As such, with the rest of their pilfered stash, the boys had finally succeeded in setting up their new black market in The Lanes, meaning there was a sudden influx in cash from the sales. 

And of course, in true Zaun fashion, they’d decided that the only way to celebrate this new-found success was to throw a party and drain all of the newly-stocked booze in the bar by themselves…

It would appear their logic only went so far when alcohol was involved. 

Entering the bar after a quick bathroom break, you stand and observe the loud partygoers, leaning against the wall for a moment to get back into the swing of it all. 

It takes only a few seconds to locate Silco, who is waiting for you patiently at the other end of the bar. You smile to yourself as you watch him absentmindedly take a sip of his drink, completely lost in his own world. 

Honestly, he probably should be helping Vander serve at the bar, but he never does, considering himself to be the brains of the operation, and therefore far too clever to do such menial tasks like serving customers.

(Although, you’ve seen him stub his toe on his desk enough times to void that particular assumption of his…)

You shake your head at him lovingly, a smile pulling at the corner of your lips.

Your little rebel even amongst rebels. 

By the way he sways a little bit on his feet, you can tell he’s slightly tipsy, but he’s definitely not drunk. Neither of you are. 

It had taken you a few weeks of dating to realise that he hadn’t been drunk since the night he’d accidentally confessed his love for you. 

When you’d questioned him about it, he’d quietly admitted that he no longer felt the need to get wasted, because being sober with you was far better than any single buzz he might get from alcohol.

You’d almost burst into tears on the spot. 

Despite only dating for the better part of three months, you know without a shadow of a doubt that you both love one another. And it was only made more certain in all the little ways you showed each other everyday.

Like how you were always making sure Silco ate enough before going out on missions, or how his fingers would idly draw constellations on your leg during group meetings. 

Or how you missed each other like crazy, even when you were only apart for bathroom breaks. 

It was like the boy had a permanent, constant place in your mind. 

Almost like he’d heard your wistful thoughts, Silco glances up at the door and spots you immediately, a gorgeous little crooked smile taking over his lips at the sight of you.

You return the smile easily and tilt your head at him demurely instead of making your way over to him. 

It takes him a few seconds, but at the realisation of the new game you’re playing, his smile melts into a sinful smirk as he raises one finger and beckons you over with a simple motion.

You grin and shake your head playfully. 

Crossing your arms, you’re just about to make a series of gestures to inform him that he should come over to you, when a figure steps in your line of sight, effectively blocking your view of Silco. 

“Hey.”

You make eye contact with the person and recognise him as one of the newer, younger recruits that had joined The Children a couple of months ago.

Rian. 

Even though you’d only known him a short few weeks, you’d already decided he was a nice lad, who had taken a bit of a shine to you after you’d shown him how to pick a lock with a knife. So you don’t mind the brief interruption to your game. 

“Hey Rian, how are you doing?” you say with a kind smile, entirely different to the one you’d just given Silco. 

“Good thanks,” he says, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. 

You decide not to mention it. 

“Yeah? You enjoying the party?”

“Yeah,” he says nervously, putting you on edge until he speaks again and reveals exactly why he’s acting so timidly, “Let me buy you a drink?”

Oh. He really had taken a shine to you. 

You’re just about to tell him that you get drinks on the house because you now live here with Silco, but two things happen at once.

Firstly, your all-time favourite song begins to blast through the jukebox speakers.

And secondly, you spot Silco frowning at you over Rian’s shoulder from across the room.

And with the culmination of those two factors, an idea suddenly pops into your head.

A terrible, wicked, villainous idea. 

You instantly develop a plan to get him back for all those soul-wrenching nights you’d watched him get drunk and flirt with everyone else, despite both being secretly in love with one another.

Deep down, you know that a little harmless prodding isn’t going to hurt.

In fact, you know Silco pretty well after growing up with him and now intimately sharing your life with him, so you have a pretty good feeling that you know exactly how he’s going to react.

And it will no doubt be very good for the both of you. 

“No, thank you,” you tell Rian, watching as his face falls in dejection, “But I’ll take a dance?”

It’s almost comical how quickly his mood shifts once more as he nods eagerly in agreement. 

You grin and carefully take his hand, leading him onto the ‘dancefloor’ (aka. The only space in the bar that’s not currently filled with tables or warm bodies). 

Feeling a thrill rushing through you at both hearing your favourite song and enacting your mischievous little plan, you have to hold yourself back from watching Silco’s reaction. 

No, you had to wait until just the right time, otherwise he’d know it was all a ruse.

Reaching an adequate space in the room, you turn to Rian and throw your arms around his neck, linking your fingers together securely. 

You make sure not to press your body against him because you don’t want him getting the wrong idea. Really, this was all just a bit of platonic fun and you weren’t about to cruelly lead somebody on just because you were teasing your boyfriend. 

Rian must realise you’re deliberately putting space between the two of you because he doesn’t try to pull you any closer. In fact, his hands remain safely in the middle of your back, not even attempting to inch them any lower.

You grin at him and begin to happily sing along to your favourite song as you dance.

As you slowly make a turn, arms still around Rian, you finally spot a furious looking Silco in the same place you’d left him by the bar. 

You make brief eye contact with him, and with just a simple little smirk in his direction, his expression turns from quiet seething to absolutely thunderous. 

It’s a struggle not to snort when he all but slams his drink on the bar top, liquid spilling onto his hand. 

But before you can visibly laugh at how easily he’s playing into your trap, you’ve turned so your back is to him.

Instead, you look up at your dance partner and decide to set the record straight. 

The last thing you wanted to do was accidentally hurt one of your colleagues when you were secretly just playing a game with your boyfriend. 

“Rian, you do know I’m dating Silco, right?” you tell him gently. 

He stiffens slightly in your arms and almost seems a little bit panicked, like you’ve just told a child you caught them doing something they shouldn’t.

“I know, I didn’t mean anything by it,” he says nervously, “I just think you’re nice is all.”

“It’s fine, Rian, I just wanted you to know that I’m taken,” you say, and out the corner of your eye, you see the man in question begin to stomp over to you.

You ignore him and continue speaking. 

“Although Harley has been staring at you all night, maybe you should offer to buy them a drink?” you suggest.

Harley was another new recruit and you know for a fact that they have a bit of a crush on Rian. Honestly, when you think about it, they’d be perfect for each other, so you don’t mind setting them up. 

At least it’ll give Rian somebody else to turn his attention to. 

Rian looks surprised at your suggestion and turns to look over his shoulder at Harley, who is watching him from across the room. 

“You think?” he asks thoughtfully. 

“I do,” you say with a firm nod. 

He turns back to look at you and if you didn’t know any better, you’d almost say he looked excited at the prospect. Like he’d never even considered it before and you’d just opened his eyes to a whole new world. 

“Okay,” he returns your nod with a wide smile, “Thanks for dancing with me.”

“No problem, Rian.”

The very second that you’ve let go of each other and Rian has stepped away in the direction of Harley, he’s replaced by a very angry, very sour-faced Silco.

You bite back a smirk and open your mouth to tease him when he grabs your hand and half-drags you through the bar, towards the door that leads to the hallway. 

He’s not rough with you, but he’s definitely insistent as he pulls you along. 

“Oi, what do you think you’re doing? I haven't finished dancing!” you cry out in indignation. 

“Something more important has come up,” he replies curtly, not even looking back at you. 

You allow him to continue pulling you through the crowd because you know it’s all part of the game.

And gods, it was turning out to be a fun one. 

When you finally reach the back hallway, he lets the door slam behind you both and wastes no time in pulling you towards the stairs.

Now that you’re alone and away from prying eyes, you try to tug free from his grasp, planning to tease him just a little bit more. 

“Silco, what are you-”

You’re cut off by Silco slamming his lips into yours, pushing your body up against the wall in one smooth move.

It’s by far the most demanding kiss he’s ever given you and by the gods, you love it. 

With his body pressed firmly against yours, he pushes his tongue into your mouth, and accompanies the determined movements of his lips with bordering on desperate sweeps of his long hands all over your body.

It’s too much. It’s not enough. It’s everything. 

Eventually, you both have to pull back for breath, but Silco doesn’t let you stray too far from him, almost like his lips are magnetised to yours.

“You’re mine,” he says against your lips, in that deep gravel that shoots heat right through you. 

Gods, you just knew that a little bit of envy would make him even hotter. 

“Feeling a little jealous, are we?” you tease him coyly as you weave your fingers through his hair. 

Silco responds by kissing along your jawline, down your neck, and across your collarbone, following a path set by him and him alone. 

“I only want you to dance with me,” he tells you roughly, in a delicious little streak of possession.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” you smirk, giving his hair a little tug. 

He pulls back from you and looks down at you in awe. 

Then, he rolls his eyes with a sigh through his nose, clearly only just figuring out that you’d been playing with him this whole time.

“But you know, Sil, if I’m yours, that also makes you mine,” you say, tracing a finger down his cheek gently. 

He leans in close again, so your noses are almost touching and his breath dances across your skin. 

“If that’s the case, what was all that back there?”

“I just wanted to see how green those beautiful eyes could get,” you say coquettishly, “Think of it as payback for all those times you flirted with absolutely everyone but me.” 

You think you start to see a hint of remorse cross his features, so you decide to move on quickly. Making him feel bad wasn’t your aim. And besides, it was all in the past.

What you were really focused on right now was your immediate future.

“I’d say we’re even now, wouldn’t you?” you continue, raising your eyebrow with a smirk. 

His hands begin to slowly travel down your body, resting firmly on the swell of your ass while he presses himself against you.

“Oh, not in the slightest,” he drawls, as his eyes darken, “No, I think I’m going to require a little… compensation after that little stunt.”

He punctuates his salaciously implied words with a sharp pinch to your ass and you squeal in surprise, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

Silco grins and presses one last delectable kiss to your open lips before pulling you towards the stairs, a promise of imminent pleasure radiating in his eyes. 

Note to self: tease Silco more often.

-

Taglist: @pinkrose1422 @anotherromanticpoet

[balloonbreon]

can someone explain the sudden influx of the shitty furries from poppy playtime. i thought we agreed that game was a lazy cash grab made to sell merchandise to kids

[wyrmguardsecrets]

"i use AI for references bc im currently disabled and barely get enough money from the government to scrape by after rent and food. if i come into a sudden influx of cash, then i plan on getting actual digital art. you cannot change my mind." art is a luxury. use dollmakers, picrews, tons of shit out there that artists have willingly put out so people can make their OCs, even if not perfectly. quit stealing art just because you think being disabled gives you the right.

,

[feelings-fortilly]

@felixthegoodboy

Felix walked around the island, a piece of paper with an address in his hands. After everything that happened, now he had to live in a different environment until things were repaired. As he walked around he didn't pay much attention to looking for the house he was supposed to be staying in, instead he looked at all the damage and devastation that covered the island. The smell of burning buildings still remained in the sea breeze. How could all this happen? This place was supposed to be safe. He stopped walking and looked out at the ocean. It looked so beautiful, so calm. The complete opposite of the state of the island. As he stared out at the gentle waves, tears began streaming down his cheeks. He had pretended to be brave through all of the attacks now he could finally let it out...His fear. His frustration. His worry. He dropped to his knees on the sand and couldn't help but start to sob. "I-I was so scared, Vanessa...So scared..." he whimpered to himself, not hearing someone approach from behind

Tilly had her own mission. The one phone call she had for her family was short lived, and she couldn't exactly tell them why she needed an influx of cash from them - which they didn't grant anyway. She had some money from her job, but not a ton, so for the first time in her entire life, she had to be frugal. She couldn't blow all her money on one garment, even though she couldn't remember the last time she bought any garment of clothing for under $150. Any store that was open and cheap, which were few and far between. And, this goes without saying, but she didn't hit the point of desperate just yet to be going through the donations boxes yet. She at least needed some essentials before she made her way to the shelter she was staying at for however long. A few changes of clothes, pajamas, undergarments and a pair of shoes that didn't have soot and bloodstains on them. Someone collapsed in the middle a patch of demolition - maybe there was a convenience store there before? But it was so sudden that she nearly tripped over him. "My name isn't Vanessa," she snapped, having been on edge for the last week and a half. "Pull yourself together, man, we were all scared."

[deadlybydesign]

For a chimera created by science by means of genes manipulated according to alchemical directions, the sudden and violent influx of magic to the world was quite literally liberating.

If only it had brought with it control to temper the abrupt intensifying of his inbuilt weaponry. Instead, it had brought death, and lots of it, until a trio of cyborgs tracked him down and did what they could to make him somewhat safer to exist outside the labs.

It was a good thing his dark vision was excellent, because the outsized brazing goggles made full daylight about as bright as a heavily overcast day. Scruffy honey-blond hair stuck out over the straps holding the goggles, incidentally blocking any gaps between the eye cups and his skin. Looking around, the boy tried to get an idea of what kind of place his benefactor had dropped him off. He'd traveled with the cyborgs for a while, but one had left a month later, and the second another month or two after that. Now, the last of them, the young woman with the sad violet eyes and the occasionally terrifying smile, had brought him somewhere she thought he would be safe, at least for a while. There was something she needed to do, she'd told him, but she would keep in touch. She had given him a small tablet like the ones the lab people had used, made sure he knew how to use and care for it, and given him an envelope with cash.

It was too dangerous for him to even think about trying to learn how to pick pockets. If he wasn't careful, someone would die.

On the other hand, demons seemed confused by him, mostly, and tended to just pretend they hadn't noticed him. Well, except for some of the smaller ones which seemed to like him. So, it was likely he'd be safe enough here until one of the cyborgs came back for him.

Stomach grumbling, the humanoid basilisk called Saxon turned to try and find something to eat.

[fallsekings]

@sinruby​ // @hvbris​ ​// A plotted starter

                It was time for the Second Quarter Quell and the Capitol had been planning ahead of time for a few months now as it was an extra special event. There were extra security measures and Peacekeepers being brought into the city in the off chance that something may transpire, and up until now, it had been a dull affair for the President who had seen so many Games in his time... but it was still an event that he deemed necessary to keep the Districts suppressed and under his firm control. 

                While the Gamemakers plotted out the arena, which he understood to be all forms of poisonous plants, and those that handled the gambling and betting were getting ready for the influx of cash, Snow had attended meetings and gave out instructions and got ready for his smallish part to play in it all. He had written a short speech to welcome the Tributes to the Capitol, while however frivolous of a task it may have seemed, he knew that it still must impress those in the Capitol.

                Glancing down at the unfolded piece of paper in his hand once more, where he had jotted down a few notes, he took a breath and then stepped out onto the stage where he was greeted by a loud and thunderous applause. He smiled and waved at his audience and then waited for them to go quiet before he stepped up to the microphone that would amplify his voice for blocks around the city to hear. The President’s eyes moved around at the audience for a moment until they landed on the Tributes, taking them all in one by one in the costumes that had been prepared for them once they had arrived. Each one designed to represent their own district.

                Taking in a deep breath, he began his speech to welcome everyone to the Games and then near the end of it, his eyes landed on someone familiar in the crowd behind the tributes. For a moment, Snow felt his heart sink in his chest... the eyes, though years may have passed, he knew those dark eyes from anywhere. How could he not? The eyes of Lucy Gray Baird was staring back at him from the audience below. Snow felt his fists clench together by his sides behind the podium, doubtful that anyone else would take notice of his sudden tense state as he finished the last few words of his speech. The audience went up in applause once more and he took his leave.

                                                               ----------------

                Snow’s mind was racing as he waited for the peacekeepers to return with Lucy in tow. He had instructed them to use the utmost care when brining her to him as she was a mentor for District 12 and at least for now, she did need to be handled with care until the Games were over with. Hadn’t he killed her? He thought to himself as he sat behind his desk, waiting for the meeting. How hadn’t he realized that she was still alive? He had missed the shot obviously... but to show up at the Capitol now was brazen beyond reason. Snow knew that she had defiance in her, even back then, but this was almost as if she were asking to be killed once again.

                How would he handle this once it was all over? Let her go back to District 12 where she could live in peace for the rest of her days? Kill her? No, that would be too easy... after all she had escaped death by his hands once before. No, there would have to be another option. Snow tapped his fingers on his desk a few times as he considered all of the brutal ways he could have her tortured and turned to their side and then used... his thoughts paused when his secretary slid the door open and informed them that his guests had arrived. Nodding, he signaled to let them in.

                “You can leave us.” Snow said politely to the Peacekeeper. “Have a seat...” He said to Lucy, and gestured for one of the two luxurious pieces of furniture before his desk. “I see you’ve been rather... well.” 

[classicquid]

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[phantom-bleu]

More sploon au thoughts

Latte and espresso r both ex octarians, they grew up together and climbed the ranks quickly together at young ages: espresso was a weapons tech and latte became an elite squad leader (of other cacaolings who also defect i think, carmy arrow crunchy chip etc)

Latte heard calamari inkantation and was the first one who wanted to defect, she asked espresso to join her who was absolutely against it initially but came around eventually cus he mostly didn’t want to be alone in octo valley without her (would not say this out loud) and started to doubt his loyalties as well seeing latte have this sudden clarity

They studied the inkling language incredibly hard and cuz they r really smart they both r almost fluent, just with some occasional trips in grammar or pronunciation (they teach other dark cacaolings later on to help them integrate into inkling society quicker :]) but this helps them also quickly climb the ranks of the inkling turf war scene too

Again espresso uses inkbrush and latte uses octobrush. Espresso hates the octobrush but cant deny that latte is really good with it considering he sees it as a stunted inkbrush. They dont actually play on the same team normally since 2 brushes usually ruins weapon comps but they r known friends and compare and share techniques often so they r seen as a dual threat. Very close friends besides their rivalry btwn the brushes (one sided on espressos part bc hes stubborn abt stupid things)

Madeleine is a little younger than them (i see essypoo and latte as 16-17 while madeleine is new to turf wars so like. 15) but has Always Dreamed of being a turf war legend. His aunties had him sent him to a sports private school to train him in competitive play (except its a private school so they literally dont teach you shit) so madeleine has all his fundamentals down and has team strategies memorised but no practical experience w actual talented opponents so He is not very good but really really thinks he is

His aunties also helped him form a competitive team by offering top players a fuckload of money if they join. Espresso took it because he was really strapped for cash As it turns out he cant budget his military grade weapon customisation hobby with turf war prize money. He asked latte really nicely to join as well but he DID ask every friend he had before her and they all laughed in his face

Luckily for madeleine espresso is his fcking hero and his celeb crush so this arrangement is great for him. He thinks they make a great team but espresso is very standoffish with him, Presumably because he doesnt know what a Great Player maddie is yet so he commits to spending all his time w espresso to prove himself (espresso does not like this)

Espresso and latte plan to move to splatsville bc the competitive scene is a lot newer there so getting high in the ranks will be easier for the mid team they are. Madeleine thinks this is great because he gets to SHARE an APARTMENT with espresso (and latte😠 but he can pretend she doesnt live there just fine)

Rye is a splatsville born and bred who i see as the oldest between them, like 19? Shes taking less shifts at grizzco bc w the influx of ppl moving into town theyre not so understaffed anymore so she wants to get into turf wars bc she never had the spare time before (nothing to do w her ex gf chili who is big in the comp scene who rye def doesnt want to one-up)

She joins the team cus she saw essypoo and latte asking ppl to join w no prior competitive experience needed (everyone from inkopolis recognised them and didnt want to join) so she thought itd be fun. Shes amazing w the dualies but doesnt have any sense of team coordination (freelance salmon run has that effect) so shes a wip for latte and espresso but they both have hope that she’ll get really good with some guidance

Rye and madeleine get along well :] she thinks hes endearing even if he’s overconfident and in way over his head at the same time. Hes also really funny for these reasons. She teases him a lot which he hatesssss but shes one of the few ppl who can stand him, whether shes taking him seriously or not doesnt really matter cus he has someone to hang out with after battles at least (and they actually bond over this and start to mesh better)

[blockinsider]

Dwindling Bitcoin Reserves as Crypto Reapproaches $60K Milestone

Key Points

Bitcoin reserves on cryptocurrency exchanges have dropped to their lowest level this year, possibly signaling a price surge.

Analysts suggest the reduction in exchange reserves could lead to a rally in Bitcoin’s value in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Bitcoin reserves on digital currency exchanges have hit a yearly low, potentially setting the stage for a substantial price surge. Some market analysts suggest that Bitcoin could soon surpass the $60,000 threshold due to the decline in exchange reserves.

CryptoQuant contributor Gaah has disclosed that Bitcoin reserves on exchanges have dropped by approximately 12.9% since the beginning of 2024, leaving around 2.62 million Bitcoin across key platforms. This shift indicates a trend of investors moving their Bitcoin from exchanges to cold storage, signaling their intent to hold onto their assets long term.

The Market and Potential Impact

The dwindling supply of Bitcoin on exchanges coincides with analyst predictions of a potential rally in the fourth quarter of 2024. Bitcoin has historically performed well in the year’s last quarter, and the current decrease in exchange reserves might enhance this trend. With fewer Bitcoin available for sale, the market could be less susceptible to sudden price drops caused by panic selling. This scenario could foster a more resilient market environment, potentially favoring long-term investors who believe in Bitcoin’s future growth.

Crypto commentator Bitcoin for Freedom has noted that a significant amount of Bitcoin has been moved off exchanges in the past week, with over 56,000 Bitcoin withdrawn since August 22. This mass movement suggests that an increasing number of investors are positioning themselves for potential price gains. As the available Bitcoin on exchanges continues to decrease, the market could face a “supply shock,” where reduced availability leads to higher prices if demand remains steady or increases.

Despite this optimistic outlook, Bitcoin’s price has recently faced several hurdles, including significant outflows from exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In recent days, US spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen substantial cash outflows, with large funds like the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF witnessing withdrawals of over $105 million in a single day. Such outflows indicate a potential loss of investor confidence in these investment vehicles and may lead to decreased buying pressure on Bitcoin.

Looking Forward

There is potential for a market rebound, especially if stablecoin activity continues to increase. Data from TokenTerminal has shown significant minting and movement of stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT, which are frequently used to purchase Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This influx of stablecoins could provide the liquidity necessary to support Bitcoin prices, counteracting some of the recent negative market activity.

As Bitcoin continues to hover around the $60,000 mark, the interaction between dwindling exchange reserves, investor sentiment, and market dynamics will be crucial in determining the next major price movement. The upcoming weeks will be critical in revealing whether Bitcoin can maintain its upward momentum or if it will encounter further resistance.