large aquarium rocks

Loving another isn't always easy. When romance first blooms, everything seems perfect, but soon the veneer peels away and trouble sets in.<br><br>The stories in this collection focus on gay men who try to make their relationships work in a world intent on pulling them apart. A young man brings his first boyfriend home to meet his parents, even though he's terrified of his father's reaction. A flirtatious coworker sparks a fight between two committed men. A cam whore is tempted by an online admirer who tests his love for his boyfriend.<br><br>The men in these seven tales are in relationships for the long haul, if they can learn how to make things work. They all want to live happily ever after ... eventually.<br><br>Contains the stories:<br><br><strong>Lesser of Two Evils</strong>: In college, Jared falls in love with Larry but isn't out to his parents. Then Larry asks to meet Jared's family. Jared knows his sexuality will distant him further from his father. Unless he can find some way to soften the blow ...<br><br><strong>I'll Take the Rain</strong>: My boyfriend is the jealous type, and I always seem to say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time. Unfortunately, our roommate only sees us when we're at our worst. I hope her misplaced concern won't come between us. Or maybe it’ll be my own stupidity that tears us apart.<br><br><strong>We're Not Fighting</strong>: Jack is in a committed relationship with Aiden and, in Jack’s mind, no one else matters. So when a new girl in the office flirts with him, he thinks it’s nothing. But Aiden is pissed. Jack wants the whole thing to blow over, but it looks like Aiden’s about to blow up.<br><br><strong>Crash and Burn</strong>: When Chris discovers his lover Aaron is secretly taking prescription drugs for depression, he feels as if he doesn't know Aaron any more. He's afraid to bring up the pills he found, but more afraid of losing his lover. Will he be able to step in and say something before it’s too late?<br><br><strong>Don't Be Late</strong>: Who says marriage is bliss? Blake and Jeremy had more time together dating than they do as man and husband. Working long hours keep them apart, and their schedules rarely sync during the week. They only make love on the weekends. One hectic day follows another. Will they ever get a moment alone<br><br><strong>Wanna Cyber?</strong>: Ritchie is a cam whore; he loves the internet. His boyfriend Doug isn't exactly technologically savvy and is worried about what Ritchie gets up to online. He trusts Ritchie, really -- it's everyone else he isn't too sure about. One evening while Doug is at class, he decides to chat up Ritchie without revealing himself to his boyfriend, just to see what happens. The response he gets surprises him.<br><br><strong>Picture Postcards</strong>: Donny has loved his friend Greg for years but never told him. They shared one brief night together before Greg married Megan and Donny ... well, Donny tried to move on. He thinks he's succeeded in relegating Greg to the past until he receives a postcard from his friend that suggests Greg still thinks of that night, too.

All credit goes to Exterminatus from Royal Road

In a super powered society, many different types of people exist. Heroes. Villains. Sidekicks. Henchmen. Life and death situations are the norm for those people. They scheme, they fight, they make up, and they do it all over again. What about the types of people that are just trying to get by? A disillusioned priest that can smell sin struggles to balance ethics and paying the bills. An aspiring aquarist that just needs to finish out her aquarium mentorship, then she can fulfill all the expectations she never wanted. A movie enthusiast that turns to crime to support his dying mother-in-law. A mechanic that relapses on an addiction to her power to escape from herself. What happens when they meet each other during the heist of a... Definitely not a century. Maybe the heist of a day? --- New chapters every Monday!

Barry Dunning is a pet stylist and a gentle soul. Animals love him and he adores them. And while he would love to have a dog or cat of his own, the lease on his tiny studio apartment doesn’t allow pets. So, he paints miniature cats and dogs on rocks, instead.<br><br>Hurt by an ex-boyfriend, Barry doesn’t date. But his sister Trixie is always pestering him to get back out there, though he doesn’t think anyone would want him or his baggage.<br><br>Not so. Sheldon Svenson, the owner of the animal shelter where Barry volunteers on weekends is attracted to Barry and asks him out on a date. Barry -- for once taking his sister’s advice -- accepts.<br><br>Dinner ends in disaster, but Sheldon, undaunted, pursues Barry and asks for another chance. Will Barry decide to risk losing his heart?

Aoi works at her local aquarium at the nightshift. She has always been thought of as average and been looked over and dumped too many times to count. But if there’s anyone she can rely on to tell her troubles to and give company (and food) to, is the fish. One night Aoi accidentally slips and falls into the shark tank. For most this would spell the end, however for Aoi, this brings about an encounter that would mark the beginning of something new for her.

This is a story of a mind's journey to get better, and whom and what you can find on the way. I'm Mark, I found someone who gave me hope, and who was walking with me from the dark, all the way to the light I'm in right now. They are my Sunshine on all days. Even though there are dark times. The Moon and the Sun shine through the clouds still. It gets better, really, I mean it.

“When the clock strikes midnight, the aquarium’s creatures unleash chaos.” In the dead of night, the animals of the aquarium turn feral, plunging the facility into pandemonium. Ayame, a humanoid caretaker, battles alone to uncover the cause of their madness and save the creatures she’s sworn to protect. As sharks, octopuses, penguins, and fish rampage and the aquarium teeters on the brink of collapse, she’s drawn deeper into a mystery guided by an eerie voice and an unknown signal.

David, a quiet and unassuming young man from Katni, moves to Jabalpur for a job at a courier company. In search of accommodation, he meets Ana, who agrees to rent him her apartment. A friendship slowly begins between them. When David’s mother learns he has settled down, she visits him and insists he consider marrying Eva, the daughter of her friend. Though David objects, out of respect for his mother’s delicate emotional state, he agrees to meet Eva—but devises a plan to sabotage the proposal by appearing in dishevelled clothing and behaving frivolously. Eva is amused, but David’s mother is humiliated. The proposal is rejected, and she returns home in anger. David and Ana’s relationship gradually deepens. He learns about her troubled past: a missing mother and an alcoholic father. Just as a bond begins to take shape between them, David is transferred to Bargi, a rural town outside Jabalpur. Concerned by the change, Ana promises to visit him, reassuring both David and his mother. David moves, and in time, adapts to the slower pace of village life. In Bargi, David befriends an elderly woman affectionately called Old Mother. Known for her kindness, she quickly grows fond of David and invites him into her life. He also meets Sheila, her reclusive housekeeper, a woman weighed down by sorrow and silence. As David becomes part of their world, he learns that Old Mother’s son, Peter, lives in London and hasn’t visited in three years. Over time, David uncovers Sheila’s past and her reasons for living in isolation. One rainy day, Ana visits David in Bargi. Caught in the worsening weather, he takes her to Old Mother’s home for shelter. There, Ana is stunned to find that Sheila is her long-lost mother. A painful confrontation ensues. Ana accuses Sheila of abandonment, while Sheila explains she fled due to Ana’s abusive father. Old Mother urges Sheila to return to Jabalpur, but she refuses, fearing her past. Tensions escalate, and in the aftermath of a bitter argument, Sheila quietly passes away in the night. Ana is devastated by her mother’s death and blames herself. Old Mother consoles her and travels with her to Jabalpur to share the news with her father. Meanwhile, David, consumed with guilt for bringing Ana to the house, isolates himself. Weeks later, he quietly visits the large house and finds Peter, now returned from London, working in the garden. Old Mother thanks David for posting the letter that brought her son back—though David never sent one. Puzzled, he realizes it was Ana who had written the letter. Old Mother gently confronts David about his absence. Suspecting unresolved feelings between him and Ana, she misinterprets his silence as indifference. To clarify matters, she calls Ana to walk with David and explain everything. David is surprised to see her, and during their walk, Ana shares that she plans to go to London and become engaged to Peter. She attributes her decision to the kindness and support she received from Old Mother after Sheila’s death. David, heartbroken and unable to express his own feelings, quietly accepts the situation. As he prepares to leave the large house, Old Mother hands him an envelope and asks him to deliver it to a family in the village. When David arrives at the house, he is surprised to see Eva, the woman he once tried to avoid marrying. Their reunion is unexpectedly warm. As they walk together afterward, they laugh about their first awkward meeting. By the time they part at the bus station, a genuine connection has begun to form—hinting that a relationship once prematurely rejected might now have a second chance.

this is the story of Andrew’s journey on how he became the world’s largest pp from being the smallest.

Zhao Lian is a sheriff without a county. A member of an old magical order called the Shuli Go, she was raised to uphold the law and protect her fellow citizens. But after her order was disassembled, she was left with no choice but to wander in search of work for someone with her very particular set of skills. When she stumbles across a group of bandits plundering a merchant's wagon, she steps in to save the only innocent survivor. Quickly though, Lian learns innocent is not the right word to describe him. This new addition to her life pushes her out of her comfort zone and into a run from the law, but his impact on her life is only just beginning. The second story in the saga of the Central Empire's most famous Shuli Go, this continues to build the world and set of characters which will be central to future installments. Probably my favorite one I've written thus far!