diff --git a/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php b/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php
deleted file mode 100644
index 740ab53aa..000000000
--- a/app/Console/Commands/SyncArticleImages.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,67 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-
-namespace App\Console\Commands;
-
-use App\Models\Article;
-use Illuminate\Console\Command;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
-
-final class SyncArticleImages extends Command
-{
-    protected $signature = 'lio:sync-article-images';
-
-    protected $description = 'Updates the Unsplash image for all unsynced articles';
-
-    public function handle(): void
-    {
-        if (! config('services.unsplash.access_key')) {
-            $this->error('Unsplash access key must be configured');
-
-            return;
-        }
-
-        Article::unsyncedImages()->chunk(100, function ($articles) {
-            $articles->each(function ($article) {
-                $imageData = $this->fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId($article);
-
-                if (! is_null($imageData)) {
-                    $article->hero_image_url = $imageData['image_url'];
-                    $article->hero_image_author_name = $imageData['author_name'];
-                    $article->hero_image_author_url = $imageData['author_url'];
-                    $article->save();
-                } else {
-                    $this->warn("Failed to fetch image data for image {$article->hero_image_id}");
-                }
-            });
-        });
-    }
-
-    protected function fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId(Article $article): ?array
-    {
-        $response = Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
-            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
-            ->get("https://api.unsplash.com/photos/{$article->hero_image_id}");
-
-        if ($response->failed()) {
-            $article->hero_image_id = null;
-            $article->save();
-
-            $this->warn("Failed to fetch image data for image {$article->hero_image_id}");
-
-            return null;
-        }
-
-        $response = $response->json();
-
-        // Trigger as Unsplash download...
-        Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
-            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
-            ->get($response['links']['download_location']);
-
-        return [
-            'image_url' => $response['urls']['raw'],
-            'author_name' => $response['user']['name'],
-            'author_url' => $response['user']['links']['html'],
-        ];
-    }
-}
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/UsersController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/UsersController.php
index 9474ccb0b..130d44e93 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/UsersController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Admin/UsersController.php
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 use App\Jobs\DeleteUser;
 use App\Jobs\DeleteUserThreads;
 use App\Jobs\UnbanUser;
+use App\Jobs\UnVerifyAuthor;
+use App\Jobs\VerifyAuthor;
 use App\Models\User;
 use App\Policies\UserPolicy;
 use App\Queries\SearchUsers;
@@ -60,6 +62,28 @@ public function unban(User $user): RedirectResponse
         return redirect()->route('profile', $user->username());
     }
 
+    public function verifyAuthor(User $user)
+    {
+        $this->authorize(UserPolicy::ADMIN, $user);
+
+        $this->dispatchSync(new VerifyAuthor($user));
+
+        $this->success($user->name() . ' was verified!');
+
+        return redirect()->route('admin.users');
+    }
+
+    public function unverifyAuthor(User $user)
+    {
+        $this->authorize(UserPolicy::ADMIN, $user);
+
+        $this->dispatchSync(new UnverifyAuthor($user));
+
+        $this->success($user->name() . ' was unverified!');
+
+        return redirect()->route('admin.users');
+    }
+
     public function delete(User $user): RedirectResponse
     {
         $this->authorize(UserPolicy::DELETE, $user);
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Articles/ArticlesController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Articles/ArticlesController.php
index b876e4461..f106566d0 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Articles/ArticlesController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Articles/ArticlesController.php
@@ -115,11 +115,13 @@ public function store(ArticleRequest $request)
 
         $article = Article::findByUuidOrFail($uuid);
 
-        $this->success(
-            $request->shouldBeSubmitted()
-                ? 'Thank you for submitting, unfortunately we can\'t accept every submission. You\'ll only hear back from us when we accept your article.'
-                : 'Article successfully created!'
-        );
+        if ($article->isNotApproved()) {
+            $this->success(
+                $request->shouldBeSubmitted()
+                    ? 'Thank you for submitting, unfortunately we can\'t accept every submission. You\'ll only hear back from us when we accept your article.'
+                    : 'Article successfully created!'
+            );
+        }
 
         return $request->wantsJson()
             ? ArticleResource::make($article)
diff --git a/app/Http/Requests/ArticleRequest.php b/app/Http/Requests/ArticleRequest.php
index db953e8c9..0c2e5d470 100644
--- a/app/Http/Requests/ArticleRequest.php
+++ b/app/Http/Requests/ArticleRequest.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 use App\Models\User;
 use App\Rules\HttpImageRule;
 use Illuminate\Http\Concerns\InteractsWithInput;
+use Illuminate\Validation\Rules\RequiredIf;
 
 class ArticleRequest extends Request
 {
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ public function rules(): array
     {
         return [
             'title' => ['required', 'max:100'],
+            'hero_image_id' => ['nullable', new RequiredIf(auth()->user()->isVerifiedAuthor())],
             'body' => ['required', new HttpImageRule],
             'tags' => 'array|nullable',
             'tags.*' => 'exists:tags,id',
@@ -58,4 +60,9 @@ public function shouldBeSubmitted(): bool
     {
         return $this->boolean('submitted');
     }
+
+    public function heroImageId(): ?string
+    {
+        return $this->get('hero_image_id');
+    }
 }
diff --git a/app/Jobs/CreateArticle.php b/app/Jobs/CreateArticle.php
index 840e7d0df..601fb58d2 100644
--- a/app/Jobs/CreateArticle.php
+++ b/app/Jobs/CreateArticle.php
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ public function __construct(
         private string $body,
         private User $author,
         private bool $shouldBeSubmitted,
+        private ?string $heroImageId = null,
         array $options = []
     ) {
         $this->originalUrl = $options['original_url'] ?? null;
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ public static function fromRequest(ArticleRequest $request, UuidInterface $uuid)
             $request->body(),
             $request->author(),
             $request->shouldBeSubmitted(),
+            $request->heroImageId(),
             [
                 'original_url' => $request->originalUrl(),
                 'tags' => $request->tags(),
@@ -46,16 +48,27 @@ public function handle(): void
         $article = new Article([
             'uuid' => $this->uuid->toString(),
             'title' => $this->title,
+            'hero_image_id' => $this->heroImageId,
             'body' => $this->body,
             'original_url' => $this->originalUrl,
             'slug' => $this->title,
             'submitted_at' => $this->shouldBeSubmitted ? now() : null,
+            'approved_at' => $this->canBeAutoApproved() ? now() : null,
         ]);
         $article->authoredBy($this->author);
         $article->syncTags($this->tags);
 
+        if ($article->hero_image_id) {
+            SyncArticleImage::dispatch($article);
+        }
+
         if ($article->isAwaitingApproval()) {
             event(new ArticleWasSubmittedForApproval($article));
         }
     }
+
+    private function canBeAutoApproved(): bool
+    {
+        return $this->shouldBeSubmitted && $this->author->canVerifiedAuthorPublishMoreArticleToday();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/app/Jobs/SyncArticleImage.php b/app/Jobs/SyncArticleImage.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f41d9f7b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Jobs/SyncArticleImage.php
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\Article;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Queue\Queueable;
+use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
+use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+
+final class SyncArticleImage implements ShouldQueue
+{
+    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;
+
+    public function __construct(public Article $article)
+    {
+        //
+    }
+
+    public function handle(): void
+    {
+        $imageData = $this->fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId($this->article);
+
+        if (! is_null($imageData)) {
+            $this->article->hero_image_url = $imageData['image_url'];
+            $this->article->hero_image_author_name = $imageData['author_name'];
+            $this->article->hero_image_author_url = $imageData['author_url'];
+            $this->article->save();
+        }
+    }
+
+    protected function fetchUnsplashImageDataFromId(Article $article): ?array
+    {
+        $response = Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
+            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
+            ->get("https://api.unsplash.com/photos/{$article->hero_image_id}");
+
+        if ($response->failed()) {
+            $article->hero_image_id = null;
+            $article->save();
+            
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $response = $response->json();
+
+        // Trigger as Unsplash download...
+        Http::retry(3, 100, throw: false)
+            ->withToken(config('services.unsplash.access_key'), 'Client-ID')
+            ->get($response['links']['download_location']);
+
+        return [
+            'image_url' => $response['urls']['raw'],
+            'author_name' => $response['user']['name'],
+            'author_url' => $response['user']['links']['html'],
+        ];
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/Jobs/UnVerifyAuthor.php b/app/Jobs/UnVerifyAuthor.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ec742a952
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Jobs/UnVerifyAuthor.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\User;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Queue\Queueable;
+
+class UnVerifyAuthor implements ShouldQueue
+{
+    use Queueable;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new job instance.
+     */
+    public function __construct(private User $user)
+    {
+        //
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Execute the job.
+     */
+    public function handle(): void
+    {
+        $this->user->author_verified_at = null;
+        $this->user->save();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Jobs/UpdateArticle.php b/app/Jobs/UpdateArticle.php
index 7a62c245d..17b12bc44 100644
--- a/app/Jobs/UpdateArticle.php
+++ b/app/Jobs/UpdateArticle.php
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ public function __construct(
         private string $title,
         private string $body,
         private bool $shouldBeSubmitted,
+        private ?string $heroImageId = null,
         array $options = []
     ) {
         $this->originalUrl = $options['original_url'] ?? null;
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ public static function fromRequest(Article $article, ArticleRequest $request): s
             $request->title(),
             $request->body(),
             $request->shouldBeSubmitted(),
+            $request->heroImageId(),
             [
                 'original_url' => $request->originalUrl(),
                 'tags' => $request->tags(),
@@ -39,9 +41,12 @@ public static function fromRequest(Article $article, ArticleRequest $request): s
 
     public function handle(): void
     {
+        $originalImage = $this->article->hero_image_id;
+
         $this->article->update([
             'title' => $this->title,
             'body' => $this->body,
+            'hero_image_id' => $this->heroImageId,
             'original_url' => $this->originalUrl,
             'slug' => $this->title,
         ]);
@@ -54,6 +59,10 @@ public function handle(): void
         }
 
         $this->article->syncTags($this->tags);
+
+        if ($this->article->hero_image_id !== $originalImage) {
+            SyncArticleImage::dispatch($this->article);
+        }
     }
 
     private function shouldUpdateSubmittedAt(): bool
diff --git a/app/Jobs/VerifyAuthor.php b/app/Jobs/VerifyAuthor.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..89dbf332a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Jobs/VerifyAuthor.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\User;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Queue\Queueable;
+
+class VerifyAuthor implements ShouldQueue
+{
+    use Queueable;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new job instance.
+     */
+    public function __construct(private User $user)
+    {
+        //
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Execute the job.
+     */
+    public function handle(): void
+    {
+        $this->user->author_verified_at = now();
+        $this->user->save();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Models/Article.php b/app/Models/Article.php
index ad6aad1da..b6a3f0cc0 100644
--- a/app/Models/Article.php
+++ b/app/Models/Article.php
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ public function isShared(): bool
 
     public function isAwaitingApproval(): bool
     {
-        return $this->isSubmitted() && $this->isNotApproved() && $this->isNotDeclined();
+        return $this->isSubmitted() && $this->isNotApproved() && $this->isNotDeclined() && ! $this->author()->canVerifiedAuthorPublishMoreArticleToday();
     }
 
     public function isNotAwaitingApproval(): bool
diff --git a/app/Models/User.php b/app/Models/User.php
index cda596775..7d429c736 100644
--- a/app/Models/User.php
+++ b/app/Models/User.php
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ protected function casts(): array
     {
         return [
             'allowed_notifications' => 'array',
+            'author_verified_at' => 'datetime',
         ];
     }
 
@@ -151,6 +152,11 @@ public function type(): int
         return (int) $this->type;
     }
 
+    public function isRegularUser(): bool
+    {
+        return $this->type() === self::DEFAULT;
+    }
+
     public function isModerator(): bool
     {
         return $this->type() === self::MODERATOR;
@@ -300,6 +306,28 @@ public function delete()
         parent::delete();
     }
 
+    public function isVerifiedAuthor(): bool
+    {
+        return ! is_null($this->author_verified_at) || $this->isAdmin();
+    }
+
+    public function canVerifiedAuthorPublishMoreArticleToday(): bool
+    {
+        if ($this->isAdmin()) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if (! $this->isVerifiedAuthor()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $publishedTodayCount = $this->articles()
+            ->whereDate('submitted_at', today())
+            ->count();
+
+        return $publishedTodayCount < 2;
+    }
+
     public function countSolutions(): int
     {
         return $this->replyAble()->isSolution()->count();
diff --git a/app/Policies/UserPolicy.php b/app/Policies/UserPolicy.php
index 519a218ec..d01f52908 100644
--- a/app/Policies/UserPolicy.php
+++ b/app/Policies/UserPolicy.php
@@ -21,13 +21,16 @@ public function admin(User $user): bool
 
     public function ban(User $user, User $subject): bool
     {
-        return ($user->isAdmin() && ! $subject->isAdmin()) ||
-            ($user->isModerator() && ! $subject->isAdmin() && ! $subject->isModerator());
+        if ($subject->isAdmin()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return $user->isAdmin() || ($user->isModerator() && ! $subject->isModerator());
     }
 
     public function block(User $user, User $subject): bool
     {
-        return ! $user->is($subject) && ! $subject->isModerator() && ! $subject->isAdmin();
+        return ! $user->is($subject) && $subject->isRegularUser();
     }
 
     public function delete(User $user, User $subject): bool
diff --git a/database/factories/UserFactory.php b/database/factories/UserFactory.php
index f434385cc..8f5c3609b 100644
--- a/database/factories/UserFactory.php
+++ b/database/factories/UserFactory.php
@@ -51,4 +51,11 @@ public function moderator(): self
             return ['type' => User::MODERATOR];
         });
     }
+
+    public function verifiedAuthor(): self
+    {
+        return $this->state(function () {
+            return ['author_verified_at' => now()];
+        });
+    }
 }
diff --git a/database/migrations/2025_06_14_222049_add_verified_author_at_to_users_table.php b/database/migrations/2025_06_14_222049_add_verified_author_at_to_users_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f36d1c48d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2025_06_14_222049_add_verified_author_at_to_users_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->timestamp('author_verified_at')
+                ->nullable()
+                ->after('email_verified_at');
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/resources/views/admin/users.blade.php b/resources/views/admin/users.blade.php
index 204d1f018..fa8a6c21c 100644
--- a/resources/views/admin/users.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/admin/users.blade.php
@@ -90,6 +90,37 @@
                                                     <p>All the threads from this user will be deleted. This cannot be undone.</p>
                                                 </x-modal>
                                             @endcan
+
+                                            {{-- Toggle Verified Author --}}
+                                            @can(App\Policies\UserPolicy::ADMIN, $user)
+                                                @if ($user->isVerifiedAuthor())
+                                                    <button title="Unverify {{ $user->name() }} as author"
+                                                        @click="activeModal = 'unverifyAuthor{{ $user->getKey() }}'"
+                                                        class="text-yellow-600 hover:text-yellow-800">
+                                                        <x-heroicon-o-x-circle class="w-5 h-5 inline" />
+                                                    </button>
+                                                    <x-modal type="update" identifier="unverifyAuthor{{ $user->getKey() }}"
+                                                        :action="route(
+                                                            'admin.users.unverify-author',
+                                                            $user->username(),
+                                                        )" title="Unverify {{ $user->username() }} as Author">
+                                                        <p>This will remove the verified author status from this user.</p>
+                                                    </x-modal>
+                                                @else
+                                                    <button title="Verify {{ $user->name() }} as author"
+                                                        @click="activeModal = 'verifyAuthor{{ $user->getKey() }}'"
+                                                        class="text-green-600 hover:text-green-800">
+                                                        <x-heroicon-o-check-circle class="w-5 h-5 inline" />
+                                                    </button>
+                                                    <x-modal type="update" identifier="verifyAuthor{{ $user->getKey() }}"
+                                                        :action="route(
+                                                            'admin.users.verify-author',
+                                                            $user->username(),
+                                                        )" title="Verify {{ $user->username() }} as Author">
+                                                        <p>This will mark this user as a verified author.</p>
+                                                    </x-modal>
+                                                @endif
+                                            @endcan
                                         </x-tables.table-data>
                                     </tr>
                                 @endforeach
diff --git a/resources/views/articles/overview.blade.php b/resources/views/articles/overview.blade.php
index 352116ed2..72b179e00 100644
--- a/resources/views/articles/overview.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/articles/overview.blade.php
@@ -153,11 +153,19 @@
                                         <x-avatar :user="$author" class="w-10 h-10" />
 
                                         <span class="flex flex-col flex-1 min-w-0">
-                                            <a href="{{ route('profile', $author->username()) }}" class="truncate hover:underline">
-                                                <span class="text-gray-900 font-medium">
-                                                    {{ $author->username() }}
-                                                </span>
-                                            </a>
+                                            <span class="flex items-center gap-x-1">
+                                                <a href="{{ route('profile', $author->username()) }}" class="truncate hover:underline">
+                                                    <span class="text-gray-900 font-medium">
+                                                        {{ $author->username() }}
+                                                    </span>
+                                                </a>
+
+                                                @if ($author->isVerifiedAuthor())
+                                                    <span title="This is a verified author">
+                                                        @svg('heroicon-s-check-badge', 'w-5 h-5 text-lio-500')
+                                                    </span>
+                                                @endif
+                                            </span>
 
                                             <span class="text-gray-700">
                                                 {{ $author->articles_count }} {{ Str::plural('Article', $author->articles_count) }}
diff --git a/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php b/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
index 3a079e819..435b22bbc 100644
--- a/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/articles/show.blade.php
@@ -149,9 +149,17 @@ class="prose prose-lg text-gray-800 prose-lio"
                                 </div>
 
                                 <div class="flex flex-col items-center text-gray-900 text-xl font-semibold lg:items-start">
-                                    <a href="{{ route('profile', $article->author()->username()) }}" class="hover:underline">
-                                        {{ $article->author()->username() }} ({{ $article->author()->name() }})
-                                    </a>
+                                    <span class="flex items-center gap-x-1">
+                                        <a href="{{ route('profile', $article->author()->username()) }}" class="hover:underline">
+                                            {{ $article->author()->username() }} ({{ $article->author()->name() }})
+                                        </a>
+
+                                        @if ($article->author()->isVerifiedAuthor())
+                                            <span title="This is a verified author">
+                                                @svg('heroicon-s-check-badge', 'w-6 h-6 text-lio-500')
+                                            </span>
+                                        @endif
+                                    </span>
 
                                     <span class="text-lg text-gray-700 font-medium">
                                         {{ $article->author()->bio() }}
diff --git a/resources/views/components/a.blade.php b/resources/views/components/a.blade.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a987a2896
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/views/components/a.blade.php
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<a href="{{ $href }}" class="text-lio-700 underline">{{ $slot }}</a>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/resources/views/components/articles/form.blade.php b/resources/views/components/articles/form.blade.php
index 76ad1677d..aac694789 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/articles/form.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/articles/form.blade.php
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
             </x-info>
 
             <x-info class="mt-4">
-                Every article that gets approved will be shared with our 50.000 users and wil be tweeted out on our <a href="https://x.com/laravelio" class="text-lio-700 underline">X (Twitter) account</a> which has over 50,000 followers. Feel free to submit as many articles as you like. You can even cross-reference an article on your blog with the original url.
+                Every article that gets approved will be shared with our 50.000 users and wil be tweeted out on our <x-a href="https://x.com/laravelio">X (Twitter) account</x-a> which has over 50,000 followers as well as our <x-a href="https://bsky.app/profile/laravel.io">Bluesky account</x-a>. Feel free to submit as many articles as you like. You can even cross-reference an article on your blog with the original url.
             </x-info>
 
             <x-info class="mt-4">
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
                 <div class="space-y-1">
                     <x-forms.label for="title" />
 
-                    <x-forms.inputs.input name="title" :value="old('title', $article?->title())" required maxlength="100" />
+                    <x-forms.inputs.input name="title" :value="old('title', $article?->title())" required maxlength="100" placeholder="My awesome article" />
 
                     <span class="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-500">
                         Maximum 100 characters.
@@ -48,6 +48,28 @@
                 </div>
             </div>
 
+            <div class="grow space-y-6">
+                <div class="space-y-1">
+                    <x-forms.label for="hero_image_id">Hero Image</x-forms.label>
+
+                    <x-forms.inputs.input name="hero_image_id" :value="$article?->hero_image_id" maxlength="20" placeholder="NoiJZhDF4Es" />
+
+                    @if (($article?->author() ?? auth()->user())->isVerifiedAuthor())
+                        <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-600">
+                            Because you're a verified author, you're required to choose an <x-a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/hello?orientation=landscape" >Unsplash</x-a> image for your article.
+                        </p>
+                    @else
+                        <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-600">
+                            Optionally, add an <x-a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/hello?orientation=landscape">Unsplash</x-a> image.
+                        </p>
+                    @endif
+
+                    <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-600">
+                        Please enter the Unsplash ID of the image you want to use. <strong>You can find the ID in the URL of the image on Unsplash</strong>. Please make sure to <strong>only use landscape images</strong>. For example, if the URL is <code class="whitespace-nowrap">https://unsplash.com/photos/...-NoiJZhDF4Es</code>, then the ID is <code>NoiJZhDF4Es</code>. After saving your article, the image will be automatically fetched and displayed in the article. This might take a few minutes. If you want to change the image later, you can do so by editing the article before submitting it for approval.
+                    </p>
+                </div>
+            </div>
+
             <div class="grow space-y-6">
                 <div class="space-y-1">
                     <x-forms.label for="body" />
diff --git a/resources/views/components/rules-banner.blade.php b/resources/views/components/rules-banner.blade.php
index 89ce60490..f7398d1b9 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/rules-banner.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/rules-banner.blade.php
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-<p class="mt-1 text-sm text-gray-600">
-    Make sure you've read our <a href="{{ route('rules') }}" class="text-lio-700 underline">rules</a> before proceeding.
+<p class="mt-4 text-sm text-gray-600">
+    Make sure you've read our <x-a href="{{ route('rules') }}">rules</x-a> before proceeding.
 </p>
diff --git a/resources/views/components/threads/form.blade.php b/resources/views/components/threads/form.blade.php
index 0185d412c..e8a29daff 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/threads/form.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/threads/form.blade.php
@@ -21,11 +21,12 @@
                     Create a new thread
                 @endif
             </h2>
+
             <x-rules-banner />
 
             <x-info class="mt-4">
                 Please search for your question before posting your thread by using the search box in the navigation bar.<br>
-                Want to share large code snippets? Share them through <a href="https://paste.laravel.io" class="text-lio-700 underline">our pastebin</a>.
+                Want to share large code snippets? Share them through <x-a href="https://paste.laravel.io">our pastebin</x-a>.
             </x-info>
         </div>
 
diff --git a/routes/console.php b/routes/console.php
index 9c925fe1a..b45ac35de 100644
--- a/routes/console.php
+++ b/routes/console.php
@@ -8,5 +8,4 @@
 Schedule::command('horizon:snapshot')->everyFiveMinutes();
 Schedule::command('lio:post-article-to-social-media')->twiceDaily(14, 18);
 Schedule::command('lio:generate-sitemap')->daily()->graceTimeInMinutes(25);
-Schedule::command('lio:sync-article-images')->cron('*/5 7-23 * * *');
 Schedule::command('lio:update-article-view-counts')->twiceDaily();
diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index 3e141b0bb..3e01420bd 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@
     Route::get('users', [UsersController::class, 'index'])->name('.users');
     Route::put('users/{username}/ban', [UsersController::class, 'ban'])->name('.users.ban');
     Route::put('users/{username}/unban', [UsersController::class, 'unban'])->name('.users.unban');
+    Route::put('users/{username}/verify-author', [UsersController::class, 'verifyAuthor'])->name('.users.verify-author');
+    Route::put('users/{username}/unverify-author', [UsersController::class, 'unverifyAuthor'])->name('.users.unverify-author');
     Route::delete('users/{username}', [UsersController::class, 'delete'])->name('.users.delete');
 
     Route::delete('users/{username}/threads', [UsersController::class, 'deleteThreads'])->name('.users.threads.delete');
diff --git a/tests/CreatesUsers.php b/tests/CreatesUsers.php
index cde560304..d5300256a 100644
--- a/tests/CreatesUsers.php
+++ b/tests/CreatesUsers.php
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 namespace Tests;
 
 use App\Models\User;
+use Database\Factories\UserFactory;
 
 trait CreatesUsers
 {
@@ -30,9 +31,9 @@ protected function loginAsAdmin(array $attributes = []): User
         return $this->login(array_merge($attributes, ['type' => User::ADMIN]));
     }
 
-    protected function createUser(array $attributes = []): User
+    protected function createUser(array $attributes = [], ?UserFactory $userFactory = null): User
     {
-        return User::factory()->create(array_merge([
+        return ($userFactory ?? User::factory())->create(array_merge([
             'name' => 'John Doe',
             'username' => 'johndoe',
             'email' => 'john@example.com',
diff --git a/tests/Feature/ArticleTest.php b/tests/Feature/ArticleTest.php
index 78b331d37..a3dd06428 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/ArticleTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/ArticleTest.php
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 <?php
 
 use App\Events\ArticleWasSubmittedForApproval;
+use App\Jobs\SyncArticleImage;
 use App\Models\Article;
 use App\Models\Tag;
+use App\Models\User;
 use App\Notifications\ArticleApprovedNotification;
 use App\Notifications\ArticleSubmitted;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseMigrations;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Bus;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Event;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Notification;
 use Illuminate\Support\HtmlString;
@@ -564,7 +567,13 @@
 });
 
 test('only articles with ten or more views render a view count', function () {
-    $article = Article::factory()->create(['title' => 'My First Article', 'slug' => 'my-first-article', 'submitted_at' => now(), 'approved_at' => now(), 'view_count' => 9]);
+    $article = Article::factory()->create([
+        'title' => 'My First Article',
+        'slug' => 'my-first-article',
+        'submitted_at' => now(),
+        'approved_at' => now(),
+        'view_count' => 9,
+    ]);
 
     $this->get("/articles/{$article->slug()}")
         ->assertSee('My First Article')
@@ -576,3 +585,37 @@
         ->assertSee('My First Article')
         ->assertSee('10 views');
 });
+
+test('verified authors can publish two articles per day with no approval needed', function () {
+    $author = $this->createUser(userFactory: User::factory()->verifiedAuthor());
+
+    Article::factory()->count(2)->create([
+        'author_id' => $author->id,
+        'submitted_at' => now()->addMinutes(1), // after verification
+    ]);
+
+    expect($author->canVerifiedAuthorPublishMoreArticleToday())->toBeFalse();
+});
+
+test('verified authors skip the approval message when submitting new article', function () {
+    Bus::fake(SyncArticleImage::class);
+
+    $author = $this->createUser(userFactory: User::factory()->verifiedAuthor());
+    $this->loginAs($author);
+
+    $response = $this->post('/articles', [
+        'title' => 'Using database migrations',
+        'hero_image_id' => 'NoiJZhDF4Es',
+        'body' => 'This article will go into depth on working with database migrations.',
+        'tags' => [],
+        'submitted' => '1',
+    ]);
+
+    $response
+        ->assertRedirect('/articles/using-database-migrations')
+        ->assertSessionMissing('success');
+
+    Bus::assertDispatched(SyncArticleImage::class, function (SyncArticleImage $job) {
+        return $job->article->hero_image_id === 'NoiJZhDF4Es';
+    });
+});
diff --git a/tests/Integration/Jobs/CreateArticleTest.php b/tests/Integration/Jobs/CreateArticleTest.php
index 01e483a1a..8ff6ee29b 100644
--- a/tests/Integration/Jobs/CreateArticleTest.php
+++ b/tests/Integration/Jobs/CreateArticleTest.php
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
     $uuid = Str::uuid();
 
-    $this->dispatch(new CreateArticle($uuid, 'Title', 'Body', $user, false, [
+    $this->dispatch(new CreateArticle($uuid, 'Title', 'Body', $user, false, null, [
         'original_url' => 'https://laravel.io',
     ]));
 
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 
     $uuid = Str::uuid();
 
-    $this->dispatch(new CreateArticle($uuid, 'Title', 'Body', $user, true, [
+    $this->dispatch(new CreateArticle($uuid, 'Title', 'Body', $user, true, null, [
         'original_url' => 'https://laravel.io',
     ]));
 
diff --git a/tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php b/tests/Integration/Jobs/SyncArticleImageTest.php
similarity index 93%
rename from tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php
rename to tests/Integration/Jobs/SyncArticleImageTest.php
index 422994b7d..ba0e92c9b 100644
--- a/tests/Integration/Commands/SyncArticleImagesTest.php
+++ b/tests/Integration/Jobs/SyncArticleImageTest.php
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 
-use App\Console\Commands\SyncArticleImages;
+use App\Jobs\SyncArticleImage;
 use App\Models\Article;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\DatabaseMigrations;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Config;
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
         'approved_at' => now(),
     ]);
 
-    (new SyncArticleImages)->handle();
+    SyncArticleImage::dispatchSync($article);
 
     $article->refresh();
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
         'approved_at' => now(),
     ]);
 
-    (new SyncArticleImages)->handle();
+    SyncArticleImage::dispatchSync($article);
 
     $article->refresh();