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[kolutshanpress]

as per a request in my local renegade server: here is my process (such as it is) for the stenciled covers i've done for my binds. obviously, huge thanks to everyone in the renegade discord for teaching me most of what i know about bookbinding. this tutorial only exists thanks to the resources they've made available and the conversations i've had there.

material list

vinyl cutter (i have a silhouette portrait 3) + mat + blade

stencil vinyl (i have this one, but have had some adherence troubles with it. unclear whether this is just The Nature Of Stencil Vinyl or whether there's a better brand out there. adhesive vinyl can also be a viable option, although i haven't personally experimented with it yet.)

transfer tape (i have this stuff. it's fine.)

weeding tools (i have this hook and a very fine tip pair of tweezers. i highly recommend getting a hook, especially if you—like me—are haunted by the specter of carpal tunnel. get an off-brand one or get one on sale, though. i only have the silhouette brand one because it was on clearance.)

acrylic medium (i have this one because it was on sale at the time i was buying acrylic medium. when i replace it, i will be replacing it with a matte one. the gloss definitely has a noticeable sheen that i don't love.)

acrylic paint (literally any paint will do. i've been mostly using the decoart extreme sheen because it's $4 at michaels. you may be noticing a theme here.)

stiff stenciling brushes (the ones i have are similar to these but cost even less. again, there's a theme here.)

an iron and some parchment paper (jury is still out on whether using heat to "set" the pattern is necessary, but i do feel like it melts the paint a bit into the bookcloth and lessens the extent to which the pattern sits above the bookcloth.)

your trusty bone folder

instructions and a truly hideous number of words under the cut.

step 0.5: discern what will make a good stencil and what will make you hate yourself, your life, and the art of bookbinding

there are a LOT of different ways to put titling on a book. you could do a paper cover with a printed design or paste paper labels onto bookcloth or foil your title onto your cover with heat activated foil. the best method depends on what kind of design you have in mind, what tools you have available to you, and what materials you're working with (for example, i've had very bad luck getting acrylic paint to adhere to Allure bookcloth, but Allure does foil like a dream).

as far as stencils are concerned, you can kind of sort cover designs into three categories:

BEST for stencils: big, bold shapes on larger format books (think letter folio or letter/legal quarto)

OKAY for stencils, but you might hate yourself: intricate detail at a large enough form factor for it to be cut well by your vinyl cutter

BAD for stencils, you will die and it will hurt the entire time you are dying: lots of intricate detail and lots of fine lines

below are examples of category 1, 2, and 3 (all designed for letter folio). to be clear, category 3 can technically be possible, depending on the design. but only undertake it with the awareness that you will die, and it will hurt the entire time you are dying.

step 1: design a thing to put on your cover

i'm not going to go too in depth on this because cover design is a HUGE can of worms. a few pointers, though:

i never start designing my cover until my text block is done. this allows me to design my cover at "full size" based on the measured size of my text block and cover boards.

i fully lay out my cover in a separate program before exporting a transparent PNG to silhouette studio (or whichever proprietary software you have to use to communicate with your particular vinyl cutter). i use affinity designer. some free options would be inkscape (if you want to work with vectors) or gimp.

i design my cover on a document with dimensions of (HEIGHT of boards + 20 mm) x (WIDTH of boards or spine + 20 mm) and 10 mm margins. the area within the margins represents the actual dimensions of the thing i'm designing, while the area outside of the margins creates a mask that prevents me from getting paint on things i don't want paint on (like the covers, if i'm creating a spine stencil).

i always outline my document with a 3 or 4pt black line. this creates the outer edge of my stencil and provides my vinyl cutter with a cut line. if you're working with a smaller vinyl cutter (like the cricut joy) there are ways to jigsaw designs together from smaller pieces of vinyl, but i'm not the person to ask about that. i specifically bought a portrait so that i didn't have to worry about that.

here's an example of one of my affinity files from a recent cover. i've exaggerated my outline to make it clearer. you can also see that i use affinity to experiment with color combinations. before i export, i turn all my elements black and make any backgrounds transparent, meaning that the PNG i import into silhouette studio looks like the one on the right.

step 2: cut and weed your stencil

again, not going to go terribly in depth here. there is a veritable army of youtubers out there with tutorials about how to use [insert propriety vinyl cutter software here]. but, again, a few pointers:

with my particular vinyl cutter and stencil vinyl, i usually cut my stencils with the material set to "washi," depth at 1, force at 13, and speed at 4. google, experiment, see what works. also, you want to put your stencil vinyl on the mat with the blue vinyl facing UP, and you don't want to mirror your design. with stencils, what you see is what you get.

i cut my vinyl a bit bigger than necessary because i'd rather waste a bit of vinyl than have to worry about a stencil falling off the edge of my vinyl because i misaligned it on the mat.

unlike HTV, you will be weeding out all the black parts of your original image. be prepared to hate the letters "e" and "a" forever, because you will have to somehow keep the little eye of them in place while you pry out the rest of it.

step 3: apply your stencil to your case

alright, now let's get into the meat of it. i always stencil after my case is finished but before i case in my book. this means that if i totally fuck it up, i can trash the case instead of the entire book.

additionally, i completely stencil my spine first (as in lay down stencil, paint, remove stencil) and then stencil my covers. i've found that it's easier when you don't have stencils overlapping and sticking to each other.

OPTIONAL STEP: mark guides onto your cover to help you position your stencil. whether or not i do this step depends on the design. a lot of the time, i just eyeball it. but for some designs, precision is key. for those projects, i use my ruler to mark out guides in white chalk for where i need certain elements of the stencil to fall. (i used guide marks for the "penguin clothbound" copies of the The Weight Collected that i've been using as an example in this post—the black rectangular boarder would've made uneven placement REALLY obvious.)

use transfer tape to remove your vinyl from its slick backing. what i've found is that you really, really don't want your transfer tape to be too sticky. you want it just barely sticky enough to pick up the stencil if you rub it down with a bone folder or your fingernail. i have a piece of transfer tape that i stuck to my jeans a bunch of times and then proceeded to use for 8 books in a row. it is, frankly, still a little bit too sticky. i have rolled it up so that i can use it for the next 8 books, at which point it will presumably be the right level of stickiness.

position your stencil. when you're happy with it, rub it firmly down with your bone folder. then do it again. then use your fingernail to score down over the titling text. then pray. in my experience, stencils prefer to stick to transfer tape rather than bookcloth. ymmv.

start at one corner of your stencil. carefully begin peeling back the transfer tape. i've found that essentially folding back the transfer tape (like, the corner that's been freed from the stencil being folded back away from the stencil) helps the tape to release. go slowly, rubbing down with the bone fold as necessary.

after you've finally manage to pry the tape off, go back and smooth down the stencil and firmly rub it down to get it to adhere to the bookcloth as thoroughly as possible with as few ripples or air bubbles as possible.

step 4: paint time!

here is a secret that the renegade discord taught me that i am now passing on to all of you: before you put any paint on your stencil, put down a layer of clear acrylic medium. the medium will finish the job of pasting down the stencil to your cover, and any leaks that happen in the process will be clear medium instead of colored paint (and will therefore be basically unnoticeable). ergo:

stipple a thin coat of acrylic medium over your stencil. you want to use an up-and-down daubing motion, not a brushing motion. brushing will get paint under your stencil. let dry.

after your medium is dry, stipple a few thin coats of your colored acrylic paint onto your stencil. let dry between coats. (i usually find that two coats is enough.) again, try to keep your coats thin. you don't want a thick layer of paint because that will create a raised surface above your bookcloth.

let your paint fully dry. i usually leave it overnight, but if i'm feeling especially impatient, i still make sure to at least give it a good three or four hours.

peel up your stencil. your weeding tools will once again come into play here to pry up little bits and pieces of stencil (like the stupid eyes of the "a"s and "e"s that were so annoying during the initial weeding stage).

step 5: optional setting stage

again, jury is still out on whether or not this is necessary, and the effects are pretty subtle. but i do it every time anyway. some tips:

use an iron on very low heat (i keep mine at the low end of the synthetic setting) and with steam turned OFF

keep a piece of parchment paper (NOT waxed paper. you want the slick paper that you put under cookies to keep them from sticking to the pan.) between the iron and your cover.

press the iron down, don't rub it like you're ironing a shirt. it's possible to smear your paint doing that (ask me how i know).

i usually lay the iron down on a section for 10-15 seconds at a time, then lift it and move it to another section.

start with less of everything (less heat, less time) and build up. always better to be conservative with this.

i usually continue until the paint is warm to the touch, then move onto another section. after it's cooled, i evaluate if i feel like it's melted into the cloth enough. if not, i repeat the process.

step 6: BOOK

congrats, you have put a design on a book cover. the world is your oyster. go forth and make books. become ungovernable.

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Sweeter Than This

Pairing: Billy Taylor (The Halcyon) x f!reader Warnings: Mentions of war and rationing, sexual inexperience, oral sex (f receiving), smut. Word count: ~3.1k

Summary: When Billy gifts her an orange, almost impossible to come by due to lack of exportation and rationing, he decides he wants to taste something sweeter than fruit. Based on this request.

Author's note: For @notasockpuppetaccount. No tag list - please follow @fics-by-ewanmitchellcrumbs and turn on post notifications. Community labels are for cops.

She sits down heavily on a chair in the staff quarters, sighing in relief at the rest she is finally able to give her aching feet and back.

It’s her first day at The Halcyon, one of London’s most prestigious hotels. Money has been tight at home since her father was drafted, and she’d enquired about work just about everywhere she could think of, in order to help her mother make ends meet.

She’d been surprised when The Halcyon had offered her a job as a maid, she had no prior experience and was certain they’d reject her. However, she supposes that in the midst of a war, beggars can’t be choosers, and they are likely as desperate as she is.

Her morning has been spent helping out Kate, a firm but friendly Irish girl, who has taught her how to turn down a bed and scrub a toilet until it gleams white and shiny again. It’s tiring work, the maze of rooms on every floor feels endless, and between being scolded for wrinkled sheets and improperly folded towels she is exhausted, grateful to retreat to the back room once she’s told she can take her lunch break.

Unwrapping the wax paper on the sandwich she’d packed earlier that morning, she wrinkles her nose in disgust. It no longer seems as appetising now that it’s been left to sit in her bag for hours.

She looks up as the door creaks open, a tall, young lad in a bell boy’s uniform walks in. He offers her a tight lipped smile by way of greeting, cheeks turning slightly pink as he moves to retrieve his own sandwich.

“You on your lunch as well?” She asks warmly. Having only spoken properly to Kate so far, she is eager to make friends.

“Yeah,” he says, gesturing towards the empty seat opposite hers at the table, “you mind if I, er…?”

“No, sit down,” she tells him, watching intently as he takes a seat and starts to unwrap his own food.

“Not seen you before,” he comments, looking up at her.

“First day,” she fiddles with the wax paper of her lunch, “I’m knackered.”

“Don’t I know it,” he says, loosening his cap and placing it upon the table. “Lost a guest’s dog this morning. Bloody thing slipped the lead when I tried to walk it.”

Her eyes widen in surprise, but she is unable to stifle the giggle that escapes her. At least someone is having a worse day than she is. “And I thought I had it bad scrubbing toilets.”

“You not eating that then?” He says, nodding towards her sandwich before taking a bite of his own.

She grimaces. “Fish paste. Not sure I can stomach it.”

He nods, talking around a mouthful of food, a habit she would ordinarily find disgusting, but she finds it doesn’t offend her when he does it. “Spam in mine. Mum makes ‘em. Same thing every day.” He swallows before he speaks again, with a slight raise of his eyebrows. “Tell you what, give me half of yours, I’ll give you half of mine. Less boring that way.”

“Yeah, alright,” she grins, sliding hers across to him. She watches as he takes half and then places the remaining part of his in the empty space.

“I’m Billy, by the way,” he tells her, the tips of his ears reddening, suddenly shy again.

“Thanks for the sandwich, Billy,” she says softly, before telling him her name.

They eat their lunch in comfortable silence, until finally it’s time to get back to work.

In the week that follows, her and Billy have lunch together every day, swapping sandwich halves and chatting about their days. The work is hard, but knowing she has a friend gives her something to look forward to, and she finds herself excited to go to work each day.

They talk about anything and everything, their hour-long break always feeling like it evaporates all too quickly. She tells him all about her dad fighting overseas against the Germans, and how she took her job at the Halcyon to bring home extra money for her mum, who’s currently doing factory work for the same reason. Billy tells her that he’ll be eighteen soon, and can’t wait to be drafted. His mum, Peggy, operates the switchboard at the hotel, his dad isn’t around anymore, so she relies on his help to look after his little sister, who he affectionately refers to as “the squirt”.

Shared lunch breaks evolve into after hours games of poker with the rest of the Halcyon staff. They crowd into the back room, sitting around the same table that her and Billy share lunch at, and play for cigarettes. 

She feels her skin grow hot as their knees brush together, unable to help the smile that tugs at her lips as she watches Billy’s brow furrow in confusion as he looks over his cards, a lit cigarette perched between his lips.

“You’re smoking your stake, Billy,” she says with a soft chuckle.

He looks sheepishly at her, plucking the cigarette from between his lips, before throwing his cards down onto the table with a sigh. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ve got all Jacks.”

“Billy!” Everyone groans around the table in frustration, chucking their own cards down.

She laughs heartily. He might have ruined the game, but it’s impossible to be angry at him when his big blue eyes go wide and his lips part in shock. 

Billy looks adorable when he’s worried, and it’s an expression he wears often; when he accidentally drops guests’ luggage down the stairs, the time he shuts a lady’s skirt in the lift doors, and especially when she leads him to the scullery, telling him there’s a surprise for him.

His concern quickly morphs into one of his trademark, tight smiles that indicate he’s feeling bashful, as head chef, George, flanked by the rest of the kitchen staff, carries out an enormous birthday cake lit with candles.

“You didn’t think you could hide it from us, did you, Billy?” George jokes, once the obligatory “happy birthday” song has been sung. “Eighteen today!”

She has her first taste of Champagne that day, each member of staff is given a class to toast to Billy. The bubbles tickle her nose, the taste is dry but not unpleasant upon her palate, yet it does nothing to dilute the bitterness that blooms heavy in her chest. 

Billy’s turned eighteen, he’ll be drafted any day now and she’ll lose her best friend. No more shared sandwiches, no more ruined games of poker, no more stolen moments in the housekeeping closet where they laugh uncontrollably over stupid jokes. She’s going to lose Billy, just as she’s lost her dad to this stupid war.

Her heartache is given a brief moment of respite when she looks over at him, also indulging in his first taste of Champagne, and sees the way his face contorts in disgust at the taste. He’s always able to make her smile, even when she doesn’t want to.

It’s only a week later that Billy’s letter arrives. Due to Peggy’s meddling, he won’t be going overseas, he’ll be stationed at the nearby army barracks helping to man the anti aircraft guns. She is secretly pleased that he won’t be too far away, despite his annoyance at his mum’s interference. She feels she could kiss Peggy, such is the depth of her gratitude for what she’s done, but she does her best to hide how pleased she is, comforting Billy, saying how sorry she is for him.

“Cheer up, it might never happen,” he says with a soft smile, as they stand in the hotel foyer. Billy wears his day clothes, having handed his uniform in at the end of his final shift at The Halcyon.

“Already has,” she replies sadly, her heart twinging as she looks up into the big, blue eyes she’s grown to adore.

“How d’you mean?” He asks, frowning slightly.

“You, going off to war,” she sighs, “I won’t see you again.”

“Don’t be daft,” he chuckles, “I’ll only be down the road.”

“You won’t have time for me, Billy.”

He swallows, averting his gaze briefly before meeting her eye once more. “I don’t like fish paste.”

“What?” She asks, squinting slightly, confused.

“I’ve spent the last six months eating fish paste sarnies, just so I’d have an excuse to spend my lunch break with you. Fish paste is disgusting, if I can stomach that then it’ll take more than a stupid war to keep me away from you.”

Her heart flutters, her vision turning misty as a wide smile spreads its way across her features. “Oh, Billy…” she whispers.

Her fingers flex uselessly at her sides, desperate to reach out to him, and she sees his do the same. An opposing, invisible force hangs heavy between them, filled with unspoken declarations, drawing them together and yet pushing them apart simultaneously, until finally they collide in a tight, all encompassing hug.

He smells of Brylcreem and tobacco, and she inhales deeply, committing his scent to memory. She doesn’t want to let go, yet she does, she has to.

Adjusting to life at The Halcyon without Billy around is difficult. Lunch breaks feel empty and lifeless, the poker nights are not the same.

Billy still visits, though his presence is not as frequent as it was before. He’s usually accompanied by his little sister, carrying her into the hotel on piggyback before going to see Peggy in the switchboard room.

To her delight, he makes a point of seeking her out each time. He looks handsome in his uniform, filled with a confidence he didn’t have before. Animatedly, he tells her all about the anti aircraft guns, enthusiastically mimicking the sounds they make, causing her to laugh.

On her eighteenth birthday, Billy turns up at the hotel, looking dapper as ever in his khaki green trousers and jacket. He pulls her into the housekeeping cupboard, shifting the bag he has on his shoulder awkwardly.

“Happy birthday,” he says to her, almost nervous sounding, “got you something.”

She gasps, as he produces a large orange from his bag, handing it to her. The skin is firm in her hands. It’s been a long time since she’s had any fruit that isn’t mock banana; rationing and the lack of imports due to the war mean that it’s produce that’s hard to come by. The hotel’s chief concierge routinely has to decline the requests of high profile guests that request fresh fruit as part of their room service. She turns the orange around in her hands looking at it reverently. 

“Where did you get this?” She stares up at him, wide-eyed. “Not even Feldman can get oranges!”

Billy shrugs, blushing slightly. “Oh, y’know, I’ve got my ways.”

“Thank you, Billy,” she says, voice filled with soft sincerity. An idea strikes her, excitement swirling in her stomach. “We should share it!”

“Really?” He asks hopefully.

“Yeah, unless…” she deflates as realisation of how busy he is now hits her, “you probably can’t get away, it’s a silly idea.” She shakes her head, embarrassment warming her flesh.

He steps forward, eager to reassure her. “No, I’ve got time, I can make time. I’ll come back tomorrow?”

She looks up at him, smiling brightly. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

He nods, half turning towards the door. “Well, I should probably–”

“Billy?” She calls to him and he turns back, a look of question on his face, eyebrows raised slightly.

She surges forward, pressing her lips firmly against his cheek, kissing it, before she quickly pulls away again.

For a moment it looks as though Billy has stopped breathing as she watches him, her heart pounding in her chest. Finally, he exhales deeply, his face blushing bright red. He grins and she smiles back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Billy.”

“Yeah…yeah, tomorrow,” he says, adjusting his bag on his shoulder again, before slipping out of the closet door.

He stays true to his promise and the following day they go to the back room, the same place where they have shared so many lunches. This time they sit beside each other, instead of on opposite sides of the table.

Carefully, she slices the orange into segments, giving half to Billy.

The fruit is fleshy and sweet as she bites into it, the tartness of the citrus causing her to emit a satisfied hum as she chews and swallows it.

She looks over at Billy, huffing a laugh as she watches the way the juice drips down his chin.

He looks back, frowning slightly. “What?”

“Come here, you’ve got…” she leans over, wiping the orange residue away with her thumb. Her movements slow, her hand lingering against his face as her eyes settle upon his.

It feels like time stops as their gaze locks, her breath catches in her throat. She is unsure of who moves first, but their lips are against each other, moving slowly at first, filled with uncertainty and inexperience.

He tastes sweet, and their mouths move with more enthusiasm, both able to taste orange upon each other.

They keep their foreheads pressed together once they part for air, both smiling softly.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the day I met you,” he whispers.

Their relationship shifts from that moment. Billy is unable to take her on dates, can’t bring her flowers, his time at the barracks doesn’t allow for that. They have only a series of stolen moments in the hotel to share, sneaking into rooms which have yet to be made up to spend time together. 

It is all sweet kisses and warm cuddles, neither one of them ready to take the steps that go beyond that yet.

She lays against Billy’s chest on the unmade bed, his arm wrapped around her as the other moves his hand through her hair, stroking it. “Hate that I can’t take you out anywhere fancy,” he murmurs.

“I don’t need any of that,” she reassures him, “just you coming back to me alive is enough.”

“You deserve that though,” he insists, hugging her tighter to him, “when this war is over, I’m gonna take you out for dinner. We’ll get married, and we’ll have a house and fill it full of kids.”

Her chest fills with warmth as she grins up at him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he says, eyes soft and filled with fondness as he looks at her, “because…well, because I love you.”

Her grin grows wider and she kisses him deeply, feeling the way the skin of his face flushes beneath her fingertips.

“I love you too,” she whispers as she pulls away.

Their dynamic shifts again after that, their cosy stolen mornings become more heated, their kisses more impassioned, every touch is charged with intent.

Where she felt uncertain and scared of what lies beyond innocent kissing before, she now feels only desire for Billy, but isn’t sure of how to communicate this with him.

He pulls away from her as they share a passionate embrace, trailing kisses over her neck. “Can I try something with you?” He whispers.

“What is it?” She asks, whining softly as he pulls away from her.

“Something that one of the lads at the barracks told me about,” he says, not meeting her eye, “it’s how he pleases his missus, thought you might like it.”

She laughs softly, nervously. “Okay, but what is it?”

He swallows thickly, turning scarlet. “Can I just show you? I’m embarrassed to say.”

She nods, eager to see what he’ll do.

“Lay back for me,” he instructs, and she does, watching him through hooded eyes.

Tentatively, he moves down the messy hotel bed, pushing the skirt of her maid’s uniform above her hips, revealing her knickers and stockings. He bites his lip at the sight, never having seen her in such a state of undress before.

She gasps, her eyes going wide, sudden fear filling her. “Billy, we can’t–”

“No, not that,” he’s quick to reassure her, “not until we’re…you’re ready.”

She breathes a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly.

“But…” his eyes flit up to hers, filled with uncertainty, “I do need to take your underwear off. Is that alright?”

She gulps. She’s scared, but also curious and excited, she wants to experience whatever it is that Billy has asked to try. “Yeah,” she says quietly, “yeah, that’s alright.”

Gently and slowly, his nimble fingers drag her knickers away from her body and down her legs, discarding them at the end of the bed.

She has the sudden urge to hide her face as he takes in the sight of her, pupils wide with lust. She is torn between wanting to look away and the desire to watch exactly what he’s doing as he carefully coaxes her legs apart.

“Tell me if you want me to stop,” he murmurs, “I-I’ve never done this before.”

She gasps as she feels his tongue move against her, hesitantly exploring her folds. The motion of his mouth between her legs is unsure at first, but as his tongue flicks over her pearl and she lets out a surprised moan of pleasure, Billy grows more confident.

He repeats the motion, causing her to squirm and mewl. It feels so intimate, she wants to pull away, filled with shame, to tell him it’s dirty and they shouldn’t be doing this, but at the same time, every time his tongue moves against that particular spot she never wants him to stop.

“God, you taste good,” he mumbles against her.

The movement of his tongue becomes more certain, determined and he laves at her, flicking against the spot that causes her to whimper and grip the bed sheets tightly.

She can feel a pressure building within her, intensifying with every sweep of Billy’s tongue, until finally as he groans against her, circling her bud once more, it reaches its apex and she shudders against him with a surprised cry, feeling boneless as warmth washes over her like the lapping waves of the sea.

“Oh, my god, Billy…'' She breathes heavily.

He lifts his face from between her thighs, a smile on his face, his chin coated in her juices just as it was when they’d shared the orange. She can’t resist the urge to tug him up towards her, kissing him hungrily.

They giggle against each other's lips, both of them breathless.

“I…er…need to clean myself up before I head back,” he tells her, his mouth forming a tight smile, the telltale sign of his shyness that she’s grown to love.

She follows his line of sight to the wet patch on the crotch of his uniform trousers and they both erupt into uncontrollable laughs.

Oh, Billy.

Part two | Series masterlist

[greenhorn-art]

All The King's Horses | As You Are Now, So Once Was I by @samwpmarleau (grumkinsnark)

All The King's Horses [LiveJournal ch1] [Fanfiction.net ch1]

As You Are Now, So Once Was I [LiveJournal ch1] [Fanfiction.net ch1]

Fandom: Supernatural, Criminal Minds

Rating: Teen | PG-13

Category: Gen

Words: ~36,192

All The King's Horses: Protect and Serve. Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. To what lengths would you go to uphold those oaths? When it comes to a particularly brutal and unsolvable case, the BAU just may have to resort to some more unorthodox methods. SPN/Criminal Minds crossover.

As You Are Now, So Once Was I: Sequel to "All the King's Horses." When Dean catches J.J.'s press conference on the news about a current case and notices a few...inconsistencies, he realizes the BAU is definitely going to need his help. Again. ON HIATUS

About the Book

FORMAT: Letter quarto, flatback bradel binding, french link stitch, no tapes

FONTS: EB Garamond [via Google Fonts], Supernatural Knight [via DaFont], D-Din [via Font Squirrel], Daniel [via DaFont], Permanent Marker [via Google Fonts], Arial

IMAGES: Seal of the FBI [via Wikipedia], Dean's handprint scar [by greenhorn-art]

MATERIALS: 24lb Xerox Bold Digital paper (8.5"x11"), 80pt binder's board (~2mm), 30/3 size waxed linen thread, embroidery floss (DMC #721), 1.9mm cording, brown cardstock, black Cialux bookcloth, gold foil transfer sheet (came with We R Memory Keepers hot foil pen)

PROGRAMS USED: Fic exported with FicHub, word doc compiled in LibreOffice Writer, Typeset in Affinity Publisher, imposed with Bookbinder-JS, title pages designed in Affinity Designer/Photo

.

I first read these stories on LiveJournal back in 2013, some time after I first encountered Tumblr, Supernatural, and the wider world of online fandom. Once I discovered SPNxCriminal Minds crossovers I devoured so many of them. Something about POV Outsider on the Winchesters, the existing connections with investigating monster vs human-crazy cases, and run-ins with the FBI... it's just works so well.

Of all the SPNxCM fics I read and enjoyed, All The King's Horses is among those that bookmarked themselves in my brain. Since it's been living there all these years, I thought it deserved a place on my bookshelf too.

(Rambling below)

Sourcing the Fic

I used FicHub to download the fics off of Fanfiction.net as HTML. Then I pasted them into LibreOffice Writer and created rich text documents of each fic, so I could Place them into Affinity Publisher.

The stories were crossposted, first on LiveJournal and then Fanfiction. I included the metadata from both sites in the appendices.

(It's fascinating to see the differences in the same work between platforms. FFN requires genres, so if the author doesn't add them on LJ then by default there's more info on FFN. But FFN limits listed characters to 2, so authors have to pick and choose the most important. Then there's the author's amusing disclaimers and spoiler warnings for these fics, which are only included in the LJ version)

Shoutout to the author for how they linked/listed their accounts on other platforms! Thanks to that I was easily able to track down all the tags/metadata for the fics, and find them here to express my appreciation for their stories!

Typesetting

Fonts

EB Garamond is my new favourite body font, 11pt as per my usual.

The title page is entirely Arial: 1) it was the closest match I have to the case file prop I was copying, and 2) if it was a government doc they wouldn't be using anything but the most basic fonts.

Headings and the the bullets bracketing the page numbers are set it Supernatural Knight, a free font in the style of Supernatural's title.

The location segments are in D-DIN, the closest free match to the font Criminal Minds uses (which is probably DIN).

Daniel is used for Dean's 'rushed but legible' note.

Permanent Marker for the 'thick black Sharpie' case file labels.

Artwork

Title pages designed as FBI case files, copied from a prop found online (specifically Etsy's propfictionstudios', but it's all over the web so no idea who actually created it). I had fun plugging in all the fanfic/bookbinding meta!

The ID# above the author's name is the FFN story ID, and the date is the date originally posted on LJ.

The handprint used in the headings of ATKH is Dean's scar. I traced off of a screenshot from s4e01 Lazarus Rising. I chose to use the handprint instead of the anti-possession tattoo or a Devil's Trap as my SPN art element because 1) it's specific to Dean, and 2) indicates/reminds that the story is not set during the season 3 Agent Henriksen/FBI arc.

Grabbed the FBI seal off of Wikipedia.

Construction

Both fics typeset and printed separately, then sewn together into one book. Title page for the sequel was tipped in like an endpaper prior to sewing.

Endbands sewn with orange embroidery floss (DMC 721) around 1.9mm cording. I chose orange because Dean's being in jail brought to mind the orange prison jumpsuits Sam and Dean wore in s1e19 Folsom Prison Blues.

Black bookcloth for the cover, like the Winchesters' beloved black '67 Chevy Impala. (I'd wanted a Supernatural reference to balance out the Criminal Minds-ness of the FBI case files).

I'd originally planned to make lineart of the front of the car, and have it stretch across the bottom of the cover (maybe even wrap around to the back). Even found a useful reference to trace [from here], but it didn't look as good as I'd hoped. Instead I reused the FBI seal and swapped out its text with the titles.

(The effect of shiny foiled FBI symbol on small black book reminds me of one of those FBI badge wallets!)

The foiling process was an unnecessarily long and gruelling affair. My laptop served as a massive power bank for the hot foil pen as I spent 2hrs ever so slowly tracing the image, and then 15mins on the author name and touch-ups. Did it need to take so long? Moving slowly, pushing down hard, going over everything at least three times? I'm sure it didn't. BUT I did not want to chance peeling up the foil to check how I was doing and risk shifting it. It was worth it in my books (haha) ‒ I feel giddy and kick my feet like a schoolgirl whenever I see it!

New Things

Used 24lb paper for the first time, and I love it! It's a little thicker and heavier then regular 20lb printer paper, feels more substantial.

The page numbers & running/section headers are along the outer margin, instead of in the header/footer. This was my way around Affinity's buggy-ness regarding pinning things inline in master pages. (More about that below). If I had been thinking, I could have formatted them like the tabs on a file folder and cut the textblock to match. Oh well, the things you notice once it's printed 😔

This time I also started new chapters/sections using text flow & paragraph spacing settings, instead of using a master. As always, there are pros and cons.

Pro: much faster and less involved. (find chapter start, apply paragraph style VS working from the end cutting text, inserting a frame break, unlinking frames, inserting new pages with master, relinking, pasting, and adding chapter title to a different text box)

Con: images need to be added manually (whether by adding image directly, or by applying a master with the image). I forgot to do this for the second fic, so only ATKH have Dean's handprint scar.

Difficulties Encountered

Affinity Publisher is fighting me on pinning things inline on master pages. They like to disappear on regular pages I've applied the master to. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it only works on some of the pages. Idk what's up. (The bullet character only faces one way so I had use textboxes, flip/mirror one, and pin them inline to the page number).

So instead of having page numbers in the footer, bookended left and right by text boxes with Supernatural Knight's bullet, I put it vertically down the side.

Updated Publisher and all my paragraph styles' fonts changed/went funny. Something to do with the update's variable font support, I think. What was previously 'EB Garamond' regular, was now something along the lines of 'EBGaramond-Regular' which isn't a font. Issue seems to have ironed itself out in my original (near-complete) doc while I was busy remaking it. 😐

On the bright side, the update brought QR code generation to Affinity!

[pico-digital-studios]

Infectious Cases: Major Log 2 - Thomas Wilson

(The following story contains scenes that some readers may find upsetting. Viewer discretion is advised.)

LOG DATE: October 9th 2009 LOG CREATOR: Thomas Wilson VICTIM DATE OF BIRTH: July 2nd 1993 VICTIM DATE OF DEATH: October 8th 2009 LOG EXPORT DATE: July 23rd 2012 MEDIUM OF NOTE: "SONIC 1991"; CD-RW disc

Okay, so I'm not sure if this is ever going to reach anyone back home on Earth, be it audio recording, text, whatever. But I still need to get this out there to warn people of the terror that we're all being targetted by that doesn't care for morality.

Sorry, I should really start out with introductions. My name is Thomas Wilson, or "Tom", as my friends know me by. I was around 16 before I ended up in this place, and it's more than likely that I'll remain 16 for all of eternity.

As my own friends know, I'm very big on classic SEGA games, especially those made on the SEGA Genesis. Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Bonanza Bros., Columns, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog... you name it, it was in my interests! I never really was a big Nintendo guy, especially with them still having their own consoles and SEGA not. Betting you a dollar that the ego they'll inevitably develop will cause problems for their customers further down the line.

So it all began when my parents had to go out shopping a couple of weeks ago, and I was asked to take care of the house while they were out. Nothing out of the ordinary; mainly getting the bins out for collecting, washing any dirty dishes... that sort of thing! Once I finished my chores, I decided to get out my Genesis/CD/32X kit to play a bit of Sonic CD to pass the time.

I was close to pulling off a time warp to the past in Tidal Tempest Zone 1, when I suddenly heard the doorbell ring, which threw me off and botched my attempt. With a sigh in frustration, I paused the game and went to check it out. I looked through the keyhole to check who was there, but there was nobody. Assuming it was just one of the kids doing doorbell pranks, I opened the door, though noticed an envelope left on the floor.

I was honestly confused, considering most people left letters in the mailbox at the front of our porch, and the envelope had no labelling as to who it was addressed to. I took it inside and decided to examine the contents. The only things in there were a CD-RW disc with "SONIC 1991" written in sharpie, and a folded piece of paper hidden within.

Now, you'd assume I'd take the disc and blindly throw it into my Windows XP PC, right? Well, nope. Instead, I chose to look at the paper first, assuming it contained instructions for whatever game was burned onto the disc. What I actually saw made me concerned - a letter addressed to me from my best friend, Kyle.

"Tom,

I'm not sure if you'll be able to read this, but I've not got a lot of time to explain. It's already too late for me and anyone else who used this CD, so I've had to send this to you. I beg of you, please destroy this god-forsaken disc! I can only hope you'll be more successful than me. Just... don't play the game within. It's what he wants...

If you do play it... you can't fight back, delete it or try to resist playing, because he will retaliate without mercy. I suffered greatly for it... nightmares about him plaguing me for days on end... I even tried to destroy it myself, but his influence and hold on me is absolute. I can only hope he's kinder to you than he was for me...

Please... - Kyle"

"Kyle...?" This made me worried immediately. I've never been a fan of horror games of any kind - always felt that they overdo the gore and suspense at every opportunity. I was not going to play whatever horror game lurked on that disc using the blue blur's title, so my first response was to hurry over to check on Kyle post-haste!

Kyle lived in an apartment complex not far from my house before this whole incident occurred, and I used to visit him frequently to catch up with him and learn about the stuff he enjoyed. When I got to the place today, though... the entire building's interior was a mess. I feared the worst right away, hurrying up to Kyle's apartment without any hesitation and opened the door without knocking. If my friend was in genuine danger, I could not afford common courtesy!

Inside, however... there was no sign of Kyle anywhere, nor his parents. The whole apartment was ransacked from top-to-bottom, and only a small patch of blood was left behind. I had a feeling that whoever was here before managed to get to Kyle and make it so I wouldn't find his body, and more than likely hid his parents away for massacring as well.

I felt awful that I couldn't be there for Kyle in time, but I didn't dwell on it for long. After all, I had a promise I needed to fulfill for my friend, and I knew that whatever software was on that CD, it was the cause of letting the killer find Kyle! I hurried back home and pulled out the CD, and got one of my dad's hammers to destroy the dreaded disc with.

As I was about to do so, however, my mind went into some kind of haze, causing me to drop the hammer and put the disc into my computer, which triggered an Autoplay function. As soon as I snapped out of it and realised what had happened, I cursed myself under my breath for going against my gut. After trying and failing to eject the disc, I just decided I had to get to the bottom of this.

The game opened on the Sonic 1 title screen, as if a PC port of the title I already had, but I already picked up right away that something was amiss, especially with Sonic. The inside of his pupils were as red as the banner, his mouth was absent, and the skin on his ears was just gray. This was not just some run-of-the-mill Sonic fangame, and I knew it, no matter how accurate the graphics looked.

Rather than pressing the Enter key, I remembered about the level select code for Sonic 1, and entered it in hopes that I could speed through the game and outwit whatever spyware lurked inside. However, when I did so, rather than a list of levels coming up, this screen (the only other screencap I bothered to take) appeared.

How the hell did this game get my name that fast? The spyware can't have kicked in that soon, right? Only thing I knew there was that, whoever Kyle's killer was, they had some kind of god complex and saw themselves as above anyone else. "Fine," I snarked in response to this. "I'll play along for now."

When I pressed Enter again, it just returned me to the title screen, so I let the Autodemos play out while I worked out a way of closing down this game. I tried the Alt+F4 command, but the game was still running. I tried Ctrl+Alt+Del, but the menu for opening Task Manager wouldn't open.

Fortunately, I remembered one more trick - holding down the power button on a computer for 5 seconds triggers an instant shutdown and turns off the PC while forcefully closing all running programs in the process. So that's what I did, and...

Poof! My computer indeed turned off! My plan actually worked! I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful I could outsmart this killer, though remembered the stuff I tried to use earlier. When I powered the PC back on, the game didn't load up immediately again, though the CD drive was jammed for some reason. In response, I just formatted the disc to get rid of the game on there before stashing dad's hammer back to ensure he wouldn't find anything amiss.

I still had a couple of hours before my parents came back, so I decided to head to the local police station to get some information on what happened to Kyle. As it turns out, he was far from the only victim. Several other people, most recently a non-binary kid named Alex, were also killed via whatever spyware was on that disc, and autopsies never found any fingerprints that tied to anybody. The killer must've thought ahead to cover their tracks.

I remembered that I formatted the disc in question, and I reassured the officers that if further developments came up, I'd let them know post-haste. I turned in the disc as the evidence of the crime, and found the game was connected to a version of it with the same name on the GameJolt website that got taken down a month before I received the latest copy. With that, I hoped that, now that the killer had lost all their major methods, things would start to get better again, right?

Wrong.

Over the next few days, I felt really sick, when I had no issues with my body that first day. Mom figured I came down with a viral infection, but couldn't pinpoint the cause, and made sure to get me medicine and support to help me continue through each day. Some days, I could barely stand up and needed to hold onto a wall or railing just to keep balanced.

Even my own computer couldn't provide me any solace. My files were getting messed with, and what I did was only a minor setback to the killer. Whoever they were, they got access to my MSN Messenger account and were using it to catfish unsuspecting people into playing that dratted game, thereby ensuring they could still kill people with it!

Yesterday was when I didn't have a "sick day", and at that point, I had had enough of this elaborate virus. Once my parents were out of the house again, I got to my PC and opened it up. "Okay, you heartless killer!" I barked at the screen as I went to open my antivirus. "I've had enough of your antics! SHOW YOURSELF, DAMN IT!" The second I hovered my cursor over the program, text suddenly appeared - the same lettering used for Sonic 1's "SONIC TEAM PRESENTS" and credits. I realised that the computer had somehow heard me!

"You want to face the embodiment of the universe’s negativity, do you?"

"Just know you made a big mistake opting to resist instead of playing along."

"Even now, many players are in my hands as new guests in my domain."

"You'll make a fine addition to my collection. But for now…"

"IT’S TIME TO FACE YOUR RETRIBUTION, THOMAS WILSON!"

After that last message, two familiar gloved hands grabbed the bottom of the screen as a full-screen "Sonic" let out a loud roar at me accompanied by flashing lights. I turned away from the screen and covered my ears... and then it all suddenly subsided, and my desktop was as normal as it ever had been... at least, for all of 20 seconds.

Suddenly, the taskbar kept bouncing to every side of my screen, and every pixel on there was turning into a haze of static until it enveloped my entire screen. Once it did, a gloved hand I recognised began reaching out of the screen... but it was red, my first sign that something was seriously amiss. Without hesitation, I stumbled away from the screen and watched as the true cause of this mess made itself known by pulling itself out of the screen.

It indeed resembled Sonic's shape, but there was too much amiss. One eye and both ears were as black as voids, with the eye having a glowing red... cross, I think it was? The other, while normal, had red sclera rather than Sonic's now-iconic green, and aside from the red gloves, the only other notable feature was that his shoes were now predominantly white and blue.

No wonder the cops couldn't find any leads. This... thing... is not some ordinary killer! It used that game as an outlet to claim so many people, Kyle included, and everything I did to halt it in its tracks was merely a setback for whatever it wanted! With no time to think, I began to flee as I heard its voice... a low, distorted voice that understood my language but didn't sound human in the slightest.

"You like playing this way? Very well, kid, let’s play your final game of hide and seek. Ready or not… HERE WE GO!"

I learned later that this creature adopted the name of "Toxinfect", and that its claim of embodying all negativity wasn't a bluff. But back to the present - I rummaged from room-to-room while avoiding its gaze, trying to find anything to use as a weapon against the infect. In the kitchen, I came across a knife I could use, but I knew it would not be enough to kill it. I threw it Toxinfect's way, and as expected, it merely slowed the creature down a bit.

As I rummaged in the attic, I managed to stumble across a USB cord that hadn't been used in a while. I smirked, having found the perfect tool to destroy the monster. Before I could pull it out, however, Toxinfect got in and grabbed me by the throat, causing me to drop the cord on a nearby table.

"Found you at last!" the infect declared. "You should’ve known that loyalty to Kyle would get you into trouble, one way or another. This would’ve never ended any other way. The moment I intercepted Earth, this was ALWAYS going to happen."

I summoned whatever strength I could to reach the USB cord as it boasted in my face.

"Now that we’re here, I have one final request… KEEP THIS INTERESTING FOR M-"

The second he got to that last sentence, I used every inch of my adrenaline, grabbed the cord and smashed the connector straight into Toxinfect's "good" eye, causing it to shatter, alongside a good portion of its face, and forcing it to release its grip on me as it reeled backwards.

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the clear yet. Toxinfect was pushing all the borders of insanity, cackling with more glee than I ever saw it do, as reality around me was beginning to distort! It then yelled out three words that let me know I had to get out of the house immediately!

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

I was genuinely horrified, making a leap out of the attic and ignoring any injuries as I bolted to the front door! I could hear that thing gaining on me while my house distorted further, making me feel like everything I knew was going to collapse any second! I just wanted to escape from the house and never come back! But just as I got to the door, with ferocious inhuman screeching catching up with me... I suddenly lost consciousness...

...

The next thing I remembered, I woke up in a dark cavern, feeling dizzy from what had happened. And I felt... different. Like my body wasn't my own. I rubbed my eyes as I got to my feet, noticing I was wearing white gloves and shoes, alongside blue f... "Hang on..." I thought to myself.

I got up to survey the cave AND my body, and just across from me was a mirror... that highlighted that I didn't look like me anymore - I looked like Sonic! That creature managed to claim me, but... why am I like this? Guess that's one thing I won't learn just by sitting around. Under said mirror was a letter, not unlike Kyle's own. I picked it up and had a look at it. It read:

"Thomas Wilson,

Welcome to your eternal abode. You will never make it back to your human body again… as there’s now no body for you to return to. You will rot in this domain for the rest of your days. It doesn’t matter whether you try to save whoever else falls to me or not. Your time is finally up, and you have lost the fight. Gaze into the sapphire suns, for your will is eternally mine.

Game Over.

Thanks for playing.

- TI"

I growled in frustration, ripping the latter and kicking the mirror to crack it open, before I began to wander out of the cave. When I came out, I shielded my eyes a bit from the sunlight, and the area around me seemed... normal. Golden beach, blue waters, green grass... But knowing Toxinfect, it won't allow it to stay that way for very long.

I can already tell from here that I've got a long road ahead of me. Because Toxinfect erased my body after trapping my soul here, there's no way I'll ever be able to return to Earth... but that will not stop me from helping others do the same! If I can't go home, I'm going to make damn well sure that those who are more fortunate than me can go back home, no matter what!

Like I said, I don't know if this log I've made recalling my experience will reach Earth in any way, but if it does, I want you to take what you've heard/read as a warning - please, be as kind a person as you can. Negativity of any kind fuels its strength, and as much as I refuse to associate it with any pronouns... I'll give it only one thing worthy of credit.

It is smart, and will more than likely not use the same way of claiming unsuspecting victims forever. And it doesn't always use the ".exe" application handle, either. For all I know, it could breach into iMacs or even Linux operating systems, but as long as you never make contact with any medium or software that seems even the slightest bit off, you should be alright.

With that, I've had my chance at preparing myself, so now I've got work to do. I doubt I'll ever make another log, but I still advise all of you listening slash reading to be careful. I wish you all the best of luck.

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

As for back on Earth, people say that Tom merely vanished without a trace, as had his parents. Some say they just went on an indefinite vacation, though they started doubting that after enough time had passed, and the rumour changed to them having moved out entirely. Others believed that the Infect managed to claim them as well.

Whatever happened, there's only one thing that was known for certain - the only thing left in the now-abandoned house... was a peculiar-looking plush of Sonic that resembled Toxinfect, sitting on Tom's former bed.

Will they accept His new haven? Probably not, but either way… they must keep this interesting for him, lest they face their final curtain call. Hopefully they can remember to take a breather along the way…

(If you've enjoyed what you read, you can check out the official lore made so far for Toxinfect here!: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vrIT7MDnD7hRgRNVaR98JpF76vkvNTBBkY1A_nvjkNQ/edit?usp=sharing)

[racingliners]

re junk journal stuff from ireland: literally any paper product in my vicinity was in my pocket immediately 😭 free literature from where we went, receipts from shops or parking, unused napkins, coasters from pubs, a scratch lotto ticket, my bus pass, peeled off labels on bottles of soda, i went insane about it askfghjksjfdk. i’ve also thought about the mold potential so nothing that food touched EXCEPT the wrappers on tunnocks tea cakes because they are my beloved and i feel like i’m in the clear if i give them a quick wipe with alcohol. i have a little photo printer so i’ll also add some of the photos i took (including a picture of the beans on toast i made for myself because i didn’t get the label off of that but it must be documented lmao)

TUNNOCKS TEA CAKES MY BELOVED!!!! Truly one of Scotland's finest exports.

And ahhh that all sounds so fun!!! I honestly love that from a sentimentally perspective. I always take pictures of things I want to remember since I have a big hoarder personality and not much space for things to live so it's a good compromise.

Also! Very excited to hear about the beans on toast, it's very goated dish that I love immensely.

[rainbowsandwhumperflies]

Do you do all your writing on one doc, or do you have a bunch of different ones?

I Suck at organizing, especially when trying to put a story together, so I am always trying to find (and stick to!) ways to organize my stuff

<3

you've caught me at kind of an awkward time, I'm in the middle of transferring stuff from one app to another with different formatting in each 😭 but I will do my best to explain my process of putting things together! warning this is a ridiculously long explanation

So the current main thing that I organize The Winged Servant into is a google doc, but it isn't the place that has the most of it. My current number of typed words for that story is about 83 thousand, but I actually have a deep hatred for typing and love for pencils and paper. If I were to guess the amount of ws that was written somewhere, I'd say probably about twice as much.

I do have notebooks specifically for writing in. I don't use most of them.

Where I mostly write is actually my yearly planner! I get planners that give me like two pages each week, and my handwriting is very small. So after I use the planner part, there's a lot of leftover space, and I put a lot of things in the empty past space. I also have the ADHD curse of never opening planners, so I put literally every single thing in the past space so I'm forced to open it. It's my writing and my school notes and song lyrics that get stuck in my head and so much other stuff. I don't think I can explain without a visual? So here's a wretched wretched visual.

[ID: I'm so sorry if you rely on image descriptions. This is an image of a piece of paper with like eight different topics scribbled all over it, with editing that is desperately trying to make it seem less chaotic than it is. This editing is doing it by labeling different areas with "this whole green bar is repetitive spanish vocab for memorization" "it''s stats notes the whole way down" "song lyrics that were stuck in my head" "when the math teacher was like 'use scrap paper'" "vampire fanfic if I remember correctly" "things that were written in the planner as plans" and "tiktok audios I wanted to animate to (so that I didn't have to keep listening to it every five seconds)" /end ID]

so yeah that's what my planners look like. I put pretty much everything in there. this is one of the tamer pages. the reason the right side handwriting is so much worse is because I wrote it with my left hand to practice to become ambidextrous!

That's where the majority of The Winged Servant is written. That is where the majority of everything I write is written. I've been getting the same planner for the past three years and doing this every year. I have no organization system within the notebook, I just write whatever sounds appealing that day. And once in a while if I want to write but have no energy, I start typing wherever I left off. Right now I'm a few pages into the second notebook!

Okay enough about the pencil paper writing. Once it gets typed, it does currently go into one google doc. I do love love love the new tab feature of google docs though! It's really convenient to be able to just have multiple google docs inside a google doc. This is what the tabs of ws look like.

[ID: tabs in a google doc, reading: Outline, Preplot Kieran, Arien era, Captivity era, Actual story ?!?! and Ask games etc etc. /end ID]

There used to be two more, which were pre-whump royalty and pre-whump angels. Those are currently inside of the outline tab, because I'm trying to condense all of them into one tab while keeping headings intact so that I can export the document eventually.

The reason I'm exporting is to move to ellipsus ! It doesn't have all the features of google docs that I wish it did but it doesn't scrape original work for ai. It is all around a much more ethical company so I'm moving over there. Also most of the features I want have been requested and the ellipsus team is really nice about listening to feedback so I'm not worried.

Anyway. This is what inside the tabs looks like.

[ID: Inside of the tab reading "Actual story ?!?!" there are subcategories, titles Chapter 1 (Posted), Chapter 2 (Posted), Chapter 3 (Posted), Chapter 4 (Posted), and Chapter 5 (Posted) /end ID]

Each chapter title also has a description (the same descriptions that I use in the masterlist lmao) and I can see them if I hover. Since they're chapters instead of concepts, they are all the same level of subcategory, but in the other tabs they're not chapters and not the same level.

[ID: Inside the tab "Ask games etc etc" there's a subcategory titled "In-character writing asks" . Inside of that, there are more subcategories titled Ryan's asks, Onyx's asks, and Asks for multiple characters /end ID]

so. yeah. that's about it. my organization system is Fuck Around And Find Out. it's a miracle I've ever posted anything coherent and I'm sorry if you were hoping for a genuinely helpful answer. but I hope this answered any questions of yours!

[keenaminternational]

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Medical and pharma bags (sanitized, tamper-proof)

Luxury paper bags with foil printing, embossing, and rope handles

E-commerce packaging made of high GSM Kraft paper

By targeting these niches, manufacturers can differentiate themselves and achieve better margins.

8. Digital Integration & Smart Machines

The latest machines come with:

Remote diagnostics and servicing

Digital counters and fault alerts

Memory storage for repeat orders

IoT-based monitoring systems (for large factories)

These features help manufacturers reduce downtime, optimize maintenance, and increase efficiency.

How Prakash Machineries Pvt. Ltd Supports These Trends

At Prakash Machineries Pvt. Ltd, we continuously upgrade our paper bag machines to meet these latest trends. Our offerings include:

✅ Fully automatic square bottom paper bag machines ✅ Inline flex0 printing systems (2, 4, 6 colors) ✅ Handle pasting units (flat & twisted) ✅ Machines supporting eco-paper from 35 to 150 GSM ✅ Customizable bag sizes, shapes, and branding tools

Whether you're a startup or a large-scale manufacturer, we provide the technology and support to stay future-ready.

The paper bag industry is no longer just about replacing plastic—it's about delivering quality, branding, and sustainability. As competition rises, manufacturers who embrace the latest technology and trends will lead the market.

By investing in automation, eco-compliance, and product variety, you can build a profitable and future-proof paper bag business.

📞 Ready to Upgrade Your Paper Bag Manufacturing Setup? Contact Prakash Machineries Pvt. Ltd for a demo of our latest machines

Get expert guidance based on your business size and goals

Start your journey in sustainable packaging with confidence

Let’s build a cleaner, greener tomorrow—one paper bag at a time.

[mariacallous]

Over the last 80 years, the U.S. dollar has become the lingua franca of the global financial system. From Europe to Australia, central banks, companies, manufacturers, and tourists find common language by using the American currency. Today, an estimated $6.6 trillion in daily global transactions involve the dollar.

The centrality of the U.S. dollar to the global financial system has not only symbolized the growing influence of Washington abroad but has also raised the platform of the U.S. treasury secretary. A job that the first federal Congress outlined, in 1789, as a glorified bookkeeper, has since evolved into that of a financial diplomat—managing crises, negotiating trade policy, vetting foreign investment, restructuring debt, levying sanctions, and more.

In Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order, journalist Saleha Mohsin follows the dollar’s stewards, from Robert Rubin in 1995, to current Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, as they transitioned the dollar from a domestic political obsession to a weapon used abroad. Assembled from hundreds of interviews, Mohsin, a Bloomberg News reporter, charts Washington’s dollar policy and poses an essential question: Has the power that the U.S. dollar affords its issuer done more harm than good?

The decision to crown the U.S. dollar as the world’s foremost reserve currency in 1944, following the Bretton Woods Agreement at the end of World War II, generated international demand for dollars. Strong demand meant that, once Richard Nixon removed the dollar’s peg to gold in 1971, the dollar strengthened relative to other currencies.

This presented U.S. policymakers with a predicament: Though a strong dollar meant American consumers enjoyed cheap imports, it made U.S. exports more expensive, and therefore less attractive to foreign buyers, hurting American producers.

From the 1970s through the 1990s, the Treasury Department directed the Federal Reserve to buy or sell dollars to stabilize the currency, often with the assistance of trade partners who stood to benefit from a stable U.S. dollar. But as international trade flows increased, a convenient side effect of thwarting the dollar’s growth—the boost it provided to exports of U.S. manufactured goods—created political risk.

For example, in the 1990s, then-President Bill Clinton decided to buy Japanese yen and sell dollars, in the interest of ensuring global financial stability. However, the move also made Japanese imports more expensive—and potentially benefitted American manufacturers. With this uncertainty, the United States, so eager to label and stigmatize those countries deliberately manipulating their currencies for an unfair trade advantage, risked flouting its own free-trade philosophy.

That America’s trade partners might regard its exchange rate manipulations as commercial trickery was one of the reasons that Robert Rubin, who served as treasury secretary from 1995 to 1999, became the chief antagonist of currency intervention. In 1995, he committed the Clinton administration to quit meddling in currency markets, and thereby let the dollar grow as strong as it would. Thereafter, whenever a reporter asked Rubin, or any successive treasury secretary, about the dollar, the typical response was along the lines of, “A strong dollar is in the interest of the United States.”

Whether or not this so-called strong dollar policy always yielded a strong dollar (it didn’t) or was truly hands-off (it wasn’t), it was a necessary evolution for the country’s financial ecosystem. There was a growing sense that, regardless of what South Korea, Taiwan, or China did with their legal tender, currency manipulation was unbecoming for a great and growing power—if American democracy benefitted from free elections and independent courts, then currency markets should reflect this spirit too.

As the U.S. continued to feed the world’s demand for dollars, everyone—from corporations to central banks—seemed to become invested in a strong and stable dollar. But Washington’s  policy had collateral damage, both at home and abroad.

As the dollar strengthened, American exports like steel and textiles became more expensive for foreign buyers. As a result, between 1998 and 2002, a period in which the dollar gained over 10 percent, America lost 2.6 million manufacturing jobs. Though the economics was more complicated than this, the politics was deceptively simple: By refusing to intervene in currency markets to save American jobs, Washington confirmed its preference for Wall Street and the international trade system over blue-collar workers and domestic affairs.

For the rest of the world, however, the strong dollar policy seemed to confirm the contrary: America had little regard for how its dollar policy affected other countries—from the growing issuance of dollar-denominated debt to the use of economic sanctions against its adversaries, such as Iran and Russia. As Washington promised not to intervene in the dollar’s value, it increasingly relied on the dollar to intervene in other countries—meaning that for all the domestic imbalances a strong dollar has caused, the power of the dollar may be felt most acutely outside of America.

In 1974, U.S. Treasury Secretary William Simon and his deputy arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a secret mission to promote the dollar. OPEC had recently lifted the oil embargo it had imposed in retaliation for the United States providing aid to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, and the price of crude oil was normalizing. Simon was there to cut a deal: In exchange for U.S. military aid, Saudi Arabia would promise to invoice most of its oil exports in U.S. dollars and use its oil revenue to purchase U.S. debt.

Saudi Arabia agreed and the deal proved sticky—the two countries have maintained an economic alliance since, with the gulf country being one of the largest recipients of U.S. arms. Today, over two-thirds of the world’s oil exports are invoiced in dollars.

Given this long history of petrodollars, it has alarmed some observers that Saudi Arabia is increasingly willing to invoice oil exports in Chinese yuan instead of U.S. dollars. “As a businessperson,” the Saudi energy minister explained, “you will go where opportunity comes your way.” And China, after all, is a large customer of oil too. In January 2024, Saudi Arabia joined an expanded “BRICS” alliance, a group of primarily exporting countries that seeks, among other things, to replace the U.S. dollar with a common trade currency.

The Saudi currency choice indicates the apparent decay in the institutions that underpin the power and credibility of the dollar—and its issuer. After all, the strong dollar has contributed to a ballooning trade deficit in a country plagued by a home-grown financial crisis, a stalled Congress prone to debt-ceiling brinksmanship, and a growing distrust in its own democratic institutions.

Add to this the use of sanctions as Washington’s go-to weapon of choice and a fervent industrial policy that prefers its own manufacturing to that of its traditional trade partners, and it is easy to see the predominance of the dollar as a double-edged sword. Although the dollar affords the U.S. unparalleled financial leverage, its strength still sows seeds of discontent at home, where the manufacturing sector has historically suffered under its might, and abroad, where other nations chafe under its financial yoke.

Even if the BRICS proposal and similar initiatives have failed to provide a credible alternative, some see the dollar’s decline across global foreign exchange reserves and trade invoicing as a symbol of weakness in the institutions that enabled the dollar’s primacy in the first place, and later supported its worldwide dominance. That is why, for all of Mohsin’s brightly rendered portraits of stolid treasury secretaries, ready to curb a wayward president’s worst impulses, the landscape she presents of “a dwindling superpower with erratic fiscal management” is much darker.

Saleha Mohsin’s book, full of colorful vignettes about the various treasury secretaries, humanizes the technocrats and energizes what can otherwise be, admittedly, a stale topic. Although Mohsin’s familiarity with the “rooms where it happens” burnishes her authority—the reader is given exact room numbers within Department of Treasury and Senate office buildings—her reporting misses the mark when it comes to elucidating why what happened inside them was important.

It is therefore hard to pinpoint the ideal reader of Paper Soldiers. Treasury-watchers will be familiar with the more memorable headlines and disappointed that the book does not delve deeper. On the other hand, readers new to the topic may struggle to grasp why the events described matter—for the economy, for the country, and, crucially, for their vote in November.

Donald Trump has discussed directly intervening in currency markets to weaken the dollar, seeking a short-term boon to manufacturing and a long-run reduction in the trade imbalance between the United States and the rest of the world. Keen to maintain the dollar’s dominance and wary of overusing sanctions, Trump has proposed levying tariffs on the goods of any country that shirks the dollar. Yet, when it comes to those institutions charged with maintaining the currency, he has sought to weaken them further, including sacrificing the Federal Reserve’s independence by granting the president influence over monetary policy decisions.

Although Vice President Kamala Harris has affirmed that she will not interfere with the U.S. central bank, the current administration has wielded extraordinary powers by moving to seize the reserves of its adversaries’ central banks, despite their protection under international law. In supporting Biden’s sanctions programs, she touted international alliances as key to their success. At the same time, she is campaigning on an economic plan that largely adopts and develops Biden’s stimulative economic blueprint, favoring and subsidizing domestic manufacturing, often at the expense of imports from America’s trade partners.

That such ideas may sound farcical to technocrats should not fool them into complacency. Each one speaks to the decay, real or imagined, of the institutions that underpin the dollar. With this in mind, Mohsin’s final assessment is a stark warning for whoever wins in November: The dollar has symbolized Washington’s outsized role in the global financial system, but its stubborn predominance should not be taken as a de facto endorsement of Washington’s policies. The wound that proves fatal—to the global role of the dollar and its issuer—will be self-inflicted.

[eirinstiva]

Years ago I had the chance to meet a chemist who created a cheap glue to stick paper on wood that resisted humidity and was antifungal. It was designed to stick labels on exportation wine boxes because after a long time in the sea, many label were illegible due to mould and fungus. With that product he started his own chemical business.

something you don't learn until you get really far into the making and tinkering life is that there's no such thing as "glue" really. there are so many kinds of substances that stick other substances together and they are all very different and if you just go look at the adhesives aisle in the hardware store the packaging never actually tells you anything useful. it's like "this is SUPER T-REX POWER GLUE" and the fine print says "good for use on wood metal and plastic". okay. but WHICH PLASTICS MY GOOD BITCH,

because SURPRISE, there's no such thing as "plastic" either. every kind of wood is basically the same on a chemical level, but the only thing every plastic has in common is "some of its molecules are long" and that is NOT a quality that determines how things stick together.

I just ordered some stuff I hope will permanently stick a circuit board to a steel sheet and withstand temperatures up to 150 degrees. by the way circuit boards are made of epoxy-bound woven glass cloth which is cool as hell but what the fuck do you glue that with? can any of the 12 kinds of adhesives I currently own do that? no of course not. if I want to stick two pieces of acrylic together so hard they become watertight to a depth of 3000 metres I have some shit that does that, but it does literally nothing else.

anyway. once you start learning how many kinds of sticking things together there are, the people at 3M start to seem like witches and I don't know if they're the kind we can trust with that level of arcane knowledge

[yashindustriesgroup]

How to Choose the Best Natural Sesame Seed Exporter

How to Choose the Best Natural Sesame Seed Exporter

Now, in the new world economy coming into being, sesame seeds are much in demand due to their nutrition usage, cooking usage, and in oil trade usage. Whether a food processor, wholesaler, or a trader, the best Natural Sesame Seed Exporter by virtue of quality, reliability, and assurance of delivery is the order of the day. There are indeed numerous exporters worldwide, so that the choice does not have to seem intimidating at all—but by using professional advice, the job is simple and stress-free.

Knowing the Worth of a Pro Exporter

Choosing a Natural Sesame Seed Exporter is not just getting the lowest seeds. It's getting one that guarantees purity, complies with international quality standards, and knows what your business needs. Poor-quality seeds will lead to loss, trouble with authorities, and business reputation loss. It is thus business prudence to invest time in seeking a quality exporter.

1. Check Certifications and Levels of Export Compliance

A good Natural Sesame Seed Exporter should ensure food safety globally and export compliance levels. Verify certifications from USDA Organic, FSSAI, HACCP, ISO, and GMP.These are the minimum requirements for ensuring the seeds are handled and processed in clean facilities and are safe to use.

Exporters who conduct quality analysis appropriately and keep up with standards will most probably export quality sesame seeds that make their way into appropriate foreign markets.

2. Test Product Quality

Quality is of utmost priority while selecting a Natural Sesame Seed Exporter. Natural sesame seeds to be utilized should be uniform in size, should be mildly nutty flavored, and should not be adulterated or contain foreign material. Even before ordering that is bulky, order for samples and check for characteristics such as color, moisture percentage, oil percentage, and sanitation.

New sorting gear and processing gear buyers will be delighted to provide seed uniformity quality, a situation which is important in food-grade and industrial use.

3. State of the Market and Expertise

A seasoned Natural Sesame Seed Exporter knows all about foreign trade, policy change and specifications of customers. Choose the exporters with many years of experience and good reputation for customer service worldwide.

Customer comments, exhibition attendees, and web comments are fine barometers of a business firm's position in the market and reputation.

4. Diversified Modes of Packing

Packaging is accorded maximum importance in order to preserve sesame seeds for freshness and quality during shipment. A professional Natural Sesame Seed Exporter will provide diversified modes of packaging like PP bags, paper bags, vacuum packs, or bulk container shipments based on your requirements.

Apart from that, exporters also provide private label customized packaging in which the usage can be placed by brand extensions as well as retail companies.

5. Price Visibility and Documentation

Ensure that the Natural Sesame Seed Exporter you are transacting with is doing open pricing with no additional charges. Quoting openly in FOB, CIF, or CNF price terms of price, export duty, and shipping duty will allow you to plan accordingly.

Secondly, there must be adequate documentation such as invoice, packing list, phytosanitary certificate, and certificate of origin so that customs clearance is straightforward. Good exporters always maintain good documentation properly and in time.

6. Supply Capability and Timely Delivery

Before contacting a Natural Sesame Seed Exporter, make sure that they can supply immediately or in bulk. Those exporters, who have well-established sources and logistic partners, would be in a situation to provide an immediate supply without delay.

Delivery does not only matter for your production schedule but also matters for the reputation of the exporter .

Yash Industries - a name to believe Sesmine Seed Export

In export business of high-quality sesame seeds, Yash Industries is a veteran and renowned Natural Sesame Seed Exporter from India. Based on the name of the brand earned due to purity, quality, and customer satisfaction, Yash Industries has earned the trust of overseas buyers in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

With high-standard quality control, up-to-date efficient processing factories, and export staff dedicated to their work, Yash Industries is exporting every international quality export order. From black sesame seeds to white hulled white sesame seeds and natural white hulled white sesame seeds, the company offers variety according to your order. Its logistic support and packaging department are two reasons why they have become an export success.

7. Customer Service and Communication

Excellent customer support is a sign of a professional Natural Sesame Seed Exporter. Whether you’re placing your first order or coordinating a repeat shipment, clear and timely communication is key.

Check how responsive the exporter is to your queries, whether they provide updates, and how they handle complaints or feedback. A committed export executive or account manager can make communication much easier.

8. Ethical Practices and Sustainability

With customers being sensitized toward fair sourcing and sustainability, it only makes sense to opt for a Natural Sesame Seed Exporter who is engaged in sustainable practices and fair trade. Exporters with small farmers behind their wings, no chemical processing, and sustainable agriculture practices make your supply chain very robust.

This kind of exporter will promote your brand and make you more appealing and welcoming environmentally friendly clients.

Conclusion

Choosing a trusted Natural Sesame Seed Exporter is a crucial business move that impacts your product quality, customer satisfaction, and company image in the market. Assessing certifications, quality, experience, service, and ethics will enable you to have a long business relationship with a trustworthy exporter.

If you need a reliable and effective business associate in sesame seed export, Yash Industries makes it a point to serve your needs with professionalism, integrity, and reliability. Make the wise choice today for a successful tomorrow.

[easywaylogistics48622]

Your Trusted Shipping Company in Chennai - Easyway Logistics

Introduction

In today’s global marketplace, the role of a reliable shipping company is crucial in ensuring smooth, safe, and timely delivery of goods. Among the many players in this sector, Easyway Logistics stands tall as a leading shipping company in Chennai, offering comprehensive logistics and freight forwarding services across India and worldwide.

From customs clearance to international air and sea freight, Easyway Logistics provides tailor-made solutions for exporters, importers, and industrial supply chains. With a commitment to excellence, innovation, and transparency, the company has become a go-to partner for businesses looking to streamline their shipping needs.

About Easyway Logistics

Established in 2012, Easyway Logistics is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. With regional offices in Delhi, Tuticorin, Mumbai, Bangalore, and major ports, the company is known for offering end-to-end logistics solutions in both domestic and international trade.

Their team comprises experienced professionals specializing in freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, transportation, and cargo documentation. By leveraging strong global networks and digital platforms, Easyway Logistics provides real-time visibility and reliable communication, making shipping simpler and more efficient for businesses of all sizes.

Key Services Offered by Easyway Logistics

1. International Freight Forwarding (Air & Sea)

Whether it’s LCL (Less than Container Load), FCL (Full Container Load), or Air Cargo, Easyway Logistics offers dependable services with competitive rates.

Air Freight Services to major airports globally

Sea Freight from/to leading ports including Chennai, Tuticorin, Mumbai, etc.

Import & Export consolidation

Door-to-door delivery

2. Customs Clearance Services

Their licensed customs brokers handle all compliance processes:

Import/Export documentation

HS code classification

Duty calculation

Clearance at ports and airports

Specialized cargo like DG (Dangerous Goods), perishables, and oversized equipment

3. Transportation Services

Easyway Logistics provides integrated road transport for last-mile connectivity.

Container truck movement

Over-dimensional cargo (ODC) transport

Warehouse to port delivery

Multi-modal logistics

4. Warehousing and Distribution

Warehouses in strategic locations with facilities for:

Inventory management

Cross-docking

Packaging & labeling

Just-in-time deliveries

5. Project Cargo Handling

For large-scale industrial equipment or infrastructure projects, the team provides:

Route surveys

Equipment mobilization

Customs clearance

End-to-end planning and execution

6. E-commerce and Courier Logistics

With rising online shopping trends, Easyway also handles:

B2B and B2C logistics

Last-mile delivery

Reverse logistics

Inventory sync with eCommerce platforms

Why Choose Easyway Logistics in Chennai?

Experience and Expertise

With over a decade of experience, Easyway’s team knows the ins and outs of customs procedures, international trade laws, and shipping trends.

Global Network

They are part of international freight forwarding associations like WCA, FIATA, and IATA, ensuring global reach.

Competitive Pricing

The company offers cost-effective shipping solutions without compromising on timelines or safety.

Compliance & Documentation Support

From Bills of Lading to commercial invoices and insurance papers, Easyway handles it all—eliminating errors and delays.

 Customized Solutions

Every client’s requirement is different. Easyway tailors its services based on cargo type, volume, destination, and urgency.

Live Shipment Tracking

Digital platforms allow clients to track shipments in real-time, monitor ETAs, and access digital documents 24/7.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a reliable, affordable, and efficient shipping company in Chennai, Easyway Logistics is a name you can trust. With global expertise, a local presence, and a customer-first approach, they simplify the complex world of logistics so you can focus on growing your business.

FAQs

1. Is Easyway Logistics a licensed customs broker in India?

Yes. Easyway Logistics is a government-licensed customs house agent (CHA) with extensive experience in documentation and clearance at all Indian ports.

2. Does Easyway Logistics provide international shipping?

Absolutely. They offer both import and export freight forwarding by air and sea to more than 100 countries.

3. What types of cargo can Easyway handle?

They handle:

General cargo

Refrigerated/temperature-sensitive goods

Dangerous goods

Project/over-dimensional cargo

eCommerce parcels

4. How do I track my shipment?

Clients receive a tracking ID upon booking, which can be used on the Easyway Logistics website or mobile app to monitor real-time status.

5. Can I get help with export/import documentation?

Yes, Easyway offers end-to-end documentation support including:

Shipping bills

Invoices

Bill of lading

Certificates of origin

Duty/tax calculations

Kindly visit our website www.easywaylogistics.net/shipping-company-in-chennai

[fluidlyhollowgorgon]

Real-Time Monitoring: What Modern Guard Tour Patrol Systems Offer

In today’s fast‑paced security environment, modern Guard Tour Patrol Systems have transformed how companies monitor patrols—shifting from paper logs and mechanical watch‑clocks to cloud‑based apps offering real-time oversight, incident response, and data analytics.

1. Live GPS Tracking & Location Verification 🚨

One of the foundational features is real-time GPS tracking. As guards patrol predefined routes, their live locations appear on a central dashboard—helping supervisors confirm that each checkpoint is reached in sequence and on time arXiv+13guardworkforce.com.sg+13guardworkforce.com.sg+13propatrols.com+3qrpatrol.com+3tourtrax.com+3. Virtual geofencing alerts notify management if a guard exits an assigned zone, ensuring compliance and safety protocols are upheld guardworkforce.com.sg.

2. Instant Checkpoint Validation via QR, NFC, RFID

Guard verification is digitized using smart checkpoints: QR codes, NFC tags, RFID chips, or even Beacons. Scanning triggers a timestamped log with GPS coordinates. Control centers see scans in real time and get notifications for missed or out-of-order checkpoints qrpatrol.comguardworkforce.com.sg. This automated process dramatically increases reliability and reduces falsified logs.

3. Multimedia Incident Reporting & Two-Way Communication

When guards encounter security issues, they can document incidents instantly from their mobile interface. This may include text notes, photos, audio messages or video clips—all sent in real time to supervisors . Many systems support two-way messaging so teams can coordinate responses live, and supervisors can issue redirections or alerts as needed. SOS or panic buttons offer critical safety tools for lone workers or distress situations .

4. Emergency Alerts & Worker Safety Features

Modern solutions integrate SOS and Man-Down alerts, enabling guards to signal danger instantly. Supervisors receive push or email alerts, facilitating swift intervention and escalation to law enforcement if necessary . Some platforms also offer inactivity alarms and biometric triggers to monitor lone worker safety .

5. Cloud-Based Dashboards & Centralized Monitoring

All patrol data—checkpoints scans, incidents, route progress—is streamed to a cloud-hosted management dashboard. These platforms support multilingual interfaces, no need for onsite servers, and access from web or mobile portals anywhere globally . Features include scheduling templates, tour assignments, and instant visibility for supervisors. Clients or control room staff can review patrol history in real time .

6. Automated Reporting & Analytics

These systems generate reports automatically: missed or scanned checkpoints, tour durations, incident logs, guard performance, and compliance tracking—all exportable in PDF or Excel format for audits or client updates . Managers gain operational insights that support performance reviews, training needs, and service-level compliance.

7. Seamless Integration with Security Ecosystem

Modern patrol systems often interface with CCTV, access control systems, alarm sensors, and IoT devices, creating a unified security stack . Advanced versions deploy AI analytics to detect suspicious behavior or anomalies and trigger alerts automatically—powerful additions for proactive security teams .

8. Cost-Efficiency & Scalability

Cloud-based patrol systems eliminate hardware costs, maintenance of servers, or legacy devices. Setup typically requires only smartphones or rugged tablets + low-cost tags (e.g. QR labels under €0.02 each) . Because they use cloud SaaS models, they scale easily—supporting sites of all sizes from single client locations to enterprise security deployments.

9. Enhanced Accountability & Compliance

With timestamped digital logs and verified scans, organizations gain audit-ready patrol histories. Managers can detect gaps in coverage, schedule inconsistencies, or procedural non-compliance. These records provide legal defensibility and strengthen contractual accountability with clients .

10. User-Centric Workflows & Minimal Training

Despite offering advanced features, many platforms boast simple interfaces requiring minimal onboarding. QR‑Patrol and ProxiGuard emphasize streamlined user experiences so guards can focus on patrols—not mastering complex tools .

🔍 Real-World Impact

Organizations using real-time patrol systems benefit from:

Improved response time to threats and incidents.

Eliminated paperwork and manual data entry delays.

Better workforce monitoring through alerts and performance tracking.

Transparency for clients and stakeholders via real-time activity feeds.

Cost savings as incidents reduce and workforce error rates drop drastically.

These benefits translate into measurable Return on Investment (ROI) within months—not years .

✅ Why It Matters for Exiga Software Clients

If you’re deploying Exiga Software’s Guard Tour Patrol System, you're implementing a platform that includes many of these industry-leading features. Expect:

Live guard location tracking via GPS or checkpoint scans.

Real-time alerts for missed rounds and emergency actions.

Multimedia incident reporting and secure two-way communication.

Automated, evidence-backed patrol logs for audits.

Easy mobile operation and cloud‑based dashboards—accessible anywhere.

Together, these components form a modern digital patrol system that improves service quality, guard safety, and operational transparency.

🚀 Final Takeaway

In 2025, reliance on outdated paper logs or fixed patrol clocks is no longer adequate. A real-time Guard Tour Patrol System ensures reliability and rapid responsiveness. By combining GPS, checkpoint technologies, incident reporting, emergency alerts, analytics, and cloud access—modern systems elevate accountability, situational awareness, and operational efficiency for security teams and their clients.

contact us

+65 6492 6783 / +65 9693 5512 +65 9693 5512 (Business WhatsApp) sales@exigasoftware.com.sg

[dianamocanu]

How Packaging Influences Purchasing Decisions

By Diana Mocanu, PRINTCO SRL, Romania

Have you ever walked into a store with a clear goal—say, to buy a bar of soap—and found yourself unexpectedly drawn to something you didn’t plan to buy at all? Maybe it was a candle in a minimalist box, or a bottle with embossed lettering and an oddly satisfying weight in your hand. Whatever it was, there’s a good chance packaging played a role.

At PRINTCO SRL in Romania, we’ve spent years working with businesses of all sizes—from emerging startups to established global exporters—and one pattern is clear: packaging isn’t just a container. It’s an unspoken conversation between the product and the customer. And in many cases, it’s the deciding factor between someone putting your product in their basket or walking away.

Let’s explore how packaging subtly (and not so subtly) influences purchasing behavior—and why it deserves just as much attention as the product inside.

First Impressions Count—A Lot

In a crowded market, you have about three seconds to grab someone’s attention. That’s it.

Packaging is the first tactile and visual interaction a customer has with your product. If it doesn’t resonate—visually or emotionally—you’ve lost them before they’ve even read a label.

Color, shape, typography, texture—these elements are not simply aesthetic. They communicate signals. A sleek, matte black finish suggests luxury. A bright, playful palette hints at something fun or youthful. Uncoated kraft paper might evoke sustainability, simplicity, or craft.

I remember a project we did for a local artisan chocolate brand. The chocolate was excellent, but their initial sales were modest. Once we helped redesign the packaging—adding foil accents, cleaner typography, and a subtle unboxing feature—the product began to feel like a gift. Their retail sales tripled in the following quarter.

The product didn’t change. But the perception did.

Emotional Triggers and Trust

Packaging doesn’t just inform; it reassures.

Think of a parent buying baby food. The decision isn’t just about ingredients—it’s about safety and trust. If the packaging looks flimsy or poorly thought out, doubts creep in. On the flip side, clean design, soft colors, and clear labeling instill confidence. People instinctively trust products that look like someone cared during the packaging process.

There’s also the emotional layer. Nostalgic design can tap into memories. Elegant packaging can feel aspirational. Some products become gifts simply because the packaging makes them feel special. We’ve worked with clients who’ve built entire product lines around seasonal packaging—because customers began collecting the boxes, not just buying the products.

Shelf Impact and Competitor Context

Packaging doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It lives on a shelf (or a screen) surrounded by competition.

In retail, especially, the goal is not just to look good—it’s to look better than what’s next to you. Even the best-designed label can get lost if it blends in too well.

That’s why context matters. Before finalizing a packaging design, we often conduct visual shelf simulations. We place mockups of the packaging among competitor products to see how it stands out—or doesn’t. Sometimes, it’s not about being the loudest, but the most confident or the most refined.

Digital packaging follows the same logic. On e-commerce platforms, the main product image—often a render of the packaging—must communicate professionalism and appeal at thumbnail size. If it looks confusing or overly busy, the click-through rate suffers.

Packaging as a Storytelling Tool

We all love a good story. And packaging is an ideal platform for micro-narratives.

Maybe it’s a short origin story printed inside the box lid. Or a design inspired by local culture. Maybe the packaging unfolds in a clever way, hinting at the product’s personality before it’s even touched.

Storytelling isn’t about writing paragraphs on every surface—it’s about curating experience. A coffee brand we worked with once hid a quote beneath the bag’s flap. It didn’t say much. But customers remembered it. They shared it. The brand became more than a transaction—it became a relationship.

Sustainability Influences Behavior

In today’s market, consumers care about more than just aesthetics. They care about values.

Packaging is a direct expression of your brand’s sustainability efforts. Materials, recyclability, reuse—these all matter. A product wrapped in excess plastic might raise eyebrows, even if the product itself is eco-conscious.

More than once, we’ve seen brands gain new followers simply by switching to biodegradable or FSC-certified materials. At PRINTCO SRL, we help clients strike that balance—between beautiful and responsible. Because increasingly, customers don’t just want pretty—they want purposeful.

The Go Global Perspective

As PRINTCO SRL prepares for the 2025 Go Global Awards in London—a gathering of some of the most dynamic businesses across the world—we’re reminded how packaging plays a role not just locally, but globally.

These awards are more than recognition. They’re about shared vision, collaboration, and thinking ahead in a rapidly changing world. And one thing that comes up again and again? Brands that prioritize experience win more than just market share. They win hearts.

Packaging is a core part of that. It’s not fluff. It’s function wrapped in feeling.

Final Thoughts

If you think packaging is just “what the product comes in,” it might be time to revisit that thinking.

Packaging influences behavior. It tells your story, signals your values, and creates moments that customers remember—even before they use the product.

And when done well? It becomes a quiet but powerful voice for your brand, sitting right there on the shelf, speaking to someone who didn’t even know they were listening.