#hot foil machines

[friendsengineeringcompany]

Hot foil stamping machines are versatile tools that can add elegance, sophistication, and a touch of luxury to various items. From business cards to wedding invitations, the possibilities are endless. Here are seven creative ways to utilize a hot foil stamping machine

[rosesforwildwitches]

The more successful I become in my (still early) science career, the more I do things that incidentally make me look like a drug dealer

[mirage-aera]

•°. *࿐ Microwave

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : The Feeling - Lost Frequencies

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley

Synopsis: It’s way past midnight again. You’re feeling hungry and decide to warm up leftovers. You try to keep everything quiet, but you get bested by the goddamn microwave.

Word count: 1.136

Masterlist

More domestic Simon to keep me going in life.

It was another one of those nights. It’s 3 AM and you’re wide awake. You’re scrolling through your social media as Simon is happily snoring away next to you. Suddenly your stomach grumbles. You quickly cover your stomach so that it ‘quiets’ down, you didn’t want to wake Simon. You cringe at the loudness of your stomach. You turn over and glance at Simon, checking if he’s still asleep. Seeing that he’s still sleeping you let out a sigh of relief. You quietly and slowly climb out of bed. Widening your eyes when the bed creaks. You quickly whip your head to Simon. He stirs a little and turns over. You quickly place your pillow where you would be sleeping. He grabs it and pulls it closer to him. You snicker quietly before taking a picture with your phone. You’ll show him that in the morning.

You slip your feet in the fuzzy slippers that Simon bought you. You were complaining that your feet were always cold and you refused to wear socks when you didn’t have to go out. So, Simon bought you a pair of warm slippers so that you wouldn’t be cold anymore. You slowly get up, this time the bed spares you. You quietly shuffle out of the room and close the door gently behind you. Refusing to make any noise so you wouldn’t wake Simon. You make your way to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. You turn the tap on slightly, making a small stream of water. You splash some water on your face before turning the tap off and drying your face with a towel.

You head to the staircase, purposely avoiding the floorboards that are known to creak under weight. You quietly make your way down the stairs and turn the lights on. You walk towards the kitchen and open the fridge. You look at all of the items in your fridge, wondering what you should make. An idea pops up in your head. You still have some leftovers from tonight’s dinner. You’ll hear it up in the microwave and finish it. That way you save space in the fridge and you’ll have some easy food to make. You grab the plate with the leftovers and take off the aluminum foil. You open the microwave and gently put the plate in the machine. Not risking waking up Simon. You quietly close the microwave door and set a timer for two minutes.

While you wait, you quickly boil some water to make a cup of tea. You cringe slightly at the noise the kettle makes while boiling water. Everything sounds so much louder at midnight. Once the water is nice and hot you pour it into a mug. You’re about to take a sip when you abruptly stop. You panic as you hastily put the mug down and you check the microwave. You forgot to keep an eye on the timer. The noise the microwave makes when the timer goes off is horrendous, especially at midnight. Before you can even glance at the timer it makes a loud shrill sound. You tap on the button multiple times to turn it off, “come on, you shit thing. Turn off already.” You insult the microwave. As if it’s the bane of all your problems. It is currently but that’s beside the point.

Finally, you get the thing turned off. You stand there leaning against the kitchen counter and pinch the bridge of your nose, reflecting on what just happened. “For fucks sake.” You mutter quietly. That woke Simon up, you’re sure of it. You take the plate out of the microwave and put it down on the counter. As if on cue, you hear Simon running down the stairs. He’s holding a combat knife as he looks around the lit bottom floor. He analyses everything before sighing once he sees you in the kitchen, looking very guilty. He puts the knife down and walks up to you. “Bloody hell, I thought a bomb went off or something. But no, it’s only you making food again.” He jokes lightly. Finding this situation a little funny. You chuckle lightly, “sorry, love. Didn’t mean to wake you with a bomb scare.” He lets out a laugh as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you closer to him. He kisses the top of your head before speaking. “It’s okay, lovie. Go on eat, you’re hungry again.” He leads the two of you to the counter where you place the plate. You grab a fork from the drawer and start munching away.

As you eat in silence. He’s watching you with a content smile. You stab the food with the fork and offer it to him. He chuckles but shakes his head, “no it's okay. You eat, ‘m not hungry.” You frown. You shove the fork closer to his mouth, “just one bite.” You say gently. He sighs but opens his mouth and lets you feed him. He chews on it and swallows. He smirks, “it’s cold now. You’ve learned from last time?” You groan as you’re reminded of your stupidity. “Oh come on! That was a one-time thing…” You grumble at his remark. You continue shoving forkfuls in your mouth with a pout resting on your lips. He smiles at you, “one-time thing or not. Once is already enough. Don’t want you hurting yourself around me, lovie.” You mutter an insult under your breath before grinning mischievously.

He looks at you warily, “what are you do-“ he tries asking before he gets interrupted with a mouthful of food. The fork is still hanging from his mouth. He stares at you in shock. You snicker at the sight of his dumbfounded look and the fork hanging from his mouth. You take out your phone and snap a picture. He quickly takes the fork out of his mouth, swallows the food, and tries to take the phone from you. “Delete that now!” He shrieks. You giggle as you continue turning your phone away from him. He smiles at your happiness. He knows he could overpower you easily, he’s SAS after all. But he doesn’t have the heart to do it, not after hearing your giggles. He huffs playfully and throws his arms in the air. “Fine! Don’t delete it.” He exclaims dramatically. You grin at him, finding this whole act of his amusing. He smiles before sighing and wraps his arms around you. “Now finish your food. I’m tired now and demand to go back to bed.” You give him a mock salute as you continue scarfing down your food. He shakes his head in amusement. He places a kiss on your cheek as you eat, content with holding you and swaying in the kitchen at 3 AM.

[blueberrybindery]

Wildfire by tears_of_a_clown

made as a gift for a friend! i can finally post it now that she's got it ^-^

construction notes and comments in the read more

things i learned for this bind!

- backing for real

- marbling edges (and then i drew on top with a micron)

- double core endbands

- reverse engineering how to use a vintage hot foil stamping machine with no instructions (😭)

full process post

i'm pretty happy with this one! the design process gave me some grief because i kept changing my mind about what i wanted. but the case fit really nicely which is rare for me lmao

[m3hgumi]

— pop a coke

pairing: fushiguro megumi x f!reader

genre: fluff, mutual pining

summary: the calm and collected megumi freaks out internally (and unintentionally, externally) after he accidentally drinks from your soda can. the end result? even better.

word count: 890

arms wrapped around your figure, you laid in megumi's chest under the tree near the dorms. the canopy sourcing from the abundant of leaves that covered the branches shaded the two of you from the blazing sun of the weekend's noon. in the distance further away, you saw nobara chasing yuuji for reasons unclear to you, and panda trying to break up their fight, but as a result also becoming a target to her current rage. you chuckled at their playful antics, sending a sense of enjoyment to megumi’s heart. he fought a smile to his face, bringing his chin down to feel your hair under his face, hoping the others weren’t looking in his direction. he wasn’t one for pda, but every so often he isn’t afraid to show his love for you around others, given that fact that none of his classmates and upperclassmen were watching anyway.

next to both of you were two sandwiches neatly wrapped in aluminum foil per megumi’s effort and two cans of coca cola from the school’s vending machine to go along with your food. finally, a batch of cookies were covered with tissues to maintain their freshness. your hand moved towards the sandwiches, handing one to megumi. you took a bite into the remaining sandwich, indulging in the synergy of multiple ingredients within your meal, leaving a smile of satisfaction on your face. megumi also smiled in agreement, shifting the hold of his sandwich to one hand and bringing a finger of his empty one towards your hair, wrapping itself in its strands. his fingers continued to fiddle with your hair, which were responded with quiet chuckles.

once his fingers were untangled from your hair, he took a second to process his need to quench the thirst lingering in his throat. it had been pretty hot that day, as it was still late into summer, so it was no wonder that his body requested for fluids to cool down. his hand involuntarily reached for his soda can, which was already opened from when you had brought out the sandwiches. feeling the melting icy water drip from the can onto his palm, he picked it up and drew it closer to his mouth, gulping down several, but small sips.

just as the coldness of the tin grazed his upper lip, a familiar scent was detected. his nostrils filled with the smell of mint, not one from an edible, but a flavor of some sort. immediately retracting the can away from his face, he spotted a colorless smudge hinted with sparks of glitter near the can opening. his eyes widened in shock as he put the two together as realized what he had done.

it was your lip gloss. that was your soda can.

somewhere in his head, he could hear the annoying incessant voice of gojo saying that’s an indirect kiss!

his face heated up from the embarrassment; a physical sign of this emerging as his cheeks (and not long after his whole face) reddened. his emerald eyes quickly turned towards you, staring off into the distance, paying no heed to his current dilemma. quickly, he tried to calm himself down, figuring it was for the best you didn’t know. it’s a secret he could never live down himself anyways.

“megumi are you okay? your face looks really red. is it getting too hot for you?”

his body jolted from suddenly hearing your voice. he could see the questioning glance on your face, making him even more embarrassed than before. there was no way for him to hide from you now. nonetheless he still tried to put up a front.

“no, i just choked on the soda from drinking really fast. i’m alright though.”

great lying megumi. if it couldn’t be anymore obvious. until you saw right through him.

“wait, is that my soda can?” you had realized what just happened, and now it was your turn to start getting red, turning your cute weekend picnic date into a heated blushing competition. megumi could only nod slightly before sinking deeper into the endless abyss of embarrassment.

“can i have it back?”

you were the one who started the conversation after moments of awkwardness. it hadn’t been that long since you two started dating. about a month and a couple days to be exact. while you two were very much in love, shown in your display of affection towards one another, kissing wasn’t really something either of you had considered yet-

“yeah sorry about that, here you go” megumi replies, handing you the cola can as you chuckle at his reddened face. you didn’t think he’d be so guilty about it, very cute of him. and you know exactly how to get back at him for it.

“y’know, you could’ve asked for a real kiss if you wanted one.” you mentioned before quickly giving him a peck on his cheek.

megumi was caught off guard, but a sense of giddiness bubbled in him feeling the stickiness of the lip gloss remaining on you face touching the side of his. he would not admit it to you or anyone really, but he liked it a lot.

he could’ve continued relishing this very adoring interaction, until he noticed nobara and yuji, who had seen the entire event unfold, staring from afar.

now he was really embarrassed.

© m3hgumi 2023. all rights reserved. do not copy, modify, or repost my works anywhere

[chronicpaingirlie]

Tips For Baking While Disabled :) <3

1. do stuff the “wrong” way [pt: do stuff the “wrong” way]

- my number one tip for literally everything is to do it the “wrong” way if that is the way that will make it accessible to you

- sit down while you prepare stuff. use a machine to knead your bread if it’s too hard on your hands. take as many breaks as you need. use disposable items like parchment paper, foil pans, and paper plates if washing dishes is too much. make things work for you however you need to

2. question everything [pt: question everything]

- if you have the spoons & the brain power, plan ahead & question what the recipe says you have to do

- do you really have to flour the counter & make an extra mess just to knead dough, or can you knead it in the bowl instead? do you really have to use an extra dish for this step?

- there’s lots of things like that that recipes will state as fact that can be adjusted to save you some effort

3. if possible, recruit help [pt: if possible, recruit help]

- i have a bunch of younger siblings who will almost always jump at the chance to help me bake stuff

- see if u can find a family member/friend/housemate/caregiver etc who is willing (maybe even excited!!) to split the baking workload with you

- it fr makes it so much easier even just to have someone who will help you whisk together your ingredients or grab something you’ve forgotten to spare you the effort of moving across the kitchen

4. lay out everything you’ll need ahead of time [pt: lay out everything you’ll need ahead of time]

- this includes all the dishes, utensils, and ingredients you’re going to use for the recipe

- this helps soooo much with my combination of adhd + brain fog problems (aka forgetting things and getting distracted constantly)

- i like to make a designated area (e.g., on the stove or on a separate part of the counter) to immediately put what i’ve used so I know that i’ve used it; this ensures that I don’t add something twice & that i don’t miss any ingredients

- it also makes less moving around in the moment/less getting up & down ! a godsend fr

5. take advantage of built-in resting times [pt: take advantage of built-in resting times]

- when stuff is in the oven, sit or lay down !! it’s free resting time !! pleaseee take advantage of it

6. make cleanup as easy as possible [pt: make cleanup as easy as possible]

- i like to put something under my workspace (bath towel, tablecloth, paper towels, etc) so that when i inevitably spill something, i can just pick it up and shake it off instead of having to scrub my counters

- if you can spare the spoons, scrape off and rinse out the dishes you used so nothing gets hardened & caked on

- fill everythingggg with hot water and leave it in the sink for later!! don’t push yourself too hard & try to do dishes right away; the hot water will make it so much easier for later & you’ll get a chance to rest

7. you don’t have to do everything from scratch [pt: you don’t have to do everything from scratch]

- baking something from a box is still baking!! boxed is good & will help you save spoons but still scratch that baking itch

- you can make just one element of your baking & buy another - e.g., buy pre-made pie crusts and make the filling yourself

- buy pre-chopped/frozen fruits for crumbles and tarts, buy pre-made frosting for the cake you bake, grab some cookie dough from the store and throw it in the oven !!

8. experiment & adjust [pt: experiment & adjust]

- find what works for you & what doesn’t. figure out what recipes you can do & what ones you can’t. see how much effort you’re physically & mentally able to put into baking (without overtaxing yourself!) & take that into consideration for the next time(s) you bake.

- i highly recommend writing down the stuff you figure out - it helps me to both remember & stick to my limits & saves me from pushing myself too hard

(some misc stuff under the cut bc this is so long)

a few things to invest in if you can:

1. kitchen stool [pt: kitchen stool]

- if you’re like me and have Shitty Legs, this means so much less standing & has been a lifesaver for me tbh

2. hand mixer and/or stand mixer [pt: hand mixer and/or stand mixer]

- if you have the strength to both hold up a hand mixer for up to five minutes at time, and to sit up while you do it, they’re almost always the cheaper option, and they take up less storage space. if not, the stand mixer likely will be more expensive & will take up more counter space/storage space, but will be a lot more worth it for you

- check ebay or local online markets for secondhand ones if you can’t afford new ones - I found a used but perfectly good stand mixer for $30 !

3. latex/rubber gloves [pt: latex/rubber gloves]

- makes cleanup so much easier (especially if you have a hard time with hygiene, e.g. bathing or washing hands, extra especially with stuff like batter or dough that can be harder to get off, or with bad textures that will be on your hands)

- reusable ones you can drop in some water and clean off later if you don’t have spoons to do cleanup right away, and disposable can just go in the trash

4. boxed mixes [pt: boxed mixes]

- you’re still baking even if it’s not entirely from scratch!! boxed mixes mean fewer ingredients & steps, and shorter amounts of time spent upright/moving around

—

a few links:

justtherecipe.com clears away everything except the recipe for you - no misc stories from the author or ads popping up every 5 seconds . genuinely cannot recommend enough

baking with chronic fatigue

baking with hand pain

a few no-knead bread recipes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)

[osspial]

thinking a lot about fullmetal alchemist and due to the power of my adhd being medicated i have a lot to say about it

(i finally started reading the manga after having watched FMA:B a few times)

(spoilers below cut)

i didn't really pick up on this before, it's really hitting hard how the core theme of FMA is Hiromu Arakawa trying to process the trauma of growing up in post-war Japan, thinking as a child that their country is just and right and good, and then slowly discovering the extent of Japan's war crimes and the depravity and evil that the country sunk to during the war. (there are MANY. Unit 731 seems particularly relevant to Marcoh's philospher's stone research). and discovering how, at the end of the war, Japan's leadership was fully willing to sacrifice the civilian lives of the entire country to maintain their own personal glory (lots of similarities to The Father's plan to destroy all of Amestris in order to achieve godhood).

and like, in that context, Edward/Alphonse and Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye are such brilliant foils for eachother. both Edward and Roy Mustang are incredibly driven people with no fear of personal pain that are willing to do absolutely anything to achieve their own goals and better Amestris. but Edward is young, and hot-blooded, and a loose cannon, and (at the start) unaware of the evils committed in Amestris's name. and he gets angry when he discovers those. meanwhile, Mustang is older, and more measured and much more constrained by the military hierarchy he's operating in, and he directly helped commit many of the war crimes that Amestris perpetrated. but he's racked with guilt over the innocent lives he's taken, and rather than drifting through Amestris solving problems as they come up (like Edward), he's fully committed to working within Amestris's evil fascist dictatorship and pulling wires behind the scene in order to become the supreme leader of Amestris and make the government more righteous with the full power of an entire country behind him.

I've got less to say about Alphonse and Riza Hawkeye, but they both are committed to Edward/Mustang to the point of death. both Alphonse and Riza are more level-headed than their partners, will do anything to protect them, and have gone through a lot of personal pain in order to help them achieve their ultimate goals. Neither Edward nor Roy would be where they are without Alphonse or Riza's help. Both Alphonse and Riza were active partners in the sins their respective duos committed (human transmutation and war crimes). and, even separated from their partners, both Alphone and Riza are incredibly capable individuals that are more than able to hold their own.

this extends to the character design. look at how Edward and Mustang mirror eachother in their hair (bangs in particular) and angry expression

and look at how Alphonse and Riza mirror eachother -- also in their hair and their large, expressive eyes

what an incredible piece of art. love seeing the amount of love and care that went into this.

(P.S. Royai is like peak relationship goals. i want what they have)

(P.P.S. there's a lot of depictions of common people as honest, good, hardworking, and faithful people that are trapped in horrible machines beyond their control, esp. in the first few chapters (the Leto arc, the mining town arc). i really like how Arakawa goes out of her way to absolve the common people of the sins of their circumstances. it's good stuff)

[linkspooky]

Hot take of the morning: Should superheroes kill?

Every time I see a superhero kill a villain, I always see people respond with "Finally. A hero just kills a guy. No "If we kill them we're not better than them handwringing."

Which like okay, there settle down bro.

People always talk about this in moral absolutes though, like heroes shouldn't kill the bad guys because they always have to be better, or heroes should kill the bad guys because retaliating against violence against someone who's trying to kill you doesn't make you as bad as they are.

However, my answer to Should Superheroes kill is - it depends on the hero.

Batman's an entire character is written around how he wants to redeem Gotham and save the city, most of his villains aren't even sent to prison they're sent to Arkham a facility that's supposed to rehabilitee the mentally ill so they can rejoin society. Batman has decided it's his place to stop crime, not his place to decide whether or not people have the right to live or redeem themselves.

Batman is also at risk for being just like his villains, that's why he's foils with Harvey Dent, someone who tried to prosecute people under the law who then snapped and went full violent mobster vigilante. Batman actually is at risk for walking the same path as Harvey if he decides murder is an option.

What inspired this post was Rogue dropping Trask to his death from several stories up, which like you go girl. A lot of people on the internet cheered her on for not showing mercy.

However, in this case killing makes sense for Rogue's character. Rogue didn't start out as a hero, she was raised by Mystique and Destiny, she was a violent terrorist in support of mutant's rights as a member of the brotherhood of evil mutants. She eventually found redemption with the X-men and became a hero insstead.

It makes sense for Rogue's character to take a darker turn and start killing because she's been there before, and now her attempts to walk the high road only to watch people continue exterminating mutants has left her bitter and falling back to her old ways.

In one sense killing a man who made a machine that led to the massacre of mutants on Genosha isn't making you as bad as him, he's the violent instigator here. On the other hand, considering Rogue's past it's a sign of her mental regression though completely understandable because honestly who wouldn't get sick of trying to walk the high road when the result is remy's death and so many other mutants buried.

It's a part of a character arc.

If Peter Parker were to drop a man from several stories up intentionally, that would be a betrayal of his character. Peter never wants to kill his villains, he's interacted with the Punisher before and been disgusted with the guy, he thinks the Punisher is a bully that's barely any better than the people he hates. But it makes total sense for Rogue here.

[secretmellowblog]

I hope tumblr doesn’t die because No other social media site is as good for long, thoughtful, nuanced analyses of media. Yeah tumblr is also full of dumb shallow hot takes and shitposts, but you can make dumb shallow hot takes and shitposts anywhere —-there are no other popular social media sites that let you easily format and share long essays on the media you enjoy, and then have conversations around those long essays.

Fandom on all the other big social websites just seems so utterly …shallow. And it’s not because people on other websites aren’t thoughtful or don’t have deep things to say, but because these sites’ formats do not allow for any kind of long nuanced conversations.

Tiktok? Things have to be crammed into a super short video with an attention grabbing headline, and you can’t hyperlink sources. Instagram? Everything has to be in an image format with strict limits on length, and nothing will be shown to your followers anyway because of how Instagram’s algorithm works, and also no hyperlinks. Twitter? Strict character limits, and if you split it into threads it means someone can retweet a part of your essay completely out of context, and also very little freedom with formatting.

It frustrates me so much. If I go into the Tumblr Les Mis fandom I’ll find really compelling long essays on the original novel (including essays being written for the ongoing book club) on the story’s historical context, or the parallels between different characters and their narrative foils, or the way the politics were defanged for certain adaptations, or the way Victor Hugo’s personal life and failings affected the novel. But on tiktok I’ll get the same five shallow stale jokes from 2013 over and over, or maybe the same “DID U KNO THAT IN THE MUSICAL JAVERT AND VALJEAN SING THE SAME LEITMOTIF” style of basic Intro To Les Mis 101 For Babies media analysis (which is what Tiktok considers deep media analysis), or stale “LOL JAVERT ACTS GAY” style jokes as if we’re living in the early 2000s and calling a character gay is still a funny punchline. And it’s impossible to have any kind of deeper thoughtful discussions than “DID U KNOW <x Kool Fact>” or “lol <shallow observational joke>” on tiktok because the platform just isn’t built for building niche communities around in depth conversations. it’s built to churn out bland generic content for as wide an audience as possible, which means pointing out a small detail like an Easter egg and calling it “cool” is deep media analysis, because you cant have longer more in depth conversations without alienating people. And I hate it. Bc like, it’s not because there aren’t smart clever thoughtful people on Tiktok— there are—it’s because Tiktok isn’t built for these conversations, and anyone who wants to have them has to really fight against the things the website encourages or prioritizes!

Or like, if I go into the LOTR fandom on Tumblr, I’ll find tons of extremely long analysis and fanfic, and analysis of queer readings of the story. On Instagram people will still shriek in terror if you suggest the characters are gay, and most of the popular lotr posts are stale memes recycled from like 2007. There’s really no room for thoughtful media analysis, and even if you did create it, instagram’s algorithm would make sure no one saw your post anyway.

And everyone’s going to say “the algorithm shows you what you’ve seen before so maybe it’s your fault ~” or whatever but i do look for things I want! I do! “The algorithm” doesn’t know me or what I want or value or care about beyond this meaningless surface level.

The only thing that was worthwhile about these sites was the great visual art people were creating, but now the websites are overwhelmed with meaningless soulless machine-generated AI glurge, and it sucks. It just really, really sucks.

I’m honestly confused about why people don’t use tumblr….There’s no character limits! You have freedom with post formatting, and can insert images throughout textposts to illustrate specific points you’re making beneath the paragraphs where they’re necessary! You can add hyperlinks, linking to your sources! People can reblog your entire essay and share it, and then add on with commentary that then becomes part of a larger conversation! People can find your stuff through the tagging system! Reblogging means posts stay in circulation for years instead of being dead 30 minutes after they’re uploaded! If you want to have genuinely interesting text conversations about a piece of media, there really isn’t a better social media website for it anywhere.

To be clear, I’m definitely not saying Tumblr media analysis is *always* clever and thoughtful or etc etc. there are shitposts and nonsense here too (plenty of which I’ve created lol.) I’m saying that Tumblr gives people the tools for in-depth insightful analysis to happen. Whether people choose to do it or not is their own decision XD. But the reason lengthy in-depth conversations and book clubs are even possible here is because Tumblr is built for allowing these conversations to happen, in a way other sites simply aren’t.

It’d really suck if it died, because it’d be a huge blow to…being able to easily find long insightful in-depth media analysis written by fans. I currently don’t think there’s anything that could replace it.

[m1d-45]

reverse isekai but it’s me at 6:45 pm in a car

-> warnings: spoilers for inazuma archon quest, depictions of modern organized religion(none are specified, none are in great detail, but talks of restrictions within those are mentioned. it’s only one paragraph but still), this is unedited and with zero (0) plot to it :))

-> lowercase intended

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky

your world is loud.

from the moment the favored could see it, this was clear. it was loud, filling with screaming machinery that left trails of dust and buildings so tall it made their neck hurt to view.

it was bright, with lights that shone through the darkest of nights, reflecting off glass and the speeding machines and reflecting reflecting reflecting back into eyes to sting. your sun is so harsh, so unpleasant and overbearing, hot instead of warm and burning instead of soothing.

it’s cluttered, wires suspending from towers and running along your roads. glittering signs point out things they can’t read, the sacred script only giving them a headache. at night, they can find no comfort in the stars, something that sends them into a panic the first time they see it. it’s not clouds, it’s not anything worldly blocking their view, it’s that they’re gone, the ones they can see washed out and faded. they wonder how anybody can live like this, and if you blessed them with a night sky of such beauty because yours was so…

they can recognize some of it, the plants and trees and flowers, wild or not, call to them in recognition, but so much is frighteningly new. the style of the clothing, the kinds of jewelry on the people you pass. try as they might, they can’t locate a single vision anywhere, not even on you. they wonder if people hide them, like during the vision hunt decree, but even at home you don’t reach for it, you start fires with odd devices and plants grow slowly, the air and stone unmoving to your desires. you spill drinks. you freeze water using more strange machinery.

it’s so strange, because they can feel your world brim with elemental energy. their vision beams, shining so brightly with all of the potential suspended in your world. no matter how poor their elemental sight, your world glows, the air itself carrying a blue tinge. they try, in a world without visions, to use theirs, and their power springs in an instant to their fingertips. it dances across their hands, enveloping when they barely intended for a small spark, a small flame jumping across the dry grass of unspent energy in your world. they extinguish it quickly, tightening their hand into a fist to stamp it out before they damage something, and something like awe shines in their eyes. there’s so much, their vision so eagerly lapping it up, and you.. don’t use it?

you have machines for everything, devices to harness the wind and waves, boats to travel across water at impossible speeds, strange flying machines that you can hear from the ground, mere specks in the sky, and yet… you have yet to capture them in their most essential forms. you speak of elements, sometimes, but you use different names and there seems to be many, many more. you say that the air holds ‘nitrogen’, that you seal things with foil of ‘aluminum’, and you even say that water itself is composed of ‘hydrogen’ and ‘oxygen’, something that they struggle to understand. how can water be made of something else? how can hydro users bend more than one thing to their will? how can anemo wielders command such a broad spectrum of things? you speak of other elements in the earth, and though some are familiar, such as iron and gold, others’ names hold no meaning. you say potassium is in fruit, that there’s multicolored rocks called bismuth and poisonous liquids named mercury. you say that there’s 118 elements, when all they’ve known is 7.

it takes them a while to come to terms with that one, and even then they settle on it being inherently outside of their understanding. after all, they are in a world crafted by a god.

speaking of..

there are multiple religions in your world?

and it’s not as if they’re different ways or interpretations of the same god, no, it’s entirely different ones. not in the ways of teyvat, where everybody’s aware of all seven and follows the one of their nation, not even that much. they’re wildly different, with different policies and ways of worship, some with multiple gods and others with just one. some are strict, ways of lifestyle chosen and laid out, whilst others are lax. and even within the same religion, it varies from one place of worship to another? somehow? some religions specify clothing, disallowing certain parts of the body to be exposed- which they can understand to an extent. it’s when they learn of religions that police love, ones that write in harsh lines where and when and who somebody can love, that they need to take a step away.

so many parts of your world are confusing. so bright, flashy, new, rumbling in the walls and barreling down the roads with nothing but a scream to warn. lights are everywhere, every sign and post and building vying for your attention. this they could understand, as who wouldn’t wish to be the object of your interest, but the most dizzying fact that they learn during their stay is that you are no different than anybody else. everybody is subject to these sights, everybody is pulled in by a particular shade or cut of cloth, everybody is startled by the bright lights and loud announcements. everybody. you’re lost in the ocean of people so different and yet endlessly identical, nobody’s eyes lingering on you or calling your name specifically. when you step into a crowd, nobody notices you, save for the select, precious few to whom you are known. you have to carve out a place in your world, go out of your way to make sure your name, your face, your interests are kept in somebody’s mind, and even then people dare to forget.

that’s the worst of all. overwhelming lights, sounds, smells: nothing. it makes sense that they’d be out of their depth in a world built for the divine. but to know that you’re not receiving any of the recognition you deserve, to know that nobody thinks highly of your work in teyvat, to know that you were kind enough descend and build yourself a new life amongst the world, and to share your creation across said world, only for nobody to appreciate it. nobody thinks twice. people dare to complain over something you’ve hand-crafted, over something that, even after completion, you revisited with a traveller, doing your best to save one sibling and fix the problems that had cropped up in your wake. you’ve done so much, you’ve cared after it so lovingly, and you boosted the power of some of those you granted a vision to. as somebody who had experienced this love first hand, the favored could not find the words to express their anger at the situation. your world was wrong, it was cruel, and though they found beauty in the most hidden of places, it didn’t change the fact that it didn’t love you.

it only strengthened their desire to take you back to teyvat, where you would be truly loved.

[friendsengineeringcompany]

Hot foil stamping machines offer distinct advantages and drawbacks in the realm of printing and packaging. On the positive side, these machines provide unparalleled embellishments, creating eye-catching, metallic finishes that enhance product appeal. The process is versatile, accommodating various substrates and designs, making it ideal for luxury items. Moreover, hot foil stamping adds a tactile and premium feel to the final product, elevating its perceived value.

[ddejavvu]

hi mei! for mm, could i please request rugby player!james with a quiet / distracted reader and just the little ways he dotes on her when he gets home from training? love u!

my lovely jade :D of course you can!!

--

James is the tired one. He's still sweating when he gets home, there's a thin layer of sweat over his forehead despite having blasted the AC in his car. But his hand clenches tighter around a packet of chips he'd snagged you from the locker room vending machine on the way out, and he calls for you.

"Love?" The apartment echoes around him and he pads through the space in his socks, "Lovey, where are you?"

"Bathroom!" You shout, but he can tell from the sound of your voice that the door is open. He peers into the small space, seeing your fingers sorting carefully through a heap of earrings.

"Christ," He breathes, "That's a lot, huh love?"

"I've been at it for hours," You absentmindedly gesture to a jewelry board, several pairs of earrings stuck in the velvet fabric. You're too engrossed in your task to look at him, but he doesn't mind, because it means he gets to admire the concentrated furrow in your brows. "I think for this birthday I want a necklace instead, Jamie."

"Deal," He chuckles, bending down to drop a kiss to the crown of your head. The sight of the chips in his hand makes you drop the earrings, and you look at it with eager eyes.

"Are those for me?" You inquire, and he nods, passing them over to you. He tears open the sides of the foil bag for you, stripping his sweat-soaked tank top off of his chest.

"'Got some gatorade left," He tells you, "The red kind. It's on the kitchen counter, if you want it."

He knows you do. You're always eager to finish off his drinks, and if he's being honest, he saves some for you specifically. You always tell him that it's perfect he can't drink any more than half of his drink, because you finish off the rest for him. Really, he thinks it's perfect that he's found someone he wants to sacrifice his gatorade for.

"Thanks, Jamie." You munch happily on a chip, and just now realize that he's stripping down. He starts up the shower and feels your eyes on his toned back, hunching over for a little longer than necessary.

He grabs the towel from over the rack on his way back upright, passing it over to you, "Would you hold this for me, love? Don't wanna get it wet by accident before I need it."

You nod, eagerly bundling up the towel in your lap. He steps into the searing hot water with your eyes on him, accentuating his muscles in every move that he makes. He doesn't bother closing the shower door, either, too comfortable with you for his own good. It leaves him on full display as he lathers his hair with shampoo.

"Tell me about your day," He prompts you, peeking his eyes open to find you watching him intently. He stifles a grin so that you're not embarrassed, leaning even further back and showing off his neck, "Did you do anything exciting, go anywhere special, eat anything yummy? C'mon love," He begs, soap running down his chest, "I gotta know."

[thewritersaddictions]

TLOU: Joel Miller- The Giver

Pairing: Joel Miller x Innocent Virgin!Reader

Pov: Joel Miller

Warnings: Innocent reader, Smut, Domish Joel Miller, Joel Miller.

Summary: Joel has no control over his actions when he finds Y/n in his clothes after wash day in Jackson.

A/n- Dividers by firefly-graphics

WC- 2.6

Main Master List // TLOU Master List

"Y/n?" I shout through the house. Earlier in the morning Y/n had come to me asking if I had anything that needed to be cleaned. The patrol was done, and a few clickers on Tommy and I's route. But nothing else, so we were able to get home quicker than usual.

Y/n and I wasn't together. Not that I deserved such a beautiful girl like her. Ellie and I had found her on our way to Jackson. She was badly hurt, but no bites. Her ankle was broken and barely survived. Ellie had said we had to help her. If we didn't do anything else then that would be enough.

The kiddo was right. It was good that we got to her before clickers, or runners did. "Y/n?" I shouted again. The weather during summer here in Jackson was to live for. Warm mornings, hot afternoons, and cool nights. Ellie left with me earlier in the morning for patrols. Leaving with her girlfriend Dina. No response. "Where the hell is this girl?" I asked myself, then the sounds of humming came from the backyard. Most washes weren't done by machines. They had been used for metal and extra parts. Everything was hand washed which is fine by most of us who live in Jackson.

I walked through the kitchen, and out onto the back porch. Y/n was humming away not having noticed me yet. Clothes pinned up for the sun to dry. "Y/n?" I asked, and she jumped. "Oh my, Joel you scared me." a pause. "Wait, why are you home so early? Is Ellie alright? Are you okay?" Y/n was a worry wart, constantly making sure we were both okay. That included doing our laundry, cooking for us, and making sure the house was tidy. My carving room was clean and clear of mess.

I walked over to her. "Everythin' is just fine sweetheart." Y/n and I aren't together. By all means even as hard as Ellie, Tommy, and Maria push for me to take her out on a date while out patrolling with her. I don't dare push over that line. Y/n and I will just continue to live out our lives living together without being together. She calms for only a second and as my eyes rake down her body. I notice that she's being engulfed by the shirt she's sporting.

The shirt that's mine. She notices me looking and looks down at her own body. "Oh, Joel I'm sorry it was the only thing that was clean. I just needed something to wear while I was going about my chores." Y/n mutters as she flattens out the fabric. The shirt sits down by her upper thighs. Covering some skin, while exposing a part of her that I've never seen.

I've been starin' for too long. "It's fine sweetheart. Thanks for doing laundry." I say. She doesn't turn around to start clothing pinning back up. "Are you hungry?" She asks. I contemplate the want for food and the fact that I would get to be able to watch her in my shirt waltz around our kitchen and make food. "I could go for something." She nods, and motions for us to walk inside. The sliding glass door is still open. She walks in front of me, and my eyes don't advert from her ass as she walks in. The only thing covering her ass is my shirt on her frame. "I'll give you back your shirt when the laundry is finally dry." I don't say anything and as I lean into the door frame. I take of all Y/n in her glory.

"Joel?" She asks. "Hmm?" "Are you alright?" She asks me. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just a thinkin'" She sighs and goes back to cooking. "Nothin' to heavy cause dinner in a few hours." She mutters. "Some leftovers sound good?" I smile and nod my head. I watch as she flips open foil containers and reheats them on the stove. Her body moves under the fabric of the shirt. At some points when she moves the fabric lifts up. Showing off skin, and lace panties. 'Stop staring at her.' I have to tell myself.

I have to show some sort of restraint. She places the food in front of me as I sat sit at the island. She leans into the island. Popping her ass out for all two to see. We eat mostly in silence. "Fuck this is good even now," I mutter as I shove a forkful into my mouth. She blushes. The sun hits the high sky, and the mid-afternoon is blazing outside. sliding glass door still open. "Where'd you get the shirt from honey?" I ask her. Finally wondering if she had taken a sneak peek into my room, and into my closet. "I um… it was in your room." the longer I look at her.

The more I notice that's the same shirt I wore to bed the night prior. The same shirt I had tucked under my chin as I took my throbbing cock out. Trying to get some sort of relief from the day earlier. From the thoughts of Y/n that never left my head. "So you went into my room?" I ask trying my best to keep a straight face as her eyes went big and a sorry expression hit her face.

"Oh, Joel… Listen I promise I just didn't have anything clean." I stare at her, "I'm just teasin' ya. You can always go into my room if you need anything from me while I'm here, or gone." She giggles. There aren't many moments when it's just Y/n and I.

When we were done, Y/n and I got up. We washed dishes together, but even standing next to her my thoughts were clouded by sex and lust. I touched the small of her back as I reached over for a towel. Y/n, and I wasn't close in age. a twenty-year gap between the two of us, but still a part of my brain didn't want to push boundaries. To hell with it, we had survived when no one else had.

She pauses her motions, the silverware clattering to the sink basin. "Are you alright?" I ask her, Y/n takes in a short breath. "Yup, yeah I'm fine. Super good over here." She says. I don't know where the confidence comes from, but the words just leave my brain and out of my mouth they go. "Do you like when I touch you Y/n?" I ask her, and she nods her head. "Do you want me to touch you in other places?" I ask her.

I drop the towel to the countertop. Forget about the damn dishes, and just take what I want. What I've been denying myself for far too long. Watching her waltz around the house and act like the perfect little housewife. She nods, and moans as I trail my hands up her back and grab the back of her neck. "Joel!" She whimpers. "We should… What if Ellie comes home early?" She asks. Worry is laced in her whimpering words, but I'm not thinking about Ellie coming home early. Or hell anything else.

I'm thinking about her.

Naked.

Streched out.

Maoning my name in my bed.

"Ellie isn't comin' home early baby. Now do you want me to keep touchin' you darlin'?" I ask her. She's not looking at me. Rather the window outside gives a perfect view of the drying laundry. Her bras and panties mixed together with my ratty jeans, and fitted shirts. It's a sight to be lookin' at all while someone is touchin' and whispering into your ear. Consent regardless of how tight my pants feel due to my throbbing cock is the most important aspect.

"Y/n? Did you hear me?" I ask she's off somewhere. "Joel!, Please for the love of god, don't you dare stop touchin' me now." It's really the only thing I need to continue my fantasy out on her body. The feeling of her hips turning against my body made me freeze for a moment. Then we're staring at each other. Well more like I'm staring down at her.

Her eyes are filled with a sort of lust I haven't seen in a long time. The fire-burning passion just needs a spark to keep the fire going. Her hands rest on my chest. She must be able to feel my racing, frantic heartbeat, she doesn't say anything though. She comes up. Reaching on the tips of her toes to kiss my lips. I shy away. I need a 'yes' I need the words to hit my ears. I need to know for real, for sure that she wants this. "Joel?" She worries often for the wrong reasons. "Y/n, stop worrying," I say bringing a hand to rest on her warm cheek. "I just… your eyes are already saying yes darlin', now I just need your mouth to tell me the same." I say.

The eye contact is making me weak to my knees. I feel like a teenager all over again. I feel like the same kid that heard his girlfriend was pregnant and he was gonna be a father. Worry, excitement, need, and yearning. The thought of Sarah is in my thoughts for a moment and then I hear a clear of a throat. Y/n voice is clear as day. "I want you…" A pause, and I'll wait for her. "I want you Joel." She finally says as if she was contemplating what words to use.

"Okay, good, cool." I try to not sound too excited. With the way we're standing, Y/n is pressed up against me, and the longer that happens the harder I get in my jeans. I buck forward just a little testing the waters between us. She throws her head back keeping her hands on my chest. With the height difference, it's perfect. I buck against dropping a hand to her back. Oh sweet jesus. The fact that she standing her in front of me. Half naked, in my shirt. "Oh Joel! She moans out in chasing pleasure.

"Oh Y/n, can you feel this?" I demand to know. I want to know, need to know. "Oh, Joel you feel so big." I haven't even taken myself out, and I feel like I'm about to ruin my jeans. "Yeah, I bet you can't wait to…" My words are swallowed hard when I feel Y/n's hand drawing down between our bodies and grabbing at the bulge in my jeans. "Oh fuck sweetheart!" The moans leave my body involuntarily. But I can see confidence growing on her face. "Do you want to take this to someone more comfortable?" She asks. So much sass that's been covered by an innocent persona.

I nod my head, thoughts and words were unable to be made clear. She takes my hand in hers. "Let's go to your room, and you can help me take off his shirt of yours Joel." She murmured. I let her drag me towards the stairs, towards my bedroom. Her hand is so soft compared to mine, so small compared to mine. If makes me stop working for a moment.

She opens my bedroom door open. "Where do you…" "Come on doll," I sit on the edge of my bed. Legs open wide for her to slot in between. "You just come to stand right here for me baby." She does resting her hands on my shoulder. I'm surrounded by the scent of caramel and fresh laundry. "Sweetheart you smell so good. Like a good evening out." I murmur to her as my hands come to rest on her hips. She fidgets for a moment, looking down at her feet. "Joel, can I… I need to tell ya something."

I don't show the worry on my face. Instead, I keep my face warm, and solid. "Okay, what's your brain thinkin' about darlin'?" I ask her. She's still resting on me, not yet walking away. "I… when you found me. all those years ago. Um, I was still young ya know. Just turned twenty-three." "Babygirl what are you talkin' on about now?" I ask, "I just… you should know before we… Joel, I'm a virgin." She stares right at me. Her eyes bore through me. Hitting me straight in my heart.

Did she think? What was she thinkin'. That I was gonna kick her out of my bedroom for not being sexually experienced. For not being like everyone else her age. "Joel?' I've been silent for too long, "Y/n, look at me." The words start to flow from me. "Y/n, listen to me real clear now. You're a beautiful, amazing person. Don't worry about not having any sexual experience. If you wish or want to continue this which I most definitely want to continue. I will help you all along the way, we take it as slow as you want, or as fast as you want. Don't worry about freakin me out or making a fool of yourself around me."

Y/n stares at me, licking her lip. Bitting down hard on them. "Are you comfortable moving forward?" I asked. She nodded. "Good girl, now let's get you out of these clothes." I reach up grabbing the hem of my shirt off her body. It moves gracefully off her frame. Landing on the floor behind her. I stare at her in all of her glory. Lace panties, and a simple bra.

"God Y/n you're a god-forsaken beauty standing in front of me all for me." She blushes, almost shying her body away from me. "Don't you dare move away from my stare? Like I said before you're beautiful Y/n." I say and I pull her into my grasp. Kissing her exposed skin. She shivers, and moans. "Your beard Joel!" She moans out grabbing the back of my head. "Do you like it? Scratching your perfect skin." I ask her continuing my kisses up her skin. Between the valley of her breasts.

Hours later. The front doors open, and creak. Loud footsteps are echoing through the halls downstairs. "Joel? Y/n?" I hear Ellie shout. I look over at Y/n, laying on my chest. Covered up modestly by the sheets that used to be hot. "Where are you guys?" She shouts again, and as the stairs creak I continue to read through the pages I've read through a few hundred times already. The light from the hallway streams through the cracked doorway. Then there's a blast of light covering over both Y/n, and I. "Joel do you…" the smoile that creeps up on Ellies face is funny to say the least. Y/n stays still, unmoving agasint my chest.

I've given up on trying to keep this kid at bay. Ellie will find out whatever she wants to know regardless if you're trying to protect her, or not wanting to tell her. "You sly old dog…" I roll my eyes, setting my book down and my glasses on top. Y/n stirs in her sleep. "You best keep your voice down, she's tired," I say to Ellie. Elllie faces turns five different emotions. "Eww… I didn't need to know that. anyways I just wanted to tell you guys that Dina and I were gonna go out for drinks. Seeing as you guys are busy I'll leave you be." Ellie says, "Thanks kiddo, now do ya mind?" she rolls her at me, and walks ou closing the door like it was before.

"I wonder how long she has been trying to get us together?" Y/n murmurs in her sleep. "For a long time dear, and it's not just Ellie." She giggles a sleepy giggle.

Compelted on: 07/05/23

Posted on: 07/19/23

TLOU-

[jackshiccup]

hey! i'm completely obsessed with your bound copy of otnwas and I'm currently planning to bind a copy of a different hijack fic for my dearest friend! (it is her favorite and she is the hiccup to my jack, lol). I've been picking my way slowly through the wonderful bookbinding sources you piled together in some of your posts and I was wondering if you could elaborate on how you created the beautiful cover? (the gorgeous title, the spine, design, corner covers). Thank you so much for sharing btw, you've blown me away with how beautiful it is!

aw hi, thanks so much !! :) truly there is no greater joy and love than gifting a friend a hand bound book of their favorite fic huh.. that's so sweet of u !!!! (i relate, am binding another one rn for some dear friends of mine 🥹) and yes i can totally explain, or try my best to!

for the cover design, i edit/make all my stuff in adobe illustrator but i drew the corner filigree (the fancy swirly things) on procreate first before transferring it to illustrator to do the rest of the cover design, playing around with resizing etc. (title + spine). i made sure that the canvas size (in mm) is the same as the cover so that the proportions were accurate. if you don't have illustrator i think canva might also work well? i've seen a lot of people use it!

for the foiling, i basically followed the simple but most time-consuming way which is to use a foil quill pen. i bought the standard tip (0.5) but i honestly should've bought the fine tip (0.38) bc there was so much detail i lost you just can't tell from the pics aksjdhaskj. i printed out the cover and spine true-to-size and just traced over it with the foil pen. i taped down the silver foil underneath and the printed cover on top so that nothing moves. don't lift up your foil or your paper until you've finished everything - things get really wonky because they tend to misalign if you do that (TAKE IT FROM MEEEE) you just have to trust that the foil transferred. the pen gets hot enough to transfer through the paper layer, though you do just have to press a little harder than you might usually have to or else it might not come through (the hand cramps i got from it... though it was worth it to me)

for the last step, once you've attached the cover to the text block and all that jazz - the silver book corners you can buy from amazon! make sure that it's in the same thickness as your cover board. mine was 0.3mm, so that's what i bought! you just attach it to the corner and press.

i wish i was one of those people who have those silly fancy machines that do all the foiling work for you but alas i don't have the money for that rn.. maybe in the future kjashdkjh if you don't mind me asking, i'd love to know which hijack fic ur friends loves ;u; anyway i hope your binding goes well, i'm glad i could help !! <3

[chaoticbindery]

I am the moved on by Thisliminalspace @thisliminalspacedaydreams

I don't even know where to start, lol. I loved this fic, but let me tell you, the lovey person behind the story... just love ya mar!!

This fic was a whole thing. I went from 1 idea to another, trying to make it perfect. Ultimately, I got to accept that things can't always be flawless and all those flaws are parts of me.

As always below the line, there are spoilers... and more pics

So the typest had to be reworked a few times. I was unsure as to what I wanted, so I kept it as close to what I felt was the essence of the fic and mpreg... did I motioned this was an mpreg fic?

I had to

I added gold foil to the titles. Initially, I was looking to do a multi color thing, but it didn't work out. Additionally, I used wooden letter blocks for the drop caps and brooms for the scene breaks

After that, we have the binding info. This baby was printed on what I would call happy paper, lol. I love the texture and the colorful dots on it, I also hand dyed my thread to match my bookcloth. The endpapers also match the bind.

The bind style was inspired by @rhipidurafan, thansk to the renegade server for helping me with advice as to how to put this case together! 💙

Here are a few process pics of putting the case together. The cover was machined foiled for the story title, I did hot pink and used a very fun patterned foil for the writer's name

Hand-made endbands using viscous thread and 2mm leather core. I also included a nice golden ribbon

As always, if you would like to learn how to bookbind, consider joining the @renegadeguild discord server