#what's next; dear world? I've bested your challenges!

[cubeshapedlemon]

Hellooo, could you please write cooper Howard x trans!male reader? Ftm, so he/him, maybe like a bit of smut and I’d like to think that it would catch him off guard because reader passes pretty well, thanks! 🫶🏼

hey! i really apologize for how long this took my excuse is definitely something that i definitely am saying and definitely not some bs that really just means i was lazy. i hope you like it! im sorry its definitely not my best but enjoy if you can!

Way Back Home

A grody bar isn't usually where you expect to find worthwhile company, it is where you would expect to find one murderous gunslinger, turns out they can be one in the same.

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Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Trans Masc Reader

3.4k words

cw/tags: trans male reader, cannon typical violence, improper binding techniques (mentioned), bottom growth, oral sex (tm receiving), piv, unprotected sex, pet names, implied childhood abuse, implied transphobia if you really squint (not by the ghoul), alcohol, smoking

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authors note: hey! again i apologize for everything stated under the ask but yeah! please lmk if i made any spelling or grammar mistakes or if i missed something in the tags. Also don't translate repost or copy this fanfic anywhere without my permission. thank you for requesting and thank you for reading!

The poor excuse for a bar you've found yourself in certainly has an interesting vibe. Tension between groups is so thick it chokes anyone that enters. Ghouls and other mutants aren't exactly popular around these parts, so when the bar owner decided to start letting them in to increase profits, the local population wasn't exactly thrilled.

Though you could care less, just passing through for a drink and whatever interactions come your way. There's no shame in that, just because the world is a blistering hellscape of barbarians, bullets, and blood doesn't mean a guy can't blow off some steam every once and a while. Though tonight, no one seemed particularly interesting.

That is of course until he roamed in. You had heard about him, the fearless gun-slinging ghoul. Wandering the wasteland and making more caps in a month than most people see in a lifetime. He certainly had a reputation. It was very clear that he knew.

Narrow hips swinging lazily as he walks in, eyes roving over the crowd of patrons, all of whom now had quieted down their conversations by at least one notch. His scarred lips pull back into a cocky smirk, tongue tip curling to lick his time and tobacco-stained teeth. Huffing out what looked to be a chuckle, he refocuses, walking towards the bar.

His gaze fixates on you, challenging you almost, it doesn't falter once, only breaking to give you a curt nod, turning to wave over the bartender to order. If you were honest, you would admit what the intensity of that eye contact did to you. The waves of desire shooting downwards. But there is no place for honesty in the wasteland.

Taking a sip of your drink, attempting to still your nerves through the burn of it, you hear an over exaggerated sigh next to you. “Now, I'd love to chit chat, but we both know why I'm here. Don't we?” Of course, it really was only a matter of time. “I believe we do,” you say non-committedly, turning to look at the bounty hunter.

“Well that certainly saves us some time now,” he declares, turning his head only slightly, eyes still straight ahead. “Your dear ol’ boss ain't too happy with you, put a pretty penny on your head in fact.” Straightening your posture, your hand discreetly slides to your holster, ready to go at a moment's notice. “So I've heard,” you acknowledge, tone flat and untrusting. The ghoul certainly was no angel. It would be foolish to not be prepared for the worst.

“See now, I don't have any interest in killin’ you,” he clarifies, “For now at least.” Finally turning to meet your gaze once again. Surprise befalls your face, which he notices, but does not comment on. “I need ya’ for somethin’ else.” Oh. “While I can think of plenty a’ reasons to keep a pretty boy like you in my company,” He comments, hazel eyes running up and down your body. “You're particularly useful to me in terms of your former boss.”

Clearing your throat, you decide to engage with him, anything you could do to not get on his bad side at this point would be to your advantage. Though it's not time to show our cards. He doesn't need to know everything. “And how is that? I was never anything but a grunt with a gun for that asshole,” You say, the lie sounding pretty convincing if you were to say so.

A small smirk falls on his face, like he knows. It's so small you almost missed it. “Asshole is right,” he says, pulling a pack of cigarettes and matches out of a pocket in his duster. “That piece of shit owes me ‘bout 600 caps.” he grits out, striking a match against his boot and lighting the cigarette that is now delicately clenched between his lips.

“Anyhow,” he begins, inhaling. “He wants you back alive, so you get the pleasure of bein’ a ‘bargaining’ chip and pack mule,” he laughs out, flicking the ash onto the bartop. Wow this guy is confident, “Yeah? What's in it for me?” Taking another puff from his cigarette he grins, “What's in it for you huh?” he barks out a short laugh, “Well Casanova, you get to stay alive.” I mean what could you really expect?

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By about the 6th day on the road he had gotten decently comfortable, allowing you to have your hands unbinded, and even chatting a little bit. Not that you exactly learned anything from those interactions, anything important that is. Pretty much the only things you managed to deduce was he was a fan of old movies, chems, and alcohol. The old movies thing might be a stretch though, while he did reference them he never gave a true opinion.

Now, the end of the 7th day, setting down for the night, you search through your pack, hoping that there was a crushed can of something or other at the bottom. It was unusual for you to be so low on food. Usually replenishing supplies every 4 days. But of course, you haven't gotten to do that. Ghoul's clearly don't need as much food and water as smoothskins. At least this one didn't. You had only seen him eat and drink a few times over the past week. Even then, it was small and he didn't seem to enjoy it very much. Anyway, he clearly was in no hurry to stock up on food.

Which ultimately is the reason your rummage had left you empty handed. Releasing a frustrated groan, you drop your pack on the ground again. The hollow thud of fabric accompanying your discontented huff. “What are you bitchin’ about now?” The ghoul asks, you could almost hear the eyeroll in his question. Looking up at him, you don't feel the need to dignify him with an answer. Leaning back on the rock behind you, you look at him half lidded. Clearly not understanding your intent to be frustrated and nonchalant, your stomach growls, spelling out his answer.

“I forget how often you smoothies have to eat,” he says, almost to himself. Rolling your eyes, you focus on what he is doing. Hand gripping his knife, he places it over the fire, a piece of what looks to be rad rat meat speared on it. Turning it over steadily, he roasts it. The once raw, gamey meat slowly becoming edible. Not that he particularly cares about that, usually he'll just eat it fresh and bloody. Must have just felt like something different.

His usually piercing gaze is at a soft focus, intent on the task of cooking, but almost peaceful. The swirls of gold in his eyes become more pronounced in the firelight. Now that you can focus on him, as far as ghouls go, he's pretty handsome. Well, actually as far as people go, he is. You never really fancied yourself a ghoul fucker, but he just had something about him.

After a few minutes, he pulls his knife away from the fire. Plopping the hunk of meat onto a handkerchief on the ground in front of him, he begins slicing it up. Chopping up the more undesirable bits off and setting them aside, as well as slicing the bulk into strips. Bunching the handkerchief portion in one hand, and the undesirables in the other, he walks over to you. Popping what seems to be a limb into his mouth, crunching as he bites down. “Here,” he says, dropping the handkerchief onto your lap, walking back to his original spot and sitting.

You must have made a sound of surprise, or at least you must have looked surprised. Either way the ghoul feels the need to make a reasoning for his decision. His mouth full, he speaks again. “What? Can't have you goin’ ‘round passin’ out on me.” Responding with a small hum, you pluck a slice from your lap, placing it in your mouth. While sustenance was sustenance, it didn't mean it was the best. The tough meat forcing you to rip it with your teeth to make it more manageable.

Out of your peripheral you notice him staring, gaze locked onto your face, and more specifically your mouth. Running his tongue across his teeth, his gaze roves down your body before removing itself entirely. Tipping his hat down to cover his eyes, he leans back, getting comfortable.

He sure is interesting.

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About halfway into the next day you finally get to the all-too familiar settlement. Rusted chain link fence and scrap-built home looking all the same. A spike of anxiety pulls at your throat in seeing it again. Memories flooding back of the cuts and bruises sustained in that house. For as long as you could remember.

The freshest of them, now only a memory. Scar tissue thick against your fingertips as you rub against them absentmindedly. A push on the back pulls you from your haze, “Come on now’ we ain't got all day,” The ghoul reminds, his tone is gruff, like he wants to get this over with already. Before your brain gets the message, your legs do. Walking to the door, two grunts standing guard. With a nod from the ghoul they open the door.

Walking a few paces inside, you quickly come face to face with him. A dangerous sneer pulls over his face as he sees you. Dark, beady eyes locking onto yours. “Hello, son,” he says, gritting out the last word like a mockery. “It’s about time you came home.” In your peripherals you see the ghoul subtlety raise a brow at that, but makes no other indication he noticed. Your ‘father’ slowly moves his gaze from you to the ghoul.

“So you don't just kill everything in your path,” he laughs out, “You actually followed my instructions to keep him alive, that's certainly a first for you.” His words attempt to pierce the thick skin of the ghoul, but they easily fall flat as the ghoul just gives him a grin. “While this back n’ forth we have is real cute n’ all I think it's ‘bout time you pay your dues.” Stepping closer to him, the ghoul places a heavy hand on the back of your neck, gripping the slightly grown-out hair at the nape. His grasp tightens to an almost painful level, the pressure releasing slightly when he pulls your head back, neck bearing towards him.

“See, I've grown a little attached to this one. I really was wonderin’ if I should bring him back at all.” As the last sentence ends his gaze is pulled to your exposed neck, before flicking back to your father with a deeper intensity than you have ever seen. “You haven't been very good at paying your bills,” he laughs out, releasing your neck with a push forward. Lazily waltzing forward he comes to what seems to be about a 5 foot gap between himself, and your father. “You give me, double, you get to keep on breathin’,” As the ghoul's words sink in, you see your fathers fists tighten, the guards in the room readying themselves for his signal.

Without a second thought, your father gives the signal. Before you can even blink, shots ring out in the room. It takes you a moment to even process what happened, but once you do, you don't know what to do. About ten feet ahead of you your father, or what used to be him, has slumped to the ground in a pathetic lump. Next to him, his top two men. When your ears stop ringing, you hear the ghoul. “Come on now, move your ass! I ain't got all day,” he says to one of the other guards in the room, gun pointed to his head. “Unless you wanna join spaghetti bolognese over there, I would suggest you get me what I'm owed.”

Clearly not wanting to risk it, the guard quickly collects a bag of caps, placing it in his hand. Snatching the bag, the ghoul walks back to you, grabbing you by the neck again to force you out the door with him. “Come on now pretty boy, I got better shit to do then wait around here all day.”

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It has now been a few months since you had started traveling with the ghoul. It had surprised you originally when he made you travel with him still, instead of just dropping you and going on his way. But at this point you could not imagine a different life. While you guys aren't exactly close, you certainly trusted each other to an extent. At this point you had been through many things together, and you had truly proved your usefulness to earn your keep.

But even through this, that one lingering feeling always stuck. The ache that had been there since the first time he had looked at you. He must have felt it to, with the way that he looked at you. It truly could only be described as erotic in some contexts. But of course, with the good came the bad. He made you angry like no other, his stubbornness could break even the most hard-headed opponent. Right now was a great example of that in fact.

A rad storm raging on outside the rickety walls of the shelter you had found yourself in, he still found it a great time to try and win the gold metal in bitching and complaining. “That storm ain't shit, we coulda’ out run it if you weren't so goddamn slow.” he said, his words having a familiar sharpness but, at this point, no real bite. “I wouldn't be so slow if we weren't walking for the past 3 days straight!” you half-yell back, he laughs at that, head tossed back slightly. “You smoothies are so goddamn weak, I could be the next town over if I finally got rid of your ass.” His tone is low and mocking.

“Weak huh? You wanna say that to my fucking face? You can't work without me.” you say back, frustration truly spilling over into your tone. “Oh would I ever,” the ghoul says, walking over to you. His gaze locks onto yours with an intensity that pins you to the wall. As he closes in on you, frame practically pinning you to the wall, he leans in even closer, his face inches from yours. Before either of you can tell who initiated, your lips attach. A groan falling from his scarred lips, he works his heavy grasp up your body, eventually ending on your jaw. Forcing you even closer somehow, his tongue works its way into your mouth, the metallic sting of blood and tobacco invading your senses, not that you could manage to care.

Using his other hand, he drags it down your front, undoing your belt, and slipping his hand down your pants. He pulls his lips from you in surprise at what he finds. His fingers drag across your folds collecting moisture. Moving upwards again, his fingers trail across your bottom growth before pulling out of your pants. You breath in shakily, knowing that's not what he was expecting, you wait very impatiently for him to say something.

With a small grin he looks at his fingers, your wetness dripping from them, and then back to you. “Well cowpoke, I certainly wasn't expecting that. But I'm sure you'll taste just as good drippin’ on my tongue as you woulda’ felt down my throat.” With that last word, he slips his fingers into his mouth, releasing an honest, and gratuitous moan at your taste. Removing his fingers, he swiftly drops to a knee, tugging your boots, pants, and boxers down. Placing one leg on his raised knee, he opens you up for him. His gaze running from your eyes all the way down to your center. After taking you in for a moment, he hungrily attaches himself to your core.

Flattening his tongue he collects your wetness, once again moaning at the flavor. After a few more licks, he suctions his lips around your bottom growth. With light suction he luxuriously wraps his tongue around it, his usual ferocity, somehow not present. While his gaze locks onto yours, you see his eyelids flutter slightly. In the time that you have known him, you had never known the ghoul to be a patient man, but in this moment, he wanted to take his time. And oh gods above, he was.

Rolling his tongue over your core again, he slips the pink muscle inside, pressing against that perfect spot inside of you, but he removes it quickly, much to your dismay. releasing a frustrated groan, you grab the back of his neck, his hat tipping off and falling to the ground in the process. He seems to get a kick out of that frustration, now retreating entirely from your core in favor of nipping at your thighs. Your frustration growing, you push his head back. Looking at him now he truly looks better than ever, his face seems to be something akin to flushed, the lower half of it covered in you. “Come on now, I don't have all day.”

He chuckles at your use of the phrase, echoing the many times he has said it over the past months. Giving one last teasing nip to your thigh, his fingers now running across your wetness, slipping two in at once. The sudden fullness catching you off guard, you steady yourself against him. Giving you only a moment, he quickly sets a brutal pace. The tips of his middle and ring fingers brushing against your g-spot with every thrust. The waves of pleasure begin hitting harder and harder, the sensation building in your lower half.

With this increase, your moans only grow, echoing throughout the shelter, the sounds of the rad storm now unimportant. Noticing this uptick, he reattaches his lips to your bottom growth, the soft kitten licks from earlier now replaced by firmer, more desperate pressure. With this addition the waves soon become sparks, the edge coming into sight. “Fuck- Im gonna-” you sob. He only nods in acknowledgement, continuing his ministrations. Finally allowing yourself, you fall off the edge. Pleasure bursting forth in a way it never has before. Your legs quaking and clenching as his motions stay consistent throughout, working you through it. He only stops once you push him away.

Pulling his fingers out, he laps at the residual wetness, giving you a moment to gather yourself. As he does so, his other hand presses against the front of his pants, which you now notice are significantly tighter than before. His hips buck forward into his own hand. Without warning he gets up, wrapping your legs around his torso he walks you to a countertop a few feet away, placing you on it. His lips connect themselves with yours again, his dominating presence becoming even more clear as he tears your shirt down the center, buttons ripped off, the sound of them hitting the floor only distant background noise.

His hands drag their way up your torso, taking a moment to appreciate everywhere they find themselves, the patch of hair leading to your core, the raised scarring on your waist. His fingers even taking a moment to run the gauze that binds your chest. Tearing his lips away from yours, they move down your neck leaving bite marks and deep bruises in their wake. With his other hand he releases himself from his pants.

He gives himself a few pumps, yet quite impatiently, he leads himself to your core, pressing inside. The wetness allows this to happen with little to no resistance. He fills you completely, setting a harsh pace. His hips slamming into yours as he steadies himself, wrapping an arm around your waist for leverage. Releasing a groan of his own, he tilts his head back, taking everything in. His eyes are half lidded, and focused on where your bodies connect. Still being sensitive from your last orgasm, you feel the pressure build sooner, clenching around his length he grips onto you even harder. “Fuck- I ain't gonna last long if you keep doin’ that.”

Smiling to yourself you do just that, one hand going to your center, pushing yourself closer and closer with each stroke. Purposely clenching more than normal, teasing him closer as well. “I'm serious doll, I won't,” he warns, though he doesn't change his pace. “I know, I won't last either,” you gasp out, reassuring him. With a few more thrusts, the waves come crashing down. He soon follows after you, releasing inside of you. He steadies himself on the counter top before removing himself from you, and tucking himself back into his pants, grabbing a clean rag and tossing it to you to clean yourself up with.

Lets hope this shelter has some RadAway somewhere…

[sadtonight]

"Away, away my thoughts go"

Summary: getting lost in thoughts is nothing out of the ordinary for you: your mind slipping away from reality that is surrounding you while doing mundane things. It's best if he keeps you grounded, else you might fly away into the skies;

Characters: Riddle, Vil, Epel, Idia, Lilia;

Warnings: implications of unspecified mental illness, reader is gender neutral, established romantic relationships;

Side notes: another self indulgent one, I underestimated my capabilities a bit so the work came two days late ha ha. I've edited the notes for the third time and I don't know what to put here! Enjoy? Get better? It's not as bad as it might seem, try to fixate on the positive moments that are happening now instead the ones that occur in your head, my own advice.

Riddle

— honestly, Riddle did give you benefit of the doubt when you seemed a bit lost by assuming that you are just busy or still yet to get accustomed to Night Raven College. However he undeniably finds it mildly infuriating. Why are you not listening to him anymore? Just so you know, it's mannerless to lose focus in the middle of conversation! Your boyfriend can always come back to what he was talking about, but not all people are willing to do so. Riddle worries about your absentminded attitude, so he directly confronts you;

— at first he didn't sound all that receptive: Riddle, in his usual way, started from matter-of-fact speech only to drop it upon seeing your visibly getting distant, as if you were told off. The red haired boy signed and broke an eye contact he was maintaining so you wouldn't feel so tense and asked if anything was distracting you or if you needed his help. Despite not looking at your boyfriend's face anymore, you could tell that the last phrases sounded a bit stained. Riddle did care about your mental well-being, so instead off brushing it off you shared what you were comfortable with;

— Riddle could relate to your dissociation, but it gave him more anxiety than reassurance: he remembers his times back at home, locked in a room with complicated books pilling up from the floor to the ceiling, dreaming of eating sweets and playing outside with Chenya and Trey again, only to come back to reality and try to get rid of the pesky thoughts that got in the way of his studies. His heart aches when he thinks about negative experience that you could've gone through;

— the very next day, red haired has went straight to the library to get his hands on as much as textbooks as he could handle. Articles that described how to keep grounded were real life savers. Riddle used to do homework with you now and then, but this time it's a permanent activity, especially everything related to memorization and math. Your boyfriend knows he can be scary when he gets carried away with studies, meaning that you get special treatment from Riddle, him being more lax and also showing how proudly smiling and praising you when you succeed;

— something Riddle also took a great liking to is trying new different tea blands and sweets in the secluded area of the Heartslabyul maze garden. Red haired boy tells you to describe the taste, smell, texture and colours of the food. Riddle became generally more attentive of you, thinking about new positive memories he wanted to make with you so that you would spend more time with him instead of somewhere far away, in the back of your mind.

Vil

— the celebrity always had to keep himself together despite whatever challenges and whims life throws at him. And naturally, the beautiful male had not-so-beautiful things to share like any other human being and you were amongst the few people he could feel relaxed enough to tell you his worries. Although, recently your boyfriend had started to suspect that his dear lacks a healthy amount of concentration, and not only in regards him but the world around;

— so being a proper partner he has made up his mind to see what was the case: Vil summoned you to his room under the guise of trying out new beauty product that appeared on the market. The tall male sat you on the chair before the vanity while standing behind you, pretending to be busy, and begun talking about the product, gradually shifting to saying outright nonsense to see how would you react. And unfortunately you didn't show confusion or surprise: you only slightly nodded and hummed, signing that you were in fact hearing Vil, however not listening to what he was saying;

— all of the sudden you were snapped back to reality by your face being turned to the side to meet magnificent, amethyst eyes that had disappointment reflected from their owner. Vil expectantly made a remark that sounded more like a plea: did something bother you or did he need to work on your focusing;

— after being cornered like that, you had no choice but to confirm your boyfriend's suspicions. Now healthy amount of self introspection is always welcome but your introspection are borderline hurtful, that's what Vil believed anyways. Beautiful male would attempt to find the root of the problem as to why do you slip away, but if you wish to withhold that information he won't pry, although he hopes you can tell him one day;

— Vil decides to help you with concentration the very same day. One of the ways that helps him to keep himself grounded is by doing exercises or practising dance movements, meaning that you will start participate alongside. Not only will it better your blood circulation but also will help you train your muscle memory and attention to details. Additionally, it's a great way to organically include you into his busy lifestyle and equally great excuse to get to touch you a bit more than Vil usually is able to.

Epel

— the boy notices how forgetful you tend to be before getting into the relationship with him. But as time passed, Epel realised you also space out a lot whenever you two are hanging out. His first reaction was to find fault in himself: Epel didn't consider himself to be a capable man for you, but he was selfish enough to crave your love and affection. Could it be that, just maybe, you grew bored of petite boy or found someone better...?

— lavender haired sulks throughout the week, until one day during the lunch break worried Jack tells him to spill the beans. Following brief explanation, beastman suggested that instead of Epel being the problem you could have a lot on the plate, but not wanting to burden your boyfriend and deal on your own. This revelation sprung Epel into action, with him hastily excusing himself and getting from his seat rushing out of dinning hall, typing you to meet him;

— your boyfriend awkwardly stood before you, hands tangling behind his back, head hanging low: he was clearly debating on how to approach the issue, finally meeting your eyes with newfound confidence. Not without stumbling through the words, Epel questioned all sorts of things that could be the case for your dissociation. Since your boyfriend had caught on, you decided to let him on about your "habits";

—it's... hard for Epel to relate, however he tries his very best to do so. Even if his initial guesses turned out to be false, lavender haired boy still set his mind on working to better himself in the relationship department. It's okay, because you can rely on him: Epel will always remind you of everything you need to be reminded of! To eat drink or have a small snack (if you don't mind apples you are never out of apple based foods), to change clothes that correspond to current weather outside, to do your college assignments which he could hypothetically help you with or at least do them together, to take care of your appearance by supplying you with different beauty products from Vil etc;

— to keep you grounded, Epel often tells you about types and sorts of apples and gives you them to see, smell, touch and taste. After that, he asks you if you remember the names, the colours and tastes of each separate type. Your boyfriend lights up when you get the correct answers, not getting frustrated if you don't remember everything — the boy is very proud of you for making progress all the same.

Idia

— you both are not the chaty-est couple out there, which made it harder to spot if something was amiss with you. Idia actually became aware of the fact when you were playing video games together by observing how sometimes you would just stand in one place or stall in the inventory menu for a while;

— your boyfriend began wondering if you didn't like the games or found them unengaging, but soon he saw the same thing happening when you were watching movies or anime. Blue flamed male debated whether to do something or just leave you be, maybe that's just how you were. It didn't let Idia focus on his projects or hobbies and Ortho made it worse by listing problems you could potentially suffer from, trying to encourage his older brother to take action;

— ugh, it's really humiliating for Idia to confront you like that, what questions he should ask anyway? By pure miracle you somehow put together what Idia was trying to convey, so you let your boyfriend on what was the situation. After listening to you, he closed his eyes for a moment. Look, Idia gets you very well, maybe too well for his own liking. However, you have so much stuff awaiting you out there, unlike him who is stuck being the Shroud. To drag you down with him to the bottom of the underworld was never an option: you mustn't suffer like him nor you mustn't lock into your own mind;

— your boyfriend wants to support you as much as he can, though only as far as his comfort zone goes. Idia didn't need to go further than his own dorm thankfully, because one of the activities that helped ground himself were engineering. Cold metal tools, weird texture of materials, the smell of plastic etc. You don't necessarily need to be a pro or something —genius male won't make you do complicated stuff, it's not like there is some existing challenge. Due to aforementioned quality, your boyfriend can bite with words painfully at times so Ortho is there to defuse the situation;

— lanky male tries to be a bit more physical with you, like touching your shoulder when he sees you staring into nothingness or awkwardly sets his slander hand on your thigh when the two of you play video games. Idia is not all too pleased but if it helps you keep your mind here somehow....

Lilia

— hellooo, Twisted Wonderland to his distracted mortal beloved. Lilia can be extremely perspective when he wishes to be, and so prior to you getting together, while the bat had been courting you, he noticed how your mind could wander somewhere else. He understands: you also must have a long history just like Lilia. Sometimes he snapped you back to reality, sometimes he started to reminisce about his own past, saying sotto voce, vague remarks that you usually didn't catch on;

— but what worried your boyfriend was the fact that you were so young yet dwelled on whatever occupied your mind. You would occasionally skip meals and forget to bring textbooks, notes and stationary supplies to classes. Lilia had experienced the same, many times, but he has lived for decades and his memory gets blurry over time. You have to be pulled out of your daydreams or else the fae will lose you — like a candle, you will melt before his very eyes. Experiencing real life sensations what makes one feel alive, Lilia knows that personally, though he doubts you would appreciate real battles for life that he has been forced to go through frequently during his war general days;

— no matter the reason for your condition, Lilia won't pry into your personal life unless you tell him. That's why he never really had a talk with you, opting for leading you straight to the point. Playful old bat flicked his fingers before your face or scared you when slipped from the conversation, popped out of nowhere and dropped his oversized jacket onto your shoulders when it got colder and you forgot to bring something warm, pulled out your college utensils from thin air when you swore you lost them somewhere in your room-

— at any rate, Lilia became very clingy all of the sudden: now short male holds your hand or hangs on your arm all the time. You don't have a chance to get used to the weight pulling your arm because he specifically drags your limb differently every day. Another weird habit that Lilia took up was to constantly make stupid jokes. He doesn't stop at the unfunny ones, no, he continues until you smile or better yet — laugh. Your boyfriend wants you to come back to him, to where he could reach you and where he could bring you as much joy as he possibly could so you wouldn't escape to dreamlands again.

[seas-of-silver]

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

In the wake of his career as a teen model ending - a decision he was all too happy he made - Adrien quickly realised that he was free to do whatever he liked... problem was, he had no idea what interested him. Sure, fencing was fun, piano was enjoyable when he wasn't forced to perfect pieces that no one would hear, and being a superhero was grand, but... that was it. He wasn't an elite fencer like Kagami. He didn't have aspirations to make music his whole world like Luka. He couldn't be a superhero full-time, or he supposed he could, but he knew how isolating a life like that could potentially be - especially with all the identity rules and secrecy. So, Adrien was stumped.

His lack of direction left him feeling melancholy, and on one such day when his mood had taken a plunge, he ambled over to Marinette's. Marinette was an amazing friend, who somehow always managed to cheer him up, as though she was his personal lucky charm.

He entered through the bakery door and was greeted by the heavenly aroma of baked goods. He took a deep breath, inhaling the inviting aroma, relishing in the way it felt like a warm hug welcoming him home. Mrs Cheng, from behind the counter, smiled and greeted him kindly before calling out for Marinette. Marinette burst out from the room behind the bakery in a chaotic rush, flour dusting her forehead and apron, the latter also decorated with smears of coloured icing.

'Adrien!' she said, surprised, before smiling at him. 'H-how are you? Are you getting some pastries?'

It was mind-blowing how a simple greeting instantly made him feel better. He returned her smile.

'Hey Marinette, I was just wondering if I could talk to you, but you seem busy, so-'

'Not at all! I mean, we're going to be quiet until the lunch rush hour hits, so we can talk!' Marinette reassured. 'Maman-'

'Go on, dear, your father and I can hold down the fort,' Mrs Cheng said.

They hadn't made it beyond the bakery kitchen. As Marinette was leading him through the kitchen towards the staircase leading to the family home, Adrien halted. His gaze had been caught by the tray of gorgeous looking cinnamon scrolls Mr Dupain was glazing. He couldn't help but ask Marinette and her father some questions about the pastries, which led to an impromptu baking lesson, which led to him helping out until they shut for the day, which led him being invited to dinner as a "thank you", and only then did Adrien finally have his conversation with Marinette.

'I just feel so lost,' he told her. 'I've always been told what to do, having everything dictated by others that now that I've got this freedom, I'm just... drifting aimlessly.'

'Why not just try new things?' Marinette suggested. 'Don't put pressure on yourself to commit, or to be the very best at it, but take the time to explore things that you like, that your interested in, and if it works out, then great! If not, then that's okay, just move on to the next thing.'

Her words made him feel calm, and her proposed plan sounded simple, achievable. But he was at a loss for where to start, and told her as much.

'How about baking?' she asked. 'You did amazing today, and you looked like you were really enjoying it. Plus, Papa was telling me that you took to it like a natural!'

He had enjoyed himself, though he wondered whether it was the baking itself or the bakers he was surrounded by. After some more discussion with Marinette and her parents, he was brought on as an apprentice.

Being a baker wasn't an easy feat, but he did like a challenge. The first time he helped unload a delivery of flour made his admiration for a baker's strength grow immensely - he struggled with the big, heavy sack that threatened to make his knees buckle and elbows give way, causing Marinette to rush over and scoop the bag effortlessly out of his arms with a gentle smile and walk it inside the bakery, calling out a promise to help him with the next bag; his knees did buckle after that. He made mistakes time and time again, but instead of being berated, he was kindly taught what should have happened instead. He had many baking sessions with Tom (as he was told to call him) and Marinette, and occasionally Sabine tutored him in cooking meals.

It was hard work, but it was rewarding. Even Nathalie had commented on how happy he seemed lately. It also helped that he was growing closer with Marinette, their friendship improving with every visit to the bakery.

He had been working at the bakery for about a month when he went in for his Saturday shift. He had been filled with an excited, nervous energy since he had woken up, eager to get the bakery as soon as possible - he had decided today was the day he'd ask Marinette on a date, and he was anxious for her answer. It was only when he arrived that he remembered she said she would be spending the day working on her design for the competition his father had just announced that week. His spirits dampened slightly, but resolved to ask her after his shift - he could hold out for a few hours.

He had just finished making a loaf of sourdough, and was prepping it for the oven when he heard his name.

'Adrien?' Marinette's head was poking through the doorframe, cutely hiding the rest of herself behind the wall. 'Are you busy?'

'Uh, no,' he answered, pausing in his prep to give her his full attention. 'What's up?'

'I was just wondering if you could give me some feedback on my design for your father's competition,' she said. 'I need to know what you think of it so I can figure out how well it meets the criteria.'

'Sure!' he agreed with a smile. Marinette's designs were always awe-inspiring, and he was eager to see what she had created this time.

'Okay! Let me just grab this real quick!' She ducked behind the wall, and Adrien moved speedily. He quickly ripped a sheet of paper off its roll to cover the metal tray, dumped the loaf on it and shoved it into the oven, closed the oven door, washed his hands and rapidly turned to face her. She emerged from the doorway, and Adrien's breath hitched.

She was in a Grecian-style dress of a pretty pale pink. The fabric was being held at the shoulders by lovely floral clips, her hair was beautifully done in a decorative up-do, and while the design was simple, she looked ethereal.

'Marinette, you look- you're a goddess,' he said, all the strength gone from his voice, so the words came out in breathy tones. Her cheeks became as pink as her dress as she looked down, smiling shyly.

'Th-thanks, Adrien,' she stammered, before meeting his gaze again with a sparkle in her eyes. 'In fact, "goddess" is exactly what I was looking for! The theme of the competition is to connect the past to the present, and so I took inspiration from the Ancient Greek goddess, Thesis - the goddess of creation. And even though the Miraculous are rumoured to be ancient, they are a massive part of Modern Paris and current events. And considering Ladybug's powers are that of creation- uh, according to Alya! Um, so I thought I'd combine Thesis and Ladybug and create an outfit based on the powers of creation!'

He was blown away by her ingenuity. His heart fluttered.

'That's amazing, Marinette!' he exclaimed. 'So is this the final product?'

'Not even close!' she responded excitedly. 'This is a peplos - an Ancient Greek style dress, and typically the material was patterned and colourful, so I'm debating between hand-painting or embroidering floral and ladybug motifs onto the fabric to further the references to Thesis and Ladybug. And these clips here are prototypes I've made, and I'm tossing up whether to keep these or make new-'

Marinette cut herself off, eyes wide before yelping, 'Adrien! The oven!'

Adrien turned around to see an inferno blazing inside the oven. He made some kind of panicked noise before rushing to the oven door, opening it- only for Marinette's hands to push the door closed again.

'Don't!' she cried.

'But the oven's on fire!' he squeaked, trying to open it despite her efforts otherwise. 'We have to do something! We have to put it out!'

'We can't open it!' she retorted. 'Keep it closed and it'll run out of oxygen and die out. Open it, and everything burns down.'

Adrien froze, still gripping the oven door handle, but not making a move to open it. Marinette was right. It was simple science - remove one of the three components a fire needs, and the fire will stop.

'I heard a commotion, everything alright?'

As Adrien turned to Tom, who had just entered the kitchen, he accidentally pulled the door open with him, and flames jumped out of the opening. He hastily shut the door again and rapidly backed away from the oven, not willing to repeat his mistake.

'I just put the sourdough in the oven and I was just- I only looked away for a moment! And suddenly it was on fire-' Adrien babbled, flustered and overwhelmed as the reality of what could have happened sunk in.

Tom's gaze shifted between him, Marinette and the oven, and after a moment, he gave Adrien a soft smile.

'No harm, no foul, but let's be more careful next time, okay?' Tom said calmly, and Adrien nodded stiffly. The man approached the oven and peered through the door at the flaming mess inside.

'What paper did you use on the tray, son?' he asked, and Adrien's mind drew a blank.

'Uh... I can't remember, sir, I... got distracted,' Adrien admitted, helplessly glancing quickly at Marinette. Tom followed his glance, and his smile grew wider.

'I see,' he commented, seemingly amused. 'Well, I reckon you used the wax paper instead of the baking parchment - wax paper, while useful, isn't good with heat, so it never goes into the oven. Baking parchment is far more suited to heat, and while it may brown at times, it won't go up in flames. Understand?'

Adrien nodded numbly. 'What about the sourdough?' he asked weakly.

'An unfortunate victim of learning,' Tom answered with a shrug. 'Make sure its sacrifice wasn't in vain by remembering this lesson, alright?'

'Yes, sir,' Adrien replied, abashed.

'I thought we broke that habit, son,' the man chuckled. 'It's Tom, remember?'

'Yes, sorry, Tom,' replied Adrien, the light tease bringing a small smile to his face.

'Much better.' Tom then turned to Marinette. 'Now, cupcake, I know you were excited, but save distracting Adrien until shift is over, hmm? I need his eyes in his head and jaw off the floor while he's in the bakery, okay?'

Marinette's face bloomed into a bright pink in embarrassed confusion as Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands. He almost burned down her family's bakery because he was completely and utterly distracted by her like the romantic fool he was, and now Tom and possibly Marinette knew the real cause of the whole kerfuffle. How was he supposed to ask her out now?

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[poshplumbobvibes]

The Sims 4 Drama: When My Save Files Vanished into Thin Air

Y'all, let me tell you about the wildest ride I've ever had in the world of The Sims 4. Picture this: I've got my dream neighborhood all set up, my Sims are living their best lives, and then—poof! I accidentally reset my game and lose every single save file. If you've ever lost something dear to you then you know my pain. This is my story of love, loss, and laughter in the journey with Sims 4.

The beginning was a vibe

R.I.P : Luna Dale

It all started with big dreams and an even bigger imagination. I was determined to create the ultimate Sims universe. Wanting to build a world I wanted to play in. Then I learned about legacy challenges and my world changed.

The oh s**t moment

Then, one fateful day, I got a little too click-happy. I just finished creating my newest sim (above). I closed the game and went to bed. The next day, the game wouldn’t open. I took advice of someone who doesn’t play sims and decided to uninstall the game. When I opened The Sims 4 again, it hit me like a ton of bricks—my saves were gone. I stared at that empty save screen like it owed me money. How could this happen? My Sims, my houses, my stories—they were all gone.

## The Emotional Rollercoaster

First, I was in denial. I mean, there had to be a way to get them back, right? I spent hours on forums, YouTube tutorials, even reached out to some tech-savvy friends. But nope, nada. The reality set in, and I felt like I’d lost a piece of my digital soul. I was frustrated, sad, and maybe a little bit melodramatic (but hey, who wouldn’t be?).

## Picking Up the Pieces

After a good cry (or two), I started to see things differently. This was my chance to reinvent my Sim world. Maybe it was time to try new things, experiment with different storylines, and build even more fabulous homes. I started from scratch, creating new Sims with even crazier backstories, building houses that would make any Sim envious, and diving back into the chaos that is Sims life.

## Lessons Learned

Here's what I learned from this whole ordeal:

1. **Back Up Your Files**: Sis, if you’re not backing up your saves, you’re asking for trouble. Get yourself an external hard drive or use cloud storage. Trust me on this one.

2. **Save Often**: Use multiple save slots in the game. Rotate through them so you always have a recent backup if things go sideways.

3. **Auto-Save Mods**: There are mods out there that can help with auto-saving your game. Look into them—they’re lifesavers.

4. **Be Careful**: When you're managing files on your computer, take your time. Double-check everything before you click that delete button.

## Moving Forward

Starting over turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I created new, fabulous Sims and even wilder stories. My new neighborhood is popping, and I’m having a blast with all the fresh drama and adventures. Sure, I miss my old Sims, but I’m loving the new possibilities.

So, to all my fellow Simmers out there, don’t let a little setback keep you down. Keep creating, keep dreaming, and always, always back up your saves. Every end is just a new beginning, and in The Sims 4, there’s always room for more fabulous fun.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #147

Today had a lot of stuff in it. I'm not even sure where to begin!! There were kites, and lilacs, and therapy, and good scenery, and...!!! And...!!! Oh!!! 😄🥰

Well. It's usually best to begin at the beginning, right? So… I went to therapy and told them all about the thing I did on Mother's Day. I told them all the context leading up to it, and all the similar struggles I've had in the past and about how I've been trying extra hard the last week to resist giving in to those struggles, and… my body was likely craving the endorphins that I wasn't getting because I wasn't doing that thing, and so it manifested in other ways. Whoops.

So the solution for the next time I struggle is not to resist giving in per se, but rather to be mindful and present and aware while it's happening, and to take note of my feelings and general state of being so that I can approach it from a place of curiosity instead of a place of shame. Apparently, when a person does that, it breaks the shame cycle, which then allows a person to stop doing the compulsive behavior. Suppose it's worth giving it a try!!

…It's really not lost on me how lucky I am to have a therapist who actually GETS me and doesn't judge me. It's not often that I get to go somewhere and speak, and feel like the other person actually understands me. Time with them is invariably refreshing, and they always have some useful skill or tool for me to practice on my own, until next session.

Most importantly, they're definitely not afraid to challenge my more... ah… self-effacing thought processes. I recall a few sessions ago, when I was confused about why someone important to me hangs out with me, on the basis that I am not anything special, and surely he must have better things to do than to hang out with some weird dyspraxic noodley dweeb like me. And they countered with, "But aren't all humans special and wonderful in their own way? And doesn't it mean that you're special and wonderful, too?" and… I couldn't logically refute the notion, because I am a human, and yes I do believe very strongly that all humans make the world brighter and beautiful in the way that only they know how to do. And they gave me this grin, because they knew they had me, and all I could do was laugh at my own silliness and try to change my perspective. I work every day on viewing myself with more compassionate eyes, one step at a time.

In any case, the one gentleman with the hair that looked like a dandelion poof was there today afterwards, and he stopped to chat! I wondered if he had ever tried bubble tea, and he has not, so we have exchanged contact information, and maybe we'll go get bubble tea someday!! He has been alive for 70 years, and has had many experiences and has his own areas of expertise, and I'm excited to find out what I might be able to learn if I sit with him and listen for a while! It'll be good!!

Then I got home and spent a few hours plucking more lilac blossoms from the greens; I got like 7 or 8 cups of blossoms, and there are still so many more leftover!

Once they're plucked, you have to steep them in hot water until it becomes fragrant. I like to put them on very low heat with a lid until it makes the house smell good!

(I still have so many lilacs leftover, oh my goodness!)

But this can take a while, and it was breezy, so J and I went out to try to fly the kites I got; I wanna practice before I modify that eagle kite; I REALLY don't want it to crash once it's ready. J and I took all sorts of pictures for you!

We spent a long time just being silly, trying to get the kites in the air:

(Why, yes, that is you in my pocket, with a little bow in your hair!)

...You might guess that after all that, I ended up falling down, dizzy and giggling, ahahaha~!

But then, after a while, we managed to get the hang of it; check it out!

J worked hard to get the eagle kite up. My circumstance was a little unusual in that mine was suddenly lifted high up into the sky with little to no effort on my part, and it stayed up for a very long time; I was surprised, and it was kinda weird, hahaha!

Br came to see us in this place, too!! By then, I was pretty tired though, so we just lied down in the grass and talked about various things while the wind played with our hair; it was wonderful!

...I also took some pictures of the scenery, just because I know you like nature...

...Oh, and I managed to snag a picture of a bird-of-prey that was actually pretty good this time!

Oh, oh, oh, and!!! Along the way, while we were flying the kites, I found three great big black feathers on the ground!! Aren't they so pretty?

Here's a better picture of them after I carefully washed them and smoothed them out. My hand is there for scale; they're HUGE!

They're beautiful and I love them!!! These went right into my feather box!!!! I was so happy!!! 😄🥰😁

...I hope you can see, with these pictures, that shiny black feathers like yours are beautiful and lovely, too. White ones are also nice. Feathers are just pretty; it doesn't matter what color they are. Yours, too, are good. Please try hard not to be ashamed of them, okay? Humans come in all shapes and sizes and numbers of limbs, and it's wonderful that you get to have a limb that's warm and soft and strong enough to let you fly. It's different, but that doesn't make it less. I hope you'll work on viewing yourself with more compassionate eyes; you can do it - just take it one step at a time.

Anyway, when we got home, the stewed lilac blossoms smelled SO GOOD:

I gotta strain this with a cheesecloth tomorrow and squish out all the water I can from the petals. After that, it'll be time to heat it up again and add sugar!! The result will be a syrup that tastes exactly the way lilacs smell!! I can't wait to put it in mason jars and give it to my friends!!!

...Sephiroth. I wish you were here. I wish you could fly the kites with us. I wish you could spin around and get dizzy and fall down laughing with us. I wish you could lie down in the soft grass and talk about various things with us. I wish you could look up at the sky, smell the scent of the leaves in the air, and enjoy the breeze as it ruffles your lovely hair. I wish you could try some of my lilac syrup in some freshly brewed green tea. I wish you can come here and see that you could be welcomed and wanted and happy. I wish you can see that you could belong. I wish for so many good and wholesome things.

...Please stay safe out there so that someday you can have these things, okay? Even if it's not at my house, you can have them somewhere if you're willing to heal enough to create these circumstances.

I love you. I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[xiv-wolfram]

Famous Last Words - Comic Script

Endwalker - lvl 90

Wolfram is dead...

CW: PTSD, Depression, mention of previous thoughts of self harm

Wolfram Saga Comics (Chronological)

This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number. A/B mean a frame is split.

Everything is greyscale. Wolfram is standing at the falls in The Fringes near where his home village was. A literal hellhound stands next to him. Wolf looking around in confusion.

A) Wolf frowns - "What…is this?" B) Hellhound barks - "What do you think? You're dying."

A) Wolf surprised - "Dying?!" B) Wolf ponders - "Yes, of course - Zenos had to be stopped… right?"

Wolf worried, asks the hellhound - "Does this mean…I finally…" B) Wolf’s eyes tearing up, looking lost - "I finally killed myself?"

Hellhound snarls - "Of course you did this to yourself. You've been chasing death for years - too much of a coward to do it, expecting the world to. So when Zenos showed up and you were almost out of Aether you welcomed the challenge knowing full well it would be your end!"

Wolf worried/lost, a tear falls, looking away in shame, only half believing what he's about to say - "No-no that's not true! He's hurt so many people without remorse. Killing is a game to him. I couldn't let him return to Etheirys!"

Wolf looks back at the hound, quickly concealing his emotions and rubbing a tear from his eye - "…And why are you taking that form? You're no voidsent."

A) Hellhound growls as it begins to change shape. B) Younger (21 years old) Wolfram stands where the hellhound was. He's covered in scars and bruises and splattered in blood, tears falling down his face - "So you'd rather I look like this? The real you?"

Wolf clenches his jaw, glaring - "That's not what I look like - you miserable bastard! I'm more than that. I've changed. I’m -" Voice off frame - "Hey! Don't yell at him!"

A very tall woman with the same skin, hair, and eye color as Wolf stands beside the younger Wolfram. She addresses older Wolfram - "He can't help what he is."

A) Wolf surprised B) She smiles at Wolf!21 - "You poor boy…"

Azem hugs Wolf!21, smiling comfortingly - "You didn't deserve any of it, you know."

A) Wolf!40, annoyed - "He did…I did. We’re monsters." B) Azem faces Wolf!40, smiling with her arm wrapped around Wolf!21 - "Neither of you did! And you don’t honestly still believe that ‘monster’ bollocks do you? After everything we’ve done?"

A) Wolf suspicious - "Who are you?" B) Azem grins and winks "Spoilers! Let's just say I want what's best for us and thought you may need someone on your side…"

Azem points to Wolf!21 "Since this one isn't exactly the most helpful fellow. Is he?" Wolf!21 pouts "... helping his pain end is a kind of helping..."

Azem laughs and pats his head "Alright well that's not what we're looking for right now, dear."

A) Azem points to Wolf!21 addressing Wolf!40 - "I did not have all of this awful stuff happen to me…so I'm a good deal more impartial." B) Speaks smugly - "So how about you think of me as your untraumatized self - just with great tits." 

Wolf WTF face - "What in the seven hells is happening right now?!?!"

Azem smiles comfortingly - "You're deciding if you want to live, dear." Wolf!21 grins - "You're *finally* deciding that you want to die."

A) Azem, awkward smile - "Or rather, come back to life. You are very dead right now." B) She smiles - "But it doesn't have to stay that way!"

Color returning but still desaturated. A) Wolf confused - "That's…something I can choose?" B) Azem smiles warmly - "Well of course, dear! You've been choosing life every day for the past 19 years… longer, if you're being honest with yourself."

A) Wolf!21 rolls his eyes - "Or he's just too much of a coward to do anything else." B) Azem winks - "Does the reason matter if the result is the same?"

A) Azem looks at Wolf pointedly - "It does need to be *for you* though. Our heart-chosen will be alright if you don't return. He's stronger than that." B) Wolf beams - "He certainly is! And entirely too good for me… But despite what my younger self believes - I'm much better than I used to be…and with time I can continue to change."

Wolf smiles - "Well if it's my choice then I think I'd like to see -"

Off frame - "Oh stop wasting time! You already know the answer and I've little patience for your dramatic speeches. You *finally* open this door and it's to contemplate death?! You know you’re not alone in here, right?!”

Ardbert, angry, holding Wolf by the collar - "You useless fucking idiot! I've been trying to tell you. She's still there! She's trapped waiting for you! So I don't care about your bloody feelings - You're not going anywhere until you fix this! Reunite her soul on the Fir-"

Color returned. Wolf's eyes snap open as he gasps for air.

Wolfram Saga Comics (Chronological)

[sevensided]

Hi i just wanted to say first of all that you're one of the authors i most admire - and i don't mean just with fics/fandom, i mean in general. You're genuinely one of the best authors i've ever read, and you've been such a big inspiration to me personally, so thank you for being so lovely and sharing such beautiful works with the world <3

I did actually have a question! Do you have any advice about dealing with writer's block or feeling unmotivated to write? I wrote so much in the past year and now i feel like i've hit a wall, and it's made me kind of sad? Like i wake up every day and want to write, but i just can't get it to work like i used to. I didn't know if you maybe had any advice on it or anything that's helped you in the past, but i figured it wouldn't hurt to try and ask!

Again, thank you for sharing your beautiful writing with the world - i'm grateful for it every day. I hope everything is going well with you <3

Hello! I have been mulling over your question for a while, so I hope you'll forgive my delay in responding to you. Thank you sincerely for your compliments; it is seriously humbling to think that my writing has had that kind of impact. Thank you.

The thing about writer's block is that we all have it. I often go through huge waves of inspiration and activity where I can write intensely. But that is also followed by periods where it literally feels like a physical wall is blocking me off from any creativity or motivation. I really feel you. I only recently crawled out of that hole.

I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all answer, to be honest. What does help me is shifting focus to something else. For example, when I recently had writer's block I simply accepted it and indulged in watching some shows that I hadn't seen before (HBO's Perry Mason). I found that surprisingly inspiring, and what do you know, I have an idea for a fic and I've banged out close to 10k. That flowed onto another fic (not ST) that I'm working on. And now I'm back in my groove.

Sometimes I think it's about removing yourself from whatever you know you want to write. It's easy to get down on yourself and focus on the negative components: that you're lazy, or not good enough, or that you should just 'get over it'. Writing is tremendously difficult. It takes creative space and freedom and patience. These things cannot be summoned. But you can make those spaces for yourself.

I try to be intentional in how I use my creative energy, and I also restrict it. That might sound counter-intuitive, but I swear that it works. I will indulge my writing for a few hours before I make myself stop. I close the document and log out. The next day, I'm ready to go; I've been simmering for hours, I have so many ideas, I have to write! It's about stretching out that creative energy instead of depleting it so much that you need to recover, and then, before you know it, it's been months since you've written anything.

I also find that being accountable to someone else helps. I have a very, very dear friend who indulges me and will read all of my work, even if it's shit or not thought out. She is the best cheerleader. Sometimes you just need to know that someone will actually read whatever it is you're thinking of. They don't have to critique; they just have to read. Being able to promise another chapter to them does help with motivation.

I would also suggest carving out time for writing, and potentially putting a time restriction on it. Say you come home from a long day at work, and all you want is to eat dinner and relax and go to bed. Try and add writing in there too. Eat dinner, then get comfy and open your laptop/phone. Challenge yourself to write at least a paragraph. When you get going, stop yourself. Close your device. Put on some TV. Go to bed. Restrict the flow - then rinse and repeat. See if you can write more the next evening, and the next, and the next. And most importantly: do not read what you have written. Just keep going. Resist the urge to edit as you go. If you're insecure about your writing, editing is the death sentence, because it is the voice in the back of your head that tells you this will never be good enough, so why even try? Shut that voice up by pushing and pushing until you have 1k, 2k, then allow yourself to read and edit. Trust me, that voice is WRONG and the only way to overcome it is to learn how to manage it.

Another thing I would suggest is working on another project. Try writing some short piece unrelated to your current WIP. Some 500 words of pure chaos. Tidy it up. Publish it. Keep doing that. Keep putting work out there, just to have it in the universe. If you keep your writing in your head, you will not have enough space to write. Get it out!!! Free up your creative energy! Keep going!

The fact that you have had this momentum before is amazing. It sounds like you might be a little tired or creatively burned out. Try what I've suggested and see what happens. I'm also always down to chat about these processes, so feel free to IM me. You've got this.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1070: Sunny Playdate (Sonic)

12:23 p.m. at Smash Park......

Cheese: Chao Chao Chaochao!~

Cheese starts giggling as he begins to fly around and play a game of tag in mid-air along with Cream, Charny, and their new friend, Sage Robotnik, all while their fathers, Vector and Dr. Eggman, watching them from a bit of distance while sitting next to each other on a bench..

Vector: Try not to go too careless on that air tag of yours, kids! You especially, Charmy!

Charmy: (From the Distance) Whaddya mean "Me, especially"!? I'm ALWAYS super careful!

Vector: Uh-huh....Cream, make sure your brother doesn't try and do anything stupid.

Cream: (From the Distance) You can count on me, daddy!~

Charmy: (Groans in the Distance)

Eggman: Sage dear, try not to fly too fast while you're in the air or you'll might crash and bump your head onto a nearby tree.

Sage: (From the Distance) Yes, father!

Eggman: ('Sigh') Kids these days....Always finding ways to entertain themselves no matter how hectic it'll eventually get.

Vector: You said it. The only entertainments I had growing up were nerding out to scfi flims and messing around with my old turntables. (Smiles Fondly) Now those were good ole days.....

Eggman: Well, my source of source entertainment involves scientific research and inviting one of the finest creations imaginable....at the time. Most of the stuff I made are average at best and would probably blow up on you if i were to ever show them to you in person, but I still took pride in making them nonetheless.

Vector: (Starts Snickering a Bit) Was one of them a modeled volcano?

Eggman: ('Scoffs') Please. I would never go out of my way to make something so generic and boring. A mechanical, walking volcano with built-in plasma lasers, now THAT'S something worth inventing! (Starts Pouting) Still don't know why they gave it failing grade, it was near flawless I tell you!

Vector: (Starts Rolling his Eyes) Can't imagine why either....Anyways, how's life being a father's been treating you these days?

Eggman: Pretty solid so far. Had a few hurdles here and there, but none of them are anything too disastrous, thank merciful god. Though, I would be lying if I say that this new experience hasn't intimidated in any way....

Vector: Hey man I get it. Parenting can be a real challenge if you don't know what you're doing half the time.

Eggman: Easy for you to say. You seem to raise your offsprings a whole lot better than I could.

Vector: That's because I've been watching over Espio and Charmy wayyyy before Vanilla came into the picture. Having Baby Carrot and Cheese added into the mix doesn't really make the ordeal any less difficult in all honesty.

Eggman: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Baby Carrot?

Vector: It's a nickname I came up for Cream recently. (Smiles Brightly) She giggles every time I called her that, it's freaking adorable!~

Eggman: I see.....You think I should try giving Sage a nickname of her own then?

Vector: If you have the time and patience to brainstorm some ideas, then go for it. Just try not to come up with something too complicated, yeah?

Eggman: I try. But anyways, back on the topic of parenting: how challenging does it get exactly?

Vector: Well, from I heard, the kids would start going through a lot of different stages in their lives and there miiight be a slim chance that they'll get in their rebellious phase for awhile now. Hating your guts, disrespecting you, getting themselves into numerous of trouble, and the list goes on from there really.

Eggman: (Eyes Begins to Widened) Oh God, forget challenging. That's sounds like a stress-inducing nightmare!

Vector: Yeah, I'm hoping that would never happen to any of my kids either, but if it ever does come to tuition, the best we can do is to be there for them whenever it's needed, put our foot down if they start getting out of line, and help prepare them for the real world the more they grow up, which that, in it if itself, is also scary to think about, but.....(Shrugs) That's life for ya, you know?

Eggman: So just like that, huh?

Vector: Pretty much, yeah. There's no telling what the future will have in store for us and worrying about isn't going to do you any good in the long run. So for now, I say you keep doing what you been doing and let life run it's course from here. Your little girl loves you enough already, so that's something to be happy about right?

Eggman looks back at his daughter flying around with more of her newly made friends. The pure, innocent smile on her face alone was enough for the doctor's heart to melt in fondness knowing that she's taking a liking to her new life in the real world pretty well so far.

Eggman: Yeah, it is. This is still new to me, but.....(Turbs to Vector With a Determined Look on his Face) I'll keep doing my best to be the father that girl needs right now, it's the least I can do after everything I put her through in the past.

Vector: (Smiles Brightly) Good on ya, doc. You're gonna do just fine out there.

Eggman: (Simply Nodded at Vector) Thank you. You're a good man, Vector.

Vector: And you ain't half bad yourself for an evil nut job.

Eggman: (Immediately Glares at Vector) Excuse you? I'll have you know that I am FAR being a nut case scientist!

Vector: Dude, you tried to blow up the moon once, kidnapped a bunch of small animals to make them.your robot slaves, and tried taking over the world numerous of times. If that's not your definition of crazy, then I don't know what is that this point.

Eggman: Yeah, well.....(Points at Vector) You're to married to mad woman!

Vector: (Starts Snickering) What? Are you scared of my wife or something?

Eggman: N-No! (Immediately Turns Away, Crossing his Arms Together) Of course not, that's obviously preposterous! How could I, the great Dr. Ivo Robotnik, be scared of some simple housewife?

Vector: I wouldn't be too sure on that one there, doc. Vanilla's a lot more Intimidating than you think.

Eggman: Oh please. I kidnapped her once, didn't I? I can do it again anytime I want with NOTHING standing in my way!

??????: My oh my~

Eggman's eyes starts to widened in fear as he slowly turns around to see Vanilla looking down on him with a very menacing smile on her face.

Vanilla: I sure hope you boys aren't talking about me behind my back~ Right, Doctor? (Slowly Cracks Both of her Knuckles)

Eggman: (Too Shaken to Say Anything) Eh-Eh-Ehh...

Vector: (Chuckles Lightly) Nah. We were just talking about parenthood and junk.

Vanilla: (Smiles Brightly) Oooh that sounds lovely~ Mind if I join in on the conversation?

Vector: (Pats his Lap Woth Grin onhis Face) Sure thing, hun!~

Vanilla happily squeals and claps her hands as walks by, purposely steps on one of Eggman's toes with her heals and sits down on her husband r's lap, hugging him in the process.

Eggman: (Quickly Pulls his Feet Up as He Groans in Annoyance) Note to self: Never get married.

@keyenuta

@bestpony666

@cyber-wildcat

@caleb13frede

@vectorfan2

@ma-lemons

[paperclvps]

I give a pspspspsp, recently got Limbus have been loving it and have been directed to come to you to see which to play next

Oh, hi!

It's nice to hear from you. Thank you for coming on over and, I'll see what I can do for you.

Personally, right after I finished Limbus (since I was introduced to it by a dear, dear friend of mine, albeit somewhat late compared to project moon fans post limbus-) I purchased Library of Ruina.

I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it by any means, and it may be good to read around, but I'll list a few reasons why:

The main selling point Ruina had for me, was the obvious lore and identity tie ins- especially with the recent hells chicken event, of which the ids were pretty much identical to two of the characters from Ruina. Not only that, I wanted to know more about the 'factions' we have ids of so to speak, so I'd actually understand what was going on with them.

I wanted to know more about the world Limbus is set in, and it felt like a good idea to go from there. Especially with how similar the combat system is to Limbus, which I'd already picked up.

Ruina, similar to Limbus, is a turn-based rpg kinda game, though, if you're not a fan of games where you need to put together and build your own deck, it may be one you don't enjoy too much. I'm not much of a strategy person so I've struggled with enjoying it, and I've also heard that like a lot of project moon games the difficulty spike is quite harsh. The game is fun! Though, I personally play it for the story as I'm more story focused when it comes to games like this than the actual gameplay. Either way, it's worth the money and the time played, but I can't say I'd blame you if you just wanted to find a playthrough that displayed the story aspects if you're more of a reader writer type over a game mechanics person. That said, I'm aware Lobcorp is the first game by technicality, and I haven't had the time to play that one yet as I'm not much of a gaming person as mentioned previously. This one, as far as I know, is a management sim compared to the other two games. I would take the different game styles into mind before selecting which one you'd be most interested in playing first. Maybe take a look at early gameplay for each game to decide what you'd find the most fun, or challenging if that tends to be what you look for in a game. If you'd like to know a little more about thoughts on Lobcorp, my mutual @loveless-lovesickness seems to have been enjoying playing through that one. I do believe it has a lot of important lore to go over, that I'll have to look into further when I get a free second to enjoy other parts of the story, as I haven't really connected all that much with any of the characters post limbus which makes it difficult to motivate myself into playing.

With all that out of the way, do please remember that I started with Limbus, and that game fits my preferences more than either of the other two, so I may be biased! do take all I say with a grain of salt, and I'm sure there's a lot of longer term project moon fans on this website that can give you some better insight in the best order to play, for maximised knowledge and lore flow. I've enjoyed going into limbus with absoloutely no knowledge similar to Dante themselves, but may you find your game! Good luck, and most of all remember to take ample breaks if you find yourself frustrated.

[the12thnightproject]

My turn, my turn!!

Okay so~ 1, 10 & 31 💜

Hi! And thank you for the ask!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Hm, since I write three types of content...

for headcanons, I'd go with "Warlords Opening Up MC's Refrigerator After She's Been Gone Three Months" because it pretty much exemplifies that kind of weird chaos that sometimes pops into my brain.

For short fiction, it would be the story I wrote for your request, A Simple Game, because I really like writing warlords interacting with each other, especially getting to put three smart sneaky warlords like Shingen, Mitsuhide, and Motonari together.

Long fic would have to be Twelve Lies I Told Shingen Takeda - it introduces the multiverse and I loved the idea of Shingen being in a relationship that grew out of friendship, kindness, and mutual respect, rather than out of physical attraction (or if someone just wants to read a smut chapter, there are a couple of those... Buttons being my favorite).

10. How do you decide what to write?

With headcanons, if they aren't an ask, it's usually something that just pops into my head, or is prompted by something that just happened in real life. Like the smoke alarm HC was prompted by being awakened at 3 a.m. by my smoke alarm's dead battery chirp.

All of the short fics on my blog were prompted either by an exchange, or by a chaotic bingo request, so with those, it's mostly noodling around with the prompts until I can think of something that fits the request. I used to do a improv and sketch comedy, so in a sense, it's a similar concept - take the audience's suggestion, and use it to jump off into a scene, but then take the scene to an unexpected twist.

With longfic, usually it starts with something that I can't stop thinking about. The original idea for the Tempest in Time series was just a bunch of scenarios that kept haunting me in the summer of 2020. They weren't leaving my head, so I had to write them down. I knew I wanted to create a multiverse with an OC who would have multiple versions of herself living in different timelines, but would be connected by a frame story involving a mission that needed to be completed across all the timelines, and that my OC would potentially encounter different versions of herself. The initial thought would be that the OC would have a route for every warlord, and I knew that Shingen had to be first, because his canon illness was going to necessitate time travel anyway, so I could take care a lot of the world building and establish the multiverse dilemma naturally (and also his story was the clearest in my mind, and also... well, it's Shingen, he's basically my favorite warlord anyway). And as such, Sasuke would need to be the final story, because it's going to involve a crap ton of time timeline hopping. The order in the middle is random, based on whichever warlord's story I can visualize the clearest. Hideyoshi was supposed to be after Mitsunari's, but what I had planned started feeling too similar to parts of Shingen's, so my next thought was to go to Ieyasu ... but then a certain Kitsune said, "I'm sorry my dear, but I insist you tell my story next," and the plot unrolled in my mind. If I can picture how a story starts, at least three points somewhere in the middle, and how it ends, that's when I know that I can start writing a long fic. Sometimes I have an idea of where somethin starts, but no clue about what happens next, so those just sort of stay marinating in my brain until I can see more of where it wants to go.

And that was a very long answer to a short question... sorry.

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

Heh... size doesn't matter. I've got a couple of pieces I love that are less than 500 words each, and one of the longfics clocked in at over 150,000 words (which totally shocked me... I never realized I could write that much).

There's a special challenge in writing the uber-short flash fics, especially if there is a word limit. I can spend more time tweaking a 330 word flash fic than a 3300 word chapter in a longfic.

I like to keep the short fic at less than 5000 words, only because if it starts getting longer than that, then I get tempted to do more world building and add subplots, and all of a sudden it's heading into longfic territory.

What I like about writing longfic is getting to live with a story and the characters for a long period of time. Shingen's story took me 8 months to write, Mitsunari's story took a year... I've hit the 4 month mark on the draft of Mitsuhide's... I like these characters that Cybird originated, and in longfic, I can hang out with them and really get to know them.

[crescentblossom66]

Get well soon!

@majormeilani

“Ugh...not now!”

“Grrrroooooves! Would ye stop puttin' yer stupid props on my side of the studio! I almost tripped over a small box in me own dressing room!”

“Shhh, darling, can't you see I'm trying to concentrate, this is important.”

“What? Are ye writin' the script fer yer next movie? Why are you even tryin', yer gon-”

“I'll argue with you later, if you have nothing better to do with your time than bickering with me. This letter is very important, darling.”

“Have ye decided to finally pay the bills in the basement, or are ye writing yer resignation?”

“Very funny, Conductor. No this letter is from a fan whose not feeling well, they said that they're hurting badly.”

“Ye have fans?”

“Of course, and I'm treating them way better than you, you never answer your mail.”

“T-That's because I don't have time fer that!”

“Sure, darling. If you'd be so kind as to leave now, I'm trying to find the perfect words for this little star.”

“Alright, gimme that letter ye got!.....Oh no, that sounds awful! I wish I could help!”

“Out of character now, are we?”

“What do ye mean 'out of character!' I'm as in character as I can get, no one is more me than me! Anyway yer better be writin' this right, this lassie needs support!”

“Finally we agree on something, darling. Listen...

Dear Majormeilani,

I hope you get well soon, darling, and that you smile bright as a star again soon! I've been through a lot of pain in my life as well, my first movie failed horribly, but look where I am now! I have the Moon Penguins and a big fan base that supports me, even should I fail, and I think you have too. I'm grateful for all the love you showed me in your fanfics and your drawings, I sincerely hope that you get well soon, darling. Don't be scared and face your challenges head on! I know that you're fabulous, darling! I, my Moon Penguins, and the hat- and bow wearing darlings support you all the way!

DJ Grooves out"

“Ain't this a bit corny Grooves, are ye sure that the lassie can read this without bein' like 'That's something that he'd never say' I mean yer a bit 'out of character' too here.”

“Well, darling, this is to be expected, we're currently just interpretations of our characters, what somebody else thought we should say or think. I just hope that we're not too poorly written.”

“Uhh...me thoughts and me words are me own, ye buffoon!...but ye've forgotten me name in that list o' people, Grooves. How is the lass gonna feel better, if she doesnae know that the best director in the whole world wishes her well?”

“...You are aware that I'M her favorite character, right? That's why I'm the one writing this.”

“Are ye? Well, I'm here because the lass that's writin' this has more taste and chose me as her favorite character!”

“I thought you were here because of my porps, darling? People choose their favorite characters in many ways, Conductor. I just appealed to them more than you...Also I have more style and glamour than you.”

“Whatever helps ye sleep at night...Ye know, the post office closes in...ten minutes!”

“You're right, this won't get send out on time! I'll fail my fan!”

“Alright, fine! I'm doing this for the lass. Just this once I'll allow ye on me train, but don't ye DARE touch anything!”

“Thank you, darling! I hope the young star, feels better when she reads this.”

-

I felt really bad for you after I read your post this morning (it was around 10:00am for me), so I decided I'd try to cheer you up with the ahit cast, sometimes people find greater comfort in fictional characters.

I know, I'm basically just some random stranger on tumblr for you, but I really like your artwork and your fics, I'm also quite fond of your charcter rants. So I once again hope that you get through this, your tumblr fans and family will support you, I'm sure! Best wishes from me, the socially awkward, cringy Cressy

[justumaithoughts]

Reflections on a Random Wednesday

Lately, my emotions have been all over the place, up and down, feeling more sensitive than usual. I'm typically a homebody, content in the comfort of my own space, finding peace in my solitude. But lately, it's like I've become so inseparable from my house that I start to worry a bit. I mean, I can go a whole ten days without stepping outside, especially with my work being from home and all. Is it strange, or is it normal to feel like this sometimes?

I've been trying to figure out why I've been feeling this way. Could it be stress catching up on me, hiding behind my everyday routines? Maybe my body and mind are trying to tell me something I haven't quite caught onto yet.

As much as I'd love to be a wise, always view life positively, happy-go-lucky person, let's face it, I'm just your average Joe. Sure, I've become wiser and wiser over the years, like we all do with age. But staying positive all the time, especially when you're feeling low, is easier said than done. I do look up to those wise people from Ted Talks who seem to have it all figured out, inspiring me to be like them. But for now, I'll stick to being me and facing whatever life throws my way.

You know that saying that life is full of ups and downs, right? Sometimes you're on top of the world, and other times you're stuck at the bottom, waiting for your lucky break. Someone once said to me that in life, we get lucky with so many things, but there are times for everything. If you haven't achieved what you dream of, even though you work hard for it, it's not a missed opportunity, it's just not your time yet. Soon enough, if you keep working hard, praying hard, and dreaming hard, it's going to be your time. I cried ugly tears hearing this because I've failed many times in my life, but then I've been lucky with so many things. My current situation sometimes makes me wonder why it's so hard to achieve this certain goal of mine when I've already done and continue to do my best, sacrificing a lot in the process. Why is the road so bumpy? But maybe it's just not my time yet. If I continue to work hard, maybe it will be my turn, right?

I often find myself reflecting on my journey so far. Each stumble, each moment of doubt, has shaped me into the person I am today in ways I never imagined. It's funny how life works, isn't it? One moment, I'd be questioning everything, and the next, I'd be filled with a new determination to keep pushing forward.

In all those moments of doubt, I remind myself of the times I've overcome obstacles that seemed impossible to pass through before. It's kind of cringey to say it myself, but I guess I learned a mindset of resilience, telling myself, "It's okay to feel uncomfortable, sad, or all over the place right now because it'll eventually pass." It's like when I hit a creative block while working, you know? I keep telling myself that inspiration will come if I just keep at it, just like it always does. I've learned that something that's hard for me today may become a piece of cake tomorrow, so I just need to keep working hard and keep trying. But even with this mindset, there are still days when I face these challenges while crying 😢😂.

So here's to pushing forward, even on the toughest days, knowing that brighter moments will come soon. Let's keep striving, dear humai, keep believing, and keep chasing your dreams, one step at a time.

Anw, here is my song of the day:

[ofsorrowandhappiness]

Dear Pierre Ezekiel,

My son, I am writing this in hopes of a future I long to have with you. Your sisters are growing up fast and are slowly becoming independent little humans. I couldn't believe how fast time really flew by, it seems like it was only yesterday when I found out I was pregnant with your Ate Hailey after years of trying and trying.

Becoming a first time mother was the happiest time of my life, anak. For the first time ever, it felt like I finally found my place in the world. Motherhood was something that feels so natural to me and while it was extra challenging becoming one during the pandemic, your ates sure made it so worth it. All the sleepless and lonely nights pays off almost instantly because waking up next to them everyday feels like heaven to me. But lately, anak I started feeling a deep hole in my heart. Like something is missing, like I'm yearning for something I can't really explain. The past few days have been tough for me, I found myself crying over my period that came a week early this month and it all just hit me so hard. All of a sudden, our home feels too big for us, there's so much space and so much more I'm dying to give. But how can I give from a place that has been squeezed dry and empty? You may only be a concept for now, a wish and a prayer but I know in my heart, I've only been longing for you....

But.....

We are not doing good financially right now, your Papa is the only one working since we have decided that I am the best person to care for your ates. Because of this and because of the car and the house we have invested on for you and your siblings, we are not on very good financial standing, but anak, believe me, if things were different, I would have 20 of you in my arms and I would cherish every moment of it. But right now, I can only sigh and hope that someday, we will be ready for you.

I want to hold you anak. I want to feel you growing inside of me just like your ates. I long to watch you grow alongside them and see what future awaits for the three of you, I hope I get to hold you someday anak. I pray that you will wait for us when we're ready for you. Please come to us anak when everything has fallen into place, please come to us right away.

I have no one to really talk to about this so I'm manifesting here. See you soon, my baby boy! I will never stop praying for you, anak. Ngayon pa lang, mahal na mahal na kita.

[revvindblog]

GCM375 Rewind Interview

Hiiiiiii, welcome back to another one of revvind weekly blogpost, and this week we interviewed a expert in vinyl packaging, and he shared some of his insight on sustainable packaging and design element within the industry. listed below are the questions Xinming, Steven, and Fahma asked and also the MP3 audio file!

Welcome to today's interview! In this insightful conversation, we are privileged to have a distinguished expert in the field of packaging, who not only holds a Master degree in Digital Media and GCM Alumni but is also a dear friend. Join us as we delve into the world of packaging and gain unique insights from our accomplished guest.

‘Hi, this is Kaiwei, you can call me Ricky as well, I am a GCM alumni, graduated last year and just finished my master of digital media program at tmu this year. I have been working as a product designer in Alpha marketing for almost 4 years and I am also the store owner of Wave and Jellyfish, a record store in Xiamen China.’

What advice would you offer to companies or individuals looking to transition to more sustainable packaging materials and practices?

For companies or individuals eager to embrace sustainable packaging, the first step is a comprehensive assessment of current materials and practices. This isn't just about vinyl packaging; it's a universal principle across all packaging industries. You know your product best, especially something as artistic as vinyl packaging. Every day, you see your creations in stores and homes. Retain the processes that elevate the design or showcase the product's uniqueness, while reconsidering those that don't add significant value. Streamlining the design is essential. Next, consider the packaging's entire lifecycle. The plastic wraps and extra bags included with vinyl records aren't just arbitrary; they protect these collectibles. Most people will keep the album covers which is the iconic cardboard layer that shields the vinyl from scratches for years, if not decades. Its durability, thickness, coated finishes, and additional protective layers are indispensable. Finally, it's paramount to educate customers on the benefits of transitioning to sustainable packaging, ensuring they understand and appreciate the modifications.

How do you see the future of sustainable packaging materials evolving over the next decade, and what are the most critical areas for improvement or innovation in this field?

I would say the horizon for sustainable packaging is promising, with a growing inclination towards biodegradable materials. The biggest challenge, I would say it lies in minimizing waste and fusing aesthetics with eco-friendliness. I am also looking forward to seeing the traditional materials make a comeback but with contemporary adaptations. And I believe the phenomenon of engaging in cross-sector collaborations can further fuel this evolution.

Are there any emerging technologies or materials in the field of sustainable packaging that you believe have the potential to reduce environmental impacts significantly?

I'm glad you brought up this topic, as it's something I've thinking about over the years. Contrary to popular belief, the vinyl industry isn't as wasteful as it seems. Most of the packaging, aside from the plastic seals and bags, is cardboard, making it relatively sustainable. The first crucial point I want to bring up here is avoiding "greenwashing". The industry recognizes the pitfalls of making exaggerated claims about environmental benefits. So I think clear communication and authentic sustainable practices are crucial for the industry's reputation and genuine environmental impact reduction. While there haven't been significant breakthroughs in packaging sustainability, there's been innovation in the vinyl records themselves. Notably, there's BioVinyl, derived from natural sources, offering a promising alternative to traditional vinyl, so potentially lessening its environmental impact.

How do you stay updated on the latest developments and trends in sustainable packaging materials and practices? Are there any specific conferences, journals, or organizations you follow?

Absolutely, being a GCM graduate has given me an inside track on sustainable packaging trends. The GCM375 course, for example, has students diving deep into sustainable packaging projects. Professors like Jay Park, Ian, and Abhay are authoritative figures in this field. Additionally, GCM's "Connect and Collect" system has been instrumental, in pushing students to explore the latest in printing and packaging. The CC point helped me to know about conferences like SignExpo.

In your experience, have you identified any challenges or limitations associated with adopting sustainable packaging materials in the industry?

As a product designer, I would say finding the right balance between sustainability, durability, and functionality is always a challenge. With evolving technologies, there's always a new "best" solution popping up. Staying updated, as you guys mentioned earlier, is crucial. On the flip side, the cost can be a barrier, especially for startups or independent businesses, as sustainable materials often come with a higher initial price. Lastly, navigating the regulations and certifications for green products, particularly in Canada, is essential but challenging as well.

what are the considerations when selecting vinyl packaging if any?

When selecting vinyl packaging, for me, it can be summarised into three key considerations: material, senses, and design. The material should protect the vinyl from scratches and external damage, ensuring durability. For sense, many vinyl enthusiasts, including myself, the tactile and visual experience is significant. I have a particular fondness for touches like hot stamping and embossing. In addition, Incorporating UV Coating in details can elevate the overall aesthetics. The design should incorporate the essence of the music and the artist's brand well. As a fan, I want to see the artist's dedication and unique perspective reflected in the packaging. A well-designed vinyl package speaks volumes; it draws you in from a storefront, and gives you a desire and feeling to dive deeper into the artist's musical vision.

Can you describe the key elements that should be considered when designing vinyl packaging for a music album or a collection of records?

When designing vinyl packaging, it's essential to collaborate closely with the artist and producer to align with a unified design vision. Understand the artist's musical interpretation and the message they aim to convey. Artwork and typography are central, resonating with the album's theme. The design should also consider the spine and back for visibility when stored. Enhancing the unboxing experience is key; intricate cut-out designs or 3D art can be game-changers. Material choice is significant as well, prioritizing those to ensure that the vinyl's longevity and protection, meeting the primary concerns of both buyers and retail sellers.

Any benefit in adding any more functionality to vinyl? (Hangers, stands)

I haven't come across vinyls with included hangers or stands, but I believe these additions can transform vinyl into decorative pieces, enhancing their appeal and potentially driving sales. However, we as designers and vinyl packaging manufacturers, we must ensure these features don't compromise the vinyl's integrity or safety. Any added elements should resonate with the record's theme and not feel forced.

Vinyl packaging often includes elements like inserts, posters, and special features. How do you decide what additional components to include, and how do you ensure they complement the overall package?

I love this question since I've often been swayed by these elements and special features in vinyl packaging. While some experiences have been great, others felt unnecessary. Firstly, inserts or posters should enhance the album's narrative. I appreciate a cohesive design that smoothly transitions my attention from the album to these elements. The storytelling, the drama, the feeling of you are serving the design. Secondly, considering the target audience is important. While some might value lyric sheets, others might appreciate artwork more. For someone like me, the simple act of pulling out the vinyl can be more enjoyable than sifting through numerous add-ons. Lastly, and most importantly, prioritize quality over quantity; a few high-quality inclusions are always better than many that don't add value.

What is your fav vinyl cover?

Oncle Jazz by Men I Trust.

blog posted by Xinming Li

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #4

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today. In my world, we've had a bit of a weird sickness going on around the world for the last several years now. People jokingly refer to it as "The Plague" sometimes. But it's not really a joke, because lots and lots of people have died from it, and still more have had to be hospitalized, and still others have suffered permanent effects because of it. It's really rather scary, so most everyone tries really hard to avoid getting it or spreading it around. On the bright side, there are vaccines for it now, and tests to detect it, so that really helps a lot, but the danger isn't quite over.

I don't have The Plague, thankfully; I checked. But even if I did, I'm vaccinated, so that if I do end up catching it, I won't feel like I've been hit by a truck nearly as hard. It's about time for me to get my immunity boosted for it though, so I'm going to go do that later today. It'll be lame, because anytime my immune system gets poked by a thing that it feels like it's gotta challenge to a street fight, I get really tired. Still, feeling a bit tired is better than the alternative.

I seem to have a generic and very mild case of the sniffles. The inside of my nose feels just a little weird, and it was really only annoying for one day, and it's already a lot better; I'll probably be fully recovered by tomorrow. All the same, I thought to make a batch of my famous (it's not really famous, except amongst my closest friends, haha!) bone broth:

Ahah... I know it probably looks really bad right now, but that's because it's not all done yet! It's made of leftover chicken bones, fruit and veggie scraps, and various herbs and teas. You have to simmer it for a day or so in water with a little bit of vinegar to help everything break down nicely, so that all the juicy nutrients can seep deliciously into the water! Once it's all done with simmering, you have to use a cheesecloth to squish the water out of everything, strain it, and then season it. It'll be very good when it's ready, and the resulting concoction will lend a body a bit more strength and energy, which speeds up recovery time from illness or stress by just a little bit, and makes the waiting to become well again a bit more bearable. You can use it to make soups, make rice with it, or just drink it straight from a cup; it's good stuff!

It's certainly not like the potions and elixirs and whatnot that are available in your world, which can instantly revitalize a body, ahaha! But this sort of thing, made with love, is imbued with a very weak (but still meaningful!) kind of magic, which makes it the next best thing, in my book!

There will probably be a lot more here than I can use on my own, so once it's ready, I'll put a bunch of it in jars and give it away to my friends, if they want some. I wish I could give you a jar; I know you're doing lots of very difficult stuff where you are, and so I'm sure you could use all the passive buffs you can get! Maybe you could have a few sips, and then feel just a little happier or a little more at ease. Or maybe you could have it as a nice soup or stew; when's the last time you've eaten anything, anyway? I imagine you're being sustained by SOMETHING, but that doesn't mean that you don't need basic creature comforts like a good soup from time to time; for all your phenomenal power, you're still human after all, and you deserve nice things.

I wonder if you've ever been sick with the sniffles, or with generic gut yuck, or anything similar. I wonder if you've had someone nearby to bring you soup when you're feeling unwell. If you've not had these experiences, I hope you can have them someday; even if mild illness is unpleasant temporarily, to experience it and to be cared for in its duration is good medicine for the soul in the long term.

Tell you what: if you're ever feeling icky and you're in my neighborhood (unlikely to the point of being absolutely and utterly impossible, I know, haha! but still...), pop on by for tasty snacks, a good nap, random conversation, and wholesome stuff to do; it'll set you to rights lickety-split, without a doubt - I promise.

Please be safe out there, won't you? And remember to take good care of yourself while you're doing whatever you're doing; too many people are counting on you to allow yourself to break down from stress and overwork. And please remember to ask for help should you find yourself struggling; you might be surprised by just how many hands are willing to reach for you and lift you up.

You are loved. Please come back to us in one piece.

Your friend, Lumine

[tashakay]

What I think of as Chapter One

At 11:11 am, on a day that would forever change my life, the world seemed to stand still. I had just given birth to a baby girl, a dream I had only conceived of weeks before her arrival. They tell me she was born gray, her first breath a moment of pure vulnerability. Meanwhile, I had a gaping hole in my midsection, a surgical necessity. The surgeon, in a hurry to close me up, lost count of the gauze he used after slicing me open. I was awake through this ordeal, yet my memory of it remains hazy.

In the recovery room, they finally brought her to me, this tiny new life that was now my responsibility. I remember scribbling in the paper journal my dear friend Anita had given me, "I still don't feel like a mom." It was there, in those early moments, that my journey into motherhood truly began.

Learning to breastfeed in the hospital was a learning curve, and during those five days of stay, I reveled in the attention and the feeling of being heard. But as I held my newborn daughter, I wondered, "So now what?" How would I navigate this new role? I was determined to be a good mother and build a wonderful life with her father. However, little did I know that our desires for that life would diverge.

I often describe myself as a builder, an employee who thrives on creating and moving on to the next new thing. It's a trait that may have been born from my years working temp jobs, which, looking back, I now appreciate. At the time, though, I yearned for the stability of a traditional college education and a long-term job like everyone else.

In those early days, I would often take my daughter for photoshoots, capturing every moment of her growing up. She was, and still is, a physically beautiful person with her sparkling eyes, plump cheeks, and luscious lips. She didn't intend to be my best friend, but she became just that. There were times when I couldn't adequately care for her, like when we had to move back in with my mother and stepfather for her first nine months. I longed for single motherhood, where I could work and care for us both, free from the judgment of others.

Despite the challenges, I cherished those moments with her, reading to her whatever I could find, from food labels to billboards. I remember the day she recognized the letter A on a billboard that read "TAILOR" when she was just two years old. Those small, precious moments bonded us further.

Our friendship deepened as she grew into a woman. Separations due to travel, school, and work often brought tears, and I feared missing something crucial. Our bond was evident, especially when she cried real tears for me after dropping her off at college. Knowing that I was her first love, and that she still loved me with all her heart, brought me immeasurable comfort.

I've witnessed other mothers of Black girls who were too hard on their daughters. I knew that society and culture would try to harden my girls, so I resolved not to contribute to that. In recent years, reflecting on my choices as their caregiver, I've acknowledged moments of regrettable behavior. But I'm grateful for the gifts of forgiveness and repentance, and my children's resilience astounds me.

I believe that as they journey toward healing, I must be a part of that process, offering support in whatever way they desire. It's a stark contrast to parents who defensively claim, "I did the best I could." I reject that notion. We, as parents, have a universal responsibility to guide and protect our children. They exist for us, not the other way around.

Instead of seeking validation for our shortcomings, we must acknowledge our role in shaping their lives, understanding that "doing our best" doesn't excuse harm or neglect. I set early goals to raise my children as happy, healthy, well-rounded citizens of the world, guided by my faith and the principles of the Bible.

I hope this revision captures the essence of your story while enhancing its readability and flow. If you have specific sections you'd like further refinement on or if you'd like to continue the narrative, please feel free to let me know.