#sop writing examples

[queenerdloser]

literally hyperfocused so much i spent about seven hours getting a semi-polished draft of my statement of purpose completed. jesus christ??? weeks of farting around with it and one day of actual work that got it to a state that's shareable and like 85% completed... yes that IS so typical of my work habits lmao.

[edwisefoundation]

Statement of Purpose (SOP) for Study Abroad: How to Write an Impressive SOP

A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is a crucial part of the application process for studying abroad. It provides admissions committees with insight into your academic background, goals, and personal motivations beyond your grades and test scores. A well-written SOP can significantly enhance your chances of acceptance by showcasing your unique qualities and passion for your chosen field. The essay should also address why you are interested in studying abroad and how you plan to contribute to the institution.

For more details on how to craft a compelling SOP, visit Statement of Purpose for Study Abroad.

[deadgodjess]

The thing I think is extra funny about the issue being discussed in this post is that, way back when Max Brooks was writing and doing research for World War Z: Oral History of the Zombie War, he asked people from various agencies like police departments and military and stuff if they had any idea what they might do in a zombie apocalypse situation. He was expecting something a lot more vague and speculative than what he often got was someone actually explaining that they had whole procedures in place for that kind of situation.

So, if that exists in our world for scary movie scenarios, why doesn't Star Trek's Federation have clear procedures for someone seeing a ghostly presence or something similar, a thing that happens at least three times on every ship?

[cvnt4him]

Hey baby! It’s me Angel!

Could I get anything for izuku with a big girl reader? No one really writes anything about that😭 because I know this mother fucker would literally want to drowning in thighs as big as him. Like…Thigh fucking, right between them. And love to watch how our bully, ass, thighs, and more when he fucks us senseless 🍬

Skipped over every other req just for this one, I'm lit dying trying to write these damn part twos but I'm shutting those shits DEOWN just for this one thing.

angel my sweet, this is for you.

Izuku is such a sweetie pie he loves you so fucking much no doubt about it. Now it's no surprise or secret that izuku is a fucking slut. A dirty little perverted creep who adores you, he'd always been that way even before you started dating. The way he'd watch you unintentionally and start accidentally following you around without your knowledge.. it isn't stalking though!!

He would also try to be as close to you as possible to memorize your scent so he could use the memory to jack off to.. but it's out of love! you wouldn't mind right? Izuku just can't help that when he sees the way your uniform would hug your body so tightly his cock twitched in his pants! It's not his fault, honest!

Being with you for years to come has been an honest achievement to him. He was so happy and elated that you finally decided to be his! He loved everything about you! From your tummy, thick thighs, arms all of it! He loves kissing your chubby cheeks and tracing your stretch marks with his fingers. You were simply a delectable being in his eyes, he wouldn't ask you to change for anything!

As much as izuku loves you, he also can't help the lust that takes over for you. You've been together for a long time now, since highschool, throughout college and even in your newer adulthood years. You've gotten more than comfortable with each other and there are things that you do now that you didn't do when you first started dating for example, walking around half naked.

You walk around in some short shorts or sometimes just underwear, maybe underwear and a bra maybe just a shirt with no underwear or bra. You being your most raw and comfortable self with izuku turns him on to a devious extent.

No joke, despite being with you he can't help but to touch himself when you're not around. Thinking about your body and holding you close, your thighs wrapping around his head and squeezing it so tightly as if you're trying to crush it whilst he devours you. Licking and lapping at your cunt having your mind get clouded with unbearable lust.

He feels dirty for touching himself when you're right there. But sometimes he fears you won't want to try new things so unfortunately he has to imagine it!! Poor thing :(

Eventually my love brings it up to you and you end up trying whatever his heart desires.

“ will you... sit on my face? please..?”

“ ’zu, baby.. I'm not so sure. don’ wanna crush you...”

But he insists that you won't, he assures you that this is what he wants, to feel your weight on top of his face to drown in your sopping cunt. He wants it, yearns for it. You've been together for so long and have never fully sat on his face, afraid of what might happen but everything you're afraid of is truly what he wants!!

So there you are, rocking your hips on your lovers face while he groans deeply inside of your dripping cunt. He slurps and sucks all of the deliciousness that is your flavor, he's so happy that you've finally allowed him to eat you like he truly wanted to!

“ thank you’— ....th’nkyou s’much..”

You can hardly hear him from how loud your moaning letting yourself out of the layer of fear you had. He truly loved you and you felt it, by the way he ate you out.

But it didn't stop there, oh no. Trying new things turned to things you never would've assumed he was into. Thanks to porn he's realized he's into alot. Thigh fucking, dumbification, bondage and more....... So, much, more..

But he promised to keep it pretty tame as it is your first time trying out new things!!! He lies you down on your back and throws your legs over his shoulders keeping your thighs together, he quickly sheds his pants and hesitantly sticks his cock between your plush thighs.

You lightly squeeze around his cock and he groans deeply, throwing his head back and accidentally bucking his hips. He bites his lips before looking down at you with literal hearts in his eyes.

“, oh baby... ‘m’na cum already...”

Slow thrusts through your meaty thighs already has him shivering. He sighs shakily and continues to move his cock through your legs little whines leaving as he slowly melts his eyelids slowly shutting with a low whimper, his brows furrowing making him look so submissive, it's just so sweet to see your precious man lose himself using you. The bare minimum already has him going feral.

He truly was an animal and you know he wanted more, but something about teasing him was just so enlightening. You could feel his hips picking up pace his breaths quickening and his expression moving into a concentrated look.

“ not yet baby,”

His breath hitches and he soon stopped with a stutter to his hips as he came to a complete stop.

“, h- huh...?”

“ don't get too excited. don’ wan’ it to be over too soon, hm?”

He breath was quivering and he looked so desperate to cum. Just so needy for more, he sucked up his neediness and gave you a quick nod with a determined look and began slowly jerking his hips into your thighs once more, the low sound of skin against skin plapping going straight to his head, before he was chasing his high, now he has the time to actually be in the moment with what's happening.

Listening to the lewd noises, seeing your amused face, all of it added on to the pleasure, slight embarrassment and nervousness of being watched simply egged him on more, adding more fuel to the fire if you will.

“ that's it baby. fuck my thighs, yeah?”

“ ohh.... oh fuck yeah.. mmph..~”

Once more izuku accidentally sped up his hips. Whining as he felt his orgasm impending.

“ I think..- I think I'm gonna cum.”

He took the time to actually listen to the sounds your bodies together made despite not actually touching. The slapping of skin sounded so dirty it had him losing himself in it. You reached out and brushed your hand over his making his breath hitch, he nearly cums at the sudden touch of you.

“ that's it baby, go ahead.”

You coo to him, making his hips speed up he groans and moans to you staring deep into your welcoming eyes the warmth your thighs are providing around his cock making him fall apart.

With your encouraging words and the way your skin felt around him he came, spurts of milky white cum dripping down your thighs and spraying all over your tummy and boobs some even reaching your face. There was so much of his sticky cum it's as if he couldn't stop cumming his cock twitching between your thighs you seen the way it pumped and pumped more cum out of the enlarged and reddened tip. It was a mesmerizing sight you never grew tired of.

You opened your legs and removed them from atop of his shoulders and gently strokes his cock assuring the last drops of his cum dropped onto your thighs.

“ thank you ‘zuku!”

You exclaim with a cheer to your voice having him whine as you continue petting his twitching cock. You gave him a warm loving smile as you looked up at him you never stopped softly touching his cock, his eyes were still lidded and full of lust and love, he sighed and had his hand gently stroke your cheek, smiling wobbly at you as his cock jolted in your stilled hands, surprised at the sudden touch from your lover.

You've seen such a look before, he needed you and his cock was clearly still hard and dripping. Who would you be if not his lovable girlfriend and help him. You pull him onto you and quickly shed the rest of your clothing together and instantly he climbed on top of you, folding your legs and making your knees reach your breasts.

You give him a smile and a nod, with that he shoved his cock inside in one full go not giving you time to adjust to the stretch or anything just going full nelson on you. He was quick to shed the muffled moans thing, letting all of his whiney breathy and slutty noises out making your laugh as he dug his thick cock into your wet cunt,

He groans lowly into your ear and chuckles, kissing your cheek while you feel his sweat drip onto you. Izuku can't help but letting his feminine sounds escape. He continued to let his sounds fall into your ear like a sweet melody fogging up your mind and having you squeeze around his cock.

“ yeah?.. like my noises baby? ngh.. fuck my cocks still sensitive...”

Its as if he was trying to be more dominating but how could he do so with moans like that? He was practically begging for you. His cock was aching and terribly overstimulated, the added pain just intensified the pleasure.

His back arched into you and he continued roughly jerking his hips into your cunt.

“ fuck!”

You groaned at the feeling of him filling you, you couldn't wait to feel his creamy cum fill you tot he broke so good like he did. Your cunt was sucking his cock so harshly into your needy heat it's as if it hadn't wanted to let him go. Izuku loved when that happened.

“ g’na cum f’ me baby? huh? ....oh-! fuck yeah..! ”

You tightened around his cock unbearably so, cumming around him while he continued to plow into you. You wrapped your arms around him and he buried his face into your neck inhaling your scent and feeling the heat pool in the spot.

His eyes rolled and he grunted in your ear repeatedly huffing out mumbled and mushed together words that sounded like praise and degradation at the same time, you couldn't wrap your head around it as you were already losing your mind from the mind breaking orgasm he gave you.

Izuku loved filling you up, it was his favourite thing about you letting him fuck you raw. Feeling his cum inside of you while he continued to move his hips, the noises it made, it was all so illuminating. The intense feeling that clouded the both of you as you shared each other like this.

Izuku was glad he could feel such a feeling once more, burying his cock to the hilt inside of you cumming hard and filling you. He let out a whiney moan as his eyes crossed slightly, they fluttered shut as he collapsed on top of you.

You two untangled yourselves and embraced one another wrapping yourselves around each other. You both caught your breath and laughed full of air together. Just trying your best to talk about whatever you could before you fell asleep together, his arms wrapped around your body tightly. He kissed your forehead and laid his head atop of yours with a sigh before letting slumber take over him aswell.

AN:I hope this was as good to you as it was to write if that makes sense, thank you, and you're welcome

[biibini]

Heyy!! I really love your modern!mizu work sm 😭😭🫶 I was wondering if you could please write how modern Mizu would act when her and reader have an argument? Tysm if u do!!

modern!mizu in arguments

tags: modern!mizu is rlly sweet but ngl u spooked her a sec , tw: midterms , college au , reader is lowk mean & crazy from all the stress , resolved in the end ♥︎

a/n: just bc i want to be levi’s wife doesnt mean i’m leaving mizu just yet <3 my past few quarters have been beating my ass (im finally surviving)

modern!mizu would be the type of person to get anxious if something goes wrong at the beginning of ur relationship

and let her fight or flight kick in

bc she let her guard down the first time around (thanks m*k*o)

tbh i wouldnt rlly imagine yall getting into a fight

but i feel if a fight did happen, it would most likely stem from misunderstanding and misinterpretations of what u guys say

for example, a small argument at the beginning spooked her due to her previous relationship having little to no communication

before the first argument, u had just gotten home from a long school day filled with lectures, annoying group mates, and a senseless amount of studying

midterm season was approaching

things were a lil tense

u had hoped to destress and maybe cuddle with ur gf instead of being crammed into a dorm with two other girls with their crazy studying schedules

only to find her busy with her work

“I’m home!”, you yell into the hallway. The rain had just started pouring and you were sopping wet. Thank goodness your laptop was safe, but the rest of your clothes weren’t.

“Anyone home? Hello?”

Frustratedly, you jangle the keys out of the door. They sure wanted to be stubborn with you today after ALL the things you witnessed today.

An early lecture class that you were half awake at. A failed attempt at working with your group mates for your communications class, with Akemi being the only person that actually showed up. Your teacher becoming the strictest they’ve ever been. It wasn’t your fault that he’s going a divorce, but it sure feels like it.

And after all that came your awaited time to study. Only to find your favorite places filled to the brim with students who giggled and gossiped in their corners, making the noises grow larger and larger. God, freshman are the worst.

You were on the verge of insanity.

The sudden change in weather nearly pushed you to your edge.

Arriving at the apartment sopping wet, you were relieved to finally take off your wet shoes by the door, hoping to finally unwind and let go of the annoyance of the day.

With no answer to your call, you assumed it was an empty apartment and huffed, attempting to let go of all the stresses from the day. You hung your bag, letting it dry from the pouring rain. Little did you know how fucked you would be when you opened the bag to find your lecture notes, damp from the rain.

Sent over the edge, you throw your notebook onto the kitchen counter in an attempt to dry the papers. You were so screwed if they weren’t dry by the midterm this week.

You cursed as you dig up the rest of the contents in your bag, only to find them damp and wet from the rain. The only thing that truly stayed dry was your laptop due to its case.

“God, fucking damnit.”, you swore to yourself, continuing to lay out all the contents.

First, your things needed to dry NOW. Without those notes, you would be going into that midterm blind.

Now, it was you next.

You stormed into Mizu’s bedroom, fueled with rage and annoyance from everything today. It all felt like it was crashing down with every step you took. The tiredness, the annoyance, the wetness, the heavy weight of your drenched clothes. You couldn’t wait to take off everything and be dry & clean.

The door swings open right in front of you, hitting you face first. You step back to find Mizu with headphones on, wide-eyed, realizing what she just did. In the brief silence, you could hear the faint noise of the drums and bass being blasted into her headphones.

That was your final straw.

“Oh shit, sorry Y/N, I didn’t know you were home-”

“You couldn’t hear me lose my shit just now?”, you snapped. “Really now?”

“Y/N? What’s going on?”

At this point, you were too tired to care.

“What’s going on is that I’m wet, I’m fucked for my midterm tomorrow, and I just- I just need to go take this shit off.”, you huff, pushing past Mizu.

Before you can even move past her, Mizu grabs your forearm, pulling you back from your momentum.

"Hey.", Mizu said in a sincere tone while squeezing your arm, hoping to meet your gaze.

"What.", you snapped at her.

"I'm not the only person who's busy here.", she retorted.

You looked back to spot her eyes, dead and exhausted, forming dark spots under her eyes. You could tell how worn out she was, staring at formulas and mismanaged group projects all day. Her dull hair was in a disheveled bun, barely hanging onto the butterfly clip you had bought her a few weeks ago.

"Look, I've been working on these midterm projects all day too. My project group mates barely did their shit and our capstone check-in is coming in so soon… I need to catch up now and—“

“Could you at least be aware of your surroundings when you do work on your projects?”, you scoff as you past her and grab a towel and a hair dryer.

You walk back to your damp belongings, hoping you make it in time to minimize the damage. What you didn’t expect was your girlfriend also following your footsteps.

“Y/N, please…”

You wipe your chargers and pencil cases dry. You’re glad they’re safe and secure. As for your notes, you fear that’s a different story.

“Honey…”

You heard her but to be frank, your priorities was your drenched notebook, currently sopping up all the rainwater. You plug in the hairdryer and immediately get to work, hoping it’ll be enough to save you for the midterm coming next week. Some of the ink starts to bleed. You can only hope for readability as the pages on the notebook start to lighten.

“Y/N.”, she calls out.

You turn up the heat settings of the hairdryer as you continue to point the air on the important notes. It becomes more readable.

“Y/N!”

“WHAT.”, you snap back.

You look back in annoyance and see Mizu behind you with a house fan in her hands, eyes widen. You fear your response was a little too loud as you spot the power cord tremble in her hands.

Oh Mizu…

“Um, I’ll just put the fan here.“, Mizu states, whipping around in hopes of plugging in the fan quickly.

“Mizu, wait, I didn’t mean to—“

“No, it’s okay.”, she cuts you off. “I’ll just… um… I’ll just—”

You can hear the stammer in her voice. You reach for her arm before she can hide away. It’s cool to the touch, almost cold.

“Mizu, I—”

She turns around to look at you. Her eyes used to look tired but now they’re so shaken. God, you forgot how much words hurt.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at your earlier and now. I was so absorbed and stressed with midterms and the rain and everything about today. I’m so sorry, I should not have exploded like that in front of your face, especially since you have midterms as well. Mizu, I’m just so—”

“Overwhelmed?”

You sigh, “Very.”

A small smile grows on Mizu’s face. You let go of her forearm and smile back.

“Me too honey. Me too.”, she sighs in relief. “C’mere.”

Her left arm wraps around your waist, pulling you to her side. Were you a little damp? Yeah. Did she care at this moment? Not a chance.

“After we get these notes all nice and dry, do you want to take a nice, warm bath and you’ll talk about your day and I’ll talk about mine…”

Your face warms up as her hand starts to slowly feel up and down your side. Her touch felt so warm and welcoming.

“Mmhm”, you hum in agreement.

Her mouth slowly inched towards your ear, her breath dancing over your lobes.

“and maybe, afterwards, some de-stressing?”, she hints, breathily. You don’t need to look at her to know she’s smirking.

“I wouldn’t be opposed.”, you tease.

Besides, Ringo wouldn’t be back until next week.

Mizu places a kiss on your cheek. She plugs the fan, double checking to make sure it is aiming at your notebook, as well as your bag.

“Thank you for your helping, Mizu.”, you say as you kiss her on the cheek.

“No worries.”, Mizu says as she grins, pulling you to her again to steal another kiss. “We’re both stressed, we need breaks every once in a while.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t count that last part as a break—”, you jokingly question.

“It’s a maybe… just putting the thought out there.”, Mizu defends, putting her hands up.

After your notebooks are dry, you notice that most of your notes are fine. Thankfully, you remembered Akemi was in the class and were able to get her digital notes from her iPad.

As shitty as your day first started, it couldn’t come close to the end of your day. You got your hot bath and rant, as promised. And maybe that last step too.

[clawsdevour]

༻°. aone bf hcs

wc: 0.5k content warning: fluff, slight smut, aged up, post-time skip, my shitty writing, not proofread

໒*:･🛡️

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to have a hard time expressing his feelings and love towards you but he tries his best to communicate it with small but meaningful gestures. For example, he'd boldly declare his love for you with his resting serious face.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to respect all of your boundaries even if you didn't even tell him what they are. He'd easily pick up on the things that cross the line and remember these little details.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to be not very familiar with physical touch. However, he finds it cute and likes it whenever you're the one giving him your warm touch. When you're holding hands, he'd walk so stiff and try not to swing his arm from being so happy.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to immediately apologize and rights his wrongs if you end up in an argument. He'd bow down and give you the most sincere and gentle apology, wondering what went wrong and thinking about solutions to work around the hurdle.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to always show you this lighter version of himself. His facial features are more soft, he's more prone to have this cute subtle smile on his face whenever he's around you.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to turn a light pink shade whenever he feels a bit flustered or shy with you. You could be discussing about having a date and he'd be pondering about it in his mind, happy with the thought that he's able to spend private time with just you.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to be very honest and formal with your parents which makes them think that he's a very serious person also due to his resting face. They'll later find out that he's a very affectionate person through his smaller interactions and thoughtful words about you.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to shove you full of his cock to the point where he doesn't even need to find your sweet spot because he's able to hit all your spots just being inside you. Aone would also be playing between your sopping wet folds with his fingers while he's at it.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to enjoy pounding into you in a cuddling position while peppering your face with his gentle kisses. His pace is consistent until you tell him to go harder and faster to which he'd oblige in a rough manner till you finish.

-Aone, the type of boyfriend to love whenever you just lay on him with all your weight because he can't feel it with his bigger body under you. He enjoys the warmth your body radiates, wrapping his hands around your torso just basking in your scent under the sheets.

masterlist here

[my-naughty-writings-and-musings]

Starscream x Skyfire

NSFW, Size Difference

I recently came across this absolutely amazing animation by @fuccerito and I just had to write something for it!! Please enjoy Starscream being shown a very good time by his much larger lover and check out their amazing art when you're done <3

Skyfire always managed to be both lovingly gentle and completely in control every time they interfaced, and for all of his expansive intellect, Starscream had yet to figure out how this perfect balance was accomplished. In his defense, his only opportunity to study the phenomenon happened to be at a time when he was usually incapable of complex thought. Now was a perfect example of the processor deadening effects of Skyfire's spike, but as always, he didn't have the capacity to recognize it. There were far more engrossing things to focus on as the larger mech held him aloft over his exposed lap.

Already quite heated and eager for the massive spike below, the Seeker could only whimper in need as Skyfire maneuvered him into position, lining up his sopping valve over the throbbing tip of his length. Starscream let out a much needier sound as the heat pressed against his entrance, and he tried in vain to push his hips downwards to get it inside. The action made his lover chuckle affectionately, and he brought their helms together for a tender nuzzle before  bringing their lips together. A soft whine into his mouth compelled him to give the smaller mech what he wanted.

With only one arm needed to hold his delicate frame aloft, Starscream was lowered swiftly but smoothly onto the eager spike below, and he gladly spread his legs around Skyfire's chest to accommodate the stretch. Despite having taken it countless times before, he still let out a high pitched keen at the penetration, helm rolling back and optics squeezing shut as he felt the broad girth filling him up. There wasn't an ounce of resistance from his slick and eager valve as he took the girth with experienced ease. Rather, he clamped down on his mate the moment he felt him hit his maximum depth, wanting to feel that glorious fullness forever in his lusty haze.

Skyfire chuckled again, then secured his grip behind the smaller mech's back and got to work.

As always, he was careful in the beginning, using his greater strength to effortlessly slide Starscream a short distance up and down his length in a series of cautious, restrained thrusts. Each was met with a delightful, gasp of pleasure and not a trace of resistance, which told him he was in the clear to turn things up. Bracing his other arm against the floor, Skyfire gave no warning before he started to pound, sliding Starscream up and down his spike without a trace of effort. It was just the way they liked it most. 

Red optics went wide and stars burst before them. Moaning without restraint, Starscream ventilated hard and fast as the massive spike slid in and out of him at breakneck speeds, their hips loudly clanking together every time he was dropped back down to engulf the spike below. Were his arms free he'd have grabbed a hold of his lover for stability, but with them pinned he merely leaned into Skyfire and quivered from helm to pede, wings fluttering without his knowledge as euphoria made him steadily lose control. Colors continued to swirl in his vision each time he was thrust downwards, his frame so weightless in Skyfire's massive hand he was practically being used as a toy. 

Skyfire couldn't pretend to be completely in control as his overload started to build, the tight, wet heat of his mate's arousal bringing him to the start of a swift conclusion. Ventilations growing haggard and desperate, he paid close attention to the way his lover increased his volume, going from gasps of delight to cries of desperate ecstasy as he closed in on his own overload. The already tight valve around him began to pulse and flutter, forcing the larger mech to fight against the urge to blow his load then and there. Never once had he finished before his tiny lover...

Ever unknowingly merciful, Starscream didn't make him wait very long for release. Shaking so hard he rattled his armor, the Seeker flushed hot pink as the wave of release crashed into him without warning. Lube flowed down into Skyfire's lap as his valve spasmed in white hot ecstasy, milking the spike inside of him for everything it had and filling his frame with a dizzying rush of euphoria like no other. Skyfire allowed himself to truly let go once his lover started to come undone.

Tightening his grip, he pushed Starscream all the way down, fully sheathing his spike just as his own overload finally claimed him. Moaning into the smaller mech's audial, he came in ropes of transfluid so thick and hot his lover felt them squirting inside of him, the excess gushing out between them as Skyfire lightly bounced his hips. At the peak of his own ecstasy, Starscream was reduced to pitiful, breathless sounds of helpless delight as he took every last bit of his lover's load. Skyfire dropped his gaze to admire how much of a mess he'd made of the high class scientist.

Wings pinned down and twitching at the overwhelming pleasure tingling through him like an electrical storm, the tiny Seeker was reduced to a whimpering mess by the time the release inside of him slowed, his valve so stuffed it overflowed all over the berth below. Tilting his gaze upwards, Starscream went from helpless gaping to a dazed smirk of satisfaction as their optics met, and he allowed himself to go limp in the other's grasp. The heat of ecstasy cooled into the comfortable warmth of the afterglow.

Skyfire let out a deep vent as he too shifted into the bliss of gratification, so completely content he could have fallen into recharge on the spot. Keeping his lover supported effortlessly, he smiled as Starscream began to purr against him, compelling him to nuzzle their helms together with a returning sound of affection. The smaller seeker made no effort to move as the spike inside of him softened and retracted, allowing Skyfire more time to sit and enjoy the moment. It was obvious they'd both need a shower after this, but with the two of them so tired yet comfortable, neither was in a rush to get that started. For now, they were quite content to rest together in the privacy of their bedroom. The whole world could wait forever for all they cared...

[sorrowandchartreuse]

A writer's guide to describing passing out

Because i just passed out (again) and the second thing i thought of upon waking up was that glazed donut no mark save it for your art post, here is a list of what you could use when writing about characters passing out:

Beforehand:

you're going to feel really, really lightheaded. for me, that's what starts it all off. it's going to feel like when you stand up too fast, but it never goes away. your head doesn't clear

eventually, that lightheadedness feeds into a tv static sort of fuzziness. your head is whirring, almost. it's like a really drawn out buzz. you feel it in your forehead, in your jaw, in your ears.

your mouth starts to get thick, too. that tv static moves in there. your teeth start to feel fuzzy, especially the front and back ones.

by now, youre shaking and your limbs are heavy. at this point, i know to sit down, but it depends on your characters! is this regular enough of an occurance for them to know to sit? are they going to reach out to another character because they know what's going on? or are they going to reach out because they don't know what's going on? do their knees buckle and they fall while all alone?

it's all very disorienting at this point in the process. you have enough sense to form thoughts, but they're not all that coherent. words? not going to be that coherent either

During:

you can't pinpoint the exact moment you pass out. at least, i can't.

when you're passed out, there can be certain degrees to alertness. for example, i've had times where it feels like years pass but it's only a few seconds. i've had it feel almost like im in a really foggy dream. i've had times where i dont remember anything from it. most recently, i didn't remember passing out itself, but i remembered waking myself up from it. it was a very conscious struggle, where i knew i was passed out and i needed to wake up now

does your character remain somewhat alert? do they enter a dream-like haze? what's waiting for them there? i've seen faces and shapes there.

i personally can't feel when someone is touching me while i'm passed out, regardless of degree of alertness

do they know that being passed out is Just Not Right? do they wake themselves up?

Afterward:

you pee. that's just the deal. your bladder is going to release. i know this is not romantic, but like man thats just what happens.

peeing, like most things, could hold a plot point. who cleans your character up? or if they're on their own, how do they clean themselves up?

youre also drenched in sweat. just absolutely sopping in sweat. passing out loves the release of excess body fluids. its sexy like that

mention sweat on their neck, their forehead, their hair pressed down by it. do they wipe it off? do they have the strength to? if they don't, does someone else?

your face will have no color. describe this, but don't stop at the face. your character's lips will also be drained of it.

you will be wobbly. standing up, even sitting up, is going to involve a lot of shaking.

when you first talk, it won't be loud (fuzzy tongue, remember?) so it takes a couple tries to get what you want to say out. or if you do get it out right away, it surfaces extremely weak

it's important after you pass out to get fluids in you. not just water, but orange juice, cocoa, anything that will get you awake again. who gives this to your character? if there are multiple characters present when your character passes out, who won't leave their side and who runs to get something for them to drink, knowing it will help them?

your hands will shake lifting anything

it takes 3-5 minutes for me to regain color again

it takes about 5-10 minutes for me to feel normal again, but this likely depends on the person and how often passing out occurs for them

Please keep in mind this is based soley on my own experiences! also please feel free to add on! i hope this helps!

[calciumdeficientt]

HAAAAI *twirls hair* care to write sum headcanons about my boy Colt? (THIS IS @redninjaoutfit 😋)

Colt De Luca is my son. I found him sopping wet in a cardboard box on the side of the road and I raised him as my own.

COLT DE LUCA HCS

He always sorta knew that he was gonna follow in his brother’s footsteps. He’s always looked up to Lucky, even if he doesn’t always appreciate his helicopter-parent way of keeping him safe and on the right track. While he calls his brother out for his hypocrisy, especially on the grounds of smoking, he knows that deep down it’s Lucky’s way of showing he cares.

EXCELS in art class, to the point that his artwork is shown as examples to other classes (including the older years) and is displayed throughout the classroom. He has a real natural talent for art, and he’s constantly working to improve upon his previous works.

Speaking of constantly painting it is always ALL OVER him. His hands, his shoes, his jeans, his hair. He just cant seem to get it off him, and because I like to think that primarily he works with oil paints, that shit does not come out, and often means he has stained skin. One time he walked into the auto shop with some red paint on his face and all the greasers jumped to go and find who’d hurt him. He had to explain to them that he’d been doing a life drawing of some tomatoes and had wiped his brow with the back of his paint encrusted hand.

Tries hard to do right by his brother but its just so hard when he’s been practically joined to the hip to the biggest bad influence in the greasers for his entire life. Lefty and Colt balance each other out. They’re ying and yang, opposite, complimentary, and one cannot exist without just a liiiittle bit of the other. Colt is zen, and peacekeeping, but he can walk the walk if he has to scuffle. Whereas lefty is bold and brash, but carries a little bit of sensitivity in him.

Gives me totally bonkers hippie vibes. Maybe it’d because he’s a sensitive soul, but I can just picture him with his hair down and out of his little coiffure, maybe a tie dye shirt, and some kind of beaded necklace on. He’s still got the paint covered jeans on, but they really tie the whole look together. He’s all about peace, love and understanding. And its coming from a genuine place too, a totally clean mind, because if Lucky even so much as suspected he was doing drugs he’s be picked up by the scruff of the neck and wrung out like a damp dish-towel.

Totally gets referred to as “Lucky’s brother” almost exclusively. This is done a lot by older students, and often means he has to play messenger for his brother who is VERY easy to find. The teachers also do this, but they also call him by his brother’s name. he doesnt think he and Lucky look that similar, but its clearly enough for teaches to grab him, demanding he turn in assignments that are most definitely not at his grade level. Maybe its because of the hair, they both have pretty distinct carrot tops.

[thejoyofseax]

Ormthing 2024 Feast

The feast for Ormthing is done, and having that last major SCA obligation for the year out of the way seems to have broken the dam on getting some writing up of stuff done too. Well, that, and being on a ferry for four hours on the way back with little enough to do; I was on the verge of feeling bored for a few minutes there.

The idea for Ormthing (a 4-5 day camping event at Caldicot Castle in South Wales) was to produce a Norman feast. Norman is not one of the cuisines from which I often cook, so a little research was in order first. Magnifica Magdelena Grace Vane helped with that, and indeed would have been my co-cook for the event had circumstances of modern life not gotten in her way. It would appear that there's very little out there about Norman food, though. There's more known about WHAT was eaten than there is about early Irish food, for example, but there aren't recipes or many coherent accounts. What's there is not massively different from the 14th-15th century English and French food I think of as "generic medieval", though it's argued in some places to be simpler, and in some to have more in the way of spices and bold tastes - the latter coming from Norman contact with the Arabic world via Sicily. The best guess at a feast menu would therefore be roast meats in plenty, bread, some strong tasting sauces, and - in August - quite a lot of fruit. I also guessed that fritters of some kind would have been available. So with these parameters, I went about constructing a three course feast.

Of course, account had to be taken of the actual circumstance of the feast (evening, after a day in which there were already two tournaments, including the Principality Coronet Tourney, and would be a third to follow, in the castle courtyard by torchlight) and the diners. So I went for having the "main food" of the feast in the first course, with stronger tastes and sweeter things to follow. I reckoned that five roast meats per course with fish to vary would be too much - and indeed, in the unavilability of things like swan, heron, and porpoise - it might be difficult enough to make it to fifteen different meats.

So the initial plan was:

Course the First: Roast Beast (Venison or Beef) Frumenty Chicken Pottage Vegetables

Course the Second: Fish in Aspic Chicken on Sops White Fish in a Fruit Sauce Vegetables

Course the Third: Roast Duck Baked Orchard Fruit Dates in Compost Cream & Honey Fritters

… with bread for all courses.

This did not entirely survive contact with reality. I have done fish in aspic before - indeed, I once did a beautifully clear aspic with a whole trout suspended in it - and nobody, including myself, would actually touch the thing. Aspic is one of those things which sound weird, and turn out to look alien. So I decided not to do that, and replaced that with little dishes of anchovies, which I reckoned would convey the strong taste, and not offend as many people. I was able to get pickled mussels as well, so they were added in.

The vegetables for the first course were buttered turnips and creamed leeks, and for the second, stewed cabbage and a bean pottage.

Master Richard of Salesberie was able to source excellent meat for me, about two-thirds venison and one-third beef. It did, however, arrive from the farm shop already diced, so the idea of roasting it went by the wayside. Instead, I decided to brown it in a pan, and then bake it "in gobbets".

Due to various happenings of availability and illness, I wasn't able to have any of my usual kitchen crew along, but there were volunteers from the big island: Lady Julian ferch Luned, Lady Milada von Schnecken, The Honourable Lady Amphelise de Wodeham, and Halvar Darylson, all good cooks in the their own right. We had a relaxed kitchen with no particular rush, and indeed we were able to take breaks to go see bits of the tourneys, check in on family, and so forth. Early in the day, I saw my lady, Master Agnes Boncuer, have her champion Master Alexander of Derlington take the Coronet for her, which made the high table rather more familiar in terms of tastes and needs.

The kitchen in Caldicot is a modern one, situated just off the banquet hall. It's not big, and with five people in there, it was full. It also came without pots and pans, and there were no trays that would fit the steam oven. We knew about the pots in advance, so Amphelise - who accompanied me shopping, doing the driving and money-handling - and I picked up some the day before. We discovered the lack of suitable trays about three hours before serving, but the baked fruit went into a (slow) gas oven, and disposable roasting trays were procured at speed from the village - by whom I don't know, but I'm very grateful to them! The gas hob and the steam oven were excellent, though, and there was a dishwasher in a separate room.

The menu looks somewhat deceptively simple; there was a LOT of peeling and chopping of fruit and vegetables. We were able to do quite a lot of that during the day and get things going, so we weren't rushed, but I'm taking note of that for future reference, and might consider either some degree of prepping stuff the day before, or buying pre-chopped ingredients where possible.

We had people eating in three places - in the banqueting hall, in a smaller hall down a corridor and some stairs, and then more outside (and down a steep stairs), under a sunshade in the courtyard. This meant that service pretty much had to be to the tables, rather than my usual preference for a buffet. And we hadn't suitable serving dishes for most of what was there, so it was largely a matter of sending out the pots. Master Robert of Canterbury, Lord Trygg of Eplaheimr, Dominic of Flintheath, Lord Etienne the Younger, Kit of Flintheath, Taliesin Denet, and Sidney of Flintheath did excellent work, coping admirably with heavy loads and much stair-climbing.

Everything seemed to be well received, in general. I heard good things about the venison, the turnips, the chicken pottage, the pickled mussels, the chicken on sops, the sweet-and-sour fruit sauce for the fish (but not necessarily the fish itself, I noted), the duck, the orchard fruits, and the fritters. By the time of the duck and the fritters, the torchlight pas d'armes was under way, so I was able to wander round with the dishes and hand them out to the crowd, which is one of my very favourite things to do. We had more than was necessary of pretty much everything after the first course, so if I'm doing something like this again, I'd cut back on the quantities in the second and third courses.

Almost all the feedback I've had was good (with a couple of comments on the blandness of some dishes, but that's countered by others saying they were grateful for the edibility of those). Overall, I'm happy with how things went, considering the limitations of the kitchen and the service - there are things I'd do differently if I'm cooking there again, but that's always the case for the first use of a kitchen. I'll write up a document for the next person using it, and I can at least say that nobody went hungry!

[wiltking]

finished my ARC of Reclaimed by seth haddon. full official review under the cut if you're curious but tldr; that was a rough one.

enjoyed the intro and setup and concept, and Saba's sopping wet misery for the most part. but most of my experience was considering whether or not I should DNF once the romance got started, side characters were introduced, and the plot spun apart. and even though the trans focus was the most interesting part of the book for me i cant recommend it on that alone, because Saba's self loathing is pretty miserable for 90% of the book, and there were some glaring inconsistencies... with his own inconsistencies.

At first, this had all the makings of a 4 or 5 star book. There was so much going on in the beginning that struck so many of my personal interests. I liked the story setup: both the gravity of the situation and Saba's conflicting emotions regarding it, especially his 'selfish' motivation that lead to the catastrophe at the heart of the book. I will go to bat for messy transgender characters any day of the week, and throughout the book Saba's inner turmoil regarding his body, sense of self, and his drive to change his body at the expense of everyone and anything else -- all tied up with his guilt, anger, grief and ambition -- was my favorite element by far. Even when it was painful and depressing to see him struggle with his body as a trans reader myself. His motivation was a great catalyst for the story and I was very interested in the mystery/investigation vibe the book opened with. And of course the size difference between him and the love interest was an immediate draw as well.

However. Despite Saba and Zek being interesting characters on their own, their romance struggled to captivate me. Which is hard to say, because they had some genuinely good moments throughout the book. But too many scenes came off as the author nudging them together rather than it feeling like an organic connection between the characters themselves. And too much of it felt rather juvenile, given the circumstances and the heavy tone introduced from the beginning, and the stakes at play.

For the remaining 2/3rds I frequently considered DNFing due to this loss of interest in the romance, but also because the plot itself lost its edge, with pacing and plot decisions that felt awkward, and even inconsistencies in the writing itself (one example: where characters were described as climbing out of a gig only to be inexplicably seated in it again a few pages later).

There were also several pet peeves prevalent: from an overabundance of winking, to numerous side characters acting way too invested in Saba and Zek's relationship, even when they were barely witness to it or weren't exactly friends to either of them. As well as the casual and frequent use of the word 'slut' to describe Saba's pretty normal feelings of desire. Which brings me into another issue regarding Saba's past experiences with sex, which is only briefly described towards the end of the book and really threw me for a loop, because of how casual his sex life apparently has been up to this point when so much of his anxiety is rooted around his body and how others gender it under every circumstance. Anxiety around sex and intimacy is a real and complex thing among some trans people, but his past experiences felt wildly overlooked and dissonant compared to where we meet him as a reader. I would have liked more insight into how he overcame these anxieties with previous encounters when his anxiety has such a major grip over him through the course of this book. Especially when it seems (by implication) he might've been having sex early in his transition, or even before it. It was either a missed opportunity to add further depth to Saba's complex feelings on sex, or a very huge contradiction, to write his past in this way. But with how briefly this point was glossed over, there wasn't enough to work with either way, and that makes me very sad.

Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book outside the first 20% or so. But I appreciate Saba's character -- for his complexities and motivations and messy emotions. I appreciate the attempt made to tell an interesting trans story heavily focused on an unconventional means of transition. I appreciate that Zek had his own (perceived) bodily imperfections. And even though the execution didn't land its mark, and I'm not sure I would really recommend this book, I can at least walk away with these positives.

[sotwk]

I had a fun Silvan Elf question for you!

A fic I'm writing takes place primarily in Mirkwood, with a heavy focus on the Silvan Elves - and one aspect of their speech that I kind of want some advice on is this: do the Silvan Elves have any slang words or phrases?

Oh gosh, I'm gonna answer this one quickly cause I honestly don't have anything particularly brilliant to say. XD

I confess I'm not much of a linguist, and apart from coming up with translations for Elvish names, nicknames and titles as needed for the story or worldbuilding, I'm not the sort of Tolkien writer who injects Elvish phrases in fics.

Since Silvan wasn't developed thoroughly by Tolkien, there are very few resources out there to work with in constructing a fan version of the language. My own method is to just sorta twist Sindarin around and hope no Tolkien linguist nails me for it. XD

I view Silvans in Middle-earth as the rough cultural equivalent of Southerners in the United States, and I mean that in a good way. They're a bit rough around the edges and enjoy a simpler lifestyle, but they are very good with the land, strong in their communities, and proud of their heritage.

Southerners are known for their slang terms and colloquialisms, and a lot of them connect to food and nature--very Silvan-like! Here are some examples:

"Enough money to burn a wet mule"

"Madder than a wet hen"

"Happy as a dead pig in the sunshine"

"I could just sop you up with a biscuit"

"Full as a tick"

"As easy as sliding off a greasy log backward"

"Fish or cut bait"

I think you get the point. XD Like I said, I wouldn't translate these English phrases into Silvan, but I think the truly native Silvans use expressions like these. Thranduil with his Sindar upbringing probably doesn't use them in everyday speech, but I can see him slipping into some of it when engaging with his people. (More so on the rare occasions that he gets tipsy.) Legolas, on the other hand, probably has a TON of fun with it.

I remember fondly an LOTR shitpost somewhere about Frodo trying to chat up Legolas in his formal, book-learned Sindarin/Elvish and Legolas being "what the hell are you talking about, mate??". Even though in my mind, Legolas is learned enough to recognize a variety of dialects, I just think that situation is so hilarious and super accurate at the same time.

This response probably wasn't much help, but I hope it inspires your Mirkwood Silvan writings! :)

[fluffypotatey]

alright so:

secret life smp is the latest installment in the life series, a series of minecraft death games where everyone has three lives, and people on their last (red) life become hostile. (this series is commonly called some variation of the "traffic light/life" series as each life corresponds to a color: green, yellow, or red.) after you lose your last life, you are out of the game and your series ends.

each iteration of the life series (its official name) has a different gimmick, and secret life's is twofold: 1), instead of having the normal row of ten hearts, everyone starts with 30 hearts- however, their health does not regenerate, and 2) at the start of each session (they play for 3 hour sessions all together once per week), everyone is assigned a secret task, which they must complete. they regain hearts by completing their tasks successfully, and (usually) they don't lose anything by failing.

that's the background context

and now we get to the actual character this is about

lizzie (channel name LDShadowLady) seemed to be starting off the series generally well- she completed her first task (write a poem about someone on the server and recite it to them) pretty easily, but then basically the rest of her series was just Struggle After Struggle

it was like murphy's law. everything that couldve gone wrong for her did. for the next several sessions, she ended up just getting terrible tasks (for example, one of them was "get the entire server to sleep through the night." do you know how hard it is to get 16 adult minecraft players to do Anything).

generally, these servers split up into factions pretty quickly, and this one was no different. lizzie, though- she didn't end up in one. she was alone against the world (which, when you play minecraft with the energy of an extremely paranoid, sopping wet bichon frise (<- literally googled "most anxious dog breeds" to get the vibes for that one), is not great). the closest thing she had to an ally was her husband joel (who was 1: mainly loyal to his own faction, and 2: accidentally caused 2 out of her 3 deaths.)

during week 5, she held a slumber/birthday party at her base, and invited the entire server to come to it (this was her trying to get everyone to sleep through the night). only one person showed up (it was her husband again). she failed her task because of this, and decided to invisibly ride around the server on a skeleton horse with no armor to sulk. which ended in her death, and put her on her last life

the very next session, she tried her best to kill people (her job as a red life), and to get revenge on those who had wronged her (so, everyone). it didnt go well, and with her own bad luck, she died falling into the void

she didnt have to die. her death was a direct result of her trying to do a favor for her husband, and there were so many moments where it could've been avoided. but it wasn't. she was the first to lose her last life and get eliminated from the series

the only person to even mourn her was joel. more people celebrated her death than mourned it. and im just supposed to be Normal about that

hey what the fuck

[remnantglow]

Hey mar! For the book ask game, 32, 36, and 37! I think I can guess the first two (Martha Wells and Murderbot, and if so, same). Also, if you haven't read City of Bones by Wells yet, the revised paperback just came out and even though they made the main character less of a snarky bitch (affectionate) I still adore him.

hi kemi :3

32. Name your favorite author(s).

okay BESIDES martha wells then: ursula k. le guin, p. djeli clark, ted chiang

36. Your absolute most favorite character(s) from any book you've ever read.

kakjdgnkj yeah murderbot. but also. jimothy holden my no#1 pathetic sopping wet blorbo from the expanse. and clarissa mao from the expanse as well + avrana kern from children of time… i love you fucked up women

37. The only example of your least favorite trope being written in such a way that you enjoyed it.

so. i really dont care for alien invasion (whether it's outright military invasion or "they are already here quietly taking us over from within"™️) stories. i think they're boring. i think they're a very unimaginative and anthropocentric approach to all the possibilities of alien life. and i think they tend to be a bizarre mix of pro-military stories that literally dehumanize the enemy, xenophobia/racism, straight up mccarthyism, some form of exceptionalism (whether it's american or human), "oo wouldn't it be scary if WE (white people) were colonised"… and when they do try to critique one or more of these i find they inevitably fall short somewhere else.

THAT ALL BEING SAIDDD Dawn by octavia butler.... oh my god. it's such a radical and deeply fascinating departure/subversion of both the "alien invasion" (so much so that you could probably argue whether or not it counts as one) and the "benevolent alien" i could write entire essays about it

[clangenrising]

O MAI! I caused a ramble! XD Thnxz 4 including dat u weren’t mad, I’m rlly bad @ intent so @ first I wuz scared dat I said something bad XD O yea I so getchu! Maybe I shoulda elaborated, by “punching bag” I meant like they become the sopping wet cat of cast where they can’t even get a word in w/o being called a fart munching doo doo licker, and then no1’s allowed 2 be their friend cuz they don’t deserve friends- XD Yknow dat kinda Netflix show writing- XD Don’t worry I so wasn’t expecting everysingle cat 2 be like “OMGG GHOST WE ALL LUV U NOW-“ and then they hold paws and make origami- What am I on abt- XD

(Also I luv human feline XD)

I honestly don't know what you're talking about actually haha like the only Netflix shows I can think of off the top of my head are Dungeon Meshi and She-Ra and only one of those has a villain redemption and I think it was handled incredibly well.

Do you have examples of shows that have done this? I'm honestly curious 'cause I have not experienced that kind of villain treatment myself

[thegodthief]

Things have been rough for a bit. But you are easily one of the strongest and most courageous people I know. I'm never going to let you forget it :P What has made you happiest this month, though- no matter how tiny?

Yea, so my hand slipped... :)

~~~

The frogs are back. The SoCal's IE (no, we are not unpacking that moniker) is not a wet one even though downtown San Bernardino will always be a sopping swamp no matter how many concrete and steel baffles they install underground. When I moved in to this apartment building several years ago, the frogs would begin sounding off the moment the temps dropped below 74F and continue until spring dried out into summer temps. Then new folks moved in recently and declared the frogs to be a noisome scourge and petitioned the leasing office to get rid of them.

And they did.

No more frog song in autumn.

But guess what.

The frogs are back.

The anti-pest devices are vibrating away in the landscaping but they can't put down poison because it's too close to living spaces and they can't dig out the landscaping that the frogs dig under because the city said so and they can't nuke the utility easements nearby that harbored the frogs in previous years, so the frogs adjusted to the new conditions and came back.

There's one announcing his virility even as I type this answer.

~~~

The experience of using a fountain pen. The way the nib slides across the paper. It doesn't need to be dragged. If you're dragging a fountain pen, something is wrong with the ink flow and the nib should be looked at. Using a fountain pen taught me how to have a gentle hand, and that physical experience translates to personal encounters.

Am I speaking forcefully because that's how I was raised? Because that's the example others have shown to me? Because that's what is expected of me? I surprise many people at work who expect me to be a caffeine-addled bitch barking orders about compliance and obedience and are so surprised to hear a gentle voice asking how can things be done better and what do they need to begin just so.

When I writing my language notes, the light is just right that I can see the ink's reflection change as the paper accepts it and it dries. From a shining ribbon of light, it yields to the paper and becomes a dark demarcation of intent. Here, a thought was made manifest and a mark was left upon the world. That the thought was how Marcus is stuffed with cheese is neither here nor there. It is the process that matters.

It encourages me to write more, and to write with more flourish, even though my skill is not worthy of historical records. I have shimmering inks and inks that leave a surprise hue on the edges as it dries and so many colors and so many pens, but for all the expensive pens and inks that I have, it is the $25 knockoff that has become my most used pen and a $11 bottle of black ink that I had forgotten about for a literal decade that is my most used color because the combination of those two are dependable.

~~~

Over five years ago, I purchased a zafu meditation pillow set. The zafu itself was hard as a rock (but still quite comfortable) and I wondered then how they were able to stuff it so well without popping stitches. The craftsmanship was just that good. Near daily use of the set has resulted in a nearly defeated pillow and I was unsure if the pillow could be resuscitated. The manufacturer offered a restuffing service and in looking at that cost, I was seriously considering just buying a new zafu and relegating the old one to couch duty.

I waited so long to make up my mind, I had completely missed that the manufacturer had closed up the shop, leaving me to the online wolves for purchase options. I had ordered and paid for the set I had because of the craftsmanship. It had been recommended by someone I trust. The amount I paid was not trivial and I would not be considering a random Amazon vendor to approach that same level of quality.

So I asked for recommendations for the fill and decided that the only way to restuff this pillow was to do it myself. Did you know a pound of kapok stuffing is a pillow in its own right? And that for the very low cost of the stuffing and the shipping it took to reach me, I could have purchased a new three-piece pillow set if not three new zafus?

But it wouldn't have been the same, ya know? Sure, I could have bought new cushions with synthetic fill and with cover patterns that will be pleasing to look at but how long will they last? Five years? Five months? Am I considering a cushion or one of Vimes's boots?

So last week, I took the cover off the zafu for the first time. (It never needed a run in the laundry, don't you dare judge me.) My daughter and I pored over the interior cushion for some time as we looked for the seam that was supposed to permit access to the stuffing. We admired the stitching that held up to my mass all these years and was concerned that we would have to cut through those same bulwarks when my hand literally slipped and pass through the overlapping fabric that held the stuffing in place.

No zipper, button, or lace closure was present. just several inches of overlapping fabric that when covered by the cushion cover, held all of the stuffing in place with minimal migration of anything larger than dust.

We sat on the floor and she helped me. Rather, she played with the stuffing as she handed pieces to me. And as we did as we were doing, we talked. Some things serious, and some things playful, and it was just good to be in each other's company without expectation or deadlines and the way both of our jobs have been, to just be was a comfort.

I would up putting a third of a pound of the new stuffing into the pillow. I think I overstuffed it because the cover was very tight to put back on and it took a lot of pulling and pinching to get the cover to fit in place again. But when I was done, the zafu was comfortably hard and have a nice thunk sound when struck.

It felt like rescuing a friend.

Since last week, the cushion has settled some. I'm going to give it another week before I decide if I have to put more stuffing in or not. It's a shame that the manufacturer went out of business, and I understand the business pressures of why, so keeping this set as well as I can is a priority for me. There's something about a well-crafted item that makes it worthwhile to maintain.

I could have just given up and did the more financially responsible thing of purchasing more sets with the cost of the filling. But not all returns are tangible, and I'm glad I have a way to keep this set for at least another five years.

~~~

Three little bits of happiness for you. I hope this helps.