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Sometimes you bite more than you can chew. Sometimes it’s a costly mistake, but at least it tells you what your limits are. This year, armed with a drive unheard of for me, I launched into a multifaceted goal. It would have been attainable if circumstances stayed the same as they were when the goal…
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I don’t think my experience was unique, but I do wonder if it’s becoming a thing of the past. Bear with me; it’ll make sense in a moment. I grew up during the rise of manga like Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, and I deeply identified with the heroes and their superpowers. I kid…
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The village of Staple Green clattered with the rhythm of practical hustle. It was a place defined by the sharp clang of hammers on iron, the sounds of livestock in the crowded market, and the tireless calls of merchants haggling over salted fish, fruit, and other wares. The villagers moved like well-oiled parts of a…
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The midday sun sat heavy over the meadow where Buttercup and his young trio were grazing. “Can you head back and check on Mum? I’ll be a tad later,” he bleated softly. After a moment’s fuss, since they would much rather have stayed to frolic around their father, Bramble, Clover, and Aster finally obeyed. “Stay…
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“The ground didn’t just shake,” Buttercup said, his voice dropping to a low rumble. “It groaned. For a heartbeat, Zamba stood frozen, the same fear that had hampered him at the lantern returning with a vengeance. But as he looked into the glowing throat of the earth, he realised the truth. There was no beast.…
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“The lantern was dead,” Buttercup whispered. “Total blackness. Zamba’s hooves felt like lead as he fumbled with the lantern, his grip slippery with the cold sweat of a goat who knows time is running out. In the dark, the only sound was the frantic clink-scrape, clink-scrape of stone against iron. Zamba struck the flint again…
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“I’d have headbutted it right off the cliff!” Bramble roared, charging a defenceless pine stump with a crack that echoed through the crags. He shook his head, dizzy but grinning broadly. “One hit. Boom! That’s all it takes to be a hero, right Papa?” Clover didn’t even look up from fastidiously cleaning a hoof. “You’d…
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There’s a lot I wish I was better at. But to pick one thing in particular, I wish I was better at practical skills. It probably stems from how I feel about them. It’s a combination of them boring me, meaning I’m not interested in them, which then leads to me not learning enough to…
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Picture the scene. Paris, France, a very long time ago. My toddler self managed to find his way onto the balcony of our flat. I don’t know exactly which floor we lived on, but in my memory, it looked like maybe it was the fourth floor. Edit: Checked with mum, it was the second floor.…
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If you’ve been walking this path with me, you’ll know the mission for 2025 was bold, verging on audacious: The Triple Impact. The goal was to make a significant dent on the music, writing, and website fronts. So, how did we do? We hit a snag. Then another. Then another. 2025 has been tough. Eventually,…
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Marble glared at Cecil. Cecil had turned the sun-drenched pond into his own stage; The swan’s serene grace only amplified Marble’s rage. “Look at him,” Marble muttered. “White as morning light. Prancing like a model. And me? I look like coal with white paint stains.” Marble’s nest was a dazzling treasure trove: coins, buttons, foil,…
