Hearth & Quill Press

Hey World Builders! Its Build Together day 506. Today's prompt comes from ScrubbbsyBoy844 in the discord: Who has the highest count of identical or nearly identical items?

Remember if you want to share your own response or hang out with fellow world builders you are more than welcome to join us in our discord!

Hey World Builders! Its Build Together day 501. Today's prompt comes from NYUX in the discord: Who is a well known queer character in your world?

Remember if you want to share your own response or hang out with fellow world builders you are more than welcome to join us in our discord!

Haunted Heart is a solo journaling game about grief and ghosts. All you need to play are some Tarot cards and writing materials! You can grab it below for just $2.99.

Content Warnings

Child Soldiers

Child Endangerment

War

Murder

03.07.4226

13:28

Designation: 32098

Unit: UNIT05 A World Without Fear

Things have improved, I think. Between me and my mind. Me and A World Without Fear. I'm not as volatile anymore thanks to Severine. We've gotten a lot closer since I was released from custody. We fight well together and our Drifts are intense. Reassuring. Knowing for sure that she's as obsessed with me as I am with her puts me at ease. Not just because it makes me happy. More than anything, with it's just good to have something, someone I don't need to doubt or question. I just know her and she knows me and it's no more complicated than that. I wish more things were simple. More things that really mattered, anyway.

The war is simple. We have enemies that need to be dispatched, I take orders, I execute. It’s routine by now. The Lysa who walked into this program would probably see me now and think I was some big shot I think. But I've become so detached from it all. It feels impersonal. It's like a mathematics equation. I just go through the necessary procedures and produce an inevitable result. Sometimes the equation has more moving parts to keep track of, sometimes it's satisfying to execute efficiently and precisely, sometimes there's a bit of pride in seeing how I compare to more experienced pilots, but there isn’t much more beyond those tiny sparks of feeling. Beyond all that, the only thing that really matters is that I get to Drift with A World Without Fear. As much as she'll let me, anyway.

Apotheosis has remained out of reach. I've gotten close a few times, I think. If the sync measurements can be trusted, anyway. Seventy-four percent. Eighty-nine. Ninety-six. It still hurts and I still worry how she sees me after everything, but we still work well together. We even managed to take out another high-priority pilot. Nowhere on the level of Ulysses, but he was good. Ferudin Wal was his name. Bantam.

The way he attacked was smart. We were already occupied with a small force of pilots when we were alerted of his appearance. He had a similar effective range to me and A World Without Fear, but he moved between sight lines so fast and he was so precise that there were a few minutes where it seemed like we'd walked into a larger force than we were told. Even if it wasn't for long, it's impressive he was able to fool us. I made him my priority and managed to flush him out once I pieced together what he was doing. Our opposition didn't last long after that. It was the first time Kintsugi got to see me fight, too. Notably, they weren't the Nation of Zhan. Just "rebels" is all I was told. Probably another lie, but what am I supposed do about it?

We ended up lingering while the engineers stripped his frame. I wasn't paying enough attention to hear what was special about it. Not my business anyway. Besides, I'd already gotten what I wanted out of it. I can't explain it, but there was something on his frame. A crest. A sort of crown with a point on the front like a unicorn. It's part of why I wanted him so badly for myself. I got this feeling in my gut. It wasn’t his. He took it. I knew he did. And that offended me. So I was gonna take it from him. And I did. It's with UNIT05 now. It suits her better anyway and it doesn't seem like anybody cares to say anything about it. Why would they? They got what they needed. More dead. More scrap. More research and measurements.

Anyway, we ended up holding out on the surface for a few days to secure a beach and set up defenses. It only just occurred to me now that I wasn't even told where we were. We took the time to finally welcome Bac into the Valkyries, too. He seems competent enough, if still green. Though I guess I can't judge considering how hard I cracked on my first deployment. He seems fine for the most part, but he holds grudges. Somehow he still hasn't gotten over his fight with Severine. He can be mad all he wants I guess. I just wish he wouldn't make us listen to him complain about it.

There was a morning, though, where we were supposed to deploy again to investigate a possible perimeter breach. We mounted up and everybody scrambled to respond, but A World Without Fear wouldn't budge. I couldn't even get her to power up. I thought it was a technical issue at first, but all I could really do in the moment was sit and wait for the engineers to look her over and find something. I was disappointed and then just bored, but eventually I took the time to really take in what was in front of me. The emerald blue ocean stretching into the horizon with the waves crashing on the shore, the sun glistening off the spray like thousands of tiny little diamonds, sea birds flying over head. And it was just quiet. And it was beautiful.

The engineers never found an issue and they had to pull us out of action for a deeper diagnostic at the CHVLR program's host city. I don't think they're going to find anything. I think she just wanted to appreciate what was in front of us for a little bit. I think she wanted to show it to me. Remind me that the world is a beautiful place. It's not often I get the chance to just sit and think, other than when I write these logs. I sure as hell don't get to see the ocean so close. Close enough to see how it moves. How it lives. Harmonious and constant. Hypnotic. I thought about what it’d be like to step in and be washed away in it. Let the tide carry me wherever it pleased. Then I thought of the feeling of Drifting and fell into something like a trance. The memory made me feel at peace and connected with A World Without Fear, even though we weren't really connected then. It was good.

It made me reflect on the times we've had. The smell of the cockpit, the way my weight settled in the seat, the heft of the controls, the feeling of the knobs and buttons. Looking back, it’s kind of amazing that I know what it all does now and how little I think about it in a fight. It’s isn’t just a collection of functions I have to memorize anymore. It’s more than that. An extension of me. Something I'd mastered well enough that I could make it do anything with a thoughtless twitch. And then it struck me that maybe that exact thought is what's keeping me from reaching Apotheosis again.

I don't know what A World Without Fear really is, but I know she’s a she. I know she can hear me and feel me and that she knows me. People don’t talk about people like that. Hell, people don’t talk about dogs like that. That’s how you talk about tools. I've been thinking of her as a tool. As a shield between me and the enemy. A sword to lob off their heads. A vehicle back to Apotheosis. I’ve only ever thought about her as a means to an end. Who would want to be close to somebody like that? It isn't fair to her. She would never treat me that way. And our first deployment? The way she kept me alive at my weakest? It makes me sick that it's taken me so long to even think to repay her for that. But I will. I apologized to her already and promised her I would. I hope she knows that I feel it’s a promise I can’t afford not to keep. I hope she knows I’m trying.

There was something else I started to think about, though. About our enemy. The Nation of Zhan. It's become so routine to pick apart their technology and weapons and tactics. I know so much about how to survive them, how to fight them. How to kill them. But it really is all I know. It's been months now and I still have no idea what they want or why we're fighting in the first place. I don’t know what the end game looks like for us or for them. If it'll end at all. If anybody wants it to. If I even want it to. It feels like the thought should concern me, but I don't think it does. That should probably concern me, too. What does concern me is the idea that maybe I wouldn't have anything if not for this war. Not anymore.

I tried to list things I used to be passionate about. Drawing, writing, cooking, sewing. None of it appeals to me anymore. And the answer to what I’d rather do than them is always the same; be with Severine and A World Without Fear. How possible would that be in a world without this war? How much would it matter in that kind of world anyway? We’re at our most connected when we’re fighting for our lives. I don’t think anything ever match that. Could I survive like that? Is there any way I could go back to a normal life if this whole thing were to end? Or would I just suffer the way I did when they locked me up? It could be that this is just the sort of animal I am now. One that can’t live without the threat of dying in view. That thought may have scared me not long ago.

Either way, I've been moved to Elysium MK-II for the time being. It's where I've stayed for the past few days now. It's interesting. It's like a city, but entirely built like a CHVLR unit. Or built for them, maybe. It doesn’t go anywhere and it couldn’t fight or anything like that. But it shifts and moves in response to me and A World Without Fear. It's like it exists alongside us. On the same grounds we do. I feel connected here. Not with other people, of course. The city itself. Still, I miss Severine. I've mostly kept to the cockpit during my time here. It's the only place I can really relax, even if it's not as comfortable as the room they set up for me.

Not to mention I haven't really spent this sort of time with A World Without Fear before. I was too caught up with Severine. It felt more real, I guess. Tangible, at least. But it doesn't feel so different anymore after my shift in mindset. This is an opportunity for us and I feel good, I think. Or at least I'm not so numb with her. Even without Drifting. I haven't been able to connect with her directly again since our last fight, but I think she feels the same. I hope she does. There’s nothing I want more than for us to understand each other. Hopefully I’m moving in the right direction.

I release my minimalista RPG and DURF jack, Sghorbi PLUS. Be an adventurer ready to risk your Life for a extra dime.

How to Be More Present With Your Family

Finding Balance in a Burned-Out World — Part 5

One of the hardest parts of modern life is that many people are physically present… but emotionally somewhere else.

You may sit in the same room with the people you love while:

thinking about work

checking your phone

mentally reviewing your to-do list

responding to notifications

worrying about tomorrow

And over time, this creates emotional distance.

Not because you do not care. But because life has become so mentally overwhelming that true presence starts to disappear.

Many families today are not lacking love.

They are lacking attention.

Quality Time Is Becoming Rarer

Modern households are filled with distractions.

Everyone is busy. Schedules are packed. Phones are constantly buzzing. Work follows people home. Conversations compete with screens.

Even when families are technically together, many people feel disconnected.

You may notice:

shorter conversations

less eye contact

distracted listening

everyone scrolling separately

rushed interactions

less meaningful connection

And while these moments may seem small, emotional connection is built through small daily interactions.

Not just big vacations or special occasions.

Presence Matters More Than Perfection

A lot of people feel guilty because they believe they are not spending “enough” time with family.

But often, the bigger issue is not quantity.

It is emotional presence.

A fully present 20-minute conversation can feel more meaningful than hours spent distracted.

People want to feel:

heard

valued

noticed

emotionally connected

Especially children.

Children remember how people made them feel far more than perfectly planned activities.

Put the Phone Down More Often

This is one of the simplest but most powerful changes you can make.

Phones quietly steal attention all day long.

A quick check becomes scrolling. Scrolling becomes emotional disconnection.

Even short interruptions communicate: “Something else has my attention right now.”

Try creating:

phone-free dinners

screen-free evenings

device-free conversations

intentional moments without distractions

You do not need to be available to everyone all the time.

Sometimes the people in front of you deserve your full attention most.

Slow Down Enough to Notice People

When life feels rushed, people stop truly seeing each other.

You may stop noticing:

how your partner is feeling

changes in your child’s behavior

signs someone is struggling emotionally

moments that deserve appreciation

Busyness creates emotional blindness.

Presence requires slowing down enough to pay attention again.

Simple things matter:

asking follow-up questions

listening without interrupting

making eye contact

remembering details

noticing emotions

checking in intentionally

These are the moments that strengthen relationships.

Small Rituals Create Connection

You do not need elaborate family routines to feel connected.

Often, small consistent moments matter most.

Examples:

eating dinner together

morning coffee conversations

nightly walks

weekend movie nights

bedtime chats with kids

checking in after work

Sunday breakfasts

game nights

quick daily conversations without screens

Connection is usually built in ordinary moments.

Not perfect ones.

Emotional Availability Matters Too

Being physically present is important.

But emotional availability matters just as much.

Sometimes burnout causes people to emotionally shut down.

You may become:

distracted

emotionally numb

impatient

mentally absent

disconnected from conversations

When stress levels stay high for too long, emotional energy becomes harder to access.

This is why protecting your own mental health matters too.

You cannot pour endlessly into relationships while constantly running on empty yourself.

Learn to Listen Without Fixing Everything

Not every conversation requires advice.

Sometimes people simply want to feel understood.

When family members open up, try:

listening fully

resisting the urge to immediately solve the problem

asking questions

validating emotions

being emotionally present

Feeling emotionally safe with someone is one of the deepest forms of connection.

Your Relationships Need Attention Too

Relationships do not usually fall apart overnight.

Disconnection often happens gradually through:

constant busyness

lack of communication

emotional exhaustion

distraction

taking each other for granted

Life becomes a cycle of responsibilities instead of connection.

But relationships can also be rebuilt through small intentional moments.

You do not need perfection.

You need consistency.

Presence Is One of the Greatest Gifts You Can Give

In a world where everyone feels distracted, rushed, and overwhelmed, genuine presence has become incredibly valuable.

Being fully present tells people:

“You matter.”

“I’m listening.”

“I care.”

“I’m here.”

And often, those simple moments become the ones people remember most.

Not the expensive trips. Not the perfectly planned days. Just feeling loved, seen, and emotionally connected.

Start Small

You do not need to completely change your life overnight.

Start with:

one uninterrupted conversation

one phone-free dinner

one intentional family moment

one evening spent fully present

one check-in conversation that goes deeper than “How was your day?”

Small moments build stronger relationships over time.

And balance is not really about doing everything perfectly.

It is about making sure the people you love do not only receive the exhausted leftovers of your attention.

Coming Next in the Series:

Adult Friendships Matter More Than We Think

In the next post, we’ll talk about loneliness, emotional support, modern isolation, and why maintaining friendships becomes even more important as life gets busier.

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