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"submission_file_order": "2", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "2e5e8e12d6a08e2680705396e37662cf", "full_file_md5": "2e5e8e12d6a08e2680705396e37662cf", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2025-05-29 01:20:49.099257+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "29 May 2025 03:20 CEST" } ], "pools": [], "description": "[center][t]The Night Before the Move[/t][/center]\n\nThe moonlight trickling into his nearly empty bedroom, Tuxley sat awake on his bed. His small frame trembled with anxiety as he fidgeted with the edge of his blanket. The little wolf knew he should be asleep, but he also knew that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner tomorrow would come and that thought bounced around his mind and kept him wide awake.\n\nTomorrow morning, everything would change. The movers would arrive, the boxes would be loaded, and Tuxley and his mother would take one last look at their house before driving away, leaving behind the only home he had ever known. \n\nSince receiving his acceptance letter months ago, Tuxley had counted down the days with increasing excitement. He and his mom had talked for hours about how amazing the new city would be, the activities they had planned, the friends they’d make, Tuxley's new school, and the new adventures awaiting them.\n\nBut now, on the last night he would spend in the comfort of his room, the excitement had morphed into a gnawing sense of loss. He couldn't help but dwell on all the familiar things he’d leave behind: the scent of pine in their backyard, the nearby park and with its gently flowing river, even the thunderous rumble of the next door neighbor's motorcycle each day when he came and went. The sudden longing for all of these comforting things he would never experience again crystalized into large rolling tears that matted the fur of his cheeks.\n\nHe pressed his face into his knees, trying to stifle the tears, but they kept coming as waves of uncertainty churned and swirled in his mind. His new school was supposed to be a great opportunity for him, but the thought of walking into a classroom full of strangers made his chest ache and lodged itself in his throat, forming a lump he couldn’t swallow. He wasn’t just leaving his home, he was leaving every place he knew and every friend he had managed to make. \n\nTuxley heard a soft knock before the door creaked gently. His heart leaped as he felt his mother's presence filling the room like the warmth of the sun after a chilly night.\n\n“Mom, I--” Tuxley whispered, his voice breaking as he struggled to get the words out. He didn’t want to admit how scared he was, but he knew there was no hiding it any longer.\n\n“I know,” she said, sitting down beside him and brushing his hair back from his face. Her eyes were soft, and her smile, though sad, was reassuring. “This is hard, Tuxley. Moving is always hard, especially when you’re leaving behind everything you’ve ever known.”\n\nShe hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Big changes are never easy, but I’m so proud of you. And I know that even though it feels scary now, this move will be the beginning of something really wonderful.”\n\nTuxley sniffled and looked at her, watery eyes searching her face for more reassurance.\n\n“Mom,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper, “what if I don’t make any friends? What if I’m still the youngest and everyone already knows each other?”\n\nHis mother reached her arms around him and pulled him into her lap. “You’ll be amazing, Tuxley,” she said, peering down at him with a warm smile. “I know it feels overwhelming now, but you’re brave and kind and thoughtful, qualities that are going to make you stand out.”\n\nTuxley, still sniffling, wiped his eyes before looking back up at her. “Mom,” his mouth started quivering and fresh tears had already glazed his purple eyes. \"They're all gonna ask about my dad.\"\n\nThese words nearly broke her in an instant. That her son should have to feel ashamed every time he had to explain that he didn't know his father. It made her heart ache and her blood boil all at once. Having never laid eyes on Tuxley, without even knowing his name, that man still found ways to hurt him, to hurt both of them. It took every bit of willpower she had to maintain her composure. She knew she had to e strong for her son.\n\n\"Tuxley, I...\" She paused. [i]What could she even say here?[/i] After taking a second to muster her voice, she continued, \"I know how hard that is for you. I know how you must feel when the other kids talk about their families.\" She felt his body quivering in her arms as he managed a silent nod. \"I wish more than anything you didn't have to feel that way. But I need you to understand that even though you don't have a father the way they do, that doesn't make you one bit lesser then them. I promise you when those other kids meet you they're going to see what a remarkable person you are and nothing else is going to matter one bit. You are amazing, Tuxley. You find new ways to amaze me every single day and I know you're never going to stop because that's who you are. You're not just going to be the kid who doesn't have a father to them, you're going to be the one they all want to be more like.\"\n\nShe hugged him tighter, now blinking away her own tears. \"Besides,\" she added, \"once they realize you're the one they should copy the homework from they'll all want to be your best friend.\"\n\nHis mouth twitched into a small smile and she felt his shaking subside a bit. \"I know it's scary, but we've got an amazing adventure in front of us. Try not to let it all overwhelm you at once. One new challenge at a time, right? And I'm right here with you. We'll face them together, OK?\"\n\n\"OK,\" he whispered back.\n\n\"It's just going to take a little bit of courage.\" She gave him another squeeze, letting her temple rest against the side of his head. His breathing was calmer and more steady now. \n\nThey sat there for a moment until she broke the silence. \"You'll have plenty of time to settle in before school starts. Let's focus on how much fun we're going to have on the way there first. I think the space hotel is going to be so fun! I know space stories are your favorite, so just imagine what it'll be like spending the night in a space station!”\n\nTuxley’s tail twitched to life and a full on smile emerged at the mention of the space hotel. He loved the space stories they read together, and when she told him she had booked a night in a space themed hotel it had excited the little wolf beyond belief.\n\n“Yeah,” Tuxley said, his voice still shaky but a bit stronger now. “The space hotel sounds cool.”\n\nHis mother smiled warmly. “It does, honey,” she said, gently wiping the damp fur of his cheeks with the pad of her thumb. “And I think you’re going to love camping in the mountains too. The stars out there are like nothing you’ve ever seen!”\n\nThey sat in silence for a while, bathed in soft moonlight, listening to the faint creak of the house settling around them and the sounds of the summer night drifting in from the window.\n\nFinally, his mother eased Tuxley back onto his bed and stood up, running a hand over his hair and ears. “Come on, little space ranger,” she said gently. “Let’s try to get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”\n\nTuxley nodded, wiping his face with the back of his hand as he snuggled into the softness of his pillow. His mother pulled the blankets over him and sat down beside him for a moment longer before checking her watch and standing.\n\n“Alright,” she said with a small smile. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be here if you need me.”\n\nAfter watching her pull the door shut, Tuxley lay there, staring up at the ceiling. The room was quiet now, save for the receding sounds of his mother in the hall. He took a deep breath, trying to fill himself with the courage she had mentioned earlier. As he drifted off to sleep, he still didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but within that uncertainty there was once again a swelling sense of excitement.\n\n------------------\n\nPhew! It felt good to finally push this out the door. I wrote this a few months ago, meaning to post it way back then, but that didn't happen. Since then I've been editing it and re-editing it and re-re-editing it. I'm glad I can finally stop fiddling with phrasing and moving sentences around.\n\nI moved twice growing up, but both times were to the same town, so I wasn't leaving everything behind. Since then I've moved to different places a few times, and each time an unexpected sense of dread and loss slowly builds as the days tick down. The realization of all the comforting things I'm leaving behind sets in and I start thinking about things in terms of lasts. The last time I get to do this, the last time I'll visit this place, the last time I'll spend time with this person. The anxious melancholy feeling builds and can bubble up unexpectedly.\n\nAnyway, I hope this story doesn't come across too heavy handed. That's my biggest worry. The part about Tuxley not knowing his father is definitely where it's most at risk of that, but I'm hoping it's balanced out by how supportive and loving his mother is. I promise future stories and posts will be more fun, happier moments for Tuxley.\n\nThe other purpose of this story was to tee up a fun post where I get to make images of all the fun activities they do on the moving trip. That might take some time though. It takes me long enough just to decide I like one image enough to post, let alone a series of them.\n\n\nIn the interest of full disclosure, I did have a locally run LLM do a revision of my first draft early on, and I took some pieces from the draft it gave me. As I kept working on it however, I ended up editing most of its material out or completely changing it, but there are one or two of its sentences left in there. Plus it was part of the creation process so I wanted to be transparent about that. \n\nI have a few other stories written up that I'm editing now and this was the only one in which I used any material that came directly from an LLM. I still use them to give me feedback, but I stopped asking them for drafts after this story, mostly because I've been disappointed with the results.\n\n\nAs for the image, I really loved the pose in the main one with the two of them. I love the way his tail is positioned so it looks like she's just pulled him into her lap, along with his worried expression and his squished ear.\n\nHis mother's mouth was the main thing I had to fix with this one. It really didn't come out well in the initial generation. I tried some layering of different versions but it wasn't turning out super well, so I ended up doing some manual painting to fix it. I think I made it better? At least it's less distractingly bad now. The only other big thing was her left foot was kind of ambiguous in the initial image. It probably would have been fine the way it was, but I was able to mask in a better looking one easily enough. Oh, and i had to fix one of Tuxley's toe claws that was a bit out of control.\n\nFor the solo image I got rid of some floating tear bubble things that I didn't want, fixed one of his toes, and changed the moon to be in the same phase as the other image. (I don't know why I felt the need to do that when the curtains are clearly different anyway). By the way I had to put them chronologically reversed as far as the story goes because I wanted the main image to be the one of both of them, which is far stronger.\n\nIf you made it this far, big THANK YOU! I'm sorry about the really long winded description. I'll try and get over my anxious need to over explain and justify everything.\n\nHope you liked this one.\n", "description_bbcode_parsed": "
The Night Before the Move


The moonlight trickling into his nearly empty bedroom, Tuxley sat awake on his bed. His small frame trembled with anxiety as he fidgeted with the edge of his blanket. The little wolf knew he should be asleep, but he also knew that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner tomorrow would come and that thought bounced around his mind and kept him wide awake.

Tomorrow morning, everything would change. The movers would arrive, the boxes would be loaded, and Tuxley and his mother would take one last look at their house before driving away, leaving behind the only home he had ever known.

Since receiving his acceptance letter months ago, Tuxley had counted down the days with increasing excitement. He and his mom had talked for hours about how amazing the new city would be, the activities they had planned, the friends they’d make, Tuxley's new school, and the new adventures awaiting them.

But now, on the last night he would spend in the comfort of his room, the excitement had morphed into a gnawing sense of loss. He couldn't help but dwell on all the familiar things he’d leave behind: the scent of pine in their backyard, the nearby park and with its gently flowing river, even the thunderous rumble of the next door neighbor's motorcycle each day when he came and went. The sudden longing for all of these comforting things he would never experience again crystalized into large rolling tears that matted the fur of his cheeks.

He pressed his face into his knees, trying to stifle the tears, but they kept coming as waves of uncertainty churned and swirled in his mind. His new school was supposed to be a great opportunity for him, but the thought of walking into a classroom full of strangers made his chest ache and lodged itself in his throat, forming a lump he couldn’t swallow. He wasn’t just leaving his home, he was leaving every place he knew and every friend he had managed to make.

Tuxley heard a soft knock before the door creaked gently. His heart leaped as he felt his mother's presence filling the room like the warmth of the sun after a chilly night.

“Mom, I--” Tuxley whispered, his voice breaking as he struggled to get the words out. He didn’t want to admit how scared he was, but he knew there was no hiding it any longer.

“I know,” she said, sitting down beside him and brushing his hair back from his face. Her eyes were soft, and her smile, though sad, was reassuring. “This is hard, Tuxley. Moving is always hard, especially when you’re leaving behind everything you’ve ever known.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Big changes are never easy, but I’m so proud of you. And I know that even though it feels scary now, this move will be the beginning of something really wonderful.”

Tuxley sniffled and looked at her, watery eyes searching her face for more reassurance.

“Mom,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper, “what if I don’t make any friends? What if I’m still the youngest and everyone already knows each other?”

His mother reached her arms around him and pulled him into her lap. “You’ll be amazing, Tuxley,” she said, peering down at him with a warm smile. “I know it feels overwhelming now, but you’re brave and kind and thoughtful, qualities that are going to make you stand out.”

Tuxley, still sniffling, wiped his eyes before looking back up at her. “Mom,” his mouth started quivering and fresh tears had already glazed his purple eyes. "They're all gonna ask about my dad."

These words nearly broke her in an instant. That her son should have to feel ashamed every time he had to explain that he didn't know his father. It made her heart ache and her blood boil all at once. Having never laid eyes on Tuxley, without even knowing his name, that man still found ways to hurt him, to hurt both of them. It took every bit of willpower she had to maintain her composure. She knew she had to e strong for her son.

"Tuxley, I..." She paused. What could she even say here? After taking a second to muster her voice, she continued, "I know how hard that is for you. I know how you must feel when the other kids talk about their families." She felt his body quivering in her arms as he managed a silent nod. "I wish more than anything you didn't have to feel that way. But I need you to understand that even though you don't have a father the way they do, that doesn't make you one bit lesser then them. I promise you when those other kids meet you they're going to see what a remarkable person you are and nothing else is going to matter one bit. You are amazing, Tuxley. You find new ways to amaze me every single day and I know you're never going to stop because that's who you are. You're not just going to be the kid who doesn't have a father to them, you're going to be the one they all want to be more like."

She hugged him tighter, now blinking away her own tears. "Besides," she added, "once they realize you're the one they should copy the homework from they'll all want to be your best friend."

His mouth twitched into a small smile and she felt his shaking subside a bit. "I know it's scary, but we've got an amazing adventure in front of us. Try not to let it all overwhelm you at once. One new challenge at a time, right? And I'm right here with you. We'll face them together, OK?"

"OK," he whispered back.

"It's just going to take a little bit of courage." She gave him another squeeze, letting her temple rest against the side of his head. His breathing was calmer and more steady now.

They sat there for a moment until she broke the silence. "You'll have plenty of time to settle in before school starts. Let's focus on how much fun we're going to have on the way there first. I think the space hotel is going to be so fun! I know space stories are your favorite, so just imagine what it'll be like spending the night in a space station!”

Tuxley’s tail twitched to life and a full on smile emerged at the mention of the space hotel. He loved the space stories they read together, and when she told him she had booked a night in a space themed hotel it had excited the little wolf beyond belief.

“Yeah,” Tuxley said, his voice still shaky but a bit stronger now. “The space hotel sounds cool.”

His mother smiled warmly. “It does, honey,” she said, gently wiping the damp fur of his cheeks with the pad of her thumb. “And I think you’re going to love camping in the mountains too. The stars out there are like nothing you’ve ever seen!”

They sat in silence for a while, bathed in soft moonlight, listening to the faint creak of the house settling around them and the sounds of the summer night drifting in from the window.

Finally, his mother eased Tuxley back onto his bed and stood up, running a hand over his hair and ears. “Come on, little space ranger,” she said gently. “Let’s try to get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

Tuxley nodded, wiping his face with the back of his hand as he snuggled into the softness of his pillow. His mother pulled the blankets over him and sat down beside him for a moment longer before checking her watch and standing.

“Alright,” she said with a small smile. “Try to get some rest. I’ll be here if you need me.”

After watching her pull the door shut, Tuxley lay there, staring up at the ceiling. The room was quiet now, save for the receding sounds of his mother in the hall. He took a deep breath, trying to fill himself with the courage she had mentioned earlier. As he drifted off to sleep, he still didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but within that uncertainty there was once again a swelling sense of excitement.

------------------

Phew! It felt good to finally push this out the door. I wrote this a few months ago, meaning to post it way back then, but that didn't happen. Since then I've been editing it and re-editing it and re-re-editing it. I'm glad I can finally stop fiddling with phrasing and moving sentences around.

I moved twice growing up, but both times were to the same town, so I wasn't leaving everything behind. Since then I've moved to different places a few times, and each time an unexpected sense of dread and loss slowly builds as the days tick down. The realization of all the comforting things I'm leaving behind sets in and I start thinking about things in terms of lasts. The last time I get to do this, the last time I'll visit this place, the last time I'll spend time with this person. The anxious melancholy feeling builds and can bubble up unexpectedly.

Anyway, I hope this story doesn't come across too heavy handed. That's my biggest worry. The part about Tuxley not knowing his father is definitely where it's most at risk of that, but I'm hoping it's balanced out by how supportive and loving his mother is. I promise future stories and posts will be more fun, happier moments for Tuxley.

The other purpose of this story was to tee up a fun post where I get to make images of all the fun activities they do on the moving trip. That might take some time though. It takes me long enough just to decide I like one image enough to post, let alone a series of them.


In the interest of full disclosure, I did have a locally run LLM do a revision of my first draft early on, and I took some pieces from the draft it gave me. As I kept working on it however, I ended up editing most of its material out or completely changing it, but there are one or two of its sentences left in there. Plus it was part of the creation process so I wanted to be transparent about that.

I have a few other stories written up that I'm editing now and this was the only one in which I used any material that came directly from an LLM. I still use them to give me feedback, but I stopped asking them for drafts after this story, mostly because I've been disappointed with the results.


As for the image, I really loved the pose in the main one with the two of them. I love the way his tail is positioned so it looks like she's just pulled him into her lap, along with his worried expression and his squished ear.

His mother's mouth was the main thing I had to fix with this one. It really didn't come out well in the initial generation. I tried some layering of different versions but it wasn't turning out super well, so I ended up doing some manual painting to fix it. I think I made it better? At least it's less distractingly bad now. The only other big thing was her left foot was kind of ambiguous in the initial image. It probably would have been fine the way it was, but I was able to mask in a better looking one easily enough. Oh, and i had to fix one of Tuxley's toe claws that was a bit out of control.

For the solo image I got rid of some floating tear bubble things that I didn't want, fixed one of his toes, and changed the moon to be in the same phase as the other image. (I don't know why I felt the need to do that when the curtains are clearly different anyway).  By the way I had to put them chronologically reversed as far as the story goes because I wanted the main image to be the one of both of them, which is far stronger.

If you made it this far, big THANK YOU! I'm sorry about the really long winded description. I'll try and get over my anxious need to over explain and justify everything.

Hope you liked this one.
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