The apartment was quiet, the only sound the hum of the city beyond the window. Mei lay sprawled on her bed, exhausted but too wired to sleep. Her eyes drifted across the room, landing on the dusty shape sitting in the corner.
The 3D printer.
It had been her first big step into cosplay. She remembered the excitement of unboxing it, the frustration of failed prints, the joy of her first prop. But ever since welding had taken over her life, the machine had sat untouched, gathering dust like a forgotten relic.
Mei sat up slowly, staring at it. For a moment, a pang of guilt tugged at her chest. She had worked so hard to buy it, but now it was just… silent.
She swung her legs off the bed and padded barefoot across the room. Running her fingers along the cool surface of the printer, she whispered, "I haven't forgotten you."
Then, like lightning, a thought struck her.
"What if… I made my own action figure?"
Her heart leapt. Not just any action figure—her own designs. Maybe even Roxanne. Or Lady Veyra. Or characters that didn't exist yet, born from her imagination.
The idea lit her up from the inside. Cosplay had taught her how to create on a large scale—armor, fabric, performance. But action figures… they were something smaller, more personal. Something she could hold in her hands.
She pictured rows of them on her shelf, each one a memory of her journey. And maybe, someday, people beyond her circle would hold them too.
Mei's lips curved into a smile. "Yeah… maybe it's time for a new dream."
From the corner, Roxanne's armor gleamed faintly under the moonlight, as if the wolf herself approved of this next step.
Mei returned to bed, her heart racing with fresh excitement. Tomorrow, she would shine at the convention. But after that… she'd begin a whole new chapter.
And for the first time, she realized: her story as a creator had only just begun.