#but rainbow didn’t want to be a dad so he’s a big brother

[alastyr-not-alastair]

Light “Rainbow is technically my dad” Steve vs Dark “Nightmare is emotionally my dad” Steve

[munson-blurbs]

@corrodedcoffinfest Day 10: Pride

Word Count: 940/Rating: T/Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader/CW: coming out, part of the Trapped Under Ice universe but can stand alone/Tags: Eddie Munson, Reader (Ms. Sweetheart), Harris Munson, Hendrix Munson, Gareth, Jeff, Grant, Will Byers, pride parade

Divider credit to @silkholland

June 2015

“Hey, Sweetheart?” Eddie calls out to you from the kitchen, his phone in hand. “Will just sent me a text message–gay marriage is now legal in the whole country.” 

You turn on the TV as quickly as you could, MSNBC broadcasting the good news. Rainbow flags billow in the wind as the sounds of people cheering nearly drown out the reporter’s voice.

“Finally.” It’s taken long enough, the back-and-forth deliberating seemingly lasting forever. 

Your husband patters into the family room, snaking an arm around you as you watch the story unfold. “Apparently there’s gonna be this big celebration downtown tomorrow. Think Pride, like, jacked up to the max.” He presses a kiss to your temple. “Will wants to know if Corroded Coffin wants to play.”

There’s no need to ask him his opinion; you already know the answer. 

“Can I go?” A soft, small voice asks from the doorway. You and Eddie look up to see Hendrix, still in pajama pants and eyes hazy with sleep. It never fails to amaze you how easily teenagers can sleep the day away, even after going through it with Harris.

Eddie grins. “You wanna see your old man in action?” He doesn’t notice his youngest son’s anxious expression, typing back his response to Will. 

Something’s wrong–you can tell by the way Hendrix isn’t teasing Eddie for typing with one pointer finger.

“Hen? Everything okay?”

“Y-Yeah. Just, um,” He looks down at the ground. “It’s not that I don’t wanna see Dad perform, but I also wanna go because I…I like guys. And girls, too, but definitely also guys.”

The sound of the iMessage swooping into cyberspace is the only noise in the room. 

“So…you’re bisexual?” Eddie glances between you and Hendrix. “That’s the right term, right?”

Hendrix laughs despite his nerves. “Yeah, that’s it.” 

“Cool.” Eddie turns to you. “Should we make this a family affair, then? See if Harris wants to come?”

You smile, already digging into your pocket for your own phone. “Sounds good.”

“Wait, you’re–you’re okay with this?” Hendrix raises his eyebrows in disbelief. ”You don’t hate me?”

“Hate you?” Eddie shakes his head, kissing Hendrix’s scalp. “Bud, I didn’t hate you after you finger-painted on my guitar when you were a toddler. I’m certainly not gonna hate you for liking boys.”

You pull Hendrix in for a hug, squeezing tight. “We’re glad you told us. And we’ll always love you.”

The tension leaves his body, tears of relief slipping down his cheeks. The three of you stand there in quiet introspection, your son basking in the warmth of acceptance.

The sun’s rays permeate light through white clouds, heating the back of your neck. Hendrix stands to your left, Harris beside him. Harris, who has apparently known about his brother’s sexuality for months now and kept it a secret until Hendrix gave him the all-clear.

“Not to brag,” Harris said to you and Eddie on the car ride to the celebration, “but I was the first person he came out to.”

You and your sons watch Will take the microphone, your veins thrumming with excitement as he introduces Corroded Coffin. 

But the stage is suddenly occupied by four women. 

The woman sporting a baby pink turtleneck tank top and a black leather miniskirt leans into the mic. When she speaks, your jaw drops. 

“We’re Corroded Coffin, and this song goes out to everyone who’s ever needed to break free.”

That’s Eddie’s voice. 

And as the band begins playing their first song, you realize exactly what’s happening. 

I want to break free  I want to break free  I want to break free from your lies  You're so self satisfied, I don't need you  I've got to break free

“Oh, my God!” Harris cackles, adjusting his earplugs. “They’re doing the Queen video!”

Sure enough, Gareth is wearing a button-down and a skirt, Jeff is donning a pink negligee, and Grant is dressed in a black dress with a matching hat. 

Next to you, Hendrix buries his face in his hands. “This is worse than him hating me, I think,” he mumbles. 

Harris shakes his brother’s shoulders. “C’mon, Hen!” He cheers. “You gotta break free.”

“Kill me. Kill me now.” Hendrix turns to you in a silent plea for help. 

“No can do.” You smile, grabbing his hands and yours to initiate a shuffling dance. 

Reluctantly, Hendrix gives in, swaying his body to the music. He twirls you around, eyes crinkling with laughter as you struggle to turn on the pavement. 

Corroded Coffin continues playing, fully leaning into their drag personas, though it’s clear that the guys are struggling to balance in their heels. At one point, Grant nearly teeters over, and Eddie puts out a hand to balance him. 

I've fallen in love I've fallen in love for the first time  And this time I know it's for real I’ve fallen in love, yeah

“I can’t believe Dad’s doing all of this,” Hendrix muses. 

“We love you, Hen.” You tell him. “Nothing will ever change that.”

You spin him towards Harris, the older brother pulling the younger into an exaggerated waltz. 

From the stage, Eddie throws you a wink as he sings:

God knows

God knows I’ve fallen in love

One day, you think, your sons will find people who make them feel complete. And maybe Hendrix’s person will be a man, maybe a woman. 

The crowd shrieks wildly when Jeff plays his solo, negligee billowing in the wind. 

Hendrix laughs so hard he snorts. Your beautiful, youngest boy, always leading with his heart on his sleeve. 

Whoever Hendrix loves, you hope they love him back with everything they have. 

--

[gaybaby2424]

(TURNED INTO A STINKY DIAPER FAG BY PRETEENS PART 2)

They got me out of the stroller and laid me down on a blanket as 1 boy knelt down beside me and said I can’t believe what a pathetic shitty diaper faggot you are your 20 and got turned into a poopy baby by 14 year olds how are you so pathetic and as he continued to stare at me he decided to make me smell and lick his surprisingly hairy sweaty pits and his smelly hairy ass. As I was licking his hole he started shitting a lot in my mouth and as I kept gagging on his shit as he finally stopped shitting and went over to a huge box and came back with a bag full of stuff as he started grinning evily he begins to take out pink mittens and booties a short rainbow tutu that says poopy baby then he pulls out 10 filled bottles 2 more thick diapers and locking plastic pants after he put everything on me he sat down and cradled me in his lap as he started shoving the bottles down my throat after the 10 bottles I felt huge and then they packed everything back up put me in the stroller and headed to the middle school playground where I saw my father waiting for me as he was looking down at me in the stroller and he says uhh ohhh what happened to my 20 year old son he looks like a 3 month old. As I cried he lifted my legs up and bent down til his face was right in front of his butt and sniffed the shitty diaper as he puts my legs down he gets undressed and I cry even more. When he finished getting naked I keep staring at his body because he is covered in thick sweaty hair. He notices me staring and says does my pathetic stinky baby want to smell his manly daddy. before I could shake my head daddy lays a big blanket down and put me in the middle laying me on my back and his hairy dick starts to get harder and then lift his hairy arms up and puts my face into his nasty pits and forces me to smell and lick him. And as I worship my own father I cry harder and harder because my own dad is standing over me while I’m in shitty diapers and sissy clothes it’s way too embarrassing to see my dad like this but for some reason when I smelled his pits I loved it and as I greedily smelled and licked his hairy pits and body he turned around and put his hairy ass on my face and I tried to get him off but my dad wouldn’t budge so as my fathers thick smelly hairy ass is on my face I can’t help but start to sniff him and lick his hole but after a few minutes I felt shit enter my mouth and I started to get scared but kept chewing my dads poop after he stopped pooping he got up sat next to me and said is my pathetic dirty diaper faggot son loving his new place in the world. You are gonna be the most perfect stinky baby fag isn’t you son. All I could do was accept my fate and nodded my head and then said well I have an even better surprise for you I am going to be taking you to my home to be the baby of the house and my wife and husband is excited to meet the new baby and even your big brother is excited to meet you as you just stare into space you didn’t realize your were in a car stopping in front of a big log cabin. Dad got me out and carried me inside and put me in my new bouncer and said wait here baby I’m gonna go get your new mommy and daddy and big brother even tho he is actually 12. When he came back with mommy and daddy and big bro they all surrounded me in my jumper and my mommy and both my daddies told me that I have to be good stinky baby for my big bro and daddy told my big bro that I am my brothers slave now and he got way too excited as he picks me up and carries me towards his room

[harryissuchalittleshit]

hi do you have any headcanons about lily-lu’s pregnancy and kids?

i just can’t get enough of her and ryan

Oh yeah do I have thoughts about Lily and Ryan and their kiddos 😊

Michael Harry - June 15, 2028

Michael is born about 10 months after Lily and Ryan get married

While he seemed like a surprise to the family, Lily and Ryan were more than happy to welcome their first son

They name him after Ryan’s older brother Michael who passed when Ryan was a baby and Lily’s father (obviously)

He is the second firstborn grandson to be named after Harry, following James’s oldest son Jason

Lily and Ryan were in their final year of university when they found out they were pregnant, they just finished their classes and moved to Godric’s Hallow when he was born

Michael is kind of a shy kid, he loves music like his dad and plays a lot of different instruments

He loves spending time with his godparents, Louis and Anamika, but especially Louis (who Lily and Ryan credit as the person who brought them together)

He spends a lot of time in the two studios at their home, either recording music with Ryan or watching Lily’s dance classes

When he goes to Hogwarts he’s sorted into Ravenclaw like Ryan and Louis, he fits in very well

He loves being an older brother, even if he isn’t always the most interesting or popular person to his sisters, but what do they know? lol

Stephan “Stevie” Dean - May 21, 2031

Lily had thought that it would be just as easy the second time around for her to get pregnant as the first

But then a year passes and another, Michael is two and while she didn’t want a big age difference between her kids she knows three years isn’t crazy

Then she gets sick, like horribly bad morning sickness that has her on forced bedrest

Her dance studio is still very young at this point and she needs her students

But this baby turns out to be zapping all of her life force and making her nearly unmovable

But then he’s here, and he looks just like Ryan

Stevie is a beautiful baby, named after Ryan’s father and adopted father

He loves to fly, to be fast, to feel the rush of wind in his hair, just like his Nana Ginny

He spends a lot of time with Harry and Ginny, flying in the fields outside their home

He’s sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts and becomes Seeker, taking after his Grandpa Harry

He quite popular in his time at Hogwarts, always breaking out his guitar at parties or showing off with his dance skills

He claims that he got the best of his family

Alena Mary - April 9, 2036

Alena is the baby Lily’s pregnant with in Karma. She’s a rainbow baby

After Stevie, Lily and Ryan decide they want a daughter, but that proves to be easier said than done

After a few rounds of fertility potions, two miscarriages, and so much heartbreak, Lily is ready to give up

She’s decided that she’s happy with the family she has with her boys, what more does she really need?

Then she finds out she’s pregnant again

It’s so scary to her, but she has a lot of support and it turns out James’s new girlfriend is pregnant too

Marci had Liliana about two months before Lily had Alena, but the pair of them are inseparable

They’re cousins and best friends, and it makes up for how sick Lily had been while pregnant with her

Lily is just happy that Alena has someone so close to her

The pair are sorted into Hufflepuff

They love to dance and when they graduate, the pair come back to the dance studio to help out between their busy schedules

Guinevere “Gwyn” Elizabeth - November 28, 2037

The older twin

After Alena, Lily and Ryan decide that they’re done, no more children, no more fertility treatments, nothing involving babies again

Then Lily misses her period a month after a Valentine’s Day snow storm

She’s sure it’s nothing

Go onto the next month where it is definitely something, two somethings

Ryan faints, Lily is sure that she’ll miscarry and that scares her

It’s at their twenty week scan that they decide to find out the genders, Ginny and Luna come along for support

It takes them a while to come around to the thought of two more girls, to a full family of seven, but then Ryan starts coming up with names

They name Gwyn after Ginny and his mother Elizabeth, to give her strength and kindness

She’s sorted into Gryffindor, a brave and fierce little girl not afraid to fight or sing or dance her way out of things

She has a particular gift for being charming, something she jokes about getting from her Nana Ginny

Hyacinth Roxanne - November 28, 2037

The second twin!

While she is the baby of the family, she is totally fine with it and loves the attention it gives her

She is the only one to not have two family names, but that was because Luna gave her the first name Hyacinth

Luna claims it’s a very funny pretty flower and that is exactly what she grows to be

She’s sorted into Ravenclaw and from there just grows and blooms

While her twin is more of the performer, Hyacinth is fine with being in the background, she feels like she gets away with more there

She’s very sneaky and resilient and has a way of getting out of any trouble, she is the only one of her siblings to be made Head Girl

Upon graduating from Hogwarts she goes on to the Aurors, using her talents for good instead of trouble…most of the time

[kald-dal-write]

P.2 ✨✨

I would love to say Lexie would have an older sibling to mirror Muriel, but I think since she was the one voted in, she’s the older sister and her little sibling isn’t reaping age yet. and since she called out her father she probably didn’t want her little bro/sis experiencing the same thing she did with her dad ig

Juniper is giving only child, only bc her parents didn’t have long to live 😭✋

Avery is giving, if he had pets adopted by his parents he would act as if it was his sibling and call them bro or sis

Harvie is giving rainbow baby. honestly I can imagine her parents like not really being fertile for some reason, so her getting pregnant was a big deal (they would be happy she’s fertile but annoyed bc she’s pretty young)

Wheaton probably has at least one brother, no sisters. probably somebody who influenced him to become a weirdo or somebody he encouraged himself and it made them both worse 💀

Carmen actually seemed like she had siblings to me, but I can also see her as an only child who lives with her cousins and aunts and uncles (similar to how most hispanics in my area live with their branching family too), since she has more mouths to feed in her house, it would make sense she would steal

Robin is giving only child and an orphan 😭

Everest is giving oldest sibling who acts like he hates his siblings but then sacrifices so much for them it’s crazy (he still acts like an ass with his siblings but feeds them ig)

Lilith is giving annoying only child who’s pretty privileged

and Harrow is giving, has one sibling still in reaping age who secretly brings food to him sometimes because they still love him and feel bad. also I think Marl (my hc name for his gf) has brothers who beat him up but respect his decision to leave and Marl’s decision to love him

Yeah Lexie mentions in the interview she has half siblings who are younger than her, so yeah :^)

but yeah seems accurate yet again 🫶

[kooriicolada]

Epic

This is Kinda Dumb

MadaTobi reincarnation soulmates AU that nobody asked for.

It turns out that having the entirety of a former life shoved into your brain in the matter of seconds hurts like a bitch, Tobirama thinks.  (And no, he will not feel guilty for cursing in his own mind.  Nii-san can't hear him.)

He presses the ice pack harder against his aching head and eyes.  It's bad enough that his eyes are light sensitive on a normal day, and now with the raging migraine it's even worse.  Everything looks like a high saturation filter has been put over it alongside occasional rainbows.

"Here," a rough voice says.  It shoves something into his free hand and forces his fingers to close around it.  "My mom says that sugar and caffeine help with bad headaches.  They didn't have any soda so I got you a candy bar."

Uchiha Madara is three years older than Tobirama, making him the amazing age of thirteen to Tobirama's ten.  He is also one of the new kids in school.

Hashirama had wanted Tobirama to meet his new friend who just moved in and now he was in the nurse's office.  Of course.  Nii-san was the root of most of his problems.

In this life, and, apparently, his last.

"Thanks," he says.  "Can you talk quieter?"

"Oh," Madara says and Tobirama can hear him rustling around.  "Yeah.  Sorry."

The silence between them is awkward.  Tobirama leaves the ice pack lying on his face and fumbles open the candy bar.  The chocolate is oversweet on his tongue and he's not sure it helps but… it does make him feel a bit better anyway.

Madara clears his throat and Tobirama can hear him rustling around again.  Tobirama realizes that he's fidgeting.  "So…."

"I hate you," Tobirama says.

Madara sucks in a breath and in the smallest voice Tobirama has ever heard, says, "Okay."

Tobirama flaps his candy bar at him.  "Stop.  I mean I hate you for not getting a headache."

The laugh he gets is worth it, and Tobirama smiles under the cold press of his ice pack.  "I did," Madara confesses.  "Just not as bad I guess."  There's another pause and then:  "Glad you don't hate me for being the epic villain anyway."

Tobirama snorts and moves his ice pack aside so he can squint blearily at Madara's blurry form out of one eye.  "Drama queen."

"Hey, I had a great motivation!"  Tobirama winces at the volume and Madara immediately looks contrite.  "Sorry," Madara says much more quietly.  "...But you gotta admit that being badass magical ninja is a pretty cool former life.  Even if it sucked big time."

Madara leans back on the plastic chair he's perched in, pressing against the back and Tobirama watches him for a second before humming in agreement.  It was like something out of a TV show or a movie.  He wondered if Hashirama would remember the same life or if he'd lived something in between— a world where Tobirama wasn't, or maybe Tobirama never met Madara in that life.

Whatever.

"If Izuna keeps making fun of my glasses," Tobirama says.  "I'm going to fight him."  New kid or not Uchiha Izuna was an ass and Tobirama was absolutely going to throw hands even if it meant getting detention.

Detention was just extra homework time without trying to hide from Dad anyway.

Madara makes a soft noise.  "I'll tell him to knock it off or I'll noogie him until he can't stand," he says with all the vindictive love of an elder brother annoyed by his younger sibling.  "You're my soulmate so he better get used to it and stop being a brat."

Tobirama's chest feels warm and fuzzy.  He realizes he's smiling again.  "Okay," he says. 

That sounded good to him.

[chimchiri]

gimme your spitfire hcs babey…….😏

Lmao YOU already know basically all my hc, there's not much I can write you don't already know. But it's nice having them on my blog. So sure why not!

Attention and Power Spitfire loves being the center of attention, a trait she and Rainbow have in common. Unlike Rainbow she doesn’t shout to get it and she lets her aura speak for itself instead. And usually it works - she has an enormous presence once she enters a room. She loves being looked at in awe and she loves the feeling of power. She’s not one to abuse it though – she cares about fairness and equality, especially later in her years. But she does like the feeling of having power, both in everday life and especially in the bedroom.

Empathy/Drive to Win If Spitfire wants something, she gets it. She will turn everything upside down if she has to and has an insane drive to get to her goal. This mostly appears in wanting to win and wanting to be the best. It may appear in other daily situations though. When she's in her drive, she tends to be egocentric and forget about how she affects others. Her tunnel vision may hurt others in the end, something she's usually not aware of until later. She doesn't want to hurt anyone and if she sees she did, she will usually apologize immediately and see the error of her ways. But it's definitely one of her worse traits.

Motorcycles/Machines She is BIG into motorcycles. Not much more to say. She has a fascination with machinery and owns two or three bikes. That’s it. That’s the headcanon. I’m just a sucker for women on bikes.

Outfits Spitfire usually wears black and little to no color. It goes well with her love for Motorcycles, usually wearing leather or black jeans and boots. And of course always her signature Aviator sunglasses. Her wardrobe is largely giving off a cool vibe.

However, she does love to shock people and be given attention, as mentioned the upper segments. When she took over the Wonderbolts as the youngest captain thus far and being a woman, she received a fair share of rude comments. Mostly about her energetic demeanor and rough behaviour not making her look feminine enough and her being called ‘basically a man’. This didn’t sit well with her. Out of spite and out for revenge to anyone saying that about her, she decided to go all in for her first annual Wonderbolt hosted event. Her gala dress was as revealing as could be, showing off her back and hugging her body tighter than anyone expected. No one expected high heels from her either. She went all in with her feminine side and it paid off – no one dared to call manly after that. Sometimes she still likes to show off like that, since it gives her everyone’s attention. It's a rare occasion seeing Spitfire like that.

Family She’s the youngest of four siblings, having three older brothers. Her dad, a big burly softie, was always hoping for a small girl he could pamper and spoil with many, pink gifts. Unfortunately for him, he receive three little boys. And while he absolutely loves the, he still wanted a daughter. So when the fourth baby turned out a girl, he was crying form joy! Not for long though. Spitfire turned out to be the tomest of boys there could be. She’s rougher, louder and more brutal than her brothers and showed little to no interest in pink or girly things. Still her dad lovingly called her his princess and he spent time with her in her interests. Which included cooking and using the grill. Spits makes a mean barbecue. Once Rainbow enters the frame and he gets to know her, he's all over her, especially because she's more colorful than Spitfire.

Nicknames This is freebie for you since the first nickname initially came from you! I don’t have a hc for Spits’ WB nickname. But I do like the name Spitty, which is given to her by Fleetfoot - the only one who dares to use it. Spits tolerates it for her but she gets seriously pissed if anyone else calls her that. When Rainbow joins the WB and is influenced by Fleets, she uses that nickname as well. Spitfire begrudgingly allows it if she’s got feelings for Rainbow at that point already.

Another nickname of hers is ���princess’, given to her by her dad. She actually likes this one a lot. Only from him though. She loves it mostly because she loves to humiliate anyone who dares laugh at this nickname and assume she’s a weak girl. She’ll obliterate you in whatever competition or simply intimidate you if you dare laugh at the nickname and make fun of her.

Childhood / Soarin Spits was a problem child. She’s always had an insane drive to win, something she and Rainbow share. Unlike Rainbow she also had some aggression problems. She never shied away from getting physical, which got her scolded quite some times. It also resulted in her having very few friends as most were scared of her.

In many AUs I love having Soarin as her best childhood friend. I see Soarin as a very soft spoken, almost timid boy growing up. Maybe it was unconventional circumstances but they got along really well after they met. They understood each other even though they were completely different in character. Both always had each other's back. Their friendship stuck until they became adults and both joined the Wonderbolts. Spitfire was the stronger flyer, so she joined one or two years earlier and pretty quickly had a steep career ahead of her. It was never a problem between the two of them though, which surprised most people as well as themselves.

Some NSFW: In some AUs I also see them being platonic soulmates with benefits – for lack of better word. They love each other and would kill for the other. But they are not in love. When younger, they kiss and touch each other, just lay and enjoy each other’s company. And not long after they start sexual activity. They never have ‘regular’ sex since Spits won’t let anyone penetrate her, but they do fuck in lots of other ways and get each other off. They both enjoy it, test a lot of things and always make damn sure the other has a fun time. Both can feel they aren't meant to be in a serious romantic relationship, so they know this won't last forever – they’re not a couple. But that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy it. And they'll still always love each other like soulmates.

Dogs A short one but I LOVE to hc Spitfire adoring dogs. She probably can’t keep them since her job as Wonderbolt captain involves too much of her time. But she just adores dogs and hates that she can’t have one. I imagine she grew up with two of them and misses them dearly. In any AU where she isn’t a WB captain I’d probably see her having two or three dogs.

Rarity An unlikely friend from any AU that crosses with Rarijack. Spits may usually be masculine/cool in he behaviour but she isn’t ashamed of being feminine. She cares a lot about her appearance (puts a lot of time into getting her hair right and owns a lot of hair products), she loves the spa and getting pampered and she enjoys sugary, colorful drinks – all things that she’s got in common with Rarity. The don’t get along at first but after Rainbow and AJ are gone, they bond over their common likes and hit it off so well, they even end up meeting up alone sometimes. Hilariously, AJ and Rainbow both worry that they might fall for each other and get dumped by them. Rarity and Spits aren’t each other’s type at all though, which they both know and clearly state. But they’re surprisingly open with each other and enjoy the possibility to talk about their relationship to someone not from their usual circle and giving another point of view.

Aaand that's it! I love Spits. Spitty. Spitfire. What a woman!

[pepperycar]

Takes place after the fight in Brooklyn.

“Heart of gold?” Chapter 1: Home again

Mario and Luigi stumbled through the front door to their family’s apartment, it had been a long day, the reporters questioning Toad, DK and Peach, Mayor Pauline asking the bros about this “new world” and what other wonders it held, even giving them the key to the city as thanks for saving her city, even Spike apologised for doubting the brothers and the way that he acted towards them, but now they were finally back home, together again at last. Their family knew they’d need some alone time together after all they’d been through and thankfully Toad was in the kitchen telling the story of their adventure, so the bros didn’t need to find a distraction for them, Mario’s dad let DK rest on the couch, their niece Madelyn climbing on with him, finding him fascinating and bombarding him with questions like ‘how’d you learn to talk?!’ ‘Are there zoo’s in your world?’ ‘If your Dads a king does that mean your a prince?!’ ‘Did you really beat up Uncle Mario?’ DK was worried this would last all night but fortunately Madelyn seemed to tire herself out and soon fell asleep in DK’s arms, him drifting off soon after, Peach was in their parents bedroom talking with their Mom about how grateful she was for Mario and Luigi’s help and said she’d be happy to help with any repairs necessary, and Mario and Luigi were finally back together again, as they should be. Mario’s Mother was making sure all the heroes, especially Luigi who had gone three days without food or water, had full belly’s and were made comfortable, Luigi seemed almost zoned out at the table, he devoured his first plate of food in seconds like a starving dog but his later plates, he ate slower and slower, when he first sipped the cool, ice cold water, his face though tired, light up brightly as he continued to chug down, glass after glass, Mario having to pat his back if he chocked on it, telling him to take it easy and take his time, it was then Mario saw just how mentally drained his brother was, his eyes seemed to loose the brightness in them as they started to glaze over and get teary. When Toad got to the part of the story with the DK fight, Mario embarrassingly went to get Luigi another glass of water, Luigi meanwhile having tears form in his eyes as Toad described the beating Mario was given. Walking back from the kitchen sink, Mario took a quick glance at DK and Madelyn, she was led out like a star fish on his chest, both snoring loudly with some dribble down her cheek, Mario smiled at the sight before feeling someone flick his hat over his eyes, he didn’t need to look to know it was Luigi. He put the glass on the coffee table, readjusted his hat and let it a disappointed sigh “Lu what-“ He was cut of by Luigi grabbing his hands and carefully checking them over for injuries “Luigi.. I’m fine, the Super star healed us both completely!” He reassured.. that was a lie. But he didn’t want Luigi to worry “Mario you got punched in the stomach flying through the air by a huge gorilla and had your arm yanked out of its socket by Bowser..” Luigi sighed, Mario winced at the phantom pains he felt but ignored them “I’m fine.” He reassured placing a hand on Luigi’s shoulder, before Mario realised, he was trapped in a fierce hug “but Rainbow Road.. y-you could have died..” Luigi wept, Mario felt like his heart and lungs were being squeezed and he tried to not panic in front of Luigi, he simply patted his hand on his shoulder and gave a weak smile “there-there Lu.. I’m alright.” He said in a Motherly tone “come on drink up!” Mario smiled, handing him the glass “DK wasn’t as harsh as Toad said he was-“ “yes he is!” Toad called back from the kitchen, their Uncles laughing “heh- he’s a real softy deep down..” Mario then felt a couch pillow wack him on the back of his head, he looked back to see DK supposedly sleeping but with a big telling smirk on his face, Mario rolled his eyes “you are..” he said under his breath as he followed Luigi back in the kitchen. -To be continued.

[atths--twice]

Chapter Fourteen

Feeling better than he has in a while, Fox is set to relax for the weekend. But, will other plans surface? 😊

Saturday morning, Fox woke up with a smile. He felt light, like a burden had been lifted off of his chest. 

Since Samantha had been visiting, he had felt the weight there. As though he had been deceitful to Dana for not sharing his past when she had been so forthcoming with her own. He knew that he should not feel that way, but that did not stop it from happening. 

Rising and feeling energized, he made some coffee and toast. Sitting down at his desk, he opened his laptop and began to write, words and ideas begging to be captured in a document. 

Not until his stomach growled, did he realize he had been at it for hours. He had been lost in a story, a new idea erasing the book he had been working on entirely. He felt it in his soul that this was the story he needed to write, the characters practically shouting their hellos to him and to each other. 

He laughed as he stood up and stretched. Walking into the kitchen, he took out the containers of leftovers, smiling as he thought of Dana being the one who had put them there. Feeling his pockets, he realized his phone was in his room. Cutting a piece of lasagna and placing it into the microwave to reheat, he went to his room to retrieve his phone. 

Three messages were waiting when he pressed the home button and he smiled seeing that two of them were from Dana. Unlocking his phone, he opened the message app and read them. 

Thank you again for last night. We’ve been talking about it all morning. Ivy had so much fun. She asked me to ask you to please say hello to Oink for her. 😊

Oh also, she left her bracelets there. Could you please bring them to the diner on Monday? She says she doesn’t need them until then because she got another present this morning and will get one tomorrow. Today was rainbow ribbons and tomorrow will be a paint by number set. Shhh… 

He grinned as he went to read the other message from Samantha. 

Hey, big brother. How was the lasagna? Didn’t eat it alone, did you? I sure hope not. 😉 Anyway, here are the Christmas lists for the boys you had asked for the other day. I swear, I need to just make one list as they want nearly the exact same things, but… They are really into Legos and the book series on the lists. Or anything else that strikes your fancy. 😊

Sammy Bammy, he typed back. Lasagna was superb, as usual. No, I did not eat it alone, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know. Dana and Ivy came over to join me. We talked after Ivy fell asleep on the couch, about Mom and Dad. It felt cleansing to talk about it with her. She’s… well… 

He stared at his words, debating whether to keep the last two. Pressing send before he could dwell too long, he let out a breath. It was not as though Samantha did not already know, but it felt different seeing it in a message. 

She’s a fan of yours, he continued, writing another message. Loves your product, has for years. So, I’m gonna need another box, because mine seems to have disappeared from the apartment. 

He smiled as he pressed send again and almost immediately saw she was typing back, the three dots bouncing as she wrote her response. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not what came through. 

A massive amount of smiley faces with heart eyes and ones with hearts around them, along with red and pink hearts filled the reply bubble, growing large before slamming and settling as a regular message. He laughed loudly as he hit replay, watching the message shake and then settle. 

The dots again appeared and he waited. 

Fox, that makes me so happy to hear. Or read. 😊 I really liked her, as I said, and I can see she’s been good for you. ❤️ 

I’ll send a box to you asap. I’ll add some new things I hadn’t included for you, specifically for Dana and Ivy. I’m so glad she likes them. Please tell her thank you. And for more than just liking the product. ❤️💕

He grinned as he sent a quick thank you back to her and assurance that he would look at the Christmas lists. She sent back two hearts and said goodbye. 

The microwave beeped, reminding him that his lasagna was waiting. Walking back to the kitchen, he checked it and added another minute to the time. 

Looking at the sink, he grinned and reached for Oink and then Ivy’s bracelets that had been left behind. Placing them gently around Oinks neck, he snapped a quick picture and opened his messages again. 

Hey there, he typed in reply to Dana’s message. Oink says hello and to tell you she will keep the bracelets safe until Monday. She loves the way they look on her and while she knows that Ivy must miss them, she is happy to borrow them for a couple of days. Have a good weekend. 

He added the picture of Oink and pressed send, smiling at the sight of the pig sponge wearing so many colorful bracelets. Laughing, he set the phone on the counter and took out the lasagna from the microwave that was sounding a reminder once again. 

Sitting down at his desk to eat and continue writing, his phone beeped as he stood up to get a glass of water. 

An audio message from Dana made him smile as he pressed play and Ivy’s voice came through the speakers. 

“Oink looks so beautiful with the bracelets. Now she’s a rainbow pig. I think she likes them. She’s smiling. See, Mommy? She’s happy.” 

“Yes, love, she is happy. Tell Fox and Oink thank you.” 

“Oh yeah. Thank you, Fox and Oink. Mommy will bring them to me on Monday and you can wear them until then.” 

She snorted loudly and Dana laughed before the message cut off. Fox laughed heartily, shaking his head and listening to it again before walking back to his desk as he double tapped their message and added a heart to it. 

Sitting down, he became lost in the story he was writing, chuckling sporadically at the memory of Ivy’s loud snort and Dana’s surprised laughter. 

____________

Sunday, after staying up late lost in his writing, Fox slept in later than usual. Upon waking up, he decided to do something he had not done in awhile and go for a run. 

There were many people out already seizing the day to get things done. Shopping for Christmas gifts, meeting up for a mid-morning breakfast, talking and laughing as he ran past. 

He stopped for a breather near the water, pacing back and forth as he stood with his hands on his hips looking down at it. A man on a decorated bike rode by him, Christmas music playing from a speaker in a basket. He smiled at Fox as he continued on, the Santa hat with elf ears he wore, causing Fox to chuckle. 

Heading back home, he stopped and bought a coffee and a piece of crumbly coffee cake. Walking the last couple of blocks as he ate, and drank, he was lost in thought over the the character’s in his book, their conversations nearly as real as the ones going on around him. 

“Fox!” 

He raised his head and looked around, finding Dana and Ivy outside his building. Ivy waved excitedly and Dana smiled, as she held onto the handle of a teal blue collapsible wagon. 

“Hey,” he said, walking over to them with a grin, throwing out the bag from his coffee cake. “Did I miss something? Did you call me?” He took his phone from his pocket and saw that he had not missed any calls. He looked back at Dana and she shook her head. 

“No!” Ivy shouted with a smile. “We’re surprising you! Was it a good surprise?” She hopped up and down and he laughed with a nod. 

“It was a great surprise,” he said, glancing down inside the wagon and frowning when he saw its contents. “What’s all this?” 

“Well,” Dana said, clearing her throat and appearing slightly nervous. “Ivy and I were talking last night as we sat on the couch looking at our Christmas lights and we both realized something, or rather Ivy did.” 

“Oh? What’s that?” he asked, looking at Ivy and then down into the wagon again. 

“You don’t have any Christmas stuff in your house, Fox,” Ivy said and he turned his head toward her. “We have lots at our house, but you don’t have anything. Not any Santas or even one snowman.” She shook her head slowly, her face serious and he raised his eyebrows as he bit back a smile. 

“Oh, I see.” 

“You don’t even have a Christmas tree.” 

“You’re right, I don’t.” 

“I told Ivy,” Dana said, letting out a breath. “I said that maybe you haven't had a chance yet. Or maybe, because you only moved here recently, you haven’t unpacked yours yet.” She stared at him and smiled softly. “Or maybe… you don’t want to put things out?” 

He drew in a deep breath and understood what she was not saying. The concern she had for his feelings surrounding the holidays, the worry in her eyes, made him want to hug her. 

Instead, he smiled and nodded, looking back at the wagon full of many large paper bags, a couple of decorative boxes, and a box containing an artificial tree. 

“I actually don’t have any Christmas decorations. My sister is the one to have the decorations up at her house. I usually visit her on Christmas and so that’s all I really need. But you know, my place could do with some things. Hmm…” He touched a bag and peered inside, seeing snowmen and a smiling angel. He smiled and looked at Ivy. “These are from your house?” 

“Yes. I choosed some that we had set out in our apartment and some from the box we keep in the storage room,” she said, looking in one of the bags. “There’s a penguin that's my very favorite. I thought that Oink might like to meet her.” 

He laughed, his eyes flicking to Dana. She was smiling as she looked at Ivy, her eyes shining. 

“Well, I’m sure Oink will be delighted to have a new friend. Thank you for thinking of me, Ivy. That was very considerate.” 

“Does that word mean that I did something nice?” she asked, looking up at him and tilting her head to the side. 

“Yes,” he said, his smile growing. “That’s exactly what it means.” She smiled and clapped as he touched the puffball on top of her pink polka dotted beanie. “Let’s take this wagon full of stuff inside and get to decorating.” 

“Yay!” Ivy shouted and threw her arms in the air. 

He laughed and looked at Dana again, finding her eyes on him this time, a questioning expression on her face. He nodded and she let out a deep breath as she smiled slightly. 

Using his key fob, he opened the door, letting them walk inside first, Ivy chatting excitedly about the rest of the items they had brought over. Falling in step beside Dana, he placed a hand on her lower back and bent his head close to hers. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, saying nothing further, knowing she would understand. 

“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. He nodded and moved his hand to hold the elevator door open and allow Dana to enter with the wagon. 

_____________

“I think it should go here,” Ivy said, climbing up on a stool and setting a ceramic Christmas tree on the counter. “I think that’s nice.” 

“Yeah, I like it,” Fox agreed and she grinned at him. 

Everything, save for the artificial tree, had been taken out of the wagon and unboxed and unbagged. They had been set on the dining room table and Fox had told Ivy to put the items anywhere she wanted. She had looked at him in disbelief and he had nodded with a smile. 

“You get to pick. Wherever you want to put them out,” he had assured her. 

She had walked around the table and the apartment, taking her time to make the decisions. Rearranging things at times, she had begun to place items, her eyes finding his and seeking approval. He had nodded encouragingly and she had grinned, nodding as she looked at the decoration. 

“Do you want this one by your bed?” Ivy now asked, picking up a smiling ceramic snowman that was holding a red bird on his stick finger. “He’s so happy.” 

“Ivy, no,” Dana said, starting to take the tree from the box. “Not the bedroom. It’s fine to have decorations there at our house, but we’ve discussed the bedrooms of other adults.” She looked at Ivy and she nodded seriously. 

“I know, Mommy. That’s why I was asking.” Ivy nodded again and Fox smiled, wanting to smooth things over.  

“Hey, how about the bathroom instead? Maybe the shelf? Or ohhh, how about in the shower? No one would ever expect to see that when they got in to take a shower. That might make them laugh.” 

“Oh! That’s a great idea!” Ivy said, turning to run to the bathroom and they heard her opening the shower door and giggling. 

“I told her she shouldn’t go into the bedrooms of adults,” Dana explained softly and he nodded. “For many different reasons.” 

“As you should,” Fox agreed, coming to help her with the tree. 

“My parents, though they always allowed us into their room, didn’t like us letting friends inside. I want her to have that same respect and not go into rooms she shouldn’t.” 

“Completely understandable,” Fox said, nodding his head. “My parents had an open/shut door policy. If it was open, everything was kosher, but if it was shut, you had to knock and be allowed entry. And absolutely no friends were allowed inside at any time.” 

“I had friends who let me into their parents' room without any concern, but it always made me feel anxious, like I was doing something wrong. As if I would get caught and be in trouble.” She smiled at him and he smiled back. 

“I understand how you feel. I think it’s good that she knows. For all the reasons.” He looked at her and she nodded in understanding. 

“The snowman looks good in the shower,” Ivy said, bouncing back into the room with a giggle. 

“Fantastic,” Fox said, clapping his hands together. “Now, Miss Ivy… we have the tree out and ready to be assembled, but where do you think we should put it?” 

“Right by the window,” she said quickly, running over to stand by the window, as though she had already been thinking about it. “That way when people look at it from other buildings, they will see it shining brightly.” She tipped her back and smiled, her arms outstretched.

“Well, then that’s settled,” he said, bringing over the pieces of the tree and setting them down. 

“Wait a second,” he said, snapping his fingers. “What have I been thinking? We need some Christmas music!” He smiled at Ivy and turned on the television, setting it to a Christmas music station and clapping his hands together. “Okay, let’s put this tree together. You keep setting out the decorations, Miss Ivy. Surprise us with your choices.” 

“Okay!” she said excitedly and he laughed. 

“The tree can be a little tricky,” Dana said, coming to stand beside him. “It’s kind of temperamental sometimes. I pinched myself with it once and had a blood blister for a few days.” 

“And you’ve decided to loan it to me? How very kind of you,” he teased, picking up the stand, putting it together, and adding the bottom piece. 

“Stubborn things and I go well together. I find the challenge satisfying,” she said, handing him the next piece with a smile and he chuckled. 

“I’ll be careful with the remaining pieces. Thanks for the warning.” She laughed and he looked at her with a smile. “Thank you for all of this, Dana. I wasn’t planning on doing anything. Not because of anything other than I just…” He shrugged and let out a breath. “It’s just me here and… well…” He shrugged again and she nodded in understanding. 

“I know. I doubt I’d have it all out if it was just me. Well, maybe just a few things, as it’s my favorite holiday, but also…” She shrugged and smiled again. “It’s fun with kids around. Allows you to have a large collection of snowmen without people questioning or judging you.” 

He laughed as he nodded and added the next piece of the tree. The top was handed to him and he smiled at her as he caught sight of Ivy waving a finger back and forth between two Santas. Landing on one, she grinned, picked it up, and walked into the kitchen. He smiled again and shook his head as he carefully added the last piece to the tree. 

Finished with it, he went to plug it in and found the cord would not reach the outlet without moving the tree or requiring the use of an extension cord. 

“Hmm,” he said, moving the tree and plugging it in, but not liking the placement of it. “I don’t think I have an extension cord. I’ll have to get one later.” 

“Or it could stay there,” Dana said as they looked at it, and he shook his head. 

“Nah, it needs to be in the window. I like it there too. I’ll get one la…” He broke off as he looked out onto the balcony and then to the dining room table. “There aren’t any lights in the stuff you brought, right?” 

“No. Why?” 

“Hmm… I think I may need to make a list. Now that I have all this up,” he said, waving a hand around. “I feel like I need to add more. Lights on the balcony, maybe some framing the window in here…” He raised his eyebrows and she laughed. 

“I fear we’ve created a monster.” 

“Do you want to come with me to find some more decorations?” he asked, feeling suddenly nervous. She smiled slowly and nodded her head. 

“I think we can do that,” she said softly and he let out a deep breath as he nodded. 

__________________

Two hours later, they came back. Laughing as they took off shoes and coats, they once again unloaded the wagon and set things onto the table. 

Boxes of colorful lights were brought onto the balcony and set onto the coffee table. Fox took them out and he and Ivy carefully wrapped them through the slats and around the top of the railings. When he plugged them in, she sighed happily and nodded her head. 

They placed them around the window in and outside of the apartment, using little nails to hold the strands in place. He only hit his thumb once, but it was hard enough to bring tears to his eyes as he bit back the litany of curse words that wanted to escape. Dana rubbed his back, her lips pursed tightly together and mirth in her eyes, but she did not laugh. 

When everything was done and all the trash was thrown away, they sat on the couch while the winter sun went down. The room was full of the glow of Christmas lights as they ate bowls of the unicorn cotton candy ice cream. It was as sweet as he remembered, but he ate it all the same, smiling as he looked around the apartment. 

“It looks really great in here,” he said. “Thank you both for awakening the Christmas spirit in me.” 

“You’re welcome,” Ivy said, smacking her lips and wiping her mouth on the napkin beside her. 

“How does it feel in here, Ivy?” he asked, smiling down at her. 

She looked at the multicolored lights on the windows, the white ones on the artificial tree, and the yellowish lights coming from the small rotating village that sat on his desk. Her gaze traveled to the many figurines they could see, and finally landed on the Santa throw pillow on the couch. His cheeks were pink and he was grinning with a twinkle in his eyes. 

She let out a deep breath and laid her head against Fox’s arm, her ice cream forgotten for the moment. 

“It feels… revder… rev… reverent,” she said softly and he grinned as he exhaled a breath through his nose. 

“It does indeed,” he agreed, just as softly, his eyes on his bowl of ice cream before he looked around again, enjoying the quiet of the moment. 

All too soon, reality came calling, however. Dana and Ivy had to get home as Ivy had school in the morning. 

Bundling up, they all headed out, Ivy riding in the wagon as Fox pulled it. They played a game along the way, finding Christmas items that started with letters of the alphabet, laughing when they argued over who got them first. 

He fumbled with folding the wagon in the lobby of their building and Dana had to take over, teasing him over the ease of it. She took it down to the basement to put it away while he walked Ivy upstairs. 

Ivy hopped from one foot to the other as they waited at the front door, talking about school the next day. 

“Mondays are fun days. We get to bring things to share and we have extra reading time after lunch.” 

“That sounds fun,” he said and she stopped hopping to look up at him. 

“That’s why it’s Monday Fun Day.” 

“Oh,” he chuckled. “I see.” 

“Yeah,” she said, resuming her hopping. 

Dana arrived and he said goodnight to them, not wanting to keep them from their nightly tasks. Ivy hugged him tightly and then smiled as she ran inside, calling out her goodbyes. 

“Thank you again,” he said to Dana as she watched Ivy. Turning back to him, she smiled with a nod. 

“You’re welcome, again.” 

“You two have a nice rest of your night. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He smiled and she stepped forward to hug him, letting out a breath as he held her close. 

“Tomorrow,” she echoed, her voice muffled by his coat. He smiled and nodded, stepping back and letting her go. 

“Goodnight,” he said softly and she sighed as she nodded back. 

“Goodnight.” 

“Mommy, can I take a bubble bath?” Ivy called and he laughed quietly as Dana sighed. 

“Bye.” 

“Goodbye,” she said, stepping into the apartment and smiling as she reached for the door. “Yes, you can have a bath.” She waved and he nodded, waiting for the door to close before he headed down the stairs. 

His steps were heavy as he walked home, following the same path they had taken. He saw the Christmas items from their alphabet game and he sighed, feeling overwhelmingly alone and lonely. 

The warmly lit apartment was cozy and welcoming, but too quiet with just him moving about. He spent some time looking again at the decorations Dana and Ivy had brought over, smiling at the places Ivy had chosen to display them. 

In the kitchen, he found the penguin that Ivy had told him she liked best sitting beside Oink. It was an adorable penguin with pink cheeks, wearing a Santa hat, and holding a small lantern in its flippers. Half of Ivy’s rainbow bracelets were now around the penguin’s neck, the other half still around Oink’s neck. 

He smiled at the sight of them, before sighing deeply and shaking his head, the silence in his apartment now enveloping him and seeming far too loud. 

[motownfiction]

vantage

From Sam’s vantage, everything looks wrong.

Maybe it’s not wrong. It’s just this really strange clear hue with the strangest tints of yellow throughout. His life is a pineapple gummy bear, and he doesn’t like pineapple gummy bears. He’s coming up with stupid metaphors to distract himself now. He knows that. But when he gets on that train of thought, he can’t stop it. He doesn’t want to.

Hopping off the silly train means dealing with what’s going on.

He wishes he could just get OK with it. With being different. With being the one who stands out. With being himself. He wishes he could just get OK with it, and when he’s all by himself, he is. But then, when he gets in front of people, he realizes that there must be something he’s missing. He’s doing his youth incorrectly by not getting old enough fast enough.

Last night, he was the best man at his little brother’s wedding. Sure, Charlie’s a little young to be married, but that means Sam is at the age where people ask if he’s thinking about getting married. If Charlie can do it, he can do it. Some distant great aunt said that to him last night over white cake and buttercream frosting. Sam’s not even sure of this aunt’s name or why she was invited, but apparently, she knows everything there is to know about him. She even asked what happened to that beautiful blonde girl he was dating, Stephanie someone, someone Stephanie. Sam didn’t have a response to that.

Sam still doesn’t have a response to that.

When Charlie asked him to serve as his best man, he didn’t give it a second thought. They’re brothers, and that’s what you do. When he got to the church that afternoon, he wasn’t thinking about it at all. He just wanted to get the show on the road so he could listen to music and eat dinner. But when he looked out at the crowd – Lucy and Will, Sadie and Daniel, Mom and Dad, everyone all coupled up and looking so, so happy – he wonders what he must have done to miss it. He wonders why he gave up his shot, if Stephanie someone, someone Stephanie would even want to see him today.

He does not wonder if he would want to see her. He already knows the answer.

All night long, he pictured himself through everyone else’s eyes. When he tried to dance to “She Drives Me Crazy,” he thought about what people must be thinking, how they must perceive him.

That Sam, they probably said to themselves. He’s a slacker. He could have graduated from college this year if he only tried.

He’s twenty-two years old. By the time I was twenty-two, I had two kids and a third on the way. What’s the matter with him?

I heard he was a little … you know … he knows all the words to ‘Over the Rainbow.’”

Maybe they’re not saying any of it. Maybe they’re not thinking of him at all. Somehow, Sam knows that’s not true. People notice him all the time. One of the many disadvantageous advantages of being a big and loud personality. A friend of distinction.

He doesn’t think he can do much today. He thinks he might be too afraid of his own youth. He lies down and sings to the ceiling.

No, sir! Not I! Not me! So there!

(part of @nosebleedclub september challenge -- day xix!)

[hesjustlines]

The Pit

A short story about the things we don't acknowledge that swallow us up

I have a pit. It’s in the garden. I suppose it’s actually a family pit since it’s a family garden, but really it’s mine. No one else goes out to the garden so no one else knows about the pit. Sometimes I wonder if they can see it at all. It’s not hidden. It’s right in the middle of the planter box. There isn’t anything in there, obviously, but it had ginger and mint when we moved into this house and it took ages to dig it all out and get it to stop coming back. The pit is sort of like that. It started off as a hole. Holes are normal for gardens, I just thought a rabbit dug it. I was a little annoyed because I was half-heartedly growing lettuce. It ended up not mattering because a rabbit hadn’t dug the hole and nothing grew anyway. I knew a rabbit hadn’t dug the hole when I saw it two days later and it was bigger. Actually, bigger isn’t the right word. Well, it is, but the important word is deeper. The hole was deeper. It had been about the size of a quarter when I first saw it and it was the size of a plate when I went back. It was deep, though. Too deep. It looked like it never ended, even though the planter box really isn’t that big.

I told my mom about the pit. She told me to wash the dishes. I told my dad about the pit. He grumbled about moles (even though moles make mounds, not pits). I told my little brother about the pit and he said he wanted to see it. When I showed it to him he said, “yeah,” which doesn’t mean anything at all, and then he went back inside. I told my aunt about the pit. I said, “there is a pit in the garden,” and she said, “I’m sure there is,” and usually that wouldn’t mean anything either but she said it like it did so maybe it did.

I have a pit. It’s still growing, it’s up to the size of those rainbow parachutes they used to use for gym classes. I used to think it grew by eating things, like maybe if a rabbit fell in it would feed the pit and it would be bigger the next day, so I tested it. Not with a rabbit, that would’ve been really awful. I used some dinner I didn’t feel like eating. My mom asked me a whole bunch of questions about why I wasn’t eating so I was glad to go to the garden. I threw the entire plate into the pit. I never heard it land. When I checked the next day, the pit was definitely bigger. It seemed a little too big because all I gave it was some chicken and rice. In my science class we learned about sample sizes; if you’re testing something you have to have a big enough sample size to get accurate data. Basically, one plate of food wasn’t enough. I saved my sandwich from lunch every day that week and fed it to the pit when I got home. It did not get bigger.

I have a pit. I’m getting a little scared. The pit outgrew the planter box and now it’s just sitting in the yard. I don’t think it ends. I don’t know why it got so big because I haven’t been checking on it as often. I was going to check three days ago but then someone called me and I was too upset to do much of anything after they hung up. So now the pit is huge. I sort of want it to stop growing. I sort of don’t.

I have a pit. If I stand at the edge of it, it feels like nothing. I don’t mean that it doesn’t feel any different than the space around it, I mean it really feels like nothing. I stand by the pit a lot. Sometimes I think if I fell in it wouldn’t even be a bad thing because it would just be nothing. Then I think about how boring that would get and I go back inside even though I don’t really like it there and want to leave most of the time.

I used to have a pit. I’m not sure what happened to it. I just woke up and thought I would peek at it just from my window. I’ve never seen anything fall into it so I thought maybe I’d try and catch something. It was really dark, though, when I pulled back my curtains. Usually I can see the pit even when it’s dark because it’s just so big. Come to think of it, I can’t really see much of anything. It’s a lot darker than usual even though it doesn’t really seem dark. Weird.

[lordfreg]

Love You, Brother

note: I HATE MYSELF AHHHHH but i thought of it and eVERYONE HAS TO SUFFER WITH MEEE :D!!!

@hypocriticaltypwriter

TW// major character death, blood, family issues, burnout, and bulling !!

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

It wasn’t fair.

Nothing is fair.

Niccolo couldn’t speak for the first few years of his life. Being nonverbal was hard for a little guy like him, he couldn’t say anything at all. He chirped to hid brothers and sister, but only they knew what he was saying, and even then it was hard.

Niccolo was sitting at a small table of the play space in the Resistance’s secret base. Some other Resistance kids walked up and started to grab at the crayons that Niccolo had specifically placed out in rainbow order.

Niccolo looked around confused at the actions of the other children, he stared to whine at them, struggling to explain why this was making him upset.

The other kids stopped and looked at Niccolo who could only grunt at them. Their expressions become more upset and they just started to laugh. Niccolo didn’t understand, what was so funny? Did he do something?

“Haha! This kid can’t even speak!” One of them said, “Speak kid! What? Are you mute or something?”

Niccolo didn’t understand.

Why where they doing this? What did he do to them?

Then, a voice from behind called, “Hey! You leave my brother alone!”

It was Zuccone!

“You guys put those crayons back, he had them in order for a reason!” Zuccone said demandingly.

“What was the reason? Maybe if Mute over here would speak…” One of them said, while the other started to chuckle.

Niccolo felt like crying, and he pretty sure he was. He saw the tear drops hit the floor. 

“You shut up!” Zuccone shouted, “You don’t speak to him that way! He’s way smarter then all of you combined!”

“What’s going on over here?” Karai asked, peering in at the fight.

“They’re making fun of Niccolo!” Zuccone said swiftly, making sure they didn’t get a word in first.

“Really?” Karai said unamused, “You three can go in time out.” She said, grabbing them by the arms and dragging them to the corner, making them drop the crayons, Niccolo and Zuccone making sure to pick them up immediately.

Niccolo chirped a ‘thank you’ to Zuccone as they both orginized the crayons, back into rainbow order.

“You’re welcome, Niccolo!” Zuccone smiled back, “Now, where were we?”

Niccolo chirped fearfully.

“Ah, I’m sure they learned their lesson Niccy.” Zuccone said, handing him the color red, “And, I’ll always be here to protect you, okay?”

“Chrip!” Niccolo smiled widely, letting Zuccone watch him as he drew. 

That was almost 5 and a half years ago, and now Niccolo could speak. He spoke, not often, but enough.

“What would you like to eat, dear?” Tamsin asked, grabbing a small plate.

“Not hungry! Too busy!” Niccolo said, quickly scurrying past the counter with his arms full of art supplies. 

“You’re just like your uncle,” Tam sighed, “No way mister, you have to eat breakfast before you spend all day drawing again.”

Nic stopped dead in his tracked and looked up at his mother, trying to find the correct words, “But... I want to finish it before Dad leaves again...”

Tam smiled a bit, “After breakfast, kiddo.”

Niccolo pouted a bit, setting down his things and walked to the family table with the rest of his brothers, before sitting down and being served pancakes.

They tasted like dirt, but hey! They were food. At least the syrup made them taste like sugar.

“What are you working on, Niccy?” David asked, mouthful of pancake.

“Surprise,” Niccolo said simply, finishing his first pancake in a few bites.

“Whatever it is, i’m sure it looks great!” Zuccone smiled, giving Niccolo a thumbs-up.

“Uh-huh!” Nic nodded eagerly, “Looks great!” He repeated.

After breakfast, Niccolo ran to the play room, wagging his small tail and grabbing his supplies. He ran to the room where a big canvas sat on an easel that was way too tall for Niccolo to reach, already having a rough sketch of something.

Zuccone stuck his head in, peering at his twin, using an empty box to reach is project. Niccolo was vigorously erasing the sketch marks and tracing over them with his thick marker.

Zuccone watched him carefully, having a soft smile at the way that Niccolo’s hand glided over the canvas. Never shaking, even once. Niccolo was so focused and serious about what he was doing. He was seriously just like Uncle Mikey.

Zuccone hadn’t even noticed himself drawing closer to the canvas. Gazing closer at it, Zuccone could see the splotches of red, orange, purple and blue. He could see the green bodies of his uncles, father and siblings.

He was doing a family portrait. 

“Wow, that’s really good!” Zuccone said, making Niccolo jump a bit.

“Ah! You scared me!” Niccolo smiled, “Thank you, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!” Zuccone joked, “I think Dad’s really gonna love it.”

“You do?” Niccolo asked, his eyebrow hitched slightly, “What if he hates it?”

“Why would he hate it, Nic?” Zuccone asked, leaning to face his poor brother who was getting swamped with self-doubt.

“Because,” Nic frowned, “The portions are off and Uncle Raph’s head looks off.”

“It’s hardly noticeable, if it wasn’t, I would’ve told you.” 

“You’re right,” Nic smiled again, “Looks good!”

Zuccone laughed, “Looks good! Looks good!”

Niccolo kept drawing, letting Zuccone watch him.

The painting as finished months ago, and hung in Niccolo’s room. Once Nic showed everyone, they were all so thankful.

Uncle Leo even started to cry a little bit.

Everyone was so thankful. It made Niccolo feel a type of pride. So, Niccolo made more drawings, he explored different mediums, he even roped David into it! And David was quite good at it too.

Niccolo woke up to the sounds of the blaring alarms and flashing lights.

SECURITY BREACH! CODE RED!

This was bad, really bad! The Krang had found their base!

Niccolo grabbed his sais and jacket, preparing for trouble. He ran out with the rest of his siblings, as they watched CJ and Raphael push back a Kraang bush out of the base.

“We could really use your help..!” CJ said inpatiently.

“Right!” Karai said, waking the Krang out of the doorway, making it scrabble up the stairs.

Niccolo looked around nervously. Where was David? Or Jeremiah? Or Zuccone?

“Karai!” Niccolo called, “Where’s Zuccone?”

CJ pointed up the stairs, where Karai was running up and Niccolo followed her, finding himself in the middle of a battle field.

Everything was happening at once; Leo was slicing, Donnie was protecting Tam until they both fight off the Krang so they could attack, Raph had rushed out behind Niccolo with a rush of wind, smashing down a tendril of a Krang before it could hit CJ.

Zuccone and David were struggling with a Krang, who was trying to bite them. Niccolo took his naginata and sliced the thing in half, making a small signal with his hand.

“Yeah, we’re good.” David said disgruntled, “Aren’t we, Zee?”

“Yeah… Mom! Dad!” Zuccone quickly changed his priorities.

“Don’t worry, son!” Donnie called back, with Tam clinging to him, “We got this!” Donatello legitimately threw Tam and a Krang, Tam cutting it down the middle.

Zuccone and David laughed, Niccolo cringing at the affectionate kissing that pressured after the attack.

Just then, a Krang jumped out, it’s spikes facing toward Niccolo.

SHINK.

….

Niccolo’s breath was the only thing he heard. He stared in horror as he found himself on the ground and covered in blood that wasn’t his. Tears welled in his eyes, and his heart beat was deafening.

Zuccone was standing over him. His side fully impaled with the spike.

It didn’t feel real. Niccolo’s tears blurred his vision slightly, making it hard for him to focus on what was happening.

Zuccone fell on top of Niccolo, making reality snap back to focus as Niccolo rolled his brother over, applying pressure to the wound.

Donnie and Tam rushed over, Leo and Raph joint them in protecting the kids. Another attack had been lunched, but Niccolo could care less. The only thing he cared about was his brother, bleeding out in front of him.

“Zee..? Zee! Zuccone!!” Niccolo panted, “Answer me!! Are you okay?? Please!!”

Zuccone looked slightly, giving his twin a heavy-lidded side eye, letting out a few breaths. Luckily, Zuccone’s half plastron protected him. Mostly.

Zuccone attempted to sit up, wincing in pain, his breath hitching. The slightly lifted shirt reveled a chipped plastron and a rapidly bleeding side.

“Niccy….” Zuccone said, bringing his hand to reach his twins. “It-It doesn’t look like i’ll bounce back this time… If I die…”

“You won’t die, please.” Niccolo begged.

“If I die…” Zuccone said more sternly, “Promise you’l, take care of yourself, okay? You’re worth every…ugh…every word of praise and admiration.”

Zuccone pulled Niccolo close to him, placing their foreheads together. The ultimate sign of affection.

“Love you, brother.”

He went limp, his head falling back in Niccolo’s arms. The world deafen again. Karai and Tam rushing over, with the rest of them following after them. Niccolo couldn’t hear was they were saying. He didn’t care what they were saying.

Raph pulled Niccolo away from Zuccone’s body, Niccolo hissing, biting and yelling at Raph, probably something he would regret but he couldn’t even hear himself right now.

Donnie tried desperately to resuscitate Zuccone, saying something, tears starting to stream down his face. Tam held Karai as they both cried into each other. Leo grew angry and ripped a Krang in half with his bare hands, kicking away its corpse and yelling.

David stood visibly shocked, unable to speak or move.

Raph restrained Niccolo as he tried to get back to Zuccone’s body.

Suddenly, like an EMP, everything came back into focus.

“It’s no use…” Donnie said, helplessly, “He’s-….” Donnie couldn’t even finish his sentence before a hiccup of sobs erupted.

Niccolo couldn’t comprehend it. He couldn’t even imagine it in his worst nightmares. How did this even happen? It was too fast, too traumatic, to remember.

They carried Zuccone’s body off of the battle field, Donatello carrying him with Tam and Karai accompanying them. Leo and Raph helped the rest of the kids calm down from the attack.

Lots of tears, blankets and water bottles were handed out. News was spread and everyone was trying to calm down.

Niccolo felt out of focus. Like he, himself, was blurry. Everything felt numb on his skin and in his head. He couldn’t remember what happened. He didn’t understand what he was doing. He was simply going through the motions.

Then, the reality set it. It felt like a broken rib, on every rib. It crushed his heart and spiked tears in his eyes. His face scrunched up and the furious look in his eyes returned.

Niccolo started to cry, Karai trying to calm him down to no avail. He became more and more angry. He ripped himself away from Karai’s grasp and ran into his room; slamming the door behind him.

Niccolo sobbed, and needed to break something. He looked around his room, his eyes gazed across everything.

He ran over to his easel, throwing it on the ground. He swept his glass jars onto the floor. He cat-swiped everything on to the floor. Books, toys, action figures, small gifts and paintbrushes.

He tore through the bookshelves, he threw things over, he ripped apart his room. He cried, and for the first time in his life, he screamed out of pure pain.

He continued tearing things apart until he finally landed on the painting.

The family portrait.

He could still here the echos of Zuccone’s voice.

“Looks good,”

Niccolo crumpled onto the floor, sobbing into his hands, in a nest of a destroyed room. He sat in the puddle of despair, eventually falling asleep and having no dreams.

———

They had a proper funeral for him. Mikey, being the one to speak first, and say “May the spirits of our Ancestors lead him to the safety of the Spirit World.”

Niccolo was next to speak. He coked on his words, he held back tears, he even had to drink water a few times. But, one he was finished, he didn’t wait around to watch the casket be put into the ground.

———

The days that followed where…hard on everyone. Mikey spending more time with Niccolo, if that meant anything at all.

Niccolo had shut himself off, he consumed himself with his work and ate rarely.

“He stopped talking too,” Karai said to thin air, letting the smoke around her absorb her problems. Meditation had helped in the past, but for some reason, this felt different. There was something more then just smoke in the air.

“He hasn’t said a word since… Since we lost him. I think they both died that day. It was hard on everyone, but it’s so much worse on Niccolo. It’s like… he doesn’t care anymore. About himself, anyway.” Karai spoke, trailing off.

“Karai…”. A ghostly voice whispered to her.

“Who-Who’s there?!” She exclaimed, getting off of the meditation spot and striking a fighting pose.

“It’s me, Karai.” The ghost whispered again, sounding familiar, yet it was too ghastly to understand.

“Show yourself!” She demanded.

The smoke from the candles started to form a ball, morphing into a shape. A human shape.

“It’s me, Karai,” the smoke said once more, “It’s Zuccone.”

[topguncortez]

g reviews:

June First by Jennifer Hartmann

page count: 464

genre: slow burn, forbidden love, murder/suicide, smut, adopted sibling relationship, death, grief, attempted assault, childhood friends to lovers, emotional trauma.

Want to know what happens to a man who barely claws his way out of a tragedy, only to fall right into the arms of the one girl in the world he can never have? Another tragedy, that's what. When I was six years old, my father made a choice that altered the course of my entire life. Because of what he did, the only girl I ever loved became the only girl I couldn’t have. In a lot of ways, I did have her… I had her first steps, her first words, her first smile. I had her milestones, her heartbreaks, her dreams. I had her heart so woven in with mine, I didn’t know where she ended, and I began. Only, as the years pressed on, lines became blurred—and the blurrier the line, the easier it is to cross. They say tragedy comes in threes. For me, that was true. The first one changed me, the second one broke me, and the third one healed me. But at the center of all that tragedy… there is a love story. And at the center of that love story, There is June.

This book had me in tears.

I knew through booktok that Jennifer Hartmann's books are tearjerkers, that's her speciality. And I don't cry very easily, so I was up for a challenge.

But my god, I was not expecting the heartbreak and angst and grief that this poor kid goes through in his life.

The book starts out with two little boys, Brant and Theo. Brant is the six year old little boy who lives with his mom, Caroline, and dad, next door to Theo Bailey. It's a normal end of May Day, and Theo is telling Brant that his mom is about to go have a baby. Brant is excited for Theo because there is nothing more than Brant wants than to be a big brother. To be a protector. That night Brant tells his mother the exciting news about Mrs. Bailey's new baby and how he wished he could be a big brother. Brant's mom tells him that maybe, when they get away, they can get that dog that he's been talking about. Caroline tells Brant as she tucks him in that tomorrow is June first, and June always felt like a fresh start. Brant goes to bed that night dreaming of bluebirds and rainbows.

However that dream is quickly turned into a nightmare.

In an instant Brant's life is turned upside down by the death of his mother at the hands of his father, and his father who was too much of a coward to deal with the consequences. six year old Brant finds them both right next to each other in the living room.

Since that night, Brant was taken in by the Baileys, suddenly becoming a brother to Theo, and to baby June, who was born on that tragic night. Brant immediately feels like he has to protect June from all the bad in the world. All the monsters that lurk in the dark. Anything and everything that might hurt her. He repeats back, to a two month old June one night, the last words his mother ever said to him: "I will always protect you"

The Bailey siblings and Brant grow up right along side each other in this beautiful coming of age story. It goes through the heartbreak of losing someone in an instant, the grief of trying to move on, and how you can't control who you love, but you can control who hurts you.

This book was so beautiful, I could hardly put it down. It is packed full of all the emotions. It had me gasping, hurting, confused, crying, laughing, (shaking my head a little bit). It's one of those books that once you pick it up, you don't want to put it down. These two go through so much in their lives that you just hope and pray for the best to come for them.

My biggest caution is that this book is not for the faint of heart. For all intents and purposes, these two are siblings. There's a legal document that says that Brant and June are adopted siblings, and that line gets blurred. I think that Jennifer handled that topic very well, because it does happen. It's not uncommon for it happen. It taboo and a bit dirty and weird, but it happens. You can sense the carefulness, and the maturity in the theme of the book when Brant and June do start their relationship. Jennifer goes about it all very carefully and handles it in a way that you don't feel like "oh my god that's disgusting". There's a thin line to walk when writing a topic such as this, and I believe that it was done rather well.

G's rating: 9/10

also, here is me when I finished the book so you don't think I'm lying. I was in tears.

[adventures-written]

;; Ok, so now that I’m awake again and slightly coherent, here’s my thoughts on episode 10:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of it I expected because, being on tumblr, ya just see spoilers. So I knew some stuff that would happen. LIKE THE FRICKEN SNEEZE! That was great.

I have to do another rewatch cause I might have missed some stuff, but like...Zazie’s little “But they were mine :(” as Conrad takes their things was adorable. Pouty pile of bugs, poor thing. 

And Vash’s scars! Heck, they make me so sad because all he wants is to protect people. It doesn’t matter what happens to him. Scar him up in his entirety and he’ll still keep fighting. The guy that shot him? Vash does not hold a single grudge, he understands. That scene broke my heart...

And let’s talk about one of the elephant’s in the room...Roberto.

So, I had a feeling for a while something bad was gunna happen to him. His whole character was about protecting Meryl. Sure, he claimed it was for his own health, like on the Steamer where he found a life boat and wanted to get the hell off because they were gunna presumably die. But when Meryl gives her big speech, he doesn’t leave. Why? Because she doesn’t leave. He’s got this dad mode on him where he has a need to protect. Journalistic integrity? Nah, he’s there to protect the newbie. 

When that demon child started to attack, I had an immediate gutteral feeling that this would be it. The way he protected Meryl, the way he put himself in front of her every chance he had, it just screamed this was going to be his end.

As much as I want every character to live, I understand why Roberto dies. It’s for Meryl, it’s for her character and motivation. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. As Roberto says in episode one “It’s a dog eat dog world out there” and this just shows Meryl not everything works out and even those she’s closest to get hurt or die.

I cried like a baby.

As an aside, I do like Ele’s and Nico’s dynamic. It was kinda cute the way they argued, almost like siblings.

Now, I’m sure everyone knew this was a trap for Vash. if you know anything about the manga or the OG Anime, you know July got destroyed, so clearly, if they’re going to July, only bad things can come. That was unsurprising when they realized they wanted to trap Vash.

But Vash knows. At least, somewhat. He knows, and he is well aware that Nico is working for them. He’s not an idiot. Vash might act naïve and dumb, but he really does pick up on a lot of things. And he knows Nico is doing it to protect something. He’s got other people in mind and this is not self-motivated. So Nico being with him, basically bringing him to his brother, is not a surprise either.

Can we talk about that contract? I saw a screenshot but I’m going to have to get a better look to see what it said at the bottom. As much as I wanna hope Nico feels accomplished, like he did the right thing, we all know that he probably feels he didn’t. That he could have done more, better, etc. I dunno, I gotta sit and stew on those thoughts in particular for a while.

Let’s talk about the drama llama that is Knives. That man...of course he’s playing their song, of course he’s sitting at a piano. But I do want to say...I’m kinda glad the way he’s shown is not far off from how I’ve been trying to play him? I am still terrified of episode 11 and 12 shattering how I’ve been portraying Knives, but this was a good insight and relief to my fears...

His fricken piano room though, the motif on the floor. And those statues. Knives can’t let it go. He has to put up reminders as to why he’s doing what he is. He has to remind himself of the suffering the human’s have caused for so many of the plants. And his little jab at Vash about the crash... (hah I called it). A reminder to Vash that he helped him, even unknowingly. And that the human’s would forever hate Vash for it. Which we know isn’t true, but in Knives mind it is because he’s a wanted man. Vash is getting the blame for everything Knives is doing, he’s the face and he’s the one people hate. So Knives can’t understand why Vash continues to defend the people who seem to, in his eyes, despise Vash for everything that he is.

And of course the dramatic bitch uses the piano to open the floor under Vash. I now understand why everyone was saying Vash soup. As a side note, I love Vash’s little wire from his arm. That’s great.

But of course, Knives is dramatic, and he cuts the wire. A wish to reset his brother and make him perfect, like he is.

And now I’m terrified for 11 and even more so for 12.

So I just get to sit here and try to piece together these fragments I have while I wait again. This is gunna be another long week...

[dkehoe]

Daphne moved to Waning Bay, Michigan, without knowing anyone but her fiancé Peter and when he leaves her for his best friend Petra the week before their wedding she is left only with her dream job as a children’s librarian and a new roommate, Petra’s ex-boyfriend Miles. Miles is the exact opposite of buttoned up Daphne and for the most part they ignore each other. Until one night after they’ve both had a bit to drink they decide to post a picture that makes it look like they are together. That moment becomes the start of a blossoming friendship where Miles shows Daphne the charms of Waning Bay, Michigan and she posts a few photos of their adventures. Every year I look forward to the summer because I know Emily Henry has a new book release. I relish the fact I’m going to have a few laughs, shed a couple tears, and emotionally involve myself with the main characters in her books. Funny Story was certainly all that. Along with those tension filled moments with Miles were side stories about Daphne making friends with her fellow librarians, Miles’s younger sister coming for a visit and taking Waning Bay by storm, as well as a visit from Daphne’s absentee dad. All things that helped move the story forward, providing insight into our two main characters and enabling us to become wrapped up in the storytelling and drama. This time one of these subplots struck kind of close to home, which made the story more impactful and at times kind of hard to read. Despite this I loved the story and these characters and didn’t find it hard to root for them at all. This might be Daphne and Miles’s story but I loved all of these side characters just as much as our two protagonists. Ashley was a great budding best friend, teaching Daphne all sorts of lessons about friendship that totally resonated, her Dad whom everyone loved and loved everyone but made Daphne feel second best, and Miles’s sister who loved her big brother more than anyone in the world and just wanted to stand by and support him. These side plots added so much depth to the story , not all of it was rainbows and sunshine but there were funny moments to lighten the mood. Just what I expect from a novel by this author. I do have one request though- maybe just a tiny bit more happy moments? Our protagonists were put through the wringer! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️ Click this link to purchase this book!* Funny Story Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved *Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

[fioletowa-krowa]

trunk or treats yesterday went well!

In the morning I just helped with crafts and my station was just Halloween shaped scratcher things (where it’s a black shape and you scrape it away and it’s rainbow underneath) so I didn’t have to do a lot of talking/explaining/interacting with people

Then I had just under 3 hours until I needed to leave for the craft fair one. In that time, I made a couple little things to add to my inventory and pained foam boards to look like castle walls and a drawbridge. And I guess I lost the Square thing to scan credit cards with, so I tore the apartment apart looking for it and eventually had to just settle for buying a new one from target. I went to my parents to take my mom’s car and the folding table and chair and while I was waiting for my target order to be ready, dad and I were chatting about his diet and his improving health, which is great! But then he wouldn’t stop talking so I ended up there longer than I wanted to and I got to the church like 10 min after it started so I had to rush to set everything up

But I made almost $160 selling crochet things. The pickles and frogs were huge hits which was awesome. And I sold the big elephant and big acorn I’d made and those were priced much higher than anything else on my table so I figured they wouldn’t sell, but they did! The only downside of the night was that about halfway through the time, the sun was going down and it got so freaking cold just sitting there waiting for people to come by. I’d meant to bring my hoodie with me just in case, but it completely slipped my mind in the flurry to leave my apartment (I literally forgot the grab the box of all my amis and had to go back in to get them) but thankfully mom keeps a blanket in her car so I used that to keep warm.

I finally got home around 8:30 just exhausted. Mind and body exhausted. I ended up falling asleep about an hour after I got home bc I hadn’t eaten much all day and I needed at least something substantial in my stomach. But I didn’t get good sleep bc Nobby was being a pita and biting me while I tried to sleep so I had to kick him out at like 4 am, and then I barely slept until I had to get up at 9.

Church was okay today; but bc of everything from yesterday and the crappy sleep I was still exhausted. Plus I was running late so I didn’t get a chance to eat anything for breakfast. Then the service was a “song and prayer” service so it didn’t follow the regular order of worship and some of the slides were wrong so I left feeling very burned out. But I’d mentioned to my brothers a few days ago that I had wanted to stop at the cider mill after church; and they both asked me to buy things for them so I couldn’t back out of going.

I don’t dislike going to the cider mill, but I really just wanted to go home and lie down. On the upside, I now have a dozen and a half cider donuts and a gallon of cider. Plus some maple syrup, candy sticks, honey sticks, and a new t shirt bc somehow in the 25+ years I’ve been going there, I’ve never gotten anything permanent from the cider mill, just food and cider.

And now I’m finally home. My lunch is cold bc the boys ordered it almost two hours ago. And neither of them even thanked me for getting things for them. So I feel like a bunch of shit.