See and Hear Everything Twice
(Or, How I attended a Taylor Swift concert with my sister in spite of my severe photosensitivity)
So as I indicated on this blog while we were sitting in traffic, I went to Taylor Swift's Eras Night 1 in Foxbourogh over the weekend.
"But Leah," I hear you saying, "How in the world did you manage that? Surely such a thing would liquify your poor, photosensitive brain! After all, twinkle lights have been known to give migraines before. Surely a stadium concert is a bad idea!"
Well. Yes. My sister went into the concert alone. I listened from outside the stadium.
My sister and I are long-time, vintage Swifties. We started out listening wearing grooves in the Fearless CD, and we've never let up. My sister and I are also night-and-day different in both our interests and dispositions, to the point where I've had friends ask, "But what do you do together?" And the answer to that is a lot of things, but "sing along to Taylor Swift" is definitely a big one.
I looked hard and was eventually able to get my sister a single ticket to Eras for her birthday (which has the added advantage of being substantially cheaper than two tickets together). The idea was that I would (a) become the Coolest Big Sister ever by making this happen for her and (b) be able to experience the whole thing secondhand. Both of us took that concept very seriously.
I don't know if you know it, but there's a Christmas story that we like in my family called "Why the Chimes Rang." Here's an excerpt:
"But I cannot bear to leave you, and go on alone," said Little Brother.
"Both of us need not miss the service," said Pedro, "and it had better be I than you. You can easily find your way to the church; and you must see and hear everything twice, Little Brother - once for you and once for me."
My sister quoted this to me the morning of our concert and I can't describe what it meant to me. She saw and heard everything twice. Sitting outside the stadium (and wearing both the concert tees we bought on top of my regular clothes - it was a cold night), I got to hear the music that we grew up listening to together. More than that, in a lot of ways, it felt like my incredible little sister was sitting right next to me, like we were listening together. Really, it was kind of surreal.
I've long since made my peace with the idea that there are lots of things that my illness won't let me do. Yet it was really beautiful to be able to cross one impossible thing off that list this weekend, with some help from my sister.
I've waxed poetic enough, so I'm just gonna bullet point some of the details below for anyone who's interested:
The traffic on the way in wasn't terrible, but when we stopped at a rest stop for lunch the place was stuffed with Swifties in full concert apparel. A feeling of fun and camaraderie in the air.
The merch line was a good hour and forty five, but I was able to get a poster for the shadow box that my sister plans on making (she's crafty like that).
Everybody's outfits were NUTS. Lots of sequins, sparkling cowboy boots and hats, replicas on iconic T Swift looks, etc. One gal was dressed as the crumpled up piece of paper from "All Top Well."
Friendship bracelet swapping was SO fun. I spent the run up to the concert knotting bracelets and everyone I talked to seemed to think they were really cool!
There were probably 40-50 people hanging out by the stadium the night of our concert. Lots of folks were picnicking. There were these four little girls in identical concert sweatshirts there with someone's mom and they were having a grand time dancing and singing and oh boy was it infectious. You could hear all the music clearly from where I was, though probably only about 20% of the dialogue.
My highlights were probably the Fearless set (something buoyant in the air + truckloads of deep fondness), august into the illicit affairs double bridge (SHIVERS), 22 (a fave + fond moment with my sister over text), and the end of the 1989 set (high on the night and singing along).
Our surprise songs were "Should've Said No" and "Better Man." My sister sent me some genuine hall-of-fame texts as Taylor was announcing them. Both are firmly A-tier songs for which I have a lot of love. Also, we both found it funny that the Yeehaw Swifties won so big in Massachusetts, of all places.
The traffic getting out of Foxbourogh was horrific. We barely moved for the better part of two hours after getting back to the car.
After the concert, my sister came running when she found me and all but leapt into my arms. For all that I loved the music, that was the best part of the night.
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my strong girl | lewis hamilton x fem! chronically ill! reader
summary; after an incident during a race, y/n is sent to the hospital and is upset about missing his race after not attending races for months. fortunately for her, lewis is always understanding
fc; various girls on pinterest
word count; 1k
warnings; hospitals, needles, fainting
taglist; @namgification @louvrepool @locelscs @thehufflepuffavenger1 @minseok-smaus @goldenmclaren @ollieshifts @lavisenri @graciewrote @xoscar03 @c-losur3 @fall-bambi
note; requested ! lewis was so close to a podium i actually was so upset🙁🙁🙁 anyways, i tried to combine a few of the ideas into this without it being superrrr hectic
masterlist !
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“Are you sure you want to come? You don’t need to feel pressured to do so.” Lewis asked in the soft tone that always brought Y/n comfort.
She sighed as he helped her put on her blue Ralph Lauren cardigan. “I’m sure, Lew. I don’t want to miss your home race.” She huffed, watching him grab her white golden gooses.
“Just be careful today. I hate that I can’t be around you the whole time.” Lewis quietly said. He helps her out on her shoes, securely tying the white laces.
“I know, I’ll be careful. I promise.”
Y/n really tried her best to be careful. She only walked a few minutes to grab stuff around Lewis’ driver's room. If she went longer distances, she used her wheelchair and one of the girlfriends of the drivers would happily walk by her side to accompany her.
While Lewis was doing media duties before the race, she hung out with Carmen and Lily. The two girls had lunch but Y/n wasn’t hungry so she decided to not eat. A big mistake for her.
She could only chat with Lewis for a few minutes before he had to get into his car. A couple of good luck kisses later, and his car was being driven out of the garage for the warm-up lap.
Silverstone was always special. It was Lewis’s home race and most importantly, his last home race with Mercedes. He was starting in pole after a fantastic qualifying session. The rainy weather allowed him to push the car to its limits.
Y/n started to feel a bit strange, like something was up but she ignored it for anxiety as the race began. Lewis had a fantastic start to the race and maintained being in first.
Around halfway through the race, Y/n felt well enough to get up from her wheelchair in the usual spot in the back of the garage. Although she usually refrained from walking due to getting tired so easily as a result of her illness, she decided that she felt well enough to at least a couple of steps in.
It was the final five laps and Lewis was still in first with a large gap between him and Charles, his future teammate, who was in second. However, instead of feeling joy about the British driver leading the race and being close to his 104th win, she started to feel like something was off.
Y/n needed to sit back down but her wheelchair was in the farthest corner of the Mercedes garage. Carmen had called out her name in concern but it sounded muffled as she struggled to stand upright. Before she knew it, everything went dark.
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The sound of beeping and the feeling of a familiar pair of fingers rubbing over her hand was what Y/n first noticed as she gained consciousness. The bedsheets crinkled as she slowly moved around, hearing a soft shush as she whined.
“Easy there, my love.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she’s met with Lewis’s deep brown eyes. She immediately noticed he was in a pair of sweats with a trophy sitting by his side.
“Did I miss it?” She asked with a raspy voice. She knew the answer of course. A wave of guilt washed over her. Lewis immediately noticed her furrowed-up eyebrows as she glanced at the iv sticking out of her hand.
“I care more about whether or not you’re okay, my love.” He sighed, gently cupping her cheek to make her look at him. “This win was for you, my strong girl.”
“Not strong enough to last 5 minutes standing up.” Her angry mumble made him let out a chuckle. He leaned over and softly kissed her cheek.
“Doctors said you had low blood sugar. You hit your head, no concussion but they want to keep you here overnight just in case something happens due to your illness.”
Y/n huffed at the mention of staying overnight at the hospital. Sure, she was used to it due to her illness, but she just wanted to be in the comfort of her home in the arms of Lewis. Her furrowed-up eyebrows made him laugh again.
She hadn’t noticed an overnight back resting next to the first-place trophy on the ground. He reached for it and pulled out a sketchbook, a few tubes of paint, and a couple of paintbrushes. Her previous furrowed-up eyebrows immediately relaxed. She relaxed back into the pillows as he opened up the sketchbook to an empty page.
Painting was once a passion of Y/n. She has grown quite a large platform for her work. She adored being able to translate everything in her mind onto a canvas with the stroke of her paintbrush.
Unfortunately due to her illness causing pain in her hand joints, she had to give up the intricate paintings. On occasions when she found herself stuck in the hospital, Lewis would always bring her sketchbook. Although she couldn’t do the once complex strokes and liked, she could do a simplified version.
“Lew,” Her voice was soft and frail. Her hand reached out to grasp his. “You didn’t have to do this. You should be celebrating your win.” She mumbled, slowly reaching over to tuck a braid that had fallen out of his ponytail behind his ear.
“Nonsense,” Lewis looked up at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I much rather be relaxed and painting here with you than be out with drunk people who only want to be around me for the pictures.”
Y/n sighed as the corner of her lips curled into a smile. He handed her a paintbrush before squeezing a couple of colors on the small plastic palette he had brought. He leaned over, cupping her cheek in pulled her in close. He gently kissed her plump lips and couldn’t help but smile.
“I love you, my strong girl.”
“And I love you, my 104x race winner.”
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disabled trans girl needs your help paying her rent!
hello all, i am making a new one of these as my last post has died out quite a bit. i am on the verge of having a new job that should be paying pretty decently, but the earliest possible start date is march 6th. i'm really excited to find something i can actually physically do, that my MS symptoms will not get in the way of. i have struggled with this illness and social security is so backed up that my only real option is to get a job until they can finally get thru to me (and so i can handle the inevitable appeals process) so this is very very good news ,and i'm happy its turning around fast. but the 1st of the month is fast approaching and i am a bit short of the mark as it stands. i have to raise about $600 asap in order to keep my good standing and avoid ending up homeless at such a critical point in my life. also adding extra to the goal so i can continue to get gas in my car and pay medical copays and buy food until i start getting paid again. i'm hoping to be in the clear by next month because this opportunity looks promising. once i get my money up, i will do my best to pay u back when i get a chance. im almost there.
please help if you can, i am a chronically and mentally ill trans woman who's on the verge of finally finding a break and i could just really use some help getting there. a push over the line, if you will. thank you for all the support i've received so far i am so grateful and i love you all. be well <3
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sturniolo triplets masterlist ༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.
hello! this is a complied list of all my works for you to enjoy! please remember that my writing does not reflect matt, chris, or nick in real life; it is purely fiction. enjoy!
🎃=fluff, 💀=angst, 👻=smut, 🦇=alternate universe, 🧡=headcanons, 🍬=age regression, 🧛🏻♀️=latina reader, 🐈⬛=neurodivergent
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Matt Sturniolo
Chicken Soup: in which matt takes care of you while you're under the weather [🎃]
Comfort: matt's been burning out, but with your help, everything is okay [🎃]
Disgusting Food Roulette: in which you comfort matt after the infamous disgusting food roulette [🎃]
My Person: a rather stressful meltdown on the podcast leaves matt struggling, to which the best way to calm down is to spend time with his special interests and his comfort person [🐈⬛]
Moonlight: you and matt have perfected your start to the weekend, which includes a little bit of weed, and a whole lot of sex [👻]
Healing: headcanons about healing your inner child with matt [🍬]
Puppy Love : in which matt is your biggest protector and helps you afce your fear of dogs [🎃]
Dad Energy: headcanons about girl dad!matt [🎃]
Sleepy Baby: after a long, hard day of stress, you finally find the courage to slip around your boyfriend [🍬]
Tumblr Girls: an "innocent" tumblr post leads you to a visit from fwb!matt [👻]
Relax, Baby: in which matt discovers your biggest secret and helps you realize that it's okay to heal your inner child [🍬]
Five Love Languages: ways in which you show your love for matt as a neurodivergent person [🐈⬛]
Model Baby: matt's a model with a secret--he's practically the biggest sub on the planet and he's turned on by his photographer [👻]
Snowy the Lamb: in which matt finds a new favorite toy for his little self [🍬]
Goldfish: matt's chronic illness is flaring up, but somehow the cute nurse in the er makes the situation slightly less shitty [🎃]
Make It Better: in which matt's sick and bored and wants exercise [👻]
Animal: the hockey game did not go matt's way and he wants, no, needs an outlet [👻/🦇]
Matt with Food Intolerances: headcanons about matt having food allergies [🍬]
I Think You're Hot: headcanons about matt being the best husband to his bi wife [🧡]
Bumps n' Bruises: in which matt just wants to play like chris, but his body won't let him do that [🍬]
Matt x Mexican!girlfriend Headcanons: headcanons about matt and his mexican gf [🧡/🧛🏻♀️]
Bed Chem: in which matt looks a little too good in his latest tiktok [👻]
Guess: based off the song by charli xcx :) [👻]
Chris Sturniolo
My Girl: in which you and chris bring your daughter home from the hospital for the first time [🎃]
Daddy's Girl: headcanons about chris being the best caregiver [🍬]
Princess Treatment: in which you take being a brat too far for chris' taste [👻]
One of the Kids: headcanons about chris being the fun dad [🧡]
Ways to Say ‘I Love You’: in which you and chris have what very well may be the cutest relationship ever [🐈⬛]
Prank: in which a "harmless" prank leads to you being face down, ass up [👻]
Gotcha: in which your children inherit chris' playful nature [🎃]
Scream: in which chris discovers a not-so-conventional fetish of yours [👻]
Chris with a Latina Girlfriend: headcanons about chris and his latina girlfriend [🧡/🧛🏻♀️]
Masking: in which a day full of masking leads to your boyfriend taking wonderful care of you [🐈⬛]
Once Upon a Dream: you have a princess costume and a dream...one that involves chris and a lot of sex [👻]
Barbies: in which you and chris heal your inner child together [🐈⬛]
Sunflowers: having adhd is hard, but when chris meets a kind stranger, you instantly click [🐈⬛]
Babygirl: just chris being the best daddy ever [🍬]
Snaps You’d Take of Bf!Chris: self explanatory [🎃]
Red Looks Good on You (Pt. 1): in which you meet a hot and nice lifeguard on your summer vacation [🦇]
Red Looks Good on You (Pt. 2): in which you meet a hot and nice lifeguard on your summer vacation [🦇/👻]
Daddy!Chris Headcanons: headcanons about daddy chris being the best ever [🍬]
Chris x Autistic!reader Headcanons: headcanons about chris helping his autistic partner during a meltdown [🐈⬛]
Nick Sturniolo
Uncle Nick: headcanons about nick being the fun uncle [🧡]
Dad Life: headcanons about dad!nick [🧡]
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© 2024-bratzforchris
all of the work posted here is 100% my own. please do not copy/repost/translate my writing on other platforms (this includes linking and “recommending” on tiktok). this is my only tumblr account and my ao3 is under the same username.
updated: september 6th, 2024
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