Sena's DW :: Watermelon Life

I am still, somehow, miraculously, ahead on my TKA NaNo project (30 pages and 13,716 words) and I am ECSTATIC OVER THIS but also still somewhat waiting for the other shoe to drop like?? o__o;; Anyway, today Mom and I are going up to Baysville for our last run there for moving stuff, so I likely won't get much done today BUT YESTERDAY AND THE DAY BEFORE I wrote DOUBLE what I needed to (1,667 words is the minimum each day), PLUS I've been working on other stuff as well. SO.

Yesterday I finished Nightingale which is, I'm not gonna lie here, like 95% porn. IT'S ABOUT A SUCCUBUS "HUNT" WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? And apparently even angels are subject to their sway. Poor Dean and Cas, seriously, they get their steps in, so to speak. Sam just gets laid like... half a time and it's with a monster so it doesn't really count. XD;; Anyway, like there is smut in most of the Horror High/Storm Season series but Nightingale really takes the cake. And as usual I just wrote it totally straight-faced and unaffected honestly being ace is so weird sometimes.

ALSO. The post-SS fic count has gone up. Again. I have just stopped numbering Halcyon Days and Stalagmites because I keep having to re-number them to make room for more fics, since they're the last two. *facepalm* So basically the post-SS breakdown goes like this now:

1) When Lightning Strikes (elemental/demons)
2) Ghost In The Machine (ghost)
3) Pinfeathers (no monster)
4) Teeth (tooth fairy)
5) Nightingale (succubus)
6) Temper Tantrums (poltergeist)
7) Hunting Souls (demons/hellhounds)
8) Shrike (uh... "shrike")
9) Echoes (witchcraft?)
10) Day Drinking (ghouls)
11) Mockingbird (uh... "mockingbird")
12) Crawlspace (ghost... ish thing)
13) Kindling (nightmare)
14) What Angels Dream (djinn)
15) Run. Hide. Die. (hydra)
16) Hollow Things (RABID WEREWOLVES)
17) The Desert Tide (kelpies)
Halcyon Days (vampires at the very end)
Stalagmites (no monster)

AND PROBABLY MORE THIS SERIES IS GOING TO FOLLOW ME UNTIL I DIE. (But no seriously, if I do ONE MORE it'll take it to an even twenty and my brain likes twenty because it is a multiple of five, so maybe I can just do that?? Then again, if that was the case, what happened to FIVE and TEN and FIFTEEN??) idk just this entire series has gotten away from me and I have to rein it in somehow or I'm going to be writing it FOREVER. :|

Anyway, I skipped over Teeth to write Nightingale (which came in a little short for one of these one-shots at 26 pages and 12,226 words), so next I need to go back to writing Teeth. I'm about 22 pages and 9,945 words into it, but I still have a ways to go before it'll be done. Plus I'm working on TKA at the same time, so splitting my time means the post-SS one-shots are getting done slower than they normally would be, but I have until like halfway through February before I have to start posting them, and I'm already done the first three (though Ghost In The Machine and Pinfeathers need editing still), so I'm ahead of the game, there. *shrug*

I have a Pinterest board for the HH/SS/etc series now, but I'm not organizing it, it's just pins related to the whole expansive series in one big lump. Still, it's something. I just REALLY recently got into Pinterest and I'm finding it SUPER helpful in visualization of my projects. I have a TKA board, too, and one for Freefall, and one for Where Monsters Come From, and the beginning of one for Pelts For Pounds, the next book in the TKA series. Yeah, I've been making use of it. But it can also eat up a shocking amount of time, like you get lost in Pinterest and the next thing you know it's been two hours and you're like "what just happened" so I have to be very aware of that when I go to tinker with pins.

.....

Today when we get back from Baysville I need to remember to get out my glue gun and fix the wreath on the front door. One of the pumpkins fell off it about a month ago and I just haven't gotten around to fixing it, but I need to do it before it's time to put it away and get out the Christmas one, so some time soon. Hopefully I'll remember this afternoon.

Kaida is doing well, and seems to like his new hide and all the new plants that give him hidey-holes to hunker down it. But he's also taken to sleeping RIGHT out in the open in the area where I feed him (which makes sense, he's just waiting for the inevitable incoming foodz) which meant a couple days ago I dropped his pellets in and they landed ON HIM and scared the bejeezes out of him and he went ZOOMING off. I laughed so hard. I mean, I'm sorry, buddy, but if you're going to sleep IN THE DROP ZONE, expect INCOMING FOOD. XD;; Silly thing.

I have to clean his tank out this afternoon, like a really deep clean, and he's not going to like it but it needs to be done. And there's a buildup of ick on the glass that I can get off the FRONT, because I have a magnetic glass cleaner there, but I can't really get to the sides or back because I can't reach and also because Dean and Sam are in the way. =/ I'll have to problem solve this pretty quick before Kaida's tank becomes a cesspool.

The woman I got Kaida from still hasn't messaged me back about getting a second axolotl from her, and I'm kind of going... you know... if you don't have any left, that's fine, just please send me a quick email to let me know at least? Because I'm kind of left hanging, here. I'm going to message her again today and see if she replies this time, and if not then I'll just assume she hasn't got any more axolotls and put the money toward something else. *shrug* It's going to be a pain trying to find another 'lotl the same size as Kaida in the future, but I mean. It is what it is, I guess. Mom didn't want to drive to Elmvale again, anyway.

This coming Sunday Mom and I (and probably Lee) are driving down to Georgetown with the last of my storage stuff to pack it away in the barn at Dad's place. Literally, I TOLD EVERYONE that all my stuff wasn't going to fit in the 10'x12' shed my Uncle was building but no one would believe me, and now we have possibly TWO SUVfulls of stuff to take to Georgetown, and that's AFTER throwing out my couch and my love seat because of the mice. =/

It'll be nice to see Dad and (hopefully) Lois again, though, and I'm hoping to take their Christmas presents down with me when we go, too, to get that out of the way. I still need to buy a gift card for Lois, though, which might have to wait, so I might not be able to do it after all. I think it'll depend on the whole axolotl situation.

I DO plan on buying them tea at the Tim Horton's around the corner from their place, though, because this is a BIG ASK and the least I can do is buy some freaking tea for them, right? Also coffee for Mom and a pop for Lee (if he comes; Mom has high hopes that we can fit everything into one vehicle which like PFFT NOT GONNA HAPPEN but whatever.) But yes, just generally drinks for everyone involved. :|

EDIT: Ang, the lady I got Kaida from, got back to me finally! (She was out of town/cell phone range.) So next week Mom and I are going back to Elmvale to hopefully pick up a friend for Kaida! "Hopefully" because if the 'lotls she has left are all girls I'm BONED. BUT she also offered me a second FREE 'LOTL because she's having so much trouble finding good homes for them, so if they are both boys I will have THREE of them come this time next week! So exciting!!

Yesterday Mom and I kind of had a movie day which was really nice. AMC was playing some good movies, so first we watched JAWS, which I've seen a million times but Mom had only seen once before so she got really into it. It was still playing at dinner time and she took her food out to the living room so she could keep watching the movie which she NEVER does haha.

Then after that The Green Mile came on which like, I love that movie, it is a cinematic MASTERPIECE, but it DESTROYS ME every time I watch it. At least I knew what was coming, though, Mom had never seen it before and she was like "WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD AT LEAST YOU WARNED ME" because otherwise she would have been flat-out sobbing. She really liked it, and I'm glad.

But all in all, it was 7 hours of movie watching because they didn't cut anything for commercials, so it was a long run. It's been a long time since I sat with Mom and watched movies like that. It was really nice. And she doesn't mind talking a little during the movie as long as it's not during important parts, which is nice because I... talk. I'm bad for that. :|

Anyway, now I have to get going and get ready because we're going back to Baysville to haul boxes some more today. Fun times. I think we're getting KFC for lunch, though, so that'll be nice. And as much as the hauling of boxes sucks (lungs/hands/wrists/back/hips/knees), the ride up and back with Mom is nice. I like spending time with Mom. <3

Oh, also, I have a line on an axolotl so FINGERS CROSSED this one works out! :D;;

I ended up sending that email to Poe last night. It would have hit their inbox around 4am their time, but by now they should have got it. I haven't received a reply yet, and with their track record I may never. I'm hoping for this parting of ways to be amiable, even if it's painful for me. I'm doing it because I think it's what's best for them, in the long run, though, it isn't about how I feel.

I've lost too many friends in recent years and this one hurts more than most, but at least it's on my terms this time.

I don't really know how I feel right now. I feel kind of sad, and it hurts, but also I think I mostly feel numb because I've never been the one to end things before. It's not a pleasant thing to do. I slaved over that email to try and make it say exactly what I wanted it to say, in as cordial a way as I could say it. "Quit dicking me around" was kind of off the table, you know? And I don't want us to go our own ways on that kind of a note.

Right now I just want to write to forget about everything, but I don't know WHAT I want to write. I can't decide between Hijack and Destiel and TKA. I kind of want to write smut because it's completely mindless, for the post part, so maybe I'll do that, which rules out TKA, since TKA is a smut-free zone. Maybe I'll work on some RPNAU Hijack, that's always good for smutty stuff.

Yesterday Mom and I did manage to get up to Baysville after all, and we got a LOT of hauling of stuff done, so today I'm really sore on top of everything else. (We're going back again tomorrow, too.) And I can't even just go back to bed because I have a Dentist's appointment in a couple hours.

Just... in general today is not a good day. I'm probably going to cry off-and-on and just generally be a miserable human being.

Losing your best friend will do that, I guess.

EDIT: Fuck it, I'm just gonna watch a mindless shitty movie on Tubi instead.

Strawberry plants growing all over the driveway at the house in Baysville. It's long past fruit season, though.

Yesterday Mom and I went up to the Walkabout festival in Baysville, and it was actually a really good time. The weather was super nice (though around one or two o'clock the UV started to go up and I could feel myself beginning to cook; I managed not to get a sunburn, though!) and this year the booths seemed SPECIFICALLY TAILORED to Mom and I. Like I could have spent SO MUCH MONEY. As it was I blew through $75 while I was there, and I had to borrow $60 OF THAT from Mom. :|

Anyway, so admission is always by donation, so Mom just donated whatever change she had in her change purse (probably around $3.50) and I had dug $5 out of my change jar for that exact purpose so I donated that. The donations go toward stuff around Baysville like the library, the fire department, the horticultural society, that kind of thing, so I feel good about donating to them no matter how much I donate.

Then literally the FIRST BOOTH, right out of the gate, was a booth selling Tibetan singing bowls and chakra drums, and little miniature replica Tibetan skull bowls (made out of resin) that were TOO CUTE FOR ME TO PASS UP. So I picked through them and found THE ONLY ONE THAT WASN'T BROKEN and there went my first $20. LITERALLY THE FIRST BOOTH. *FACEPALM*

After that we poked around a few other booths for about half a block until I suddenly spotted the booth that sells the heat wraps! I got SUPER excited because they were at the Walkabout like... six years ago? Or something. And I got one of their long skinny heat wraps (they're like Magic Bags but prettier and cheaper) and kind of hummed and hawed over getting a square one as well before deciding against it. And I've been kicking myself ever since. The next year I went back, hoping to get one, and they weren't there, so I've CONTINUED kicking myself all this time. BUT THEY WERE THERE THIS YEAR. So I picked out a really pretty square flax seed heat wrap and bought it SO FAST. I AM SO PLEASED. (But there went another $25.)

Next was a booth that had all kinds of antique jewelry and stuff, but in with the antique JEWELRY were a bunch of fossil shark teeth-- INCLUDING A MEGALODON TOOTH. I mean, for a Meg tooth it's small, but it STILL COUNTS. It's tip is broken off as well. BUT IT STILL COUNTS GODDAMMIT. The guy sold it to me for $5 because it was broken, but I KNOW if I was to put it up on ebay I could probably get at least $100 for it. Not that I'm GOING to put it on ebay, I am FAR to tickled to OWN A MEGALODON TOOTH to ever want to part with it. :3

We looked at one booth that sold really nice wreaths and Mom considered getting one for the front door, but in the end she decided against it, which is too bad because a couple of them were really pretty. They WERE like $50/each though, and she was like "I don't know if I want to pay that kind of money for something I wouldn't even want hanging on my door all year round" which. Valid.

After the wreaths we found the popcorn booth, they were selling kettle corn in all kinds of flavors, and we bought three bags; two caramel for Mom and Lee and one rainbow for me (I love rainbow popcorn, I AM A CHILD I KNOW.) And then after that we went to Miss Nelle's for ice cream, where we got the SMALLEST CONES WE COULD AND THEY WERE STILL 
FUCKING GINORMOUS. I couldn't even finish mine. I got Creamy Orange (I should have got Raspberry Lemon Lime like I usually do) and Mom got Muskoka Mocha. But the only reason I could eat it at all is because I'd remembered to pack my dairy digestive pills in my bag before we left the house that morning. Those things are a LIFE SAVER.

Aaaaaand then we started back down the opposite side of the festival!

I stopped at the OSPCA booth because they had buttons on their table and I was like "how much are your buttons?" and the lady was like "they're free, you can take as many as you like!" and I was like "BUT WHAT IF I WANT TO DONATE ANYWAY" and she went "YOU COULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT" so I donated $5 to the OSPCA and they gave me three new buttons for my collection. We also chatted with her about how we donate food/toys/blankets/accessories/etc. when we can. Really, I very rarely make monetary donations to the OSPCA, I save my monetary donations for the Comfy Cat Shelter because that's where Kali came from and they don't get any actual FUNDING, but I made an exception yesterday.

A couple of booths after that I found one that was selling freaking DINOSAUR MOOD RINGS and HOW COULD I SAY 
NO TO THAT? So I bought myself a velociraptor mood ring for $5. It's like a $1 ring at best, but everything is always SO EXPENSIVE at these things, so it wasn't a surprise. And that was basically it for me! I was next thing to broke! :D;

Oh, and Mom found some new leather driving gloves, which is cool because her old ones basically fell apart on her last winter. >>;

Lee had sent $20 with Mom in case there were any places selling buttertarts, and we found a couple, and MOM BOUGHT THEM. I, personally, would not have, because they were $20 FOR SIX FREAKING TARTS, but whatever Lee wanted them and it was her call so. Good for them, I guess? Whatever. (I don't even like buttertarts, personally.)

After that we went to the Bethune Church barbecue. Bethune Church is the church that Grandma used to attend when she was still well and living in Baysville, and they always have a barbecue at the Walkabout, and we always get lunch there to support them even though I don't necessarily believe in organized religion. They're still good people and there's nothing wrong with their food, plus I feel like I'm representing Grandma a little by doing it, even though she couldn't be there.

Grandma was actually supposed to come with us yesterday, we had it all worked out, my Aunt and Uncle were going to bring her and the five of us were going to all go together, and Grandma was going to kind of set up a chair at the church barbecue and spend time with her friends, but at the last minute she cancelled (because she has a foot thing, it's complicated) so Mom and I just went alone. But we were at least able to say hi for her, and the Pastor (I will give this Church credit, their Pastor is female and gay) gave us a mini-Jesus figure to take back with us for Grandma the next time we see her (probably next week for her birthday.)

And I think that's it. On the way out of town we stopped at the convenience store and I bought us both drinks with my last $5 and we were off!

It was actually a really good day, though there were no carts selling cotton candy or candy apples (boo), but I guess I got a freaking MEGALODON TOOTH so I shouldn't complain too much. XD I'd like to go again next year, assuming the weather is good! Last year it was cancelled because of rainstorms, which was too bad, and of course there were a couple years of Covid where they couldn't have a FESTIVAL, obviously, but. Yeah. I have a lot of good memories of the Walkabout over the years. I like to go when I can. <3

EDIT: Oh, also, there was a booth that was selling really quirky candles for EXORBITANT PRICES so I didn't buy any, BUT they gave me a REALLY good idea for how to make some cheap, simple candles using my wooden wicks that I think might sell well on Etsy! There was also another booth that was selling little plant globes that they had made into dioramas with little pop culture figures and stuff and I might try my hand at that at some point as well. SUCH good ideas at this Walkabout!