Soupy lil' Adventures

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Meltdowns happen, it doesn’t make you a bad kid.

You don’t have to play like everyone else does, however you play is awesome!

It’s okay if it’s hard to communicate, it doesn’t make you a burden.

Stimming is normal and a great tool to get the feelings out!

Sharing your special interests doesn’t make you a ‘know it all’, it’s really cool that you are passionate about things!

Trying new things can be scary and being scared of that doesn’t make you stubborn.

- 💫

needs surgery

I could feel myself working toward a crying meltdown and was getting preemptively ashamed of what was about to happen when he said, “Hey, are you someone who benefits from breaks?”

It broke me.

Did I benefit from breaks? I didn’t know. I’d never taken them.

When a problem frustrated or upset me I just gritted my teeth and plowed through the emotional distress because eventually if you batter and flail at something long enough you figure it out. So what if you get bruised on the way.

I viscerally remembered in that moment being forced to sit at the table late into the night with my dad screaming at me, trying to understand math. I remembered taking that with me into adulthood and having breakdowns every week trying to understand coding. I could have taken a break? Would it help? I didn’t know! I’d never taken one!

“Yes,” I told him. We paused our call. I ate lunch. I focused on other stuff for half an hour. I came back in a significantly better state of mind, and the thing he’d been trying to explain had been gently cooking in the back of my head and seemed easier to understand.

Now when I find myself gritting my teeth at problems I can hear his gentle voice asking if I benefit from breaks. Yes, dear god, yes why did I never get taught breaks? Why was the only way I knew to keep suffering until something worked?

I was relating to this same friend recently my roadtrip to the redwoods with my wife. “We stopped every hour or so to get out and stretch our legs and switch drivers. It was really nice. When I was a kid we’d just drive twelve hours straight and not stop for anything, just gas. We’d eat in the car and power through.”

He gave a wry smile, immediately connecting the mindset of my parents on a road trip to what they’d instilled in me about brute forcing through discomfort. “Do you benefit from breaks?” he echoed, drawing my attention to it, making me smile with the same sad acknowledgement.

“Cleeeeoooo.” Cleo hears from the halls of the castle. She had been in the den with her embroidery. Making mental notes of what chores they would need to attend to in the coming days. Oscar laid next to her, sprawled out on his back, in the most comfiest of ways.

“Yes Pearl?” Cleo calls, not looking up from her work. She expected Pearl would be asking to go on a flight or to at the very least visit their house that still resided in the town.

“Would you still love me if I was a bat?”

The vampire pauses her needle point. Cleo had known Pearl to ask silly questions, as was the younger woman’s wit and charm, however this one struck to close to genuine to be treated as one of her humorous antics. Had Pearl a dream that this all had been imaginary? That the battle of Oakhurst and the decision to stay had not been real? Had she hit her head and forgotten the two were turned to vampires?

“Are you alright, Pearl?” Cleo questions before feeling a presence to their left. They turn to find their roommate, albeit a much smaller version of them, at the entrance of the den. Shyly peaking out from behind the wall.

“I was just curious.” Pearl states, flying up from the floor to sit on the couch’s arm. “But would you love me if I was always like this? Fur and all?” Cleo sets her embroidery aside before scooping up the small bat.

“You forget how to turn back?” She questions, deciding it best to be straight forward with it. Pearl ducks her head but nods.

“I was going to, but then I started thinking about it, and then I overthought it and now. . . I can’t change back.” She looks up at Cleo with big sad eyes, “Help?”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.” Cleo smiles, shifting Pearl to one hand, “Except maybe start making smaller clothes for you.” She tickles the bat’s stomach for Pearl to squeak, pushing the vampires claw away.

“I’m sure you’ll change back in a day or so.” Cleo says, standing and going to the window. They look out at the moon, the hint of red lighting it.

“There should be a blood moon in a few days anyways. You’ll be able to change back via your wolf form.” They set Pearl on their shoulder. “Until then I supposed I should get used to you being pocket size.”

“Pocket size?” Pearl perks at that before looking down at Cleo’s attire, “Does this dress have pockets?”

“Not this one, however I was just about to go and do a bottle restock, which does require our aprons.” They eye the little bat, “Would you like to have some pocket time, Pearl?”

“I would like to have some pocket time.” Pearl nods for their roommate to giggle as they headed to their chores.

Cleo was sure to wear her dresses that contained pockets over the next three nights, before finally the blood moon arrived. Pearl had shifted to her wolf for rather easily, and to celebrate, the two had gone for a run.

Enjoying the wind in their hair and the added strength from the ethereal moon, the patrolled the woods, taking down any bandits that dared threatened their home. They then returned to the castle, nestling beside each other in the den. Pearl’s head on Cleo’s lap. She nuzzled their hand –a thank-you for their patience and care. Cleo pet their puppy’s fur and– as the warmth of the sun shown through the castle window– Pearl easily shifted back to her not-quite-human human form.