Ace's Blog

Drawings placed in order from earliest death (1622) to latest death (1712? I believe). Each kid has their respective flower with them (Crocus for Merry, Dwarf Sunflower for Mass, etc.)

“You’re a piece of shit, you know that?” New Jersey asked, stomping into the room he shared with Delaware and New York. New York looked up from his laptop and raised an eyebrow.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, but the smirk on his face gave him away. Delaware, sensing the fight this would turn into, sighed and shut his book, standing up.

“Call me when you’re done,” he said before elbowing his way past New Jersey.

“You know exactly what you did! I can’t believe you!” New Jersey exclaimed before beginning to rant, his frustrations overwhelming him. New York sighed and put his laptop to the side.

“Okay, but it was funny, and no one was hurt. Also, it was Delly’s idea. He’s still upset about your reclaimed land thing and wanted me to remind you of ours,” New York said. New Jersey scowled.

“I should have never let him escape,” he groaned. New York laughed.

“You good with an arm over your shoulders?” he asked. When New Jersey nodded, New York threw an arm over his shoulder. “Listen, you’re my big brother, and that means I have to be annoying to you.”

“I’m less than a day older than you,” New Jersey deadpanned.

“Yeah, so as your baby brother, I’m allowed to do these things,” New York steamrolled on without flinching, “Besides, we didn’t actually do it to the Ellis Island buildings. It was just a bunch of old sheets.”

“Still, I fought for that land for a long time,” New Jersey said, shoving New York’s arm off him. He felt frustrated and angry but tried to keep a handle on his temper.

“And then you did the same thing to Del I did to you,” New York said, raising an eyebrow. New Jersey felt like he was being punished for something, but he didn’t know what. Why couldn’t anyone just say what they mean? Why did people have to be so vague?

“I…are you mad mad at me?” New Jersey asked, shrinking in on himself as the anger was replaced by a deep shame. He hated when he got like this when his emotions changed on a whim and never made any sense. New York’s face softened, and his large wings encircled them. They weren’t touching New Jersey but shielding him from the rest of the world.

“No. No, I’m not,” New York said, “This was just a joke meant to make fun of the fact that history is repeating itself and that even over two hundred years since our independence, we’re still fighting over our borders.”

The guilt squirming in New Jersey’s gut subsided a little.

“It was just a joke?” he asked, wanting to hear confirmation, proof that it was okay, that he was fine, a good brother.

“Yep! Just me and Delly meaning little shits. You’re okay, Jay-jay. You always have been,” New York said. New Jersey nodded, then relaxed into his brother's arms, feeling New York’s wings begin to hug him.

New Jersey smiled.

On the hundredth anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, not only did Nova Scotia give Massachusetts its annual Boston Christmas Tree, but the Mayor of Boston, the Mayor of Halifax, and the premier of Nova Scotia unveiled a plaque telling the story of the friendship between Nova Scotia and Massachusetts.

Although Nova Scotia would really say that she and Massachusetts were more like cousins that were bitchy and far too gossipy for their own good.

“Now we have a fancy plaque to go along with those trees you keep sending me,” Massachusetts joked as he and Nova Scotia smiled up at this year’s Boston Christmas Tree.

“Good. Maybe it’ll help with your memory. I know you old men have such a problem with that,” Nova Scotia joked, grinning widely as her cousin groaned. She loved poking fun at her cousin. Ir was so easy to get a rise out of him sometimes.

“I’m barely a year older than you, Ishbel. I don’t want to hear it.” Massachusetts said, sounding tired.

“They say men’s memories deteriorate faster,” Nova Scotia added. Massachusetts sighed deeply, but he was grinning slightly.

“You just made that up.” 

“Did I?” Nova Scotia asked, tilting her head to the side. Massachusetts groaned.

“Next time a ship blows up in Halifax, you’re on your own. I’m not helping you out more if it means I have to deal with this shit,” he said. Nova Scotia hit him on the back of the head. 

“Ow? What was that for?” Massachusetts asked, hand on the back of his head.

“Making an insensitive joke. I’m still traumatized from that,” Nova Scotia said. Massachusetts shot her a confused look.

“How? You weren’t there. We were both off fighting in the First World War.” Massachusetts asked, sounding genuinely confused. Nova Scotia patted him on the shoulder.

“Maybe you’ll understand better when you’re older.”

“Wait a minute! First, I’m the old man whose memory is deteriorating, and now I’m younger than you?” Massachusetts asked, bumping her slightly with his hip as he smiled at her. Nova Scotia shrugged.

“Strange how the world works like that,” she said.

“I’m sending that photo of you from The Pancake Incident to your children,” Massachusetts deadpanned, pulling out his phone. Nova Scotia leaped at the man, trying to snatch his phone out of his hand.

“Patrick Samuel Washington, you will not,” Nova Scotia said harshly, causing her cousin to laugh.

“Bold of you to think you can stop me,” Massachusetts said before taking off down the streets of Boston.

“You get a home-field advantage! That isn’t fair!”