#a warm neighbour...

[kiawren]

My honest reaction reading this

🍞 Woodbrook Neighborhood Journal🍞

A small ficlet about Julianne writing to her mom about Woodbrook and never sending it. Just as a guide for herself and others.

October 2, 1986

Hi Mom!

Remodeling just concluded here at my apartment. I'm sorry I spent all the money you gave me on this project. I've moved from Pomona to Burlington after Marigold and Eres were promoted and I was left behind. I felt horrible then impulsively moved up north to settle instead. Maybe I'll find a nice partner like you said, marry rich if this is what it comes to. I don't know..I found this lovely town called Woodbrook, maybe you've heard of it, but it's a town that smells like cinnamon. The trees bend at the slightest gush of wind and release the warmest colors through the streets. Lots of people smile here. Although I've booked my flight and bought the apartment on a whim, I'm positive this change will earn me more than I've previously spent or the friends I've lost in that promotion.

I wish I could still keep in contact with my doctor. She would've helped me deal with envy better. I thought it was a problem I only dealt with when I was little. Now it seems I haven't grown out of my 12 year old self. But this is how I cope. My room is still yellow and pink. It's still full of stuffies. My bedding is plush with flowers.

I've found a job in a nearby city which is an hour away from town. It's remote work, and I'm working with storybook illustrators. I need to report twice a week, but my schedule is mostly eaten up by work in Woodbrook Elementary. I'm still part time, building up my 6 months but the people there are generous and the children like me. I just find it difficult to de-escalate tantrums and fights. However I've created a project-based curriculum for all the children, with homework that feels less than work and more like play. I see lots of potential in this one kid from my 3rd class, the assignments he hands me are done in watercolor.

I prepare my lunches at the apartment shared kitchen. I've made bistek when I'm paid well, or bring sausages and eggs when I'm low on funds. I haven't found the time to bake but my mind wanders to the thought of chocolate chip cookies.

But when I save enough money, I go out on a weekend stroll. I first go to The Chopping Block. My friend Melody makes me lunch on weekends when we plan on meeting and eating together at the back of the store. She's my first friend here in Woodbrook. I first approached her when I first went grocery shopping and thought I looked so lost. She closed the store early to accompany me to the best deals in town. Ever since, we've done our groceries together on Sundays at 8 am. I'll also see Dierdre at Heaven's To Betsy's (a diner near residential) when I'm craving pancakes. Dierdre is shy and a little mean but she's always available when I want to have something sweet in town. She lets me borrow her books and tells me what to take when I feel sick. I'm sure she's also warm like Mel when I get to know her better. I met Mikey when I first tried out Jerry's beef bowls. It was steep for the price but it was a bigger portion than most of the food found here in Woodbrook. Mikey went out for lunch that day and I complemented his outfit. He was loud and eccentric, wearing bright and black on a grey afternoon. He sat next to me and we talked about movies, then moving on to life. He works at the video rental store that just opened up a few months ago. He invited me to his apartment which was in the same building, on the same floor as mine! It was always halloween in his apartment. He had a tray of candies by the entrance and there were cobwebs and carved faux pumpkins on his shelves. Mikey and I trade comics and books or play board games on Friday.

One morning, I saw Melody with another girl at a convenience store. She was a harbor seal with long brown hair. I was intimidated by her at first until Melody formally introduced us both. Her name was Lucelle but I could call her Lucy. She was calm and gentle like a summer wave, and her snout scrunches when she laughs. Melody was shy around her. There were times where their hands would brush and Melody would pull away but sometimes their pinkies would link when they were deep in conversation. When I asked Melody how they met, she said Lucy only visits every so often to do remote work as a ghost writer for magazines and tabloids. She came to the shop to buy herself some ingredients to cook at a friend's apartment. Then one night I heard her next door, staying with my neighbors Wren and Kiawe. I only saw Wren occasionally because they were always out for work and research but tonight Kiawe cooked dinner for Lucy and they had room for one more. We have these dinners every time Lucy comes to town. I make baked salmon with cheese and vegetables, and Lucy brings with her baked clams from her home town. Wren and Kiawe prepare us noodles and soup, sometimes steamed vegetables, sweet rice, ginger chicken, or pickled fruits. These are the best kinds of nights as we all share stories and catch up on our interests. Lucy shares us gossip from different states, Wren tells us stories and new breakthroughs over wine, and I narrate to them storybooks I've helped or illustrated myself.

Then I find myself passing by the hardware store for no discernable reason. I don't do woodwork. I don't know how to fix a table or mend a shelf. All I know is the hardware lady has a nice smile. I've seen her when I had my apartment gussied up. I've seen her when she offered to help me unpack. She says hi to me when I pass to go to work. My face warms up when our eyes meet. I don't understand why I feel dizzy around her but it's embarrassing how long she lingers on my mind. We bump into each other in the grocery, in the park, or even in Centerville. I automatically smile when I feel her presenece nearby. Sam is such a warm stranger. I couldn't explain why she tickles me but I know it's something I shouldn't feel. Maybe she's married. Maybe she's disinterested. Maybe she's faking it like most people would. It could be all of it but it could be none. I hold on to that hope because I like her a lot. But some moments slip into actual conversation and I forget that I fawn, acting strangely and loudly instead of feminine and sweet. But she stays and bounces back, willing to joke and play pretend like me. I dream. I dream of her on some nights but who am I to assume anything of her? Who am I to imagine her as the...person or friend of my dreams? But Sam's a warm neighbor. She's so self-assured and calm and confident..collected and strong...I wish I could get closer without tripping on my own laces. I'm sure she'll like me back. I hope she'll like me back.

I'll write again soon. I hope you and grandma are doing ok.

I love you.

Julianne.

[pacificnorthwesterngothic]

i love pnw <3

I guess I’m not going to surprise anyone but… man, me too 🥰

Also thank you for the message, that was very sweet!

[langernameohnebedeutung]

I'm beginning to realise that a major reason why I woke up in the middle of August and was like "I REALLY DESPERATELY URGENTLY FINALLY NEED TO DRIVE AROUND ICELAND FOR TWO WEEKS ON MY OWN" (apart from, you know, seeing Iceland) is that this will be the first time since Ireland that I will completely on my own schedule and on my own and off to clock and not available and it's really interesting that the people in my life who are the most like 'why would you want to go to Iceland on your own, there's nothing there, that sounds boring, it's empty and cold' are the ones I most need a break from. It's you, the stressor is you.

[kuhjungewieduu]

ich liebe es so sehr auf fensterbänken am offenen fenster zu sitzen, es wird wirklich zum problem, weil ich irgendwann halt fr mal runterfallen & mir alle knochen brechen werde

[llyfrenfys]

Today in cliquey village life - a bunch of people in the village (I live just outside of Aberystwyth) decided to take pictures of a homeless man, shame him publicly and then complain his burned-down house was unsightly and making the village look bad.

That homeless dude? Yeah he's not the one making the village look bad I don't think.

[kai-rio]

Could you ramble about Ellis? I need to understand them

oh. oh boy you dont know what youve asked

okay so ellis is a side character in ggy, probably made to follow the format of protagonists in fnaf books having a kid they dont like

he's been tony's best friend since they were 4, and they were neighbours when tony's dad was around (headcanon interjection: i think tony's dad bought them a treehouse and they always played in it together and just chilled there)

tony says he wants to move away from ellis because he's deemed as 'childish', like for example, choosing his nom de plume as Boots because its a character he likes

this is probably because of meeting both greg and his father being arrested, making him feel like he needs to be more mature so he doesnt want to associate with ellis anymore

but despite all he says about him he still deems him his 'best friend' and i think that says a lot - afterall, they were best friends for 8 years, so they have to have something there - tony is reluctant to leave him even if he doesnt want to admit it because theyre so close

ellis himself, there isnt a lot about him unfortunately in the book, but what we do know is that he's impatient, 'childish', oblivious and prefers fiction (this is all from tony's pov and he's an unreliable narrator so keep in mind we dont have the full picture)

tony sees him as kinda social but i personally think he isn't, he struggles to make friends other than tony and that's why it's only been the two of them for ages

a lot of people deem him the dumb one of the group and my take on that is that he leans into that role because a. its whats expected of him and b. that way its easier to observe people because they're less cautious of him, he probably notices a lot more than people think he does

he's quite kind but also has his flaws - he doesn't quite notice how hurt tony is about changing the story unfortunately and he teases quite a lot to the point it could be unintentionally hurtful

i think because of this, after tony goes missing he'd definitely blame himself and have survivors guilt, and also probably bad anxiety, maybe even agoraphobia

he probably would be lured into the pizzaplex under the guise that tony is there because he'd definitely go out to find him

i have a lot of headcanons but ill put those in the tags because those arent actually canon

if you want a list of all my headcanons you could do a separate ask about that but ill just put a couple in the tags

one thing that is canon though is that he likes physical affection!!! he wraps his arm around tony or greg several times if i remember correctly

i have 2 fics up on ao3 (my acc is under the same name) which are ellis-centric - i wouldnt recommend never needed a friend more though because i mischaracterised tony in that quite a lot so

[ruskatuskapuskasapuska]

Out of curiosity...

[fruitless-vain]

If Jack gets off her overtime early enough today is operation Snow Palace in the front yard

[unreadpoppy]

it truly takes hating on gringos to bring together latin america

[parlerenfleurs]

It's funny how omegaverse started as this fringe weird as fuck thing some people did in fanfics, but the joke's on me because not only does its basic form completely appeal to my erotic tastes, actually, but it has truly become a very fascinating genre to me.

I'm sure someone in an American university doing gender studies is writing their thesis on this somewhere. Because it is such an interesting playfield for commentary, caricature and subversion on gender roles and on the position of potential child-bearing individuals in society, and how could this be structured if it were made 10 times more obvious, or how would we cope with it in a supposedly egalitarian society, and how can we make this man experience mysogyny, etc. And it reflects beautifully all of the fears, anxieties, and fantasies people with the potential to bear children, or perceived as such, can have. And the revolt, utopias, or reclamation that they want to express about it.

There is nothing inherently bad or even inherently anything about it as a whole, because people have created such unique things within the framing of this genre, and I find it incredibly entertaining and intellectually stimulating.

[jascurka]

Tempted to pull an all-nighter but not for anything particular, I just hate when really strong wind blows and it's night.

[evolutionsbedingt]

Me: Ugh, I don't wanna have to be the person to tell property management that the warm water is still wonky at night and that the radiators still whistle and don't get quite warm enough

My thermostat: How about if I start dripping at half past midnight though? Will you talk to them then? 😇

[elnotwoods]

the urge to pack up my life and fuck off to the scottish highlands to renovate a little cottage, work in the garden and paint in the afternoon

[partenopae]

i'm learning to play the trumpet again after ~10 years and it's so frustrating how much skill i lost i don't wanna start with the basics again i want to play musiccc

[vialae]

A modern Kaidos would be cringe and angry enough to work out to Rob Zombie. Loud enough to shake the floor.

[mismageus]

Our neighbours decided to abandon their cat so we've semi-adopted him along in conjunction with the vet clinic on our street 😀