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Three wettings in the same (double) diaper and... the sheet bedding is showing signs. How can one protect bedding so that it doesn't need to be washed and replaced so frequently?

I've never worn any babyish diapers. I've worn Tena cloth diapers and Abena Abri-Form M4. But Northshore MegaMax is the best, and I always get them in a color other than white, with pink being my favorite.  However, there are one or two ABDL diapers that have attracted my interest. The Dotty the Pony diapers look pretty cute, and it would be another pink diaper for me to wear, though I don't know how the absorbency compares to MegaMax. The PeekABU diapers are an interesting concept as well, but again, I'm not sure how the absorbency compares to MegaMax. Has anybody worn these and compared them to Northshore? It would be nice to know if I ever wanted to try something frivolous.

I keep thinking I should change this one; it feels weird to have characters misgender someone, even unintentionally. I need to stop getting hung up on a single word where it's not a big deal. 61. A Simple Apology Tess didn’t know what to get Spike for his birthday. Choosing gifts was always hard, and it was even harder when she didn’t know what shape their relationship was going to have over the next week. But an impromptu shopping trip had provided her with a perfect option. Following the group’s movie night, there had been a lot of conversations on Clatter about the plot twists, with everybody trying to make the most outrageous bluff about what they had seen coming. A few days before, Tess had found it appropriate to share pictures of the comic books Ffrances was lending her, speculating a little about what might be in each one before she started reading it. Spike had been interested, of course. She was starting to realise that he seemed to be interested in just about everything she shared, like he could understand everything that interested her, and every aspect of her life. And over the weekend, he’d said that he might like to start reading the books too; so they could chat over comparing the movie to the original. After mentioning the French movie as well, and explaining what Ffrances had told her about its origins, he was certain that he wanted to know more. On Monday afternoon, her history class had been cancelled. That was a big surprise, and she was sure that Mr Minchin hadn’t gotten proper permission from the school administrators. But he said that they had completed the syllabus for this particular module, and it made little sense to start studying a completely different era in the last week before Christmas. So he gave them an oral quiz, structured like some kind of TV gameshow. If they could answer the teacher’s quickfire questions about everything they had studied in the year so far, they could earn enough points to leave school early. Ashli and Tess had ended up facing a head-to-head tiebreaker. And after all the effort Gabby had put in to help her learn about revisionist histories, the words “William the Bastard” had earned Tess her freedom. So now, a short bus ride later, she was walking around the smaller shops on the back streets of Greater Ashfields, hoping to find something quirky enough to pique Spike’s interest. That was where she’d found Malarkey & Sons, a shop whose windows only showed the backs of various posters, giving no clues about what they actually sold. But Tess recognised the name today, and that inspired her to take a step closer. Beyond the heavy wooden door, she had half expected to find an elderly pawnbroker, trading in all kinds of stolen or outright illegal goods. But instead she found her second guess: a temple to comic books, with lavishly illustrated covers staring at her from every direction. And she knew exactly which story arc would grab Spike’s attention right away. If they had the right ones, she thought for a second. But after another look around, she suspected that wouldn’t be a question. The shop must have been as large as all the others along the street, but she couldn’t see more than a couple of metres down a narrow aisle lined with boxes and filing cabinets. She would be willing to bet that the shop contained more books than air, packed solid with colourful reading matter. “Looking for someone, young lady?” The voice came from a figure bundled up in a faded sweater at the end of one of the aisles. He was sitting in an old rocking chair that barely fitted between the cabinets, so she had to guess that he worked here. “Mr Malarkey?” she said with a smile. “If you’re not threatening to drink my blood, I think I might have found the right place. I’m looking to start a collection.” * * * Tess was late for dinner by the time she got home. She had set off at the same time school usually finished, but had forgotten again to account for the fact that from Greater Ashfields to home was twice as far as from Raybridge, or that there wouldn’t be a bus leaving just as she reached the stop. She had panicked and sent Gabby a text when she passed the high school and saw most of the lights off and the busses long gone. But she was still expecting that she would have to explain where she had been when she got home, and she wasn’t disappointed. “We were worried,” Ffrances said, while Gabby was still busy cleaning up something in her room. Tess was glad that she didn’t have to face her cousin’s inquisition this time. “Sorry, the bus was slower than I expected. I still haven’t memorised the timetables.” “From school? Tess, you–” “I got let out early. The teachers are allowed to do that. He gave us a test on the last seven weeks, and said the ones who pass can go home early. While he helps the people who need a little extra help picking up the details.” Tess felt bad because that wasn’t quite the truth, but it seemed close enough. She wanted it to sound like she had a legitimate reason to be out of school. “Early?” Gabby asked, stepping through the door just as Ffrances lifted a pot off the cooker and started spooning some kind of curry out onto three plates. “Yeah, well…” Tess mumbled. “I thought I had time to get to Ashfields and back again. Shopping for gifts.” “For us?” Gabby asked. “That at least would explain the subterfuge. But I want to make it clear that you need to let me know if you’re not where I think you are. Would your parents have tolerated that?” “Yes. They know I can look after myself. And I got a couple of presents, and…” That was where she hesitated. She’d told Ffrances already that it was Spike’s birthday, but would Gabby know that? She decided that it was best to say it, just in case. “I wanted to get something nice for Spike too. I didn’t get him a birthday present yet.” “There’s a place called Swaggery that’s good for gift tat,” Ffrances suggested. “If you want to let someone know you’re thinking about them, but not look all around town for the perfect thing.” “I went there,” Tess smiled. “And I found a nice shop I’ve not seen before. Malarkey and Sons, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it?” “Sounds a bit upmarket for you,” Gabby suggested. “You’re not buying special jewellery are you? The kind of thing this kid can–” “It’s not that kind of shop,” Ffrances interrupted before Tess could say anything, which was only a slight surprise. “Lighten up, babe. You’re not the Greek inquisition. But I would be interested what kind of presents you would get there. Isaac is very particular about his customers, knows everyone by name, and has been known to refuse service to people he thinks won’t properly respect their purchases.” “He was suspicious when I came in, yeah. But I thought I’m enjoying myself so much reading what you’ve been lending us, I should get some of my own. Placated the vampire by saying I need some gloves first.” “Comics?” Gabby finally seemed to catch on. When Ffrances had started sharing her collection with Gabby and Tess, she’d said that some enthusiasts insisted on wearing thin gloves to handle the rarer and older issues; because the oil from your fingers could damage the paper. It was something they hadn’t really thought much about, but Ffrances had mentioned it in case they wanted to be extra careful. “He seemed like the kind who worships every copy like a work of art,” Tess offered, after a few moments to swallow a mouthful of her food. “I thought even if I’m not getting anything particularly expensive, two pairs of gloves and a set of those page protectors will show him that I’m not just jumping on the bandwagon after the movie’s out.” “Smart. Usually he’ll give you twenty questions before he’s convinced you can be trusted with one of his precious books. So what did you get?” “Well, I told him I was near the end of Eighth Street Pilgrims, and asked for recommendations. I said I’d been borrowing and wanted to get some of my own. He seems like he’d be some crazy recluse, but on a topic he loves that guy can talk. I got the first run of a whole series in the end, Falcon and Blade.” She paused for a bite, and in case Ffrances wanted to respond, but all she got was a gentle nod. Then she continued: “And for Spike, well… you already suggested some good beginner series for us. But when I talked about some of the ones I was reading, he seemed to be really curious about how Victor got so powerful. And from the hints I’ve seen, I think there might be some things in Marten’s backstory Spike could relate to. So… I asked what’s the best jumping on point for somebody who’d want to start with the prequels, the Cassarone Twins.” “That’s a pretty dark story. But I suspect it.s a good choice. My little apprentice is all grown up now. And putting so much thought into a present, making it personal, I think he’ll be touched.” “I hope there’s no touching there,” Gabby spoke up at last. Tess had almost forgotten she was with them. “He’s a good friend,” she answered. “And you said you weren’t going to police my friendships.” Despite a light interrogation, Tess managed to get through dinner without getting any more than signs of disapproval from Gabby. Afterwards, and once she had completed the few scraps of homework she had today, they chatted a little more about what she’d bought, and the strange man who ran the comic shop. They got onto other topics, before the conversation drifted back to their recent reading matter, and Ffrances’s latest recommendations. Before long, Tess remembered that she still needed to tell Gabby she would be out late again tomorrow night. She was dreading that moment, especially after her cousin’s response to something as simple as buying a birthday present. But she was pleasantly surprised when she mentioned it and Ffrances immediately said it would be fine. Tess could still see the tension in the air, but she knew that Gabby would never outright contradict her girlfriend, not in front of someone else. So she headed back to her room with her flask, keen to get an early night so that she would be ready for whatever tomorrow could throw at her.

60. My Quick Thinking Tess was late home on Monday night. I was worried, and started pacing up and down in the kitchen again. There was no way she could miss the bus back from school, was there? I could only imagine that something terrible had happened to her; the predator finally making his move. But just as I was about to call the school and see if they knew where she was, my phone vibrated in my hand. A simple text message, to say that she had lost track of time and missed the bus. She explained that she was on the bus now, and would be back home in half an hour. I wanted to be angry, but the message contained the word ‘sorry’ five times, and I thought that she must be worried enough already. The only suitable punishment would be to take her mind off those worries; to make her feel so innocent that guilt wouldn’t fit in her mind. I thought I knew how I could do it, as well. I had a couple of pacifiers in the kitchen drawer. Adult sized, designed for people with motor function disorders or chronic teeth-grinding, but modified by the enterprising craftspeople of the Internet to have cutesy designs that screamed “BABY” so hard it was impossible to ignore. If Tess was sucking on one of those, I was sure that her subconscious would interpret that as a childish action. It might take her into her little headspace even deeper than when she woke up wet; if the suggestions from her first regressed day were still working properly. I was sure she would resist me giving her a pacifier, which was why an evening like this was the perfect opportunity. “She sounds all shook up,” I explained to Ffrances. “She missed the bus, and she feels bad about it. I’m tempted to give her a chance to get back to littlespace, to help her calm down until she realises there’s nothing to worry about once the problem is resolved.” “That makes sense. But I don’t think I can do anything to help this time. My magic works from a calm and comfortable starting point.” “I know. So I’m just going to offer her a pacifier. If she gives any sign of little behaviour. That affected lisp, or childish words. If she’s showing us that she wants it, and she seems upset, I think it would be fair to give her the push she’s hoping for. Even if she’s too embarrassed to ask right out.” She nodded, but I could tell she thought it was unlikely. She’d seen how much pressure Tess could put on herself; how she would try to pretend she could cope. But she didn’t know about my secret weapon. When Tess went to the bathroom, I could just tell her that she would have an accident before she got there. It wouldn’t make too much mess, I would finally have my proof that the trigger had started working during the day, and Tess was sure to think that was a childish act. She would find it easier to accept being treated like a child, and I was sure that would help her to accept a pacifier, which would help her to feel even smaller. I was still thinking over the plan, trying to spot any possible flaws, when I heard the door open downstairs. I’d retreated to my room so that I didn’t drive Ffrances insane with my incessant pacing by that point. I couldn’t tell her that my mood had shifted from worried to enthusiastic, because that would spoil the whole plan. Ffrances needed to know that I was just thinking about what would be most comfortable for my little. By the time I got downstairs, Tess was explaining that she had finished school early. It certainly didn’t seem early to me, but then she explained that she’d decided to spend the last hour of the school day in Greater Ashfields, buying a Christmas gift for the jerk who was following her around. I really didn’t understand why she would put up with a guy like that, but I had to remind myself how young and naïve she still was. She would believe whatever he told her. Then I was getting naturally defensive, and wanted to make sure that she wasn’t spending a fortune on him. She named a shop that I’d never heard of in all the time I’d lived in this area. And worse, it sounded like a traditional business. The kind you would only look in for gifts if you were shopping for something to show a real commitment. A jewellery shop named ‘Swaggery’ might sell some cheap tat that would amuse teenagers, but one called ‘Marquis and Sons’ would cater to the kind of people who asked about provenance, or wanted a name with gravitas on the box. But Ffrances responded with excitement, and in a couple of minutes I managed to figure out exactly why I didn’t know the name of the place. It was the weird little comic shop, with a basement room where some of the owner’s friends would meet up for board gaming tournaments two or three times a year. That place’s clientele were pretty much hand-picked, and the guy was so cold to non-fans that you’d think you needed an invitation from someone he knew to even get in the door. I’d tried tagging along once to a games night once, and had been really uncomfortable by the way the scrawny old guy kept flirting with Ffrances. She had explained that as the only woman present, she was the only guest he could hit on without his husband worrying that either of them might mean it. And as much as I thought that was funny, I really didn’t want to see it. I’d never returned. By the time we’d decided that Tess was putting in way too much thought for a present for a guy who only had one thing on his mind, and gone on to much more serious conversation about the comics she had bought for herself, and how the different story arcs added up, I was sure that there was no chance to try my plan now. Even if Tess was acting childish, she was just full of beans wanting to tell us all about the comics she’d picked up, and how much she was looking forward to watching another of Ffrances’s collection of terrible movies. She was too lively, too full of joy, and there was no way I could convince anyone that she needed to be little to feel safe. I wondered if I could make her worry about something again, without being too obvious about it. If I could find an excuse, then perhaps I would still have an excuse to offer her a pacifier. But I couldn’t think of everything, and when she looked so cheerful it was hard to think of the big picture. And when we got onto talking about stupid jokes that totally should have made it into a Young Cerberus Shark movie if anyone had been inspired enough to make one, we somehow felt more like a family than ever. I couldn’t break that up, even if it would help Tess to become the little that she really needed to be. It was getting pretty late when we all decided it was time to head to bed. I knew Tess was going to bed soon because she had her flask of miracle anti-hangover tea in her hand despite not having touched the wine today. Ffrances got up as well, and beckoned me after her as she opened the lounge door. “Oh,” Tess gasped, like she’d suddenly remembered a forgotten task. Trying to pretend that she hadn’t left it to the last minute deliberately, to head off any complaints about not mentioning it earlier. “I needed to ask you, is it okay if I’m back late tomorrow? Don’t want to surprise you again.” “Why?” I asked, suspicious. Usually she told me that she was going somewhere with her friends, and I was sure that different behaviour must mean something was different this time. “Didn’t you get everything you need?” “Oh, I’m going to the theatre again,” and then she caught my eye, and she knew that I wouldn’t keep on trusting her if she always felt it necessary to omit major details. “There were a few movies we were interested in on Friday, and I want to catch Shiroyamanomusuko before it stops showing. Spike said me, Evan, and Kim should go, because Evan’s studying Japanese, and he loves the culture. I didn’t know they had samurai with guns, so I’m interested too.” “Oh,” I nodded slowly. Like I wanted to know exactly who my little girl was hanging out with. I didn’t think that any boy her age could be a worse influence than the Spike guy, but I had to know. “Who’s Evan?” “Don’t worry, he’s Kim’s new boyfriend. He’s pretty cool, they even started finishing each other’s sentences.” “That’s cool,” Ffrances answered, while my brain was still slotting the facts together. “Yes, that’s fine. I’ll make something special for us at dinner time, while it’s close to our anniversary. Just let us know when you’re on the way home, okay? Or if you’d like a lift, it’s only five minutes to Upper Ashfields from here if you take the back roads.” I was ready to protest; to say that Tess couldn’t rely on a friend and a friend’s boyfriend to protect her if this Spike guy tried anything. They’d probably be too wrapped up in each other to notice, and they might forget how young she was if it was the kind of movie that a couple go to together. But as soon as I opened my mouth, I noticed that Ffrances had one finger extended, gently tapping her cheek. It could have meant anything, but I’d seen that gesture enough to know it was a warning. It might have meant “Don’t interrupt your Mistress,” or it might have meant “Do you really want to sleep hogtied on the floor tonight?”, but I was sure that I didn’t have it in me to fight her. Not even if Ffrances had missed the most obvious of deductions. I closed my mouth again, and she turned and headed up to our room. I waited a couple of seconds until I was sure she would be out of sight before I said anything else. I could have told Tess that I’d changed my mind, or asked her to be careful hanging around that guy. But I thought that now, I might still get an opportunity to test how easily she sank into her little headspace. “Sleep well, Tess. And I hope this trip tomorrow goes well. You’re still going to have an accident if he tries to kiss you tomorrow, or touches you inappropriately. And you’re going to have an accident when your phone alarm goes off in the morning.” I was thinking that there might be a difference between telling her to have an accident at a specific time, and when a specific thing happened. ‘Tonight’ was clearly vaguer than either, but I knew it worked. I just needed a few more tests. And as I knew she had her alarm clock and her phone set to ring at different times, making sure she was awake, I thought that was a good example to test. “I will,” she nodded, and darted off up the stairs. With that done, there was nothing left for me but to drain my glass, turn the lights out, and hope I wasn’t too excited to sleep.

Started the weekend with TinyTails, wet that one a couple of times, went and did my walk before I came home, showered, and prepped for church, wearing a XXL Boys Goodnites. I came home afterwards, slept in it, and wet it slightly. Threw on a Camelot after searching my hidden stash and got my money's worth out of that. Threw on a Detective Marty for my walk, because I felt my stomach grumbling. Didn't end up messing myself, and peed slightly before taking it off and getting ready for the work week. @ work, so nothing padded.  I went through my stash, found my Camelots and Purrfect Cafe diapers. I still have two full packs of Detective Marty pull-ups. I have some unknown diapers stashed in a box that I may start wearing for my weekend walks.  I may have to start looking again, but the big box is quite full, so I can hold off for a bit longer and pad up my savings. (Pun absolutely intended.)