spark

I have my own computer rankings for college football.

I've already gotten in trouble once with giving away some of the upcoming plot, so I won't spoil too much. However, I've already shared that Reggie is narrating this after he's been rescued, so there won't be a dark ending. PS- if that bothers you, don't watch movies. The good guy always wins. Yeah, Darth Vader chopped Luke's hand off, but then Darth Vader became a whiney white guy who was a good guy. I think he could qualify for assistance, especially because Dr. Olson is his primary doctor. Even if he had a functional mother, Reggie would have a difficult time as an adult. It would be way harder than Charlotte's, because Charlotte can pass as an adult. I haven't written the final chapters yet, but I know where it ends. I want Reggie's ending to be truthful to his character, and as realistic as this story can be (admittedly unrealistic). I don't want to create a crap sundae, pour whip cream over it, put a cherry on top, and then not say everything is perfect. At the end of this, Reggie will not be a completely functional adult. He just can't. Even if he had a functional mother, he would struggle to function as a normal adult. His mother messed him up, and just getting away from her doesn't change what she did to him. But, I don't want Reggie's ending to be pathetic. So, I have to keep that in mind.

I'm old enough that I grew up on the Looney Toons, and there are a few mechanical nursery type stories. Those always got me. It's not diaper-relateded, but Jonathan Winters played Mearth on Mork and Mindy, who was fully grown, but with the mind of an infant. He was really good at that role, and his partner in the show was Robin Williams. It's some of the best comedy writing in network television ever.

Thanks. FTR- I'm trying to make an unrealistic scenario (a grown man being the size and body type of a child) as realistic as possible, especially considering I've given him the worst possible mother in that scenario. Also, if he was normally sized, and wasn't so prone to regression, she would have treated him more appropriately. FTR- I've looked it up, there are boarding houses in Manhattan, but I'm not sure if they offer meal plans. I basically wanted him to live in an extension of a college dorm. FTR- my dad could've done the same thing to me in 1994, and the results would have been almost as bad. (meal plans for 4 years, and then him making lunch and dinner for me). He also lives in the worst possible place for success in this way. In New York, he was waking distance from Penn Station, but in Sacramento, the nearest bus station is a 1/2 mile walk, and the bus only comes every 20 minutes The key was that his life in college was still structured in a way that supported him (think Young Sheldon). In New York, life was still structured in a supportive way, but he felt isolated. He hs enough saved that paying for Charlotte's wine isn't an issue, but not enough to pay for room in Manhattan with no income. Think of it this way: the $500 his mother wants him to pay starting March isn't scary right now, but it might be in the summer (it's January).

My first experience wearing padding was when I bought some Goodnites, which was only a few weeks after they were introduced. I had heard that they were going introduce, and I couldn't wait to see them in stores. My first real diapers were from HDIS, which I ordered via phone after I finally left my dad's house. Back then I used to plan deliveries so that nobody would be home when they came.

This isn't a big deal. It's a controversy crying for attention.

Charlotte is a key character in this story. Her arc makes her more complicated than most regressed characters in diaper stories). Pay attention to how she interacts with Reggie. Also notice how she reacted to Kristy's accident compared to how their mother reacts to accidents.

The next chapter is shaping up. I don't think there is very much suspense, but it's becoming more of a psychological thriller than I expected This story is Ai-assisted, which is the first time I've ever used Copilot as assistant. It helps develop the plot much deeper than I could if I didn't AI to bounce ideas off of. I get to really deep into Reggie, and hopefully make readers ask: Is Reggie flawed, or a product of messed up childhood? I'm building Charlotte's character as well. So far, hopefully you can see her being both a victim and a survivor (even protector). However, hopefully you'll see how she isn't 100% capable of being the savior.

This is setting up an interesting dynamic. I know where Jacob will end up, but will Lana take him superfast. Right now, he went from a bedwetting accident to using his diaper, and his step freaking out.

Mountain meet molehill

I used Copilot to help me set up a family timeline. Fortunately, there are really only a few characters, but I've already fell into a trap with the timeline because I've set Charlotte's age at 30, but for all of the events to fit, she needs to 31 in January 2026. That's going to be blamed on a narrator error (Reggie forgot how old Charlotte was). ·• Coming Home- Family Timeline before the main story begins • 1994  Late summer 1994 — Charlotte is born. • 1997  Late summer 1997 — Chris is born. • 2001  February 2001 — Reggie is born. • 2006  Summer 2006 — family vacation incident.  Reggie is 5  Chris is 8  Charlotte is 11  All three are kept in diapers during the trip.  Potty training is restarted afterward. • Around 2006–2011  Reggie continues elementary school while struggling socially and developmentally.  Charlotte grows into adolescence under Linda’s control.  Chris becomes more openly resistant. • Around 2011  Reggie is about 10.  Charlotte is about 16.  This fits the babysitter anecdote where Charlotte is still being controlled as a teenager. • Around 2011–2012  Charlotte leaves the nursery in 11th grade.  She would be 16 turning 17 • Around 2014–2015  Reggie leaves the nursery at 14, just before high school.  summer 2015, right before starting high school.  August 2015- Chris leaves home • 2019  Reggie graduates high school and leaves for Dartmouth.  Since he was born in 2001, he would likely graduate in spring 2019 at age 18. • 2020  Covid lockdown begins.  Reggie remains at Dartmouth instead of returning home.  Charlotte moves back home during Covid.  June-July: Charlotte is put in nursery for driving home after drinking • 2021  Charlotte is still living under Linda’s control after moving home during the pandemic.  Charlotte and Dennis get serious  I have this happening in May/June  Fall  Charlotte and Dennis get married • 2022 • September  Kristy is born • 2023–2025  Linda becomes heavily involved in Kristy’s life.  Charlotte’s and Dennis’s marriage detoriates • 2024  Reggie is living in New York, working as a data analyst. • Summer 2025  Charlotte and Dennis divorce • January 2026  Reggie loses his job and returns home. • Birthdays  Charlotte — September 1994  Chris — August 1997  Reggie — February 2001  Kristy — September 2022

That's clearly a factor, but it's more complicated than just pure laziness. There are ADHD tendencies, avoidance, and being completely unprepared for what his mother expected. He spent most of the first 14+ years of his life with his mom doing everything for him, because he wasn't allowed to do anything for himself. After that, she monitored for such an extent that he never learned to do it for himself. That's not to excuse his behavior, but even if he functioned normally, he would not been able to succeed with his physical limitations. One of the keys is that he fell into a depression cycle, which is why he lacked the motivation to do the basics. FTR- not to over criticize myself, but some of that imagery comes from firsthand experience, including diaper disposal😉 But, I'll also take the blame that I'm lazy. Why should I clean when I wait until tomorrow? I'm a little surprised that messiness was an issue, but not the toileting. I realize that a 24-year-old who seemingly has no other health issues wouldn't suddenly lose elimination control as he has. But I'm justifying it because of the complicated emotional issues that Reggie is going through. With Reggie, there is no middle ground. When he isn't potty-trained, he wears diapers and is treated like a baby. When he is potty-trained, he's expected to be a full adult, with no help. For him, that also means virtual complete isolation, since he can't have a functional social life as an adult. His experience in New York was pretty bleak, and what he just went through was even worse. For him, at least where he is right now, that nursery might be a necessary evil. FTR- that plays a big role in how this ends for Reggie.

Chapter 11: Adulthood? Charlotte and I kept talking, but not about that. I didn’t know what to ask, and I don’t think she wanted to say anything else about it. Even before I came home, I was afraid that Mom would do this again to me, but I never thought she would do it to Charlotte as well. Once I knew, a lot of things made more sense. Charlotte had always known what could set Mom off, but ever since she moved out, she’d become hyper-aware of it. Suddenly, the way she went along with the timeout on Wednesday made sense. Charlotte was always the good one, Chris was the rebellious one, and I was the rambunctious one. It wasn’t just our behavior; Charlotte was better with people. In a lot of ways, Charlotte knew how to be that perfect little girl, and she used it to her advantage. I was always smaller than my classmates, and the difference only became more obvious as I got older. In kindergarten and first grade, it was manageable. Even though I was the smallest kid in my class, the gap wasn’t so wide that it stood out. Unfortunately, I grew at about half the rate of a normal kid, and by fourth grade, I was more than a foot shorter than the biggest kids. I was still the smallest one, even though I was older than most of them. After that, the gap just kept getting bigger and bigger. By high school, I looked like I belonged in third grade, while some of the other boys were fully grown and had facial hair. I still didn’t have any body hair at all. Even though that wasn’t exactly public knowledge, I was painfully aware of it. My size didn’t make people treat me like I was cute or younger in some harmless way. It just made me feel out of place. I felt uncomfortable around other kids, and over time, I learned to keep to myself. Charlotte’s size was always much closer to that of the other kids in her grade, so she was able to fit in a lot better than I was. When she was little, she did tumbling and gymnastics, but once competition became serious, she gave it up. My dad wanted her to stick with it, but she was too petite to really compete, and she didn’t care much about winning anyway; she just wanted to make everyone happy. Instead, Charlotte threw herself into dance, theater, and school. She was a straight-A student, became a cheerleader, and acted in every school play. She was at the top of the pyramid on the cheer team and got leading roles in all the plays. By 11th grade, the drama teacher was even choosing plays with child leads just because he knew Charlotte could pull them off. Mind you, she still had some of the same issues I did. She didn’t have her first period until she finished high school. I only know that because I overheard her mention it to my mom when she was nineteen. The only time that she ever had much of a chest was after Kristy was born, and it’s gone back to it’s smaller size since she stopped nursing. Charlotte can do things with her clothes, hair, and makeup that make her seem more adult. I can’t. Changing my hairstyle doesn’t work. I tried a mullet once, but it looked stupid. Clothes don’t help either. Even in a suit, I look like a little kid dressed up for a wedding. At the same time, she can still look like a little girl when she wants to. A few years ago, just before her wedding, one of Charlotte’s friends got married. Charlotte couldn’t fit into any of the bridesmaid dresses, so on a whim, they made her the flower girl. I saw the pictures, and they really went all out. They put ribbons in her hair and made her look like a real flower girl. Charlotte joked that she was the flower girl who could drink at the party. Come to think of it, that was after Mom did what she did. It’s interesting that, despite being well-behaved and, on the face of it, very mature, my mom never thought Charlotte was mature enough to babysit. In a lot of families, when there’s that big a gap between the oldest and youngest, the oldest becomes the default babysitter. But because Charlotte still wet the bed, she had a babysitter until she was seventeen. In fact, I can only remember Charlotte babysitting me once, when I was thirteen. It was out of desperation. My regular babysitter, who was younger than Charlotte, got sick, and my parents had to go to a dinner with the governor. Charlotte let me stay up until 9:30, which was way past my bedtime, and that made my mom really mad. Even then, Charlotte wasn’t really allowed to grow up on her own timeline. My mom made every major decision for her, and Charlotte was slow to build a life or identity that was her own. She became kind of a professional student. She was good at school, and staying there put off any true adulthood. When Covid hit, she was still in school, working toward a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing. She met Dennis when they were undergrads, and I think they might have dated back then, but they didn’t get serious again until 2021. At the time, I was shocked when she got engaged and moved in with him so quickly, but it makes more sense now. Dennis was an offensive lineman on the UC Davis football team. He wasn’t just big by our family’s standards; he is legitimately huge. He’s almost 6’5”, and when he was playing, he weighed about 300 pounds. He’s slimmed down since then, but he’s still a very big man. I liked him, and I was disappointed when they got divorced. He loved sports just as much as I do, and that’s what we mostly talked about. More importantly, he understood that I wasn’t just some little kid, and he treated me like an adult. At the same time, when things got chaotic, he could take control without making me feel small. We went to a Yankee game when Kristy was just a baby, and when we left the stadium, it was so crowded that I kept losing them. After it happened twice, Dennis didn’t even ask. He just lifted me onto his shoulders and kept me there until we reached the subway. My dad absolutely loved him. I think the sports connection meant a lot, and part of him wished he was built like that. But Dennis and my mom never got along. There was always tension between them, and they didn’t see things the same way. You could see it even at their wedding. Mom was already upset because it wasn’t exactly the big fairytale wedding she wanted for her daughter. Toward the end of the night, Charlotte and her friends got loud and a little drunk. It was the last in a long run of weddings, and I think they all knew they weren’t college kids anymore, so they wanted one last hurrah. That embarrassed my mom, and she was about to humiliate Charlotte in front of everyone. But before she could, Dennis quietly guided Charlotte back to their hotel room. That conflict grew as their marriage progressed, especially after Kristy came into the picture. Dennis knew what my mom did to us, and he didn’t trust her. At the same time, my mom is really good with babies, so Charlotte let her do what she does. I think there might have been other issues too, but my mother’s interference played a big role in their eventual divorce. Looking back, Dennis gave Charlotte confidence, and when he was around, she seemed more like herself. Charlotte has a way of sliding backward when things get stressful, and he helped keep her grounded. At some point during our conversation, Charlotte asked, “Didn’t you like New York?” I shrugged. “Not really. It was lonely, and I couldn’t do very much.” She looked confused. “But we had so much fun in September. We took the ferry, went to the zoo, Coney Island, and all those museums. Kristy loved it, and it looked like you did too.” I replied, “That’s because you were there, and I wasn’t doing it all alone.” Charlotte blushed. “Oh, that’s so sweet.” I’m not sure she really understood what I meant, but I let her think that. It wasn’t just that she was there. When I was with her, nobody thought I was some little kid who’d gotten separated from his parents. They saw that I was with an adult, and that changed everything. Charlotte and I kept talking as long as she could, but eventually it got late and she had to go to bed. After she hung up, I thought about going to bed as well, but it was only about ten o’clock, and I wasn’t tired. Then it occurred to me that I hadn’t even touched my PlayStation. That surprised me, because I’d been so sure it would be the first thing I did after getting it back. In New York, that was pretty much my whole life outside of work. A lot of people like shoot-em-up games like Call of Duty, but I never really cared about those. I’ve always preferred sports games, because when I play them, I can pretend I’m some kind of superstar athlete. FIFA is my favorite, even though soccer isn’t my favorite sport. I started playing and quickly lost track of time. I kept going until I finally fell asleep, and I didn’t wake up until about eleven o’clock the next morning. By then, I’d forgotten to order food from Amazon, and it was too late for it to arrive that day. That meant one more day of ordering takeout, but I didn’t care. For the first time since I got home, I felt free from my mother’s eyes. Charlotte warned me that Mom was watching, but it didn’t feel that way. I hadn’t seen her since I went into the kitchen, and it felt like she’d stopped paying attention. My Pull-up was squishy, which meant I’d peed in it. That surprised me, since I didn’t normally wet the bed. I think I’d just gotten used to using my diaper, so that’s what I did. Honestly, I wasn’t as worried about it as I should have been, since I didn’t think anybody cared. I knew I had to start looking for a job, but there wasn’t much I could do. Mostly, I just had to update my LinkedIn and hope something came back. Before I left Dartmouth, I’d worked hard on my resume, so there wasn’t much to fix. I added my experience in New York, sent out a few inquiries, and after about thirty minutes, I drifted away from it. It was easier to tell myself I’d done enough than to sit there and think about everything that still wasn’t happening. After that, there was nothing else to do. We have a pool, but it was January. The weather was fine, and I could have gone for a walk, but I didn’t feel like it. I mostly just drifted. Eventually, I got on my PlayStation and played some Madden. I still had some cold pizza and a little more soda, so that was lunch, and then I played video games for the rest of the afternoon. By that night, around eight o’clock, I was hungry enough to order dinner. I got Chicken McNuggets, fries, and an extra-large Coke from McDonald’s. It was easy, but it’s also what I’d order if no one was watching. Once again, I played until late at night. I think it was close to two in the morning, but I’m not all that sure. I woke up after eleven, so that was another morning lost. Even I could see there was something pathetic about sleeping half the day away, living off delivery food, and pretending that was normal. But there wasn’t anything for me to do, so it was easy to tell myself it didn’t matter. At least my Amazon order arrived, which meant I finally had something to eat besides cold fries. I guess Mom knew what I ordered, because it was sitting right outside my door. After I made some lunch, I checked my email to see if there were any responses on LinkedIn, but there was nothing there. After that, I played video games for a while longer, even though by then it was starting to feel less like passing the time and more like hiding from it. The whole day had that same dead, airless feeling, like I was letting it go on purpose. Charlotte finally broke up the monotony with a simple text: “Are you ready?” I fired back, “Yes!” as soon as I got it. I was just so eager to get out of the house and be with another person. Before I left, I debated whether to put on a Pull-up or wear underwear. I didn’t want to rely on a Pull-up, but I’d gotten lazy and wasn’t using the bathroom like I should. In the end, I decided to wear underwear, because that’s what adults do, and I hoped it would force me to use the bathroom The second issue came when Charlotte pulled up to get me. I wanted to sit in the front seat, but she told me I had to get in the back. “Reggie, just get in the back.” I whined, “I hate the back.” “I know, but you got me in trouble for that last time. I’m not taking you unless you go in the back.” I pleaded, “Please.” Her voice turned firm, almost like she was talking to Kristy. “No. Get in the back, or I’m leaving.” I reluctantly got in the backseat, right next to Kristy’s car seat. Charlotte caught my expression and smirked. “You’re lucky I’m not making you sit in the car seat.” I knew she had a point, and to be honest, I was just happy to get out of the house. I replied, “Haha.” I smiled back, just to let Charlotte know I wasn’t actually mad at her. To ease the tension, I asked, “Where is Kristy?” “Oh, she’s at Pre-school. I’ll pick her up before I drop you back at Mom’s house.” We went to a Safeway, which was huge. It was much bigger than the grocery stores in Manhattan. My mom avoided taking me shopping when I was younger because I would wander off, and she’d end up wasting time trying to find me. She could put me in the cart when I was small enough, but eventually I got too big for that. I rode in a stroller when I wore diapers, but Mom didn’t use the stroller when I wore underwear, which made my wandering a bigger problem. That was exactly what happened that afternoon. To be honest, I don’t like shopping. Even now, I just put what I need in the cart and get out. Charlotte browses, looks at everything, and takes forever. I knew she was trying to help me, but I got bored and lost track of where she was. I wandered into a different aisle, and by the time I turned back, she wasn’t where I thought she’d be. The first time it happened, she sighed, “Reggie, I’m doing this for you. I can’t help you if you wander off.” The second time, she sounded more frustrated. “Stay with me, please!” When it happened again, she gave me a look and asked, “Do I need to put you in the cart?” “No, sorry about that.” She finally handed me the cart. “Here, push this. That way you can’t wander off.” That seemed to work, because then I had a reason to stay with her. For the most part, we were still getting the things she’d already told me to buy, like frozen meals and other easy stuff. She also made me get things I didn’t think about like toilet paper, soap, and shampoo. Then I remembered Mom didn’t want me using her dishes. “Oh yeah, I need a glass and a plate.” “Why?” “Mom doesn’t want me using her dishes.” Charlotte shook her head. “Really? Okay.” A few seconds later, I felt a little pee come out and was about to wet my pants. I stopped myself before it turned into a full-on accident, and said, “I need to go to the bathroom.” At first, Charlotte looked annoyed. “Okay, it’s just right over there.” I was about to walk off when she seemed to think better of it. “No, wait. I’m coming with you. I don’t want you wandering off again.” I ended up going to the bathroom while Charlotte stood just outside, which made me feel like I was five years old. That was embarrassing, but it made sense. It wasn’t the first time I’d wandered off, so in a strange way, I understood why she didn’t trust me. We were pretty much done after that, so we headed to the checkout, but first we stopped in the wine section. She put a few bottles in the cart, and I said, “I don’t drink.” “I know. It’s for me.” I asked, “How am I supposed to pay for that?” “What do you mean? You have the money, don’t you?” “No, I have enough money, but cashiers freak out when I pay with a card. There’s no way she’ll let me buy wine.” Charlotte thought about it for a second, then said, “I’ve got an idea. Give me your card, and tell me your PIN.” I guess that was the most practical thing to do, because the cashier didn’t seem to think anything was out of the ordinary. She did give Charlotte’s license a pretty good look, but Charlotte told me that was normal. After we finished, we picked up Kristy from preschool. She was wearing a different set of clothes, and her teacher handed Charlotte a bag. I knew what that meant. She had an accident. That’s when I noticed how naturally Charlotte slipped into being a mother with Kristy, in a way she never did with me. Even though she was disappointed, she was patient. She asked, “Oh dear, you were doing so well. What happened?” Kristy was crying. “I’m sorry, Mommy. I didn’t mean to. It just happened. Please don’t be mad.” Charlotte smiled. “It’s okay, accidents happen. Just remember, big girls use the potty.” With Kristy, Charlotte knew exactly who she was supposed to be. With me, she never did. She could take care of me when she had to, but it didn’t come naturally. Kristy seemed to calm down soon after getting settled in her car seat, and once again, I was on my own after they dropped me off. Strangely, putting some food in the fridge and some basics on the shelf gave me a little confidence. Even though it still didn’t feel like home, I felt less like an intruder. That night, I got bored with video games and watched YouTube instead. It felt a little more adult, even if I still ended up losing track of time and had no idea when I finally went to sleep. I was now on my third day of being an adult, and it felt like I had done nothing right. My body clock was completely off. I kept going to bed really late and waking up later and later each morning. My job search wasn’t going anywhere, and I was no closer to finding work than I’d been on Monday. The only concrete thing I managed to do was get groceries, and that only happened because Charlotte helped me. The waste basket was full of used Pull-ups, and that made it obvious I wasn’t doing a very good job with that either. They were supposed to be just in case, but it was obvious they weren’t. For some reason, I kept getting sidetracked, especially when I got lost in video games, and would pee without even thinking about it. What struck me most was how differently Kristy took it when she had an accident. She was absolutely devastated, but I didn’t seem to care, which didn’t feel right to me. That was the part that really bothered me. At the very least, I needed to care whether I made it to the bathroom or not, even if no one else did. I went back to what I knew from all the times my mom started potty training me. I set a timer on my phone, and when it went off, I made myself stop whatever I was doing. I stayed on the toilet as long as I could, and even if it was only a few drops, I counted it. It was just like when I was little, except I sat on the toilet instead of some little potty chair. I even gave myself a little cheer when I did it right. It felt ridiculous, but it gave the day some structure. I was finally doing something with my time. I’d like to say I was perfect, but I wasn’t. I came close. But I still had an accident after I forgot to set the timer and got lost in a video game. By Friday, I didn’t wake up until nearly one o’clock, which was about the same as my naptime when I was in the nursery. When I looked around the room, I could see just how badly I was doing. Clothes were scattered across the floor. The empty pizza box was still sitting there, along with a couple of dirty dishes, an extra-large McDonald’s cup, and a flat bottle of Coke. I still hadn’t done any laundry, and the waste basket was full of rolled-up Pull-ups I hadn’t even bothered to throw out. My toothbrush was still dry on the counter. The room smelled stale, and to be honest, I felt grimy and disgusting. Mom gave me a bath on Saturday, but that was the last time I really bathed. My mom told me to keep my room clean, and I couldn’t even manage that. I knew I had to deal with the mess, but instead of starting right away, I took a walk. That seemed like an adult thing to do, and I wanted to build up some motivation before taking on the chore. I walked through the greenbelt in the complex and let myself enjoy the serenity for a few minutes, because I knew I’d have to go back and deal with my room. When I opened the door, my mom was already sitting on the bed. In a hauntingly calm voice, she said, “We have to talk.”

There was a story that I read on WattPad that got into that a little bit. I think it was My Sister's Problem. Essentially, the older sister feels get comfort in regression, while the younger sister has true issues with bedwetting. It was a really convoluted story, but they listen to hypnosis, which causes them to regress. Younger sister is absolutely terrible to big sister, but then gets caught, and because she was listening to it in the background, she was prone to the same thing.

Thank you; I have a little more time to myself for the next few months, so I think I'll write more chapters. Maybe even get through more than one a week, although that pace is still hard for me to keep up. While I don't have a full outline of the whole story, I know where I want to take it. I know how I want it to end, which I've hinted at throughout the chapter. Obviously, there is a lot more to this story than: Reggie moves home, his mom puts him in diapers because he wet himself, and then their doctor tells her to stop treating him like a baby. I've got two more chapters/updates before I get to a scene that I promised at the very beginning