Period Piece Short Stories -- (Author) ZetaSonic
Period Piece Short Stories -- (Author) ZetaSonic
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 22, 2024 at 2:15 PM
Content: I’m in the early stages of writing a series slice-of-life short stories about a pair of twins who try to skip potty training, but their mother ultimately brokers a deal to let them keep their diapers… but they really have big kid fun, and still have to learn how to be responsible and stuff like that.
It’s told by one of the siblings reflecting on this period of their lives as an adult.
The weirdest thing about this is the question of when to set it. Especially when we get to the point of them still wearing diapers.
OPTION A: The late Eighties. I have to admit, I’m a sucker for the period when I myself was a baby; don’t remember anything of it apart from Pampers having its deal with Disney long before the latter switched to Huggies. It had a lot going for it: the movies, the games, the music…
OPTION B: The early 2000’s. A special time for me: it was when I began to awaken to my *BDLism.
OPTION C: The present. I have a million reasons why I hate the 2020’s, yet a lot of my reasons for the first two options can be met here.
Yet the diaper factor is the thing that makes or breaks this decision. In that regard, Option A has an advantage, based on corporate-level cheating in recent years regarding sizing, but I don’t know…
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 22, 2024 at 3:48 PM
Content:
HugeBulge said:
I voted early 2000s. Late 1980s feels too early (I too was baby then). Present time feels like it would make for uninteresting reading, as the information space is muddy and manipulated. Too much woke-ism and anti woke-ism. Extremism, essentially. No genuine novelties would sprout today, as well as genuine criticism.
Early 2000s feels like the right time for authentic exploration, and acceptance - despite being limited - would make more sense than the late 1980s.
Whatever it ends up being, I look forward to reading these stories. Sounds interesting.
[End of quote]
The thing is… what to do when Size 6 gets too small?
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 22, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Content:
HugeBulge said:
I'm not following. Elaborate?
[End of quote]
The intro story starts the day after Sammy and Eve’s third birthday. This is when their mother springs the idea of potty training them… which confuses Sammy and distresses Eve. For a time, they won’t use “Mr. Potty”. Sammy is eventually swayed because their parents really want this, but Eve wants her diapers. Even though Sammy uses the toilet as told, he understands why… but still doesn’t like it. Ultimately, their Mom brokers a deal. Even though they are getting bigger and open to responsibility, if they want to keep wearing and using their diapers, they have to do baby things when they’re “off the clock”.
I can only see this going on until about second grade at the most extreme, hence my question about how big is too big for size 6?
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 23, 2024 at 3:31 AM
Content:
LittleAcorn said:
Early 2000s. Specifically because of the late 90s.
That's when Huggies and Pampers introduced size 6 diapers (I think pampers came first, huggies might have been 1999). You also had one of the more public debates about early vs. late potty training between Dr. Brazelton, a pediatrician, and Mr. Rosemond, a psychologist. Dr. Brazelton also appeared in Pampers commercials, which are easy to find on youtube.
Here's an article about it:
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/12/us/t ... ining.html
[End of quote]
Yes, I recall. Pampers was first.
The question remains about what happens when the story progresses to the point that size 6 doesn’t fit.
I’m not planning on a bunch of suits riding an express elevator to the lowest point of company headquarters, where big kid diapers are being manufactured and tucked away from the world. This story’s more grounded in reality.
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 23, 2024 at 5:15 PM
Content:
LittleAcorn said:
Oh, that makes sense. So one of the plot elements in the story is what happens when baby diapers get too small.
I misunderstood your previous reply:
I assumed this meant they potty trained and switched to underwear/stopped wearing diapers around second grade, but I that it's more that the diapers stop fitting.
In that case I change my vote to the 80s, since they didn't have goodnites or even pull-ups then.
I mostly thought the Brazelton/Rosemond conflict would have been interesting background around the time they were 3 or 4.
[End of quote]
No, in the first chapter, they’re switched to training pants and are given the news by their Mom.
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: Apr 24, 2024 at 5:48 AM
Content:
With OPTION B in the lead, I did a crummy drawing of Eve in a Luvs from that time period. Despite being less than a minute younger than her brother, she’s still the more babyish of the twins.
I’d love to have an illustration done for each act, but who would draw characters like them?
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Author: ZetaSonic
Timestamp: May 15, 2024 at 2:32 AM
Content: Now if I could only find a co-author…