Dani Banani
Bio
I write through the passion I have for how much the world around me inspires me, and I create so the world inside me can be manifested.
Mom of 4, Birth Mom of 1, LGBTQIA+, I <3 Love.
Stories (96/0)
Poverty Oddities
For years, one of my greatest concerns has been that children who are similar to who I’ve always been would never find a place they could think of as their true home. I had to grow and learn the hard way, surrounded by those who would have me burned for my gifts, and for years I took the public abuse and humiliation in the hopes that it would compensate for my unique abilities. Everyone, no matter who you are or what qualities identify you as a human being, deserves the chance to feel like they have a family.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Futurism
The Least Boring Things I've Ever Done
You read stories often about paying it forward and performing acts of kindness in the world. There are a lot of similar stories, articles, tweets, posts, comments, etc. that tell the same moral over and over: pass along kindness, and it will be returned to you.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Humans
Something Sketchy
23rd January Well, today was the best and weirdest day I’ve ever had at work. I’ve been a gas station cashier for 7 months and I never expected much excitement beyond the one time that guy gave me $20 because he just cashed his tax check and wanted to spread some kindness. It was pretty cool. But, and I can’t believe I’m about to write this, some customer gave me a scratch-off lotto ticket today and it’s a $20,000 winner. I know, that’s a lot of money, and I can’t wrap my head around it. I mean he just walked right up to the counter, asked me if I could figure out how much he won, and I was blown away when I checked the codes on the machine. $20,000 is pretty major for a ticket you spent $5 on. I told him there are instructions on the backs of the tickets and that he should follow them so he could get his money, but he shook his head and just handed it to me. The weirdest part was when he said, “This is going to do exactly what it needs to do for you.” What does that even mean? Anyway, I’m going to start the process of getting the money and see if this is actually a dream come true. There can’t possibly be any catches here...but how weird is it that this would happen to me, of all people?
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Journal
How Vocal Has Helped My Writing Goals
An Honest Overview of Vocal's Impact on an Aspiring Writer My initial interest in Vocal was entering the Little Black Book contest. After exploring the website and talking with my partner about how the website could be beneficial to me as a writer, my partner insisted on buying me three months of a Vocal Plus subscription. He believed it was a sound investment for something that makes me so happy, which is to create.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Journal
The Art of Perfect Imperfection
Most people have been exposed to magic in some form at some point in their childhood or adolescent times. You can ask just about anyone and they'll have some kind of movie, book, television show, or even singer who made them believe in something more than the world around us. Exploring what makes our hearts fill with the joy and wonder of mystical fantasy can bring wild theories, unspeakably beautiful daydreams, and most importantly, questions.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Psyche
My Chaotic Calm
There has never been any less interest in romantic love than there was in me back in 2017. You would not have found anyone more cynical and sarcastic than I was about literally everything around me. I created, for myself and others, the illusion that I was scoffing at the world for not being good enough for me while deep down, I hated every last waking moment of loneliness. I had a reputation to uphold, though, and I held strong to my disassociation. Everyone loved me for not caring, and I loved them eating up my harsh words and bad attitude. Their admiration was feeding me like a hungry animal in a zoo cage, desperate for the customers to toss a few pieces of bread.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Humans
Childhood Magic
Memories from childhood are some of the most precious ones that I have. Before life overwhelmed me with angst and very real challenges, I always felt like I lived in my imagination more than anywhere else, where life was nothing but one magical experience after another. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, with few neighbors, so I had a lot of land to explore to make up grand adventures for myself. The barn served well for building hay bale fortresses as a Queen in a castle, but the cornfields in the summer served better for my dangerous escape from a criminal who wanted nothing more than to rob me of my witch powers. I loved creating vivid pictures and stories in my head and acting them out however I felt like doing (often with partially reluctant participation from my cats and dogs.)
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Humans
My First Inspirations
I was raised in a strictly white area of northern Indiana. I lived in such an impenetrable bubble that I did not actually see a Black person for the first time, in person, until I moved in with my Nan, a good hour or so north of Indianapolis. I had been so sheltered, it was plain to see, because seeing them actually scared me at first. As a kid, you're faced with so much wild propaganda from racist family members that you're truly believed to be afraid of them on the spot. It was an embarrassing knee-jerk reaction that I had to unlearn.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Beat
When Chaos Loses Patience
It seems like every doctor’s office is the same room, despite the minute differences in decor. They all contain the same, solemn atmosphere, with some people waiting too long for their appointments while others fidget nervously in the hopes of positive news. Children bored, making noise, being shushed by parents while the adults actively press the meager selection of toys upon them for a temporary reprieve. There are plenty of things in a waiting room that most people can agree they’ve been around more than once, no matter where they live. Most interactions are minimal, but polite, at best.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Horror
Dial
Running is a freeing experience. Feeling your heart pumping so hard, you start to admire its strength as a vital organ; the sweat on your skin making your hair cling to you as if afraid to be lost in your speed; the knowledge that your body is growing stronger, even as your muscles burn, tighten, and weaken with the exertion.
By Dani Banani2 years ago in Futurism
