#and people with questionable reading skills

[teaboot]

Growing up, how was your relationship with the fundamentals of conscious existence?

My earliest memory of what I would call self-awareness occurred spontaneously in the middle of my fourth birthday party, where I suddenly became alert to my existence as a separate entity surrounded by other conscious beings.

This presented to me as not dissimilar to simply being brushed along the flow of a river- experiencing life as a serious of flashbang moments and instants and sensations, like meditating to music until the individual notes break into sounds that follow no rhythm and are only noise- no past or future, only now- and then suddenly finding yourself holding a paddle in the belly of a boat with no idea what to do next.

I remember running to the body that felt safest, who I did not recognize as anything else, and asking it who all the strangers around us were. The person that I learned was my mother told me they were my aunties and uncles, and I was being silly because I KNEW them, and why was I so shy all of a sudden?

Learning to articulate myself after that instant, I remember, was immensely frustrating. Learning your first language, as I remember it, is wuite a bit like how Ive been told recovering from brain damage feels like.

YOU know what you mean. YOU know what you're saying. But there are holes where you reach for something you know MUST be there and find nothing, and must find a way to communicate using only what you have at hand. Except there are always faces looking at you, talking down to you, asking you to do tricks for them to prove you really are a real human person.

I loved art, and I'm very good at it, but GETTING good at it was the worst. I'm told I started with scribbles at six months or so, before I could walk, and at three and four I remember being immensely frustrated that I could see in my head exactly what I wanted to produce, and I didn't know how to PRODUCE it.

And simple shit, like drawing shapes and circles, developing fine motor skills. You FULLY UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT, but your hands are soft and wobbly and don't cooperate. Getting your mouth and body to obey your directions is hellish, especially when all the appliances and furniture and installations around you are built for someone easily triple your size.

Chairs are hard to sit in when you're small and cant touch the ground. Your legs dangle and you cant scoot closer to the table, and the backrest is so far back you cant use it for support, and the table comes up past your chest so your chin is amost in your plate and your dumb clumsy hands cant hold a big spoon or fork in a way that feels natural or elegant so you end up smearing shit EVERYWHERE and getting yapped at for having your elbows on the counter.

Reading people was interesting. Most people are condescending and plastic when you're small, and you can tell when they're being saccharine and fake, but you're told the polite thing is to believe what they say and be polite back. I used to try using big sentences on purpose just to het them to leave me alone. "What a pretty girl! Can you say Hello?" was the most common ask I can recall. Id answer with the floweriest thing I could think of, usually, "I'm very well, thank you for asking, how are you?", because people only ask you interesting questions after you do well enough on their tests to prove you're people.

Being small was very tiring, and very frustrating, and becoming aware of myself in my own head probably made everything a lot worse overall.

No regrets, though. From what I can recall, life is far more enjoyable when you're aware of it occurring. Time can't slow down until you know it's there, I think

Being a baby full of instincts felt like living as a live grenade. Being a child was far harder, but more Full. More Human. A LOT more like adulthood than infancy, and I was very determined to remember that.

If any of that makes sense

[peachyscenes]

nine to five | office workers!enhypen x fem!reader

notes: SMUT!! so mdni and proceed with caution/at your own risk! porn with some plot. you 🫵, my dear reader are in fact the same person for the rest of this piece/mini-series (not sorry lol). enhypen are pervs! like freaky pervs! decelis corp is lowkey highkey a sex service company lol. you must really need this job but it's ok because same. not required, but i encourage you all to read part one and two to give them love 🫶🫶

a/n: me when my final for a class was monday the 23rd and christmas eve was tuesday and then christmas was wednesday and now new years is TODAY 😭😭

taglist!: @vixialuvs @chubbypeach2111 @jungwoosbaey

reblogs are appreciated!!

Welcome to Decelis Corporation! As the new member of the creative department, you're tasked with developing new ideas to help promote the company and bring in new investors! Though the creative department is not as big as the other departments, you and your seven teammates are just as capable and incredibly skilled! Though, no one told you just how skilled they were... And unfortunately you made the mistake of not reading the fine print when signing the contract...

All members are welcome to explore the services provided by Decelis! By signing this contract, you are consenting to every and all services at your own expense (refer to the employee handbook for the list of services)! Please note that services outside of office hours will not count as overtime unless a request has been submitted by the team leader!

Thank you for joining Decelis Corporation! We hope to have you for a while!

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII

Part III: Jake, Data Entry Clerk

There's a small part of you that can't help but feel smitten whenever Jake comes to you about something. His charms are different from your other coworkers. His smile is infectious and his eyes quite literally sparkled when he asked you to hand some files to Sunghoon before you went on break. Jake Sim is so polite and sweet that you almost never question him.

You're walking into Decelis when you notice that the elevators are down and a couple of people outside of it discussing its condition. Quickly, you seek out the front door receptionist to figure out why.

"They've been acting up since yesterday in the evening. At around 6:00pm I think. The technicians have been working on it early this morning. You'll have to take the stairs." She gives you an apologetic smile, and you can only thank her and return the gesture because at the end you know it's not anyone's fault. Thank goodness your company actually cares. Fortunately, your department is only on the third floor, so while you did have to climb a bit (and shamefully you were absolutely winded), it definitely beats being on the higher floors.

Upon entering your department, you're immediately bombarded with tasks to do (courtesy of Jongseong). You want to complain about how you just got here, but you're suddenly reminded of the last time you ran your mouth to Jay.

Your bum aches at the reminder.

You decide to just listen, so you get settled and begin to work on your files. About an hour goes by when there's a knock on your desk. You look up to be met with Jake's blinding smile.

"Working hard or hardly working?" You sigh and smile back at him.

"I wish it was the latter."

Jake snorts. "Tell me about it." He looks around the office before grabbing a nearby chair and sitting across from you. You look around too, curious as to what he was searching for. You notice that Jay's desk is empty.

"Jay's been on our asses for the last two weeks. I can't believe Heeseung threw us to the slaughter." You giggle at his dramatics. Heeseung had to extend his week for a business trip, meaning that he'd be back next week.

"It's not so bad. He hasn't scolded anyone yet."

"Yet. I bet it's gonna be Riki this time. I noticed that the coffee pot is a quarter away from being empty." You look over to the said individual's desk and lo and behold, a fresh cup next to him.

"To be fair, he, Jungwon, and Sunoo do have a presentation later this afternoon. I guess he's feeling stressed."

Jake shrugs before turning to you once again.

"Speaking of afternoon... how about you and I get lunch together? I saw that didn't bring anything."

"Isn't your lunch an hour before mine?"

Jake nods, but gives no further explanation. He simply smiled, waiting for you to answer him.

"Okay, let's get lunch together."

You never questioned Jake. He was simply charming. Not even when his staring was lingering, or when he'd accidentally brush up against you. He was polite.

It's finally your lunch break when Jake shows up at your desk. There was an email about the elevators finally working, but it's advised that the stairs keep being used. Jake, ever the persuader, said that the elevator was fine.

"Decelis hires the best of the best. Everything will be fine."

You both hadn't even made it off the third floor when there's a stutter in the elevator's movement and then a complete stop. You wait a few seconds, two minutes, when you both decide that the elevator are down. Again.

Jake had called Jongseong to let him know of the situation. You're not in immediate danger, so there's no need to rescue you both, but the wait would be long, mostly likely your whole work day.

"I'll give you both a two day extension for the work, but I would prefer if it got submitted on time." You can hear the annoyance in Jay's voice and it took everything in you to not tell him off. Jake thanks him before hanging up.

"So much for my lunch." You grumble. You lean against the elevator wall, slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Doll."

What?

You whip your head up upon hearing the pet name, and you're met with something different. A smirk.

This Jake is different from your usual one. While his eyes still sparkled, they had a hint of something more mischievous. And his charming smile is replaced with a dangerous expression. One that has you hypnotized.

"It's my fault that we're in this mess. Don't you think?"

"I-I guess..."

Jake closes in on you, and due to the limited space of the elevator, he stands in front of you pretty quickly.

"What if I make it up to you. I'll buy your dinner later. And..."

"And...?" His smirk grows, and you're sure that you just fell in his trap.

"Let me eat your sweet pussy."

It doesn't take much to convince you. A couple kisses here and there and you're letting Jake take off your dress pants before he drops to his knees.

Jake kisses up from your ankle, occasionally licking and nibbling at your skin. He keeps eye contact with you as he makes his way up.

"Heeseung said your pussy is sweet. I've been fantasizing about how you taste since."

"Y-You talked about me?" You feel breathless as he passes your knee and his hair brushes the front of your mound.

"We all do. You're so pretty, how could we not?" He reaches the front of your underwear, and teasingly gives you a kiss on your clothed pussy. Jake gently brings one of your legs up to his shoulder before leaning in to inhale your cunt through your underwear. He lets out a guttural groan, biting his lip and leaning in to give you a tentative lick right above where your clit is.

You feel your heart quickening. Seeing Jake from this angle made you feel something. Something primal and his stupid, pretty doe eyes that somehow still held stars in them did not help. You wanted to see him cry so bad. You wanted big, fat tears to fall from his apple cheeks. Your hand finds its way into his hair and you pull his head back, causing his brows to shoot up and a slight blush to show on his face.

"If you wanna taste, you gotta beg Puppy."

Jake feels his stomach turn at the tone of your voice. It does something to him and he can only let out a whine at the sudden change of roles.

"Can I taste your pussy, Miss?"

"Do you deserve it Pup? You said it was your fault..." You elicit another whine from him. His voice heightens in pitch.

"I didn't know the elevator would go down-!" Another sound, this time a whimper when you tighten your grip in his hair.

"Watch your tone."

"M-M'sorry Miss! Please! Let me taste you! I promise to be good, I promise! Please let me taste your pussy!"

You don't say anything. Instead you move his head to your clothed cunt and press his face against you. He lets out a muffled 'thank you!' before lapping at your cunt, soaking the fabric of your underwear with his saliva. He keeps his hands to his side as he works his tongue on you. Your legs spread further to accommodate to his body that leans more into you. His tongue is warm and long.

You feel him lick what he can and when you look down, his eyes are staring right back at you. You moan when his tongue comes back to where you clit is. Jake slightly pulls back to throw a dollop of spit onto your clothed pussy before diving back in. His eyes roll back when he feels your own slick start to leak through.

He whimpers when you pull him back to see his work. Your folds are sticking to your underwear, making your pussy visible to him. The color of your panties do not help him. You wore white today, so the fabric almost blends in with your cunt, making every crease visible to him.

"Can I please take off your panties Miss?" Jake looks up at you pathetically and you can see his tears begin to form at his waterline.

You pretend to dwell on his question before giving him the okay. Jake's hands shoot up to the sides of your hips, ready to yank your panties down, when you stop him. You take his hands and place them on your thighs.

"M-Miss?"

You smile at him. Your hand cups his cheek, lovingly rubbing the apple of it with your thumb before running your thumb down to his mouth and opening his jaw. You slip your thumb into his mouth and Jake automatically sucks on it. You thrust your thumb into and out for a bit before taking it out. You run your thumb across his lower lip before speaking to him.

"Take them off with your teeth."

Jake doesn't hesitate, and immediately leans in to take your waistband in between his pearly whites. Jake slowly sinks down, tugging your panties off. He makes it to about your knees when you stop him. You gently tug on his hair and pull him back. He lets out another whine, and you can only giggle before leaning down to kiss him on the lips. Jake moans into you, using the opportunity to shove his tongue into your mouth. You thread your hand through his hair you you both kiss. His hands knead your thighs. You break the kiss to speak to him.

"That's enough. You've been so good to me Jakey."

You stand at your full height, taking off your panties before slinging them at him.

"Keep them. You're such a good boy."

You lean back against the wall of the elevator before spreading your legs. Jake immediately goes in and begins to devour you. His previous ministrations have your pussy dripping, his tongue was sliding easily between your folds. You moan when you feel his tongue circling around your clit and sucking on it. You push his face even further into you and Jake moans. His tongue doesn't miss a single inch of your pussy and you moan when you realize just how bad Jake wants you. You keep Jake in place on your cunt and let out another moan as he buries himself, his nose bumping against your clit.

"You love my pussy, right Jakey?"

Jake moans in response as his tongue laps at your hole. The raw taste of you is better than what he imagined and he doesn't think any other taste will satisfy him after this. His tongue prods at your hole, teasing it before delving into it. He thrusts his tongue in and out, feeling just how warm and sweet you were.

No wonder Heeseung and Jay like you so much.

Jake fucks you with his tongue and you feel yourself starting to lose your mind. Your moans begin to get louder and louder. Your legs want to clamp around his head and trap him, but his hands prevent you from doing so. They're rubbing at your thighs so gently, calm. The complete opposite of how his mouth is ruining you. Your chest heaves and before you realize it, you're coming on his tongue. Jake helps you ride out your orgasm, switching between sucking on your clit and licking your folds. A final touch to your clit has you whining and you have to gently push his head away from between your legs.

Your legs feel like jelly when he stands, and had it not been for the arm that wraps around your waist, you would've definitely fallen to the ground. Jake holds you close to him for a moment, basking in the afterglow of your orgasm. You're about to ask him if you could help him with his boner when you notice the wet patch at the front of his pants.

Jake looks down and a slight blush appears on his face out of embarrassment.

"I really enjoyed myself."

[tacotuesdaybestday]

Okay I see a lot of Batfam x neglected reader and don't get me wrong It's one of my favorites but most of it is kinda the same thing over and over.

You know the classic reader loses mom goes to live with Bat family hopes to connect it fails horribly reader either leaves and starts anew or wallows in depression, and I'm like okay this okay but I want something new and exciting something dramatic.

Okay now hear me out hear a reader who loves theater since their mother was a small time actress, a reader who was practically born to act, born to be on a stage.

A reader whose only comfort after their mother died was old time plays and their moms own acts, and the Batfam ain't no help either what with the neglect and all.

A reader who despite looking and acting as if their okay was hurting so much on the inside just wanting someone to look at them tell their loved someone to hug and hold them.

A reader who wanted a family.

Their final breaking point was them finally realising they would never be loved as much as Dick or praised as much as Damien who would never be as smart as Tim or able to read people as well as Cassandra.

So reader just kinda snaps and leaves joins a traveling theater group of unwanted individuals learns that life is pretty shitty and grows up while simultaneously honing their skills.

And what better way to get revenge than by becoming what bruce hates most, a villain and I'm not pulling any stops here were talking heists, murders, the sweet purging of corrupt political figures.

Since I think of the reader as a theater kid I would think they would take on a more jester like style while wearing the Comedy and Tragedy masks, and would take hostages and have them answer questions to determine wether or not if their free to go.

So this my take on a Batfam x neglected reader who just says fuck it and goes berserk, so tell me your thoughts.😁

[jadeshifting]

okay maybe this is a stupid question but considering all the classes at Hogwarts are supernatural what about the actual core classes? like, math english, ect do they just not know it ??

this is making me laugh so hard because i’ve literally never seen anyone ask why they don’t teach that stuff at Hogwarts and that literally just occurred to me too. i googled it because i thought i must’ve missed something but no, THEY LITERALLY DON’T HAVE THOSE AT HOGWARTS LOL

— WHY DON’T HOGWARTS STUDENTS TAKE NONMAGICAL CORE CLASSES?

to be fair, reading/writing & math are ‘core classes’ for us because they’re arguably the most important skills for us to have—in the wizarding world, though, i’d argue that basic wandwork is even more standard to the average person than math or other subjects. they’d probably think we’re weird as hell for spending thirteen years learning to write 😔. they do learn history of magic, though, which is the closest thing Hogwarts has to a core class like ours

THAT BEING SAID: prior to attending Hogwarts, young witches and wizards either attend a Muggle school, or are homeschooled by their parents. during these years, they do learn reading, writing, basic math, etc, whether they’re learning it in Muggle school alongside the other children, or being taught it by their parents. for example, all of the Weasley children were homeschooled by Mrs. Weasley before Hogwarts, and she taught them those core concepts

and as witches and wizards move onto Hogwarts, they’ll be forced to fine-tune most of these skills anyway through their magical education. for example, the constant long essays would help them work on their writing/grammar, textbooks and studying that get more advanced as they move forward would force them to improve at reading, and equations are the centerpoint of arithmancy (for any students who take that.)

additionally, we know that there’s plenty of study groups and clubs that meet outside of class, and i’d bet that some people (high-achieving students, probably) spend extra time doing core exercises.

[thedisablednaturalist]

I dont know if it’s something youve been asked before, and i dont know how to really phrase my thoughts. But whats it like working in like environmental things well disabled? Have you met many, or any, other disabled people in the field? I’m 16, and ever since I was little I’ve had so much passion for environmental education in particular, and it was a field I wanted to go into for a long time. Sadly it seems like my body has other plans, I’m currently at a point where I might have to drop out of highschool because managing class and disability is too much, and so college feels impossible. And when it was mostly mental stuff I had thought about maybe joining americorps or something because it looked like they’ll take people with a ged and then I could still do work I care about, but I’ve only ever met one physically disabled person doing anything related to the environment and stuff (there’s a person with leg braces and a service dog who works at the local aquarium) so I never really get a chance to ask about this stuff

so idk, sorry if I’m rambling a lot and hard to understand. If it makes you feel any better I’ve cornered every environmental educator I’ve met the last year or so (and I go to a project based environmental charter school thing, so I meet a lot) and asked them a lot of questions too. Especially since my school encourages us to think about future careers and what skills we need

so idk, I want to know. What’s it like? Is it hard? What did you have to do to get the job you have now? Do you regret it, would you choose something different if you could go back? Do you have any advice?

I hope you’re having an ok day, and that I’m not too annoying, and thank you if you even took the time to read this far. -🌱

no no don't apologize, this is exactly what this blog is for. When I started my journey I couldn't find any outspoken disabled environmentalists or any resources for people like us. So I started this blog to compile resources and share what I've learned as my career has progressed. I want everyone regardless of physical or mental state to be able to pursue their passions in environmental science and conservation.

Honestly, this field has a long way to go still. Even big institutions like the Smithsonian haven't quite figured it out yet. But there is definitely a shift happening. I've been seeing so many more disabled young people interested in this field and its amazing. I saw another physically disabled student at the Smithsonian conservation biology institute when I visited as an alum a few weeks ago, and I believe I was one of if not the first person to attend as a wheelchair user (yeah they didn't know what to do with me 😮‍💨) I had a professor who directly singled me out for being a wheelchair user so you will unfortunately run into some bigots in this field.

However the federal government (im assuming you are in the US so apologies if you're not) especially during the Biden administration has been ramping up its hiring of Schedule A employees. Schedule A allows you to circumvent the competitive process through the WRP (workplace recruitment program) once you've graduated college (or GED). Schedule A can be provided by a doctor or disability counselor (My DARS office did mine, love DARS: it's free and every state has one). My manager is HOH as well as one of my new coworkers and I was of course recently hired by the EPA as well. The EPA is probably the most disability friendly place to work in our field, if not anywhere. It has its issues but I've been pretty much over-accommodated instead of under (sad I consider the minimum accommodations to feel excessive).

Here's some of the things I've learned so far:

1. My biggest advice to anyone your age wanting to get into this field is to volunteer volunteer volunteer!! You are most likely at a time where you can afford to work for free. Most environmental internships are unpaid unless you have prior experience with the organization. Try out a bunch of different experiences to find out what you like the most. I never would have thought I'd be a bug person until I did my first invertebrate stream assessment. I got into environmental science late in my college career so it took me a lot longer to figure out what I wanted to do. Get as much experience as you can while you are still supported by your parents and don't have to worry about things like rent or bills. Some organizations are trying to change this so people from lower incomes can still have the same opportunities, but it still has a ways to go. Notably zookeepers have to work either for free or for dirt cheap for a couple years before they get hired full time.

2. Be prepared to lose out on your dream job due to your disability(s). I'm going to be frank and not spout any of that "you can do anything you put your mind to" bullshit. Yes, most things CAN be done by anyone with the right accommodations, but in a field where a large percentage of the work is done physically, you will be unable to do some types of jobs. I'm not saying it's impossible to get your dream job with disabilities, but it's a very common experience for us. For example, I looked into working on a boat. In a perfect world, I'd be given limitless accommodations and time to rest but on a boat that is extremely difficult. You can't take sick days whenever you need them. This was the same thing I had to realize when I was offered my dream job in my dream location: A stream specialist field technician for the USGS in Portland Oregon. I absolutely loved working in the field, and yes there are many of us who do/did fieldwork using mobility aids. I miss fieldwork everyday. But I had to turn it down. I knew deep down I couldn't handle it, having scheduled in advance field excursions that I couldn't postpone, having to hike in difficult terrain in remote locations, even moving across the entire country, at least at the time, was improbable. I was barely holding on at my field job where I did have safety nets. I just couldn't justify the financial and physical strain as well as the risk if I wasn't able to do the job and became unemployed. It broke my heart to give it up and I'm still grieving. But I do enjoy my current job and it lets me prioritize my health. No longer do I just work and sleep because work would take up all my spoons. I've been drawing and gaming and spending more time with loved ones. It is an unfortunate fact of life that sometimes what we want isn't what we need. Being disabled means that sometimes we have to make hard decisions that abled people don't ever have to think about. It's part of the grieving process for those of us who were abled at some point. I can't speak on what it's like for those with lifelong disabilities from birth, but I know its hard for them too.

3. Ok yeah 2 was a huge bummer, but here's where it gets better: When one door with stairs closes, a door with a ramp opens. There will be other opportunities. This field isn't just fieldwork despite what most people think. You don't have to be a super strong ranger that can hike 20 miles in a day without breaking a sweat to do environmental work. The field needs people who take what the guys outside collect and analyze it, research it, visualize it, present on it, take care of it, write about it, archive it, make art of it, etc etc etc. There are so many organizations that need people who can do data analysis and administration. Working at a desk doesn't make you less of an environmentalist. Plus that's not all, you can work in a lab or work with smaller creatures like bugs or herps or fish or you could do botany or geology! You don't need to be able to go out and get them yourself to work with them. Being able to save energy during my workday allows me to pursue my passions like collecting bugs and swimming. I can volunteer with citizen science projects or conservation orgs and still do fieldwork, but because its not a job I can do it when I feel up to it, I don't have to push myself to keep going because I'm worried about being fired. I currently work as a data analyst for the EPA and I work mostly from home so I can do my work without suffering. Yea data analysis isn't my favorite thing in the world but your job doesn't have to be. Sometimes a job is something that makes you money so you can do your passions outside of it. But I am happy the work I do supports something I am passionate about (supporting states so they can clean up more sites and thus have cleaner water).

4. You'll have to learn how to advocate for yourself. Push against boundaries. Explore your options. Especially with doctors. You know yourself best, don't let anyone else define your boundaries for you, even me. If someone says you can't do something because of your disability, but you know that you actually can, tell them and be assertive about it. Many of us are seen as abrasive and rude, but to be a disabled person in a very abled centered world you gotta be. Don't let anyone hold you back because THEY feel uncomfortable. My coworkers at my old job were worried for me when I showed up to work with my crutches for the first time. But it actually made me BETTER at stream assessments (having four legs means you don't slip as much). I could do it even if I needed to take breaks and use mobility aids. Nowadays it's too much for me to be doing that but at the time it was within my limits. And sometimes, you'll overestimate yourself and end up flaring or hurting yourself. It's okay to make mistakes, it doesn't make you a bad person. At first you'll push through too much but as you learn your body's limits you'll get better at managing your disability. And sometimes a great memory is worth a week-long flare up. Its for YOU to decide what you can do.

That's all I can think of for now, I should probably get ready for bed soon. But just remember, there are more of us than they think and we can be capable, productive, and a benefit to the environmental movement no matter our ability or skills.

If you have anymore specific questions, or just need to talk, I'm always available (even if I might take a while to reply).

[jaceeverett]

"To be fair, I was also interested in it," but that came down to his interest in anything nature-related. It wasn't something that he had ever thought of taking up, or learning himself, but he admired the work that people could do, how skilled they were in the craft. And the books had fit in well with the ones on his shelf about the animals when they were still alive, and had been an interesting type of reading material late at night when he couldn't sleep and needed to keep his mind occupied. "She just bought it and didn't ask questions. Probably for the best. That's how it normally was," with Jason even more so than his siblings, he had always felt. They at least had grown up with goals and aspirations, whereas Jason had always been a little bit of a wanderer.

"I don't really think about it," he said honestly. One thing that Jason had learned very early during his time in the military was that it didn't do any good to focus on what could have happened, what might have been; what happened, happened, and it was in his best interests to focus on the present and what he could do with that. "I'd like to think that I still would have ended up a park ranger, it was something that I always wanted to do, but I was also a kid and a bit aimless, and the military helped straighten out my head in some ways," and probably fuck it over in a lot more, but again, focus: the present. What mattered was that he was where he wanted to be.

Zarah couldn’t help but laugh at that last part, her nose scrunching in amusement. “A book on taxidermy? Okay, that’s both hilarious and kind of genius. I can just imagine your mom’s face—like, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’” She shook her head, still grinning. She could actually see Jace being really into taxidermy though and not one of those creepy people but just one of those people genuinely fascinated by it “Classic.”

She crossed her arms, her expression softening. She knew just enough about the Browning family to know that it was nothing like her own upbringing. “I get it, though. Growing up with that ‘perfect family image’ thing? That sounds… exhausting, honestly. But hey, at least the gifts were solid. And state park books and animal guides? That tracks with the whole ‘never wanting to come inside’ thing. You were born to be a ranger.”

She tilted her head, a playful glint in her eye. “So, do you think you’d have ended up in the same place if you’d taken the straight path instead of the scenic route through the military? Or did all those twists and turns just make you more sure of where you wanted to land?”

[chevroletdean]

sibling!reader dealing with demon!dean headcanons (req.) ── ✮⋆˙

Pairing: None, just platonic Winchester!Reader (fem) and her brothers Genre: Angst, fluff To note/warnings: Hurt/comfort, grief (temporary character death, as in Sam and Reader think Dean died), canon level violence A/N: A great way to start the year is definitely getting a cool request by @midnight--raine! Tysm, dear, your praise means a lot to me <3 and I 100% agree, Demon!Dean is terrifying. Still my favorite arc ever, because I’m a sucker for the nitty, gritty, dark and scary, but yes. Credit & links: dividers ──〃★ request here

Sam’s heart breaks twice that day. For one, there is the crushing grief that comes with watching the life disappear from his brother’s eyes. Then the realization: How could he possibly tell his sister what happened? Dean’s death is tearing him apart, and he knows it will absolutely destroy her.

There’s no easy way to deliver the news. But, alas, he’s spending a good amount of time sitting alone in the Impala, Dean’s lifeless body in the backseat. The ride back to the bunker was the hardest ever, the silence nearly driving him insane. Sam is thinking back and forth on what to say, what to do.

He knows waltzing in, carrying the corpse is not an option. If anything, Sam doesn’t want her to see Dean like that at all. Though he figures she’ll probably want to see for herself.

She probably already knows something bad happened the second Sam enters the bunker. Of course she does, her brothers have trained her to stay alert 24/7, to look at her surroundings with a keen eye — Dean would be so proud of her people reading skill right now. Sam’s by himself and his expression… he’s devastated, though he tries to keep it together for her sake. It can only mean one thing.

It feels wrong right away. She can tell. It’s obvious when he doesn’t answer her questions. “Where’s Dean?” Silence. It speaks volumes. “It’s not funny, this is a dumb prank.” Sam still can’t bring himself to speak up.

She runs past him, straight outside to look for Dean, even when Sam tries to stop her.

Sam’s glad he thought of draping a jacket over Dean’s body before talking to his sister. She shouldn’t have to see her brother so lifeless, after all. This view alone, even just through the car window, is enough to traumatize her.

What happened isn’t his fault, but Sam still apologizes over and over again. He can just stand there and feel guilty while he’s holding her shaky form.

It’s not their first rodeo with death and while it doesn’t make it any less sad, her tears convince Sam even more that he has to fix this, somehow.

That night she can’t sleep. Nothing can console her, not even Sam. Though she is grateful to have him at her side.

It’s the same for Sam, honestly. With both of them restless, they dig through the library, they try to find anything to bring Dean back.

In the end, she’ll probably fall asleep right at the desk, her eyes heavy and sore from crying and reading. It’s not a peaceful slumber by all means, it’s more like her brain and body just shut down.

Sam carries her to her room, but the second he tucks her into bed and wants to leave again, she wakes and sobs again.

She’s terrified to spend the night alone, nightmares haunting her. If it were for her, she’d be up and in the library again, but Sam manages to make her agree to a compromise: She will try and get some rest and he will stay with her.

None of them get another wink of sleep that night, she’s staining Sam’s shirt with tears while he’s busy brushing his fingers through her hair.

The next couple of days are rough. The bunker feels like a graveyard, Dean’s presence is definitely missing.

She finds herself wanting to prank her brother like every morning — she’d always exchange his shampoo bottle with the ketchup bottle, shed secretly put a Celine Dion cassette in the Impala. Now, there’s no point for any of that.

Instinctively she grabs onto any piece of Dean she still has. She takes one of his shirts to wear, his scent still lingering in the fabric. She doesn’t touch the piece of pie in the fridge, which she’d usually steal, but she wants to keep it there, preserve it, just in case Dean will magically return.

When Dean’s body disappears, it’s like losing him all over again at first. He’s suddenly gone, again, and panic sets in. And it feels even more permanent. However, it’s also a glimmer of hope, right? He has to be somewhere, so is he alive after all?

Sam’s more reluctant to get his hopes up high. He’s dealt with heavy losses before. Seeing his sister motivated to find Dean is a double-edged sword. It’s the first time since Dean’s death that he sees her eyes sparkle again. But he’s also scared she’ll break down even more when this turns out to be another tragedy.

It’s because of that very reason that Sam’s working on this without telling his sister. He hates keeping secrets from her, he hates lying to her, but he can’t bring himself to feed into her delusions only for her to end up even more hurt. So, when he’s able to track Dean down, he’s not telling anyone.

It bites him in the ass. While Sam’s out trying to find Dean, Dean’s already on the way to find her.

She looks like she’s seen a ghost, honestly. Wide eyes staring at him and filled with tears. Suddenly all her hunting skills are out the window. She doesn’t care to throw holy water at him, she doesn’t think of nicking him with silver. Demons, skinwalkers, none of it exists to her in that moment. All she can think about is her big brother being back.

She jumps right into his arms, scolding him, whining and sniffling and hugging him with a death grip.

Dean’s quiet, eerily so, but that’s not enough to make her suspect anything just yet. Maybe he’s tired, maybe she’s confused, it’s so much all at once. She refuses to let go of him, afraid he’ll slip away again, so she drags him to the kitchen and happily presents the piece of pie to him.

Dean doesn’t even touch it. Hell, he’s not even looking at it.

She quickly texts Sam, letting him know Dean’s back at the bunker. Then, when she looks up from her phone again and sees Dean not eating, she’s starting to get doubtful.

Dean not digging into pie? Is he sick or something? “You okay?”

There’s a grin on Dean’s lips that doesn’t quite reach his eyes and it feels off. It feels dangerous. “Never felt better.”

The wheels are turning in her head and her blood runs cold. She didn’t do any of the routine checks. Why didn’t she do any of the routine checks? Sam and Dean have taught her better, but she was so caught up in the moment and…

Her phone buzzes and Sam’s reply is simple. ‘That is not Dean.’ Her eyes widen. ‘Demon. Get away.’

The three or four seconds she spent looking at her phone are what almost gets her killed. It’s plenty of time for Dean to grab the kitchen knife and aim it at his sister instead of the pie.

She manages to dodge, somehow, although Dean makes it sound like he just enjoys playing with his prey. As his eyes turn jet-black, she knows she’s in trouble.

“I’ll give you a headstart, sis,” he hums and even his voice sounds so twisted, so wrong.

“Headstart?,” she echoes. “Dean, please, you don’t wanna—”

“Ten… Nine…”

He absolutely wants to. Sam’s right, this isn’t Dean. Not their Dean.

She bolts out of the kitchen as fast as she can. The bunker is big, but the problem remains that they all know it inside and out — where can she possibly hide? Should she lock herself in the dungeon? Should she ditch the place altogether?

“Six… Five…”

Panicked, she just makes a run for it, not knowing where to quite yet, but knowing it had to be away. As far away as possible. She scrambles to find a weapon, anything to fend off a demon, though she hates the thought of fighting against Dean. Not only would she not stand a chance against her brother, she could never bring herself to harming him or his vessel.

“Ready or not here I come.”

She’s definitely not ready. He could’ve given her a minute, an hour, a freakin’ year, nothing could prepare her for such a chase.

Stupidly, she decides to hide in Dean’s room. It’s far from the safest option, but it’s where her feet have carried her. She can’t really think of any room in the bunker that could protect her from the demonic version of her brother, but here at least, she’s surrounded by happy memories, right?

She’s holding her breath, clutching Ruby’s knife in her trembling hand.

It’s only through a trick that she’s able to survive. Of course, Dean finds her, but she’s fast and able to (a) distract him long enough to make preparations and (b) then lure him to the dungeons.

Dean’s not dumb, he knows there’s a devil’s trap. But he didn’t know there were two of them. She’s haphazardly drawn one he didn’t see until he is standing in it.

Bless all the times she has cursed in the past. She has complained to Sam so often whenever he had forced her to practice drawing pentagrams. She’ll make sure to thank him for it later.

Speaking of the devil, Sam returns just a bit later. He must’ve broken several traffic laws racing back to the bunker, but between that and his sister’s safety, she obviously came first.

He thought she’d be pissed at him for lying to her, but she has a priority too right now: Turning Dean into a human again.

It’s definitely not an easy task. More specifically, it’s downright nauseating to witness the purification process. Dean’s clearly suffering, the pain must be agonizing, but they are able to heal him.

Dean’s back, and he’s human again and it’s all she could’ve ever asked for.

Now, for Dean? Shit, he won’t be able to look into the mirror for a very long time. He always sees himself as the family’s protector. His siblings are his world and to think he attacked his baby sister? It’s killing him.

He feels so guilty he’s not able to look her in the eyes, let alone talk to her or touch her.

Which is why when she hugs him, clinging to his form sobbing, he thinks he doesn’t deserve that kind of trust. His greatest fear is that she’s now scared of him. She’d have every right to be, he attacked her with a damn knife.

“It wasn’t you. It was your body, but not your mind. I mean, that thing comes up with all sorts of dumb things, but not that kind of dumb.”

He can’t help but chuckle at that, of course she’s already back to sibling banter. How she manages to pretend like nothing happened is beyond him.

The events stick with him for a very long time, they never fully disappear from his conscience. He wishes he could wipe the memory of your panicked eyes from his brain, but that image will still haunt him in his grave.

Something has changed though. His shampoo is shampoo and his cassettes are his cassettes. There’s always pie in the fridge and she’s not playing any pranks on him anymore.

It makes him feel even worse. Especially when she explains to him that she’d rather be nice to her pain-in-the-ass brother and have him alive than be mean and have him dead.

“You know one thing doesn’t have anything to do with the other, right?”

It almost sounds like she’s blaming herself. As if Dean’s death was her punishment for bickering 24/7. It’s not right, if anyone should be feeling guilty, it’s him. And he does. God, he does.

It’s very obvious that she’s more afraid of losing him again than she is of the monster he’s become.

He’s set out on playing double the amount of pranks on her then, in hopes of getting some normalcy back. Of reminding his little sister that he’s still here, he’ll always be there. He’ll always be her pain-in-the-ass brother that’ll look out for her and keep her safe and play pranks on her.

When one morning he finds his toothbrush in a jar of pickles, bristles soaked in the vinegar-y liquid, it’s a small victory. Her post-it note with a smug smiley drawn on it is a step in the right direction.

Dean Winchester Taglist (Put a green heart 💚 in the comments to be added to the Dean x Reader taglist): @ladysparkles78 @ariasong11 @winchester-whiskey @whormotional @spacecowgirl126

@zepskies @calibootsgirl @hot-and-confused @spookyfunhottub @berryblues46

@midnight--raine @emmy21842 @whichwitchwanda @foxyjwls007 @lyarr24

@whump-loverz @cassieriddle713 @ilovedeanwinchester4

Sam Winchester Taglist (Put a book emoji 📚 in the comments to be added to the Sam x Reader taglist): @s7nburn @whump-loverz

Please note: Ageless blogs will only be tagged in fluff and angst posts!

[anim-ttrpgs]

is there a book series or other piece of fiction you’d recommend for someone who really enjoys the way Eureka specifically does its vampires (and werewolves and other monsters)? both when it comes to themes and when it comes to specific powers/mechanics

I’ll tell ya, pickings are going to be really really slim on that front. You’re likely to find stories that have one of those elements, but not all of them. That’s one of the reasons I write what I do, because it’s what I want to see and I gotta do it myself.

The original Dracula is my favorite novel, and it features vampires that have about a 90% overlap in the way that Eureka's folkloric vampires work. It’s also just a really good novel. I recommend reading it in chronological order through Daily Dracula, they have a novel version for that if you don’t want to follow the emails for like 6 months.

If I was good at being a consistent writer on the side, maybe you’d have the novel which inspired Eureka’s lore, but right now that just sits in a rough outline form.

You can, however, read some short stories from this same canon by subscribing to our patreon. All together, they’re about 130 pages cumulatively. I’ll warn you though, they haven’t been copy-edited, so they’re a bit rough, but I think they’re really good regardless.

I can provide a condensed summary of the outline of the larger novel here under the cut.

The story takes place in the late 1800s and is told from the perspective of two vampires, Annie Mayfield and Yvette Preux, switching between their PoVs each chapter, though after starting to write out this summary, I’m questioning if that PoV-switching actually adds anything to the story, so I may scrap that. I didn’t incorporate the PoV switching in this outline.

>Comtesse Yvette Preux, who has been a vampire since her original death in Brittany in the 1200s, resides in New Orleans.

>Becoming a vampire wasn’t a conscious decision on her part, and no other vampire was involved(she hasn’t even ever met another vampire), it just sort of happened after her slow gradual death from wasting sickness. She considers the possibility that a return to the life she so desperately wanted to live may be a miracle from God.

>She comes from a prestigious noble family that she has been a regular part of for centuries, but they’re gone now. None of them were vampires, just her descendants from the children she had when she was alive.

>She has always tried to minimize her harm on the living, mostly taking blood by needle from paid subjects. Her money, however, is running out after decades spent in the Louisiana Territory. She was in a state of dormancy for decades and learned of the French Revolution decades after it happened, and since has spend most of her time paying people to travel to France and make any possible contact with her family. There has been no word.

>With no income from her family, her fortune gradually dwindles until she is essentially homeless, and has to lower herself to attempting to take a job. She is hired as a governess(caretaker of the children, not a political position), by a rich plantation family.

>She is beloved by the family and vice versa, raising and tutoring their children diligently. She is essentially part of the family, accompanying them everywhere and living in a smaller house on their grounds. They teach her to shoot, which she really takes a liking to. She loves loud noises, complex machinery, and learning difficult skills, but older guns were always a bit too much for her sensitive nose and eyes. Smokeless power has since been invented, fixing that issue.

>She spends most of her free time practicing shooting.

>The plantation family is not aware she is a vampire, and she is careful about hiding this fact, even though vampires are not really a common knowledge thing, just like in the Eureka setting. She sneaks out at night to take blood by needle from whoever she can pay.

>Living on a plantation, this rich family were formerly slave owners, and are now scalawags and run their plantation as a sharecrop. Even having grown up a feudal noblewoman, Yvette has a personal and religious opposition to slavery, as was the zeitgeist of her time. (They considered serfdom to be completely different, obviously.) Residing on this plantation, Yvette slowly comes to see that the lives of former slaves under the sharecropping system are not much better than under slavery. In some cases, the conditions can be even worse. She keeps her objections about this to herself, not wanting to rock the boat or seem ungrateful for the generosity the family has given her. She’s never had the social skills to broach complaints without angering those around her, and really never had much in the way of social skills of friends at all, never having more than a small handful of people truly close to her in any given lifetime.

>Eventually, some of the family meet over something important, they have a shocking secret to reveal. They tell her that vampires are real, and for generations this family has made it their duty to identify and eliminate them. They are so rare of course that they find one only about once in a generation, but they are certain that there is one active in the region. Someone has been paying for blood from the poor and desperate. They tell her to be extraordinarily careful, and present her with a gift: a small two-barrel derringer, and two silver bullets.

>I’m skipping ahead a bit because exactly how the family find out she is a vampire is something I haven’t figured out yet, but of course they find out she’s the vampire. The fact that she doesn’t seem to have aged at all in ten years probably helps.

>Because she has been a friend of the family for so long, and demonstrated the capacity to care for human life, they decide she does not necessarily need to be killed. She’s one of the good ones. Conditionally.

>She has to stop buying blood from the poor and desperate, further minimize her blood consumption to only a small drawing from one of the family members every month or so, never leave the family’s sight, never touch a weapon again, and she is to have no contact with the children she raised for the family.

>Even as one of the good ones, she is still a selfish monster, unnatural and anathema to the will of God, whose existence is prolonged only by the suffering of the living, and the family’s mercy.

>Under the family’s constant scrutiny, and wasting away into depression and delirium from a bare minimum intake of blood, she loses her ability to argue, and gradually comes to understand this herself.

>She stares into an empty mirror, desperate to see herself in it, trying to be normal instead of a selfish parasite. All she can get the mirror to reflect of herself is her sense of self worth and what she contributes to the world. That is, nothing.

>In the prose, the absence of a reflection is always written as a failure by Yvette to be reflected in the mirror.

>Her undeath can’t be a miracle, God would not allow something like her into the world for her own sake. The only logical conclusion is that it is a punishment from God for refusing to be satisfied with the short life He did give her or accept its natural conclusion, that she would have to take that life from the rest of the world that she loves and never reunite with her closest friend, her husband, who has been dead for centuries. Each century that passes brings her farther from the life she had with him and so selfishly coveted, and now, after the French Revolution, there are not even descendants of him in her life. Her selfish insatiable desire for experience, relationships, and the world is an anchor weighing her soul to the earth, and it’s everyone’s problem.

>She can hardly bear to take even what little blood the family offers her from themselves. They housed her, and she continues to just take and take and take.

>They’re afraid of her, even. No matter how nonthreatening she tries to make herself, she can’t be allowed out of their sight. No matter how good she is, it’ll never be good enough for them, and it’s callous of her to expect otherwise, considering their situation, mortality, and how they’ve suffered at the hands of vampires like her.

>One evening in the sitting room, Yvette is present while the family discusses their finances, and their plan to legally back out of paying the sharecrop workers their promised yearly payment. That is too cruel for Yvette, and she stands up, raising her voice and interrupting, only for those closest to flinch back and several to draw pistols from their pockets. Stuttering an apology, she retires to her room, and sits in front of the empty mirror. How can she, being what she is, take issue with them?

>She considers setting things right by ending her own existence, but she isn’t sure how, and a part of her is still too afraid to find out. She couldn’t accept death before, and she still can’t now. She’s still just as wretched as she was then, even after over six-hundred years. She’s really unworthy of God’s light, a spot of black mold eating through the canvas of His Creation, because even knowing this, she can’t help herself.

>Ironically, her name, Preux, means “courage.” It isn’t something she’s ever really thought much about before, but now that it comes time to overcome her fear and do what has to be done for the greater good, she doesn’t feel like she lives up to the name. Even the name “Yvette”, after the long-lived yew tree, feels like a hole in her chest. For some time now, whenever anyone has said Yvette, it has only been with disgust, rightfully, at her undeservedly long life. She renounces the name Yvette Preux.

>There’s no good way to really portray this in a summarized outline format, but this whole time, a fringe religious movement has been slowly taking the stage in the background. It doesn’t have any kind of mass following, but what few there are are devoted. The family is suspicious of them, and concludes that they are worshipers of demons. (If I get fully into it here then this post will become a whole different thing but “biblically accurate” demons are a whole different thing from pop culture demons like from Doom and stuff. The most “biblically accurate” pop culture portrayal is probably The Exorcist(1973), and maybe the game Faith: The Unholy Trinity, where the point isn’t really to go rawr rawr rawr and kill everyone, the point is to make humans suffer, despair, and abandon the belief that God could possibly love us. You can't really shoot them with a shotgun, the only way to repel them is to have faith that things can get better.)

>This group argues that the world is an evil place, and that humans are its evil denizens which can only suffer and beget more suffering, as is evidenced all around them. They advocate for the end of humanity, and are suspected of several violent crimes, as well as election interference.

>The family disrupts one of their gatherings by shooting up the place. They don’t spare anyone, because dangerous people ought to be killed before they can do any more harm.

>Some time later, late at night, the family’s plantation house comes under attack by a gang of armed men, and it’s a slaughter. Yvette goes to hide in the back with the other women.

>A stick of dynamite crashes through the window.

>Yvette opens her eyes an indeterminate amount of time later, in the smoldering remains of the plantation house, still strewn in the remains of everyone else who was in the room. There’s no one left alive.

>Her family is gone again, but she doesn’t really feel anything. It’s obvious what she has to do now, now that the family is gone, she has to set things right by discontinuing her own existence. There’s no one else to keep her in check, and she’ll just cause more suffering to more innocent people if she stays alive.

>There’s just one thing she wants to do first, and that is avenge the deaths of her new family. If she can do anything for them now, it’s that, and then to properly die as is natural.

>When she can walk, she rounds up the hired gunmen formerly employed by the family, and sets out to hunt down every last man responsible for the attack. Few of them are willing to trust a vampire, but they go along with her. (Her actual relationship to these men, why they decide to go along with her, and what this adds to the story is another thing I haven’t really fully worked out yet. It may make for a better story for her to just do it alone, though her reaction to some of their deaths later on does serve to highlight a few things about her that may be a hint as to why she is the type of person to come back as a vampire in the first place.)

>She deliberately doesn’t answer to Yvette anymore, instead randomly coming up with the name Annie Mayfield when asked her name soon after. It doesn’t mean anything to her, she doesn’t really think about it, it just needs to be a placeholder until she can finish this and then end her life.

>(So yeah the twist is that all the stuff you’re about to read beyond this point from the PoV of Annie Mayfield would be interspersed throughout the Yvette Preux chapters until it turns out they’re the same person.)

>The remainder of the story is a blur of violence and shame as the shock wears off and she starts to feel things again. Obviously, the men who attacked the plantation house are from the cult, and after tracking down and killing the first one she instantly regrets trying to go through with this, and laments that it represents her still not having learned her lesson, and going on to extend her life through the suffering of others even though she had resolved to end it. One of her own is also killed in the shootout, and tangled up in the regret is the desire to have known the man longer.

>After grounding herself, she resolves to not let the family down, and continues the manhunt.

>A lot of these scenes are portrayed primarily through dialogue between Annie and the cult members she is confronting, either before, during, or after some kind of shootout. The cult members argue that the material world only exists for humanity to suffer and harm each other in, as is human nature, as is self-evident from the state of the mid-late-1800s world. Also, there’s a vampire. Would a loving God actually allow a vampire to exist? The only way to end this suffering is the extinction of humanity itself. And Annie arguing back from her perspective all the kind people she’s met, beautiful things she’s seen, and enjoyable things she’s done in centuries of consciousness. And once she’s gone, there will be one less source of suffering in the world. (she really always has to have the last word, it’s a really abrasive thing about her.) Both parties are well versed in Abrahamic scripture and use it to support their arguments.

>Annie is an incredible shot after around a decade of practicing every day, but she isn’t exactly a great gunfighter, and it’s only due to the fact that she’s literally immortal that she survives most of these early confrontations. She’s getting holes blown in her a lot, and expending a lot of energy to keep going and regenerating. It’s too much for a vampire that has been limiting her blood consumption since her original death, and recently surviving on a bare minimum amount of blood. She comes to realize she can’t keep up this pace, and it’ll all be for nothing, if she doesn’t drink some blood. She doesn’t have any money, she has to take it at gunpoint, and it takes a lot of it to keep her going at this pace. She drinks a lot of it.

>The shame, falling back on what a depraved, selfish wretch she is, it’s a knot in her throat. But she’s recovering from gunshots faster, moving faster, her vision is clearer. She’s not sure if she’s ever felt this good before. After centuries minimizing how much she takes, she wasn’t really aware one could feel this good.

>All of the gunmen she brought with her have either died or abandoned the cause at this point(if they were there in the first place, like I said I haven’t figured that out), the law is after her, and she’s killed more people than the cult can ignore. They figure out who she is and her relationship to the family, and retaliate both physically and intellectually.

>Their arguments get more personal. The family, the societal forces that put them in power over so many suffering destitute laborers, and how they treated her, are the perfect example. They’re not worth her avenging, if she wants to actually accomplish something, she could join their cause.

>This cause involves attaining political power through intimidation, blackmail, and just plain electorialism, following a precise set of instructions passed down by the demons they consort with to worsen condition of daily life and the world overall. (The exact details of this I won’t get into, this post is already so long.)

>Not only will this just overall reduce the population, but the plan is to advocate for suicide as an answer to this despair, and use worsening conditions as evidence for their message that it would be better for humanity to end.

>The shootouts are becoming more disproportionate, with her targets hiding out together, always armed, hiring bodyguards, assembling militias. Annie is getting better at this, though. She’s moving in ways she didn’t know she could, and doing things she felt she might be able to do but felt it would be shameful and unnatural to try. Vampire things. There would be no other way she could overcome 5:1, 10:1, 20:1 odds. She’s learning to cycle a lever-action with one hand so she can keep shooting in the relatively frequent event that one of her arms gets shot off.

>Annie has come to agree, largely through her own scriptural arguments, that the suspicion, scrutiny, judgement, and deprivation she experienced from the family was unjustifiable both morally and spiritually. She had a right to exist, no matter what that means.

>She has fangs now. She doesn’t know when they came in, because it isn’t like mirrors can reflect her. (Roughly from this point on, when reflections are brought up in prose, it is written that the surface fails to reflect her, not that she fails to be reflected in the surface.)

>The family didn’t love her like she loved them, and she, like the other monsters they hunted, was just another vessel for them to justify themselves and their own harmful lifestyle by comparison, and embolden their own egos, rather than any genuine desire to protect anyone. She doesn’t owe them this violence, but she’s doing it anyway, not for revenge, not because they’re “evil,” but because she’s set her mind to it, and she’s having fun.

>Really embracing her vampirism and what it can allow her to do is a whole new world to her, one she wants to keep exploring and experiencing, even if it’s at cost to other people, and they’re not going to ruin that for her.

>You can see where this is going. The movement is crippled beyond recovery, if any of them survive at all. The world is saved because someone selfishly wanted to go on living even if at the expense of others, and that that life is richer for it.

>Epilogue.

>Despite embracing her vampirism and finally drinking a healthy amount of blood, Annie has really over-exerted herself, and fades away into another dormant period. A little less than one-hundred years later, she comes back to consciousness. It’s the year 1992, and the first thing she sees is something like this.

[picture of cellphone towers against the night sky with glowing red lights]

>She can barely comprehend what she’s seeing, it’s terrifying and amazing. She doesn’t know what they are, but the radio towers, enormous glowing steel monoliths to human connection and communication, being the first thing she sees represent that she really is in a new world, one that is going to love her back this time.

>How she actually manages to integrate into this new world is its own whole story, one that is a lot funnier and more light-hearted. She doesn’t even speak English.

>She isn’t ready to go back to the name Yvette Preux, when she eventually has to give a name, she picks it out deliberately this time. Alys Cessna. Though comtesse_yvette does become her screen name on Quake 1 deathmatch by 1998.

>picture of Yvette Preux circa 2024 by team artist @chaospyromancy

[Yvette Preux, a petite white woman with long orange hair, dressed in kind of a 90s skater style. She has a skateboard with a picture of bats silhouetted against the moon on the underside, mirrored sunglasses on her forehead, and a handgun in a front hip holster. She is smiling and has very prominent fangs.]

And there it is. I left out a few subplots and other themes but this was already long as fuck.

Support A.N.I.M. and maybe in the future I’ll be financially stable enough to work on this novel even though it won’t make a lot of money.

Also in case it didn’t come across fully in the summary, the suicide cult and Yvette are the same, and through fighting them, intellectually and literally, she also ends up fighting her own overwhelming guilt and shame she feels for existing as a harmful person, and makes an argument of all the reasons she wants to keep living. She’s saving herself.

[ven10]

Is Quigley Quagmire dyslexic?

I have a theory!! Hear me out hear me out-

Reasons:

1: His siblings have very English-based interests (poetry+journalism) which require a lot of writing whereas Quigley is into cartography which is largely just images and numbers. Imagine Quigley struggling with words then finding cartography, something so fascinating and exciting which doesn’t need words to do. Isadora could write couplets to capture the feeling of a place, Duncan could scourge newspaper archives for historical context on the same place but Quigley would be able to map it out clearly+ precisely without needing a single written word to do so. 🗺️

2: His insistence to the Baudelaires that he is ‘well-read’ (possibly stemming from being shamed for his learning disability+trying to cover it up). 📚

3: He knew in advance the questions that the Vernacularly Fastened Door would ask and yet, despite having the opportunity during his time in Monty’s library, he did not research the answers in the books there. 🧐 ❓

4:Maybe one of the reasons why Quigley didn’t try reuniting with his siblings until they were out of reach (kidnapped) was bc when he realised they were at a boarding school he imagined himself being humiliated (nobody and no school Ofc should humiliate anyone for having learning disabilities but let’s face it. Prufrock absolutely would.) 🏫

5: When Quigley+the Baudelaires are in the burned down VFD headquarters in Netflix!TSS, Quigley comes across a partially burnt book and reads the title as “Odes”, Klaus soon corrects him saying it must have been originally titled “Codes” because of the positioning of the letters on the page (too far to the right so Klaus was able to tell that a letter was missing). Quigley may not have noticed the gap where a missing letter should have been as he may be familiar with experiencing the ‘river effect’, something which dyslexic people can experience. 🌊

[ “Dyslexic users may sometimes see the river effect in the text they’re reading [1]. This is when large gaps occur within consecutive lines of text”]-uxmovement.com

•~👁️VFD+prejudice&discrimination👁️~•

More on a matter I touched on briefly earlier, as much as I love many snicketverse characters, given the ideals VFD pushes onto them

(ie “well read people are less likely to be evil” also that quote about noble people always carrying a book with them, just to name a few examples)

I feel like they would treat Quigley’s dyslexia as something shameful and so Quigley, in his ‘cool+capable volunteer’ persona he puts on in TSS would try hiding the fact he’s dyslexic. The whole “well read people are less likely to be evil” thing he says is just so…odd but it could make sense if Quigley was just trying to really push the idea that he is a voracious reader.

Also, another example on how vfd members (It’s really likely his parents were raised in VFD and so would have similar mindsets) would see dyslexia as shameful is how Lemony Snicket, when describing the main VILLAIN (Olaf) includes details of Olaf’s spelling errors (eg not knowing how to spell ‘poison’ in TPP) and disregard of literature.

Lemony often uses the firestarters’ lack of knowledge about literature+lack of literary skills to portray them as villainous+ignorant. However, it strikes me as more than the firestarters being ‘not interested’ in literature than actively rebelling against the idea that knowing literature in depth/being well read=being noble. I mean, Esmé BURNED ‘Anna karenina’ after vfd assigned it as summer reading. If she merely wasn’t interested in literature she would have let the book collect dust. 🔥

Additionally, in ATWQ when Lemony is asked the ❗️difference between the noble and the villainous sides of VFD❗️ the only answer he can come up with is “we read more books” (not exact phrasing)

That concludes my rambling for now ☕️ ✌️

(Also, if anyone notices any mistakes in the info about dyslexia here then please lmk so I can correct it+avoid unintentionally spreading misinformation! :) )

[thepiedcurrawong]

thanks for the tag!! :3:3

Pine tree. I love those guys.

I used to take piano lessons but not anymore. I’m planning on learning guitar this year.

probably something relating to creative arts. Either singing or writing. I don’t really know clubs around me though

pencils are much more versatile but since i dont draw probably pens

zip ups. They can work better in terms of fashion and also better temperature regulation

it really depends. In most cases, the book is better. For example, Dune, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, etc, etc. The only two movies I prefer to the books are the Lord of the Rings trilogy and also the Harry Potter films. Harry Potter is because that’s not the sole work of JKR, other people who are actually good and moral worked on them. I still don’t watch them, though.

rested after waking up. Even though i love staying up late and never sleeping would be nice, it’s so good to get a good night’s sleep.

hard. Neither of these interest me, but I guess New York?? I’ve heard interesting things about the city culture there.

not sure i get this question. Like a ghost?? Or just a corpse?

Hamilton’s the only one of these I’ve seen, so I suppose Hamilton.

Now for my questions >:3

Shapeshifting or time travel?

would you take the immortal snail deal? If so, how would you deal with it?

do you consider yourself involved with fashion or do you just throw on whatever?

are you a moon or sun person?

how many “classic” books have you read?

you can instantly become an expert in one specific skill. What do you choose?

what historical event would you like to see in person?

what’s your favourite plushie? (If applicable)

if you could direct an adaptation of a certain piece of media, what would you do?

if you could get any category of goods for free forever, what would you choose?

tagging @yoza22 @amariathe @artisticfurby @purpleminusred @shark-tranny @certifiedpurpledumbass @slugthatscreatures @errornonamesleft @lil-gay-tism-boi @tigerfromthetiber @trans-fem-menace @muskwashere

Ten questions to ask a mutual

Instructions: prev asks ten questions and you answer them, then ask ten new ones and tag ten people to keep the chain going! I’ll go first

What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten? (For me it’s the time I accidentally drank ants)

do you like purple or green more? (For me it’s a 50/50 I love them both)

what is your favorite two color color combo? (For me it’s purple and gold)

are you a cat or dog person? (Dogs 100%)

what is your favorite painting (Miranda by John William Waterhouse)

Mountains or beaches? (Mountains)

what’s your favorite dessert? (Lemon bars)

are you right or left handed? (Right but I used to be left handed)

salty or sweet? (Sweet)

summer or winter? (Winter)

I’m tagging 11 people but it’s whatever

@wra1th-k1ng

@bladevoyager

@tragedyanddust

@kindred-spirit-93

@urfavgreekmythnerd

@sickneurotic

@ry-diggity

@we-are-but-dead-stars

@thestarryfalls

@tamaruaart

@hermesmoly

[madeofjules]

I've seen quite a few bad thg opinions the past couple days so here's a reminder that these things are canon:

Katniss is suicidal until Peeta comes home. He gives her the hope she needs to heal and move forward. They eventually enter a romantic relationship because she desires and loves him.

Katniss's only reason for not wanting kids was her deep-seated fear that they'd be reaped. Becoming a mother shows how much she's recovered from her trauma. Her children make her feel joy.

Katniss is happy in 12. She would've ended up there anyway. (“A few hundred others return because, whatever has happened, this is our home.”)

So anyone who thinks her ending isn't good or what she wanted probably doesn't actually like Katniss and definitely doesn't understand her character as she's written. Thankfully her creator does know her and gave her the peaceful ending she deserves.

[deoidesign]

Time and Time Again comes back tonight!

Thank you all for being so patient with me, I know it was a long hiatus.

My health was struggling, my arm was (is) hurting, and I decided it wasn't worth it. I'd rather be slow!

So thank you for giving me that grace, and I hope you'll be there with me for the rest of the series.

[snekatieii]

Taco is so funny. Girl who is incapable of being normal at all when interacting with people. Girl who spent the first half of her existence acting like something she's not and the second half isolated from basically everybody. She's so mean. Nefarious plans is her default state. She introduced herself to mic by reading her diary pages and insulting her, and she met mepad by kidnapping him. Those are her only two friends. No wonder she doesn't know how to talk to people.

[yardsards]

i needed to express a sentiment in the creative stylings of @dunmeshiminimumwage

[bluebobatea]

if sasuke was the main character then he probably would've been a LOT more sympathised with than he is now (which is to say rarely). like the narrative wouldn't even need to change to show his pains or 'his side of the story', bc it does that plenty. it's just that he is not the main character. and idk what it is about our human minds but we tend to sympathise with main characters automatically (unless ofc you go off the rockers insane and do something like obliterate almost everyone from the planet *cough* eren yeager *cough*)

an instance that comes to my mind where this does happen is with lelouch from code geass. while i don't agree with his character motivations, people generally do sympathise with him as he is the mc and as viewers we know he isn't inherently evil. sasuke's goal towards the end is slightly similar but ofc people love to hate him so they don't even try to understand where he is coming from.

my point is, most people while engaging with the naruto story don't read between the lines and so don't see how traumatised and in pain sasuke is and hence don't understand his character motivations. heck, they don't understand a single bit about him and so they automatically hate him, as he is supposedly going against the main character's goals.

which is really sad given all that he has been through.

[daincrediblegg]

personally I think the best thing that the joker sequel did for me was expose the exact degree to which how much of internet/public criticism is not based on genuine analysis of the content using social and cultural resources to support an actual argument but is actually adult children whining because someone took their batman toys and put them up on a high shelf for once and they, as a consumer, feel like they're entitled to throw a tantrum about it