Ater Imber is a Canadian indie author who became interested in writing fan fiction in 2013 after being talked into giving the Deviant Art website a chance. Ater began posting to the delight of Supernatural fans and has since moved her ever-growing operation to her own website: https://aterimber.com/
Ater now not only writes Supernatural fan fiction, but has expanded the website to include articles about her other interests (including veganism, writing tips and nomadic/zero waste/sustainable living), and continues to write new fan and non-fanfiction short stories and articles regularly for an eager personal following.
Ater also currently has 6 books available for purchase, including 3 fanfiction novellas based on the hit T.V. series Supernatural.
Broken is Ater’s 6th book, and follows the adventures of James, Tommy and Emma as they navigate the hardships of abusive guardians, addiction and hallucinations, all while trying to keep from flunking out of school, published March, 2021. It is also the longest book Ater has written, to date.
The Haunted Corpse is Ater’s debut, non-collection novella. It’s a dark (ish) fantasy centering around Sammy, and the challenges she faces as she’s thrust into a whole new (magical) world while she searches for answers in the wake of her father’s ‘suicide’, published October, 2019.
First Try is Ater’s debut, non-fan fiction novella. It’s a collection of short stories Ater wrote during school after getting serious about becoming a writer, book-ended by the two first ‘long’ stories Ater ever wrote, published November, 2018.
Ater’s newest fan fiction novella, Holiday Treats, is about the holidays, forbidden love, and what can go wrong when the two collide (Wincest style), published in December, 2016.
Ater’s debut fan fiction novella, Don’t Get Caught, is a collection of short stories centered around a love theme, and all that entails (including a kidnapping Samifer fic and a Sabriel wedding) published in February, 2016.
Last, but certainly not least, Ater’s second book, Melting Hearts, Sunburns and Tanlines, is a collection of short stories with a main theme surrounding going on vacation, published in August, 2016.
If you’d like to check out these books, you can do so on her website, by going to the Books page, or, on Amazon.
To keep up with all things Ater, you can check out the following social media accounts, all @AterImber:
Instagram
Youtube
Tumblr
Goodreads
Facebook
Ater Imber lives in Toronto, Canada.
Why would Sammy lock the door? He knew I was coming back.
After a minute of searching, Dean triumphantly pulled his key out of his pocket, a few loose receipts floating to the ground with the action.
He was on the other side of the door, setting down his prize and drink in the next moment, ears perking as he heard a strained groan float through the darkness.
Dean wasted no time in re-locking the door before flicking on the light, “Sammy? Everything okay?”
The blonde blinked his eyes as the room flooded with light, brows furrowing as he didn’t find his brother.
Where…? His question cut off as he saw the closed bathroom door. He shook his head and took off his jacket, barely getting it onto the hanger before hearing another groan.
Dean wasted no time in making his way over to the bathroom door. He didn’t even need to press his ear to it to hear more pained moaning.
I’m pretty sure the last time I tried these deli slices was back in my very first year of being vegan (2016) and I don’t know if my taste buds have changed, or if they changed the formula/recipe (or if I’m even thinking of a different brand), but trying these deli slices now, I thought they were way better than I remembered!
I’m going to be honest, I bought these slices specifically so I’d have something to review. Usually, I buy the Yves deli slices (I like all three flavours now!) because they’re more widely available and cheaper in my area. Also, I know those ones are good.
These ones, despite what I ‘remembered’ pleasantly surprised me! They taste great, have a good texture and a decent amount come in 1 box. The slices themselves are more brown than pink/nude in colour and also have a small rind on them. The rind isn’t too thick though, and I think it adds an extra (very subtle) crunch to them.
One thing I found off-putting about these slices though was that after I opened the package, it smelled like dog food. That sort of… oldish gravy mixed with decaying meat? I even asked my non-vegan friend to smell it – because maybe that’s what ‘real’ lunch meat smells like and I just forgot – but they agreed, it smelled like dog food.
Absolutely does not taste like dog food, so I have no idea where that smell even came from, but yeah. Not exactly what you want to smell when making yourself lunch.
Luckily though, as I said, these slices have a great taste. They’re slightly smoky with an otherwise pretty generic ‘lunch meat’ flavour. I could not tell you if they’re supposed to be beef, chicken, pork, etc. replacements. They’re just kind of… lunch meat.
Which is is no way a bad thing! I actually love that they aren’t overpowering and don’t have a super distinct taste. It makes them perfect for their intended purpose, which is to blend into sandwiches! They add the texture you want, and zero problems!
If you can get past/through the weird smell – and hey, maybe it was just the box I got and not all of them? – I would definitely recommend giving these deli slices a try!
Lately I’ve been getting an increase in comments here, and I wanted to say two things:
Hi! Welcome. It’s good to know I’m not just speaking into a void. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and share your opinion with me! I love waking up to see new comment notifications. I don’t want you guys to be shy about leaving comments at all. If my writing made you feel something, or you have any tips/tricks to share about lifestyle things I talk about, feel free to leave them!
The second thing is the reason for this article. Due to the increase in comments, I’ve noticed an increase in comments on older posts and those comments are… let’s just call them non-constructive. And I know, this is the internet! People are going to find old things in newer years and have different opinions about them.
But that’s not what I want to address. I’m talking about receiving comments telling me that certain information in my articles is ‘wrong’, and then delving into what is frankly just very unimaginative hate because I’m ‘spreading misinformation’. Maybe part of that is because I’m a writer, but some of those hate filled comments I see and all I can think is, ‘that is the best insult you could come up with? Really?’
Not that the content of the insults is the point.
Anyway, to help mitigate these kinds of comments, I wanted to write this article, to give you guys a more guided approach to how you should be reading informational articles. These tips should help you not only on this blog, but everywhere!
So, let’s get into it.
And actually before we jump into it, I’m going to add this little disclaimer: I’m talking strictly about regular/every day folks who blog. Not like, scientists or professional information people. They play by different rules than us mere mortals.
Step 1. Look At How Long Ago The Article Was Written
If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet (or y’know, the planet Earth), you should know that what is considered ‘correct’ information changes all the time. Very quickly, depending on the subject!
And, I’ll even give you a hint: people who write articles? They are not psychic! (Or at least, not always) They won’t be able to tell at the time their article gets published if the information in it will become disproven in five years, ten or hell, even later that same year!
As with everything else humans do, you gotta do the best you can with the information you have at the time.
So, if after reading an article, you think the information is not correct, scroll back up and look to see what the date of publication is. If it’s an older article, chances are the information was accurate when they wrote it.
Also, many bloggers don’t add updates to articles, because well, speaking from experience, that in itself could become a full-time job and not leave time to write anything new.
Specifically for myself, once I publish an article, I deem that subject ‘done’ and I move on. I don’t want to keep making articles on the same topic, because I would find that boring to write, and I assume you guys would find that boring to read.
Unless it’s something very specific and/or I feel very strongly about it, there’s usually only going to be 1 article about it. That said, if you guys have anything you’d really like to see me update/get a fresh opinion on, let me know!
Step 2. Who Wrote The Article?
Are you on a scientific or official government website, or are you reading Joe from the bar’s blog to see if he posted today’s boner joke?
Taking into consideration what type of blog you’re on – and therefor, the kind of person who wrote the article – should help you determine the level of scrutiny you’ll need to read it.
If it’s an official government website, yes, you should expect the information to be as accurate as it can be, and that it was written by someone who is very knowledgeable on the subject.
But if it’s one of those stay-at-home-mom blogs? Well, Sharon is just trying to share her tips from personal experience! She doesn’t have a doctorate in Mothering, she’s just trying to help people in the same boat as her!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: not every single person knows everything about a subject.
Why doesn’t Sharon know about the new Swedish article that was published 5 months after her article about the ‘proper’ way to clean baby bottles? Well, speaking as a blogger, most of our articles are written in advanced – sometimes by months – and I would guess because she’s busy actually y’know, living her life!
Especially when we’re talking about lifestyle bloggers, people engage in different lifestyle in many different ways! You could walk outside and find five vegans (or carnists, activists, etc.) and none of them would be living the exact same way.
So what ‘qualifies’ someone to write an article on a lifestyle subject? Usually, it’s just whether or not they are living that lifestyle, or they are interested in/will be living it soon.
That’s it.
No PhD’s required.
Step 3. Where Is The Person Who Wrote The Article Located?
I kind of briefly touched on this in the point above, but another reason Sharon might not have heard about the Swedish article? Because she’s busy living her life in the suburbs of the mid-western USA.
While the internet has made it a lot easier to access information from all over the world, people still need to take the time to search for the information!
And unfortunately, a lot of people are just too busy to take dedicated time out of their day-to-day to research certain things. Especially if it’s a thing they already think they’re knowledgeable on. Why would you spend time looking up tips on something you already think you know how to do well?
You wouldn’t!
Or at least, most people don’t. There are exceptions to this of course, but they are called ‘exceptions’ for a reason!
Speaking specifically for myself, I don’t do nearly as much veganism research (for example) as I did back when I was first transitioning. (Which was all the way back in 2016)
That doesn’t mean I think I know everything there is to know about veganism, but I know enough information to get through the day-to-day stuff, and for the most part, know enough to write articles about it with confidence.
Do I still check vegan-specific news websites? Yes. Am I still following vegans on social media, listening/watching their videos? Yeah!
But I’m not dedicating huge chunks of my day to veganism research anymore. I don’t need to. (Also I don’t have as much time, but that would be a different article)
So the next time you come across an article that you think is inaccurate, I want you to keep these tips in mind before you leave a comment.
If you’ve done the above and still think your comment is warranted, see if you can re-phrase it to not sound so… mean/condescending. People are always much more receptive to listening to others if they aren’t feeling attacked.
Especially if you want the person you’re commenting to to actually listen/take in what you’re trying to tell them, instead of having them just write you off as a ‘hater’.
Good luck!
*The stay-at-home-mom blogger example was just the first example I thought of to use as a ‘regular’ person. It in no way was meant to be an insult or anything. Also the name Sharon was just the first one that came to mind. If your name is Sharon and you run a stay-at-home-mom blog, I wasn’t trying to insult you, I promise! (If you’d like more clarification, feel free to message me!)
I don’t really have other articles in the same vein as this one, but if you’d like to check out more of my blog, a good starting point would be the front page!
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The shot rang out through the empty room a moment later, Sam’s chest heaving with anger. He blinked at the bullet hole that was now adorning the right wall of his bedroom. He turned in a small circle, relief slumping into his shoulders at the devil being nowhere in sight.
Sam nodded to himself before taking a seat on his bed, running his free hand through his hair, finally. He closed his eyes and revelled in the short-lived moment of silence, barely registering the heavy footsteps that were pounding up the stairs.
A breathless Gabriel was sliding into the doorway in the next instant, wild eyes searching the room, “Sammich?”
He walked a few steps into the room, confusion furrowing his brows as he saw it was empty, “Are you alright? I thought I heard…”
The ex-hunter opened his eyes as his boyfriend’s voice trailed off. He was staring at the gun in his hand.
Sam swallowed guiltily before placing it down on the mattress beside him, “I-I know. But I kept it just for emergencies! We-” Sam’s explanation died on his lips as he saw the look on his lover’s face. He hung his head, “I had to.”
“Why?”
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I first tried these truffles back in 2023. I’d been eyeing them for a while, but couldn’t find an excuse to buy them until then. (They were a joint Valentine’s/birthday present)
They were definitely worth the wait! Not only did they exceed my expectations, they also made me feel fancy. Due to my allergies, I hadn’t had truffles in a long time, and I forgot how much I used to like them. Opening the box and trying the different flavours. Sure, it came with a flavour guide, but it was still exciting!
I’m going to break this review into 5 parts, so each truffle gets equal billing. Unfortunately I didn’t completely love every flavour, but I would still say over-all these truffles were a hit! They’re also going to be listed in box order, not my order of preference.
Before we get into that, though, I want to tell you a little over-all about the box. I tried the 15 piece box, so there was only 3 of each kind of flavour. Also, despite knowing it was only 15 pieces total, when the box showed up, I was surprised at how small it was! I thought it was going to be bigger for whatever reason.
I also bought the box directly from NoWhey! which is unfortunately, a US based company. So, at the time I purchased the truffles (February 2023), this box was $29.50 USD and shipping to Canada was another $23.23 USD. Which means total Canadian, I paid $75.61.
Now, I don’t go around buying truffles very often, so maybe this is on par with other truffles, but to me, this seemed like a lot to pay for 1 box. They were delicious, as you’ll see below, but the shipping costing almost the same amount as the truffles isn’t something I loved.
Luckily though, I’ve since found these truffles at a few different Canadian vegan grocery stores, so when I buy them next, I’ll be sure to get them from there!
Milk Fudge
This truffle was definitely the ‘plainest’ one I tried, but that doesn’t mean it was bad!
This truffle, like all the others had a solid chocolate shell on the outside and a creamier/softer chocolate on the inside. Similar to the Lindt chocolates, but it’s been such a long time since I’ve had them, I’m not sure if that’s entirely a fair comparison.
It also just tasted like chocolate. No gimmicks, no tricks, nothing overly complicated. I hadn’t tried it at the time, but this Milk Fudge truffle reminds me of the Milkless bar they have for Halloween. I don’t know if it’s actually the same recipe, but if I had to guess, I’d say it is.
I would recommend this truffle to the less adventurous eaters out there. If you’re worried about liking the other flavours in the box, take solace in knowing there’s at least one you’ll enjoy!
Raspberry
This raspberry flavoured truffle had the smoothest inside out of all the truffles. I don’t know why it was the smoothest – it didn’t have jam inside, it was still solid chocolate – but it was a nice change of texture.
I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of fruit in chocolate, but this one worked surprisingly well for me! I think because of the lack of jam, the raspberry flavour was a lot more subtle than I was expecting. I had tried the Strawberry Ganache Hearts at the same time and let’s just say I’d happily take these over those.
I also don’t remember what I meant, but in my original notes on the flavours, for this one, I wrote down, ‘no overtly raspberry flavour, more cooling’. So… take from that what you will.
Salted Caramel
This truffle was hands down my favourite, but I assumed that going in.
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know salted caramel is one of my favourite flavourings, and this truffle did not disappoint!
It was salty, it was caramel-y… what more could you ask for?
The only thing I would say I didn’t like about this one – and this is just if I had to be nit-picky – was the salted flakes on the top. I don’t know if the ones we got were representative of all of them (the box I got only had 3) or if we got a couple less-than-perfect ones, but I felt there was a little bit too much salt on the outside. It reminded me of the salt flakes on that Sno Crunchy Salted Caramel Ice Cream Cone I tried. (Well technically, I since I tried the ice cream after the truffles, those salt flakes reminded me of these)
Grand Marnier
Do you know what ‘grand marnier’ means? Because I sure as hell didn’t. But it sounded fancy, so I thought it was going to be something like wine, or some other Grown Up Flavour… apparently it just means it’s orange.
Okay, technically it means it’s orange liqueur, but still. I was not expecting an orange flavour when I bit into the first truffle I tried out of the box – yes I tried it first because it sounded fanciest – and maybe I just didn’t eat enough of them, but it also didn’t get me buzzed. (I know that’s not necessarily a thing that happens with all liquor, especially in food)
The flavour was what you’d expect knowing it’s orange and chocolate. If you’ve ever had those chocolate oranges that are usually around at Christmas, it tasted like that, but a tad less orange-y.
This was my least favourite flavour out of the box, even after knowing what to expect. I wasn’t surprised by this though, because as I said above, I’m not that big a fan of fruit mixed with chocolate.
Coffee
And that brings us to the last but not least truffle of the box: coffee! This one was probably my second favourite flavour out of the box.
I know what you’re thinking, and I have the answer! I actually Live Chatted with an agent from No Whey! so that I would know whether or not they used decaf or regular coffee for the flavour. The agent told me they used regular coffee, but only used ‘a little bit’ and it was baked into the truffle directly, not added after or anything, so it shouldn’t have any coffee-like affects.
Which I was very glad to hear, because as you know if you’ve been around a while, my body is very sensitive to things like caffeine.
And I’m happy to report: I did not have any trouble with the caffeine from these truffles! So if you’re similarly affected, you can rest easy. Also I was glad to discover the agent didn’t lie about how much was used. (Which I’ve unfortunately experienced in the past)
The truffles tasted how you’d expect if you mixed coffee with chocolate. You could definitely taste the coffee, so if you’re not a fan of that, you’ll probably want to skip this one. The inside of this truffle was also more brownie consistency than the rest of them.
That’s not a complaint though, just an observation!
Overall, I would definitely recommend trying this box of truffles. Especially if you live in the US or find a place to buy them directly that’s less than $75.
The 15 piece box was also a great sample size box to write a review for. Since each flavour had only 3 truffles, there was one initial tester, a second to really think about the flavour and then the last was to be enjoyed like a regular person/non-food blogger. (Or given away to a friend if you didn’t like it)
If you’re not sure if you would seriously enjoy all the flavours, No Whey! also sells each of these flavours in alone, smaller boxes (I believe the single flavours come in a box of 6?), or they have a bigger box if you’re having a party, or know you’ll love them.
So, No Whey! Signature Truffles. Have you tried them? If you have, which flavour is your favourite? If you haven’t, which flavour do you think you’ll like most? Let me know in the comments below!
Hope you all had a relaxing holiday and are ready to get back into a whole new world of content.
I thought I’d start the year off as I’ve been doing for the past couple years now: with my intended zero waste goals!
I find setting these up at the beginning of the year – and re-reading what I hoped to accomplished last year – really helps keep things in perspective of what’s manageable, what I keep putting off, and if I need to change anything to make new goals easier to reach.
So, let’s dive in and see what I said my 2024 goals were going to be:
To-Do list alternatives
Reduce single use paper towels/test out Roll Up bamboo paper towels
Let’s start with the good news first: I found a great To-Do list alternative to the paper notebook lists!
Instead of getting one of those Rocket Notebooks, I ended up just getting a big dry-erase board. I put a very detailed break down of everything on it: daily hour chunk to-dos, month to-dos (for both work and real life), a weekly work-out break down, a Buy Next section (to keep my wallet organized) and the daily general to-do list.
It has been working amazingly well! It’s everything I was looking for in a To-Do list re-placer and then some. Originally, I was just going to get a small one so I could put it beside my laptop and use it strictly as the notebook paper alternative. But then I thought: it makes more sense to just get a big one, so I can replace all my To-Do lists, instead of just the one on my desk!
Then, I got to work mapping it out in Photoshop. I found this sort of break down was great for two reasons: it helped me organize my millions of To-Do lists, and it helped me figure out what size board I needed.
I’d definitely recommend getting a big dry erase board for all you visual organizers out there. It sounds cliche, but this has literally been a game changer for me. Not only is it every To-Do list all in one place (which saves massive amounts of time trying to find them scattered around), it’s also a giant board, so it helps with the visual aspects of having them all right there. There’s no way I can ignore the board.
My only sort of issue with the board, is that it wasn’t cheap. At all. However, for how much paper it’s replacing, and how many years I’m hoping it holds up, I’m thinking it’ll be worth it.
I know I’ve said it before, but the upfront cost vs long-term cost really seems to be a thing with these zero waste alternatives. Which isn’t a bad thing! I just see why some people are adverse to switching. You need slightly more money now, but it’ll save you money later. Unfortunately, humans aren’t so great at the concept of ‘later’, so it doesn’t seem worth it to a lot of people.
Onto the bad news: I did not get a chance to test the Roll Up paperless paper towels or the tissues.
Honestly, some real-life stuff happened that made me get a little behind on work (which you guys hopefully didn’t notice, because I believe all the posts went up on time, but behind-the-scenes, instead of being 3+ months ahead of schedule, I was maybe 1 month ahead, or less) so I forgot.
That said, it didn’t really make a difference, because as I explained in last year’s post, I don’t use tissues very often, and I was able to reduce my paper towel usage significantly by just… using the intended dishware.
So, what are my zero waste goals for 2025?
Honestly, I’m not sure.
I would like to say reducing my plastic bag usage, but as I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t really use them that often (I was also gifted a butt-load of silicone reusable bags last Christmas) so I don’t feel like they’re as big of an ‘issue’ to tackle.
I’m pretty sure I’ve actually cut out all of my biggest single use garbage usage already. Not to sound too high horse-y, but I don’t think there’s another area that’s a really big problem.
I will of course continue working on the smaller aspects: completely switching out paper towels and tissues, completely changing out the single use plastic bags for the silicone ones, etc but I don’t think there’s any real ‘big’ zero waste goal I feel the need to list and tackle this year.
Obviously not saying I’m completely done, I just can’t think of anything as specific as those first few goals.
How about you? Do you have any zero waste problem areas you want to work on this year? Are there any problem areas I’ve mentioned in other posts that you haven’t seen me address that you’re curious about? Have I forgotten any big things?
Let me know in the comments!
Like this article? Check out more zero waste ones here!
“Do you know how much it costs to have marble counters redone?”
“Okay,” Dean stepped out from between the twins to grab his husband by the wrist, dragging him toward the kitchen door, “you guys keep going, I’m gonna talk to Dad alone for a minute.” Once they were through the door, the smile slid off his face, and he raised his eyebrows, “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Cas gestured to the closed door, “They’re-”
“Having fun?” Dean searched his lover’s face, “Since when do you care so much about how messy the kitchen is, anyway?”
“Since I-” Cas suddenly cut himself off then, eyes going wide as he seemingly realized whatever the end of his sentence was going to be. He took in a deep breath, momentarily closing his eyes, “Never mind.”
Dean rolled his eyes at that, “Just tell me.”
The ex-angel winced and shook his head, keeping his eyes closed, “You’re not gonna like it.”
“I don’t like a lot of things, Cas.” Dean chuckled and took a step closer, placing a gentle hand on his arm, “Hey.” After getting him to open his eyes, he searched his face again, “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
Cas chewed his bottom lip for a moment at that, brows pulling down as he considered the offer. After a too-long moment, he nodded, “O-okay.” He took a step backward again – out of the blonde’s reach – and crossed his arms over his chest, casting his gaze to the ground, “So, remember how excited I was at the crazy deal I got on the renovation?”
“Yeah, the company you found did it for like, less than half of all the other guys, right?”
“Y-yeah! Yeah,” Cas let out a defeated breath and cast his gaze to the floor, “Well apparently… there was a reason they were doing renos so cheap.”
“I don’t-” The realization hit Dean like a bolt of lightening and he shook his head, “No.”
Cas backed up another step at the change in tone and nodded, “Yeah…turns out they weren’t an actual company.”
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I hope you all had a relaxing holiday and are ready dive back into a whole new year’s worth of content!
Just a reminder I post new short stories every 2 weeks on Fridays, new articles on the following Mondays, and new product reviews on the 13th of every month!
I can’t wait to see what this year has in store!
Started: 21.04.07
Finished: 25.01.16
Words: 475
NFF, Dark, TW: Torture
You try to swallow around the lump in your throat, willing yourself to stop crying. You take in a shaking breath, arms twitching against the ropes that bound you to the chair, and turn your head uselessly as his footsteps get further away, “W-why are you doing this to me?”
You hear him sigh from somewhere in front of you, and don’t need the blindfold removed to see him deflate at the question, “You still don’t understand?”
You shake your head, “O-of course I don’t… I thought things were fine. I-I thought we were happy. I don’t-” the end of your sentence cuts off into a scream as you feel a white-hot flash hit your stomach.
In the next moment, you can feel his warmth in front of you, “Oh, darling… I was happy.” His voice is soft now, and you can’t help but flinch as you feel his one hand move up to pet your hair, “But you ruined that.”
You sniff as you feel him pull away, “W-what are you talking about? I-I never-”
“I saw the job application!”
You whimper as he pulls on your hair, jerking your head backward, “You were going to leave me, weren’t you?”
“N-no. I,” you swallow thickly, and shake your head the best you can with him still holding you, “I was going to tell you.”
“But you didn’t.”
You can feel fresh tears begin to soak into your blindfold, tracing hot tracks down your face, “I was going to tell you once I heard back from them.” You lick your lips, and take in a breath as you feel his eyes study your face, “I-I didn’t want to get you excited over nothing if I didn’t end up getting it.”
“Get me excited?” His change of tone let’s you instantly know that wasn’t the right phrasing to use, “You think I’m a child? That you need to protect me?”
“No, of course not!”
The air gets punched out of your lungs in the next instant, making you see stars against the darkness.
“Enough lies!”
His warmth his back as you gasp uselessly in an attempt to get your breathing back under control. You feel his weight drop into your lap and for the first time are glad you’re tied to the chair so you don’t get knocked over under the pressure.
His one hand swipes some of the tears off your face while the other begins tracing his knife back over your skin. You can’t help but shiver as you feel the cool steel slide up your arm and across your bare chest.
He notices the shiver and let’s out a dark chuckle, “Don’t worry, darling.” You see another batch of stars as another white-hot flash of pain spreads through you – squelch ringing out over the otherwise silent room, “It’ll all be over soon.”
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Important: This is the last story of 2024! I’ll be taking the last half of December and first half of January off from posting. I’ll be back January 17th, 2025 with the first story of the new year!
Written: 23.12.23
Words: 726
Wee!Chesters, 2024’s 2nd Christmas story
“Uh, Sammy?” Dean’s brows furrowed together as he carefully took a mason jar out of the motel freezer. He turned around, bringing his eyes up to the bed, “What’s this?”
Sammy’s eyes went wide and he shot off the bed, running toward his brother with his arms outstretched, “Be careful with that!”
“Whoa,” Dean stopped the little tornado with a soft hand to his chest. He raised an eyebrow as he held the jar above his head, “You wanna fill me in?”
Sammy huffed at that, as he shot the eldest a pointed look, “It’s Terry.”
“Terry?” The blonde’s face scrunched, “Who the heck is-” He cut himself off as he remembered the name, “Your snowman?” At the nod, he couldn’t help but look between his brother and the jar, “Okaaay… and why did you put him in the freezer?”
“They were plowing the parking lot!”
“Oh, yeah, of course. How stupid of me.”
Sammy huffed at his brother’s sarcastic tone and rolled his eyes again, making a grab for the jar, “I couldn’t let them kill him!”
Dean couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at that, “What?”
“They would’ve completely destroyed him.” Sammy shook his head and lowered his eyes to the ground, “I couldn’t let that happen.”
At the sudden serious shift, Dean raised an eyebrow, “You do know he’s just a snowman, right? He’s not real?”
“I know!” He stomped his foot in agitation and brought his eyes back to his brother’s face. After a moment of searching, he sighed, “Just forget it.” He turned around, heading back over to the bed, “It doesn’t matter.”
“Whoa, hey,” Dean took a couple steps after him, “You just… don’t care anymore?”
At the sullen shrug, Dean sighed, why does he have to be such a…child about things? He scrubbed his free hand down his face as he stared at the jar, what’s the point of saving a bunch of frozen water? It’s not like he could’ve thought it’d last long. Dad’s gonna be back tonight and then-
The blonde cut off his train of thought as the idea hit him like a lightening bolt. His head whipped up to stare at his now-depressed brother, who was hunched over on their shared bed, no… Dean swallowed thickly, no. There’s no way…
He forced himself to take in a deep breath before making his way over to the bed. He cleared his throat and tried to swallow down the lump as he saw what his brother was holding, “W-whatcha reading, there?”
The youngest sighed at that – the kind of sigh one let’s out when they realize they’re out of options – and slowly turned to face his brother, revealing the book that was sitting open on his lap.
Dean felt his blood run cold as he saw it was their Dad’s journal. He quickly snatched it out of his lap, “Where did you get this?”
“It was under our pillow.”
Dean closed his eyes, feeling like a knife stabbed his heart as he heard his brother’s monotone voice, no. Not yet… he’s too small. “Y-you shouldn’t have this.”
“I’m not stupid, Dean.” At the nearly snapping of the blonde’s neck at the sentence as he turned back around, Sammy shrugged, “Dad comes in covered in blood all the time…”
“B-but-”
“I figured out a while ago he was killing things,” Sammy shook his head, eyes drifting to the jar that was still in the eldest’s hand, “I just wanted to save something for once.”
Dean open and closed his mouth a few times, searching for the right words. But what could he say? His brother could never un-know what he’d learned… maybe it was selfish of him to want to keep it from him – he’d never gotten a chance to be a child, so he’d wanted Sammy to have that chance.
Dean stared down at the jar in his hands, boring holes into the two lumps of coal that were packed against the side. It only took him a moment longer of staring before he finally made his way back over to the freezer. He gently placed the jar back in it and nodded to himself, good.
He felt his brother’s questioning look before he even turned away from the freezer. Once their eyes connected, he plastered a smirk onto his face, “What? I like Terry.”
I want to say a big thank-you to all my readers! You guys are amazing and I am grateful every day that I have the support to get to do what I love.
I hope you all have a great holiday season if you celebrate, and if you don’t, I hope you still find time to relax and reset before diving into 2025.
I’ll see you in the new year!
AI
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