cg!adult!misty quigley bedtime blurb to go along with the headcanoons + bedtime routine posts
misty checks the clock at exactly 8:57. you’re three minutes early. perfect. she likes it when the evening follows the rhythm she’s put in place, like the way a metronome guides a song; soft tick, soft tock. predictable and safe.
the room smells faintly of lavender scented detergent and something sugary from that night’s dessert -- the ‘worm in dirt’ cup of pudding you’d made earlier that afternoon. the night light hums. it’s a gentle, amber glow in the corner. it’s already perfect, but misty fuses with it anyway, muttering something about it being ‘too bright’.
you’re already tucked in, knees curled beneath the quilt she folded at exact ninety-degree angles. misty smoothes a wrinkle from the edge even if she doesn’t need to. you know why everything has to be perfect; or at least, you know it makes mama feel good which is a good enough answer for you.
“comfy?” mama asks. it’s not really a question so you don’t extend the energy to answer verbally; instead, you just nod. misty knew it already, though, she could tell. you always give yourself away with the way your shoulders drop. misty catalogues the habit like data.
it’s affection disguised as observation.
misty sits on the edge of your bed, that night’s story in hand. the cover is worn, the kind of story she’s read to you a million times. you never mind though. just like her, she knows your find comfort in patterns. in the safety of knowing what comes next.
her voice starts steady, almost clinical, before it softens without her permission. “and the rabbit said, ‘what is real?’” she reads, her eyes flicking up to watch your expression. you blink slowly, heavy-lidded, and misty feels something warm and small twist in her chest.
halfway through the story, you shift. a quiet sound escapes, a wordless little noise that makes her pause. “you’re fine,” she says, far too quickly, before her voice softens again. “you’re okay, bug.” her hand hesitates above the blanket before settling. her fingertips brush your arm, and that’s it, but the small contact grounds the both of you.
she keeps reading. the rhythm steadies her pulse. by the final paragraph, your breathing has gone soft and even. misty closes the book softly, tracing the spine with her thumb. she should leave now, switch off the lamp, log the time in her notepad, but she doesn’t.
instead, she sits there and watches you sleep. not in the frightening way people think when they talk about her, but in the way she wants people to see her: attentive, present, needed.
you murmur something indecipherable, drowsy. misty leans in close enough to hear the sound, then whispers back, “sweet dreams, sweetheart.”
she smooths the blanket one last time, stands, and checks the night light before slipping out. in the hallway, she exhales, just once, quiet and satisfied. her checklist cycles through in her mind - diner, bath, story, sleep. all done. perfect order.
still, misty lingers by the doorway longer than she needs to, hand resting on the frame. she tells herself she’s ensuring you're settled properly, but really, she just likes the sound of your steady breathing. proof that, for tonight, she’s done something right.
posting in honor of feeding tube awareness week! every image on here is significant & will be explained below the cut, with more info/hcs on jackie and her condition!
in general, opening a conversation about feeding tubes & normalizing them is so so so important to me. so if you have any questions, thoughts, or requests regarding jackie please feel free to send me an ask and i’d be very happy to respond!!
𑣲 jackie decorates her pumps to make them feel less medical. her room is already overtaken by medical supplies, she needs to find the joy where she can
𑣲 similarly, jackie loves having doodles on her feed bags. often times nat will draw on them for her or write an encouraging messages. often some variation of “i can do hard things” when jackie is struggling with tube feed intolerance
𑣲 jackie has beads of courage to symbolize her journey. each color represents something different - a night spent in the hospital, IV/blood draw, tube exchange, surgery, etc. jackie hangs them her IV pole with pride
𑣲 it’s often very therapeutic for her to string the beads and organize them into piles. it helps jackie put into perspective what she’s overcome and how far she’s come. sometimes it can be hard for her to look at - the ever growing reminder of the trauma. but nat says it shows her strength. she has made it this far, she has it in her to keep going.
𑣲 jackie has so many fun tubie pads, port covers, and clips. they help keep her tubing organized and her stoma clean. and just as important - they’re fun! jackie loves matching them to her outfit or finding ones in fun shapes. it makes her tube feel more like an accessory and less like a medical device.
𑣲 laura lee, who has always been very crafty, learns how to sew them for her. she also makes organizational cases for jackie’s syringes, as jackie is always losing them.
𑣲 jackie has various dolls & stuffed animals with nasal and/or surgical tubes to match hers. they bring her a sense of comfort (she always brings her tubie bunny to the hospital with her) and the representation is so important. she never sees herself out in the world, but at least she can have a doll that she matches
Earth Day is a global holiday celebrated each year on April 22. It is dedicated to the conservation and protection of our planet and raising awareness of environmental issues to encourage people to take action in order to benefit the earth. It aims to increase our understanding of the environment and motivate individuals to take steps to safeguard our planet and help it to flourish.
Ways to help can include:
🌱Planting trees and flowers
🌱Choose eco-friendly products
🌱Removing litter
🌱Reducing waste
🌱Reduce heavy water usage
🌱Reusing and recycling
🌱Reducing energy consumption
Activities for Age Regressors:
🌻 Write an appreciation letter to Mother Earth
🌻 Create arts and crafts using recycled materials
🌻 Make a cardboard bird feeder
🌻 Create a mini insect hotel
🌻 Make a poster about Earth/Nature/Animals
🌻 Create a poster to inform you about how to save energy then hang it up so you won’t forget
𖧧 activities for regressors who love being in nature
🪨 make your own pet rock!
find a rock, any size, shape, and color you want. i personally prefer medium circular rocks. make sure it's pretty smooth! that'll help when you pencil your design on it, or just go for it with paint! you can paint on a mouth, eyes (or use googly eyes), hair, etc. then you can display your new little friend wherever you want!
🌿 put nature on paper with texture rubbing!
gather a piece of blank (white or light colored) paper, a pencil/colored pencil/crayon, tape (optional), and something with texture from outside, like a leaf, a rock, tree bark, a flower, etc. you'll put that under the paper (tape it to the table if ya want) and gently rub the pencil/crayon over it until you can see the shape!
🖼️ capture some cutie little clouds!
sit outside/near a window and draw some clouds you see in the sky! i like to give mine silly faces :3
🚸 take a nature walk!
a nature walk is pretty much what it sounds like: a walk in nature. BUT! this time, make an effort to notice the things you see, hear, and feel. you could also write about it when you get home! what animals did you see? what was the weather like? what did you hear (cars/birds/people)? this part would be extra fun for kiddos who like writing, science, or math!
shoutout to autistic age regressors who have their autism as a very major part of the reason why they regress.
a major reason why i personally age regress and get the urge to regress is because as an undiagnosed autistic child i was not ready for the rate at which new expectations were given to me.
it's understandable to wanna be tiny when people expected you to meet milestones that you weren't able to meet.
it's understandable to wanna be tiny when infancy seems like the only years where the expectations aren't scary and/or unreasonable.
so, when i first started with Interview with the Vampire, the like small headspaces upon seeing Claudia were like 'oh cool older sister/ older girl at school that everyone thinks is so so cool. i love her'. So I give you Claudia moodboard hours. I dont have words for my thoughts so I'll leave it there.
image credits- https://pin.it/1sPLcnUPi
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