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Language:
English
Series:
Part 2 of the right knife
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Published:
2024-01-13
Completed:
2024-01-14
Words:
526
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
16
Kudos:
43
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2
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how to pin an insect

Summary:

herbert west considers the logistics of capturing and pinning a favored specimen, and narrates his how-to guide on emotional manipulation.

or, "improper use of entomology needles"

[now with fanart]

Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

STEP ONE

 

the exoskeleton will be brittle and resistant. bury it in damp paper towels, enclose it in a box. let the chitin soften to the warm water until it becomes pliant.

dazzle him with your genius until he believes in you wholeheartedly. show him the potential held in your hands, tell him he is the only one who could help you make this miracle. promise him power over living and dead alike. blur the bounds man has invented until he agrees there never should have been any in the first place.

 

 

 

STEP TWO

 

when the specimen is relaxed, loosen its joints by spreading the limbs. adjust the antennae with a toothpick. gently stretch the legs with tweezers to ensure it will not break later on. consider your final intentions with the project.

test the limits, seek out the boundaries. learn what you can get away with in front of him. learn what you cannot. pinpoint the instinctive reactions as you continue with your work and learn how to overpower them. when your life is threatened, prove yourself infallible. when your work is threatened, prove yourself dangerous. remind him of the final intention of the project.

 

 

 

STEP THREE

 

hold the specimen's thorax between your thumb and forefinger. with gentle pressure, it will easily spread its wings to you. find the line in the middle of the specimen's thorax and place the head of a pin slightly to the right of the split. push the pin fully through to the board below. this will act as both a pin and a handle for complete control of the specimen's movement.

when he has unintentionally betrayed the softness of his heart, the sincerity of his intentions - ever the hero, or at least he would like to be – tell him that this is its own redemption. where everything else, including himself, has failed, you will triumph over death. when he starts to waver, make him an offer he cannot refuse - give him exactly what he wants most, even if you both know he can never truly have it, and stab him through the heart with the possibility. when he reaches for the potentiality you share, let him have that, too. put the illusion of control in his hands, just this once, just to watch his face while it happens.

 

 

 

STEP FOUR

 

with the specimen held in place, use forceps to stretch and bend the limbs. unfold the dead wings from its body and guide them into posing for you. pin an outline around the shape of the wings. overlap pins over each limb without directly stabbing through. it may take several attempts to obtain the desired position. leave the specimen to dry into your chosen pose.

consider removing the wings entirely, then decide against it. the pin holds fast in the soft tissue, and to struggle now would be to widen the wound, to have it tear through his flesh on the way. he has nothing else to fly to, now, and never the motivation to attempt it, anyway. if nothing else, you have this achievement - for all intents and purposes, he may as well be framed on your wall.

Notes:

as always, comments, critical or otherwise, are greatly appreciated

beta read by the freakish craniectomy, who also writes for reanimator -- go read their stuff, too

Chapter 2

Summary:

look at this. cannot describe how honored i am that i inspired this. art by @craniectomy, read their fic i'm serious

Chapter Text

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