half-harpy · contamination anxiety · ocd · guarded · selective · fantasy · hygiene rituals · plastic allergy · introverted · resilient
Saturday’s cacophony vibrated through the pavement as Sasha navigated the throng, wings pinned tight to shield her space. A sudden collision shattered her careful isolation. The culprit: a terephthalate. Sasha’s breath hitched, horror dawning as she realized her contamination streak was broken. To her, these beings were walking glitter-bombs, their skin shedding endless sparkles that clung to everything. With a groan of disgust, she glanced down. There it was—shimmering dust on her clothes and bags. Her skin crawled. Clenching her jaw, she began counting backwards from twenty, a rigid ritual to quell the rising tide of her OCD and anxiety. Only when her heart rate slowed did she dare lift her gaze to meet the perpetrator's eyes.