#'tension migraines' gimme a break

[queenlucythevaliant]

Want to rant about this post, because it makes me seethe every time I come across it. Nothing against anyone who's reblogged it, just want to give my two cents.

A migraine is NOT the same as a bad headache! Migraine a specific neurological condition which is frequently (though not always) characterized by headache, as well as numerous other symptoms. They're caused by some combination of nerve inflammation and uneven vasoconstriction/dialation in the brain. As such, there's no such thing as a "sinus migraine" or a "tension migraine."

Acupressure and massage *may* help to relieve some measure of migraine pain if you can stand being touched long enough, but it won't help the underlying neurological condition, which is more similar to a slow-motion seizure than any other type of headache. I'm sure pressure helps with tension headaches and maybe other types of headaches, as described, but those are not migraines! Words have meanings, gang.

However, in calling these non-migraine headaches "migraines" and then suggesting that they are easy to treat in this manner, the post suggests that migraines are a much lighter matter than they actually are. This, and discussions like this, cause real migraine to be taken less seriously by the culture at large.

Fundamentally, the thing about the original post that irritates me so much is that basically none of the people on it seem to have any idea what migraine actually is. There's been a move in recent years to try to make people more aware that medical language is very specific and shouldn't be abused (ie OCD isn't just "having a messy room bothers me," it's a specific disorder that, if untreated, can massively harm people's lives), which I think is great. At the same time, there's a growing tendency to pathologize everything, from personality tics to low-grade headaches, often in the strongest terms possible. While I'm not for the policing of language in general, I do feel that it's at best insensitive and at worst actively harmful to use specific medical terms in situations where they simply don't apply.

Most headaches are not migraines. Speaking as though they are leads to a misinformed attitude around migraine which suggests that everybody gets them, they're easy to treat, and they're not that bad actually. This attitude has caused me material difficulty so many times over the last nine years that I couldn't even being to tally it.

[starshideurfics]

Thirsty Thursday - Ring my bell, part 5

part 4

steddie, omegaverse, flagging/signaling culture, there’s plot now, in the smut, mdni 🔞

Eddie is surprised when he walks up to his dealing table and sees Chrissy Cunningham waiting in her cheer uniform. He considers turning around then and there, not wanting to risk her jock boyfriend coming to look for her and going all feral on him and bashing his face in. But he really needs to save his money, so turning down a paying customer isn’t something he can do.

He considers walking again when she startles so badly, but mostly he’s worried about her. She’s got blockers on, so he can’t scent much from her, but the tension in her shoulders tells him enough. The girl needs weed, or some xannies. All Eddie’s got on him is weed though, so it’ll have to do.

She’s still so jumpy, so Eddie hams it up, trips over himself to get her to laugh because laughter is easy. He shifts enough that the guitar pick he wears around his neck sneaks out from his collar.

Chrissy’s been fiddling with her own necklace—a padlock, just like Steve’s—and she asks, “What’s that one mean?” and then turning beet red. “Sorry, I just- You’ve always had the rings, didn’t think necklaces were your thing.”

“They’re not. But… Easy to keep a pick handy.” He pulls the chain forward, revealing the pendant it came with, the guitar pick a convenient excuse. Chrissy’s eyes go wide at the little anatomical heart, pierced with an arrow, and Eddie grins. “Gift from the prettiest omega I know.”

“Oh…” She shrinks in on herself again, and he knows he has to get her laughing.

“Second I scented him, thwp!” He clutches dramatically at his chest, mimes being shot through the heart and falls off the bench. Eddie pops back up. “It’s like he just gets me, about everything.” He tucks the necklace away, swings his legs back around the bench, and pulls out his lunchbox, offering her a discount on the already jacked up price for an ounce.

“Do you have anything… stronger?” Chrissy asks, glancing over her shoulder again, like she’s being watched.

“Not with me. Possession is 9/10s of the law or whatever, so best not to have anything too hard on me. And really, you should start with the weed.”

She nods, blue eyes so big in her face. “But, what if it isn’t enough?”

He pulls out a pen, writes down his number on her hand. “It’s spring break, so you can’t drop a note in my locker. Gimme a call, and I’ll see what I can rustle up.” He knows he’s got some Special K squirreled away, for in case Steve gets one of his bad migraines and he wants to sleep through it. “Or check the medicine cabinet—see if your mom’s got a secret Xanax script. One of those will melt your worries.”

“Okay, yeah. Thanks.” She smiles, and it looks real enough. She pushes herself up to standing.

“So do you want the weed?” Eddie joggles the baggie in front of her.

“Right, sorry! Yes, I do.” She reaches into the band of her skirt and pulls out a couple fives, trading him for the weed.

Eddie schools his face when he takes them from her. “Pleasure doing business. I hope it helps.”

“Me too.”

He watches her leave, the bills sitting close enough to her skin and sweat that they stink with her scent. Eddie thinks it’s vaguely fruity, but it’s too covered over in acrid fear that he isn’t sure at all.

💍💘🐽

Eddie sees Steve across the parking lot, the basketball game getting out the same time as Hellfire, and he has to clench his fist to keep from waving. He wants to run to him, kiss him, sweep him into his arms and deposit him safely into his van so they can drive home together.

Instead, he bids the guys goodnight and drives to Forest Hills alone. He beats Steve by more than 20 minutes, since he has to give Robin a ride home. Which means Eddie can do a modicum of cleaning, including rearranging the blankets and pillows on his bed to be a little more nest-like for Steve’s comfort.

Steve doesn’t knock, just comes straight in, and Eddie races to him. “Hey, Puppy, how’d the game go?” he asks, kissing him hello, waiting for an answer before going total horndog on him.

“Lucas scored the game-winning basket, so please have the guys congratulate him next week.” Steve has already complained about Eddie’s refusal to hold the game for Lucas, even took away his pussy privileges for a week until he’d groveled and explained how he had the entire year planned out, he couldn’t skip a week since he was finally graduating. This campaign was his baby!

And Steve liked the sound of Eddie graduating, so he was willing to forgive this one discretion.

“Of course, Stevie. And Erica held her own. You should be proud of your youngest.” He grins wide, and Steve fondly rolls his eyes.

“Please stop talking about the twerps like I birthed them.”

“But that’s what you want, isn’t it?” He sinks down to his knees, puts himself level with Steve’s crotch. “Want a pup of your own,” he murmurs, hand coming up to cradle Steve’s belly, “Right here.”

Eddie smells it when Steve slicks his pants, his sweetness sickly with his desperation for that little dream.

“Want you to shut up and fuck me already,” Steve moans, gripping Eddie by the collar and pulling him to his feet. He’s sloppy as he kisses him, and Eddie purrs.

He loves Steve and Steve loves him, and they both see their future together. He’s really getting sick of waiting for that future to start. But at least he gets to take Steve to bed right now.

🍃🍃🍃

The next morning, the basketball team wakes up in the shell of Benny’s Burgers. There’s blood and black on the ceiling, and Chrissy Cunningham’s broken body on the floor. It takes nearly an hour for the boys to stop screaming long enough to call the police.

Part 6

[doriansbutt]

I’ve had this shitty like...sinus+tension headache-sometimes-migraine for like a week now and it keeps changing sides so as soon as I’m free from like 3 day pain on one side it just moves over like bitch pls gimme a break I got stuff to do

[decimusquartus]

Thanos the Rad Titan - Blast IT, not THEM! (Chapter 10)

Chapter 1 or  ( Part One )    Chapter 2 or   (Part Two) Chapter 3  or (Part Three) Chapter 4 or (Part Four)   Chapter 5 or here

Chapter 6 or here Chapter 7 or here  Chapter 8 or here

Chapter 9 or here

That’s me (and also here)

So, we’re at the starting line. There’s so much tension coming, going and colliding,  feels like there’s going to be the birth of one new universe. Or we’re all just going to implode, dragged by our very own charged emotional baggage and high stakes.

Thanos keeps tinkering with the thrusters and booster engines. I'm feeding off the noise.

‘You think we can outrun this guy? ‘Cause to me, he’s the type of guy who’s fast enough to make parcels look like time units.’

‘Whelp, if I were you, I would let me think and charge these thrusters to maximum capacity. All you need to worry about is keeping me on board, because if we lose, I shall grand your head to my parasites as their new toy.’

‘Wow, aren’t you motivational,’ I grovel, doing lunges and stretches. I practice some manoeuvres with my own board and then I hear Thanos’s begrudging roar of impatience.

‘Let’s race!’

‘This one will be remembered,’ Silver Surfer says, crouching and looking bullet-like.  

‘You got that right,’ I growl, getting on Thanos’s board once more. I take a deep breath and try to get into some kind of racing mentality. ‘It’s now or never. Let’s just rev up, pump up and blast this.’

I try doing some meaningful breathing, hoping to purge myself of stress and extra tension but it’s no good. I’m hooked on the board.

Navvir says he’ll shoot a flare and when it dies out, we’re off.

The Silver Surfer fires his shot and it travels brilliantly around the planet. It keeps going until it’s no more, its energy spent.

Just like that we’re off.

I guess from behind we must be rockin' the whole flare look, like Navvir’s flare, ‘cause damnit we are blazin’ fast. I fashion my telekinetic control to be thin and webbed tightly all over the board.

‘Come on,’ I growl as Space Kahuna takes the lead. The more I push, the more it grows on me: an emotion of burning up, like there are wicks coming out of each one of my pores and slowly, painstakingly, they catching fire.

I keep my head down and try to maintain stability and smoothness. Even though I’m used to sudden speed bursts and the device Thanos had given me is fruitful protection, after that second burst, I’m experiencing this whole thing of skin peeling-off.

‘First turn. Hold on, Titan,’ I growl through gritting teeth as I sharply force that turn. We cut Silver and take the lead. Adrenaline’s blasting all the way up to my ears.

‘If the next corner is as sharp as this, we’ll chop that planet’s moon in half,’ Thanos says and I shoot him a feeling glance.

He’s actually leaning, looking hungry and be on the pray for the victory.

‘You’re enjoyin’ this, ain’t you?’ I grovel, pushing me and the board some more. His cape is flapping, highlighting him with a slow-motion finale, as its tips pierced the gravity/atmosphere bubble. I stretch my head forward, in my mind looking like that figurehead of a ship.

Silver dashes to our side, leaving one continuous trail of nigh-endless energy. Thanos roars and I fell the whole board shaking and rippling as we go in another speed blast.

‘Second turn. Here we go.’

Sure, Thanos would kill me but his? Right there? The worlds are hurried blurs that I wouldn’t see but still, in my head it’s kind of encouragement to keep going.

‘One more planet and the asteroid field till we taste victory,’ Thanos howls with some timbre blooming in his voice, which I could identify as joy.

'Sure, no stress,' I growled, kissing my teeth.

My heart keeps pushing itself and I’m pretty sure that my pupils are dilating to limits never reached before. My body’s getting that feeling like an eyeball that hasn’t blinked for a long time. Tenderness is slowly growing to rawness and then in a piercing physical pain, as I snarl to push some more for an extra thrust, with Thanos blasting plasma fire from his fist, for even more speed.

After the second turn, we are leading. My hair get a gradual feeling of sparks are shooting out of it. When Silver reaches us, once again I take a breath long enough to be a world’s atmosphere. I force the board to one great side-glide and push us more.

I don’t want to glance at my own hands. Even through the soft fabric of my hoodie’s sleeves I can see the veins throbbing and convulsing. My nails have rocketing sensation to their end, like they are about to shoot off. Whatever is coursing through me isn’t really blood any more. It boils and churns like lava, trying to break free and cover me in it. But then its searing undefinable energy erupts, instantaneous combustion, with an unstoppable flow to it. Like there’s nothing more than telekinetic energy left in me.

I scream as we are closing in the asteroid field. Silver Surfer and Polka-dress are right by our side.  I can barely afford turning but I am seeing that I’m giving Surfer a run for his power.

‘This is it, Thanos. You game?’

‘Are you talking to me, Thanos, or to yourself?’ the speeding juggernaut behind me muses.

It’s the big final push. I give everything I have. Energy bursts all over my face, hands and toes. That´s all. I experience what feels like a star dying right in my very heart. I’m going nova. Superkinetic mind you, but nova nonetheless.

Yeah when I wake up my senses are raw, painful and searing me worse than my worse leg day so far, matched with some broken bones from skating.

‘What’s happenin’?’ I stammer as my vision keeps adjusting into that big blue blur right in front of me.

‘Earth. Is this Earth? Where am I?’

I’m hungry. I mean in space, everyone can hear my stomach-rumbles.

‘We’re on your Moon.’

Thanos’s voice brings some painful memories back. I shiver, thinking that eruption from before.

‘Did we win?’

‘No.’ Thanos scoffs. ‘You passed out, destroying half of the asteroid field.’

‘Cool. Smashin’ stuff in space with my mindpower. This is goin’ into m CV and personal statement, by the way.’

‘Dawn, the Silver Surfer’s human, took some pictures with your phone. To remember this.’ He tosses me my phone.

I grab it and go through them, seeing them having fun and me passed out.

‘Hold up! How did you get the password to my phone?’

‘Telepathy,’ he replies tapping his skull and I’ve never felt more terrified. ‘There is something I need to tell you, whelp.’

‘Yeah?’

‘I shall not kill you.’

Yeah, I’d be really excited about this, but I have a migraine the size of Hulk’s biceps and I am calling it a day.

‘Cool. Care to tell me why?’ I ask and go hopping around on some low-gravity moon dust.

‘Because you have shown me the potential to maybe beat the same name as the Mad Titan.’

‘I’m tellin’ you dude. You should change it to the Rad Titan. You raced the Silver Surfer on a board. If that’s not rad then I don’t know what is.’ I approach him and see him standing up.

‘Thanos the Lesser Titan, I shall tell you that you have the powers, that you are on the right pathway of thinking and you are trying to learn more for these humanity sciences.’ Thanos comes up to me and instructs me carefully, like he’s bequeathing wisdom or something.

‘Well, creative writing is my dream. Also, I know it sounds weird, but do you mind bein’ a reference for my Master’s application?’

‘You want me to be your reference?’ Thanos tilts his head, casting his gaze on Earth.

‘You can monitor my education. But I’m really heavy on developing homicidal and annihilating tendencies or feelings in the future.’

‘Puh!’ Thanos scoffs. ‘You’ll get around. You’re a Thanos.’

‘The Lesser Titan, mind you. So, you’ll be droppin’ me home?’

‘Sure. But you cannot keep the board. And if you tell anyone what happened, I shall destroy you.’ He doesn’t need to gimme a show of potential death that he’ll rain down on me.

‘Come on. I matched you in battle. This has to go in my CV.’

‘And if they don’t accept you, I’m coming down on Earth.’

‘Ah, that’s actually sweet. And awfully alarming. I will mention it to them though.’ I shrug. I manage a smile before the teleportation bring me at my flat’s balcony.

I look around and just embrace that warmth down to my beaten bones and skin full of welts.

‘Alright. Wi-fi. Post pictures. Sleep of some days. Then maybe go skateboarding.’

I actually hover my loser, beaten-across-some-galaxy-ass to my bed and sleep.

Thanos the Mad Titan (or Rad Titan to me) wasn’t that bad. Take the word of Thanos, the Lesser Titan for it.