#like the brain fog and difficulty moving and dizziness

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

I'm so tired but I feel so ill that I can't sleep. I'm in hell

[underneaththatblackblanket]

"The 200+ Symptoms of Fibromyalgia"

(Note: Some symptoms may overlap)

GENERAL

1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level

2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)

3. Cough

4. Craving carbohydrates

5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events

6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth

7. Edema (Oedema)

8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia

9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress

10. Feeling cold often

11. Feeling hot often

12. Frequent sighing

13. Heart palpitations

14. Hoarseness

15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)

16. Increased thirst

17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)

19. Low-grade fevers

20. Night sweats

21. Noisy joints – with or without pain

22. Poor circulation in hands/feet

23. Profuse sweating

24. Recurrent flu-like illness

25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion

26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)

27. Sore throat

28. Subjective swelling of extremities – (feels swollen Bu can’t find anything)

29. Sweats

30. Symptoms worsened by air travel

31. Symptoms worsened by stress

32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes

33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms

34. Tremor or trembling

35. Unexplained weight gain or loss

PAIN

36. Abdominal wall pain

37. Bad hip pain

38. Burning Nerve Pain

39. Chest pain

40. Collarbone pain

41. Diffuse swelling

42. Elbow pain

43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain

44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing

45. Headache – tension or migraine

46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage

47. Joint pain

48. Lumpy, tender breasts

49. Morning stiffness

50. Muscle pain - widespread

51. Muscle spasms

52. Muscle twitching

53. Muscle weakness

54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe

55. Pain that moves around the body

56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg

57. Restless Leg Syndrome

58. Rib Pain

59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)

60. Sciatica-like pain

61. Tender points or trigger points

62. TMJ syndrome

63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places

NEUROLOGICAL

64. Blackouts

65. Brain fog

66. Carpal Tunnel

67. Feeling spaced out

68. Hallucinating smells

69. Inability to think clearly

70. Lightheadedness

71. Noise intolerance

72. Numbness or tingling sensations

73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)

74. Seizures

75. Seizure-like episodes

76. Sensation that you might faint

77. Syncope (fainting)

78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)

79. Vertigo or dizziness

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

80. Bumping into things

81. Clumsy Walking

82. Difficulty balancing

83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)

84. Directional disorientation

85. Dropping things frequently

86. Feeling spatially disoriented

87. Frequent tripping or stumbling

88. Not seeing what you’re looking at

89. Poor balance and coordination

90. Staggering gait

SLEEP

91. Alertness/energy best late at night

92. Altered sleep/wake schedule

93. Awakening frequently

94. Difficulty falling asleep

95. Difficulty staying asleep

96. Excessive sleeping

97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night

98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments

99. Fatigue

100. Light or broken sleep pattern

101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night

102. Narcolepsy

103. Sleep disturbances

104. Sleep starts or falling sensations

105. Teeth grinding - "Bruxism"

106. Tossing and turning

107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep

108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares

EYES/VISION

109. Blind spots in vision

110. Eye pain

111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another

112. Frequent changes in ability to see well

113. Night driving difficulty

114. Occasional Blurry vision

115. Poor night vision

116. Rapidly worsening vision

117. Vision changes

COGNITIVE

118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

119. Confusion

120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words

121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)

122. Difficulty following directions while driving

123. Difficulty following oral instructions

124. Difficulty following written instructions

125. Difficulty making decisions

126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

127. Difficulty paying attention

128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture

129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

130. Difficulty recognizing faces

131. Difficulty speaking known words

132. Difficulty remembering names of objects

133. Difficulty remembering names of people

134. Difficulty understanding what you read

135. Difficulty with long-term memory

136. Difficulty with simple calculations

137. Difficulty with short-term memory

138. Easily distracted during a task

139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally

140. Feeling too disoriented to drive

141. Forgetting how to do routine things

142. Impaired ability to concentrate

143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings

144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors

147. Poor judgment

148. Short term memory impairment

149. Slowed speech

150. Staring into space trying to think

151. Stuttering; stammering

152. Switching left and right

153. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak

154. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write

155. Trouble concentrating

156. Using the wrong word

157. Word-finding difficulty

EMOTIONAL

158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings

159. Anger outbursts

160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause

161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage

162. Decreased appetite

163. Depressed mood

164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

165. Fear of someone knocking on the door

166. Fear of telephone ringing

167. Feeling worthless

168. Frequent crying

169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms

170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

171. Irrational fears

172. Irritability

173. Overreaction

174. Panic attacks

175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition

176. Phobias

177. Suicide attempts

178. Suicidal thoughts

179. Tendency to cry easily

GASTROINTESTINAL

180. Abdominal cramps

181. Bloating

182. Decreased appetite

183. Food cravings

184. Frequent constipation

185. Frequent diarrhea

186. Gerd-like Symptoms

187. Heartburn

188. Increased appetite

189. Intestinal gas

190. Irritable bladder - "Angry Bladder Syndrome"

191. Irritable bowel syndrome - IBS-C, IBS-D

192. Nausea

193. Regurgitation

194. Stomachache

195. Vomiting

196. Weight gain - unexplained

197. Weight loss - unexplained

UROGENITAL

198. Decreased libido (sex drive)

199. Endometriosis

200. Frequent urination

201. Impotence

202. Menstrual problems

203. Painful urination or bladder pain - "Interstitial Cystitis"

204. Pelvic pain

205. Prostate pain

206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS or PMDD)

SENSITIVITIES

207. Alcohol intolerance

208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)

209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.

211. Sensitivities to foods

212. Sensitivity to light

213. Sensitivity to mold

214. Sensitivity to noise

215. Sensitivity to odors

216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)

217. Sensory overload

218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes

219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes

220. Vulvodynia

SKIN

221. Able to “write” on skin with finger

222. Bruising easily

223. Bumps and lumps

224. Eczema or psoriasis

225. Hot/dry skin

226. Ingrown hairs

227. Itchy/Irritable skin

228. Mottled skin

229. Rashes or sores

230. Scarring easily

231. Sensitivity to the sun

232. Skin suddenly turns bright red

CARDIOVASCULAR (Heart)

233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope

234. Fluttery heartbeat

235. Heart palpitations

236. Irregular heartbeat

237. Loud pulse in ear

238. Pain that mimics heart attack - "Costochondritis"

239. Rapid heartbeat

HAIR/NAILS

240. Dull, listless hair

241. Heavy and splitting cuticles

242. Irritated nail beds

243. Nails that curve under

244. Pronounced nail ridges

245. Temporary hair loss

OTHER

246. Canker sores

247. Dental problems

248. Disk Degeneration

​249. Hemorrhoids

250. Nose bleeds

251. Periodontal (gum) disease

252. Need for early hysterectomy

[squirrel-art]

Finished my little compilation of Sav and her mobility aids! ID in alt for each.

Disclaimer that I'm able-bodied & open to criticism about my portrayal! Also I realized belatedly her rollator is parked in a way that would, in fact, not keep it from rolling the fuck around, my bad.

Further details about my design philosophy/Sav's symptoms under the cut.

I played Savtas through Consular Story Chapter 1 in Full Good Girl Mode, saving all the Jedi and using the shielding ritual whenever prompted. The side effects of the rituals are vague and inconsequential in-game so as to make the job of the writers and programmers easier; characters comment worriedly about the fact that you "look tired" and not much else.

Fortunately, I have none of these restrictions. I don't know how to scientifically quantify "life-essence", but in my canon the energy required to create and maintain the shields comes right out of the body of the shielder, and behaves first and foremost like a faster-than-sustainable burning of calories. In the short-term, Sav became dangerously malnourished and fatigued; in the long-term she developed PoTS and what I've been glibly referring to as "Force fibro" in my brain, because the symptoms she experiences are the similar to that of those who suffer from fibromyalgia in real life: chronic pain, chronic fatigue, disordered sleep, and brain fog.

Some of those physical symptoms are ameliorated via use of a mobility aid, so she's tried out a couple different types.

Rollator

Sav's mobility aid of choice, purchased somewhere at the beginning of Ch 2. Sav is prone to dizziness and fatigue, and has less difficulty walking than she does standing for long periods; the rollator helps keep her balance and gives her somewhere to sit for short spells when she needs to.

The wheels do make this device better for navigating flatter and more even ground, but I imagine she can swap the wheels out for all-terrain varieties. I wonder if you could put blades on them like ice skates, to move around on places like Hoth? Well, the brakes wouldn't work, so probably not.

As mentioned in a previous post on my other sideblog, the design and colors are meant to evoke the pillars of the old Jedi Temple on Coruscant. This model is bespoke, created to Savvy's whimsical specifications. It wasn't even that expensive; you'd be surprised how many discounts people are willing to offer a Jedi!

Chair

A gift from the Jedi Council upon her defeat of Terrak Morrhage and the subsequent quelling of the Force plague. It's a more expensive model, and comes with a sturdy stand to rest it on when it's charging or not in use.

Design inspo drawn from both canon sources and the wonderful hermitmoss' hoverchair headcanons post!

I deliberated for a while as to whether Sav would have been given a wheelchair or a hoverchair. I settled on hoverchair mostly because Sav wanted a certain level of independence in her movement, but nobody was sure how long it would take her to regain enough upper body strength to reliably push herself around in a manual chair.

Sav in this image is at the beginning of her recovery, but she does continually make use of her chair after regaining some of her weight and muscle mass. Her rollator became her device of choice over the chair in part because the chair is kind of bulky and heavy, and can't be easily collapsed for transport. She probably has a lighter, more maneuverable transport chair stored on the ship to utilize in a pinch.

Looking at the design of the chair, I am already dissatisfied with it - the seat isn't raked to keep her from sliding out of it, and the control panel should realistically be attached to an extension and not directly under her hand. We'll fix that in the next pass, I think, but for now this drawing is representative of the overall design and colors.

Cane

She's got a few of these! Most have an offset or contour grip because she finds them the most comfortable, and most have adjustable bases.

Her favorite is probably the non-adjustable wooden one she got from a craftsman on Alderaan, the only one she owns made of fully organic materials.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Feeling Sick More Often? It Could Be “Long COVID” - Published Sept 3, 2024

While many of us would simply like to move on from all things “COVID,” unfortunately, not all can. In fact, a growing number of people – even millions – are still battling lingering symptoms. Often known as “long COVID” or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), these symptoms range wide and far.

But how do you know?

How do you know if your health condition is a cold, flu, or lasting effects from COVID-19 infection? If you’re not sure how to get to the bottom of it, here’s how…

Brain Fog You’ve probably heard of brain fog, but what does it really mean?

Basically, brain fog is all about mental difficulty. This can show up in a variety of ways, everything from confusion to concentration problems, memory lapses, and a general feeling of ‘dullness.’

But again, these symptoms can often be mistaken for other things. If you’re not sure if it’s from COVID, consider the timing. Long COVID typically happens just weeks after you’re infected. Not only that, but it can easily last for many months or longer.

If you notice other symptoms like dizziness, general fatigue, and headaches – speak to your doctor about long COVID.

RELATED: Tired Of Brain Fog? Here’s How To Clear Your Mind

Gastrointestinal Symptoms Nobody likes feeling bloated or sick to the stomach, but how do you know which is which? While it’s easy to think issues like diarrhea and nausea are related to other conditions – even food poisoning – you’re in luck.

The symptoms of gastrointestinal distress due to Long COVID are unique. Firstly, they usually persist for months, which is unlike food poisoning that only lasts days. Beyond that, you may also experience symptoms like body aches and even breathing difficulties. Finally, try to chart any recent COVID-19 infections so you know if there’s a temporal relationship.

Sleep Problems You may not think of long COVID causing sleep disturbances, but it’s actually fairly common. People with the condition will often struggle with insomnia, restless sleep, and even excessive sleep problems. Related problems include feelings of anxiety, depression, and other primary sleep disorders.

Again, look to see if your issues started close to an infection. If stress, lifestyle factors, or other disorders aren’t related, it could be due to COVID-19. And finally, look out for chronic fatigue syndrome. This issue is not usually fixed by adequate rest, which is different from most sleep conditions.

Heart Palpitations Ever feel like your heart is racing or doing funny things?

Do these odd sensations come with anxiety, severe dehydration, or other vascular issues? If you’ve been dealing with cardiovascular problems following a COVID infection, you’re not alone. In fact, these palpitations occur soon after infection, if they do occur.

Other symptoms to be on the lookout for are chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and feelings of dizziness. If you notice that your heart palpitations last for weeks and occur without any real exercise, it could certainly be related to COVID.

Sensory Sensitivities Sensory sensitivity is nothing new. It can come from lights, sounds, and even touching things. In some cases, everything around you may simply feel like too much. That’s why it is easy to confuse these sensations. Some migraine sufferers or individuals with fibromyalgia may report similar feelings.

But here’s how you know if it’s Long COVID or not…

Do you still show other symptoms of the virus, like respiratory issues, or fatigue or aches? When it comes to Long COVID, the effects usually hit multiple sensory systems, which is usually not the case with fibromyalgia.

If usual pain and migraine medications don’t work, consider talking to your doctor about Long COVID. The condition will usually disrupt daily living quite significantly, so if you’re struggling with multi-sensory issues, don’t ignore it.

When all is said and done, Long COVID can be a challenging diagnosis. Fortunately, many treatment protocols can help. In fact, many of the treatment protocols also help individuals who had adverse reactions to the COVID vaccines.

So if you’re not feeling like yourself, aren’t responding to normal medications, and can’t figure out long-lasting health problems, don’t stress yourself sicker. Listen to your body, listen to your healthcare professionals, and stay consistent.

With some tweaks and changes, you’ll be able to fight off that lingering sickness sooner than later!

[fabby-peterson]

Are You Feeling Dizzy or Fainting? You Really Need to Read This

Understanding POTS and Its Impact on Daily Life

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a complex and often misunderstood condition that affects the autonomic nervous system, causing a significant increase in heart rate when a person moves from a sitting or lying position to standing. POTS is not just a heart condition — it impacts the entire body, leading to a range of debilitating symptoms that can interfere with daily life. Despite its complexity, specialized care and targeted treatments can help patients manage symptoms and regain a sense of normalcy. At THBC, Dr. Suleman provides expert diagnosis and treatment for POTS, helping patients navigate this challenging condition with a tailored approach.

What is POTS?

POTS is a autonomic nervous system disorder, which controls involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. When a person with POTS stands up, blood flow to the brain decreases, and the body compensates by increasing heart rate rapidly — often by more than 30 beats per minute (or 40 bpm in adolescents) within 10 minutes of standing. This abnormal response leads to various uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous symptoms, making even simple activities like walking or standing up difficult.

POTS primarily affects young women between the ages of 15 and 50, but it can occur in individuals of any age or gender. The condition is often triggered by underlying health issues such as autoimmune diseases, connective tissue disorders, or viral infections.

Causes and Risk Factors of POTS

POTS is not caused by a single factor but rather by a combination of underlying health issues and genetic predispositions. Some of the most common causes and contributing factors include:

Nervous System Dysfunction

The autonomic nervous system regulates blood pressure and heart rate. In POTS patients, this system fails to respond properly when the body changes position, causing poor blood circulation and irregular heart rate.

Blood Volume Issues

Reduced blood volume leads to inadequate blood flow to the brain and heart, triggering a rapid heart rate as the body tries to compensate. This explains why increased fluid and salt intake are often recommended as part of POTS treatment.

Viral Infections and Stress

Many cases of POTS are triggered by viral infections or extreme stress. Viral illnesses can damage the autonomic nervous system, leading to poor cardiovascular regulation. Stress can exacerbate symptoms by increasing heart rate and blood pressure instability.

Autoimmune Conditions

POTS is sometimes linked to autoimmune diseases like lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. These conditions can cause inflammation and damage to the nervous system, making it harder for the body to regulate heart rate and blood flow.

Connective Tissue Disorders

POTS is frequently associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a condition that affects the connective tissues supporting skin, joints, and blood vessels. Weak connective tissue can cause blood vessels to stretch excessively, leading to poor circulation and increased heart rate.

Hormonal Imbalances

POTS is more common in women, particularly during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Hormonal fluctuations can affect blood volume and the body’s ability to regulate heart rate, making symptoms worse during certain times of the menstrual cycle.

Symptoms of POTS

POTS symptoms can vary in severity and may affect multiple body systems. While the most obvious symptom is an abnormally high heart rate upon standing, POTS can also cause:

Dizziness and lightheadedness — Often triggered by standing up or prolonged standing. Heart palpitations — A rapid or pounding heartbeat that may feel irregular. Brain fog — Difficulty concentrating, processing information, and remembering things. Chronic fatigue — A feeling of exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest. Shortness of breath — Often accompanied by chest discomfort or tightness. Cold hands and feet — Caused by poor blood circulation. Nausea and digestive issues — Stomach pain, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. Fainting or near-fainting — A sudden drop in blood pressure can cause blackouts or near-blackouts.

Types of POTS

POTS can be classified into different types based on its underlying causes and physiological responses:

Neuropathic POTS

Caused by nerve damage, particularly in the small nerves that control blood vessel constriction. This leads to poor blood flow and increased heart rate.

Hyperadrenergic POTS

Characterized by excessive levels of norepinephrine (a stress hormone) in the blood. Symptoms include high blood pressure, tremors, and increased sweating.

Hypovolemic POTS

Caused by low blood volume, leading to reduced blood flow to the brain and heart. This type of POTS responds well to increased salt and fluid intake.

Secondary POTS

Linked to underlying health conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Treating the underlying condition often improves POTS symptoms.

For a detailed breakdown of the different types of POTS, visit: What Are the Different Types of POTS? A Complete Breakdown

Is POTS Genetic?

Studies suggest that POTS may have a genetic component, especially in cases where multiple family members are affected. Certain inherited connective tissue disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, increase the likelihood of developing POTS. Understanding the genetic factors behind POTS is crucial for developing more effective treatments.

Learn more about the genetic connection to POTS in this article: Is POTS Syndrome Genetic? Understanding the Role of Heredity

Why Do You Feel Like Passing Out When Standing?

Feeling lightheaded or close to fainting when standing up is a common and distressing symptom of POTS. It happens because blood pools in the lower body, reducing blood flow to the brain. The body compensates by rapidly increasing heart rate, but this often isn’t enough to prevent dizziness or fainting.

Read more about why this happens and how to manage it here: Why Do I Feel Like Passing Out When I Stand?

Expert POTS Treatment at THBC

Dr. Suleman at THBC specializes in diagnosing and treating POTS using a personalized approach. His treatment plans are designed to improve heart function, regulate blood flow, and strengthen the body’s response to postural changes. Treatment may include:

Increased salt and fluid intake — To boost blood volume and improve circulation. Compression garments — To prevent blood from pooling in the legs. Physical therapy — To strengthen muscles and improve overall circulation. Medications — To regulate heart rate and stabilize blood pressure. Dietary and lifestyle adjustments — To reduce symptom triggers and improve daily functioning.

Managing Heart Health with Dr. Rick Snyder

Dr. Rick Snyder, a leading heart specialist at HeartPlace, emphasizes the importance of heart health in managing POTS. By improving heart function, increasing blood volume, and regulating blood pressure, patients can experience significant symptom relief and better long-term health outcomes.

Take Control of Your Health Today

Living with POTS can be challenging, but expert care can make a significant difference. If you’re struggling with POTS symptoms, visit Dr. Suleman at THBC for a comprehensive evaluation and a customized treatment plan. Take the first step toward better health today!

[the-nox-syndicate]

am i dissociating?

i have been struggling to understand the idea of dissociation vs the normal state, whatever that's called.

i'm lucid kinda rarely (half of the time? less than half?). i use the term lucid because my most common state feels like a dream. it's hazy, the way dreams are since they aren't physical. nothing feels solid. i mean, when i touch something it "feels" solid, but in a sense that my brain tells me that it's "solid", but i don't feel that feedback signal actually travel from my skin through my nervous system. it feels like i'm "imagining" that solidness because it's "supposed" to be there rather than actually experiencing it. like in a dream. visually, there is no haze or blur, but mentally, it feels like everything around me is a sort of visual white noise made of the same fabric of unreality that i can't see unless i focus on it: (edited Photo by H. Emre from Pexels)

i can't see. well, physically, i can. but psychologically, it's just... shapes? with no meaning. the things around me are just shapes and colors. i'm in my room, and i look around, but none of the items i see mean anything to me. an emotional detachment. i bought a cool tshirt today and i brought it home and still i haven't even tried it on, because i knew that seeing myself wear it in the mirror would mean nothing. the me that i am is disconnected from the image in the mirror. and regardless of whether it fits or not, this tshirt is just another object that i'm apathetic towards.

i really like the way mae from night in the woods puts it - just shapes. i'm not sure if the way we see the world is exactly the same, she may mean something completely different, but i can't help but remember this scene whenever i try to put what i see into words:

depth perception is a challenge as well. everything looks so flat. i bump into things and trip a lot. which makes sense - it's hard to navigate a 3D world that looks 2D to me. if you've ever played/seen gameplay of five nights at freddy's, the world around me looks a lot like the security office: a 2D image of a 3D room glued onto a 2D wall in front of me. it looks unsettling and confusing:

all this makes me zone out a lot. i think it's because my brain can't prioritize visual input in this state so everything is equally unimportant to it. i often find myself staring at random points in space for long periods of time because nothing is drawing my eye. during those times, i don't really think. it's like my brain is switched off and i'm running on autopilot. i think the phrase "nobody's home" would apply quite fittingly here. (me 20 times today:)

my brain and body feel disconnected. sometimes i can't mentally focus, i can't process things, and yet my body moves on its own. it does chores and cooks meals, but sometimes it even does my office job for me (i don't even understand how it manages that!). it doesn't feel like there's "another consciousness" piloting it, it feels more like the body is performing basic habits/routines through the shallow mental processing available to it. it feels strange to see my body physically interact with the world while my mind cannot.

i was in this state almost the entirety of university, and i was struggling because i felt that i wasn't "smart enough" because i wasn't able to "use my brain". but now i wonder if perhaps the stress of starting uni and being in a new environment caused me to disconnect for prolonged periods of time?

the most confusing thing for me is that there doesn't seem to be any obvious negative triggers for this. i was lucid this morning, but as soon as i decided to go on a walk and enjoy the weather, the word became a dream. it's been several hours and i'm still disconnected. sometimes it happens in the middle of doing something, with no feelings of stress or fear. in the past, i assumed it might be low blood sugar causing brain fog. however, that feels different - shaking, difficulty thinking, dizziness. i am not experiencing any of these symptoms. i am not burnt out either - i have a great work-life balance and plenty of energy & desire to do hobbies and other things when i am lucid (usually a few hours per day).

...so i guess my main question is:

is what i just described considered dissociation?

i am not diagnosed with any CDD but my parents never got me diagnosed me with my autism either (had to do it myself) so i don't know if that really means anything. i also had a bunch of trauma from my tweens to my late teens that i will probably never get over yippee /s

[lordofdapies]

I got sick suddenly and degenerated rapidly. It took me five years to get a diagnosis and guess what my first diagnosis was?!

Fibromyalgia!

I don’t have fibromyalgia but that’s the diagnosis they give to AFAB people when they don’t know what’s wrong

Check out the list of symptoms

1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level

2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)

3. Cough

4. Craving carbohydrates

5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events

6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth

7. Edema

8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia

9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress

10. Feeling cold often

11. Feeling hot often

12. Frequent sighing

13. Heart palpitations

14. Hoarseness

15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)

16. Increased thirst

17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)

19. Low-grade fevers

20. Night sweats

21. Noisy joints – with or without pain

22. Poor circulation in hands/feet

23. Profuse sweating

24. Recurrent flu-like illness

25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion

26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)

27. Sore throat

28. Subjective swelling of extremities – (feels swollen Bu can’t find anything)

29. Sweats

30. Symptoms worsened by air travel

31. Symptoms worsened by stress

32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes

33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms

34. Tremor or trembling

35. Unexplained weight gain or loss

36. Abdominal wall pain

37. Bad hip pain

38. Burning Nerve Pain

39. Chest pain

40. Collarbone pain

41. Diffuse swelling

42. Elbow pain

43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain

44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing

45. Headache – tension or migraine

46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage

47. Joint pain

48. Lumpy, tender breasts

49. Morning stiffness

50. Muscle pain

51. Muscle spasms

52. Muscle twitching

53. Muscle weakness

54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe

55. Pain that moves around the body

56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg

57. Restless Leg Syndrome

58. Rib Pain

59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)

60. Sciatica-like pain

61. Tender points or trigger points

62. TMJ syndrome

63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places

NEUROLOGICAL

64. Blackouts

65. Brain fog

66. Carpal Tunnel

67. Feeling spaced out

68. Hallucinating smells

69. Inability to think clearly

70. Light headedness

71. Noise intolerance

72. Numbness or tingling sensations

73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)

74. Seizures

75. Seizure-like episodes

76. Sensation that you might faint

77. Syncope (fainting)

78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)

79. Vertigo or dizziness

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

80. Bumping into things

81. Clumsy Walking

82. Difficulty balancing

83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)

84. Directional disorientation

85. Dropping things frequently

86. Feeling spatially disoriented

87. Frequent tripping or stumbling

88. Not seeing what you’re looking at

89. Poor balance and coordination

90. Staggering gait

SLEEP

91. Alertness/energy best late at night

92. Altered sleep/wake schedule

93. Awakening frequently

94. Difficulty falling asleep

95. Difficulty staying asleep

96. Excessive sleeping

97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night

98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments

99. Fatigue

100. Light or broken sleep pattern

101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night

102. Narcolepsy

103. Sleep disturbances

104. Sleep starts or falling sensations

105. Teeth grinding

106. Tossing and turning

107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep

108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares

EYES/VISION

109. Blind spots in vision

110. Eye pain

111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another

112. Frequent changes in ability to see well

113. Night driving difficulty

114. Occasional Blurry vision

115. Poor night vision

116. Rapidly worsening vision

117. Vision changes

COGNITIVE

118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

119. Confusion

120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words

121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)

122. Difficulty following directions while driving

123. Difficulty following oral instructions

124. Difficulty following written instructions

125. Difficulty making decisions

126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

127. Difficulty paying attention

128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture

129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

130. Difficulty recognizing faces

131. Difficulty speaking known words

132. Difficulty remembering names of objects

133. Difficulty remembering names of people

134. Difficulty understanding what you read

135. Difficulty with long-term memory

136. Difficulty with simple calculations

137. Difficulty with short-term memory

138. Easily distracted during a task

139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally

140. Feeling too disoriented to drive

141. Forgetting how to do routine things

142. Impaired ability to concentrate

143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings

144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors

147. Poor judgment

148. Short term memory impairment

149. Slowed speech

150. Staring into space trying to think

151. Stuttering; stammering

152. Switching left and right

153. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak

154. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write

155. Trouble concentrating

156. Using the wrong word

157. Word-finding difficulty

EMOTIONAL

158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings

159. Anger outbursts

160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause

161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage

162. Decreased appetite

163. Depressed mood

164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

165. Fear of someone knocking on the door

166. Fear of telephone ringing

167. Feeling worthless

168. Frequent crying

169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms

170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

171. Irrational fears

172. Irritability

173. Overreaction

174. Panic attacks

175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition

176. Phobias

177. Suicide attempts

178. Suicidal thoughts

179. Tendency to cry easily

GASTROINTESTINAL

180. Abdominal cramps

181. Bloating

182. Decreased appetite

183. Food cravings

184. Frequent constipation

185. Frequent diarrhea

186. Gerd-like Symptoms

187. Heartburn

188. Increased appetite

189. Intestinal gas

190. Irritable bladder

191. Irritable bowel syndrome

192. Nausea

193. Regurgitation

194. Stomachache

195. Vomiting

196. Weight gain

197. Weight loss

UROGENITAL

198. Decreased libido (sex drive)

199. Endometriosis

200. Frequent urination

201. Impotence

202. Menstrual problems

203. Painful urination or bladder pain

204. Pelvic pain

205. Prostate pain

206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

SENSITIVITIES

207. Alcohol intolerance

208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)

209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.

211. Sensitivities to foods

212. Sensitivity to light

213. Sensitivity to mold

214. Sensitivity to noise

215. Sensitivity to odors

216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)

217. Sensory overload

218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes

219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes

220. Vulvodynia

SKIN

221. Able to “write” on skin with finger

222. Bruising easily

223. Bumps and lumps

224. Eczema or psoriasis

225. Hot/dry skin

226. Ingrown hairs

227. Itchy/Irritable skin

228. Mottled skin

229. Rashes or sores

230. Scarring easily

231. Sensitivity to the sun

232. Skin suddenly turns bright red

Cardiovascular (Heart)

233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope

234. Fluttery heartbeat

235. Heart palpitations

236. Irregular heartbeat

237. Loud pulse in ear

238. Pain that mimics heart attack

239. Rapid heartbeat

HAIR/NAILS

240. Dull, listless hair

241. Heavy and splitting cuticles

242. Irritated nail beds

243. Nails that curve under

244. Pronounced nail ridges

245. Temporary hair loss

OTHER

246. Canker sores

247. Dental problems

248. Disk Degeneration

249. Hemorrhoids

250. Nose bleeds

251. Periodontal (gum) disease

[evanoxvt]

Another day in infusion recovery

Living with chronic illness can be frustrating. Hell, right now I want to go play some games, work on my obs, stream, or chill on discord with friends but I know I shouldn't. It truly is frustrating.

Getting up to write this post was about an hour in the making. First I had to debate if I was feeling good enough to get up in the first place, and if I had the energy to do the things I want to do without over exerting myself. After much back and forth debate I decided to get up so I could use the rest room and give Town Crier a treat. Yep, that all took an hour to do. Why? Because when I initially wanted to get up, simply rolling over made me a bit dizzy and made me feel like all the energy drained from me. But once I was laying still and doing absolutely nothing I felt like I had more energy than an energizer bunny. Once again I move very slightly and felt all of my energy drain from me. I did this several times to just adjust how I was laying on my bed. It's hard to tell how much energy I actually have when my body does things like this, and right now after my infusion my body is sending all sorts of oddball signals.

I know that I should be resting, not because I truly need it right this second, but because if I do over exert myself I will require more downtime to recover from it than if I were to just keep resting. But there's something to be said for resting as well, you still need to do a little bit of something. You need to move around a little bit and you need to stay mentally stimulated because if you don't, you'll likely hit you're breaking point sooner.

My first few infusions were absolute hell. I couldn't get up, when I was awake I couldn't really watch tv, and I was just simply stuck. Stuck bored and alone in a room. No one wants that. It felt terrible. Knowing what that's like I do alot of (online) socializing just prior to the infusion to help stave off the loneliness as much as I can. I also try to allow myself some brief times to do something even if it takes a bit more energy than I have. This is important for your mental health while dealing with this kind of thing. It's also important that if you don't have the energy to do something that you aren't forced to do things. Things that you don't enjoy take up so much more energy, moreover when you already have none to spare? Yep.

I can tell I have a bit of brain fog since I keep getting lost as to what I was saying, what I want to say, and what I am saying. Sorry if this post ends up going in circles and never makes it to the point... That's a real possibility here...

But energy? I think that's where we were at. Some of the simplest actions can take up so much more energy than people expect. Sometimes I can feel it and other times I don't realize just how much energy it takes me to do something so simple. My arms can't make of their minds if typing this is taking all of their energy or not and its honestly just as confusing for me as it is for anyone I explain it to. They are throbbing, not in pain, just in well idk how to describe it other than throbbing. Then they aren't. Then they are again. They feel heavier than lead but then feel their normal weight again. It feels like its hard to do fine motor skills but then I don't notice that difficulty. They feel tired like I've been overusing them all day (even though its only been maybe 10 mins of me sitting here), but then I feel nothing. They go numb but not numb at the same time or go between the two. I really don't know what my arms are trying to convey to me right now. That's pretty normal for me sadly.

I mentally have the energy to play games and maybe even pop into a discord call right now, but physically I think this post will be all I have in me. I know if I start playing a game I will stop noticing any of the signals my body is sending me (and that's if we ignore how confusing these signals are to begin with). This is why I can't stream or even chill in discord right now. Hell, I bet I'd sound about 300x better than I feel right now too! That's the way it is when you mask. Your body just automatically goes into "people"/"social" mode and ignores that you really don't have the capacity to do that at present.

But I guess I am finding some things about this infusion to be a bit weird. Firstly, I can stand up and I'm not falling over onto the walls. This may sound good if that isn't happening but it's concerning since it's been a major side effect of my prior infusions and it practically isn't present with this current one. OFC it's good that it's not happening but still very odd. Another typical thing that ALWAYS happens is that anywhere I get poked by a needle I get a peculiar bruise (they often have to do multiple attempts to find a good vein for the iv). This bruise is typically an off yellow with a darker brownish spot towards the center. Idk how to describe it really, but the thing is my current two bruise spots are blue. Additionally all of my veins are bluer than usual and I've even seen some tiny veins for the first time ever. That's never happened before. Kinda weird if you ask me. Another oddity is my energy levels. They seem to be toggling between my normal "OVERLY ENERGETIC HYPE" mode and "I can't even watch tv because I have so little energy". Usually, I would be struggling to move around alot and would be so tired I'd barely be conscious right now. Recon I have slept most of today, but I've also been away a hell of alot more than I should be right now (by the fact I was awake an entire hour debating on making this post prior to actually getting up). There's alot of other little things that are off or weird and I'm wondering if its because we've gotten better at the premedication side of the infusion or is something else is going on. Afterall, the infusion was an entire hour and a half shorter than my shortest one yet and again there were alot of oddities.

I don't even remember where this entire post was supposed to be going at this point.... probably doesn't help that I have Town Crier whining and crying in my ear trying to get me to take her downstairs but we aren't going down there for awhile. I know she's bored, but I literally have no immune system and someone in my house literally just got over covid after lying to me that they had a cold.

The brain fog is real, got interrupted by someone and don't remember what I was saying, but yea, its just another day in recovery from the infusion. See you guys later.

[abboudlawfirm-omaha]

What Is the Most Common Type of Injury When Involved in a Crash?

Car accidents can be brutal—one second, you're cruising down the road, and the next, everything turns into a blur of screeching tires and shattering glass. Whether it's a minor fender bender or a catastrophic collision, injuries happen fast and often with lasting consequences. But what’s the most common injury when a crash occurs?

Let’s break it down.

Whiplash: The Sneaky, Persistent Injury

If there’s one injury that tops the list, it’s whiplash. This neck injury is notorious for showing up in rear-end collisions, and what’s worse—it doesn’t always announce itself right away. You might feel fine at first, only to wake up the next morning with a stiff neck and a headache that won’t quit.

Why Does Whiplash Happen?

Picture this: Your car gets hit from behind. Your body is held in place by the seatbelt, but your head? It snaps forward and then violently jerks back, like a whip. That sudden movement strains the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your neck, leading to:

Stiffness and pain in the neck and shoulders

Headaches (sometimes at the base of the skull)

Dizziness and blurred vision

Difficulty concentrating (yes, even a car accident can give you brain fog)

Whiplash can linger for weeks or even months, making daily tasks feel like a chore. And since it doesn’t always show symptoms immediately, many people delay seeking treatment—which only makes things worse.

Concussions: The Silent Disruptor

When your head gets thrown around in a crash, your brain can take a hit too—literally. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that happens when your brain slams against the inside of your skull.

Signs You Might Have a Concussion

Feeling dazed or confused

Sensitivity to light and noise

Nausea or vomiting

Trouble remembering details of the crash

The scary part? You don’t have to hit your head to get a concussion. Even a sudden jolt can cause your brain to move enough to cause damage. That’s why it’s crucial to get checked out after any serious collision.

Broken Bones: More Than Just a Cast Situation

The force of a crash can break bones, and arms, legs, ribs, and wrists are some of the most common victims. Depending on the severity, fractures range from minor cracks to full-blown breaks that need surgery.

Common Fractures in Car Accidents

Arm and wrist fractures: Often happen when drivers instinctively brace themselves during a crash.

Leg fractures: Especially in head-on collisions where the lower body takes the brunt of the impact.

Rib fractures: Can occur from the force of a seatbelt (still, always wear one—it’s way better than the alternative).

Broken bones aren’t just painful—they can lead to long-term mobility issues and, in severe cases, even permanent disability.

Soft Tissue Injuries: The Overlooked Problem

Most people think of cuts, bruises, and broken bones after a car accident, but soft tissue injuries (damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons) can be just as painful.

Common Soft Tissue Injuries in Car Accidents

Sprains and strains: Twisting or overstretching joints and muscles can cause significant pain.

Herniated discs: The impact can push spinal discs out of place, causing severe back pain and nerve issues.

Deep bruising (contusions): These can take weeks to heal, often causing swelling and tenderness.

Soft tissue injuries are tricky because they don’t always show up on X-rays. That’s why doctors often rely on MRIs and physical exams to diagnose them.

Internal Injuries: The Hidden Danger

Not all injuries are visible. Internal injuries can be life-threatening if not treated quickly, and they often result from blunt force trauma or seatbelt impact.

Common Internal Injuries from Car Accidents

Internal bleeding: Can be slow and subtle—symptoms include abdominal pain, dizziness, and deep bruising.

Punctured lungs: Can happen if a rib fractures and pierces the lung, leading to breathing difficulties.

Organ damage: The liver and spleen are especially vulnerable in high-impact crashes.

Internal injuries are sneaky—you might feel fine at first, but symptoms can develop hours or even days later. If you have persistent pain after a crash, don’t ignore it.

Spinal Cord Injuries: The Most Devastating Outcome

When a crash injures the spinal cord, the results can be life-altering. Paralysis, nerve damage, and chronic pain are all possibilities.

How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen

Direct trauma to the spine

Whiplash severe enough to damage vertebrae

Compression from the crash impact

Recovery from a spinal cord injury is unpredictable. Some people regain function with therapy, while others face permanent disability.

Psychological Injuries: The Impact No One Talks About

Physical injuries are obvious, but car accidents can take a serious toll on mental health too. Many crash victims suffer from:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety can make driving terrifying.

Depression and anxiety – The stress of recovery, medical bills, and lifestyle changes can weigh heavily.

Phobias related to driving – Some people avoid getting behind the wheel altogether after a traumatic crash.

Mental health injuries don’t get as much attention as physical ones, but they’re just as real. Seeking therapy or counseling after an accident can make a huge difference.

What Should You Do If You’re Injured in a Car Crash?

If you’ve been in an accident—even if you feel okay—it’s important to take action right away. Here’s what you should do:

Get medical attention immediately. Some injuries take hours or days to show up.

Document everything. Take photos of your injuries, the accident scene, and any damage.

Follow your doctor’s recommendations. Skipping treatment can make things worse.

Speak to a personal injury attorney. A lawyer can help you understand your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Final Thoughts

Car accidents happen in a flash, but their effects can last a lifetime. Whether it’s whiplash, broken bones, internal injuries, or even psychological trauma, getting the right care is crucial.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash, the attorneys at Abboud Law Firm can help. With years of experience handling car accident claims, they understand what you're going through and will work to get you the compensation you deserve.

Don’t wait to seek support—reach out today.

[fledglingmaster]

What those that are ableist and without fibro think it's like: oh ouch a tiny bit achy. I can take OTC meds and be fine.

What it's really like:

FIBROMYALGIA 200+ Symptoms

Written by: Inspired Living with Fibromyalgia

GENERAL

1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level

2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)

3. Cough

4. Craving carbohydrates

5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events

6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth

7. Edema

8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia

9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress

10. Feeling cold often

11. Feeling hot often

12. Frequent sighing

13. Heart palpitations

14. Hoarseness

15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)

16. Increased thirst

17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)

19. Low-grade fevers

20. Night sweats

21. Noisy joints – with or without pain

22. Poor circulation in hands/feet

23. Profuse sweating

24. Recurrent flu-like illness

25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion

26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)

27. Sore throat

28. Subjective swelling of extremities – (feels swollen Bu can’t find anything)

29. Sweats

30. Symptoms worsened by air travel

31. Symptoms worsened by stress

32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes

33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms

34. Tremor or trembling

35. Unexplained weight gain or loss

PAIN

36. Abdominal wall pain

37. Bad hip pain

38. Burning Nerve Pain

39. Chest pain

40. Collarbone pain

41. Diffuse swelling

42. Elbow pain

43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain

44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing

45. Headache – tension or migraine

46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage

47. Joint pain

48. Lumpy, tender breasts

49. Morning stiffness

50. Muscle pain

51. Muscle spasms

52. Muscle twitching

53. Muscle weakness

54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe

55. Pain that moves around the body

56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg

57. Restless Leg Syndrome

58. Rib Pain

59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)

60. Sciatica-like pain

61. Tender points or trigger points

62. TMJ syndrome

63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places

NEUROLOGICAL

64. Blackouts

65. Brain fog

66. Carpal Tunnel

67. Feeling spaced out

68. Hallucinating smells

69. Inability to think clearly

70. Lightheadedness

71. Noise intolerance

72. Numbness or tingling sensations

73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)

74. Seizures

75. Seizure-like episodes

76. Sensation that you might faint

77. Syncope (fainting)

78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)

79. Vertigo or dizziness

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

80. Bumping into things

81. Clumsy Walking

82. Difficulty balancing

83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)

84. Directional disorientation

85. Dropping things frequently

86. Feeling spatially disoriented

87. Frequent tripping or stumbling

88. Not seeing what you’re looking at

89. Poor balance and coordination

90. Staggering gait

SLEEP

91. Alertness/energy best late at night

92. Altered sleep/wake schedule

93. Awakening frequently

94. Difficulty falling asleep

95. Difficulty staying asleep

96. Excessive sleeping

97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night

98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments

99. Fatigue

100. Light or broken sleep pattern

101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night

102. Narcolepsy

103. Sleep disturbances

104. Sleep starts or falling sensations

105. Teeth grinding

106. Tossing and turning

107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep

108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares

EYES/VISION

109. Blind spots in vision

110. Eye pain

111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another

112. Frequent changes in ability to see well

113. Night driving difficulty

114. Occasional Blurry vision

115. Poor night vision

116. Rapidly worsening vision

117. Vision changes

COGNITIVE

118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

119. Confusion

120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words

121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)

122. Difficulty following directions while driving

123. Difficulty following oral instructions

124. Difficulty following written instructions

125. Difficulty making decisions

126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

127. Difficulty paying attention

128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture

129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

130. Difficulty recognizing faces

131. Difficulty speaking known words

132. Difficulty remembering names of objects

133. Difficulty remembering names of people

134. Difficulty understanding what you read

135. Difficulty with long-term memory

136. Difficulty with simple calculations

137. Difficulty with short-term memory

138. Easily distracted during a task

139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally

140. Feeling too disoriented to drive

141. Forgetting how to do routine things

142. Impaired ability to concentrate

143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings

144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors

147. Poor judgment

148. Short term memory impairment

149. Slowed speech

150. Staring into space trying to think

151. Stuttering; stammering

152. Switching left and right

153. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak

154. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write

155. Trouble concentrating

156. Using the wrong word

157. Word-finding difficulty

EMOTIONAL

158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings

159. Anger outbursts

160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause

161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage

162. Decreased appetite

163. Depressed mood

164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

165. Fear of someone knocking on the door

166. Fear of telephone ringing

167. Feeling worthless

168. Frequent crying

169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms

170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

171. Irrational fears

172. Irritability

173. Overreaction

174. Panic attacks

175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition

176. Phobias

177. Suicide attempts

178. Suicidal thoughts

179. Tendency to cry easily

GASTROINTESTINAL

180. Abdominal cramps

181. Bloating

182. Decreased appetite

183. Food cravings

184. Frequent constipation

185. Frequent diarrhea

186. Gerd-like Symptoms

187. Heartburn

188. Increased appetite

189. Intestinal gas

190. Irritable bladder

191. Irritable bowel syndrome

192. Nausea

193. Regurgitation

194. Stomachache

195. Vomiting

196. Weight gain

197. Weight loss

UROGENITAL

198. Decreased libido (sex drive)

199. Endometriosis

200. Frequent urination

201. Impotence

202. Menstrual problems

203. Painful urination or bladder pain

204. Pelvic pain

205. Prostate pain

206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

SENSITIVITIES

207. Alcohol intolerance

208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)

209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.

211. Sensitivities to foods

212. Sensitivity to light

213. Sensitivity to mold

214. Sensitivity to noise

215. Sensitivity to odors

216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)

217. Sensory overload

218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes

219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes

220. Vulvodynia

SKIN

221. Able to “write” on skin with finger

222. Bruising easily

223. Bumps and lumps

224. Eczema or psoriasis

225. Hot/dry skin

226. Ingrown hairs

227. Itchy/Irritable skin

228. Mottled skin

229. Rashes or sores

230. Scarring easily

231. Sensitivity to the sun

232. Skin suddenly turns bright red

Cardiovascular (Heart)

233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope

234. Fluttery heartbeat

235. Heart palpitations

236. Irregular heartbeat

237. Loud pulse in ear

238. Pain that mimics heart attack

239. Rapid heartbeat

HAIR/NAILS

240. Dull, listless hair

241. Heavy and splitting cuticles

242. Irritated nail beds

243. Nails that curve under

244. Pronounced nail ridges

245. Temporary hair loss

OTHER

246. Canker sores

247. Dental problems

248. Disk Degeneration

249. Hemorrhoids

250. Nose bleeds

251. Periodontal (gum) disease

[injurytipstoknow]

Top 10 Common Injuries in Car Accidents and How to Treat Them

Car accidents are an unfortunate reality of modern life. They can happen to anyone at any time, and the resulting injuries can range from minor to severe. Understanding the common injuries that can occur in car accidents and knowing how to treat them is crucial for recovery. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the top 10 common injuries in car accidents and provide insights on how to treat them effectively.

1. Whiplash

What is Whiplash? Whiplash is one of the most common injuries resulting from car accidents, particularly rear-end collisions. It occurs when the head is suddenly jerked forward and then snapped backward, causing strain and damage to the neck muscles and ligaments. Symptoms of Whiplash - Neck pain and stiffness - Headaches, often starting at the base of the skull - Dizziness - Blurred vision - Fatigue - Difficulty concentrating Treatment for Whiplash - Rest: Allow your neck to rest and avoid strenuous activities. - Ice and Heat: Apply ice packs to reduce swelling and pain for the first 48 hours, followed by heat packs to relax the muscles. - Over-the-Counter Pain Relief: Medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help manage pain. - Physical Therapy: Exercises and physical therapy can help restore normal movement and strengthen neck muscles. - Medical Consultation: Seek medical advice if symptoms persist or worsen.

2. Concussions

What is a Concussion? A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. It can result from hitting your head against the steering wheel, dashboard, or window during a car accident. Symptoms of a Concussion - Headache or a feeling of pressure in the head - Temporary loss of consciousness - Confusion or feeling as if in a fog - Amnesia surrounding the traumatic event - Dizziness or "seeing stars" - Ringing in the ears Treatment for a Concussion - Rest: Both physical and mental rest are crucial. Avoid activities that require intense concentration and physical exertion. - Gradual Return to Activities: Slowly resume normal activities as symptoms improve but avoid anything that could result in another head injury. - Medical Monitoring: Regular check-ups with a healthcare professional to monitor recovery. - Avoid Alcohol and Drugs: These substances can slow recovery and increase the risk of re-injury.

3. Broken Bones

Commonly Broken Bones in Car Accidents Car accidents can result in fractures to various bones, including arms, legs, ribs, and the collarbone. The severity of these fractures can vary widely. Symptoms of Broken Bones - Severe pain at the site of the fracture - Swelling, bruising, or bleeding - Inability to move the affected area - Deformity or abnormal mobility Treatment for Broken Bones - Immobilization: Use of casts, splints, or braces to keep the broken bone from moving. - Pain Management: Pain relief through medications prescribed by a doctor. - Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be required to place metal rods, plates, or screws to stabilize the bone. - Physical Therapy: Rehabilitation to restore function and strength after the bone has healed.

4. Soft Tissue Injuries

What are Soft Tissue Injuries? Soft tissue injuries include damage to muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These injuries are common in car accidents due to the sudden and forceful impact. Symptoms of Soft Tissue Injuries - Pain and soreness in the affected area - Swelling and bruising - Limited range of motion Treatment for Soft Tissue Injuries - RICE Method: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation to reduce swelling and pain. - Pain Relief: Over-the-counter pain medications or prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. - Physical Therapy: Exercises to restore movement and strength. - Massage Therapy: To relieve muscle tension and improve circulation.

5. Spinal Cord Injuries

What is a Spinal Cord Injury? Spinal cord injuries can be among the most serious injuries sustained in a car accident. They occur when the spinal cord is damaged due to trauma, potentially leading to partial or complete paralysis. Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries - Loss of movement - Loss of sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold, and touch - Loss of bladder or bowel control - Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms - Pain or intense stinging sensation Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries - Immediate Medical Attention: Seek emergency medical care immediately. - Immobilization: Use of a neck collar or a spinal board to prevent further injury during transport. - Medications: Steroids to reduce swelling and inflammation. - Surgery: To remove bone fragments, foreign objects, or fractured vertebrae that are compressing the spine. - Rehabilitation: Long-term physical and occupational therapy to regain as much function as possible.

6. Internal Injuries

What are Internal Injuries? Internal injuries, such as internal bleeding and organ damage, can occur due to the blunt force trauma of a car accident. These injuries are particularly dangerous as they may not be immediately apparent. Symptoms of Internal Injuries - Abdominal pain or swelling - Shortness of breath - Dizziness or fainting - Deep bruising - Vomiting blood or coughing up blood Treatment for Internal Injuries - Emergency Medical Care: Immediate attention is crucial to prevent life-threatening complications. - Surgery: Often required to repair damaged organs and stop internal bleeding. - Monitoring: Close monitoring in a hospital setting to ensure stability and recovery.

7. Burns

What Causes Burns in Car Accidents? Burns can result from contact with hot surfaces, chemicals, or flames if a vehicle catches fire during an accident. Symptoms of Burns - Redness and swelling - Blisters - Severe pain - Peeling skin - White or charred skin in severe burns Treatment for Burns - Cool the Burn: Use cool (not cold) water to reduce pain and swelling. - Protect the Burn: Cover with a clean, non-stick bandage or cloth. - Pain Relief: Over-the-counter pain medications or prescribed medications. - Medical Attention: Seek immediate medical care for severe burns. - Skin Grafts: In severe cases, skin grafts may be necessary to replace damaged skin.

8. Knee Injuries

Common Knee Injuries in Car Accidents Knee injuries, such as ligament tears and fractures, often occur when the knees hit the dashboard or are twisted unnaturally during a collision. Symptoms of Knee Injuries - Pain and swelling in the knee - Inability to straighten or bend the knee - Popping or crunching noises - Instability or inability to bear weight Treatment for Knee Injuries - Rest and Ice: To reduce swelling and pain. - Compression and Elevation: To minimize swelling. - Pain Relief: Over-the-counter or prescribed medications. - Physical Therapy: Exercises to restore movement and strengthen the knee. - Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be required to repair ligaments or fractures.

9. Facial Injuries

Common Facial Injuries in Car Accidents Facial injuries can include cuts, bruises, fractures, and dental injuries, often caused by contact with the steering wheel, dashboard, or airbag. Symptoms of Facial Injuries - Pain and swelling in the face - Cuts and lacerations - Bruising - Nosebleeds - Dental damage Treatment for Facial Injuries - Clean and Protect Wounds: Clean cuts with mild soap and water, and cover with a clean bandage. - Pain Relief: Over-the-counter or prescribed medications. - Medical Attention: Seek medical care for severe cuts, fractures, or dental injuries. - Plastic Surgery: In cases of significant facial damage, reconstructive surgery may be required.

10. Psychological Injuries

What are Psychological Injuries? Psychological injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression, can result from the trauma of a car accident. Symptoms of Psychological Injuries - Flashbacks and nightmares about the accident - Avoidance of driving or riding in cars - Severe anxiety or panic attacks - Depression and mood swings - Difficulty concentrating Treatment for Psychological Injuries - Counseling and Therapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of counseling can help manage symptoms. - Medication: Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications prescribed by a healthcare professional. - Support Groups: Joining a support group for car accident survivors can provide emotional support. - Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Practices such as meditation and deep breathing exercises can reduce stress and anxiety.

Conclusion

Understanding the top 10 common injuries in car accidents and how to treat them is essential for effective recovery. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, seeking prompt medical attention and following appropriate treatment protocols can significantly improve outcomes. Always consult with healthcare professionals for personalized medical advice and treatment plans. Remember, every car accident is unique, and the severity of injuries can vary widely. Taking the necessary steps to protect your health and well-being after an accident is paramount. Stay informed, stay safe, and prioritize your recovery. This guide is provided by PITR, offering comprehensive Personal Injury Tips and Resources to help you navigate the complexities of injury claims. Whether you're dealing with car accidents, workplace incidents, or medical malpractice, our expert insights and practical advice will equip you with the knowledge needed to understand your rights, gather essential documentation, and seek appropriate legal and medical assistance. Trust PITR for reliable, up-to-date information to support your recovery and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Read the full article

[lambsearandlavender]

Epilepsy/seizure whump ideas idk??

I really like whump/sickfic & comfort fics and, as a person being diagnosed with epilepsy, there's not nearly enough good seizure whump/comfort fics. And what is out there is usually grand mal seizures which, don't get me wrong, I get that they're the big dramatic ones and stuff but there is so much more to seizures or epilepsy that's been unexplored here. So I want to like... share some of my personal experiences in the hope of spreading awareness and also seeing more fics in which I can imagine my comfort characters taking care of me in situations I actually deal with irl 😅

Biting teeth together in sleep so hard that they chip; slowly having one front tooth get a series of small chips along the bottom and needing to cope with the dip in self image. Not wanting to smile with your mouth open anymore. Being afraid of chipping your teeth more in your sleep

Biting tongue and cheeks in sleep so hard that they bleed. Waking up with blood in your mouth, all over your face, on your sheets and pillows

For 3 years I had seizures in my sleep but didn't KNOW that was what was happening. What I knew was that I periodically woke up with stroke-like symptoms: dizzy, slurred speech, everything felt like I had to push through an incredibly thick fog in my brain to do it, difficulty thinking at all, difficulty forming sentences, falling over, balance issues, crashing into things. Trying to pick something up and my hand would swing out wildly and knock the thing over instead. Working so hard to pick it up and then my muscles just giving out so I drop it anyway. Walking like I was drunk. Doing everything really really slowly because it was so hard to think, move, or speak at all. Being too weak to lift anything. This lasts 15 minutes to several hours/all day. I often have to sleep it off. Recovering from a seizure is no fucking joke and when you can't remember the seizure, you just wake up like that and it's scary and confusing

Waking up feeling like the world is spinning in circles, rolling like a ship at sea, and shaking violently all at once, and my eyes are also moving uncontrollably (nystagmus is the medical term) so it LOOKS like I'm in an earthquake yet I know that the world isn't moving and it's something wrong with me. Curling into a ball squeezing my eyes shut, waiting 2-3 minutes for it to stop. This will happen several times in one night. These are partial seizures, which you are conscious and aware during.

The general concept of aware seizures where you know full well what's happening but you're not piloting your body and all you can do is wait

Twitching or going rigid in your sleep as you seize, possibly waking your partner. Or knowing you had a seizure and they slept through it; both happen lol

Constantly waking up in the middle of the night dizzy and brain foggy, realizing you've probably had a seizure, going back to sleep hoping you'll be able to function by morning

Some seizures have no warning and others are preceded by an aura. Auras can have tons of symptoms including but not limited to nausea, dizziness, hallucinations of all senses (so not just seeing things, but also hearing/smelling/feeling things), a sense of impending doom out of nowhere, and strong sense of deja vu

Having an aura and being on edge waiting for the seizure to happen. But sometimes it doesn't and the aura IS the seizure bc they are actually like a, idk, smaller but longer lasting pre-seizure seizure. Idk what to tell ya that's how it is

Some folks think they're psychic or haunted or just plain going crazy due to the deja vu and hallucinations until they know it's seizure related

Speaking of, legitimately being told that you're possessed by demons and need to repent at least once a month by some random stranger

Days that you recovered mostly from a seizure but your brain just isn't all there. Forgetting entire important conversations from the day before, or just needing a lot more time to think through and comprehend something that's normally easy for you

Seeing the mix of concern, annoyance and frustration, and just plain making fun of your memory loss from the people around you

Waking up frozen in a weird position mid seizure, or waking up with one body part having its own lil dance party while you seize and otherwise can't move

The Epileptic Scream where you make a weird fucking scream or moan as your lungs seize and force all the air out all at once. I hear this is a pretty scary sound to the people who live with us, I've heard myself do it a few times and it is a pretty strange sound plus it gets tied up with the trauma of your loved one seizing

Having a new weird thing happen and not even knowing if it might be a seizure or not

Being told you can't do things bc you might seize....drive, swim, etc...being told you should have someone monitor you even in the shower and stuff just in case so a loss of privacy and independence until your seizures are "under control"

You know what can trigger seizures? STRESS. Also lack of sleep. Go crazy with that.

You know what stresses me out? Seizures. Which are triggered by stress. And you know what happens when I'm really stressed and anxious? I can't sleep. Some nights I'm so sure I'll have a seizure that I'm AFRAID to go to sleep. Except, the not sleeping also makes me have a seizure. And I know it. So I'm stressed about it...........

Having a really stressful day and just KNOWING a seizure is gonna happen because of it and preparing yourself for it as best you can

Days my face just can't stop twitching really severely. Well, just my mouth and lips. All day. It's embarrassing. Trying to drink something and your lips start going really extra twitchy and everything dribbles out. Fuckin sucks. Are they seizures? Auras? We don't know 🤷‍♀️

"I don't know" just comes with the territory

Miss a dose of your seizure meds? Instant seizure.

Seizure meds often cause severe mood swings (of the angry or depressed variety), serious weight gain or loss, things like hair falling out... but hey if your seizures are controlled maybe you can drive and swim and stuff and also the not having seizures part of course. So it's worth it I guess? But if you have mental health issues already lol good luck

Canceling plans because you're really tired and you know going out already tired will just lead to a seizure

How do they diagnose you? They hook you up to a bunch of electrodes and then try to trigger you to have a seizure on purpose

Just, hitting your head if you fall during a seizure is such a massive issue

SUDEP...sudden unexpected death in epileptic persons. Yeah, sometimes people with epilepsy just randomly die in their sleep (presumably while seizing). If your seizures are uncontrolled (not medicated to no/few seizures), you're at much higher risk

Take a guess how this affects my anxiety about sleeping while I'm still unmedicated

Also every person in my life acts like either my life is over and so tragic (huge overreaction) or like absolutely nothing has changed and have no empathy for it at all (my life isn't over but it is changing a lot and this stuff is scary, so can I get a LITTLE sympathy, please?)

I'm super duper not an expert on epilepsy, just a gal who did a lot of research and talking to other epileptics and taking notes about my own experience... but I'm really happy to chat about it or answer more questions (or if I'm wrong about something/someone knows more than me, I'm really wanting to learn so please feel free to correct me!)

[loserchildhotpants]

Destiel prompt from Twitter; kissing each other to prove there’s nothing there, even though, it’s a lie, and the kiss proves it (from this prompt list)

“I’m just saying that I don’t think you’d get this defensive if there really wasn’t anything between you two -”

“There isn’t, and I’m not getting defensive!” Dean argues, decidedly defensively.

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Sam offers with a shrug and a smirk.

Staring down into the open grave the boys are in, Castiel glances between the brothers and tilts his head, wondering if perhaps by a different angle, he may better understand what their expressions mean.

“We’re bonded or whatever - that’s it, man! There’s nothing else going on!”

“I’m not even saying there is anything ‘going on,’ I’m just saying there could be, and if that were something you wanted -”

“I’m not qu -”

“I know, I get it, I hear you, humor me for a second, okay? All I’m saying is just - if there were something between you two, and you wanted there to be something ‘going on,’ where there is currently nothing ‘going on,’ I just think you should, hypothetically go for something rather than settling for the nothing, because, personally, I think there is something there, and you could have a great thing going if that were what you wanted.”

“Even if - which I don’t - I’m not - listen, though, okay? I’m not, and I don’t want that - not that there’s anything wrong with it, or something, just - even if that were the case, Cas isn’t like that. He’s not a being that experiences shit like that -”

“I’m telling you you’re wrong, Dean! The way he stares at you -”

“He stares at everyone!”

“Do I?”

The Winchesters jump in unison, both with hands on their guns faster than should be possible. They both visibly relax again, though, when they realize it’s only Castiel interrupting.

“Oh, hey, Cas,” Dean greets, his voice markedly more gentle than it was with Sam only a moment before.

Castiel appreciates it.

“Hello, Dean.”

With a cheeky grin, Sam clears his throat, and says to Cas, “your timing couldn’t be better, actually, Cas - Dean and I have some questions -”

“No, no, we do not have questions,” Dean growls at Sam, eyes blazing dangerously.

“I am always available to you boys for whatever inquiries I can assist in. Is this pertaining to my staring? It’s academic in nature, I assure you - frankly, I am used to having a form that hosts many more eyes; being in this Earthly form can present obstacles, as my perceptions are more limited than I can remember them ever being. I promise I do not mean to insult anyone.”

“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s thinking of it as an insult,” Sam intones; Dean shoves his elbow into Sam’s kidney to shut him up.

“This is you being defensive, by the way,” Sam wheezes, doubled over, but still smirking at Dean, “What’s the big deal if there’s nothing going on?”

Flushed, Dean scowls at Sam, drops his shovel, and tells him, “I’m not being defensive! There’s nothing to be defensive about! And I’ll prove it!”

Clambering out of the grave, Dean brushes the soil from his hands onto his dirtier jeans, and stomps more than walks up to Castiel.

“You’ve a cut,” Cas murmurs worriedly, spotting a knick Dean got on his cheek earlier in the day.

“It’s nothing. Listen, Cas -”

Before Dean can get anymore out, Castiel reaches for his left-side cheek, cups that side of his face, and spreads a cooling sensation that knits the skin back together neatly and cleanly.

“Uh - thanks, Cas,” Dean mutters gruffly as Cas takes his hand back.

“My pleasure, Dean.”

Uncharacteristically nervous, Dean glances down at the ground, his hands shoved in his jean pockets, then his eyes skim the ground until they happen upon Sam’s again, and whatever silent exchange they have works Dean up again.

“Cas,” Dean begins, looking into his eyes with determination, “We’re friends, you ‘n me, right?”

“Yes, Dean. You are my most cherished friend,” Castiel answers.

That gives Dean a moment’s pause where he seems to be searching Castiel’s face for some sign of sarcasm or deceit; there is none to be detected, of course.

“I - thanks, man. Uhm. Now - this is gonna sound like a weird question, but bear with me, ‘cause I’m not about to assume consent or something.”

“Okay,” Castiel says in confusion, tilting his head again.

“I’m tryin’a prove a point here to Sam, and to get it across - just - would you be okay with me kissing you? Like, just this once - I promise I won’t make it weird or anything, but I gotta ask, you know? I know you’re not into physical stuff like -”

“You’d like my permission to kiss?” Castiel intercepts neutrally, “Like people do?”

Something about that is funny - or startling? - to both Sam and Dean, and Castiel can’t tell which or for what reasons.

“Yeah. Just this one time,” Dean repeats.

Though he takes a respectable count of four seconds to seem as though he needs to consider his options, Castiel nods, and replies, “of course, Dean. Of all the favors you’ve asked of me before, I assure this is certainly the most convenient and pleasant of them.”

Sam snorts a laugh, Dean tosses a glare at him, and then settles gentle, if a little nervous, eyes back on Castiel.

“Okay…”

Dean steps closer into Cas’ space, bringing them toe-to-toe and he finds himself staring down; he’d not realized Cas was shorter than him. It’s not by much, not really enough to be remarked upon, even, but it means that Cas winds up looking up at him from under the cover of long, dark lashes, and even in the dark of the night, his eyes shine like twinkling gems.

Swallowing with some difficulty, Dean holds loosely onto the lapels of Cas’ trench coat, and he means to go in chaste, he really does, it’s just that he’s actually struggling to breathe a little, so his lips are just barely parted, and Cas - as far as Dean can tell, Cas takes that as a cue.

Because Cas’ full lips press in, but so does his tongue; before Dean can even secure his footing, Cas makes his loose hold on the lapels go tight, licking up into Dean’s mouth without hesitation or mercy.

Praying his shocked gasp wasn’t audible to Sam, Dean just tries to hold on while Cas turns his head, bites Dean’s heavy bottom lip, and then pushes Dean’s mouth more open with his own, and then he drags his hot tongue against Dean’s, coming in broad, and soft.

Dean hears himself make some kind of noise - he can’t tell what it is, because there’s too much blood rushing in his skull - there’s stubble. Stubble. There is stubble in this equation other than his own, and that’s new, and terrifying, and should be wholly unwelcome, but every synapse in his brain dedicated to pleasure is telling him otherwise.

One wide hand insinuates itself under the hem of Dean’s weathered flannel, calloused fingers pressing into his left hip possessively while the other hand glides over his pec, and shoulder to the back of his neck, pinky finger teasing the sensitive skin just under the back of his cotton collar, and thumb brushing the fine hairs at the base of Dean’s skull.

Dean thinks he may be swaying - he’s dizzy.

Cas is dragging him closer, pressing their hips and abdomens together, and Dean’s hands have somehow found better purchase on the front of Cas’ button-down dress shirt than his lapels.

Dean thinks he hears one of the buttons pop off with the strain of his hold, but neither of them seem inclined to do anything about it, so he figures it doesn’t matter; he tries to establish himself as a bit more dominant, thrown off his usual groove by the absolutely sinful way Cas apparently kisses.

To Dean’s simultaneous horror and delight, Cas doesn’t relinquish any control; he won’t be moved, his hands get tighter and hotter where they touch Dean’s skin, he only presses them harder together, and he kisses Dean like he wants to eat him alive.

He kisses Dean like he wants to crawl inside him, like he’s hungry - starved - like kissing is an act of carnage just as much as an act of love, like those things aren’t mutually exclusive.

He’d rather die than admit it to anyone, but Dean’s knees get a little weak, and Cas basically holds up his entire weight by just the grip he’s got on Dean’s waist.

Before he knows it’s happened, Dean’s hard enough to carve stone, and Cas readjusts how they’re slotted against one another to better accommodate Dean’s failing balance, and Cas feels it - he must. Even if he doesn’t feel how hard Dean is against him right away, the guttural moan Dean will deny having made til his dying breath clues him in.

What sounds like hundreds of cherry bombs going off has them stumbling away from each other, and frantically looking about.

The streetlights have exploded. There’s glass everywhere, and based on the echoes of car alarms and distant voices, it’s becoming more and more possible that Cas destroyed the windows and lights of several cars and nearby homes.

Even he and Sam’s flashlights are busted.

In the blanket of darkness that’s settled over the graveyard, Dean can still see clearly, because Cas’ eyes are high beams cutting through the fog of the night.

They’re both panting, Dean’s pretty certain that a resting heart rate isn’t meant to feel like this, and Cas is looking positively feral.

“Jesus fuck!” Sam curses, his arms crossed over his head where he still plucks a shard of glass from his hair.

Reminded of Sam’s presence, Castiel’s head swivels to him, the glow of his eyes dims down, and then he looks back at Dean, visibly frightened.

Dean takes no pleasure in Cas ever being scared, so he reaches out, takes a step back into Cas’ space, but that spooks him more, and in less than a blink of an eye, he’s gone.

Not cool, Cas, Dean thinks loudly, hoping it counts as a prayer that Cas will hear.

Reaching into the front of his jeans, Dean uses the near blackness of the power outage to his advantage, and readjusts himself to the best of his abilities.

It really doesn’t do much.

“Well,” Sam starts pointedly.

Dean, weak at the knees, lips criminally swollen, face flushed, hair mussed and harder than he’s ever been in his life, turns slowly to scowl at Sam.

“That was not nothing.”

Dean doesn’t see a way of winning the argument, so he kicks dirt into Sam’s hair, and leaves him to finish burying.

[missmorosis]

Terrible

Hi! Hello! 

Part of the inspo for this fic is here! Whump & fluff are my soft spots… I really loved this prompt by @whumpster-dumpster​ omg I was scrolling through your prompts and I LOVE THEM!! I’ll definitely have to do one or two more in the future!

Please please please send in requests through my asks!! I would LOVE to write more for y’all~

Pairing: uhhhh soo it can be Zuko x reader, buuut it’s pretty much Gaang x reader :) pairing can apply to everyone? idk

Warnings: Just some dizziness, sickness, fainting! Also please pretend that covid doesn’t exist here~

Word count: omg i wrote 2.5k words!

Summary: Y/N is very sick, but of course, she’s so stubborn that she still needs to help set up for Aang’s birthday party.

When Y/N woke up, she wasn’t sure what was wrong, but she felt out of it. She blindly reached out next to her, feeling for Zuko’s warm body, but he wasn’t there. He must be off at work at the Jasmine Dragon already or something…  

Y/N turned on her phone and groaned. 8:30 AM. She had to get up; she had promised Katara that she would help set up for Aang’s birthday, and she was supposed to meet her in one hour. Sighing, she kicked her blanket off and peeled her eyes open, slightly shivering from the cold. She squinted her eyes. Why was the sunlight so bright? Her eyelids felt heavy, and she wanted more than anything to pull the blanket back up and make herself comfortable once more. However, she scooted her body out of bed, forcing herself to get up. 

Her body didn’t approve. She groaned, rubbing her pounding temples with her hand. She stayed still, hoping for the headache to pass before she made any sharp movements. After a while, the throbbing ceased a bit, and Y/N deemed it safe to move. She checked the time. 8:42 AM. She cursed, getting clothes from her closet as fast as she could. Ignoring her headache, she made a quick mental checklist of the things she needed to do. 1. Take a shower. 2. Get dressed & get ready. 3. Pick up the cake from the bakery, and 4. Drive over to Katara’s and help her with anything else. She could do that in 48, now 47 minutes, right? 

She trudged through her room, through the hallway, heading towards the bathroom. She brought her clothes over, setting it down on the counter next to the sink. She paused, leaning on the bathroom door for just a second, feeling lightheaded. She sighed, closing her eyes. Why was it so hot all of a sudden? Why was the room spinning…? That never happened before… Where was this sickness coming from? Her knees sank into the ground. No. She promised to help Katara. She lifted herself up with difficulty, using the edge of the sink as support. She staggered, but eventually, she pulled herself up.

Maybe a shower would make her feel better? She pulled her clothes off and got into the shower. The warm water ran against the skin, flowing through her hair.  She was going to be fine. She needed to help Katara! She didn’t want Katara to set up the party all by herself. 

Ahh, yes, this was making her feel… better. Right? The water steamed, fogging up the shower glass. She shampooed her hair, running her fingers through her scalp, but it wasn’t making her feel better. No, it was making her feel worse. She was feeling incredibly dizzy and her limbs were weak. The steam from the hot water made her even more dizzy. The shower violently swayed to one side, the world spinning too fast for Y/N to keep up. She washed out the bubbles in her hair, her body slowly sinking into the floor of the shower booth. She was now on all four, unable to stay standing. 

What was happening to her? Y/N washed her body with a loofa, still sitting on the floor of the booth, moving slowly with low energy. She washed all the bubbles off and turned off the water. She crawled out and grabbed a towel and the clothes from the countertop. She wiped away the water with the towel and she slowly pulled the clothes on, starting with her lower body. The ripped jeans she picked out were seriously annoying to put on. Her feet kept getting caught in the holes, and it was especially hard because Y/N was seeing double. She then pulled on her top and exhaled in relief. She reached for her phone. 9:13 AM. She internally screamed; she spent way too long to shower. She only had 17 more minutes to do… what?

What was number 2 on her checklist again? She couldn’t make her brain think. She was too busy trying to stay conscious. She closed her eyes, shakily bringing her legs in, moving her body into a fetal position. She rested her head on her knees, trying to stop the room from spinning so severely, trying to stop her from feeling so weak, and trying to stop herself from passing out. She felt faint and she didn’t know if she could get up. She would rather lay on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. 

“Y/N?” Someone knocked at the door, and Y/N barely recognized his voice. Her brain was not working at all. 

“Zuko?” she weakly managed to call his name. Hadn’t he gone to work? 

“Hey, are you okay? Can I come in? You’ve been in the bathroom for over 40 minutes.” 40 minutes!? How has time gone by so fast?! Y/N reached one arm up and unlocked the bathroom door, grunting at the effort. The door burst open, letting in the cool air from outside the bathroom. She sighed, and tried to look up at Zuko. “Oh my gosh, Y/N!” He kneeled down next to her, his hand immediately on her forehead, checking her temperature. “You’re burning up! What happened?”

“I- I woke up feeling sick and now I’m about to pass out,” she breathed. Her wet hair was dripping onto the white bathroom tiles. Her breathing was shallow, and her surroundings were still wobbly. Her eyesight was going wonky… why was everything blacking out? She squinted, trying to focus on Zuko, but he kept moving. “Z- Zuko, stop moving, I can’t focus on you.”

“Y/N,” he looked at her with concerned eyes. “I’m not moving.” Her mouth opened to form an “o” shape, and she blinked. She was sure he was moving. “Here, lean on me, okay?” She could hear him repositioning himself. She rested her head on the front of Zuko’s chest. She could hear his heartbeat. Thump… thump… thump…  She slumped further onto his knees as the world spun and her vision went black.

✧･ﾟ: *

“Y/N? Hey, are you alright?” Zuko was above Y/N, looking very worried.

“Z- Zuko? What time is it?” Zuko checked his phone.

“9:53, but that’s not important. You literally just passed out.”

“9:53?!” She was late! “Oh no, oh no. I need to pick up the cake and get to Katara’s!” She quickly sat up, which caused her to groan. She shouldn’t have done that; she buried her head in her hands to try and stop the room from spinning once again. 

“Hey,” Zuko gently pushed Y/N back down. “I’ll take care of it. It’s okay, you need some rest. Clearly you’re not okay.” He spoke in a soft, calm voice, which calmed her down a bit, but Y/N’s frantic eyes darted all over his face. She shook her head.

“No, I’m fine,” she insisted, despite her headache and the dizziness. She couldn’t get up, let alone drive, but she was undeniably stubborn. She had to help, even though she was definitely not fine. “I promised Katara I would help with Aang’s birthday party. The cake is under my name; only I can pick it up from the bakery. I swear, I’m fine.”

She got up to prove her point, but it backfired. Her knees collapsed from weakness, causing her to trip over herself. She clutched the side of the couch for support. Why did she have to be so dizzy? Zuko’s arms grabbed her from behind, and she lay limp, allowing him to carry her. Why did it take so much effort to stay standing?? 

“Y/N. I’m worried about you, and you definitely can’t go alone.” He sighed. “If this is really important…” Y/N eagerly nodded. It was important! “I’ll go with you. Sounds good?” Y/N nodded again. That was fine! She checked her phone. 9:58 AM! Already?! 

Oh wow, she had a lot of messages. She scrolled through her notifications... 

Katara: Hey Y/N! Are you coming?

Katara: Y/N?

Katara: Sokka and I are starting to worry…  are you okay?

Sokka: helloooooo?

Sokka: Y/N? you’re… very late ahaha

Sokka: seriously tho- hello?? can ya answer

Sokka: y/nnnn answer me :(

Sokka: heart 💔 been broke 📉 so many times ⏰ i don’t know 🤔 what to believe 

Katara: Missed Calls (4)

Sokka: Missed Calls (5)

Y/N groaned: she didn’t mean to make them worry! She was completely fine. She quickly texted them back, letting them know that she was running late but she’ll be coming soon. She clicked her phone off and got up, letting Zuko support her. Y/N was grateful; she didn’t think she could walk on her own. He led her to the car, once again looking at her worriedly. 

“Are you sure you want to go? You can just text them that you can’t make it,” he said. She waved it off. She was going to be fine. She slumped further into the seat, rubbing her temples. Her head still hurt like crazy, and on top of that, she was shivering from the cold. Why was her body like this…? “You’re cold?” She nodded. She was very cold. “Y/N… it’s 82 degrees.” Oh shoot. Now he was going to worry even more. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. She sent him a smile, just to tie it in. He bit his lip, perhaps to bite back some more worried comments, but instead he started the car. The dizziness multiplied as soon as Zuko started driving. She probably should have stayed home, but it’s too late now… “Head over to umm…” Y/N racked her brain, trying to remember the name of the bakery. She closed her eyes as another headache struck her temples. She was tired of this. 

“Y/N?” Another worried glance. She had been “thinking” for too long.

“Oh, umm, the one in the plaza next to Katara’s house. It has brick walls.” Zuko changed course, heading to the bakery Y/N described. The car ride felt terrible. Every second, her head hurt, the world kept spinning, and Zuko kept on looking at her as if she was going to pass out again any minute. Which could actually be a possibility, but she put that aside.

Finally, they arrived at the bakery. Zuko gestured for Y/N to stay in the car, which she was totally fine with. She felt like she closed her eyes for a second, and when she blinked, Zuko was already back in the car with the cake in the backseat. 

“Oh, hi… Welcome back!” Y/N said. Zuko sighed.

“Y/N, you need to rest. You… look terrible.” 

“Gee.. thanks.” She knew, in fact, that if she looked as bad as she felt, she looked very terrible. “But it’s too late now! We’re practically already at Katara’s house. I can see it from here.” Zuko sighed again and started the short drive. After only a few minutes, the two pulled up in Katara’s driveway. Zuko helped Y/N out, and she was not ready. Her leg crumpled as soon as it hit the floor, but Zuko caught her. She mumbled “sorry” as she tried to stand up straight. Zuko practically carried her; she definitely could not walk on her own. Everything was spinning, including Zuko, so she trusted him to lead the way. He rang the doorbell. Sokka answered the door.

“Hey guys! Hi Zuko, didn’t know you were coming.” Y/N smiled. Sokka looked at the scene in front of him. Y/N knew that they must look really weird: she was leaning on Zuko, and Zuko was supporting her with one arm around her waist. “Y/N, you guys are getting reeaaal comfy there.”  She could see Zuko rolling his eyes. “Anyways, come in! We’re just finishing up decorating.” 

Zuko kicked his shoes off and he helped Y/N do the same. Ahh shoot. Everything spun around her once again. She shut her eyes as tight as she could until it passed. She opened her eyes, looking up at Zuko. His concerned eyes met hers, asking a silent question. Are you sure you’re okay? She nodded, sighing. 

“Hey Y/N!” Katara waved at her. 

“Sorry I’m so late, I got held up.” Katara nodded in understanding. She could feel Zuko’s eyes on her but she ignored him. She did get held up. By passing out... but she could leave out the details.

“Can you help me put this up?” Katara held up an orange banner in one hand. She read the banner: Happy birthday Appa! Appa? No, she read it again. Aang. Ugh, she couldn’t even read anymore. She climbed up the ladder with one side of the banner in her hand. Shoot. She stopped midway, gripping the edges of the metal ladder as everything spun harshly around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to squish out all of the dizziness.

“Y/N?” She heard Katara’s voice calling to her, but she couldn’t tell from where. She felt someone pulling her off the ladder. The warmth of the body told her that it was Zuko. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” someone asked her, but she couldn’t tell who. She felt Zuko pull her in tighter, but she couldn’t see anything since her eyes were completely shut. She wasn’t planning on opening them until everything was back to normal, which meant that it would be a while. She felt terrible, the room wouldn’t stop spinning, her head pounded, and everything was gross. She buried her head further into Zuko’s arms. Everything hurts so much. She wanted everything to stop.

 “Y/N?” Zuko asked her gently. 

She heard someone (Sokka?) open and close a cupboard. “Let me take your temperature. Holy- 104.8! Y/N! You shouldn’t have come here. You need to rest.”

“That’s what I was saying, but she insisted on coming.” She heard Zuko’s exasperated voice. She choked back a sob. Everything hurt so bad, the room was spinning and she couldn’t even open her eyes. She should have just stayed home. 

“Y/N? Are you going to pass out?” Katara’s worried voice asked.

“Y/N, it’s not healthy to pass out twice in one day,” Zuko whispered.

“Twice?! When did she-”

“This morning. I found her on the bathroom floor.”

“That’s why she was late..? Y/N! You didn’t have to come if you weren’t feeling well!” Everyone else mumbled in agreement.

“Hey, Y/N?” Zuko asked again, softer than before. “Can you say something?”

“I’m sorry,” she muttered. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, but you seriously need to rest, alright? It looks like it just keeps getting worse. How do you feel right now?” Zuko’s hand gripped hers. 

“Terrible.” That summed it all up. She felt herself be lifted up, and she was carried away. Zuko’s footsteps echoed in her brain. She was set down on a bed and tucked in.

“Get well soon, okay?” A tender kiss was planted on the top of her burning forehead. She was going to get well for Zuko’s sake.

A/N: that ending do be weird tho

SOOOO that kinda made no sense & it wasn’t too realistic buuut I did write a lot! Hopefully you guys liked it! If you read that mess, THANK YOU!! HUGS TO ALL!!

Please request something in my asks... I would love to write for y’all! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! STAY SAFE!!

[polaroid15]

Of Flying and Falling

Summary: On their way home from a fancy conference on the coast of Vancouver, Tony and Peter's helicopter crashes, ending what should have been a perfect weekend filled with maple ice cream and sea water in a desperate battle for survival.

Read on Ao3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534992

---

When Tony wakes he wishes oblivion would pull him straight back under. It’s not the first time he’s felt this way. Countless nights of parties and post-battle aches and pains have granted him as much.

Today it’s not much different.

He knows his eyes are open, though he can barely see straight, the world a mess of blurry colors and a fierce pain connecting his brain to his neck and spine. At first he thinks it’s a migraine, but a throbbing pain in his leg tells him otherwise. He squints through the haze of pain to assess the source of his hurt and sees, in striking double-vision, his right leg crushed between sheets of dull metal. He stares at it with wide eyed confusion until it clicks.

A trip to Vancouver. A fancy conference. Maple ice cream by the ocean.

The helicopter- it had gone down.

God, how he wishes it could’ve just been a migraine.

Tony squeezes his eyes shut and forces his mind to focus on his breathing. How in the hell had they crashed? Seriously, what were the goddamn chances?

He inhales, holds, exhales, holds. The air around him comes out in a faint wisp of fog, though he doesn’t feel cold.

He feels better.

A flash of a memory runs across his weary eyelids. He sees the pilot limp in his seat and hears panicked yelling in his ears. He sees a pale, freckled hand on his arm that connects up to Peter’s face, eyes wide and panicked. He’s holding onto Tony so tightly that he knows with a surety it will leave a bruise.

A scared kid, plummeting out of the sky.

Oh God.

“Peter!”

Tony winces as he tries to shift in his seat. The skin underneath his seatbelt aches as his fingers struggle to unclick the metal. Only now as his vision clears does he notice the pilot ahead of him, neck bent at an impossible angle.

“Christ. Christ!.”

Numb, he turns to look beside him and sees Peter pressed against the shattered glass of his window, eyes closed and covered in blood. His small hand is still stretched out towards Tony in what could’ve been a childish gesture, though empty and dripping with crimson.

He can’t tell if he’s breathing.

“P-Peter.”

Tony remembers it all now. How he’d pulled Peter out of school early to join him on the trip. How excited he had felt to show Peter off to his colleagues and for Peter to experience the conference. How he and Peter had sat on the coast, breathing in sea water and Peter facetiming May in front of a Canadian flag, smiling wide.

“Kid-” His breath freezes into a block of ice in his chest as he shoots his hand to the side, reaching desperately for the boy. It hits the damp material of Peter’s sweater first, once grey but now the colour of old rust. Swallowing against a sharp pain in his throat, he curls his fingers weakly around the fabric and tugs at it. Peter’s head slides further down the window, leaving a gruesome red smear against the glass in its wake.

Peter doesn’t stir.

Choking on air, Tony tries again, this time more intently. It makes his head spin. “Peter, wake up buddy.”

Still unresponsive, Tony feels his mind draw a blank and he drops his hand. His chest is tight and his heart is beating impossibly fast, so much so that he can feel his pulse in his temples. Through the harsh staccato of his breath he’s vaguely aware of the wind whistling through the cracks and gaps of the damaged aircraft. It sounds threatening, as if the outside world is trying to claw its way towards them and finish them off; to take Peter away somewhere Tony can’t follow.

He tries to breathe, can’t, and without much grace wiggles his fingers under the kid’s throat, praying for a pulse. After a moment of agonizing patience, he feels it. A beat of life.

“Pete-”

His relief is joined with an unwarranted sob as Peter groans. The pressure in his chest loosens, even if only slightly, and he continues to encourage the boy back to consciousness. “Earth to spidey.”

“F’ve more minutes.”

“Oh lordy. Peter!”

Ever so slowly, Peter shows his eyes. Tony watches brokenly as they fill with confusion. “Wha?”

“It’s okay kiddo. It’s okay. Look at me.”

“What?” Peter says again. His head pulls away from the glass and Tony winces at the tiny shards of it embedded in the side of his face. With great difficulty, Peter’s eyes reach Tony’s own. They flicker with understanding, even fear. “Tony? Y-you’re covered in blood.”

“I know. We had an accident.”

Breathing becoming more laboured, Peter tries to sit up and cries out as he does. His hands reach up to ghost at his abdomen where the seatbelt is still pulled tight. “Oh,” he says. “Tha’s not good.”

A familiar sting erupts in Tony’s eyes and he swallows against the tightening of his throat. Not good. So not good. “Breathe Petey. We’re going to be fine. We have to get out, though. Can you move?”

Still obviously struggling with basic comprehension, Peter nods hastily a couple long seconds after the close of Tony’s question. With shaking hands, the boy reaches for his seatbelt and grits his teeth as he pulls it apart. When it loosens he leans back with wide eyes as if blinking away stars and doesn’t respond when Tony tries to soothe him.

“Take it slow. Take your time.”

Peter is still staring heavily at the dented ceiling of the helicopter, breathes stilted. “The- the pilot?”

Looking over at the broken man, Tony feels his stomach tighten. “It doesn’t look good Pete.”

“Oh.” To Tony’s horror, a tear appears against the blood and grime on the kid’s cheek. His head rolls to look at Tony, fever bright eyes landing on his leg. “Tony-”

“I know,” he says tightly. The acknowledgment brings a fresh wave of pain over his body that makes his stomach twist into knots. “I’ll need your help to get it free. Think you can circle around and pry it out for me?”

Peter blinks, eyebrows furrowed.

“Kid?”

“Yeah?”

“I need your help to get free. Then I can help look you over. Okay?”

“Oh. O-okay.”

Tony watches closely as Peter curls his scraped and bruised hands around the door of the helicopter and pushes it ajar. It brings with it a gust of bitter air and they both shiver fiercely against it.

“Remember to take it slow buddy.”

Nodding, Peter uses the top of the door to shimmy himself to the edge of his seat, grunting through the pain. He must lose his balance because in the next second, he’s gone. Tony hears him hit the ground hard. Then silence.

“Peter!” Tony moves to help the boy and nearly screams when the movement pulls on his trapped leg. He grinds his knuckles into his forehead and fights to regain air in his chest. When the fit passes, he trusts himself to speak once more. “Peter! Are you okay?”

There’s another beat of long, painful silence before he hears the rustle of leaves. Peter’s head appears at the foot of his open door, pupils blown wide and looking dazed as ever. “‘M good. S’ry.”

Something twists savagely in Tony’s gut. God. He should’ve waited for Peter to get more oriented- should’ve made sure he was ready to move. All his rational thought has seemed to drift far away like a cloud from the sky they had fallen from.

“‘M coming.”

Before Tony can even open his mouth Peter is stumbling out of sight. He practically holds his breath until he hears the light scraping of metal against his own door and helps Peter pull it open. The movement must throw Peter off balance again because he falls backwards onto his butt, staring amazedly up at Tony like he had no idea how he got there.

“Careful bud,” Tony frets. He leans down and reaches out a hand to help Peter up, who takes it weakly.

“S’ry,” Peter says again, shaking his head. “Dizzy.”

“No kidding,” Tony agrees. Up close, he can truly appreciate how mauled the kid’s head is; thick blood coagulating against his temple and in his hair, leaving a gruesome trail all the way down to the neckline of his sweater and out of sight. He doesn’t even want to think of everything he can’t see.

Peter falls against the body of the helicopter, hands ghosting over the crunched metal around Tony’s leg. After what must be some delirious consideration, Peter’s hands find themselves on each side of the opposing medal. Without warning, he pulls.

They both scream.

It takes a long time for Tony to see anything other than the sudden whiteness that has dominated his vision. When it clears, he finds his leg is free. Very broken, burning with pain, but free. He chokes on his tears and swallows the acid in his throat.

“G-good job kid.”

Silence.

“Kid?”

Tony whips his head to the side and braces himself against the interior of the helicopter as his vision tilts and slides like a damn kaleidoscope. When it returns to an equilibrium, it nearly whites out again in sheer panic.

Peter is sprawled out on the grass on his back, lax face tilted up towards the sun. Tony’s too antic to tell if the kid is breathing and every shred of common sense flies away from him as he pushes himself out of the body of the aircraft.

He lands next to the boy and chokes on a scream when his bad leg hits the ground. He does throw up this time, shuddering against the pain of it all. A faint ringing has started in his ears, but none of it matters. All that matters is Peter.

With shaking hands Tony reaches to find the kid’s pulse, this time on his wrist, and collapses in on himself when he finds it for the second time. It’s fast and thready, but there all the same.

“Thank god,” Tony breathes. He crawls closer and taps on Peter’s cheek. The blood on his skin sticks to Tony’s fingers. “Peter. Pete.”

This time Peter’s ascent back into consciousness is easier. His eyelids pull up to half mast and he hums, head turning ever so slightly to meet Tony’s worried gaze. Everything in Tony’s chest seems to melt as he studies his kid. He brushes the hair out of Peter’ face, hand lingering. “What happened bud?”

“Dunno,” Peter replies honestly, eyebrows pulling together. “Hurt.”

Tony takes it as his invitation to check what injuries the boy’s been hiding. Peter watches detachedly as Tony pulls up the hem of Peter’s sweater and gasps at what he sees, limbs going numb and his pulse doubling in tempo.

All the skin Tony can see is a dark, molten purple, nearly black. In the worst of the bruising Peter’s skin is raised in ugly irritation. Tony’s no doctor, but he’s sure the seat belt had cut into his gut and wouldn’t be surprised if the kid was sporting some broken ribs or bruised organs.

Internal bleeding, his mind supplies, but he pushes it away.

They need help. Badly.

“Cold.”

Tony snaps his head towards Peter, finding him with his arms curled feebly around his frame and the setting sun casting long shadows across his face.

Not good.

Gears spin and catch in Tony’s head. “Hang on kid,” he says, then staggers to his feet, using the body of the helicopter to keep himself from falling. Fearful for what he might find, he heaves open the door to the cockpit and uses every last bit of strength to pull himself inside.

“Williams?”

Tony reaches out his hand slowly and rests in gently on the pilot’s shoulder. When it doesn’t illicit a response, his fingers ghost through the blood and broken glass to find one of the man’s veins. Unlike Peter’s, it’s still against his skin.

“Oh Christ.”

Tony sits back against his seat, hands trembling violently. Though thoroughly surrounded in it, the air seems to vanish from the atmosphere, leaving him gasping. God.

“Tony-”

A voice through the haze. He feels a warm hand on his thigh.

“Mr. Stark. Look at me.”

Slowly, he does, aware as if from a great distance Peter’s worried eyes. The kid is leaning heavily against the opening in the cockpit, looking faint but determined. “It’s not your fault. You have to breathe.”

It takes some time. It always does.

Again, Tony breathes.

“Good,” Peter mumbles in relief, head dipping forward. Tony snakes his hand up to his chest and feels the evidence of his heart working underneath the layer of grime and singed clothing constructing his shirt and takes a long moment to really feel it.

Eventually, the universe rights itself.

“Sorry kid.”

Peter shakes his head, but doesn’t raise it, body lax with exhaustion. If he hadn’t known any better, Tony would’ve thought the boy had fallen asleep standing against the side of the aircraft. His small voice travels up and Tony barely catches it. “D-does the radio work?”

Feeling dumb for not thinking of it sooner, Tony looks hurriedly towards the contraption. It’s crushed, just as his leg had been. Nothing more than useless scrap metal.

“Nada,” he chokes.

“Phone?”

Tony grits his teeth, pulling his phone out from his suit jacket. The cracked screen displays his worst nightmare. “No service.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

The sun is barely visible through the trees now, the last of its light turning the pine needles gold. Tony sees Peter shiver once more, this time harder, and he pulls himself towards the edge of the seat. “It’s starting to look like we’re going to have to stay the night kiddo.”

Peter shifts, allowing Tony to drop to the ground beside him. He looks distant, like all the times in a post-spidey incident they’ve had to hook him up to an IV filled with the good stuff. “The night,” Peter repeats, slurring his words. Then he laughs. “Camping.”

Against his better judgement, Tony smiles. “Yeah. Just like camping.”

“I’ve never been camping.”

“Well, there's a first time for everything.”

Peter laughs again, but this time, it tapers off into a grimace. The boy crumples like a poorly stacked card tower and Tony lunges to catch him, leg igniting in bright pain at the sudden movement. They end up in a tangled pile of limbs on the forest floor.

“Peter?”

Heart thundering once more, Tony raises himself and turns the kid’s chin into his line of sight. Contrary to his suspicions, Peter is blinking up lazily at him, expressionless but conscious.

“Answer me bud,” Tony says loudly, raw anxiety flooding every nerve in his body. His hands ghost over the kid’s abdomen and then his face where his head is still leaking blood. “Peter,” he says again, this time more urgently. The kid’s eyes remain painstakingly vacant. “Talk to me.”

The sunset shines like fire against Peter’s face. The young hero blinks, then blinks again. Slowly, Tony sees recognition return. He whimpers and Tony’s eyes well up with tears. “Peter? Can you hear me?”

Peter nods.

“Good, good. Can you tell me your name?”

Peter considers it for a moment before clearing his throat. It must cause another spark of pain because his eyes screw closed before reopening once more. “Peter.”

“And who am I?”

“Tony.”

“Great job kiddo. You’re acing my test. One more question, alright? How many fingers do you see?”

The confusion is evident on Peter’s face as he squints towards Tony’s raised hand. After a long painful silence, he gives up and falls back. “Six?”

If the fear shows on his face, Peter doesn’t pick up on it. “Not quite,” he says sourly, curling his hand back into a fist. “But that’s okay.”

Peter hums. “I’m cold.”

God, he’s never felt so useless in his life. Tony bites his lip hard and stares into the wide expanse of wilderness around them. He wonders if they’re still in Canada or if they had managed to cross the border.

Regardless, they need a fire.

“I hear ya kiddie,” Tony says. A sudden rush of adrenaline courses through his veins, numbing the raging pain in his leg. He runs his hands through Peter’s hair and the boy leans into the touch, eyes fluttering. “I’ll get us a fire started, okay? Stick tight.”

“Mmm?”

“Stay here,” he repeats. “I’ll be right back.”

But Peter doesn’t respond.

Gritting his teeth, Tony stands once more. He limps away from the helicopter and braces himself against the nearest tree to blink through the stars collecting in his eyes. Though he’s only moved a couple steps, he looks back towards Peter, the boy unmoving in the grass.

“Oh god.”

The adrenaline fades fast. Tony uses all of it he can to snap thin branches off surrounding trees and limp them back over to the helicopter. Everytime he deposits a load of wood he crouches down to make sure the kid is still breathing.

He makes three trips. By the fourth, he can barely stand and the sky is dark.

Peter doesn’t stir as Tony drops down to the earth beside him. He lets the kid sleep on as he arranges the wood together over a mound of disrupted dirt where the helicopter had sheared the earth clean. He grabs a fistfull of dry grass and tucks it into the center of his structure. Then, using the blessed lighter in his pocket, sets it ablaze.

It’s weak but functional and Tony nearly collapses at the relief of the flame. It illuminates the small area around them and Tony uses it to crawl towards Peter, shaking him awake. The boy’s eyes are completely delirious as he grapples to come back to himself.

“What?”

“We got a fire,” Tony explains gently. Under his touch, Peter’s skin is iced. “Come warm up.”

Nodding, Peter allows Tony to hoist him into a sitting position. The movement must pull at the injury in his gut because he grunts through clenched teeth, nearly collapsing back down. Tony catches him at his shoulder before he can, noticing the thin sheen of sweat on the kid’s neck and forehead with worry. “It’s okay,” he soothes. “Easy does it.”

After another series of awkward and painful maneuvers they end up leaning against the metal of the helicopter, side by side and the fire glinting like magic in front of them. He feels Peter relax against his side, the kid’s head falling to rest heavily on Tony’s shoulder.

He thinks of hours before when he and Peter had been enjoying matching maple ice creams. How they hadn’t shared a single care in the world.

Stupid of him to believe it could last.

Peter shifts against him, pulling him away from his thoughts. He’s looking intently into the fire. “Marshmallows?” He asks.

Chuckling, Tony holds him tighter. “Sorry kiddo. Not this time.”

“Bummer.”

The attempt at humour dies like the sparks shooting up from their small flames and Tony feels the dread creeping back into his bones like a disease. This is all his goddamn fault. “How’re you feeling kiddo?”

Peter hums as if in deep thought. The blood on his face is bright and unrelenting in the glow of the fire, like some permanent reminder of Tony's failures. “Did you know my parents died in a plane crash?”

Tony jolts, the response hitting him like a freight train. He rubs Peter’s arm as his throat tightens. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

“They must’ve been really scared.”

“Are you scared Peter?”

Slowly, Peter shakes his head. “No. Got you.”

Swallowing his tears, Tony presses a kiss to Peter’s temple. He grapples with his words, a deep sorrow replacing his physical pain for a brief moment. “Your parents had each other.”

As if agreeing, Peter makes a small noise in the back of his throat. “I wish I could’ve known them better.”

“They’re with you,” Tony assures quietly. He moves his hand to place it against the boy’s chest, the fabric warm from the fire. “They’re always with us, Pete. Our family never leaves us.”

Peter smiles. Even through the blood and dirt and utter delirium, he looks happy. “You’re family.”

Tony’s chest tightens.

“You won’ leave me. Right?”

“Never,” he promises.

Peter smiles again. There’s blood on his teeth Tony hadn’t noticed before and he hopes to god it isn’t new. “I’ll never leave you either.”

“Good,” Tony says. He pulls them closer together, trying his best to ignore the numbness in his toes. “I’m going to hold you to it Parker.”

“Mmm.” Peter’s smile falls slightly, eyes drifting closed. “M’kay.”

Tony feels his own eyelids drooping. He surveys the kid through heavily lidded eyes. “We checkin out?”

“Mm.”

Peter’s weight increases against his side as he falls asleep. Tony rests his head on the top of Peter’s curls and soaks in the warmth of the fire. For some strange reason, he feels a calmness he can’t describe. In fact, he can hardly feel the pain in his leg anymore.

Within seconds, he’s asleep.

---

When Tony wakes up the next morning, their fire is dead.

The ashes still smoulder, sending thin wisps of smoke up into the bright light of the morning. For a moment he lies still, blinking away his incoherence and moaning when his leg twists in a horrible pain.

God, he’s so screwed.

A chill rushes over him and he pulls his jacket more tightly around his frame with numb fingers. The warmth Peter had provided throughout the night is gone.

“Peter?”

Tony forces his eyes to open fully, turning his head to his left. He expects to see the kid curled up in a ball or leaned back against the aircraft.

Instead, he doesn’t see Peter at all.

“Damn it.” A stroke of fear beats hard against Tony’s chest like a drum. He scrambles in the dirt, sweeping his eyes over the clearing in hopes to find the missing boy. His breath hitches and stalls as he tries to curb the mounting panic.

Then he sees him. The boy is across the clearing, laid out on his stomach and unmoving as if he had fallen.

“PETER!”

Tony tries to stand and fails. As soon as he puts pressure on his crushed leg it sparks in agony and his knees buckle. He claws at the dirt, vision white, and for some time is quite unaware of anything past the lightning rods of hurt in his bones.

Vertigo washes over him as he twists on his side. Slowly, the world swims back into focus. God. Not doing that again. Taking deep, lung shattering breaths, Tony pulls himself to his knees.

“Peter!”

Again, the boy doesn’t move. Tony swears and hobbles forward on his hands and good knee, dragging his injured limb behind. By the time he reaches the boy, his muscles are shaking and he has sweat dripping in his eyes. He uses the last of his rapidly depleting strength to heave Peter onto his back.

“Kid?”

Peter’s face is more pale than Tony has ever seen it. His stomach twists and he raises the hem of Peter’s shirt once more, gritting his teeth at the unimproved arrangement of bruises and welts. If anything it’s gotten worse.

“Come on,” Tony urges, lightly shaking Peter’s arm. “Wakey wakey.”

The world seems to pause on its axis as Peter’s eyes slowly drift open. There’s absolutely no coherence in them, and it takes Tony another five minutes of talking to get the kid to even look at him.

“Tony?”

“Yeah kiddo, it’s me,” he says, voice thick. “What’re you doing all the way out here?”

“Here?” Peter shifts, cries out, and fights to breathe. His eyes snap shut and his fingers curl weakly in the grass as he writhes against the pain.

“Christ.” Tony’s hands hover uselessly over the boy, scared to even touch him. “Kid? You okay?”

“No-no!”

Maybe it’s the pain, maybe it’s the exhaustion. Hell, maybe it’s just the sheer audacity of the situation, but soon they're both laughing. It’s choked and bizarre and so astronomically far from humour.

Eventually, their delirious chuckles taper off into heavy breathing. Peter looks up at him with eyes that tell Tony he’s probably seeing in double again.

“Why’d you leave the helicopter?” Tony asks. “You can’t scare me like that Pete.”

“Sorry,” Peter says. His hands are still wound tightly into the earth. “I was- I was- I thought I heard Ben.”

Tony frowns, leaning forward to press his fingers against the wound in Peter’s head. It trickles blood at his touch and Peter swats him away. God, he wishes he had the technology to tell him exactly what was going on. He’s no doctor, but he’s pretty sure hearing the voices of deceased relatives is not a good sign.

“Don’ worry,” Peter says as if reading his thoughts. “I’m not crazy. Just got confused.”

“I know. I’m sorry Pete.”

“I wanna go home.”

“I know.”

Peter sighs out a shallow breath, staring up into the grey sky. “I don’t know if I can move.”

Trying to keep the panic off his face, Tony doesn’t bother arguing. He knows the boy is right. They’re running out of options. No food, no water, and both injured to hell.

“That’s okay,” Tony says. There’s a deep sadness in his chest that he can’t quite place. “Rest up here for a bit. Get that spidey strength back.”

“How’s your leg?”

“Not so good,” he replies honestly. “But don’t worry about that right now okay?”

“M’okay.”

It doesn’t take long for Peter to nod off again. Away from the cover of the helicopter, they’re much more exposed. Tony knows realistically that they won’t survive much longer out here. He knows realistically that he should find them shelter, maybe even water, but the idea is too much a fantasy to ever be achieved in his current state.

It’s out of his hands, now.

---

Harsh coughing brings Tony out of a fitful slumber. He doesn’t remember falling asleep but surely he must have, the sky now painted in neon oranges and pinks as opposed to the glare of the morning. They’re still lying in the middle of the clearing and Tony can’t feel his fingers and toes.

And Peter? Peter is choking.

Tony pushes himself towards the boy, biting his cheek harshly when his leg flares with pain. Peter is turned on his side, clutching his abdomen with both hands and struggling to breathe. There’s thick red blood spraying out of his mouth with each cough and Tony watches in horror as it doesn’t stop.

“Peter?”

If the kid can hear him, he doesn’t acknowledge it. The coughing persists, the bottom half of his face painted red.

He almost doesn’t notice the plane.

Tony feels frozen. He’s sure Peter is dying.

“Tony!”

The voice is distant. Tony feels strong wind whip through his clothes, his hair. He holds Peter’s hand and rubs his back.

“Tony!”

He spares a glance away from Peter and sees Rhodey hanging from a plane by a long rope, slowly descending towards them. His eyes are wide, reflecting Tony’s fear.

“Hurry! He- he’s dying-”

The relief of their rescue is buried in the very real possibility that Peter won’t make it out off the ground. His struggles for air are getting weaker now, lips tinted blue.

“T’ny.”

“Don’t talk kid,” Tony says. “Save your air.”

Rhodey reaches the ground and unclips his harness from the rope that had carried him there. He starts racing towards them, talking hurriedly over a com.

“Tony.”

One of the kid’s hands finds its way on Tony’s arm, just as it had when the helicopter was moments from hitting the ground. It scratches weakly at the fabric, eyes becoming more frantic.

“You’re going to be okay. Rhodey’s here. He’s going to help-”

“Oh my God!” Rhodey falls to the earth beside them, hands ghosting over Peter. “We need to get him in the sky now.”

Tony can feel his body shutting down. Everything that had happened since the helicopter began to plummet out of the sky comes crashing down around him. There’s a sharp sting of acid in his throat and he feels weak and dizzy.

He can hardly feel the pain anymore.

“I can’t carry him,” Tony says. “My leg. You need to take him. Take him first- come back for me after.”

“And the pilot?”

“Dead.”

Rhodey doesn’t waste any more time. After giving Tony’s shoulder a sharp squeeze, he pulls Peter up into his arms into a bridal carry. The boy, through his coughs, finds it within himself to scream. He jerks against the pain, hands curling into Rhodey’s clothes. Rhodey shifts the kid in his arms and his mouth moves softly in words Tony can’t hear.

As they turn and leave, Peter reaches out towards him, the distance between them growing.

“You’ll be okay,” Tony says to himself, though it’s clear the boy won’t hear. It’s a mantra, a promise.

“You’ll be okay.”

He watches dizzily as Rhodey runs back towards the plane. The world is shifting in a way that he’s not accustomed too. It makes him nauseous and tired and oh god he hopes Peter will be okay.

As his vision fades, he sees Rhodey secure himself back to the rope, holding Peter protectively against his chest. Even from where he sits, far away, he can see the kid’s red blood shining bright against his face.

His kid.

His Peter.

It’s the last thought he has before the world makes one last vicious twist, and he falls back into darkness.

---

He wakes up on the plane.

It’s a strange feeling, being weightless in more ways than one. They must have him hooked to some good drugs because he can barely keep his eyes open and his leg is blissfully unproblematic. From what he can see, he notices Peter laying in a stretcher beside him. The kid’s eyes are open too, but only slightly. He’s covered in bandages and tubes and wires. With numb fingers, Tony reaches out and touches the kid’s arm.

Peter shifts to look at him and smiles when their eyes meet. For the first time in two days, there’s safety in them.

“Hey,” Peter says. His voice is raw.

“Hey yourself,” Tony giggles. God, he feels higher than a kite.

Peter giggles too, his pupils still blown to hell. He shifts ever so slightly in order to lean closer to Tony and whispers as if uttering a secret. “No offence but that- that camping trip really sucked.”

“I agree.”

“I mean. I mean- there weren’t even any marshmallows.”

Tony laughs loudly. He can see Rhodey out of the corner of his eye near the wall, watching them in a weary, bemused expression. His gratitude for his friend is beyond words.

“Don’t worry,” Tony says. “Next time there’ll be, there’ll be-,” but the words die as everything blurs in a soft array of melding colors. He forgets what there’ll be, and when his vision steadies, Peter’s eyes are closed. He looks incredibly young, Tony thinks. Too young.

“No next time,” Tony decides. “No sir.”

He reaches out across his stretcher to Peter’s and grabs the boy’s wrist. The contact calms the last ember of his anxiety, and all the tension seems to drain out of his body.

They’re okay.

They’re going to be okay.

[ladyfawkes]

FINALLY!!! AN UPDATE!!! Lol. Nice long one, too. Post-Cassandra's Revenge AU. Grievous injuries occur to more than one character during Cassandra's fight for magical dominance. These afflictions won’t become manifest until after they’ve left the Tower, however.

In the aftermath from Cassandra's Revenge at Black Rock Tower, Eugene is trying to use his rare alone time to process all that had happened. Thankfully, he has Lance to keep him grounded with his own irksome ways.

One enormous weight had been lifted and Eugene's psyche was flying because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rapunzel reciprocated all of his feelings for her. He also witnessed exactly to what lengths Rapunzel would move heaven and earth to fight for him.

Amongst his euphoria for Rapunzel, however, he must also figure out how to forgive Cassandra for all that she’s done.

Chapter 3 Summary:

Although Eugene had originally explained that he wasn't otherwise affected by his experiences from yesterday at Black Rock Tower, today was proving out much differently.

Eugene had tried valiantly to keep things from Rapunzel in order to save her more grief. Yet he had to quickly make the determination to tell her everything instead, due in large part to Lance’s prodding. Nobody had known it at the time, but Eugene’s affliction symptoms would soon send him spiraling too quickly. Unfortunately for Eugene, he would be caught up within the throes of the fight's aftermath before he could ever tell Rapunzel anything else. Or even confess privately to Lance. He was no longer capable of giving an explanation about anything to anyone.

What, exactly, had happened to him and who was to blame?

CHAPTER THREE MEA CULPA, TUA CULPA, NOSTRA CULPA

Approximately 40 minutes later, Lance, Rapunzel, Varian, and Eugene had sat down for tea. And although Eugene had originally told Rapunzel that the new scars didn’t hurt, the skin around them had definitely become more sensitized overnight. It’s why earlier he had practically jumped out of his skin even at Rapunzel’s lightest of touches. But he didn’t want Rapunzel to worry needlessly and he wasn’t entirely sure if the sensation was real or if he was just in a state of hyper-awareness and imagining things that weren’t there. However, since their confrontation in Eugene’s room, the presumed-healed wounds were even stinging and smarting somewhat, quite unlike before. Again, Eugene wrestled internally with the idea of telling her about what was happening or not. He finally decided that after tea, he should take Rapunzel aside and tell her about this latest development.

During the past several minutes, Eugene had barely touched even a morsel of his hors d'oeuvres, much less anything more substantial. That was not at all characteristic of his notoriously healthy appetite. At the present, he preferred instead to sip absently from the same cup of tea. Before long everyone at the table kept giving him surreptitious double-takes. Certain he must’ve been imagining it, Eugene turned away from the group and laid down his head, pillowing it against his elbow on the table…..and he was still barely touching that teacup.

Moderately taken aback by Eugene’s abrupt change in mood, the rest of them simply let him alone for the time being. Although still a sensitive person, Eugene wasn’t usually quite so moody anymore. In fact, Lance quite liked to tease Eugene about how his once formerly nihilistic professional thief friend had instead become a rather insufferable eternal optimist. The rest of the group wordlessly seemed to agree that whatever was happening would perhaps blow over soon and Eugene would be back to his normal self in no time.

Little did his friends know that at this very moment, Eugene had been additionally and shockingly swept up in the personal hell of biting back against rather sudden and excruciating pain emanating from his core. Red hot burning sensations now simultaneously emanated from and rippled outward from the new impalement scars; they had quickly forged a web of blazing pain over the entire surface of his skin. So rapidly tuned out was he that Eugene became practically oblivious to the world around him. As each corresponding wave of burning sensations caused him more pain, he subsequently had to fight mounting nausea, overheating, and dizziness. What was being fought from within him was now manifesting outwardly upon Eugene’s face, deepening his complexion to an alarming shade of crimson. Something Eugene’s friends hadn’t yet witnessed was him taking on the shocking appearance of one who had been stricken with extreme sunburn -- over the entire surface of his body. After all, Eugene had turned his back and covered his head with his jacket.

Some mysterious internal source of heat had arisen within Eugene, almost as if his body were trying to fight off something particularly nasty and virulent. And although earlier he’d promised to tell Lance and Rapunzel the story behind why he thought he’d received his newest scars, Eugene was currently in no shape to tell them anything, especially now, as he’d fallen silent with the rapid spiking of his internal temperature.

The young man had become so light-headed, overheated, and overburdened with pain that he could hardly think, much less speak intelligibly. Oh lord, it’s so hot, was one of Eugene’s only lucid thoughts.

At this point in time, he was finding it impossible to merely sit at the table without needing to fall sideways off the chair or slump bodily over the table. He was additionally getting so annoyed with all the racket surrounding him...the bits that penetrated his thickened consciousness and brain fog, anyway….why couldn’t the people around the table just stop yelling, already?? Eugene wished they all would just shut the hell up, and stop clanking their silverware on the dishes so loudly. That way, his ears would stop ringing and he’d have a better chance of getting his head to stop pounding a little. Although his back was toward his companions, they noted his non-verbal mounting signs of distress nonetheless. Rapunzel had stood up out of her seat and walked around the table to check on him. She lightly touched his shoulder from behind.

Without any outward indication he’d noticed her, Eugene greatly startled Rapunzel and everyone at the table as he clapped his hands over the ringing in his ears and shot up unsteadily out of his seat. He attempted an announcement to the entire table his intention to leave and take refuge in his bedroom until he felt better. Yet before he could complete any of the words coming out of his mouth, Eugene’s eyes rolled back in his head and he suddenly collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Everyone in the dining hall simultaneously expressed alarm and dismay upon seeing Eugene’s current condition.

‘--Gene!’” was the only panic-stricken syllable that Rapunzel managed to utter in that moment. Before the princess could even fully comprehend what was happening, Eugene’s chin slammed into the edge of the hard wooden table in front of him. The princess sprang into action and managed to catch Eugene before he could cause himself any further injury. Everyone at the table began chattering worriedly at once, wondering how it was that Eugene could go from looking perfectly healthy just minutes ago to outright fainting and turning red as a sunburn victim.

“Lance!” called Rapunzel. Lance made it to Eugene instantly, saying, “On it, dear Princess,” as he took up his friend Eugene’s side opposite Rapunzel and the pair laid the distressed young man on the cool marble floor of the dining hall. Varian had dutifully sprinted from the large hall, having volunteered to go summon the palace surgeon. They needed to see what, if anything, could be done for Eugene. And hopefully even get some insight as to his current condition.

Right now, blood was gushing from a superficial wound in Eugene’s chin where his skin had split open upon making contact with the unyielding table. Rapunzel had ordered one of the kitchen servants to bring her a bowl of cold water and several clean serviettes. This, of course, was done immediately. The princess took one serviette, folded over a corner, dipped it in the clean water, and pressed it against Eugene’s chin wound. It was only then he began to stir a little. He had turned his head enough to dislodge the cloth, which in turn caused Rapunzel to shift and firmly press the cloth back upon the wound.

“That huuuurts,” Eugene whimpered semi-consciously, feebly attempting to push away Rapunzel’s ministering hands with one of his own.

“I’m sure it does,” soothed Rapunzel, running her hand across his fevered brow. She looked up at Lance with deep concern, “He is positively burning up. Could you soak another cloth for me and press it against his forehead, please?”

“Sure thing, Princess,” answered Lance, and did what Rapunzel requested.

That much cold moisture coming into contact with Eugene’s reddened overheated face, however, nearly succeeded in fully rousing the unconscious young man. Their charge soon settled down, however, as Lance restrained one of Eugene’s flailing arms and Rapunzel restrained the other.

“Lance,” Rapunzel queried worriedly, “do you have any idea about what might be causing this curious overheating within him? And do you know anything about those new scars that he hasn’t yet told me?”

“The only thing I know for certain, Princess, is that he received these marks yesterday during the time, ah….Cassandra…..was squeezing him with rocks? -- whatever that meant.” Rapunzel’s eyes grew larger than saucers and Lance couldn’t hold her gaze. “But he did say he….” even Lance was having difficulty finishing the explanation in the same place where Eugene had, though Lance had originally been the one goading his friend into telling the Princess, “....he did say he had literally felt himself get run through in four places whilst being held onto by those rocks.” Rapunzel’s complexion noticeably paled, even in the bright afternoon sunlight of the dining hall.

“No…..please….no…..” she whispered, wilting before Lance’s eyes in spite of her obvious desire to remain strong for Eugene.

“But -- but he also was positively adamant and was almost certain that Cassandra wasn’t the one responsible,” Lance fibbed, not wanting to see Rapunzel’s confidence falter. “And that’s all I know,” he said in a rush, before he could descend any deeper. This little white lie of Eugene being sure it wasn’t Cass felt practically necessary right now.

“Really?” asked Rapunzel hopefully. Suddenly Lance understood why Eugene would do anything to keep Rapunzel from being disappointed or feeling betrayed, especially when it comes to Cassandra. “I wonder why Eugene wanted to keep this from me, though….” she mused to herself.

“The only reason he didn’t tell you is because Eugene knew how worried you would become if you had even one inkling that Cass had actively tried to kill him. His sincerest wish was to keep you from experiencing even more distress.”

Rapunzel looked down at her intended and ran her free hand lovingly through his hair. “And to think, I was upset with him for keeping it secret….I should've known he was merely trying to shield me. Dearest Eugene….what’s happening to you right now? If only I could’ve asked you sooner….” her eyes grew moist and she said to Lance, "he’s forever the protector, even when he’s the one in worse danger, or the one who’s truly suffered --”

“Princess Rapunzel?” An authoritative yet kind voice interrupted her speech as more quickened footsteps echoed across the hall. True to his word, Varian had brought the palace surgeon to assist with Eugene.

“Dr. Eden,” acknowledged Rapunzel, nodding with some relief, “thank you for coming so quickly. While we’re not exactly certain what’s affecting Eugene, we can tell you that the visual symptoms you can see weren’t affecting him as little as an hour ago.”

Lance stood up from his place by Eugene, volunteering the empty spot for Dr. Eden. The doctor quickly knelt down and began examining her patient. “So he’s not sunburned, then?” queried the doctor. “Not at all,” Rapunzel answered.

“And his fever?” continued Eden.

“He showed no signs of it at all until approximately 30 minutes ago, when he laid down his head upon the table during tea.”

“Hmmm,” Dr. Eden’s brows knitted together as she mused to herself. “Does anyone here happen to have a spyglass or other magnifier?”

“I do!” Varian chirped, clearly pleased to be of further assistance. The young teen stepped closer and volunteered his ever-present prism goggles. After Varian showed the doctor how to work the goggles, she asked the nearby servants if the castle had any ice stores in the palace cellars. Unfortunately, they did not and had used up the last of the stores the week prior and had yet to replenish them. It was then that Varian again volunteered. “Uhm, actually, I have an alchemical compound that creates ice from regular water almost instantly,” he said helpfully.

“Can the ice safely touch human skin?”, asked Dr. Eden. Varian answered in the affirmative. “Can you make enough ice to fill an entire washtub with it too?” Dr. Eden continued multi-tasking by asking Varian questions and closely examining the surface of Eugene’s skin up close with the goggles.

Varian made some brief calculations in his head and affirmed that he did indeed have enough ice-making compound for the task at hand.

“All right, then -- retrieve your supplies, Alchemist, and I shall meet up with you again in the bath chamber. My patient is in need of your services too,” said Dr. Eden.

“Yes, ma’am!!” said Varian excitedly, very nearly saluting the doctor as he rushed out of the hall, nearly ploughing into one of the palace servants in his haste. "Whoops! Sorry!!" the teen exclaimed in a hurry.

Then the doctor turned toward the princess and said, “We’ve simply got to bring down Eugene’s temperature as rapidly as possible. Now tell me -- has he perhaps recently been struck by lightning?”

“No!!” Rapunzel answered immediately. But then thought better of it.

“Wait….actually....” The power and energies that she and Cassandra had been wielding yesterday had certainly resembled nothing if not so much as awesome lightning…. And poor Eugene and Varian had been haplessly trapped and caught up right in the center of it all. Oh, how foolish she had been to assume they had all somehow escaped her goddess-like fight with Cassandra completely unscathed…..therefore she nodded despondently toward Dr. Eden.

“Y-yesterday,” Rapunzel’s throat constricted on the word, and a hand flew to her mouth. The princess could no longer speak. That instantaneous tsunami of guilt which built within her over the mere possibility that her actions from yesterday might’ve led to Eugene’s current state of suffering today threatened to overwhelm her.

Lance had just explained to her that Eugene was all but certain that Cassandra wasn’t the one responsible for his newest gnarly scars. Was it possible that’s because Eugene knew that Rapunzel was the one who had given them to him instead, however unwittingly?