I thought I had already shaken this cold when I started feeling better only two days after first feeling sick but in the meantime I've moved house (which means lots of carrying heavy things and collapsing into bed absolutely exhausted at the end of the day) and now that I'm sort of moved in the cold has come back with a vengeance. I feel absolutely miserable and don't want to be anywhere but my bed... Any and all virtual caretakers are more than welcome to say hi (and bring tissues? Please?)
Because spring is juuuust starting where I am, here's a thought I had. Is this anything??
A dryad who is helplessly allergic to their own pollen and dreads blooming time every year. They try so hard to hold back their sneezes so as to not disturb the bees and butterflies but sometimes the tickle simply becomes unbearable and when they finally sneeze (maybe because of a wisp of hair or a rustling leaf or even a butterfly who landed on their nose rather than a flower) it feels so good but then a cloud of pollen shakes loose and settles on them all over again and their nose is so sensitive already that the cycle starts all over again.
It was an irony that spring was their most detested time of year.
They would stir from their winter hibernation as soon as the buds started forming in their hair, and they would spend the next week or so dreading their final form.
The flowers were objectively pretty. Under other circumstances, they might be proud. The petals blushed a delicate baby blue, just a bit darker toward the edges. They were attractive, and the bees ad butterflies thought the same. The dryad loved those creatures. They less liked the pollen they stirred up.
It wasn't fair. You weren't supposed to be allergic to yourself.
The dryad became aware of the first flowers opening when their nose started to twitch. The pollen could become visible, at the peak of the season, but their nose would let them know well before any other sense.
"Morning," the dryad offered to the lazy bees that fluttered around them. "Hopefully this is enjoyable for you. Far more so than it is for me."
The bees didn't respond. Instead, they buried into the flowers. The dryad twitched. They couldn't feel it well, but there was a flicker of ticklishness along their scalp.
More flowers opened as the day went on. Itches fluttered along the length of their nose, even as the dryad tried to breathe carefully.
Their head was laden with bees and butterflies and wasps, all trying to pollinate. It was a pleasant feeling, or it would have been, if the insistent tickle running through the dryad's nose hadn't been disturbing things.
"Nn..." The dryad rubbed their tongue against the roof of their mouth. It helped little. "Nnhhh... hhh..." They pinched their nose. All of their breaths kept snagging and fluttering. The itch waxed and waned slowly, lazily.
One of the butterflies fluttered off. "S-sorry," the dryad murmured. "I- I'll try not to- n-not... t-tooohhh... ah..."
Their nose twitched, like a rabbit's. No amount of rubbing seeming to help. The dryad remained as still as possible. Even a slight head shake could send pollen cascading down, and that would set them sneezing helplessly for ages.
Just a couple more weeks. Of course, they were barely through the first day...
A breath snagged sideways. "Ahh-hahh-ahhhh!" The dryad's head snapped back and only a quick pinch prevented a full sneezing fit. The pollinators around them swirled and drifted. "S-sorry," they murmured.
One by one, they alighted back down. The dryad felt them settle with faint flickers of ticklishness. Of course, all those little feelings could barely compare to the itch in their nose. They were almost pleasantly distracting.
And then a butterfly, perhaps having misaimed, settled on their nose.
The dryad froze. The little itchy legs tickled on either side of their nose. They had to cross their eyes to see the creature probably. The tickle flared, crawling through their sinuses.
"D-don't-" The dryad tried, but the tickle spiked so much that they couldn't speak. The hand they'd lifted to shoo the butterfly away wavered in midair.
"Ah... hhhahhhh..." They tried to regulate their breathing as much as possible, but they couldn't stop gasping, right on the edge of a sneeze. "Huh... h-huhhhhh... ahhhhh..."
The butterfly stayed still, like it could sense the impending explosion. The dryad's eyes teared. "Ahhhh... ahhhh!"
A breeze picked up, drifting past. The butterfly, startled, kicking its wings.
That did it.
The dryad snapped forward. "HA'CHIUUEEWWW!"
The sneeze was relieving. And then grainy yellow pollen drifted down around them.
The dryad doubled over, each sneeze shaking loose more pollen and triggering another round of frantic sneezing. "NITSHOO! HASHOOO! HAHHH! EHTCHIEEUUU! Asshooo! Ashoo! Hehh... heeh! HATCHIIEEWW! SHHOOO!"
It took several tries, but the dryad managed to stumble to the nearby stream and splash water into their face. Another couple of sneeze slipped out, but the maddening itch faded to something tolerable.
Groaning, the dryad sagged next to the stream. Only thirteen more days of this.
Because spring is juuuust starting where I am, here's a thought I had. Is this anything??
A dryad who is helplessly allergic to their own pollen and dreads blooming time every year. They try so hard to hold back their sneezes so as to not disturb the bees and butterflies but sometimes the tickle simply becomes unbearable and when they finally sneeze (maybe because of a wisp of hair or a rustling leaf or even a butterfly who landed on their nose rather than a flower) it feels so good but then a cloud of pollen shakes loose and settles on them all over again and their nose is so sensitive already that the cycle starts all over again.
I want to follow more snzbians. Please like/reblog this if you like women? Or post Abt them? Or want to talk to more people who like women? I will follow all of you.
Soooo, guess who got a cold? It's such a tickly one too, it's like the sneezing never stops! When I'm not sneezing I'm sniffling because they're so messy and when I'm sniffling the tickle starts again and... ah... hahh... hah'ESHhiew! 🤧
Anyone volunteer to help me not drown in tissues? All I want is some sweet company and a cuddle right now... Any kind soul who wants to cheer me up is welcome in my dms!
Sternutation Incantation - The Book of Many Sneezes ₊˚.
A Choose-Your-Own Snzfic - PLAYABLE DEMO!
Demo title page by @just-a-nervous-bean!
[Embark on the Journey]
DO NOT RB TO NON-SNZ BLOGS!!
HELLO!! It's my birthday, which means...welcome to the official demo for Sternutation Incantation! This is a sneak peek at the Choose-Your-Own Snzfic project I've been working on for about two years now!
The Story
Sternutation Incantation encompasses one day at Willownook Academy of Arcane Arts. A magical university tucked in a dense woodland, while still taking place in modern day. It’s a fresh spin on a beloved magic school trope (but this one is told by a trans person of color)! Collect items, unlock secret endings, and customize your day in the life as a wizard! The demo contains 9 routes, and is 12,000 words long all told!
Meet the Characters
Thomas: A human evocation wizard with a knack for flying broom athletics! He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he makes up for it with charisma...and a lot of questions.
Mycah: A tiefling conjuration wizard and a textbook nerd. He would much rather be studying for an exam than getting into trouble, especially with his allergies and sinus issues.
Reader: That's right, you! Yes, you. The reader is implied to be a transmutation wizard in this setting. They take the occasional risk, have a soft spot for helping others, and are a wizard of few words.
Follow the progress of the full version by checking out #sternutation incantation!
You’ve probably been asked this before but I can’t find it so I hope you don’t mind me just asking, any advice for spelling stifles / failed stifles? Thank you so much!
Woo, boy, thank you for waiting! Got this in July of last year.
Here’s a short list of stifle spelling that can be used for many creative occasions:
‘CHNX! : A successful stifle that hurts — you can hear the sneeze squeak in the person’s nose and rake in their throat
‘CHHT! : A normal stifle — a sneeze that was caught in time.
‘CHHHHT! : A stifle that wasn’t applied quite in time, so the middle is a bit longer.
‘CHHH’IEW! : A failed stifle — the ending has just as much gusto as the attempted stifle, meaning the sneeze was just too strong.
‘CHHH’iew! : A failed stifle with a smaller, cuter ending; or, if you wish, a false ending after a successful stifle.
‘CHHHHT’tiew! : A successful stifle with a false ending, perhaps out of habit.
‘PTSSSSH! : A stifle that works just as well as pushing back against a runaway train — usually into the hand or handkerchief, and isn’t much of a stifle at all.
‘PPPPPT! : A semi-successful stifle through the lips — however, it’s much more of a production than just a regular sneeze
‘KSHT! : A harsh, successful stifle from someone who means business
As always, you can use the “s” sound instead of a “c” to make it sound wetter, and lengthening the “h” sound will more naturally lengthen the release than just using more vowels.
r is for those really harsh or barking sneezes, where it rips out of their throat (and probably leaves it a bit raw 😳),
rRASSHhiew!!
hhRRESSCHHHUHHh!!
y gives a lilting tonality and vocalization to a sneeze, like in a really indignant "hiih'YISSHHiew!"
j is a a softening and lengthening that often accompanies a d, "hh'DJSSCHhh!" it's a little wet or congested but probably not totally blocked, caught on the roof of the mouth before the teeth
m and f are muffling sounds, like when theyre sneezing into something. n could be there too, m sits on the lips while n reverberates in the mouth "hmMFSSCHHh!" "ntSCHhuh-!"
k is the catching high in the throat, "hih! kCHHiiew!!" "aAH'KSSHHiuhh!"
p is the sloppy tripping over the lips, "hAH'PtsHHh'uhh!" perhaps they were caught off guard somehow, or out of it, or they're simply a messy sneezer.
z is the harsh buzzing of a sneeze through the teeth, "HH'zZSCHHh!!" half held back or snarled out
ok punctuation!
the apostrophe is a little stop, the tiniest pause between letters, delineating syllable stress but not much else. an apostrophe followed by a space is a longer pause. usually this naturally falls between the inhale or hold and the release, but sometimes is skipped to indicate a fast-flowing sneeze. or there may be another for a tripping, dramatic, multi-syllable sneeze: haH'ETCH'IEWW!
an exclamation can also be used at the point where the apostrophe often falls in a sneeze.
it makes the pause a little harsher and lends emphasis to the syllable before. likewise, it adds drama to a hitch.
ih, ihh, iH,
ih! ihh-! iH!!
see the difference? the commas add flow, indicating the hitches came in a steady sequence like speaking. different punctuation adds a different rhythm to them.
the hyphen before the exclamation adds just like. the teeniest little dazed waiting point into the sound. capitalization in the end or middle adds the rising volume and emphasis where you want it. double hyphens or em dashes add a great deal of that frozen moments between breaths or before the sneeze
hihh-- - --iTCCHHhhiuhh!!
a question mark adds the rising intonation that many languages use to indicate well. questioning. it adds a wavering uncertainty and upwards lilt
eh? ehhH? heH'ISHHHHh!!
bolding adds even MORE emphasis to the parts of the sneeze with a lot of oomph, or to indicate that it's one of those blow-the-house-down gigantic or dad sneezes. can also be used to great effect especially on the congestion syllables. hih'IDGTCHH'uhh--!
hhHHAH'YSSSHH'OOOo!!
ahhhh, stifles. perhaps one of the hardest sounds to conceptualize or capture!!
ngt, ngk, ndt are caught in the nose, that kind of strangled grunt in the sinuses
hhNgGt!'hiuhh
hh- nnkt, nhk, nngt, nGGKt'huhhh...
hHh-- mNGGtCHh!!
ipt, hpt, nkk, mpt are the quieter stifles at the mouth or back of the throat
hhMPt'chuhh
hih-- ipt! (hhhh)
x added to it adds that breathy, staticy congested sound-- hngxxt!!
q is a very strange one and maybe just imo but to me is like a k but more liquid, very specific kind of strangled stifle. nqqt-!
brief shoutout to the kind of half stifles where it's just like, hitch, stop, half the release like,
ih-! 'tchhiEW!
eH? --chh'uhh!!
also going back a bit, can i shout out to vowel combinations?
aESHH
IESHH
EISHH
AISHH
are all much loved nuance-adding differentiations. ae adds that "ah-eh" sound with a hint of ee, ie is "ee-eh," ei is "eyy-ih," and ai is "ah-ih," making an almost "I," (like the personal pronoun) sound
ok i think that is basically all of my phonics theories for snz, the rest of it is just combining and looking at it and rearranging until reading it sounds like what you were imagining! obviously this doesn't cover everything but it is a more like ... free-form breakdown than other spelling guides i've seen before so it's intended to hopefully empower ppl to reinvent spellings as needed or desired for the situation. have fun!
i wrote up a quick and dirty guide to how i personally conceptualize for sneeze spelling, hilariously, for someone on bsky. figure that ppl here might also be interested x,,,D
(and maybe more ready for the 401 class i am teaching than the 101 i should have figured out how to write T o T;;; )
.
first, the inhale-
"ih" is a sound drawn high into the mouth, maybe mostly from the nose
eh is a sound lower in the mouth
ah is a full-throated inhale
hh is the quieter, unvoiced neutral
uh is a deep, desperate quality
sufficient drama built up in your head? now for the the release:
several kinds of snzs here:
"shh" for a breathy, hissy quality; "sch" roughens it, "szch" scrapes it through the teeth or throat, "sxch" adds a nasal static to the sound
"ch" for a punched out release sound
someone who is congested or holding back may begin to add consonants like "dch" "kch" "kxsh" "dshh" "gch" etc into the sound (mix and match as necessary).
followed by the exhale sound,
further "hhh" for a one-syllable release "ESSCHHh!" like a really quick sneeze,
"uhh" for a neutral sigh at the end
"ooo," "uu," etc for that kind of voiced "choo" sound
"iew" "iuu" etc is a rising intonation at the end, maybe described as higher pitched
now puzzle together to describe the sound, using capitals/italics/bolds to show where emphasis or extra loudness lands
"huh'ESSHHhuhh!!"
"hih- ih- ihh! hiiih'ISShhiew!"
"hah'EDTcCH'iuhh…"
"HAAESSHHOoo!!"
"iGDt!'CHhiiuu!"
this does not touch special occasion letters like rr, y, j, etc, or the holdback noises for stifled or partially stifled sneezes,,, ohhh or more detailed buildup tonals/punctuation breakdown... maybe i will try to do a secondary half for those later ^^;; the 501 class x'D
the environmental storytelling of a sick person's messy space. an open tissue box that's clearly seen some use, abandoned mugs with varying levels of room-temperature liquid left in them, a thermometer next to a pair of discarded glasses like the number they saw pissed them off enough they didn't even want to look at it (and their caregiver tidying the space and piecing together just how bad they've been feeling for a while)
The cold that never ends... I'm sure I sound absolutely ridiculous, I'm so bloody congested I can barely even sniffle and I've been going through tissues at record speed. My nose is getting all sore from blowing it so much so now I'm kinda just sitting here sniffling and sniffling constantly instead but the sneezes are so damn messy that I do need to have tissues with me at all times and I just.. I'm a mess and still a bit feverish and all I want is to curl up with someone (platonically) and be told I'm still cute and not as disgusting as I feel😭
Update: definitely got a cold. Wheee. My throat is sore, my nose is running aaall the time and I just wanna curl up in bed and stay there forever. Any sweet theys or gays out there gonna come and cuddle me?? Seriously, PLEASE dm me, I'm a big baby and get LONELY when I'm sick😭
people whose fetish revolves around their own sneezes are so cute like awww i bet you love it when your nose tickles and i bet you love all the attention and praise and want to be taken care of and stuff <3 slut.
Been sneezing like this all damn day! They are soo itchy and never really satisfy the tickle in my nose😭 What do you think, is it just a weird day or am I getting a summer cold??
