Gossamer in Wonderland

[thebibliosphere]

My text to speech is not handling my accent at all today.

I dunno if I’m tired or just not enunciating enough, but no, Dragon, I did not say “fingers ran through her hair with a gilding* touch”

For one thing, that sounds inordinately painful. For another, if you ruin Ursula’s hair, she’s going to rip your ribcage out with her bare hands and use it as a xylophone. 

*gliding

[thisusernameisunique]

Ah. But you have just invented a new futuristic hairdresser character who can gild hair with a sweep of their hand. No more hours of damaging bleach to go from black to blonde. No more brassy tones or chlorinated greens. Just perfect golden hair every time.

Now all this character needs is a name, backstory and plot…

[thebibliosphere]

I feel like it’d be super heavy though. Like… a helmet of hair.

It’d be like those Skyrim mods where you pop a helmet on and gravity realistic hair tumbles out and clips you into the nearest wall. 

[thisusernameisunique]

I was thinking more metaphorical gilding. Its still hair. But your’s works too as something rumplestilskinesk

[thebibliosphere]

“Her long flowing hair of gold reaches the floor!”

“You mean it’s the color of gold, right? Not that her hair is actually gold lol”

*sounds of muffled thunking and swearing in the distance*

“Yeeeah… no.”

[gossamers-ink]

Well it wouldn’t be actual gold if it was only being gilded, right? Just a thin layer of gold dust or paint to cover up whatever naturally was underneath, make the hair look fancier than it really is?

[carrotsareaces]

I tend to get weirdly brainfogged sometimes, usually two days on end and then it takes a month or two months of good brain before it reappears again. My housemate is convinced it's period related and therefore hormonal, but it always hits me during the second half of my period or after my period.

Some googling conveys your hormones are fricking weird just before your period (hence PMS), and return to normal during your period. So I'm getting brainfogged when my hormones are finally getting back to normal?

My periods themselves are very light, and I have little cramping. The only thing I can find is that some people might be somewhat anemic the days after their period, or it may worsen existing anemia. I have been tested for anemia more often than I can or am willing to count. I'm not anemic, and my periods are too light to make it sound logical I would be temporarily anemic those two days after my period.

Anyone got any ideas what could be going on?

@thebibliosphere if you or your followers have ideas, that'd be lovely. If you don't have the spoons, just take your rest tho. Your spoons. You decide!

[thebibliosphere]

Happy to reblog to see if anyone else has something similar/an idea for you to explore!

Fwiw any shift in hormones make me foggy, but I’ve obviously got other stuff going on that makes me more prone to it. You could also be having something like a silent migraine (migraine without pain) in response to the hormonal shift back to “normal”, but that’s something to try and discern with your doctor.

[gossamers-ink]

So, if something is occuring both before AND during/after your period and not consistent in timing around the period, it is almost definitely NOT related to sex hormones (estrogen/progesterone). Same with anemia, if it were happening while bleeding or immediately after only that might be the case, but with it waxing and waning it wouldn’t be chronic baseline anemia and happening before you bled, probably not acute blood loss from menstruation. 

OP, I would suggest getting a notebook (or a schedule/day-planner would be perfect) and writing down everything that happened each day from what you ate, water you drink, how well you slept, period, if you’re feeling sick (and what symptoms if so), and your brain fog in order to look for patterns in other things that may be triggering these episodes. See if any friends also notice things that may be going on you aren’t tracking (extra stress from work or financials coming up, etc)

[thebibliosphere]

Hey I uhh spent a while looking through your health tag and I was wondering how do you manage to have the language to talk about your pain. To describe how it feels and where because right now I am a puddle of pain and can barely think well enough to to type this out let alone talk about my pain in a way that makes sense to someone who might be able to help or give advice.

I'm sorry to hear that :(

Unfortunately, Tumblr wiped out a bunch of the chronic pain tags when they did their NSFW purge, but I learned how to advocate for myself from other chronic illness bloggers, and also by working with a physical therapist (his tag on here is #magic physio man) who helped me to distinguish between different types of pain (sharp vs dull, acute vs chronic, radiating vs localized) and also how to rate them appropriately on those chronic pain chart doctor's have, taking into account that my baseline tolerance is much higher than the average person who doesn't live daily with chronic pain.

So say my baseline is a 5 daily, a new pain might push me to an overall 8, which is what I should relate to my doctor, not that the new pain is only a 3. If that makes sense. He got me to use the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale to describe my pain, which is actually one of the more helpful pain scales out there:

Link to download PDF here (x)

Not every physician will be familiar with this scale, and you don't even need to tell them which scale you're using (I don't. Some doctors get surly over patients bringing this sort of thing to their own appointment, so I wait to see how they handle my care first before I bring my own resources to them), but it gives you the language to better convey your pain in terms the physician will relate to, and also what number you are realistically at.

From what you're describing to me just now, you're in the severe zone where your ability to focus is impeded. If I were telling a physician this, I would let them know my pain is around a 7-8, making it hard to focus, and prevents my ability to do daily tasks.

I would then describe what kind of pain it is, i.e.

Radiating: not in one place, possibly body-wide

Localized: restricted to a certain area, e.g. a toothache

Acute: sudden onset, usually from an illness or injury or surgery

Chronic: has lasted over 12 weeks, possibly a result of injury/illness or an unknown cause. (migraines fall into this category) Followed by a descriptor like:

Achy

Stiff

Burning

Stabbing or piercing

Raw

Cramping

Throbbing

Tiring

Heavy

Tender (sensitive to touch)

Shooting

Sickening

Other things they will ask include:

Does anything make it better/worse? What pain relief methods have you tried? Does it get worse throughout the day? Does it prevent you from getting restful sleep? How does this affect your mood? I'm sure I've missed something, but I hope some of that is helpful for you and maybe gives you some of the language needed to advocate for your pain. Take care, and I hope you get relief soon!

[the-lonely-desolation]

This is one of the best lists I have ever found and is going immediately into a journal so I never lose it to Tumblr being Tumblr. Thank you so so much this was very helpful!

[thebibliosphere]

You are very welcome. I am just glad it was useful.

Also for those asking, yes it’s okay to reblog! The only time it’s not okay to reblog something I post is when I state in the post and the tags “do not reblog,” and I usually put those things under a cut, anyway.

[gossamers-ink]

Thought I would briefly add that “tender” is more specifically sensitive to pressure. If you are sensitive to even very light touch (think burning pain if clothes brush against you, as can happen when your foot falls asleep) that is NOT the same as being tender. That would be more of hyperaesthetic (although if you simply tell your physician hey it hurts worse even with very minimal touch, they should know the difference).  Also if you have radiating pain that is new to you, or to a new physician, if you have an idea of what part of the body it is really starting from and moving to, that can be helpful (it may not always be obvious in which case just mention all the areas being impacted by the pain). This is especially important with abdominal pains. To add to the “does it get worse through the day” you can also mention if it actually improves through the day or if certain positions make the pain worse/better (lying down, bending over, leaning against a wall, sitting, standing, etc). And many of the bonus questions may also be asked for other complaints as well, such as weakness and/or fatigue. 

[toastbutteregg]

THIS!!!

[smegma-factory]

Stop telling on yourselves, some of us washed our hands before there was a pandemic

[ciablacksite]

I licked every doorknob I came across

[sugarbutchy]

… . buses and subway cars are being fully cleaned for the first time in years in some places … .movie theaters (( which should not be open )) are sanitising *all* of their seats instead of just the ones kids leave buttery fingerprints on … . mayhaps this isn’t about individual actions but rather corporations & governments cutting corners when it comes to cleanliness because it wasn’t “ cost effective “ . 

[zoby]

for real tho, and this is especially true about public food based places??? like WHY would anybody assume op was just talking about washing your own damn hands lmfao

yall telling on yourselves about what kind of grossness yall were perfectly okay with just because you personally washed your hands in the bathroom that day

[gossamers-ink]

Listen, we’re currently in a pandemic and I STILL saw a woman walk out of a public restroom after taking a piss without washing her hands. Whats more, she proceeded to get into line for her Covid vaccination. The pandemic didn’t fix the people who didn’t wash their hands.

[thebibliosphere]

I've had an urge now to read Tamora Pierce. It is ENTIRELY your fault. Good day. (this is sent in affection, if that isn't clear)

Listen, you could be mad about it too, but there’s never a reason to be mad about reading Tamora Pierce. 

[whenflowersfade]

I know most people love Tortall better but every time I read Circle of Magic, it feels like my heart is coming home and I think that’s how everyone who has ever read and enjoyed Tamora Pierce feels about her works.

[thebibliosphere]

I always loved the Circle series more. Dunno what it was, but yea, it felt like coming home as a kid. 

[gossamers-ink]

Its because Lark and Rosethorn were the parents and teachers you desperately wanted to have. Tough on you but obviously having your back and really only pushing you past any barriers that you have purely because your background gave you self-confidence issues, to the potential they see inside.

[thebibliosphere]

ADHD is opening your inbox four times in a row because you need to retrieve something, but getting distracted by deleting out the new mail so you don’t get distracted, and then forgetting to do the thing you went in there to do in the first place.

[thebibliosphere]

And if you think I just did it for a fifth time despite making this post, you’d be right.

[theflashisgone]

This is why I’m never quite sure what flavor of neurodivergent I actually am. Because what I was diagnosed with was OCD, but then I see shit like this and I do the same thing all the fucking time. And I’ll see stuff about autism and relate to that just as much.

[thebibliosphere]

I can’t speak for Autism, but I know my OCD is rooted in my ADHD. There’s a strong “perfectionist” tendency in certain sub groups of ADHD, where we can get stuck in loops trying to perfect things. My therapist explained it as my brain trying to make pathways, but it gets stuck in a compulsive loop because the loop is giving me feedback and stimulation, even if it is sometimes bad feedback. 

It’s very easy to get stuck hyper-focusing on bad things, because although we don’t necessarily want to be doing the thing, it’s giving our brains a chemical reaction of some kind. So our brains go “oh this is getting a response, keep doing it” even though it’s not actually helpful. 

It’s like the bastard sibling of executive dysfunction where we can’t do anything because our brains aren’t getting enough feedback.

So I’m not saying you have ADHD, I’m just saying it’s possible because neurodivergency is one size fits absolutely nobody and there’s a great deal of overlap sometimes.

[gossamers-ink]

It’s also possible that a person’s ADHD is rooted in their OCD, or general anxiety or their depression (usually “atypical features” sometimes called smiling depression) or bipolar or psychotic disorder. They all can lead to poor memory, lack of focus/concentration and changes in psychomotor behaviors. Which is why practically all the diagnoses have that little add on of “unless better explained by another disorder.” 

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Hoping it doesn’t come across as indelicate but fic of Helena and MC, after years of trust and love and slowly working toward it under Helena’s guidance and consent, MC being permitted to use both mouth and hands to worship Helena? Can safe word for slowing etc if you like, I just want Helena to finally get to overcome this part of her trauma and reclaim what WQ stole.

Written by @shootingstarwithagrudge

The steam rose elegantly, curling itself around Helena’s lean body as she lowered herself into the tub. She insisted we soak ourselves in her favorite oils in honor of our fourth Wedding Anniversary. The smell of juniper and mint wafted through out the warm air as she took her spot between my legs. Her lithe back laying flat again my chest as she hummed with content.

“Mm.. Thank you for keeping the water hot, my love.”

“Thank you for making it hotter.”

She laughs softly at my remark, leaning back into the waters edge. Her steady breathing becoming less controlled as her strong muscles begin to relax. I run my fingers gently through her radiant hair, as I allow the moment to overtake me. Closing my eyes, Helena’s body becoming heavy as we proceeded to melt into each other.

“My love?”

Her voice startles me, bringing me back from my heightened daydreams. Her eyes are still closed as she takes my hand in hers, placing a small kiss to the inside of my wrist.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind bathing me? I.. quite enjoy it when you do.”

Her voice is shy as she tentatively holds out the wash cloth, which I happily take from her, eager to make her feel good in whatever way Helena required. She let’s out a small moan as I begin to cascade small waterfalls down each section of her body. Starting with her neck, and the supple part of her nape. Then to the meticulous landscape of her collar bone, to her flawless breasts. Every inch of Helena was pure perfection. Even the scars that eloquently branded her body were a testament to her beauty. I can feel her breath start to quicken as the wash cloth finds her more sensitive areas.

“Does that feel good, babe?”

“Mm - Very.”

“Are you comfortable in this position? Does it feel ok?”

She knows I’m giving her a chance to slow things down. The option to stop, always open to her. Just being close to Helena was all I needed in life, nothing further required.

“Y-yes.. I am comfortable, my love. Thank you.”

I take that as a green light and continue running the wash cloth down the rest of Helena’s body. Doing my best to reach every crevice from our position as Helena leans into my touch. I can feel her starting to become aroused as my hands trace the softest parts of her breasts, writing code accoss her ribcage, allowing my fingers to drag lightly across her nipples. Her body responds instinctively, seeming to relish in the warmth of the water mixed with the intensity of the moment.

“M-my love?”

Her voice coming out staggered, I stop my hands from continuing so she can compose herself. She hums softly in appreciation before speaking.

“We have been together for such a long time now, hm? So much so, that my past feels… almost like a distant memory, in another lifetime.”

Her voice trails off, eyes pensive as they followed the soft ripples in the water. I could tell she was hesitant to say what was on her mind. I place a kiss to her temple, breathing in the delicious pheromones of her skin. She finally releases a breath before continuing.

“I.. I think I would like your hands, and mouth.. to touch.. every part of my body. I-I think I’m finally ready for that.”

The amount of vulnerability that she’s offering to me is truly staggering. In all of our years together, she had only offered herself up to me a handful of times. But it had never been completely, not really. Always with that light veil of trauma lurking at the back of her pleasure’s mind. The thought of having her immaculate body under mine, to do as I pleased with, caused my head to spin with desire.

“H-helena.. are you sure? You know I -”

She cuts me off before I can finish. The steel reserve in her yes, the determination to finally break any last string that subconsciously tied her to her former abuser.

“I am sure, my love. I would very much like for you to taste… all of me.”

The image alone sends a wave of heat through my body. My mouth going dry as I take a long steadying breath.

“O-ok. Would you like to move into the bedroom then? Where it’s more comfortable?”

“Yes, I would like that. Allow me to dry my hair first? And I then will meet you there?”

I nod and she places a kiss to my cheek, emerging her lean body from the warm water. I watch in amazement as the steam slowly rises off of her. How did I ever get so lucky? I quickly jump out of the tub, grabbing a towel as I run to our bedroom. I only had a moment to make this night as memorable as possible. I make note of all of Helena’s favorite blankets and pillows, decorating the soft carpet of our room like a patchwork. Placing her favorite faux fur on top of the pile before searching for some candles. With each wick that’s lit, the make shift bed becomes warmer. The pure white of the imitation fur glistening like a blanket of snow, inviting us in.

“What is all of this, my love?”

I turn around to meet Helena’s eyes, deep pools that lead me directly to all the mysteries of her universe. My heart ached at the sight. How far she had come since the days where the Witch Queen had broken her - night, after night. How nicely her scars had begun to heal. Finally allowing her to open up more and more every day. I spent my life making sure she knew just how incredible she was, and tonight would be no different. I wanted her to feel how much I loved her. I wanted her to feel everything. I smiled fondly at her, watching the candle light dance within her eyes.

“I-I just wanted everything to be perfect for you, Helena. Would you like some music on?”

“Hm. Yes. Very much so.”

I put on a soft melodic tune, one of her favorites. The sharp keys of the piano creating currents in the air. Helena sways to the beat as she crosses the room. The pearl satin bathrobe she wore a brilliant compliment to her iridescent skin. A goddess in the moonlight.

“Just remember - If at anytime you need to stop, just say the word.”

“Ah. Yes. Forget-me-not. I remember.”

I can’t help the flooding memories of the first time she gazed upon a field of them. She was immediately drawn, their soft blues and vulnerable petals drawing bridges to her heart. The warm smile that came to her face when she learned their name. ’How beautiful’ she exclaimed.

“Yes. Forget-me-not.” I answer.

“Shall we begin, then?”

The eagerness in her voice, the pure, unfaltering trust in her eyes, was all I needed to close the distance between us. Allowing the smooth fabric to fall from her shoulders, the curves of her body outlined by the candlelight as she gracefully laid herself down on the silkened fur. The synthetic white a brilliant border to the illustrious scenery of her body.

“Are you ready for me, Helena?”

“Always, my love.”

I nod, moving slowly, and find a comfortable spot at her side. She closes her eyes, humming a tune of contentment at my mere proximity. My fingers leading tiptoes down her skin, as the candlelight spilled shadows across her ribcage, meeting me for a dance. Her steady breathing becoming more hitched as I traced simple patterns across her stomach and thighs. A small whimper as they dip lower.

“Your beauty is overwhelming, Helena. Do you know that?”

Eyes still closed, she doesn’t answer me directly, but the fond smile on her face tells me everything I need to know. I bring her hands to my mouth, trailing kisses from her fingertips down. The taut muscles of her arms flexing slightly as I do. I move with intent, taking my time to ensure every part of her can feel me. My warm breath leaving paths of desire in its wake as she moans. Allowing my lips to graze sensually across each of her scars, bounding from one to the next as I etched the constellations in her skin. Her desire building with every line I drew. The beauty underneath her trauma breaking through as her cosmos alligned.

“Is this position good for you to… continue?” I ask her.

“Mm - Yes. Thank you.”

Her eyes flutter open but for a minute as she adjusts her hips slightly. Her hair spilling brilliantly behind her like a constant stream of moonlight. She was utterly breathtaking from this view. Completely open to me, vulnerability pouring from her with each steady breath. The space between her legs is warm as I sprinkled tiny kisses down the inside of her thigh. A barely audible moan escaping her mouth as I made my journey known. Following the firm lines of her legs, savoring every inch. Her exhales becoming deeper as I chased my target. Stopping just short before speaking.

“May I?”

“Mhm. Please”

Her hasty reply saturates my body with heat, heart pounding at the thought of getting to taste her again. To feel her soft folds make quick claim of my face. Taking the deepest breath of my life, I collect my prize. Helena’s honeyed musk enveloping every part of me. She moans slightly as I start constant strokes with my tongue, tracing circles over her clit and lips, taking her in my mouth as if I’m trying to consume her. Helena’s response is immediate, and vigorous. Almost taking me over as she pulls my head closer. Her body an alter, and me, her devout follower.

“Meine Leibe.. Please, do not stop. I am quite close.”

I spell out her name with my tongue, I spell out I love yous, and every letter in between. Rewriting history in her skin. And when I gently place my fingers deep inside her, matching the rhythm of my obedient mouth, I can feel her begin to shudder. Her hips jerking with each gentle thrust. Every cell in my body on fire as I hold her firmly. Keeping her anchored as she finally lets go. Her body freed like a leaf on the wind. Traumatic bonds breaking with each wave of pleasure. Her voice ricocheted into the night, scattering celestial beings in the sky. Her body, limp as it drops slowly down to the earth. Dew scattered deliciously across her skin, as her chest rises and falls. I reposition myself, placing my head directly over her heart, her life force. Strong and fierce like a blizzard in the night.

“That was.. Ah - very enjoyable, my love.” Her words barely above a whisper as she idly runs her fingers through my hair.

“I’m so, so glad to hear that, babe.”

I fight back the sting that comes to my eyes, overwhelmed with the knowledge of how much Helena had just overcome. The years of abuse, of feeling broken, finally held no power over her, and as she layed there, with our bodies entwined, and nothing between us but our unwavering love.. Helena Klein, was finally free.

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Giveaway!

Hey everyone! So the world is a mess, people are scared, and everything is uncertain. So we wanted to do a giveaway to hopefully make things a little brighter. Everyone who likes and reblogs this post will be eligible to win either a commission done by @mcbatty who has kindly agreed to help us, or alternatively, if you are in a precarious situation, a 25 dollar Visa card to be used however you see fit. The winner will be randomly chosen on Monday, April 20th and will have 24 hours to respond and claim their prize. Good luck and be excellent to each other!

-The Mods

[lovestruckvoltage]

✨If this gets 400 reblogs we will give you the cipher to decode this clue. Unlock the cipher to find out what is coming soon to Lovestruck!✨

[gossamers-ink]

No need for a cipher. It says "Travel beyond the known domains to the hidden world of Tallav"

[thebibliosphere]

Man for pseudo-school (this online stuff is not exactly relevant) we were reading some sociology type academic papers which as a rule seem to be overly florid in their language. True to form, it included the phrase "veritable tenet." I personally cannot think of a single instance where that sort of phrasing would ever be necessary.

…was it the Oxford Handbook of Cultural Sociology?

I’m having… flashbacks… 

[gossamers-ink]

Well I had thought it was its own article since it was only the one chapter (and we only had to read 10 pages of it) but just looked it up and yes. yes it was from that. Good call. Apologize for triggering an academic nightmare.

[sandandglass]

[thevoidfarer]

The person who writes news tickers in Sun City, AZ when llamas are let loose one day: I’ve been waiting my whole life for this…

[moosemoosey]

[robert-the-redhead-lover-deacti]

@nunyabizni

[gossamers-ink]

LLAMA, just killed a man. Put my hoof against his head, kick him hard and now he’s dead. LLAMA, life has just begun, and now I’ve gone and kicked it alllll away.

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Thoughts on Onyx’s last episode? Why do you think she was the only one that didn’t feel anything even though she did before?

I am so clueless! I can’t wait til next season to find out. 

-Mod Wrath

[gossamers-ink]

I mean for it to work they have to be totally open and honest, and I personally think Onyx got in her head again and had another mask on because the rest of the crew was there. 

[kiraraneko]

1000 Followers Celebration!

Oh heck, it’s time for a Tumblr art raffle! You could win some SWEET ART Like [THIS]  Just give that reblog button a good ‘ol push and you’ll be entered! You don’t have to be following me, and you have until March 10th, 2018! More winners will be chosen with more entrants :D Good Luck, and thank you for helping me reach this milestone! <3

[kiraraneko]

Hey guys there’s ONE WEEK LEFT to enter this raffle! It ends March 10th!  Reblog this post to enter and let your friends know too! :0

[kiraraneko]

1000 Followers Celebration!

Oh heck, it’s time for a Tumblr art raffle! You could win some SWEET ART Like [THIS]  Just give that reblog button a good ‘ol push and you’ll be entered! You don’t have to be following me, and you have until March 10th, 2018! More winners will be chosen with more entrants :D Good Luck, and thank you for helping me reach this milestone! <3

[thebibliosphere]

Hey mum? Do you have any advice on dealing with a really bad sore throat?? Thank you!!!

I pretty much have a constant one from various different issues but there are a few things you can do to ease it if not actually cure it.

Gargling with salt water is a tried and true classic which is also good for minor tooth pain. Take 8oz of water and add a ½ tea spoon salt to it. Make sure it’s well dissolved then gargle with it until the water is gone. You might also want to swish vigorously to remove any lingering bacteria from the rest of your mouth. (If you’re dealing with a bacterial infection it’s also a good idea to floss and brush with extra care, and also possibly pitch your toothbrush/head afterwards. Turns out you can re-infect yourself with strep throat from your toothbrush, who knew. I do now.) 

I tend to do this twice a day because of my issues, once when I wake up and when I go to bed, but you could also do it a third time during the middle of the day if you’re desperate. Try not to do it too much though, as salt water can actually irritate your throat more if you do it too much. The reason for this is that it creates a high-salt barrier in your throat and is effectively sucking the infected fluids from your throat tissue. It’s a bit like a neti pot rinse but for your throat in that regard, and while it won’t cure a virus (or even a bacterial infection if it’s bad enough) it will help speed the recovery along and also help break up any phlegm you’re struggling with. Just make sure you drink a lot of fluids to compensate for it. Also I know this might seem obvious, but don’t drink the salt water.

Speaking of fluids, you never mentioned if you are sick or if this is a sore throat from something else, but keeping the throat as moist as possible will help a lot. I tend to alternate between chilled water (juice is also fine but acidic things might make your throat worse if it’s particularly raw) warm drinks like tea are also good, as is coffee provided you don’t make it too strong. If you are not allergic to it, a good dollop of honey is very good for a sore throat and you can add it to any hot beverage or even just a cup of hot water to sip on if you don’t like tea or coffee. I actually used to gargle with a tea spoon of slightly warmed honey as a child because it was good at helping my inflamed tonsils. I wish I could still do it but such is life. The way to do this is take a tsp of honey (try to make sure it’s real honey, most commercial honeys in the US are cut with corn syrup and are effectively useless. Look for certified “True Source Certified” on the label) and mix it with three tsp of warm water and mix it together. Doesn’t make a lot but it’s enough to give your throat a good coat. Some people can cough or find this quite acidic to do, in which case add more water. Manuka honey would be preferable but isn’t necessary. Any good (certified) honey will do. 

If your sore throat is being caused by sinus drainage or dry air, adding a humidifier to your environment will be beneficial, as will taking a steam bath—which you do by pouring boiling water into a heat proof basin, draping a towel over your head and leaning over the bowl. If you try this please be careful not to burn yourself and only do it for 20 minutes at a time, and if it’s too hot for you to handle don’t struggle through, take breaks as needed. What this does is helps to get warm moist air into your system, which is soothing by itself, but will also help with any congestion you might be having which could be contributing to the sore throat. Don’t add any essential oils to either of these things. They are unnecessary for this and most oils marketed as congestion cures are actually an irritant for the lungs and throat. The way the menthol works is to cool and effectively numb your airways so it feels like they are opening up, while actually it’s the steam doing the work. So save yourself some money and an extra irritant and just go with clean water. If you can’t do a face steam bath, having a hot shower (or even just sitting in the bathroom while it steams up) will also help.

If you’re sore throat is being caused by something like reflux (you can tell if it is because you will have frequent heart burn too and it will be worse after lying down) you can try several things, such as elevating your head of your bed, and also trying to sleep on your left side—preferably with your upper body elevated with a wedge pillow or by tilting your bed—and avoiding being on your back and stomach as this allows the acid to rise. You might also want to try eating smaller meals throughout the day instead of large ones, and try to avoid eating close to bed time. If you suspect it is reflux and you can’t seem to fix it with slight adjustments, talk to you doctor, you might need some meds or have a bacterial infection called helicobacter pylori which can eventually lead to ulcers. It can usually be remedied with acid reducers and a course of antibiotics, but will require life adjustments after that to keep it in check.

If it’s just a plain old sore throat from a virus or talking too much? Fluids, cough drops (I like the Ricola ones) honey and salt water and try to rest your voice. Write things on a pad if you need to.

If it persists and you start to notice white spoits or streaks on the back of your throat? Go see your doctor and don’t ignore it, it could be a bacterial infection like strep throat that needs antibiotics. And that’s a fucker to deal with if you ignore it and it turns into scarlet fever. Trust me.

Good luck friend, hope you feel better <3

[spaci1701]

Wait - strep throat causes scarlet fever???

*head desk* My body really didn’t want me to survive childhood, did it?

[thebibliosphere]

If it’s left untreated and is allowed to reoccur, yea it can lead to scarlet fever. Which is why a sore throat is always a good idea to have checked out if the pain persists or worsens over the course of a week.

[gossamers-ink]

So actually scarlet fever is the least of your worries with Strep throat. Scarlet fever is caused by the toxin in the bacteria and yeah that’s bad, but penicillin will clear it right up. Rheumatic Heart Disease is also caused by Strep throat when your immune system decides the bacteria looks a little like some parts of your body and goes ahead and attacks it. Scarlet fever rarely causes problems anymore. Rheumatic Fever (Rheumatic Heart Disease) causes mitral stenosis, endocarditis, myocarditis, arthritis, and Syndenham’s Chorea (muscles flailing uncontrollably, similar to Huntington’s Disease). Rheumatic Heart Disease, if you get it can be treated with penicillin but may leave a lot of damage in its wake, leaving you prone to future problems.

Strep can also cause a kidney disease called Post-Streptococcal Glomerulonephritis when the immune system binds the proteins on the Strep bacteria capsule and can’t be cleared. Eventually this one can clear up, but it’ll cause some damage along the way. 

tl;dr: get a strep test if it might be strep. terrible things come from strep.

[soldier-zack-fair-deactivated20]

Zack Fair & Cloud Strife (CC: FFVII) | Oerba Yun Fang & Oerba Dia Vanille (FFXIII) | Noctis Lucis Caelum & Prompto Argentum (Brotherhood: FFXV)

[ectoavi]

did FF just show us how to NOT be totally flubbed by a messy handshake…yes, yes they did, just bump arms instead!

[gossamers-ink]

Fun fact, this is actually how anatomists greet each other when they have messy gloves on from doing dissection.

[clovercoin]

I’m so incredibly jealous of people who can write. Then I realize how silly that is because if I want it so bad all I have to do is write too. I guess I’m just jelly over their confidence or lack of fear. I’ll have to keep working on this.

[november-venom]

Lemme tell ya something: writing does not come with much confidence or lack of fear. All of my writing friends, me included, have had so many moments where we fuss over the littlest things that don’t seem right or just overall think the whole thing is shit, but we put it out there anyway, because a creator’s eyes will see so many more mistakes than the reader’s eyes will. 

Write. Throw that shit out there even if it reads like an invader zim fanfiction from 2004 in ur eyes. That’s how you get better; and hey, there’s no saying it WON’T come with a confidence boost or two.

[clovercoin]

Good reply, good words, a+ writer

[gossamers-ink]

Also, in most cases, you are your own worst critic. There is no difference between art and writing in how a person can improve themselves. Looking at other art = reading, anatomy = grammar and spelling. The word choice and sentence structure and techniques you use when you write are all just like the style of your art. Your genre or type of writing (journalism, creative, poetry, scientific) is the same as finding the medium you enjoy working with the most in your art. Practicing and trying everything and emulating writers you love and learning from writers you hate are all going to help you improve, but the biggest help to writing is to write. Write on your own and never show the world, write with a partner like in RPs, write for a beta reader, write for a community forum or for publishing sites like fanfiction.net or fictionpress.com. Make terrible characters and boring plots and then change them into something else. Open yourself up to criticism without defense, but then decide what opinions you think are valid for you and make corrections. Adjust. But keep writing. Maybe you find the confidence eventually to announce that you’re a great writer, but maybe you don’t. That’s okay. Just don’t compare yourself to another writer and let it disable you. 

One community I have dabbled in and out of over the years focuses on graphic art, but has an area for writers as well. The site promotes you to different ranks as you learn and grow and improve in an area. I was the first person to reach the highest writing rank. I am still not confident that they made the right choice. I have friends whose writing I enjoy more than my own. I have written things that were so boring I barely finished them. I have a difficult time accepting that compliments aren’t pity.  The thing is, if you don’t put your writing (or your art) out there for people to see, you may still improve, but you won’t necessarily grow without feedback.