small appreciation post for collapsing while still conscious
ok as much as i love a good faint im also a huge sucker for when a character collapses but is still conscious, maybe just dizzy or weak
stumbling or tripping on something and falling to their knees, too weak to stand up again
weak from fever or low blood sugar and failing to get out of a chair, lying on their back or side while the dizziness subsides (i actually had a fic planned for this at one point)
slumping into a chair because they cant stand anymore
reaching out to a table or wall for support and sliding to the floor (!!!)
sitting on the floor already but they slump to the side out of exhaustion
that thing where they throw their arm across their eyes out of exhaustion or dizziness (honestly one of my favorites)
there are probably a lot more im missing rn so feel free to add on!!
Whumpees with aching eyes, too tired to keep open yet too sore to close, even the lightest pressure of their eyelids too much
Whumpee who's too weak and dizzy to do anything at all but lie in bed completely still, sweating through their blankets only to immediately start shivering after clumsily throwing them off
Whumpees with dry mouths, dry lips
The corners of their room are more shadowy than they should be, and they're too exhausted to bother to get up and see what's in there. The Hat Man will have to just wait his turn.
Strong enough to get out of bed but being so, so out of it. Caretaker finding them standing swaying in a doorway, pale as death, clearly seeing something that isn't there
Everything seems to be flickering. The air buzzes. Their skin prickles.
Getting to sleep is hard, because their mind is restless and racing. Once they're asleep though, they're down for the count
Chattering teeth. Their bones must be rattling, for how much they ache
• Somebody pressing a concerned hand to their forehead, then sucking in air through their teeth in sympathy.
• Colors looking hazy/brighter as their temperature spikes
•Teeth chattering around an oral thermometer until it flashes in an angry red
• “I told you, I’m fine.” ‘Well, should I believe you or the thermometer?’
• Feebly curling around a heating pad/hot water bottle just trying infuse some warmth into their bones
• A friend notices they look unwell. Friend goes in for a hug or places a hand on their shoulder as a casual display of affection, but also to sneakily gauge their temperature. Just as they suspected, they’re burning up.
i used to ride and die for that cold-denial thing, but nowadays i live for someone who plainly admits to having a cold because 1) normal 2) it means they’ll actually talk about it, even if the conversation still has them reluctant and stoic and embarrassed
Some of My Favorite Ways to Describe a Character Who’s Sick
pressing their forehead into something cool or comfortable (this could be an array of things. the table, the floor, someones leather jacket, their water bottle, the countertop)
warm to the touch, or heat radiating from them (could be noticed if someone’s gauging their temperature with their hands, hugging them, or just generally touching them)
leaning into people’s touch, or just spontaneously leaning on them (like pressing into their hand when someone’s checking their temp, or just, like, literally walking up and laying their head on them from fatigue. bonus points if the character is usually feral and the other is scared to engage™︎)
falling asleep all over the place (at the dinner table, on their homework, in the car, in the bathroom — just being so exhausted from doing literally nothing)
being overly emotional (crying over things that don’t usually bother them, like their siblings arguing, or their homework, or literally just nothing)
stumbling/careening/staggering into things (the wall, furniture, other people. there is no coordination in feverish brains. running into chairs, hitting the door, falling over the couch, anything and everything)
slurring their words (could be from fatigue or pain. connecting words that shouldn’t be connected, murdering all of their conversations with the excessive use of ‘mm’ and ‘nn’ in place of words) (this is my favorite thing ever)
being overly touchy (basically like a sick kid — just hold them, please. do that thing where you brush their hair back out of their face, or rub circles on their back, or snuggle them. they won’t care. bonus points if this is also the feral character and they refuse to believe it afterwards)
being extremely resistant to touch (flinching away when they usually don’t so someone can’t feel the fever, not letting themselves be touched because they’re so tired they just know they’ll be putty in their hands if they do)
growing aggressive or being extremely rude (it’s a defense mechanism — they feel vulnerable and are afraid of being manipulated or deceived while they’re ill)
whimpering/whining/groaning (this was in my “characters in pain” post but it’s so good that i’m putting it here too. this shite is gold, especially if it’s just an involuntary reaction to their symptoms)
having nightmares caused by a fever and/or delirium (crying and murmuring in their sleep, or being awake but completely out of it and convinced they’re somewhere else)
making themselves as small as possible (curling up into a ball everywhere they lay, hunching over slightly when standing, wrapping their arms around themselves)
TW for vomiting below cut !!
sleeping in the bathroom floor because they keep getting sick over and over (bonus if someone finds them all weak and pitiful. bonus bonus if they find them there in the morning only to learn they’ve been there all night)
using their hands/other body parts to clamp over their mouth so nothing can come out (like pulling their knees up to their chest and using that, or like, their arm, y’know) (~maccreadysbaby who has emetophobia suddenly gets very awkward about this post~) (~yes i have a phobia of puke and still write this happening to my characters, shut up~) (~it’s about the hurt/comfort okay~)
sympathy pukers (people who aren’t the sick ones but get nauseous/vomit when they see someone else throw up) (~aka me~) (~okay I’m done now~)
dry heaving (it’s gross, but good for making your characters absolutely freaking miserable)
rolling/churning/spinning/cramping/ lurching and all those awesome words that describe what stomachs do when sick (i hate these words with a deep, fiery passion. but they’re good for writing or whatever)
Character B comes home from an errand/trip and finds A asleep in a totally weird or random place. B sets down their things and comes over, stroking A’s cheek to gently wake them up ((don’t want them to be awake all night))
Come to find A is burning up. They blink open fever glazed eyes, confusedly focusing on the figure in front of them.
“B..?”
“Hey buddy. You fell asleep. How long have you had that fever?”
someone whose first sign of being sick is being exhausted. they take naps & wake up with a stuffy nose & realize oh they’re definitely getting sick. bonus points if their partner knows that about them too
Bonus points if the sick character (A) shuffles out of their bedroom to find their partner (B) and asks if B can check if they have a fever bc they feel kind of feverish
Just some things a caregiver might do to make someone with a fever feel a little better. For when they’re a bit uncomfortable and has a loving caretaker around.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not medical advice, but please use these in your sickfics because I love reading about them.
🥶 If they’re cold and shivering:
Wrap a blanket around them. Maybe two!
Provide a hot water bottle or heated wheat pillow
Put the warmest, softest pair of woolly socks on their chilly feet
Tumble dry their pyjamas/dressing gown
Warm their icy hands between your own
Tuck them in nice and tight under the duvet
Wrap them up in several layers of clothing, especially if they’re outside or need to go outdoors for whatever reason
Classic: Use body heat to help warm them up, get under the covers with them
Put them in an armchair close to a fireplace
🥵 If they’re too hot:
Flip their pillow to the cool side
Open a window to let in fresh air
Put a fresh set of sheets on the bed
Provide a cold water bottle, or wheat pillow in the freezer
Help them into lighter clothing
We of course have the classic “washcloth to fevered forehead” but also consider these areas to wipe down or place a cool cloth on for comfort:
Closed eyelids
Cheeks
Side or back of the neck
Chest
Wrists / hands / arms
Ankles / feet / legs
Yeah basically the whole body
😣 If they’re in pain:
Close the curtains to help with their headache and/or help them sleep
Make sure they’re hydrated
Massage their achy muscles
Provide fever reducers / pain medication
Make them hot cups of tea to soothe their sore throat. Don’t forget the honey!
Gently stroking fingertips up and down their arms / legs / back in a soothing fashion (think ASMR light touch tracing)
Holding them close, perhaps gently rocking back and forth, helping them fall asleep to aid their recovery
Those are the things I could think of for now. Please use these and/or expand the lists with your own suggestions 😊
They're so weak and wobbly, leaning heavily on the handrail. Everything is spinning, and the effort leaves them out of breath, so halfway up they just... plop down, sitting on a step for a moment and trying not to pass out.
They try to motivate themselves, knowing that a cozy bed is waiting for them just a few steps away, but they just can't bring themselves to stand.
A is on the couch, trying to sleep off their fever, their head on B's lap.
On the other side, B is doing their own thing, watching a movie or reading a book, but their hand keeps holding a cold wet towel against A's forehead. From time to time, they caress A's cheek to check if their fever is going down.
Maximum comfort for the both of them, just a sweet, domestic moment between two people who really care about each other.
