#Colds

[tealin]

Mucus Buster

Everyone's got lingering congestion this year, so as someone who's no stranger to phlegm, and inherited the folk wisdom of a stage actress (the show must go on!) I share with you my recipe for making things better:

2L water

the juice and rind of one lemon (just dump the juiced rinds in, don't zest them, you maniac)

a small thumb of fresh ginger, sliced in coins

about a dozen cloves, some star anise, peppercorns, and maybe whole cinnamon or allspice or whatever else you like, in a tea ball (except the cinnamon if it doesn't fit, obvs)

good dollop of honey, to taste

Bring the water to a boil then dump in all the stuff. Keep it hot but not boiling – a slow cooker is good for this. Keep this pot on a low heat all day and serve yourself a mug every so often, adding water as necessary. At some point you will need to add a new lemon and some more honey, but the spices can generally carry over two pots if you're drinking it regularly.

The acid helps clear the gunk, ginger is good for the circulation, and clove/aniseed/pepper have some sort of decongestant/soothing properties. Honey is both nice and antiseptic, and apparently is a cough suppressant as well? Anyway, I just got over another run of Covid and this was wasn't 100% effective but it worked better than phenylephrine.

[selene-and-the-cold]

A couple sitting propped up in their large bed in their favorite pjs. They both came down with the same terrible cold, their noses bright red, streaming and full to the brim with sneezes. Used, balled-up tissues are scattered all around them like a halo, and they've sneezed so much today, that person A has given up on tissues altogether and is just giving themselves up to the sneezes, letting them fly uncovered for why bother anyway if both of them are sick already?

B is adamant that all sneezes should be covered, so when A's breath hitches helplessly, B reaches out a hand to catch A's desperate "Aaahh'TIISSHU!!!" in their hand, only to feel a sneeze blooming in their own nose. Without thinking, they hold the hand A has just sneezed into in front of their own nose and sneeze a spraying "Heh'PTTSSHIEW!!!" into it, so now their palm is shimmering wet with both their colds.

[thatsbelievable]

[snezus-christ-risen]

A cold that starts out with the most irresistible, all-consuming tickles, the kind that trigger explosive sneezes and desperate, lengthy fits at the drop of a hat. The person with the cold grows frustrated with the constant interruptions, cursing the sneezes that come on without warning. As the cold progresses, the sneezes become fewer and farther between, but the person is no less preoccupied by the task; in fact, they are now required to be an active participant in the process, finding ways to coax along indecisive tickles and stuck sneezes to avoid getting trapped in a cycle of hitching breaths, false starts, and disappointment, all while longing for the early days of their cold, when the sneezes came freely and without provocation…

[sickficsaturn]

Royal sickie my beloved~

-all politeness might go out the window within the privacy of the bedchambers. OR polite habits die hard and at the most in opportune times.

-Stubbornness and denial, must maintain that pristine persona! I’m much too powerful to allow a cold to humble me.

-they’re obligated to attend fancy events whilst not on their a-game.

-pushing hard to keep up with their royal duties (paperwork, meetings, etc.) -even their usual routine has become quite the hassle!

-the hesitation in the maid’s eyes as she delivers the usual morning tea, only to see that oh, master is very unwell…

-Imagine being woken up by a butler, who says, “Master Y/N, please wake up…. Master (your partner here) is starting to worry…!” The world is one feverish blur before you.

-Did you get your butler sick? Couldn’t keep that cold to yourself, huh? Now who’ll tend to your every need?

-suitors looking on in disgust as they’re falling apart to a miserable cold.

-of course, accessories like handkerchiefs and makeup powders to cover one’s rouge nose and cheeks. Overly ornate items that even if they’re trying to be subtle, they surely catch the eye anyways.

Thank you for listening to my TEDtalk.

I know I have more so there’s going to be more parts

[feverflushed]

Whumpee with a sinus infection BEGGING their caretaker for a warm towel to lay across their eyes. Their cheekbones hurt. Their forehead hurts. So do their teeth and ears. Their head feels so heavy, the throbbing driving them mad.

A warm towel would feel so good... and then caretaker approaches them, the heated fabric feeling like heaven. It feels so nice that whumpee shivers slightly, pleased.

"Is your fever worsening, whumpee? You're trembling."

"Maybe. Or maybe you're just really good at taking care of me."

[snzymae]

having thoughts of a couple in bed sharing an absolutely miserable head cold. They’re both propped up with pillows to watch movies or try to read, even though their heads are stuffed full of aching congestion. There’s a full box of tissues between them and steaming mugs of tea on their respective bedside tables. It’s day 3 of this cold, their symptoms are the worst they’ve been since both of them came home from work with scratchy throats two days before. They can’t even snuggle up to each other, as they’re both too warm from their fevers.

I’m thinking of them lying together in silence, only it’s not silence, because there is no respite from their cacophony of symptoms. When one sneezes, the other’s coughing. When one blows their nose, the other launches into a fit of hitching and sneezing. There’s a constant sound of one or both of them sniffling. On more than one occasion, they let out a snotty sneeze at the same time, and can’t help but think that this misery of cold symptoms will never end.

[mysharona1987]

[snotmorty]

Cold Sneezes while Inspire blesses me

I'm coming down with a cold and my nose wouldn't stop itching so I induced a few while @sneezienspire blessed me 😏

Contains: loud wet sneezing, blessing, swearing, nose blowing, tiny bit of coughing

[vintagepromotions]

Advertisement for Vicks VapoRub (1987).

[messysneeze]

feeling brave! first art post here. if you recognize my style no you don't, and all that

[selene-and-the-cold]

The relief pouring out of a sick person who had to be out and about all day with their cold and a fever as soon as they close the door of their apartment behind them and fall into the arms of their SO. Finally allowed to be weak. Finally having someone there to fuss over them. Finally home.

[snzzenby641]

A gets sick very suddenly. B takes over tasks that would usually be left to A.

A sick doctor being looked after by their partner

A sick chef having food made for them for the first time in ages

A sick knight having someone else protect them for once.

A sick singer having their partner hum a gentle tune to them as they fall asleep

A sick florist who needed to deliver an arrangement last minute but can’t, leaving their allergic partner B in charge.

A sick librarian being read to while their head hurts.

Just an unexpected but welcome change of pace.

[snezus-christ-risen]

Thinking about how colds can cause inflammation and congestion that makes a person’s face tender, sore, and so sensitive to touch. Their nose feels so full, but no amount of blowing provides relief. If anything, it exacerbates the inflammation, and even touching their face with something as light and delicate as a tissue becomes too much to bear.

[sickficsaturn]

Something I think about a lot is a person of power- be it royal, noble, any kind of stern leader-type is busy working feverishly (perhaps quite literally) on a massive pile of paperwork that they feel they must finish.

Of course, they’re in the beginning phase of a cold.

Their servant/team mate/SO/flavor of your choice tries to convince them to rest, that they’ve worked themselves to the bone, but [character] is just too damn stubborn! They’re fine, they just have so much work to do! Yet the sound of their pen or quill scratching on paper is interrupted by the occasional sniffle or muffled cough.

Their denial is interrupted by a sneeze so sudden that they’re at its mercy. They clench their pen tightly and either

A.) the force drives the pen across the page, ruining their hard work. They look at the long streak in horror.

Or

B.) the force causes them to spill the entire inkwell over a multitude of pages, some may even splash onto themselves (bonus cuteness if the other person cleans the ink off of them).

Now there’s really no room for that denial- they’re most definitely getting sick and now that their work is ruined, there’s nothing keeping them. They can relax now. Not much of a choice!