#period pain capsule

[ayursesha123]

The Facts About Period Pain

Menstruation is an essential aspect of a woman's reproductive cycle. Although this is typical, the pain and other symptoms that accompany it can cause considerable discomfort in some people. This pain, also known as dysmenorrhea, can be modest in some women and severe in others. However, there are several misconceptions and myths around the same subject. We disproved the myths in this blog to bring clarity so that every woman understands her body and the natural process she goes through every month. It is critical for women of all ages to understand the nuances of this common but sometimes crushing experience. Understanding period discomfort is the first step toward coping with it successfully.

A myth is very popular, and it is typically passed down from generation to generation, that the intensity of period pain lessens with age. This is only true for some women because not everyone gets pain reduction as they age. Also, the intensity can be lower at one age and higher at another. As a result, there is no fixed amount of pain severity, and any underlying medical condition might aggravate it. This illusion should not be perpetuated to women, as many believe that as they age, their discomfort will lessen.

Pain relievers are effective for people who are in excruciating pain. However, some women do not experience relief after using these period pain management drugs, which might be dangerous. Period pain remedies for women can vary based on the underlying cause. This can include changes in diet and lifestyle like limiting smoking, alcohol and caffeine. In the event of a medical problem, some circumstances may necessitate surgery.

Many seniors believe that painful periods are normal and should not be made a big deal about. This creates a discrepancy and diminishes the worth of the pain that women endure, resulting in ineffective treatment and care. Mild pain with other symptoms is frequent, but severe pain is uncommon. If uterine fibroids and endometriosis are not present, the cause of the chronic pain should be explored from a doctor.

While hormonal control methods, like birth control, offer benefits in regulating the menstrual cycle and mitigating pain for some individuals, it's crucial to recognize that they may not be universally suitable for pain management. Opting for such methods should be a thoughtful decision, considering individual health circumstances and preferences. There are alternative, non-hormonal approaches that prove effective in coping with period pain, and they should be explored before committing to hormonal interventions. 

Lifestyle adjustments, including regular exercise, a balanced diet, and proper hydration, play pivotal roles in easing menstrual discomfort. Additionally, heat therapy, a time-tested remedy, can offer natural relief without altering hormonal balances. Embracing a holistic approach that combines these strategies ensures a more personalized and sustainable solution to period pain, empowering individuals to make informed choices that align with their well-being.

[phagodyke]

had a very weird dream the place I worked was in the marine exploration industry and I was presenting a review of a deep sea probe we were retiring and then woke up extremely abruptly bc my body started digging my uterus out with a million tiny blunt spoons YOWIEEEEOWWW

[zopicloneinuk]

https://buyzopicloneinuk.com/product/pregabalin-capsules-300-mg/

Anticonvulsant medications known as Pregabalin Capsules 300mg are used to treat neuropathic pain. The medication lessens pain brought on by diabetes, shingles, injuries, etc. By preventing the brain from receiving pain signals from the injured nerve cells. Pregabalin is a long-lasting pain reliever that is also administered to fibromyalgia patients to provide relief from pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.

[dfortrafalgar]

hihi

I hope you're doing well :>

Can I request a law x reader period comfort fic that's just pure fluff. with the back rubs and all the good stuff??

Thanks!!

thank you so much for your request anon! I actually got two period-related requests, so i decided to combine them into one fic, i hope that's alright! im currently under the onslaught of the red devil myself as of right now, so writing this was perfect for me. i hope its perfect for you both as well!!!

Warm Away the Pain

Law x Fem Reader

Heat pads, chocolates, and painkillers are nice, but nothing helps your period more than being in the presence of the Surgeon of Death.

Warnings: some suggestive language, mild descriptions of period symptoms, menstruation in general! lots of fluff with our favorite surgeon <3

“Just take this thing out of me!”  Your tears were streaming rapidly down your puffy cheeks as you forced open the door to the medical bay, clutching your abdomen and hunching over with the agony ripping through your gut.  Your cramps had days where they were better or worse, but today seemed to be the most awful they had ever been.  You had barely been able to walk from the Captain’s quarters to the medical ward, the force of each step against the cold metal floors of the Polar Tang sending another stabbing burn directly through your uterus.  It wasn’t like you were new to experiencing menstruation aboard a deep-sea submarine, either, but today seemed particularly keen on making you as miserable as humanly possible.  

Law was caught by surprise when you entered, your voice cracking as you sobbed.  His golden eyes were wide with shock as he turned in his chair to face you, ignoring the stack of paperwork he was previously fixated on and immediately standing, crossing the floor in broad steps to capture your face in his hands.  His thin eyebrows were scrunched in concern, a prominent crease in the skin above his nose.  “Hey, baby, breathe for me,” he coaxed, rubbing your swollen, tear-stricken skin with the pad of his thumb.  “Breathe.  Tell me what’s wrong.”

You knew you were being irrational.  You had dealt with cramps for years before you met Law, but when you had spent the better part of six hours with nonstop scorching irons being driven through your uterus, rationality was the furthest thing from your mind.  You sunk into your boyfriend’s shoulder, his lanky arms looping around you to support your weary form, carefully guiding you to the hard examination table in the corner of the medical room.

“My cramps…” you heaved.  “They’re so bad.  I’m in so much pain.  I just want you to take this damn thing out of me.  Put me out of my misery, even.”

Law’s tiny smile was sympathetic as he gazed down at you, one hand stroking your forehead and the other placed gently above your lower abdomen, providing fleeting touches over where your shirt covered your skin.  Your muscles definitely felt tender, and you were certainly bloated, all tell-tale symptoms of a particularly bad menstruation cycle.

“How about we start with painkillers and some external remedies,” he offered, his usually stoic, cold voice now soft and soothing as he placed a fleeting kiss over your nose.  The privacy that the medical bay provided allowed him to comfortably litter you with tender affection away from the prying eyes of your crewmates.  “When you start to feel better, and you still want a hysterectomy, we can discuss it.”

Your eyes slowly opened, darting to meet him.  “A hysterectomy?”

“The surgical removal of your uterus,” he clarified.

You pushed yourself up on your elbows slightly.  “Maybe not…” you muttered.  “Let’s go with your painkiller idea.”

Your sudden attitude switch made a small chuckle bubble from Law’s lips as he turned away from you and paced toward the medicine cabinet, procuring a decently sized pill and a small metal cup of water.  The white capsule was in the palm of his hand when he returned to your front, holding the items out for you to take.  Despite the uncomfortable size of the medicine, you swallowed it with no issue helped by a generous gulp of the lukewarm water from the Tang’s filtration tap.  The mild, salty aftertaste of the refined liquid lingered on the back of your tongue.

“That should take about 30 minutes to kick in,” Law muttered, taking the cup from your hand once more to sanitize it.  “In the meantime, we can try some other remedies.”

“What do you have?” you asked, gazing skeptically around the dark, sterile room.

“We have a few heat pads that Ikkaku brought with her when she joined, a bath, cinnamon or ginger tea…” he rambled, cleaning out and drying the cup, turning around to lean against the counter to face you.  “Massages can help relieve the tension in your muscles.  Or you can orgasm.”

Heat rushed to your face.  “How do you know that?”

Law’s own cheeks tinted with a very faint blush.  “Reading,” he stated bluntly.

The gaze he directed toward you told you everything you needed to know- he had done more than his fair share of research on feminine health as soon as the two of you solidified your relationship.  But as much as the idea of being swept off your feet by your doting captain and carried to your shared quarters for some time under the sheets sounded tempting, the rippling cramps flowing through your lower belly silenced the sultry thought almost instantaneously.

“A massage sounds pretty nice… and a hot bath…” you muttered, awkwardly fiddling with your fingers.

You were half expecting Law to simply nod and tell you to run yourself a bath, leaving him alone to continue his work in peace and quiet.  The surprise that jolted you from your quiet demeanor was more than welcome, however, when he stepped across the room to plant a swift kiss against your soft lips.  His own were curled in a small grin, reserved yet still so genuine that it made your heart flutter within the confines of your ribcage.

“If you give me about 10 minutes to clean up here,” he began, nodding his head in the direction of his paperwork left on the counter from when you originally entered, “... then I’ll meet you in the washroom.  Alright?”

With heat thrumming through your veins, your boyfriend’s proximity so close you could feel the way his scent practically blanketed around you, you meekly nodded, barely uttering a peep.  He helped you down from the examination table, his calloused hand firmly holding yours, and placed one more kiss against the back of your neck as you exited the medical bay and began your trek to the Polar Tang’s washroom.  The entire submarine only had one designated bathing area, with a few shower stalls and a toilet and sink, along with a deep, metal bathtub in the corner.  While the crew usually followed a strict schedule for bathing time, it was very rare that anyone would be using the space in the middle of the day.

A grin tugged on your lips as you walked through the narrow corridors.

—

You were already submerged in the bathtub when Law entered, steam rising off the surface of the water as you sunk yourself up to your neck in the hot liquid, a thin layer of lavender-scented bubbles floating around the surface of the water and covering bits of your glistening skin.  Your eyes were closed in bliss as the sweet, herbal scent decompressed you from the inside out, but Law’s delicate chuckle broke you from your trance.  He had a small, unlabeled bag in his hands which he placed on the sink counter.

“Looks like you barely need a massage,” he hummed, slipping his shirt over his head and folding it neatly on top of your clothes.  He had absolutely zero need to remove his shirt if he didn’t plan on sitting in the tub with you, but you weren’t about to complain against the wonderful view presented to your sight.

“I still need a massage,” you quickly quipped back, sitting up straighter in the hot water.  You leaned your arms out over the side, hands flexing in a motion to encourage your beloved to come closer and grace your taught skin with the presence of his deft fingers.  Your eyes found the bag Law had entered the bathing room with.  “What’s in the bag?”

Law took the parcel and, after slipping off his socks, knelt beside the bathtub next to you.  He opened the paper container and held it out in front of you.  “Milk chocolates.”

Your eyes lit up, a sopping wet hand dipping into the bag to procure one of the bite-sized morsels, an aluminum wrapping surrounding the sweet.  You carefully unwrapped it with eager hands and glittering eyes as Law watched, the corners of his eyes creased with his smile.  When the chocolate finally passed your lips and sat on your tongue, you melted further into the bathtub, the sweetness of the candy flowing and mixing effortlessly with the supple scent of lavender floating through the air.  Law almost dropped the bag to grab your shoulders, afraid you would slip under the water.

“Law, you’re too good to me,” you mumbled, your eyes closed and your lips pursed as you sucked on the chocolate, savoring the sweetness on your tongue.

“No such thing as ‘too good’ in my eyes,” he retorted, a playful lilt in his voice.  He returned the bag to the sink counter before taking his place behind your shoulders, stretching his hands before they found purchase against your skin.

Law was good at many things, but the way his fingers worked the knots out of your back and shoulders was a level of bliss unlike any other.  Sure, food, bathing, and sex were great, but the feeling of your muscles pulling apart and relaxing with each rotation of his wrists and press of his thumb pads into your soft skin was euphoric.  He worked out taught portions you didn’t even know you had, your shoulders slowly sinking downward as he rubbed you into oblivion.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice low, reverberating off of the metal walls surrounding you.

“Like I could die happily at any moment,” you replied, the chocolate in your mouth now fully melted and gone down your throat.  “Has anyone ever told you you’re a god with those hands of yours?”

Law chuckled, the feeling of his shoulders bouncing coming through his hands on your skin.  “Once or twice.  This girl on my crew likes to tell me that.  Not sure if you’ve ever met her.”

Your lips curling into a smirk, you happily played along with his banter.  “Hmm… can’t say I have.  Describe her for me?”

“She’s really over dramatic.  She came into my office this morning complaining about some period cramps.  I’ve seen her take hits from swords and bullets on the battlefield with less griping.”  A laugh bubbled from his chest as you swiftly pivoted below the water, splashing his bare skin with the warm bath water.

“Well I think she was being perfectly rational!” you retorted, leaning back against the tub and allowing your boyfriend to resume his ministrations against a particularly rough not off to the left side of your spine.  “Period cramps are no laughing matter.”

“So I’ve heard…” he mumbled back, his smirk remaining on his face as he worked.  “It’s alright, though.  She’s cute when she whines.”

More heat flowed through your arteries, unrelated to the temperature of the bath you were submerged in.  If you stayed in here any longer, you were convinced you might pass out by overheating.  Wouldn’t be the first time, the water heater in the Tang’s boiler room was no joke.

Law leaned forward once more and placed a smattering of kisses along your damp shoulders.  “Really, though, how are you feeling?  Has the bath helped?”

You nodded, leaning your head back against his tattooed chest, your eyes closed.  “I’m feeling a whole lot better… still pretty achy, but I think the pain medicine has finally kicked in.  My cramps aren’t nearly as bad as they were this morning.”  

Law’s hands traveled from your shoulders to your arms, basically draping his body over you to rub tender circles against your inner wrists, submerging his own hands under the water.  “As much as I hate to ruin the moment, it’s not good to stay in a hot bath for too long.”  He took your hands from below the surface, holding your palms inward to face you.  “You’re pruning.”

Indeed, the pads of your fingers had become incredibly wrinkled with how long you had been bathing.  Your palms were showing prominent ridges in your skin.  “All good things must come to an end,” you uttered wistfully, leaning forward to pull the plug on the bath drain.

“Not necessarily,” Law stated back firmly, standing up and stretching his lean back.  “I have the rest of the day free thanks to Uni and Clione’s watch shift.  Whatever you want to do to make you feel better, I’m here.”

You turned toward your boyfriend, eyes widened with pure shock.  “Are you serious?”

An affirmative nod and a sly smile answered you.  As the water drained from the basin, you gingerly stepped out of the tub and enveloped the Surgeon of Death in your arms, now desperate for another source of warmth as your skin pierced against the contrasting cold air of the surrounding bathroom.  “The entire day?” you asked, reaffirming what you had just heard.

“The next 13 or so hours,” he replied, his hands taking up their usual perch against the small of your back, rubbing small circles into the tiny knots situated near your rump just as he had been doing to your shoulders.

“You mean you have time to cuddle?  And read Sora?  Or make me something good to eat for dinner?”  Your eyes were practically shimmering as you gazed up at the captain.

“Well I can’t promise any good food, but the cuddling and Sora I can guarantee,” he offered, releasing you from his grasp long enough to snatch a towel from the nearby linen shelf and drape it around your goosebump-riddled shoulders.  “I grabbed one of the heat packs from Ikkaku and put it in our room.  I can see who’s on cooking duty tonight to make you a good meal.”

You grinned from ear to ear, your skin thrumming with the bountiful affection your beloved showered you in.  You carefully tucked the corner of the towel that wrapped around your body under your armpit to hold it in place, Law’s hands dropping from your shoulders to your hips, thumbs rubbing small circles into your pelvic bone through the rough fibers of the aged towel.

“Go get dressed into something comfy,” he uttered, his voice low.  “I’ll meet you back in bed, hopefully with some food that you’ll like.”

You leaned forward, trying to ignore the subdued throbbing in your abdomen that returned once out of the warm, soothing bath, and placed a kiss on the tip of Law’s pointed nose.  “Aye aye, captain.”

—

The feeling of soft cotton surrounding your skin was beyond blissful as you sprawled out on the bed you shared with Law, almost taking up the entire space with your outstretched limbs.  The heat pack from Ikkaku was laid across your belly above the sweatshirt you stole from your boyfriend, providing a comforting heat that relaxed the muscles contracting in your abdomen with every movement.  If this was how bad your cramps could get, you didn’t even want to imagine how awful childbirth could feel.  You shoved that worrying thought to the back of your mind and let the heat from the fabric pack on your body flow through your veins, leaving pleasant electric tingles on the tips of your fingers and toes.  On the nightstand beside your head was a tall glass of water, a bottle of painkillers, and the same bag of chocolates Law had brought into the bathroom with you.  Three discarded chocolate wrappers also dotted the tiny table.  When Law finally entered your room again, his hands carrying a small tray of food from the galley, you barely had the energy to pick your head up to greet him.  Instead, you lazily raised your hand in a small wave before flopping it back down on the blanket beside you.

“How’re you doing?” he asked yet again, moving aside some of the items on the bedside table to place the metal tray down.  The smell of some sort of vegetable soup filled your nose- Hakugan must have cooked tonight.

You simply grumbled, resisting the urge to turn your head.  Every movement seemed to respark the cramps deep in your belly.  “Waiting for the painkillers to kick in again.”

“Is the heat pack helping?” he asked, running his hand gently over the soft skin of your forehead.

“Mhm… kinda,” you whispered.  You slowly opened your eyes, finally meeting the golden ones that gazed back down at you.  “Did you bring soup?”

“Yeah,” he replied, removing his hand from your hairline and crawling onto the bed beside you, slipping his arm carefully over your waist to hold you close to him.  “You don’t have to eat it right now if you don’t have an appetite, but it’s there when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, baby…” you muttered, shimmying closer to his body despite the ache in your legs.  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today… honestly.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Law mumbled into your hair.  “I love doting on you.  I just wish I could do it more often.”  His hand idly stroked your abdomen up and down over your heat pack, applying a gentle, calming pressure over the parts of your skin that weren’t as close to your uterus and wouldn’t hurt as much to touch.  “As much as I hate seeing you suffering and in pain, I like days like this.”

“Where you can just relax?” you asked, turning your head to hide your nose in the warmth of his neck.

“Yup,” Law replied.  “Relax with you, more specifically.”

The two of you laid in a calm, peaceful silence, the thrumming of the Polar Tang’s engine reverberating through the walls and the steady cadence of your synchronized breathing lulling your muscles into a deep state of relaxation.  As the ache in your belly diminished with the onslaught of a peaceful slumber, you felt Law press one last kiss to the crown of your head as your body dozed off, ready to sleep off the rest of your aches for the day.

[imtryingbuck]

That time of the month.

~ gif not mine credit to owner ~

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x gn!Reader

Summary: Bucky supports his partner when it’s their time of the month

Word count: 413

Warnings: fluff. angst. period pains. Super short sorry.

A/N: thank you for request 🤍

Masterlist

Bucky frowned when he walked in the bedroom he shared with his partner of two years, on the bed laid the love of his life tossing and turning clutching their stomach for dear life.

“Love? Y/n what’s wrong?” He asked kneeling gently on the bed.

“Period”

“Oh love, would you like some pain killers?”

“P-please” Bucky being the perfect gentleman that he is jumped up and rushed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to search for the pain killers. When he returns he had two capsules in his hand and in the other a nice cold glass of water.

“Take these love”

“Thank you Buck” Not even five minutes later with the help of him running his fingers through your hair you fell asleep.

Bucky knew how bad your periods were each month and each month he wished he could take that pain away from you. Sending Wanda a text message asking if she could come in to watch over you as you slept. He had a solo mission he needed to go on.

When you woke up you was shocked to see the huge bouquet of flowers neatly placed on the bedside table. “Buck?”

“Hi my pretty love, how are you feeling?”

“It doesn’t hurt as much now”

“Here, sit up so I can put these on you” doing as he says, you shuffle up against the headboard he places a heating pad on your back and your hot water bottle that was snuggly covered in a soft panda cover. “I’ve been busy whilst you’ve been in dreamland” he informs you.

“Yeah? Doing what?”

“Well I went and got you some flowers, then I went and got you all your favourite snacks, and yes I got you some cookie dough ice cream too.”

“Buck, you didn’t have to”

“Of course I do, I can’t let my favourite person in the world suffer. I also got you some more pads as you was running out”

“I love you”

“I love you too smelly bum, come on we’re going to have a lazy day and have some snuggles” he says taking his shoes off and getting into the bed next to you - making sure to bring the very large bag of snacks.

Though he couldn’t take your pain away, he could hopefully make the experience more pleasant even by doing the most simplest of things. And after all Bucky would move mountains for his partner if they asked him to.

Tags: @imcinnamoons | @pigeonmama | @capsbestgirl77

[moltengoldveins]

honestly I’d like to see more weird interesting interpretations of the effects a magical or ‘humans are space orcs’ environment could have on a chronically ill character. Like, I have a Ton of random sensitivities that could absolutely screw me over should I end up in Fantasy/Space/Pandora Land, such as:

Mold sensitivity absolutely SCREWING with someone in Bioluminescent Magical Mushroom Land. They walk through the archway or up the path or whatever into the magical tree place and just Immediately pass out. If they’re brought there unconscious, they simply don’t wake up, and eventually when their friends wake up they puzzle together that the illumination for the whole building is just Mushrooms in the Walls.

Someone dealing with a detox issue who currently has a ton of heavy metals in their system walking underneath a floating island being held aloft by magnetism and just bowling over in agony as the current pulls the metals from where their body stowed them into their bloodstream. I’ve sorta had this happen to me, I tried one of those “run a magnetic current thru your body so the metals are dislodged and your body can flush them out” things, but I didn’t know I was dealing with a complete shutdown of the systems that remove toxins from your body (kidney and liver and sweat and more all of it was in complete shutdown I was actively dying dw about it-) so all it did was shoot a bajillion little capsules of poison into my blood with nowhere for them to go and I almost passed out and felt like crud for the next week.

Moon sensitivity being So Much Worse on a planet with multiple moons. People’s hormones and periods and chronic pain spiking randomly with basically no warning or schedule it would SUCK. A character with bipolar is So Much Worse on that planet and none of her alien friends know what’s happening.

Spikes and drops in barometric pressure due to magically summoned storms causing severe chronic pain flare-ups in either the mage summoning the storm or one of their allies whom they didn’t know had joint problems. Same with a planet with a very unstable atmosphere.

Vitamin or nutrient deficiency, or genetic conditions that prevent someone from metabolizing the nutrients in their food and necessitate supplements. This would be HUGE. Can you imagine a human character with anemia, or low vitamin D, or an issue metabolizing folic acid in space? Or in a medieval world that can’t accommodate their needs? Just an alien crew watching in worried confusion as their human slowly grows sluggish, twitchy, forgetful and snappish during an unexpected long haul to a distant outpost. When asked what’s wrong, they say they’re fine, or that their nutrient intake has just been low recently, but they’ve been eating the same things they always have. The ship medic does a brain scan and realizes their grey matter is cannibalizing itself, and he can’t figure out why. The human stops exercising, and when they do, one of their crew mates notices they aren’t sweating anymore. One day they run into the room of another crewmate with a padded floor nest, curl themselves into it, manage to stammer out a “don’t worry, don’t tell others. I’m ok” before they start thrashing. Finally they arrive on base and the human medic is like “Oh dang. You didn’t refill your folinic supplements before you came here did you? Dang. we’re gonna need to keep you on a higher dose for a bit to try to make sure your immune and detox systems don’t crash. How bad were the seizures?” and every alien in the crew is Horrified.

Someone who needs assistive devices but only occasionally has a bad day halfway through the Magic Quest and realizes in horror that they forgot their cane/ can’t currently access their chair. Someone who takes muscle relaxers or painkillers thrice or so a month having a huge flare-up and being immobile for an entire day while rushing to Stop The Evil Lord.

Someone who needs excess oxygen always walking around in an atmospheric suit, even in human-friendly atmospheres, because they’re self-conscious about the breathing tube.

Someone with POTS trying to keep their salt intake up in fantasy medieval Europe where salt is tricky to get, or a space setting where salt is a minor poison to most species.

[bunnyywritings]

got my period this morning and it hurts so much, my entire body is like shaking because of these stupid cramps so i wrote up some period comfort with my favorite gentle giant mezo shoji

no warnings really, this is like college!au UA so… yeah, could be read as afab!reader, (y/n) used once?, shoji calls reader: honey, sweetheart, lovely, my love, i also think i mention the term “lady problems” and didn’t notice until now, that’s my bad, this is for ANYBODY who experiences a menstrual cycle

mezo shoji x afab!reader

Waking up to a blaring alarm was never pleasant, it was even less ideal when you body was throbbing in pain. As you shut it off and buried your face in your pillow, a suspicious slick feeling between your thighs made your stomach churn.

Reaching below the covers and feeling the damp fabric of your shorts was the final nail in the coffin. “Dammit…” you whined, slowly hauling yourself out of bed.

Luckily your sheets had been spared but you couldn’t say the same about your underwear.

So, you trudged to your drawer and picked out what you had dubbed your “period undies”, a comfortable pair that wouldn’t squeeze at your bloated tummy and covered in various stains that you had never successfully gotten rid of, a pair of comfortable sweats, and a baggy pullover you had stolen from Shoji.

On your way to the shared bathrooms, you texted Momo to ask her if she had any pads she could bring you, relieved when she promptly responded she’d bring you one asap.

So as you used the bathroom and cleaned yourself off, you wrapped your towel around your waist and met her outside the shower area.

“You are a lifesaver Mo…” You grinned, sheepishly taking the pad from her fingers.

“Oh don’t worry about it.” She scoffed a laugh. “Would you like me to make you some tea for after your shower?”

Your eyes watered, lips pulling down in a soft pout. “Yes please…”

“Okay.” She smiled, squeezing your hand before giving you your privacy.

After showering and changing, you finally made it back to your room and lo and behold, there was a mug of hot tea sitting on your desk and two midol capsules beside it.

You could cry.

Instead, you cranked the AC unit in your room, hoping Aizawa wouldn’t notice, and crawled into bed.

Scrolling through tiktok and sipping on your tea before being lulled into a nap.

Shoji was disappointed that he hadn’t seen you at breakfast but he just brushed it off as you having slept in.

But as the hours ticked by and the clock struck 12pm, he began to grow a little worried.

“Hey, Mina?”

The pinkette looked up from her switch and smiled up at Shoji. “What’s up?”

“Have you seen (Y/n), by chance?”

“Hmm no, I actually haven’t seen ‘em all morning. Sorry Shoji.”

“That’s alright, thanks.”

Just as he turned to walk back into the kitchen, he jumped at the sudden appearance before him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Momo smiled. “(Y/n) is probably still in bed. They started their period this morning.”

A few years ago, even the vaguest mentions of any “lady problems” would have sent Shoji into a flustered state but as he grew older and once he had been around more women, and you, he was a lot more educated on the things that you go through.

And at this new information, he frowned. He remembered how much pain you experience during your monthly and he grew worried. Especially since you hadn’t eaten yet.

“Got it, thanks Momo.”

So, he grabbed his keys and made a small trip.

The first stop was the vietnamese restaurant down the block, picking up some beef brisket pho and to the convenience store to stock up on few snacks he knew you craved during this time.

Once he returned to the dorm, he plated up your food and an iced barley tea and stacked it on top of a tray, heating up a hot water bottle and carrying it up to your room.

When he was met with silence when he knocked, he gently pushed the door open and there you were, curled up underneath your duvet, arms surely hugging your abdomen.

Lips turned downward and eyebrows pinched, he placed the tray down onto your desk and softly shook you from your sleep.

“Hmm?” Your sleepy grumbling was adorable, eyes squinting underneath the sudden light in your room. “Sho?”

“Yeah, honey…how’re you feeling?”He brushed your hair away from your face, hand falling down to cup your cheek.

“M’okay…cramps are really bad this time…”

“Mmm I’m sorry.” He cooed, loving how you leaned into the warmth of his hand.

“S’okay, not your fault.” You smiled, easing his worries, that’s when you turned your nose up and sniffed at the sudden aroma in the air. “Is that-“

“Pho? Yeah, I picked some up for you just now. Was worried that you hadn’t eaten anything.” His heart dropped when you looked up at him with teary eyes, worried he did something wrong.

“Sho…” Your bottom lip wobbled. “You went through all that trouble, for me?”

“Wasn’t any trouble at all, sweetheart. Anything for you.”

His tone was so reverent, you had no doubt he meant it. And it was true.

You could ask for the world on a silver platter and he’d move heaven and earth to do it for you.

“T-Thank…Thank you.” The tears poured over, spilling down your flushed cheeks.

“My love…”

“I’m sorry…don’t know why I’m crying.” You sat up, burying your face in your hands.

“Don’t apologize, lovely. I understand. Now, why don’t you scoot up a bit. I’ll sit behind you and you can eat something. Hmm?”

Content in doing so, you scooted up and let him settle behind you. His arms wrapping around your midsection, big hands holding the water bottle just below your lower stomach, loving the way you melted into him as you ate your late breakfast.

He loves to sit behind you when you were on your period so his body heat would ease the ache in your lower back.

Hooking his chin over your shoulder so he could watch you eat. You hated it but he loved seeing you eat.

There wasn’t really a specific reason. Maybe he just enjoyed seeing you be taken care of…regardless, he loved it.

He loved you.

Once you finished your fill, he placed the tray down on the floor by your bedside and laid down with you.

Knowing you loved being little spoon.

His hands had replaced the water bottle once it had cooled down, his finger tips kneading at your flesh, chuckling softly when you preened and basically purred like a little kitty cat.

“Let’s take a nap, hmm?” He muttered, littering kisses to the back of your neck.

“Sounds good to me…” You slurred, halfway under the spell of slumber.

And later on that evening, when you had bled through your sweats and onto the bedsheets, and his shorts, he quieted your embarrassed cries, shushing you with a tender kiss. He warmed up your towel and shooed you back to the showers, stripping your bed of its sheets and shedding his own shorts, opting to change into some sweats.

He simply put the soiled objects into the washing machine, on a cold cycle, and once your shower was finished, he scooped you up and brought you to his room. Giving you another one of his hoodies and pulling you into his bed.

Reassuring you that he wasn’t at all grossed out and you shouldn’t be embarrassed. There are some things you can’t control, and this was one of them.

Sheets could be washed or replaced, same with his clothing.

But you? You were the most precious thing on earth to him. Nothing could take that away.

[napfordinner]

My lovely friends, this is a friendly evidence-based post pertaining to the risk reduction of a few well-known health effects of 4n4 and mia. Including: Amenorrhea (loss of regular menstrual period), anaemia, digestive upset, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, general well-being, and osteoporosis. It is quite a long post, but please let me know if there’s any other information you would like me to cover. 💕

🪐 Vitamins and Supplements:

• A-Z Multivitamin. Is beneficial for supplementation. For example, Vitamin C is a vitally important vitamin for the body’s connective tissues, including the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, cellular formation and maturation, resistance to infection, and an increased ability to heal. Additionally, B12 contributes to an adequately functioning nervous system, bone marrow, and intestinal tract. It also acts to increase metabolism of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Finally vitamin B2 when combined with Vitamin A promotes good vision and healthy skin, as well as assists in metabolising proteins and fats at a cellular level.

• Calcium and Vitamin D. Seek a preparation which offers 1000mg of calcium and 10-20mcg (400-800 iu) of vitamin D. Vitamin D increases the bodies efficacy during the absorption, retention, and metabolising of calcium. Calcium of course being vital for bone integrity and imperative for the prevention of osteopenia/osteoporosis.

• Iron. An appropriate iron intake will restore the functionality of red blood cells, allowing the proper oxygen transportation around the body, increase focus, energy, athletic performance, and sleep. Having a sufficient iron store will alleviate some commonly experienced symptoms of low iron including fatigue, dizziness, pallor, and shortness of breath. It may also reduce the sensation of cold hands and feet.

• Potassium and Zinc. A lack of zinc impairs the ability to smell and taste. Connecting this impairment to nose blindness. For example, a lack of a sense of smell and taste may impair one’s own ability to detect their own bad breath, BO, and other unpleasant smells that others may be able to detect.

• Omega 3’s - Fish oil, Krill oil, Hemp oil, or Flaxseed oil. Improper dietary intake, or supplementation of omega 3 fatty acids will result in areas of epidermal (skin) dryness, hyperkeratosis, and hyperpigmentation. As well as the formation large scales expose underlying tissue, which are easily infected. The hair becomes sparse, dry, lusterless, and brittle, with a reddish tinge. Furthermore, nails become brittle and dull, tear production reduces, the tears are also significantly less oily leading to increased evaporation contributing to chronically dry, red, and itchy eyes.

If oil supplements are scary for you to intake due to calorie fears (there is only approx 25 calories in 2 average fish oil capsules). There are dietary sources of omega 3 that are relatively low calorie including chia seeds, edamame, and seaweed. However they provide little amounts in comparison to supplementation or traditional dietary sources such as fish, avocado, oils etc.

However this should also be considered when deciding whether to supplement omega 3’s - they stimulate the secretion of leptin, a hormone that decreases appetite and promotes the burning of fat. Through the enabling of conversion of dietary fats into body cells for burning as fuel.

🍄 Dietary Intake

•Bone broth (or vegetable broth if meat is not apart of your diet ☺️) I cannot stress how great bone broth is! Extremely low calorie, but incredibly nutrient-dense. It also acts to decrease the inflammation within the gut that many of us will experience due to our dietary habits. Including conditions such as constipation, gastroparesis, liver disease, bloating, abdominal pain, and stomach ulceration.

Bone broth also contains large amounts of protein, collagen, iron, vitamins A and K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, and manganese. Protein being the most satiating macronutrient can decrease hunger and associated discomfort. Collagen and the variety of micronutrients within the bone broth contributes to joint and bone health. Bone broth will also contribute to hydration.

•Nutrient-dense foods including blueberries l are among the best sources of anthocyanins (antioxidants) that promote brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Additionally, red tomatoes and red capsicum (Peppers). Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, which is a type of carotenoid found in red fruits that has powerful antioxidant effect that may help protect against heart disease and certain types of cancer.

•Fibre is imperative for smooth gastrointestinal function, including regular bowel movements. Fibre is of course typically found in whole fruits and vegetables, beans/lentils, and whole grains. Low calorie fibre sources include: red kidney beans, carrot, and chickpeas. Psyllium, chia seeds are also good sources of fibre. Fibre supplants such as Metamucil may also aid to increase fibre intake. An adequate intake of fibre may reduce the dependence of laxative for bowel movements. Prolonged use of laxatives may create a dependency on them to even have a bowel movement.

🥥 Adequate Hydration

• The best way to ensure adequate hydration is simply by consuming enough water during the day. However, if plain water consumption is difficult, fluid intake will also suffice. Including fluid such as teas, flavoured/enhanced water, diet soft drinks, juices, etc. The optimal fluids to consume in addition to, or instead of simple water to ensure adequate hydration is mineral water, coconut water, or diet electrolyte replacements (Powerade/Gatorade, Pedialyte, Hydralyte). Correct hydration and electrolyte intake will reduce headaches, constipation, and muscle cramps/weakness.

❤️ Reproductive Health

•Amenorrhea is a common experience for those of us with a uterus. However it is imperative to understand that you are more than likely still ovulating despite the lack of a regular menstrual period. Therefore, contraception must still be used. Amenorrhea may be alleviated through dietary supplementation and small changes to the diet to include more micronutrients, but it may not be completely fixed unless there is an increase to body fat percentages.

[indigos-stardust]

Flicker

Hundreds of years ago the fire moth people, or Nari'shi, lived on volcanic Islands to the South. Unfortunately, there was a catastrophic period of forest fires in the nearby lands that spread from the wild, to crops, and finally villages.

The Nari'shi contain the ability to generate enough heat to create flames. This is because they naturally have a sixth sense to read energy through their antennae and have a much higher resistance to the natural heat from the volcano's they live nearby and depend on. Due to these factors, they can use their own stores of energy and release that through the friction their thick fur creates in fast movement. They even had group dances that would create sparks from the fast movements and touches.

However, that ability to create flame is why they were blamed for the tragedies that continued, even if they was no real evidence they had done those things. Due to complicated politics of the time, including the greed and power tactics of many leaders, they were used as scapegoats for not just the fires but many other things.

During their season of Dormancy And Rest, or Winter, many attacks were made against them using cruel techniques. IN the end their rule was dismantled and they were forced to pay for "retributions." Having no home and no wealth, they agreed to contracts that essentially trapped them and their families in generations of forced labor, abusive surveillance, and working conditions that violated many human rights.

Most work in the Fire Works, where their energy is used either to forge weapons with their fire or create magical energy capsules for a variety of purposes. It's a grim and gruesome reality. Schooling and any method for empowerment or escape from that lifestyle are banned using racist ideas to back it up.

Red, or rather Flicker in this au, worked and lived in those horrible conditions. One day, an older man who had taken care of him, was being yelled at by one of the surveyors. He was too slow. It didn't matter that he was overworked, exhausted, and slowed down by the years of intense labor. He'd be punished for his slowness anyways. Most of the time, the only reason it happened was just to make an example.

At a certain point, everyone reaches a limit. Even though it was stupid, and the elder man begged him not too, Flicker tried to defend him. Tried to make an excuse or aid him in some way, to make the pain less. Things only escalated unfortunately. Then other people were roped into it. More serious threats were made.

Flicker, well, he ended up determined to defend him. And with his own temper his own flame flared up. So hot it broke his own restraints. Apparently, he was "gifted" with a strong fire. People like that were sent down to the Tartarus Plant. No one ever came back from there. No one that ever went there saw the sky again. The beautiful sun would be a dead memory.

So he ran. Sure, it was a rather explosive escape. Sure, if he was caught he'd face a fate worse than death itself. Maybe he accidentally did cause several fires because of the adrenaline and lack of restraint paired with this "gift" (more like a curse.) Miraculously he manages to escape on a raft. Or well, he would've been shot down if Flicker did that. The Island was full of guards.

It's more accurate that they thought he died and then he thought he died when the small boat exploded around him. Flicker wasn't exactly sure what happened. A selkie folk, who knew the ocean and its depths, wouldv've realized that he'd been dragged off by a vicious rip current. And managed to survive purely because he was entangled in a boyyant piece of the small boat he stole.

As for the whole "drowning" issue? No clue on that, for all anyone would ever guess is that either some guardian spirit was watching over him or maybe he just was so near death and hot that he just created an air bubble from all the water he was heating up. Who knows honestly.

Of course, when he washed up in some small cave on the cliff side of some foreign land, he had to admit he was relieved. Sure, there was no way out due to the tides that blocked the exit of the cave. Perhaps, he'd never leave this place and he'd just starve inside, it wasn't like he could swim. Honestly, it was better than whatever fate was awaiting him at the Fire Works.

But then he noticed a frozen chunk of ice near the corner of the cave. At first, he thought it was a strange rock, he'd never seen ice before. There was even clams growing around it as well. He felt droplets melt as he touched it. While he observed the strange thing, he noticed a strange shape inside. So, he melted through it. And then...

A MEAL- Okay, it was probably some dead disease infested animal that died some unfortunate death- But cmon! It PROBABLY wouldn't kill him and honestly- Maybe he could make this work! He'd get enough energy from eating that weird freaky looking animal and maybe he'd learn how to fish! He could just- Drink the water dripping from the stalactites above! He'd survive!!

Well, that's what he thought before he was about to try to cook the dead thawed thing and then it suddenly opened its eyes and shrieked and bit him. Oh, and then it turned into a whole freaking man with weird white hair and crap.

Then the guy started screaming more! Sure, maybe it was because Flicker was screaming too- But in his defense he didn't expect his dead meal to just BECOME A RANDOM GUY?

Things calmed down and they established that they didn't want to kill each other. Then they both demanded what the hell was up with the other dude in the cave. Apparently "Buwe" was trapped in ice or cursed or something. He seemed strangely concerned for Flicker though, Flicker couldn't really understand why.

After a bit of peace and making up for the "accidentally trying to eat/bite you" scenario with some fish that Buwe had caught they chatted some more. Buwe was determined to take Flicker home with him. But the more Buwe talked.. Yeah, Flicker wasn't exactly schooled, but he started to realize everything this guy was describing.. From money and the state of the kingdoms and whatever else? He sounded like he was alive when the Nari'shi were free.

So, they started to put together that Buwe's entire family and tribe were probably dead because apparently he'd been frozen in ice for over two hundred years.

Buwe, brilliant man that he is, decides he's going to cope by adopting Flicker. Flicker, who doesn't want to die and is appreciative of this strange man who has provided food and protection find's himself accepting this agreement. Even though he's literally an adult but apparently, "Smol brother is smol brother" was enough reasoning for Buwe so this was just his life now.

They tried to go back to Buwe's old village, but after seeing the way the grief absolutely wrecked Buwe, Flicker encouraged them to find a new life elsewhere together. Buwe agreed and they set off.

[queenendless]

❤️‍🩹 Period (Adult!Gojo Satoru x Fem!Reader) ❤️‍🩹

A/N: So much chaos happened at home last Friday in tune with my time of the month. Things are better now. And today's newest episode ... oh God. Next week and beyond is gonna crush my soul.

Ergo writing self indulgent comfort fics to quell the soul. Just period stuff, fluff, comfort, basically Gojo being the #1 boyfriend/husbando~

All credit to characters and image below goes to Gege sensei. PLEASE DON'T STEAL OR COPY MY WORK, RATHER LIKE AND REBLOG. I hope you enjoy.

Menstrual cycles are quite the monthly hassle.

The first day came today.

Curled up on the couch, trying to relax despite the mixed emotions coursing through your hormonal state when your phone pinged about a notification.

(Heyyyyy~)

You could imagine his cheery, upbeat voice singing it out loud that made you smile at least at the thought of it.

(Hey.)

(Missions are done! Errands done! Souvenir shopping time~! Ya want anything?)

You whined weakly as your hand clutched your now swollen tummy.

(Can you pick up some pads and or tampons and pain relievers on the way back?)

(Mother nature calling?)

(Yeah.)

(KK. Imma get the munchies. Sweet? Salty?)

You texted him your preferences.

(♡)

You smiled, sending him one more message.

(。・ω・。)

After being gone for 10 days straight, you couldn't wait to see him again.

After changing in the bathroom, you had closed the door behind yourself when you felt a familiar cursed presence appear behind the front door of your shared apartment, followed by the clacking sound of dress boots being taken off.

"Y/n~! I'm home~!"

The boosted hormonal wave crashing into you had you tearing up at the sight of your blindfolded giant sorcerer lover before barreling over into a tight bear hug.

"Oya oya~ What is this~?" Gojo lifted you up under your arms, bringing your blubbering face right in front of his, teeth gleaming in that smug ass smile. "My sweet angel is shedding tears for me~? Oh I'm flattered~!"

You wacked your fists and feet into him — though Infinity was making sure they did not connect. "You can go off on your ego boost after I lay down, god damn Toru!"

Gojo's enriching deep chuckle left you fuzzy as he carried you up in one arm, waving his bag of goodies in your face. "Okie dokie!" He plopped you down on the couch, dropping the bag in your lap, then dipped his head down. "Time for kissies~!"

His deep smooch was smothering – in a sweet laced good way.

"Gojo," His giant hands cradled your face, tilting you as he kissed you from a different angle, making it very difficult to focus. "Uh–!" His many tender pecks peppered many times on your lips, feeling his warm breath brush your moistness. "My heating pad." You giggled as his lips wandered to your cheek, then your neck, your mental processing faltering from his insisting distracing lips. "Please?"

His disappointed whine dispersed as your hands ruffled his propped up spiky snow white hair, kissing his cheek. "Alright alright." His exasperated sigh was betrayed by his mirthful expression as he pecked your nose then stalked off to your shared bedroom, startling you from his shouting voice down the hall. "Uh sweetie?! The battery in this is dead!"

You swore under your breath, whimpering as a finicky upset kiddie from the cramps, before pulling a small capped bottle of Ibuprofen out of the bag. "Could you go out and buy a replacement?" You asked as you downed two small capsules with water from your water bottle.

"Hmm … I could … OR!"

Feeling tall lean firmness behind you made you nearly flail off the couch hard, caught by those dark blue sleeved arms of his.

"Toru! One of these days, warping is gonna give me a heart attack, I swear to God!"

"Unless it's by a Death Note, I think not."

"God." You grumbled as he snatched your small Roku control before turning on the big HD TV as you rummaged out a small package of your munchies. "What about my heating pa – ?"

You stopped speaking, shuddering as his giant hand slid underneath the hem of your top, resting on your bulging tummy, rubbing his fingers soothingly slowly around your bulge.

"You were saying?" His sultry voice purred in your ear.

You shakily breathed at how hot he sounded.

You felt yourself melting against him, his skin being more than enough to chase the discomfort away. "I never thought I'd find a blindfolded giant so hot." You shyly, shamelessly admitted.

"And you're my warm marshmallow." Gojo laughed.

You rolled your eyes, grinning as you ripped the bag open, offering some of it to him behind you, knowing whatever you ate he'd want as well. "Stuff that mouth of yours already, you goof."

His delighted hum, nuzzling his head atop yours, cradling your belly softly, it all relaxed your hormonally effed up nerves.

Binging Netflix, eating some snacks, cuddling on the couch, this is what you missed.

Gojo especially missed this.

For even the strongest sorcerer of the modern age was also the loneliest man there ever was. Exorcizing curses, flipping off the stingy higher ups, watching his students progress from afar, so much done and yet he would stay restless until he felt you in his arms again.

Chewing on more munchies by the handful, he felt your form laxing. Looking down, vocally aweing at the sight of your open mouthed self, your form slowly and softly rising then descending as you breathed, nodding off in the middle of watch time.

He knew these monthly visits from Mother Nature meant you'd be more moody, more drained, so a relaxed sleeping Y/n was the better outcome to receive.

Even in this corrupted present world, he hoped his students, friends and allies would one day be at his level to help him bring down the current world and make it anew. Better for the good souls out there.

Especially for the one that's been filling the emptiness left inside him the most.

Lowering down the volume, he set the remote aside on the coffee table before the couch, watching as you mumble slurry discontent at having his hands leave you.

Gojo Satoru. Your resident heating pad. Noted.

Wiping his hand with some stray napkins you left on the table then leaving the opened half empty snack bag there as well, he turned you carefully on your side so your front would mesh with his, absorbing his warmth into you, the pinched frown on your face melting into that smile he adores so much, nuzzling your cheek into his jacketed chest.

Sliding his hands beneath the hem again, he began rubbing circles in your back, eating up the sight of the shivers your dreaming self gave off, firmly kissing the side of your head as he became lost in your scent.

Lost in this slice of heaven as the troubles of his life and the rest of this world seemed to wash away, he drifted off to nap-ville only to meet you there himself, murmuring words to imprint his biggest constant thought in all your time spent apart.

"I missed you too."

Ah, it's good to be home.

[zopicloneinuk]

Pregabalin 300 mg is a pain-relieving medication that works by inhibiting the activity of certain neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord that are involved in pain signaling. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and spinal cord injury. It is also approved for fibromyalgia treatment.

[fearcrowz]

⚰ Fear's Stories ⚰

💉 Knell

   A girl with chronic depression gives up the fight after a long and painful battle. When she wakes up, she is in a Hospital, but not the one she was in previously. Creatures roam these halls, patients and staff alike. A bell rings in the distance, beckoning something. Confused and fearful, the entities that live here will test her resolve.

🌿 Wiccar Briar

   A town called Briar rests in the old world, where magick still flourishes. A girl named Charice is the daughter of the late Great White Witch, but unlike her mother she is very sickly and has no magick. Her caretakers are a bird man, a wispy eccentric shade, and a demon cursed to be trapped in a book. Unsettling things are happening in the forest, and the past is rearing it's head.

🕯Nightlight

   A town of monsters and gods, guarded by a lighthouse away from the human world. Creatures from myths, legends, religions and more can be found here, trying to live a different life away from those who hunt after them. A halfling young girl named Maggie tries to find her human mother, in hopes she can find out why she was abandoned and why humans are a threat. (This story branches out to other smaller stories with it's characters)

🗡 Under an Ivy Crown

   A medieval fantasy themed story. A cruel King kidnaps the Queen of the Fae in hopes that her golden blood will make him immortal. His plans are ruined when a mischevious Halfling and an unusual Knight/Doctor rescue her and try and take her back home before the forests rot. They meet many friends, allies, and enemies along the way.

🚬 Not Dead Yet

   Garden City holds a machine called Eden's Core, which allows the essence of a person or animal to be stored into a capsule like core, and be placed into a new body, causing a remarkable scientific fusing of the two entities. When they decide to use inmates to clear out their prisons, and fuse them with more helpful objects for goodly citizens like a parole program, it turns sour as these criminal's new bodies are stronger and end up more dangerous. Laurie, a girl who has struggled all her life with a mission to find her father-who once worked at Eden's Core- stumbles upon one of these infamous criminals... A serial killer that was fused with a mascot suit.

💫 In Between

   Elise, a lazy, overly tired and grumpy girl lives a very boring and unfulfilled life. The only exciting thing that happens to her is she sees things, and has to take schizophrenic medicine to keep her visions and hearing under control. Turns out, she is seeing and hearing an actual problem, and Heaven and Hell want to get their noses into it?? A fallen angel and a demon end up fighting over her and makes her life much more interesting.

🦷 The Ones We Buried

   After a horrible accident that killed her family when she was 9, Lucia has lived her entire life in the Hospital, going through surgeries and rehabilitation. Badly scarred and cold, she lives a quiet and lonely life away from everyone. One day, after hearing her grandmother passed, the funeral home/mortuary that was family owned by her grandparents was bought by a mysterious man. Not understanding why they didn't go through her first, she goes to see who exactly bought it.

🗝 Witching Hour

  A fantasy world of monsters, wizards, witches and demons. There are two great trees, the Mother and the Father. The Mother births those of light and hope, while the Father births those demonic and dark. Wormwood's (a 1920s time period city) boss Sinclair hears word that after over a thousand years, the Mother tree has birthed a new being before withering away. The news has struck the three planes of this world, though some more secret than others. (Stonehearst, Wormwood, and the 6th Gate) A young woman has been born, with unknown purpose and power, and to protect her from the Warden of the 6th Gate and the Wizards of the Council, they disguise her and keep her in Wormwood, with a very crabby spider and a crow monster to protect her.

💥 Endworld

   There are 3 worlds in this odd existence. The Overworld, or what they call "Utopia", Limbo which is a dark world that is the great gate, and Endworld, a city of crime, monsters and sin. Genny, daughter to "God", the Queen of Overworld, hides a secret that could stain her mothers reputation and the perfectionism of this pure world. She is half Endworldian, and she wants to find her father. After sneaking out and falling to this chaotic world, she meets two con-men brothers and they get roped into more chaos than they are use to when the Overworld officials go after their Princess. Not being able to survive for long from this pursuit, they end up hiring an infamous mercenary group to protect them from Overworld and God's wrath and help Genny find her father.

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #4 – War in Human Civilization by Azar Gat

This is my first big history book of the year, and one I’ve been rather looking forward to getting to for some time now. Its claimed subject matter – the whole scope of war and violent conflict across the history of humanity – is ambitious enough to be intriguing, and it was cited and recommended by Bret Devereaux, whose writing I’m generally a huge fan of. Of course, he recommended The Bright Ages too, and that was one of my worst reads of last year – apparently something I should have learned my lesson from. This is, bluntly, not a good book – the first half is bad but at least interesting, while the remainder is only really worth reading as a time capsule of early 2000s academic writing and hegemonic politics.

The book purports to be a survey of warfare from the evolution of homo sapiens sapiens through to the (then) present, drawing together studies from several different fields to draw new conclusions and a novel synthesis that none of the authors being drawn from had ever had the context to see – which in retrospect really should have been a big enough collection of dramatically waving red flags to make me put it down then and there. It starts with a lengthy consideration of conflict in humanity’s ‘evolutionary state of nature’ – the long myriads between the evolution of the modern species and the neolithic revolution – which he holds is the environment where the habits, drives and instincts of ‘human nature’ were set and have yet to significantly diverge from. He does this by comparing conflict in other social megafauna (mostly but not entirely primates), archaeology, and analogizing from the anthropological accounts we have of fairly isolated/’untainted’ hunter gatherers in the historical record.

From there, he goes on through the different stages of human development – he takes a bit of pain at one point to disavow believing in ‘stagism’ or modernization theory, but then he discusses things entirely in terms of ‘relative time’ and makes the idea that Haida in 17th century PNW North America are pretty much comparable to pre-agriculture inhabitants of Mesopotamia, so I’m not entirely sure what he’s actually trying to disavow – and how warfare evolved in each. His central thesis is that the fundamental causes of war are essentially the same as they were for hunter-gatherer bands on the savanna, only appearing to have changed because of how they have been warped and filtered by cultural and technological evolution. This is followed with a lengthy discussion of the 19th and 20th centuries that mostly boils down to trying to defend that contention and to argue that, contrary to what the world wars would have you believe, modernity is in fact significantly more peaceful than any epoch to precede it. The book then concludes with a discussion of terrorism and WMDs that mostly serves to remind you it was written right after 9/11.

So, lets start with the good. The book’s discussion of rates of violence in the random grab-bag of premodern societies used as case studies and the archaeological evidence gathered makes a very convincing case that murder and war are hardly specific ills of civilization, and that per capita feuds and raids in non-state societies were as- or more- deadly than interstate warfare averaged out over similar periods of time (though Gat gets clumsy and takes the point rather too far at times). The description of different systems of warfare that ten to reoccur across history in similar social and technological conditions is likewise very interesting and analytically useful, even if you’re skeptical of his causal explanations for why.

If you’re interested in academic inside baseball, a fairly large chunk of the book is also just shadowboxing against unnamed interlocutors and advancing bold positions like ‘engaging in warfare can absolutely be a rational choice that does you and yours significant good, for example Genghis Khan-’, an argument which there are apparently people on the other side of.

Of course all that value requires taking Gat at his word, which leads to the book’s largest and most overwhelming problem – he’s sloppy. Reading through the book, you notice all manner of little incidental facts he’s gotten wrong or oversimplified to the point where it’s basically the same thing – my favourites are listing early modern Poland as a coherent national state, and characterizing US interventions in early 20th century Central America as attempts to impose democracy. To a degree, this is probably inevitable in a book with such a massive subject matter, but the number I (a total amateur with an undergraduate education) noticed on a casual read - and more damningly the fact that every one of them made things easier or simpler for him to fit within his thesis - means that I really can’t be sure how much to trust anything he writes.

I mentioned above that I got this off a recommendation from Bret Devereaux’s blog. Specifically, I got it from his series on the ‘Fremen Mirage’ – his term for the enduring cultural trope about the military supremacy of hard, deprived and abusive societies. Which honestly makes it really funny that this entire book indulges in that very same trope continuously. There are whole chapters devoted to thesis that ‘primitive’ and ‘barbarian’ societies possess superior military ferocity and fighting spirit to more civilized and ‘domesticated’ ones, and how this is one of the great engines of history up to the turn of the modern age. It’s not even argued for, really, just taken as a given and then used to expand on his general theories.

Speaking of – it is absolutely core to the book’s thesis that war (and interpersonal violence generally) are driven by (fundamentally) either material or reproductive concerns. ‘Reproductive’ here meaning ‘allowing men to secure access to women’, with an accompanying chapter-length aside about how war is a (possibly the most) fundamentally male activity, and any female contributions to it across the span of history are so marginal as to not require explanation or analysis in his comprehensive survey. Women thus appear purely as objects – things to be fought over and fucked – with the closest to any individual or collective agency on their part shown is a consideration that maybe the sexual revolution made western society less violent because it gave young men a way to get laid besides marriage or rape.

Speaking of – as the book moves forward in time, it goes from being deeply flawed but interesting to just, total dreck (though this also might just me being a bit more familiar with what Gat’s talking about in these sections). Given the Orientalism that just about suffuses the book it’s not, exactly, surprising that Gat takes so much more care to characterize the Soviet Union as especially brutal and inhumane that he does Nazi Germany but it is, at least, interesting. And even the section of World War 2 is more worthwhile than the chapters on decolonization and democratic peace theory that follow it.

Fundamentally this is just a book better consumed secondhand, I think – there are some interesting points, but they do not come anywhere near justifying slogging through the whole thing.

[delimeful]

to know that song (and all its words) (9)

warnings: injury, lack of self care, fear, misunderstandings, a little bit of kidnapping, mistrust, cliffhanger

-

The dread set in as soon as Virgil dragged himself back to consciousness.

Even before he really knew what was going on, the sensation weighed heavy on him. His memories of the past three cycles were smeared into vague undefined blur, like a sand sculpture lapped at by seafoam, but the moment he opened his eyes, a distinct sense of foreboding curled up in his lungs and refused to leave.

The strangest part was that nobody else seemed to feel the suffocating weight of it.

The Humans seemed almost glued to his bedside, swapping places so smoothly that the chair set by his bedside was almost never unoccupied. He would have suspected it was a more intensive effort to keep him under watch if it weren’t for the complete lack of actual guarding going on.

(Half the time Heartfelt came in, they fell asleep with their head pillowed on their arms within a quarter-tide of sitting down. Not exactly strict warden behavior.)

It was strange. The Humans hadn’t quite reverted to their former hunted postures and exhausted eyes, but they’d unarguably been impacted by the invasion. There was a focused tension to their movements, murmured conversations in halls, an alert sort of attentiveness that they wore like a second skin.

And yet, they hadn’t turned any of that tightly-drawn energy on him.

Maybe if things were the same as before, with their weird unspoken agreement that Virgil would perform his role and not do anything stupid, and in turn they wouldn’t make the last however-long period of his life miserable with restrictions, this wouldn’t be so stressful.

But things weren’t the same. Virgil’s only useful skills involved having full use of both arms, and he’d been stripped of each and every one the moment his bone snapped on impact with the floor.

His life had been dependent on their need for someone small enough to fly the vessel for them this entire time, and now he couldn’t pilot.

They should be furious, frantic, trying to find solutions and making demands of him. Frankly, they should’ve just left him to die of shock once they realized what had happened and what it meant.

Instead, they’d settled him in the medbay with just about every medical device that might be even peripherally useful strewn about, constantly checked the information on his vital monitors, and the closest thing to a demand he received was the frequent questioning about how he felt and if he was in any pain or needed anything.

He didn’t know why they bothered asking, since they gave him dubious, disbelieving looks almost every time he brushed the question off. It wasn’t like they were his crewmates or anything, so who had tipped them off to his dislike of pain meds? They’d never even seen him injured before! Could Humans smell pain or something?

Stars and seas, he hoped not. His current plan was to bank on their ignorance of how long Ampens took to heal and get back in the pilot’s chair as quickly as possible, but that required they also be ignorant of the finer details of his injury. He’d be utterly screwed if they could somehow sense every time he re-agitated his fracture.

He would actually get started on that plan, too, except it required he was left alone long enough to actually test out how bad the pain was and sneak over to the piloting capsule, and that simply hadn’t happened even once in the past cycle of him being mostly-conscious.

Virgil felt insane for even thinking it, but the facts added up: The Humans were being clingy.

It was more subtle than expected, but once he realized, it became impossible to deny. Between the three of them, Virgil was receiving the same amount of fretting and hovering as a fledgling under the care of a first-time mother.

Sure, he’d heard rumors of Humans having fierce protective instincts, especially when it came to their young, but this level of brooding was ridiculous! Virgil was a fully-fledged adult, not a member of their pack, and completely capable of taking care of himself.

Now, he just had to make sure they knew that. Ideally without making them remember that he was currently a worthless liability to them.

Totally not stress-inducing at all, as Janus would say.

He waited until the next time Noisy was the only one watching him, since Heartfelt might not understand exactly what he was trying to say and Square looked far too exhausted and intense for him to feel good about his odds of directly asking to break a rule.

“You guys are smothering me,” he said, too wrung-out to dance around the issue. “Can I just have some time to myself, already?”

He forced himself not to bristle at the reluctant tinge that automatically sprung up to Noisy’s aether, both so the conversation didn’t escalate and because his feathers were already borderline painful from lack of grooming.

“It could be dangerous,” Noisy said, crossing his arms. “You’re not fully healed, and there’s—,” he trailed off, muttering a few phrases in Human like he was searching for a word.

Virgil struggled not to scrape his nails together in irritation. They were lucky he was going the negotiation route. If it had been his crewmates, he would already be well into biting people by now.

“I need a break,” he tried again, and then reluctantly added, “I’ll show you my pigment collection. But you can’t use them all!”

He gestured to the badly smeared and faded pigment that was still coating the downy small feathers around his eyes, a substance that his noisiest Human had asked about over and over.

Noisy brightened in delight, undeterred by Virgil’s tacked-on condition, before hesitating at the obvious bribe.

Man, they really were invested in keeping an eye on him, weren’t they? Noisy had been unbearably annoying about trying to get his hands on some pigment powder (he didn’t even have feathers?!) for ages, and now that he was being offered the opportunity, he was torn? It didn’t make any sense.

“Please,” Virgil was desperate enough to add.

“Okay, okay,” Noisy said, the tension in his aether snapping and settling into worried resignation. “I’ll go to sleep room. But only for a little while. And door open, so call and I’ll hear, okay?”

Somehow, it sounded more like a reassurance than a threat. Virgil shook himself, trying not to let stupid idealistic misinterpretations throw him off. He agreed hurriedly and waved Noisy out of the room with an impatience that clearly amused him.

Finally.

—

After a painstakingly slow climb out of the medcot, Virgil found he was actually extremely glad he hadn’t tried to remove his bulky sling just yet.

He’d started overheating from the strain before he even passed through the medbay doors. By the time he reached the cockpit, his ruff feathers were visibly vibrating from gular fluttering and his hand pads were well past damp.

He’d definitely need a dust bath after this.

To his surprise, the entrance was blocked off by a considerably large pile of materials. The array was a mishmash of everything, some items looking alarmingly expensive while others were barely more than scrap.

“What…,” he muttered, trying to puzzle out why this latest obstacle to his plan had been placed here, of all places.

A head popped up from behind the scrap. “Oh, thank Khiqea!”

Virgil made a short little alarm whistle, nearly toppling over as he scrambled back a few steps. “What are you doing on my ship?!”

The alien— they had curling mandibles and stout horned shoulders, Virgil recognized the species but couldn’t recall the name— stared at him with shiny black eyes for a long moment before speaking again, now with a slight buzz. “Your Humans kidnapped me here.”

They shuffled to the side slightly and lifted their arm, revealing that it was cuffed to… was that a medbay chair? And a chunk of medbay flooring?!

Did those idiots even know how much internal ship furnishing cost?

“Oh, I am gonna kill them,” he muttered to himself, and blinked when there was a high placating chitter from the stranger.

Right. Kidnapping victim. That was super bad, actually. “Why’d they kidnap you?”

“Did you not—,” the stranger cut themself off, before continuing in shorter, sharper words. “I was the only nonessential medic on the Hanssloane. It was part of the deal.”

The raiders. His injury. Some of it was coming back now. The Humans had abducted a whole person to make sure he didn’t die from his wounds? Why?

Instead of blurting any of that out, Virgil glanced down at where they were holding a clipboard and a simple welding tool. “You seem a little under equipped for a medic. Are you trying to bandage scrap metal, or what?”

“I— I know how to engineer,” they said hurriedly, their limbs drawing in defensively. “I have other uses! I can work for as long as you need, just— please.”

Well, if that wasn’t a familiar refrain, Virgil didn’t know what was.

“You’re a multitalented guy. Got it,” he said shortly. He wasn’t going to make any promises he couldn’t keep, but if they were so willing to talk… “What’s your name?”

“I go by Sveve,” they responded, running through a surprising number of politeness signals for a raider.

“Great,” Virgil replied, pretending not to notice the expectant pause. “Have you seen the other Humans around?”

If he wanted answers, he’d have to get them himself.

Sveve did that silent-surprise stare again, though this one was shorter. “Neither are onboard at the moment, Captain. They’re retrieving more machinery from the Hanssloane.”

Virgil resisted the urge to frown automatically at the formal address— the only time his crewmates called him that was when they were poking fun at him. Belatedly, the rest of the sentence registered.

“We’re still attached to the raider ship?” he asked, half horrified and half incredulous.

“The Humans negotiated the deal without you,” Sveve said, the words accompanied by a low click-click of realization. “They’re rogue agents. Grenghal’s balls, I’m so screwed.”

Virgil didn’t have time for their crisis. He was too busy having his own crisis.

“What was the deal? What happened while I was out?”

“You really don’t know. You weren’t there for the slaughter. And it’s not like you can trust me.” Sveve tapped their mandibles together consideringly, and then turned to check both sides of the hall before switching to a whispering buzz.

“There’s only one Human aboard now, so it might be the only chance you get. Check the footage of our boarding if you want to know the truth. Once you see it, you’ll understand the kind of monsters they really are, what they’ll do to me, to you. If we work together, we can escape.”

Virgil’s antennae pressed back as he shied away from the intent plea, but the paranoid part of him couldn’t help but perk up.

The records room was connected to Nav, more of a closet than anything. If the Humans really weren’t onboard, this might be the only chance he’d get to check without Square in the way.

Slowly, wordlessly, he edged around the pile of junk and continued down the hall towards Navigation.

He felt Sveve’s eyes follow him until he passed the curve, a familiar desperation in them that he hadn’t let himself dwell on.

He moved as quietly as possible, straining for any trace of Square or Heartfelt as he approached Nav. The Humans could be deathly silent when they wanted, but it was a habit they hadn’t kept up all the time.

The corridor was silent, and when he plucked up his courage and peered into the navigation room, it was empty, the lights low from a lack of detected motion.

Virgil took a deep breath and smoothed down his ruff as best he could, steeling himself. This was his last chance to turn back.

No. He needed to know.

He let his steps grow quicker and quicker as he crossed the room, eyes flicking from place to place warily as though Square could somehow wriggle out of an Ampen tunnel and descend upon him.

The records room door opened easily at his touch, and he let out a tense breath as he closed it behind himself. It was soundproofed, so he was as safe as he could be, for the moment.

The camera feed logs were all present and untampered with. It took only a few moments to locate the timestamps for the cycle the raiders had attacked, and he wound it back to shortly after his arm had snapped, feeling a little ill at the sight.

He ignored the urge to let it go, to ignore the gaps in his memory and the new hostage, to try and return to the status quo. Whatever he was missing, he would find out now.

He reached forward and started the footage.

[pseudowho]

Hi Haitch.

I wanted to ask for help regarding a situation because I really didn't know who else to ask, but if you feel uncomfortable, please ignore it.

I wanted to know what to do in case one's vaginal fold swells up? One of mine swelled up so badly this morning that I can't walk, or sit. It hurts even when I walk like a crab. I'm not even on my periods or anything. I've tried pouring lukewarm water over it, but there's no improvement.

It's not like this is anything new. This happened to me about twice or thrice in past. But it never was this bad. The swelling, the pain, both. There's no sign of any blood or pus either. So I'm just really confused.

I googled it, to no avail at all. 😔

Don't be embarrassed; I'm very very happy to help and advise.

Tw/CW: gynaecological medical discussion

Okay, so while there are more than one potential cause, this sounds to me like the highest likely culprit is a labial cyst. When cysts form, unless the cyst capsule (essentially the membrane holding the cyst, like a bubble) is removed, they often get inflamed or infected and refill with fluid, and as such swell and become painful. Most of the time they cause little issues (we can develop cysts anywhere over our bodies), but if they're recurrent and/or painful I really do advise getting medical attention.

Seeing as it's unilateral (on one side) and otherwise asymptomatic apart from the swelling and pain, I'm gently ruling out thrush/candida, or other common infections of the genital tract.

Other possible contenders for what it is, off the top of my head:

Infected hair follicle

Inflamed or infected Bartholin's gland (one of the glands that releases discharge around the vaginal opening)

If any of these are regularly occurring, they can be surgically repaired. I honestly advise seeing an Obs/Gynae specialist doctor while it's inflamed like this if you can.

I'm so sorry you're sore. If you are able to (and you have no medical contraindications against it), I advise regular paracetamol and ibuprofen, for pain and swelling management. The key is *regular*-- take them every 6 hours for a few days. They have a cumulative effect that will help. Wear loose cotton underwear if you can, and air the poor girl out.

Again, I really feel for you. It can be very very sore.

Love,

-- Haitch xxx