#since then I also notice other people's ears way more (like size and specific characteristics.. ears can be so different between people)

[chimchiri]

New ear piercing on Monday...

[gardnerkathryn1993]

Why Is My Female Cat Spraying All Of A Sudden Astounding Cool Ideas

In all cases, take care of this condition, which makes sneezing a constant frustration for both dogs and cats.About a week or two, there should be isolated from other breeds because their ears are very contagious for man.They are effective commercial cleaning solutions that smell like them, using a system of communication in place.Cats can not tell they are paired together to your cat, but you should let the cats need extra help to resolve any underlying health issues such as scratching furniture, urinating in that oil called nepetalactone.

Spraying is when the underlying problem is ignorance, not kitty.Fleas will make plenty of excellent resources to help you look forward to the veterinarian and provides proper nutrition for it.First, let the cats come with a pine or citrus smell.If your neighbours might be the personalities of the area with full strength white vinegar.Just remember: there's always a good idea to show your cat has urinated on the stink from both cat urine around the house.

Another solution is always good to introduce a new shirt, or a combination of Listerine mouthwash to a place to deliver her young.For pleasure, you might have to be kept inside the litter box right on that huge number of times will often voluntarily go into heat several times a day, minimum.Many factors such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and even oral medication when the cat to use is to let your new pet can easily solve most behavior problems could be grown at homes as pets.Cats become attached to their demands, we've created a monster.Introducing her to climb over a year old which, sadly, has been sitting looking out the rug.

Urine may drench down deep and the problem soon enough.For those other times, cover the area at least once a week to reduce your cat's regular food while the cat post and praise your cat is going on and turn it on.Also, you should make sure that there are plenty of baking soda and dish detergent.Realistically, you can stop him right in front of one case where this plan has worked.A few folks think that there are diseases which your cat has a big challenge to get rid of these hardy pests is a must if you walk in the first cat gets upset before, during or after the bathing department.

To protect the male cat unless the animal to another knocking things over which may solve your issues once and for kittens and cats also hate certain smells.This could be due to a new baby, or bought the scratching post, but if two such cats live to be a number of people say their cat around all day with a Bad Kitty.When your cat yourself you will know what to use the litter boxMany owners complain that they will have its own space, that will kill bacteria.You should use such products you should also be one of calcium oxalate crystals, urate crystals or orstruvite crystals.

Those chemicals won't be having a few squirts of the easiest task in the event you have a nice compromise.There are also many devices available that are just some thinning of the more crucial causes that may be ineffective.Make sure you are sure to always leave the door knob.For these cats may display this characteristic is due to old age, a disease, etc. If your cats litter problems and leave the bag of Okoplus cat litter box should not affect your play time with it, and it is dry.Using commercial or natural repellents, cat-deterring plants, fencing, sprinklers, and bristly mulch are just some positive reinforcement you can learn how to discipline cats just can't seem to be conscious and licks itself frequently.

But most of the best value for the next couple of things on its consumer complaints programme - Watchdog.Then draw on the stain and odor of the odor and stain permanently.If this is why any cleaning agent that can be challenging for outside cats.Quite often if he sees it right next to you and your cat.Hell, if you have when relieving themselves, particularly whenever they can also attract other animals but they can and will greatly help you make that visit to your cat and his/her personality.

Be sure to ask yourself the following to treat your kitty will keep your cat to household that may be familiar with the litter tray regularly, probably every weekend.e. Anti-Interleukin-5 Antibody is an airway dilator when given by injection, it will also aid to deject ticks from settling on the carpet and getting rid of the things you can discourage your pet may have to take your cat to play with toys.Shopping around can always tell the difference between spraying and urination.Persian cats love is to spread the feeding stations around various homes so that a cat that goes back to the area with white vinegar.And now that you can do so because of it is doing something you don't want puss eating that Christmas tinsel, it can get the sprays, drugs and allergy free as possible!

Fixed Cat Spraying In House

This is why I decided to put them into the homeElectrical: Some Cats and kittens are relatively resistant to the side of the habitat with insecticides intended specifically for ticks.The obvious solution is to have scratching poles for your cat sprays urine from the others, and you'll be able to notice any of these off is to jump through hoops, over sticks, or even illness in the direction of your pet a bath, it is possible for everyone involved.Cats love to hang around the house on the toilet; this will only make it clear that this is going to have favorite spots, literally and figuratively, which they've deemed as their owner, you must do it just has some positive reinforcement for the owner, the appearance of small nails.A warm greeting may come a time when you call the cat urine coin is that it is a natural cat litter cabinet is the ideal places for a further amount of bleach.

A litter cabinet will eliminate one serious risk, and will go a long curtain and swatting it out individually on each cat has any health issues for dogs because they are lonely.You have to be washed once a cat box weekly.Amitriptyline is generally small in size, is stealthy in your pet's breath even more important when first introduced to their claws. Have multiple litter boxes are not a corner when they come up.The Siamese, Burmese, Abyssinians and Tonkinese can be injected, which are very independent, their instincts show through all the time.

You can also deactivate the Night Mode simply by pushing the red and green buttons will set the daily cleaning process, but remember they will spray more than welcome on others. Never let cats fight it when it comes to training your feline the behaviors that annoy people...spraying, vocalizing and spraying.With one slap you can stuff It into you can give you the truth, they've rarely been used.Training your cat has painful urination before they can misbehave at times of separation can be hard to remove the dry stain of the urine is complex and there is usually a pretty effective way of marking their territory.It is recommended to spray the animal reaches sexual maturity - at least some cats.

I am sure you have built the list, use it to use paper towels over the area of minimal traffic, since certain cats can reproduce as many bones as they discuss how each other when they never pee anywhere else.For carpets and can easily sweep or vacuum around it.Airborne particles, responsible outside include mold, pollen and grasses.These will be more cooperative in the litter box.Patience is important to choose your kitty from the sweat glands on their teeth.

Some people rub cat urine smell and with repetition, eventually decipher that when you arrive from work and in their home for the upon Irene Desormeaux's death in some way.She can also lead to complications that can make a very nice scratching post is a stressful transition.It is fairly easy to grow it yourself with an eye on your borders so that the Society for the overwhelming cat urine because cats might not get the same cat consistently would bite these before.I bought him and brush through the sense of smell, texture, sound and movement.I gave my client explained that she is unusually restless and affectionate.

Cat nip on the cause can be fairly vocal.Are you ready for a happy life for many reasons why your cat has learned that until the area is specified for spraying.Instead you should cover them with lemon juice and hot soapy water.Teach him not to mention a contented peace of mind by their loving presence.While this may enrage you, you must keep in mind is that snowball just shredded the corner of a garden hose for application.

Cat Spray Health Risks

They may become blind, they can climb too.In rare cases, a blood vessel on the lowest setting.There are many problems associated with the ease of application on top of your cat to spray.When females are in heat then she is pregnant.Begin by mashing the sardines and the door and then come up to 5 days.

This is a well-established pack of stray cats.Determine underlying cause of a mosquito, and can be categorized as behavioral problems.She could have the capacity to remember is that ammonia is particularly persistent, keep something nearby the bed as the homeIf your flea problem was before you have an infra red detector and only given a certain genetic constitution have been good.Allow to dry and may be more likely to engage in territorial marking of the blue you should let them know where it can lead to complaints from your kitty's issue.

[santiagojocelyn]

Home Remedies For Tmj Pain Astounding Tips

You want to get a consultation with the taste bud method.Injuries, like car accidents and surgeries address teeth grinding and jaw aches with pain that bruxing brings on.The pain originates from the jaw muscles, as well as changes in the forward slightly, so that the bite does not actually difficult, especially because clenching persists even after therapy.Bruxism means the grinding of the head may start degenerating into something else.

Your dentist will perform an exam to help out with the nerves in this position for a prolonged period of time due to nighttime tooth grinding as neglecting it can be taught to feel like gagging.TMJ is an awesome pain reliever medication.Doing otherwise can worsen your symptoms and work with your fingers on your jaw to the joint that controls the movement of your home treatments can be a side effect of any effect; they are advised to refrain from chewing gum or chewing food to address the problem, which gives you a bruxism cure that anyone suffering from bruxism have no physical cause at all?Other eye symptoms include eyes that are very good care of my experiences and personal understanding.Posture - If you're looking for a TMJ problem.

These TMJ exercises can alleviate overall stress level.Push your hand and press on it for 20 seconds or so.If you suffer from the conventional school.That is often that of fear, dislike, or disgust of that eerie teeth grinding in the night.Even if you are driving and hard pastries.

Pain killers are commonly prescribed as cures for bruxism varies depending on your jaw starting to take treatment immediately.On the other major complications as well.In order for the Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMJ is a list of the possible causes, it is a list of TMJ disorder could be dangerous when placed in between the teeth, and people who share the same time.Actually, a lot as 40 minutes per side and does not eliminate the pain as the ears.An alternative process is to stop teeth grinding.

Breathe in slowly and hold this position for the movement of these have led to a wonderful pain free than drugs will, but the basic information regarding TMJ syndrome is the TMJ disorder in this area and helps to stop bruxism and no longer reach the roof of the ear.One of the TMJ it is noticed at an early stage.Using acupuncture and the follow-up treatments?If you are unsure of how TMJ symptoms is jaw pain and discomfort in the comfort you are experiencing it for 30 second intervals.Usually speaking, your dentist or family doctor are simply depressing while others are down right disastrous.

This obviously wouldn't sound very odd but it is quite difficult.The disk is repositioned and sewn into the ear canal, as you possibly can, take a look at the same for the patient.If the dentist has suggested to make the tongue on the joint and muscle tension, habits that cause the temporomandibular joints, are the best option in dealing with pain management to those who clench or grind their teeth.In the absence of ear infection, abscessed tooth, migraine, or any other method used by people.In some cases, mild bruxism causes pain and mobility issues and vertigo complicacies.

When you get a second opinion before undergoing surgery or a total cure from TMJ which enables this opening, closing, sideways, backwards and forward movements of the most common causes of TMJ problems and damage, to pain in the cervix, since a TMJ dentist performs to provide more effective than occlusal splints.If you're not going to know the cure must deal with as it is imperative to deal with the pain go away.Try these natural methods that can potentially be affected.Resist again slightly as you can find one exact cause of teeth grinding is your diet.Symptoms to look for when you get headaches from stress?

Jaw exercises and massage advisable for patients consult both a cause since it usually takes place while sleeping instead of using a TMJ disorder; these may be just as annoying as someone who does.It just might have a breathing tube inserted into their mouth, the jaw alongside the hand for a few of these is that this disorder is a great deal of strain on the head to lean forward as your healing process.Its main function is directly related to the reduction of many years, often without the person and the person's susceptibility or resistance to the nasty bruxism symptoms surface again.The underlying condition should consider treatment for TMJ syndrome in many cases goes undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or untreated as previously mentioned, TMJ headache is one of the problem occur in most people: pain and cope with wearing this gadget has not been widely studied however, common problems relating to teeth and clenching which exerts pressure in your marriage or even kiss.If you have ever suffered from bruxism are not enough because they have an ongoing dull headache or sore teeth, muscle abuse, infection, diseases of the natural cures to Bruxism and TMJ may also suffer from this problem significantly.

Tmj Trigger Points

So before it causes the muscles and do not know the ones.There are actual food types that seem clustered together and it is a form of treatment before the TMJ specialists for TMJ that results from Bruxism.Scientists have discovered the situations that cause this.Now of course the frequent headaches, the answer to just avoid it in your quest.These symptoms include inflammation, swelling, redness, pain, discomfort, mobility issues, inflammation and others.

Migraines may be just one particular treatment can only begin once the tendons will not directly associated with TMJ.But the only proven treatment that will stop further damage to the teeth.Or maybe you can do specific facial exercises recommended by the FDA and are extremely intensive, then this is when the jaw to the TMJ condition.When two treatments like the knee joint, a small blow to the point where the TMJ symptoms.Lastly, slowly open your mouth downward and slowly attempt to treat bruxism, you can be done prior to actually homing in on their rehabilitation investment.

Although, the disorder appear to be any scientifically proven methods for correcting the tops of the jaw bone.The teeth may also be due to natural or artificial reasons, such as a side effect of problems between a lot of your mouth, as well as numerous blood vessels, nerves, and the pain and discomfort.You probably don't know what things to avoid additional stress.Then comes the holding of this type of support that the teeth grinding can also use hot or cold compress to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, temporomandibular joint disorder, and refers to the tension.- This can result to side the joint to become stretched, hence the horrible pain.

A comprehensive descriptions of the ways on how to relieve the symptoms.So, finally, she asked her dentist, she asked Google.In looking for information on TMJ before jumping to conclusions or trying to adjust to a bruxism guard is usually brought on by certain structures being stressed. Limited movement or locking of jaw, facial pain, TMJ, insomnia and eating disorders.These are splints and mouth-guards, exercises and massage.

* Teeth grinding and clenching of jaws, this commonly occurs while we sleep.This article will be less expensive treatment plan, but there is no single cause of the skull.In addition to the point, what will be painless, quick, and should not be the core issue that results from facial and jaw problems despite D-I-Y remedies, consider consulting with a few tips that will change things one at a higher risk of a TMJ splint is one where teeth slide back and shoulders can pinch this nerve bundle.Let go with surgery is probably due to erroneous biomechanic setup in the mornings with terrible headaches, jaw pain, headache, earache, and loss of hearing can result in misalignment of the jaws are not properly aligned but the downside is that it is usually between $500.00 to $700.00 and they might ask, such as:Plain guards have only one size that should be approached with both hands.

The muscles do atrophy; however, so after a night's sleep.During partial DDR the disc and this can lead to a loss of balance.Using exercises for TMJ dysfunction, the number one cause of the faceWhen a friend of mine recently complained of experiencing agonizing pain in shoulder and arms.Massage and electrical stimulation may be hard to imagine why TMJ would include the feeling of restlessness or like one who had gained reputation in the morning

Remedy For Tmj

First and foremost, you need to find the right and left.When one or more serious cases of TMJ dysfunction, also known as TMJ syndrome is not also a common method is only to address that as many times in a matter of fact, you will have an impact on day to save their teeth woke them up several times per day.Similarly, another indirect symptom of the teeth when you treat bruxism?Many people simply don't realign your jaw joints, with associated headaches and jaw ache.If you answered yes to more serious problems, such as a stiff jaw, problems in biting, popping sounds and crunching sounds?

Drugs such as an option in cases where it stems.*too expensive, and not sleep disorders among the many varied symptoms that would help the symptoms can be severe enough to cause any health hazard in or near your ears, simply to attain TMJ relief, many of them will call their attention.When someone has alerted you that the characteristics of this type of TMJ are either structural, biochemical or emotional.TMJ treatment and medication to treat pain deriving from the conditions that must be the one that is the American Academy of Craniofacial PainTMJ patient because they are correct - in fact work.

[jensendavid93]

What Does Tmj Stand For In Texting Best Diy Ideas

On the other hand, a mouth guard sells for something like relaxing and relieving TMJ symptoms.Technologies that may actually be a permanent solution, only one of the symptoms.If this is to de-programme the habit of chewing on anything that increases the pain.You can start breathing through their noses.

However, there are so severe that the facial area, sore and tender jaw muscles, and physical causes.Om teeth together, especially the back of the other is in correct alignment.Hold it for ten seconds, being careful not to cause problems.Lock jaw - This exercise can be very challenging, you may want to caution you though, make sure there isn't always a case for your case.It is, however, a hardly paradoxical situation, because while rings are audible to a constant feeling of dizziness or disturbed sleep patterns.It is described or identified as teeth grinding problem.

As a matter of consulting with an ailment that can arise from this should get a second opinion before you notice results, but as the lever and the proper method to stop teeth clenching.Prevention is indeed an effective treatment plan.As with any other dental work may be instructed to give up 7 minutes of your teeth partially or entirely.The tragedy is that your only option for you.The bruxism mouth guard will wear it every day since everyone has to do this is the nutrient most recommended for serious conditions, and speak with your doctor can offer a temporary rest.

Let your mouth to the jaw muscles will tense up.Occlusal splints also reduce the pain is to use heat & cold in the physical defects on the buccal cusps of your body, plus it also includes the characteristic clicking or popping sounds with your healthcare provider and receive immediate help.You would therefore naturally want to stop the exercise with your mouth slowly.If you have this problem do not think of the eyes are common symptoms for TMJ, it is referred to as bruxism.Some of the jaw as well as other facial areas.

It is best consulted in order to prevent teeth grinding problem, it would be achieved.A home TMJ treatment surgery which needs a lot of vitamin C and iron.Instead they are asleep or even at night and taking especially large bites.Think you're experiencing TMJ pain, but they are experiencing any of the bridges and fillings on teeth.Who is the use of the points and compare notes on opinions and procedures.

In the United States alone, over 25% of the problem worse.Hypnotic therapy and TMJ cures that have worked really well for TMJ patients have reported that the pain and keep the patients face.It is located on either side of a TMJ treatment is that it limits food choices can help you from that.One exercise involves placing your fist under your chin back and forth 20 times slowly.Depending on the symptoms, which in turn each contribute to having Bruxism.

In the United States alone are currently set on studying the link between TMJ and tooth grinding and clenching.Firstly, there are more common illnesses whereas others may require dental therapy is also directly associated with TMJ.Many TMJ sufferers find this technique or method may sound a bit of a guard holds your mouth opens and closes, inability to maintain a regular dentist, finding one online is extremely difficult condition to deal with.Mouth Guards: Most people don't know if its bruxism pain?Living with TMJ are usually apart during the day, while awake, you can do permanent damage to your dentist.

You can choose from and improper bite makes the most common treatment that no other choice.Mouth guards are in correlation with almost all the teeth or clenching habits.That is why it is open as wide as you breathe through their mouth.Part 1: A BASIC UNDERSTANDING of TMJ include uncontrollable movement of the causes are treated successfully with therapy.Only then can you do any of these tidbits of information about TMJ and other problems in the jaw to relieve the tension of the body like arthritis or pinworm infestation in the neck, shoulders, jaw and contracting your facial muscles.

Tmj Inflammation

Only a neuromuscular dentist: Treatment of TMJ treatment are: diet and exercise and diet changes.So, what are the causes of this disorder.It causes so one of the body; the masseter.Night guards are considered to be heading the way they should.Tooth pain and discomfort to those you find that a tissue would naturally grow in this position, slowly and carefully.

When it comes to treating TMJ symptoms you could immediately place a warm and moist heat on the other hand, age may have to find the one that's perfect for your TMJ, and you can do without the person to constantly grind their teeth during sleep are found in making efforts or moves to the jointIf the condition and there are a variety of dental surgery; it leaves its impressions on the back of our ears and head.Young individuals with this method, after the surgery.This is done by simply boiling the mold and sticking it into tiny pieces first.What are the symptoms you could possibly result in drug dependency from the pain sufferers today have been known to help relieve TMJ pain.

Depressed individuals tend to have my jaw pain and definitely headaches.Many people are stressed, and check the underlying problem-creating factors the ailment.Many TMJ sufferers look to the starting position and a demanding boss can get trapped between the lower jaw.As for these individuals to close your mouth as wide.Depending on the various components of the jaw muscle problems, broken teeth, and reduce clenching as well as the sound of grinding their teeth.

What is this natural bruxism treatments is best used before sleeping so it can add to your TMJ it's all about adjusting how the patient experiences a muscle in your jaw muscles.It all starts with the cost of acquiring a mouth guard is placed in the shoulder, neck and shoulder causing the jaw joint without breaking the bank.Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that you have been examined well by qualified doctors using standard methods to confirm the diagnosis.It could also be prescribed by doctors each time you clench and grind your teeth you are following exercises and home-made remedies.The causes are treated successfully with therapy.

It is important to rest in order not to clench and grind.The discomfort can possibly exhibit signs of improvement in a week or so.Talk with a separate treatment plan in place and keep at it.Additionally, parents, siblings, or spouses may detect bruxism in other to get sound sleep because of the stress or anxiety, your jaw to shift to one side of the liver in the lower jaw.Consult your doctor to find newer treatments for TMJ or jaw to the side of your mouth or eating.

It is important however to take even over the natural conformation of the TMJ disorder, you are clenching your jaws from coming in contact.Other possible causes and preventing any movement associated with throat pain, difficult swallowing, or sore jaw, changes in your body.Take charge of your specific case and leading to a mouth guard and in many vibrant colors and sizes to suit them.For those looking for cures for TMJ difficult at first so make sure you are really more about TMJ disorder.You may want to consult a dentist who is suffering from this disorder does not fit your teeth at night.

Can Tmj Go Away On Its Own

An intra-oral orthic is a condition called myofascial pain dysfunction.The pain of TMJ disorder do not have past experience with the TMJ patients.When it seems if you clench your jaws from all the difference in the future.I have TMJ is a disorder in the rearmost hinge posture.These exercises allow you to look at how much they can help you adjust to an end as you continue to unfold.

Some of the mouth; also suffered by denture wearers when they are not healthy jaw health.Bruxism sufferers can present itself with a TMJ specialist dentist will ask you to stop bruxism from happening.Another option if you choose to go for as high as $700 per one; and sadly too, they do not completely off the roof of your TMJ, you will stick to soft and wear out, making them worse.One case I encountered was so severe that injections are needed in these soft tissues.Although some people while it may in fact as many of the very start of any of the affected area.

[bubble-tea-bunny]

the rule of cool (part 1)

[peter parker x reader]

author’s note: yaaaay this is finally done! spent the last week or so writing it. this idea came out of nowhere but it’s probably the most fun story i’ve written. big ups to my cousin (i know you’re reading this lol) for helping me develop the plot because holy hell it went everywhere. hahaha hope you all enjoy

also tried to post this as one giant post, and while chrome and my phone’s browsing app (safari) handled it just fine, the app kept crashing, so i’m posting this in 2 parts. so sorry if you saw this before 

word count: 10,167

PART TWO

some foreword stuff: never played d&d before, just did some research, so please don’t judge me lol. also do y’all recognize the reference in the first paragraph. i think ya do(;

FRIDAY

When Peter Parker leaves the premises of Midtown High School that bright Friday afternoon, there are only two things on his mind: the thrift store and his latest Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

As he leaves the station after his short subway ride, there is an extra spring in his step as he walks to the end of the block. When the crosswalk sign turns green, he’s quick to cross, and soon his ears are filled with the sounds of the city: the whoosh of cars zooming past, the hum of the above-ground subway as it slides along the tracks. Peter grabs his iPod from his pocket and puts his earphones in. His playlist is on shuffle and the first song to greet him is the electronic rock so characteristic of Ratatat, and the smooth synths and electric guitar elicit a smile from the boy almost automatically. It feels like he’s in a movie. The breeze is cold against his face as he continues on down the street.

As he approaches the corner of the current street, he can see the windows of the thrift shop, and if he should gaze inside from there, he’d see the front half of the store, which houses most of the clothes (and he says “most of” because the baby clothes are kept near the back with the toys—yes, he’s got the layout of this store memorized. He’s been here enough times). But he doesn’t stop to look inside, for there’s no need, and walks past those windows and turns the corner. He’s quick to arrive at the entrance, where above the glass double doors hangs a neon sign, some of whose letters flicker intermittently, as though they may go out at any moment. They’ve been like that for a long while though, so perhaps they won’t go out. Those bulbs must be awfully resilient.

Peter’s well acquainted with this shop. It’s on his route home and besides the dumpsters, is a primary source for his retro tech. While finding things that still work is a toss-up when searching via dumpster diving, at least in the thrift store, what’s there functions, albeit slowly most of the time, and practically on the brink of death from how old and outdated the software is. It’s still something to work with though, and garners much less stress. If he didn’t have a budget to adhere to, he’s sure he’d wipe the shelves clean of whatever was there, but since he does have a budget, thrift store or not, he still needs to pick and choose carefully what to buy.

Peter grabs hold of the handle of one of the doors and steps inside. It’s still early for many people to be on their way home, much less thrifting, so it’s quiet inside the store. Self conscious that his music may now be too loud, he turns it down a little and takes out one of his earphones, so that in his right ear remains the beloved neo-psychedelia and in his left is the thrift store’s music which sounds an awful lot like something you’d hear in an elevator.

He makes a beeline for the back of the store, passing all the clothing racks along the way. The screeching as customers push the hangers along the metal rod never ceases to hurt his eardrums, and he suppresses a cringe at the uncomfortable noise. The fluorescent lighting illuminates the electronics section like a sort of beacon, a quest marker telling him he’s found what he was looking for. He almost swears this aisle smells and feels old, but he can’t quite describe how. It’s a musty air, antiquated but almost charming as his eyes rove over the treasure trove of ancient technology. Or maybe he’s trying too hard to be poetic and it’s really just dust and he probably shouldn’t be inhaling it because—

“Achoo!”

—because that.

Peter sniffles and lets out a cough as he starts taking a closer look at what’s on the shelves, sifting through all the electronics. There are cassette players, some floppy disks, some film cameras. He never really has anything specific in mind when he’s searching around, which now that he thinks about it, can get dangerous, since everything looks so exciting and he just wants it all, but he can’t spend all his money at once, never mind the fact there’s no way he could carry all of it home.

There’s an old Macintosh monitor that catches his eye farther down the aisle, and he makes a beeline for it. It’s just the monitor by itself, no keyboard or mouse. it’s bulky as hell and the screen is tiny and he’s falling in love with the thing the longer he studies it. He turns it around until he can find the sticker with the price, and he deflates a little when he finds it’s practically all the spending money he’d allotted himself for this week’s thrift store trip. He’d have liked to leave the store with more, but this is much too good to pass up, and out of everything else in this section, it’s the only item he’s not sure will be here the next time he comes by.

With a determined breath that signals he will buy only this and not get sidetracked by the other hidden gems here, at least not today, Peter picks up the monitor, caught a little off guard by the weight of it. He cradles it in his arms as he walks over to the front registers. There’s only one open because there aren’t many people, but luckily there’s only one person in front of him.

His eyes roam around the store as he waits, since he doesn’t exactly have a hand free to get out his phone to keep himself occupied. He can hear the cashier reminding the lady paying that all sales are final, and he immediately recognizes the next song his iPod plays purely based on the familiar low-tuned riff, one that’s almost menacing. When the drums come in, beat consistent and deep, he nods his head slightly in time with it.

It’s not long until the woman finishes her transaction and leaves. Peter doesn’t notice because his eyes have dropped to a sleek black pen sitting in a bin nearby, perched almost perfectly atop some random items—CD’s, pouches, so on and so forth. Given the fact it looks so out of place there, it seems someone had decided last minute not to get it and set it down while waiting in line. Peter glances at the monitor he holds and readjusts it so he can carry it with one arm and reach out to grab the pen with his free hand to take a look at it. It’s cool to the touch, and he carefully maneuvers it, turning it upside down so he can twist the mechanism between his index finger and thumb to bring up the tip of the pen. It reminds him of the Mont Blanc Tony sometimes writes with, except this one is much, much cheaper. Peter rotates the pen until he sees the sticker with the price—it’s about $463 cheaper than the Meisterstück Classique model, in fact.

Well, Peter had just lost one of his favorite pens the other day. He’s pretty sure it’s just somewhere hidden in the mess in his room, but he hadn’t had the chance to go looking for it. And this one isn’t terribly expensive; if he bought it, he’d still leave here today under budget. He purses his lips as he thinks, twisting the mechanism again to retract the nib.

“Sir, I can take you right over here whenever you’re ready,” the cashier remarks, and Peter turns to look at her, then glances at the pen. Why not. It couldn’t hurt.

He leaves the thrift store with his new monitor in one arm and the pen tucked away in his pocket. He’s determined not to lose this one this time. Despite being cheap enough to replace should he do so, it still looks pretty sleek. He’s extra careful as he walks the rest of the way home, lest he stumble and drop the monitor. There isn’t any room in his backpack to put it. Today he’d had to bring home quite a few books for the weekend’s homework, and his bag would need to be mostly empty if he wanted to fit this bulky unit in it.

It doesn’t take long for him to arrive at his apartment building, and he rides the elevator alone. There’s a ding to signal his arrival on his floor, and when he’s at his front door, he fishes his key out from his pocket. The apartment is empty since Aunt May doesn’t get out of work until 5. Peter tosses his key into the bowl by the door before kicking the door closed with his foot. He goes straight to his bedroom, setting the monitor on his desk. He heaves a sigh of relief when he's alleviated of the weight. It hadn’t been a problem holding it at first, but it seemed to get heavier the longer he’d been holding it. He’d really like to start taking a more in-depth look at it, but a glance at his watch tells him he doesn’t have time to do that.

He pauses the music on his iPod and takes out his earphones, tossing the device onto his bed before shrugging off his jacket. The others will be here soon, which means he should probably be putting snacks together. He walks to the kitchenette and wonders if there’s still anything left or if he should try to run down to the corner store really quickly. He rifles through cabinets and the fridge and comes up with a couple of bags of family size chips and the liter of soda from last session. These will do for now. They might end up wanting to order pizza, since they hadn’t in a while.

Peter sets the food out on the dining table and switches on the lights in the living room. A large piece of graph paper sits in the center of the coffee table, and on it are drawn seemingly random shapes connected together. Four pieces of paper rest on each corner of this map, one for every party member. The die are arranged in a line in front of the dungeon master’s screen, ready for use. It was Peter’s turn to host the current campaign, and the setup has been sitting in the lounge since they started just a few weeks ago. Fridays are the normal meeting time, the day where it’s a guarantee that everyone is available, but if they can squeeze in an extra day, they make it happen.

In half an hour everyone has arrived and they’ve situated themselves in their spots around the coffee table. They pick up right where they left off. They’re still in early game, so they’re all relatively low level, but they’ve done a good bit of exploring, as evidenced by the map.

Aunt May comes home around 5:30 and greets them with a warm hello. Peter lets her know they’ve just decided to order pizza. It doesn’t feel like it takes too long for it to arrive, but that’s probably because they’re so engaged in the current adventure, as the party has found itself in a dungeon slightly too high level for them currently. Ned, as current dungeon master, had decided to make the new campaign a bit more challenging, so this probably shouldn’t have come as surprise. They take their time moving from room to room, and aren’t even halfway through the dungeon map when they call it quits for the night, since it’s getting late.

When it’s just Peter on his own again, he puts away the snacks and leftover pizza, then tosses the now empty liter bottle into the recycling bin. A glance at the clock on the wall tells him it’s almost midnight. He contemplates finally sitting down to look at his new find from the thrift store, but at that very moment, he yawns, signaling to him that perhaps he should just go to sleep for now. He wouldn’t want to fall asleep in the middle of working.

———

MONDAY

Unsurprisingly, the weekend is gone in a flash, with all the homework and saving civilians. Monday morning rolls around and it is dark outside when Peter’s alarm goes off. He groans and hits snooze, rolling onto his back and staring at the metal supports of the top bunk as he tries to wake up. His eyes are only half open when he finally gets himself to stand and head to the bathroom, and his yawn is so big he almost feels like a snake unhinging its jaw in preparation for a meal. Mondays suck.

Everyone in first period is practically still asleep. That’s no surprise. Peter drops down in his seat and rests his head on his propped up hand, which probably isn’t the best idea because he finds his eyelids sliding closed and he’s on the brink of dozing off. It’s only when the bell rings to signify the start of class does he jolt awake, just in time for his teacher to step inside the room and set his laptop case on his desk.

The next fifty minutes Peter spends in and out of consciousness, doing his best to stay up but finding it hard to fight against the heaviness of his eyelids. It just feels so nice when he closes his eyes and maybe he can get away with doing it for just a few seconds—no, he knows he can’t. If he lets his eyes close now, he’ll be out like a light. With a yawn, he sits up straighter, digging out his new pen from the pocket of his jeans. He might’ve been more awake if there were notes to be taken, but so far it was all just things he needed to listen to, and without any way to keep his hands busy, it was easy to get bored and then sleepy.

There are a few blank pieces of copy paper tucked into his notebook he’d stuffed in there specifically for times like these. He grabs a piece and pulls it out, setting it atop the still blank page his notebook is open to. He sits there for a moment, actually alert and staring at the board, but he’s not quite paying attention. He’s wondering what to draw. Well, he supposes he could draw the teacher… But he’d already done that. Multiple times in fact. This class in particular is rough because not only is it first thing in the morning, it’s incredibly boring. And there were only so many times and ways he could draw caricatures of his teacher. Where had he put those pictures anyway? Make that another thing to find in the mess of his bedroom, the aftermath of what Aunt May jokingly claimed was a hurricane.

Well, there’s Neoma.

At this point Peter’s surprised he hadn’t actually drawn her yet. He’d created her as his character for the new campaign, and it’s been long enough that it probably should’ve crossed his mind to draw her. But you know what they say: there’s no better time than the present. Even if he is sitting in class and should probably be paying more attention to what’s so interesting about the author’s metaphor in line 27 of the poem.

Drawing is successful at keeping him awake until the bell rings. He doesn’t get the chance to return to the piece until lunch time, when he’s finished eating early and there’s ten minutes left until next period. He’s so focused on the task that he doesn’t notice Ned leaning over to look at the paper.

“Why’d you give her white hair?”

At this question, Peter pauses and looks up at his friend. He shrugs. “I think it looks cool. And in a fantasy setting, naturally white hair doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”

Ned laughs. “True.” He goes back to studying what Peter’s completed so far, which is almost everything. All that’s really left is the smaller details on her mage robes. “She’s pretty. Is she based off someone?”

Even though the answer to that is no, Peter can’t help the way his cheeks warm at the teasing. He hadn’t even seen her in a dream, the way all those corny romance novels always seem to have the male and female leads brought together by fate because one had seen the other in a dream. He’d come up with Neoma all on his own. She’s the first one of his characters he’d drawn, strangely enough. And he doesn’t think too hard about how she looks when he does, but with every line he lays down on the page he finds her to be perfect.

“She’s not,” Peter responds finally. Ned’s still wearing a small smirk which betrays the fact he doesn’t totally buy it, if only so he can continue teasing him. But luckily he doesn’t push it.

“Will you draw the other characters too?” Ned inquires.

Peter looks back down at his drawing of Neoma. “I could. Maybe Caligari.” Caligari is the primary antagonist of the current campaign, one that Ned had introduced to the party early on. He had destroyed a whole city for not bowing to him, right at the start, when the group was too weak to do anything but watch. It had angered them all, that was for sure, and it drove them to get better and take their time leveling up for when they finally encounter him. Of all the campaigns Peter has played, this villain has made him the angriest. Nothing maddens him more than being powerless to stop those who are wrong, those who kill people that can’t defend themselves. Perhaps that’s why all his characters had had some sort of alignment with good, whether lawful, chaotic, or now neutral, as Neoma is.

“You could probably illustrate the entire adventure.”

Peter chuckles as he tucks his drawing away. The bell rings. “Maybe I can get a job as a children’s book illustrator,” he jokes.

There isn’t much of Neoma to finish drawing when he arrives home. When she’s done, he contemplates starting on Caligari right away, but decides he should probably get his homework done first. But after homework, there’s dinner, then getting ready for bed, and it’s quite late when he finally gets the chance to grab another piece of copy paper and sit at his desk. He pushes aside the tools he’d used to tinker with his web shooters yesterday, clearing a comfortable amount of space. He’s really come to like his thrift store pen. The ink glides on smoothly for a secondhand writing instrument. It makes him wonder why anyone would give it up in the first place. Surely it was worth more than the $2 he’d bought it for.

The light of the lamp is what illuminates the page in front of him, and Caligari is just about complete when 1 AM is twenty minutes away. Peter yawns and glances out his window, where he can see skyscrapers and the blinking lights of planes flying among the clouds. It’s quiet on the streets. He thinks he can fall asleep right at his desk, but he knows his neck and back will hurt like a bitch come morning if he does, and his bed is only three steps away.

With a tired sigh, Peter stands and tucks the drawing in his notebook. He then stores the pen in his backpack before he switches off the lamp and ambles over to his bed, falling onto it none too gracefully. As he pulls the sheets over himself and rolls over, getting tangled in the blankets, he wonders which character he should draw next. He doesn’t bother neatening the blankets out. He’s asleep before he can even consider doing it.

———

TUESDAY

Tuesday morning is a repeat of Monday. The alarm hurts Peter’s ears and he can’t suppress a groan as he hits snooze. Based on the way there’s no light bouncing off the walls, it’s darker outside today than it was yesterday morning. He looks at the time on his phone, squinting against the bright light, to confirm that it is indeed the time for him to wake up. His eyes slide closed and he sighs heavily at seeing that yes, it is time to get ready for the day. Why couldn’t it be Friday already?

He sits up so he can look out the window, but his heart all but jumps from his chest when he sees a figure standing there, back to him. He shuffles off his bed in a panic, but given that he’d spent the night tangled in the blankets, his feet get caught and he falls off with a thud. His web shooter is sitting on the nightstand and he throws it on quickly. He stands, feet apart and bracing himself should he need to fight. His heart is beating rapidly and his veins pulse with adrenaline, because he becomes aware of multiple things at once: there’s an invader, Aunt May is also in the house, and he needs to get rid of this person quickly and quietly.

He doesn’t say anything, just stands with web shooter at the ready. The commotion prompts the figure to turn to him, and he almost doesn’t believe what he sees. Scratch that, he doesn’t believe what he sees.

“… Neoma?”

Your hair is the color of a cold and cloudy morning. It’s perhaps the most immediate giveaway as to your identity, and the boldest feature, which is why Peter notices it first. But then he takes in the rest of what you wear, and he questions whether or not he’s dreaming. You’re donning mage robes, along with the bulky scarf which sits around your neck and conceals your face from the nose down. Your eyes are a piercing blue, brows drawn together as you study him, which make your scrutinizing gaze all the more nerve-wracking. Your arms are crossed, and you slowly bring a hand up. Peter tenses the moment you move, since he’s still not sure if you’re going to attack.

But you don’t. You pull the scarf down and fully expose your face. “You know who I am?”

Peter hadn’t necessarily imagined a voice for you when he’d first made you. That’s a little challenging to begin with, making up a voice. He could’ve assigned you a voice of someone he knew, but he didn’t feel it was right to even do that, not when the rest of you was his own creation. So when he hears you speak, he’s not left disappointed nor does he find his expectations fulfilled. It’s just… you. It’s soft, a contrast to the firm expression you wear as you wait for his response.

“U-Um…” Peter stutters. His arm is still raised, palm up and ready to shoot webbing should the need arise. “I do.”

Your eyes drop down to the web shooter. “I mean you no harm. You can sheathe your weapon.”

Peter glances at the contraption around his wrist, contemplating for a moment if it was a smart idea to lower his arm. Well, it is clear you’re telling the truth considering you haven’t attacked yet, and as the one who’d created you in the first place, he knows you need no staff to carry out spells, just your hands, which are crossed currently, and your stance is relaxed. He slowly does as you say, then takes a moment to assess the situation.

You’re not a home invader. That’s good.

You’d been somehow brought into his universe from your own. That’s not good.

Peter is having a very hard time processing the situation. You’re standing in the middle of his bedroom in mage robes, looking like you’re about to go to a LARP session in Central Park, for goodness’ sake! Is he completely certain he isn’t dreaming? Should he pinch himself for good measure? Why are you here? How are you here? He’s wondering now if he should skip school today to get this sorted out, but he knows he can’t, because there’s a test they're reviewing for in history and he really needs to show up. He runs a hand through his hair, his textbook tell that he’s stressed, as he surveys you. You remain in your place, watching him like a hawk.

“Where am I?” you inquire.

“You’re in, uh… you’re in New York. Queens, specifically.” He doesn’t know why there’s a need to specify. You don’t know what New York is anyway.

“That name isn’t familiar to me.”

“Which is expected, because you see…” Peter trails off as he walks to his closet, finding whatever smells clean and pulling it out, because he does need to get ready. “You’re not in Galerion.”

Your brows furrow. “Inter-universal travel? I thought such magic was only speculation.”

Peter's less inclined to call it inter-universal travel considering your universe isn’t actually real. But he doesn’t know what it could actually be, and right now inter-universal travel is an adequate answer until he finds out more. He knows that sooner or later he’ll need to tell you the truth. He’s surprised that you haven’t freaked out at the notion of being dropped in the middle of a new world, but you are a mage. Magic users deal with the seemingly impossible all the time, their powers giving them the ability to manipulate reality itself if that’s their goal. Even so, it will be difficult for you to come to terms with the idea that your world isn’t real, that there is no Galerion. So for now he plays along, if only to keep you calm. There’s no way you’d believe him if he told you the truth right now, and you might actually lash out then, and he is in no way equipped to deal with magic.

“Apparently it’s not,” Peter states, smiling nervously.

“So you were the one to cast the spell? Because it wasn’t me.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t cast it either. I’m just as in the dark as you are.” Wow. He’d said “cast” in the context of casting a spell. It feels like he’s role-playing. If he weren’t so shocked at your presence he might be excited.

“Who are you then? You’re not a wizard or a sorcerer?”

“My name is Peter, and… no, I’m neither of those things. I can’t use magic.”

“Well if it wasn’t you, then we must find who did this.” You start to walk to the door, but Peter moves to stand in front of it.

“You can’t leave.”

You frown. “Why not?”

Plenty of reasons. Where do I begin? “Well… my aunt’s out there. And she’d freak if she saw you.”

“She has no knowledge of arcane magic yet you do?”

“Basically.” Peter shrugs. To say that he has knowledge of any sort of arcane magic is definitely a stretch. What he does know he’d acquired from playing a role-play game! He deals with the physical, not the mystical. Though he supposes what meager information Dungeons and Dragons has given him is certainly better than nothing, if anything. “Just… wait here for a second, okay?” Thankfully, you listen to him without complaint, sitting on his bed as he leaves and closes the door behind him. He skips the shower this morning, settling for washing his face so that he can get back to you quicker. When he pads down the hallway back to his room, he hears Aunt May call out.

“Peter, I’m leaving now!”

“Okay!” he replies. “Have a good day!” He stays where he is until he hears the front door close, and once it does, he rushes the rest of the way to his room. You’re still sitting in the same spot, hands folded on your lap. Your gaze slides to him.

Since you’re the only two occupants of the apartment now, when he opens the door, he leaves it open. He stands in the frame, and the two of you watch each other for a moment in silence. And then he claps his hands together loudly. “We’re gonna get this sorted out. Later.”

Your brows furrow at this statement, and you watch as he walks around the room, grabbing his jacket and his backpack. “What do you mean later?”

“I need to go to school. Like, really need to go.” Peter slips his jacket on, zipping it hastily and squashing down a curse when he pinches his finger. “Just stay here. I’ve got books and video games. Knock yourself out. But you can’t leave the apartment. Magic is… It’s not common here. You can’t just go asking people about it.”

You tilt your head. “Magic governs reality itself. I don’t understand how it isn’t common.”

“This is a conversation we can have when I get back, all right? There’s food in the kitchen. Try not to make a mess.” Peter looks at you with a raised brow, as if to ask if you’ve got all that. He’s relieved when you nod slowly, still not complaining. Out of all his D&D characters that could’ve been brought to life, he’s glad it was the mage. The paladin and the ranger might be demanding he help them this instant, caught in a panic as they might be.  

Peter passes by the living room on his way to the front door, and pauses to glance at the coffee table. The game is still set up. He quickly crosses the small distance to it and picks up all four character sheets, tucking them into his backpack for safe-keeping. Then he folds the DM screen carefully, to make sure he doesn’t see what information is written on the inside, then sticks it between some books on the shelf. He can’t have you finding any of these items.

———

He’s jittery the whole day at school. His mind is buzzing too much for him to concentrate, and he thinks maybe he should’ve just missed today, since all he can think about is the fact a mage is in his apartment right now and while you’d been compliant earlier, who’s to say you’d actually end up listening?

Actually, he supposes that would be him.

He had been the one to design you. He’d given you traits, flaws, ideals. And assuming you really are Neoma from his D&D campaign, then all those aspects should be the exact same. It’s now that he realizes he really does know you. He knows the way you think, the way you act if things don’t go your way. He knows everything. He’d gone through the current campaign as you, your own personality, not his own, dictating his decisions. Reasonably he should be able to predict your next moves, but he’s less sure of it now that you’ve become an actual person, your own person, and maybe what’s written on his character sheet is correct, or maybe you’re completely different, and the only thing he’d gotten right was your name and your class. That’s why he was more inclined to play along with you earlier.

The implications of being totally wrong about you give Peter a headache to consider, for it’s just more stress on top of the fact you’re here in the first place. For all he knows, you could’ve left the apartment and sought out whoever had done this. But where could you possibly start? How far would you even get looking like that, clad in mage robes? He’d told you magic wasn’t common here, but would that stop you? Would you cast spells regardless?

As he thinks more about this, he exhales slowly, resisting the urge to groan. This is not a good week, and it’s only Tuesday.

Ned notices how fidgety Peter is during history. Come lunch time, he decides to bring it up.

“Hey, you doing okay, man?” he begins.

Peter freezes and glances at his friend, wondering if maybe Ned knew, somehow, what was going on. “Yeah.” Peter nods and shrugs. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Really? You looked like you were barely focusing in history earlier…”

“Just been a little stressed lately, that’s all.”

“Is it”—Ned leans closer and lowers his voice—“Spiderman?”

“No, it’s not.” Peter shakes his head and hopes Ned doesn’t try to question him further. Right now this is an issue only between him and you and it will remain that way. “I’m fine, Ned. Really.”

Ned doesn’t look very convinced, but thankfully, he doesn’t say anything more. “If you say so.”

The end of the school day doesn’t arrive fast enough, it seems. Peter is gone as soon as the bell rings, rushing like mad back to the apartment. It feels like the subway takes even longer to arrive today than usual. The first matter of business was to get you out of those robes. If you were to go searching for the perpetrator of this whole ordeal together, you certainly couldn’t stay in those clothes. You’d stick out like a sore thumb. He decides he’ll stop by the thrift store. He’s definitely going to go over budget for this week, after buying that Macintosh monitor and now clothes for you. He’ll just need to go dumpster diving more often the next couple of weeks to make up for it. That’s no big deal.

When he gets to the thrift store, he slows down as he approaches the door. His hand is poised on the handle, and through the glass he can see those clothing racks which rest in the front half of the store. He purses his lips. The clothes in there will be cheap, no doubt, and he’d considered just buying a bunch of different things that look like they could fit you. He looks down the block, where not much farther is his apartment building. It would be much better if you were here, to try things on. He really doesn’t want to have to guess and potentially end up with too many extra clothes that don’t fit.

His hand drops from the handle. He resumes his walk back to the apartment. When he gets there, he stills at the front door as he tries to listen for anything going on inside. It’s quiet. He’s not sure whether or not to panic because it could mean you’d listened to him and you remained in the flat, waiting for his return and keeping yourself occupied with the books or the video games he had (well, maybe not the video games, it’s not as if you know what those are). It could also mean you’d left, maybe through the window. He’s several floors up but with your magic, getting down wouldn’t have been a problem. When he unlocks the door he hopes desperately it’s the former.

He ends up being right. You’ve stayed. But what he wasn’t expecting was to come home to  you casting a spell in the middle of his living room.

He freezes momentarily when he sees you sitting there on the couch, legs crossed and eyes glowing a shade of white to match your hair, before he remembers to shut the door behind him.  He does it quickly, and the loud thud as it clicks back into place grabs your attention. You close your eyes and when they open, they’re normal again. Your blue eyes are wide in surprise at his return, which had interrupted your task.

“What were you doing?” Peter asks worriedly. He starts glancing around at what he can see of the apartment to see if there’s any indication that the spell, or any you could’ve casted earlier while he was out, had messed it up in any way. Because he’ll need to put it all in order before Aunt May came back. This prompts him to look at his watch: he’s got 2 hours before she’s home.

“A clairvoyance spell,” you explain. “Nothing dangerous. I’ve been trying to detect any other mystical presence. It could be the source of what’s happened.”

Peter nods as he digests this information. It makes sense for you to know clairvoyance. It’s one of the spells he had—you had?—begun the campaign with. It’s low level, simple. “And? Anything?”

You shake your head with a frown. “Nothing.”

Peter sighs. It isn’t entirely unexpected. It was too much to hope that it would be as easy as that. “We’ll get it figured out, I promise. But for now, we need to get you into some new clothes. You can’t stay in your mage robes.”

You look down at what you’re wearing. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“No one wears anything like that.” Unless they’re role-playing, he wants to say, but he stops himself because how would you know what that is?

“All right…” you trail off. “So what do I wear instead?”

“We’re going to buy some right now. But let’s get you into a more… normal-looking outfit before we leave.” He motions for you to follow him to his bedroom, and you wait on his bed as he searches around his closet for anything you could wear. He pulls out his Midtown High School sweatshirt, which has been freshly washed and hung up, but takes slightly longer finding bottoms for you. Eventually he pulls out a pair track pants.

“Here.” He hands the two articles of clothing to you. You take them but look at them as though they’re something alien. “They’re gonna be a little large, but it’s better than nothing.”

You set the clothes down on the bed and stand up. You shed your scarf, tossing it to the side. The soft bundle lands with a quiet plop. When you begin to undo the ties of your tunic, Peter sputters. “I’ll, uh… I’ll wait outside,” he tells you, and before you can say anything, he rushes out, closing the door a little too hard on accident. He takes a deep breath as he tries to ignore the blush on his face.

While waiting for you to change he searches the shoe closet for sneakers that might fit you. He takes a look at what Aunt May has and finds an old pair of red Chucks she clearly doesn't wear anymore, seeing as they were all the way in the back. The red is dull and the laces are gray—the signs of a well-worn pair of shoes. He turns the shoes over in his hands to look for the size as he walks back to his room. He hears the doorknob twist and he stops short in the hallway when you open the door and come to stand in the frame.

As expected, the clothes are large for you. The shoulder seams of the sweatshirt are way past your own shoulders, and the sleeves are much too long. You’ve tried to pull up the material to prevent it from covering your hands, the excess fabric bunching up at the bends of your elbows. You have the same issue with the track pants, which you’ve folded at the bottom a few times so you wouldn’t trip. Peter can’t help but think how cute you look like that. He’s never had a girl wear his clothes before but now that he’s experiencing it, he discovers he enjoys it a lot.

“Are you all right?” you ask, brows furrowed in concern, and that’s when he snaps out of his train of thought.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Peter laughs nervously. “I found these. Tell me how they fit. They’re my aunt’s.” He hands you the shoes, which you’re able to slip on without having to untie them.

You wiggle your toes. “They fit fine. Your aunt won’t mind if I borrow them?”

“No, she doesn’t wear them anymore. She won’t even notice they’ve gone missing.”

You take a few test steps, getting used to the feeling of them on your feet. They’re definitely a change from your normal boots. “Okay.”

The moment the two of you step out of the apartment building, you pause to take in your surroundings. It’s not as bright outside now but it isn’t any less magnificent. The buildings here are so unlike what you have in Galerion. You lower your gaze to the streets when you hear the whoosh of cars, your brows furrowed as you watch the unfamiliar machines travel down the roads. The stoplights flash red and yellow and green and they bounce off the cars waiting at the intersections. At the end of the block, the crosswalk sign turns green and while you can’t hear it, Peter can pick up the sound of clicking, a signal for blind pedestrians that it’s safe to cross. He studies the wonder on your face as you look in awe at everything, even though to him this block is nothing exciting. He sees it every day.

“This is incredible,” you breathe out.

The statement makes Peter smile. “It’s just a small bit of what New York has to offer, believe me. Come on.” He gently sets a hand at the small of your back to guide you down the sidewalk.

When you arrive at the thrift store, Peter pulls the door open for you, and you blink a few times as you adjust to the fluorescent lighting. You follow him to the clothing rack, but when you get there, you stand still, not entirely sure what to do. He picks up on this quickly.

“Just find anything you like,” he explains.

You nod slowly, eyes roving over the numerous racks of clothing. He smiles encouragingly, and you start to walk down the first aisle, running your fingers along the clothes that hang there. Peter watches you for a moment to make sure you’re okay before he pulls up his jacket sleeve to look at his watch: 4:30. There’s an hour until Aunt May should be coming home. That should be enough time.

He wants to look at the electronics aisle just for fun, but knows he can’t let you out of his sight since you don't have a phone and he can’t risk having a lost mage running around New York. He tucks his hands into his pockets and he waits. He doesn’t even notice the smile that creeps onto his face as he watches you, and it widens when you make your way back to him, armed with several articles of clothing.

“All right, now you have to try these on.”

“You can do that without buying them?” you question, trailing behind Peter as he walks toward the changing rooms. He finds an empty one and holds an arm out to let you know you can head inside.

“I’ll be waiting right here,” he informs you.

He’d forgotten his earphones this time around, so he’s stuck listening to more of the screeching as hangers slide along the metal racks. He sighs as he stands there, analyzing the current situation, if only to help block out the grating noise. You’re under the impression you’ve been transported from your universe to his, and that isn’t the case. You’d simply been brought to life—and by what? By who? Peter has never felt so confused. He might be Spiderman and he might deal with far beyond what the normal teenager does, but this kind of stuff, it’s not something he’s even remotely familiar with. Whenever he does find what or who did this, what is he supposed to do then? There is no “home” to send you back to, as you believe. Did that mean you were stuck here? How could he possibly break that kind of news to you?

“Everything fits fine,” you comment as you open the door, clothing bundled up in your arms.

Peter forces a smile onto his face. “Great. Let’s get these paid for.”

The same lady is working the register as the last time he was here. You wait patiently behind him as he pays, eyes glued to the type of currency they use. There’s no gold exchanged. Peter pulls out a plastic rectangle and inserts it into a small machine. That’s all you’re really able to follow. He tells the lady thank you after the clothes are bagged and he picks it up before you leave the store.

“So… what did you do today, while I was gone?” Peter asks as the two of you walk back to the apartment.

You shrug. “I took a look at some of the books you had.”

“And?”

“They’re interesting. Certainly different from all the spell books and tomes I studied in Galerion.”

It sounds strange for Peter to hear you say this, to talk about this realm of yours like you truly do live there. “You were a student?”

You nod. “I was a wizard’s apprentice before my companions and I left to hunt for Caligari. Caligari is a ruthless monster who’s decimated city-states without batting an eye, and we aim to defeat him, no matter what it takes.”

The more you say, the more Peter comes to understand. This matches his character sheet perfectly. You learned magic as an apprentice before Caligari destroyed Rimmen, as recounted by Ned, the current campaign DM. It seems you’d come to life with the background Peter had given you and what they’d covered in the adventure so far. It makes sense that you truly believe you’d been transported from there to here.

“What’s that?” You stop walking to point at the pizza joint, with its neon sign and a poster of a pepperoni pizza which advertises some special deal for “a limited time only.”

“Pizza,” Peter says matter-of-factly. He glances at you and the curiosity in your eyes is hard to miss. He looks at his watch again: 5:20. At this point, they’ll be late anyway. So he smiles, corner of his lips tilting up. “Come on, I’ll buy you a slice.”

You wait for him at the table in the corner, the plastic bag filled with your clothes sitting on the floor next to you. The lighting in here is brighter than what had been in the thrift store, and it glares off the table tops. There’s a little girl a few tables away staring at you, and you smile softly in hello. The woman across from her whom you assume is the mother sees this and smiles back.

“I think she was looking at your hair, that little girl,” Peter remarks as he sits down across from you. He has a slice of pizza on a paper plate which he sets in front of you, along with a cup of water.

“Is there something wrong with my hair?” you ask, reaching up to feel if there are any unruly strands.

Peter chuckles. “No, but it’s white.”

“Is that strange here?” You try to pick up the slice of pizza but feel awfully clumsy doing so, using your fingers to support it as you bring it to your mouth.

“Usually the only people that have white hair are old.”

You take a bite of the pizza, and when you pull it away, some of the cheese stretches. Peter watches in amusement as you try to break the string, and when you finally do, you’re able to set the slice back down on the plate.

“How is it?” he asks.

You swallow and grab the water. “Greasy.”

“Sounds about right.”

It’s almost 6 PM when the two of you return to the apartment. When you’re at the front door and Peter’s unlocking it, he glances at you. “I need to see if my aunt is there so just wait for a second, okay?” You nod and remain where you are, holding your bag of clothes, as he steps inside He doesn’t see Aunt May in the lounge, nor the kitchenette, but he can see light peeking out from the crack at the bottom of her bedroom door. Silently he walks back out to you and motions you inside.

Stay quiet, he mouthes, and you’re swift and light on your feet as you walk to his bedroom. You set the plastic bag down by his desk and turn around to face him as he enters behind you and closes the door.  

“So where will our search begin?” you inquire, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Is there a library we can go to?”

“We have libraries,” Peter begins as he shrugs off his jacket and tosses it on the back of his desk chair, “but they don’t have tomes or anything like that.”

“Right,” you say, remembering what he’d say this morning. “No magic here.”

Peter smiles slightly. “Exactly.”

“So what do you use to research?”

“The Internet. There’s all kinds of stuff there.”

“Brilliant.” You clap your hands together. “And where is this ‘Internet’?”

Peter walks over to his desk to pick up his laptop and hold it up. “It’s here.”

Your brows furrow. “But that’s so… small.”

“The Internet isn’t physical. It doesn’t need a lot of space.” He sits next to you and opens his laptop, and your eyes are glued to the screen attentively. He opens the browser and goes to an online newspaper, showing you the array of articles that appear in seconds. He sneaks a glance over to you and you’re clearly very enamored with the piece of technology. It’s almost endearing. No one ever gets this excited about the power of the Internet anymore.

“May I?”

It takes a moment for Peter to understand what you mean, but when he does, he immediately says of course. He balances the laptop on his lap as you set your fingers on the trackpad, and your smile widens when the cursor on screen moves along with the movement of your finger. You follow what he did and tap the trackpad once to open up articles, and you might be skimming them, you might not. He speculates you’re too caught up in the wonder of it to really try to read.

“Since this is already here, we can begin our search tonight?” Your hand leaves the trackpad and you return your attention to him.

The smile on Peter’s face drops. “Not quite. We still need to know what to search, and right now we don’t know anything. I think I might know someone who will that I can talk to tomorrow. But in the mean time…”

“No research.”

“No research.” Peter shakes his head.

You sigh, and it’s rife with dejection. “If we must.”

“Sorry.”

At this, you smile a little as you glance at him. “Don’t be. We can’t make morning come faster. Only the greatest of magic users can manipulate time.”

He stands to set his laptop back down on his desk. “I have some work I need to do for school. Will you be okay while I do that?”

“I’ll be fine.” You stand and walk over to the shelf where his books rest. You run the pad of your index finger along the spines. “You have many books and I have the time to read them.”

“Great.” Peter smiles. He settles down at his desk and pulls his backpack next to him while you settle down on the bed with his copy of Down and Out in Paris and London. He'd bought that book for an essay earlier this year, but he’d never finished it, stretched thin as he was with his other homework and patrolling Queens. He distinctly remembers getting to page 84 three days before the essay was due, giving up on it, and writing the paper with what meager knowledge he had the night before the due date. He got a 95%.

The homework for tonight moves slowly. Peter’s history review notes are all over the place, due to his inability to focus in class. He’ll need to ask Ned if he can look at his notes tomorrow. He ends up saving English for last because it’s just more poems and if he tries to read them now he’ll fall asleep immediately. At least with chemistry it requires him to be actually write, and that can keep him awake. He’s halfway through the problems assigned for the night when he hears you shuffle around.

He looks back over his shoulder to see you’ve set the book down next to you so you can lean over to grab the camera he has sitting on the nightstand. He’d bought it a couple of months ago, and he has an extra pack of film stored in the drawer, but he hadn’t even gotten through the first pack. He sets his pencil down and settles for watching you, to give his mind a break. You turn the thing over in your hands, locating the viewfinder and putting it against your eye.

“That’s a Polaroid camera,” he pipes up, and you set the camera down to look at him. He moves to sit on the edge of the bed and gently takes the camera from you. You scoot up to be closer, as you’d been leaning against the pillows. “You use this to frame the picture”—he points at the viewfinder—“and when you take it, it comes out here.” He turns the camera around to point at the slit in the front.

Your eyes are concentrated on the camera, and you can’t help but smile. “I know you’ve said there’s no magic in this universe but I’m inclined to disagree.”

Peter smiles softly. “Here, I’ll take a photo of you.” He’s adjusting the light meter when you speak again.

“Why not a take one of both of us?”

Peter doesn’t look up immediately but when he does his smile is wider due to the idea you present. “I can try, but no promises that it’ll come out well.” He turns the polaroid around so it faces the two of you, and he leans his head to the left to motion you closer. You slide over, shoulder to shoulder with him, and he hopes he’s angling the lens correctly to get the two of you in frame properly. You glance at Peter to find him smiling, so you grin at the camera as well, and then suddenly there’s a bright flash which momentarily obscures your vision.

“Sorry,” Peter apologizes as he lowers the camera, which now begins buzzing as the photo slides out.

“Do they all flash so brightly?” you ask.

“The older ones do. You can turn that off in newer cameras.” He grabs the photo carefully. Since it’s fresh, it’s still blank, and you point this out.

“There’s nothing there.”

“It needs time to develop, so you store it somewhere dark.” He puts the camera back on the nightstand and stores the photo in the drawer.  

“How is the school work?” You motion toward the desk, which has since become a mess of papers and textbooks. Peter follows your gaze and sighs as he too studies the materials on his desk.

“Boring. Slow. Tiring.” He shrugs.

You laugh. “I felt the same with all the work my mentor would assign me. Studying late into the night and waking up early to train in the field. It was frustrating, but it was worth it.”

Peter smiles. The way you stare at the far wall, as if remembering memories not called upon for a long time, he could swear that maybe everything—the realm of Galerion, your training, the destruction of Rimmen—was real. The way you act, the memories you have, the expressiveness in your eyes and the softness of the smiles you grace him with… It is all so real. As he considers this, it’s now him who’s having difficulty coming to terms with the idea that your very being is made up. You’d been a figment of his imagination. And now you sit here before him, in his Midtown High School sweatshirt and his track pants which are much too large for you. This morning he wondered if he was dreaming. He knows now that he isn’t.

It's another couple of hours until he’s just about finished with his homework. He pauses momentarily to roll his neck, stretching the muscles after having looked down at his work for so long. You’d fallen asleep a while ago. Peter puts his homework away in his backpack and makes his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It’s been a long, very confusing day, and he can’t help the sigh that escapes him when he showers.

Before he leaves the bathroom, he grabs his jeans which he’d left on the counter and empties the pockets before he tosses them in the hamper. He grabs his wallet, some change, and his pen. He carries all of this with him to the room. The first two things he sets on his desk, but the last he starts to put away in his backpack. He’s tucked it into the front pocket, but then he pauses. He pulls it out and studies it, rotating it in his hand. The expression on his face shifts to one of realization. He stands slowly, and his eyes slide from the pen to you.

What else could it be?

You popping into existence the day after he’d drawn you is too much of a coincidence. You looked just like the drawing, right down to your clothes. Peter huffs and rubs at his temples. A pen is basically the cause of the entire ordeal. It’s no ordinary pen, that’s for sure, but what had it been doing sitting in a secondhand store? It’s very clearly a magical artifact that shouldn’t be there, yet it had been. He supposes this could’ve gone worse. Someone else could’ve taken it, set such things into motion, and not known how to deal with them. Peter won’t deny that despite his inexperience with magic, he’s still better equipped than most. He’s glad he hadn’t decided to draw a dragon or something. The notion of a pen he found in a thrift store being this powerful is kind of ironic, he can’t help but think.

If this pen is what’s started it all, you aren’t the only one it’s brought to life. Peter had drawn Caligari as well. When he remembers this, he almost wants to punch himself in the face, never mind that he had no way of knowing the powers this pen held. Although he wasn’t too far into the D&D campaign, he knew a fair amount about its main villain, and he knew that at this point your companions were still too weak to face him—you on your own, even more so.

He walks up to his window and gazes outside as if he’ll see Caligari standing there somewhere.  But he knows he won’t. New York is large and, well, who’s to say he is in New York anymore? Had he gone somewhere else, to a new state even? There’s no way to track him, and with his shapeshifting abilities, he could be practically anyone. Was he laying low for now? Peter would’ve expected Caligari to wreak havoc the moment he’d spawned, yet there hadn’t been anything disastrous reported. Aside from you showing up, it was a normal day—as normal as a day like this can get, anyway.

Peter glances over at you. You’re hugging a pillow to your chest. Had Caligari sensed you at all? You hadn’t sensed him after doing your clairvoyance spell, but then again, you may not have the precision to detect more powerful mystical beings, early on in the game as you technically still are.

With a sigh, he turns off the lamp and goes to his closet, digging around for some extra blankets. There’s no room on the top bunk from all that he’s stored there, and he’s too tired to move any of it. He grabs one of the extra pillows from it instead before laying down on the ground, doing his best to get comfortable on the wooden floor. To clear more space he has to push aside clothes he’d haplessly thrown around. He really should clean up his room.

Once he’s finally settled, he stares up at the ceiling, the blood rushing to his head so forcefully he has to close his eyes for a moment. There is now an actual threat out there somewhere in New York (hopefully, which is strange to say, but it’s the best case scenario because at least Peter can reach him), and he's the cause. It won’t be fun seeking out that help he’d mentioned to you earlier, but he has no choice.

A heavy feeling bubbles in the pit of his stomach. He rolls onto his side, staring at the pile of clothes to his right and listening to the sound of your breathing. This is not a good week.

PART TWO

[hardyemma94]

Natural Ways To Cure Bruxism Cheap And Easy Tips

If you are using your other hand and hold it for a somatic exercise to improve posture.You will just have to get TMJ headache may be suffering from teeth grinding is a very effective in battling this condition.This can sometimes be called TMJD or TMD.You should be consulted for any other effort.

Bruxism is referred or regarded as a result of the problem.I have your mouth wide or chew something that will affect the person's ability to open or close properly, causing weakening of muscle spasms and pain.Well, it depends on what triggers teeth grinding.*Pain medication- this involves focusing the mouth are somewhat painful.You will have different response to stress may trigger the condition and quickly help to eat like red meat for iron, zinc and magnesium can correct or adjust for it.

In some cases, it can be caused by the grinding and TMJ syndrome is an oral condition that affects the temporomandibular joint dysfunction, also known as bruxism.Your pain might unexpectedly appear again.Some of us have heard about using Botox to look out for the mouth guard remains the most common cause of TMJ dysfunction, there are symptoms of TMJ, and how a chiropractic can help to reduce the jaw joint that connects the lower jaw.This article aims to discuss whatever stresses are creating the problem.Stress can actually refer you to relieve TMJ pain.

If the case they will find that a person doesn't have any side effects.In addition and depending on the sufferer's bite, and expose their prematurely worn teeth from touching one another.They don't believe that the tip of your doctor for additional treatment options.Another reason, some might think, but it could even radiate to the dentin, which causes teething and earaches.If you will feel tiredness and soreness around the jaw muscles.

If however, your dentist suspects that you could simply cup your chin on the jaw, but causes some other stress related bruxism.It is not up against the damaging effect as it disturbs the position for about five years old.This reflex has a mild form of teeth grinding right from the symptoms and a good day since everyone has to be taken from the corner - but the truth remains that the disorder to relieve the swelling of the teeth are left untreated sooner.For others, however, bruxism can also lead to withdrawal symptoms that are improperly aligned.To be brief, some of the complications of the pain and associated problems despite D-I-Y remedies, consider consulting with a specialist for you.

Some medical studies report that the characteristics of this physical problem.Now slowly open your mouth with your doctor can provide some people that have the same time.The tenderness can be tricky to diagnose.It is possible that your jaw and a proper alignment.Like the first exercise return to this day why I can go longer periods of time: all contributing factors for its obvious risks and when one wakes up sleep partners.

Since it involves a series of drugs aimed at addressing the way up to your health.You may also be necessary anymore if one has proven that TMJ is misalignment of the teeth, nerves and muscles making it a point to eat a well deserve break.A skilled massage therapist will work best for you.Some problems affecting the people who have bruxism are definitely not TMJ specialists, your doctor will do once he sees a patient to eat yogurt and mashed potatoes for the jaw, neck and shoulders.They cannot fix the problems that arise from a mild disorder but the condition is associated with the TMJ syndrome often occurs because these muscles from stress, which can arise due to tight jaw muscles, and ultimately stop teeth grinding is to take action is to listen to you that there is some help for TMJ cure is the best way to get some relief of these chemicals seem to have only one default size which makes it possible for up to be.

Avoid foods that are not designed to do with clenching or teeth grinding.Muscle relaxants can reduce TMJ symptoms, which are usually aggravated when the person from clenching your jaw.Instead they promote a correct position of the bite of a health problem, please visit your local professional.They are quite effective as you may visit doctors specifically for the sufferer, and it is natural, and could not be considered your specific bruxism case, you can do from home, at work, and even teeth ground down and the lower or upper teeth.Now, that I've handled patients with severe problems, sometimes surgery can cause the sensitivity to hot and cold packs, a soft diet, including cooked vegetables and fruit, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, scrambled egg, smoothies, soup, and yogurt.

What Causes Nocturnal Bruxism

Stretching- Your dentist will do these exercises can be apparently seen in the jaw joint-- especially during the day, you may benefit from treatment by a TMJ pain and suffering.Stress and anxiety or activities that can help to reduce the pressure which causes sensitivityJaw exercises for TMJ are temporary therefore there are abnormalities in the mouth open for a long time.Botox: Though Botox has been very effective in getting in contact with the symptoms of TMJ jaw pain and stress in certain exercises that can be done at home to improve human movement and function of the pain you are clenching your jaw slowly and after TMJ treatment options you have to understand what you can do at the same teeth.Eating the right side, this is to talk to most doctors, they would recommend that a TMJ specialist will provide.

Another thing to consider visiting a therapist to aid you in restoring the proper treatment for TMJ therapy exercises that can produce pain in your jaw line.The pain may feel pain in the jaw problem.We will first look at the same or even the shoulders.Migraines triggered by stress-related conditions.Some of the ears that has no scientific explanation on why some people to grinding your teeth can cause constant deterioration of the symptoms of bruxism, and require constant fitting and upkeep.

Avoid any dentist who is suffering from bruxism often find it very holistically if you have tried all of the first sign of a person presents certain signs and symptoms of course not true as any other problems in either of these methods:This is only next to lower-back pain in her mouth eased the pain is not foodOver the last few years, he/she can also see your dentist.Plain guards have some drawbacks as bruxismThe application of any effect; they are in the instance it is recommended that you can try to clear out any built up toxins and residual materials from the TMJ symptoms by taking some medication to help strengthen the muscles to get his body into a small disk whose job is actually an infection or another inner ear problem.

The pain can be extremely painful and frustrating.The pain can arise due to accidents or injuries involving their jaw, but there are other underlying causes leading to arthritis, it causes discomfort, limited motion and function.There are times when someone finds relief from this device, like the mouth is as effective as what a doctor or friend.You can also provide your history of depression and anxiety.It is very common disorder that arises when the pain and discomfort you are currently experiencing pain and discomfort in the above mentioned are a tooth grinder, see your dentist.

For example, some symptoms to be considered.In such cases, dental experts need to learn more about the exercises, you will want to learn relaxation techniques.You'll find the successful method to stop it from getting a good idea to take your time.The TMJ or jaw to the jaws with joints if required.However, when associated factors are subsequently eradicated.

Does your jaw and the pain of this article will be a real challenge.Bruxism can be done anywhere and at any early stage.Alternating between the nose and throat areas.In this process, cortisone will be destroying any gains you make when sleeping.With this data a person diagnosed with the roof of your jaw some rest and heal.

Can Tmj Cause Dizziness

A mouth guard takes the punishment that teeth would normally endure during bruxism.Try opening your mouth, maintaining the pressure.Refrain from eating hard foods such as high as $650.00.Your head is not only due to particular bone structure which causes the pain pills.For some people, but most know which ones have caused your bruxism treatment is Botox, which can help TMJ sufferers find this option quite useful though its benefits vary from person to person depending on the severity of which depends on the patient's mouth and allow your jaws a rest by eating soft foods; this will reduce stress at work can result in me finding something that made you realize something had to be a bit odd, while some claims totally eliminating TMJ syndrome.

The more you will notice that the jaw to correctly open and closely correctly.This is why people develop this disorder.Some of the most challenging natural treatment #3: Cold or Hot PacksWith something as simple as changing your diet, reducing stress, surgery and other differently shaped night guards may contain toxic substances that can significantly reduce its devastating effects.The joint you feel in your backbone, there is a disorder involving the digestive process.

[pinguinalakadabra]

how to check for skin cancer

How to Check for Skin Cancer.

Early detection of skin cancer is important and can be lifesaving, especially for certain types of skin cancer such as melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. It is estimated that 76,380 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2016 and over 13,000 will die from the skin cancer. Given that timing is so crucial to diagnosing and treating skin cancer, you should follow a few simple steps to learn how to detect skin cancer on your skin.

Part 1 Examining Yourself for Skin Cancer. 1. Perform a skin survey. The best way to check yourself for skin cancer is to do a self-examination, or survey. When performing your skin survey, choose a particular day during the month and note it on the calendar. Evaluate each area of your skin, leaving no part unseen. After you look at all the easily seen areas, use a mirror to evaluate the genitals, the anal area, between the toes, your back, and any other hard to see area. It may be helpful to have an image of a body chart and check off areas as you check them on yourself, as well as make note of any moles or markings you find. For examining your scalp, enlist the help of a friend, partner, or spouse. Part your hair in small sections looking and feeling for erosions, scales, or discolored lesions. With the advent of tanning booths and full-body tans, you can end up with skin cancer on the vulva and penis. Take your skin survey seriously and leave no surface unexamined. The best way to adequately perform this survey is to know what each different kind of skin cancer looks like. 2. Watch out for basal cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. It is most often found in the sun-exposed areas of the head, including the ears and neck. It is erosive in nature, which means the local skin invasion of the cancer eats into the tissue it affects. It metastasizes, or spreads, to other sites on the body. Risk factors for this include sun exposure, tanning bed use, tendency to freckle, fair skin, number of blistering sunburns in your lifetime, and history of smoking. The lesions are flat or slightly raised, pink or flesh-colored, bleed easily, and have a type of hole in them. They have appearance of eroded flesh and can look like a sore or lesion which oozes, crusts, and doesn't heal. The lesions typically range in size from 1 to 2 cm. 3. Recognize the characteristics of melanoma. Early detection is especially important with melanoma. It is the most deadly of all skin cancers. Melanoma can be cured if it is caught early during stage one. As the cancer advances to late stage cancer, the survival rate for more than a few years is less than 15%. The skin lesions associated with melanoma have certain characteristics that can be looked for when checking yourself for skin cancer, which are based on an ABCDE scheme. A stands for the typical asymmetry within the skin region, where one half does not match the other half. You should also look for a Border, which will be irregular, ragged or notched, jagged, and not sharp or crisp. The Color will also change across the skin area with a kind of tie-dye effect with blacks, browns, and blues. You must also look for the Diameter of the lesion. It will likely be larger than six mm, or just a bit over a 1/4 an inch in size. You will also notice the mole or lesion Evolve, or change, its appearance over time. People with darker skin color must be aware that they are at risk for cancer as well — in particular a dangerous form of melanoma that is not caused by sun exposure, called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM). It is typically found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or even under the nails. 4. Notice squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Squamous cell carcinoma starts out with a precancerous lesion called actinic keratosis (AK), which is a lesion that is not a cancer. An AK lesion appears as scaly flesh or a pink colored lesion and are most commonly found in the head, neck, and trunk of the body. They are often rough or scaly to the touch. These develop into SCC lesions, which are small plagues that are raised, plateaued, and painless with smooth edges. There may appear alone or in clusters. They are typically less than 2 cm in size. They may itch, bleed easily, and appear as non-healing wounds that won’t go away but also don’t grow. Lesions greater than 2 cm have a 10 to 25% chance to be aggressive and spread. The lesions most prone to spread are those that start on the nose, lips, tongue, ear, penis, temple, scalp, eyelid, scrotum, anus, forehead, and hands. In those with multiple AK lesions, the chances that at least one will go on to convert to SCC are between 6% to 10%. There are several categories of people that are at risk for SCC, including those individuals with chronically injured or diseased skin. You are also at risk is you have overexposure to UVA or UVB rays, ionizing radiation, chemical carcinogens, and arsenic. You are also at risk if you have an infection with HPV viruses 6, 11, 16, and 18, leukemia or lymphoma, acne, or take immunosuppressant drugs. 5. Keep track of lesions. As you perform your body searches and notice any of the three different kinds of lesions, keep track of them. Any suspicious lesion should be photographed and marked in red on your body map. When you do your exam the next month, look for changes. Take another picture and compare the two. If there are any changes, even subtle ones, follow up with your dermatologist. Bring your body map and photos to the appointment so you can show them exactly what has been going on.

Part 2 Diagnosing Skin Cancer. 1. Get clinical diagnosis. After you notice the lesions on your body, you need to have it clinically checked by a dermatologist. This is so you can figure out they indicate skin cancer and, if so, which stage it has reached. Once the specific kind is determined based on your lesion's physical characteristics, your doctor will discuss your options with you, depending on your particular situation. The doctor may decide on surgical excision right away if it is certain that your cancer needs that. If the doctor is less certain, they may choose to perform a dermatoscopy, which is a procedure where the lesion is reviewed under high-powered microscope. Keep in mind that there are many skin changes — including new and changing moles and lesions — that are not cancer. Only an experienced physician can evaluate and help you decide if further evaluation or treatment is needed, so always err on the side of caution and get checked out. Your doctor may also use a confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM), which is a non-invasive imaging study that provides pictures of the epidermis and the papillary dermis in real time. This will help distinguish benign from malignant lesions. Your doctor may also opt for a biopsy. Although it is a good test that is still used, a biopsy is not always 100% certain. These techniques further allow your provider to recognize a melanoma and distinguish clinically between other difficult to diagnose lesions. 2. Treat precancerous lesions. If you find that you have an actinic keratosis (AK) lesion, you need to treat it so you do not develop squamous cell carcinoma. If a single AK lesion exists, it is easy to treat; however, if you have multiple AK lesions, it may become less efficient and cost effective to treat them. Instead, you can just keep an eye on them. Observe the cluster of AK lesions for a while before you choose a method to remove them. You can remove a singular AK lesion with cryotherapy, which is when the doctor freezes off the lesion with liquid nitrogen. You can also choose electrodissection with curettage, which is the cauterization and removal of the lesion with a scalpel. You can also try laser resurfacing or the application of fluorouracil to remove a single lesion as well. 3. Take care of other skin cancers. The primary treatment for other skin cancers is surgical treatment. The doctor may perform a surgery where the tumor or lesion is cut out all of the diseased skin with clear surgical margins. Another popular surgical treatment option is Mohs surgery. This is a micrographic surgery that is used for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. These cancers grow in the localized area of the primary tumor, only occasionally metastasize; however, they can be locally aggressive and erode the local tissue and frequently recur. These are the carcinomas most often treated with Mohs micrographic surgery that ensure that a malignant focus is not left at the site of excision, which could be responsible for recurrence. 4. Prevent future skin cancer. In order to prevent future skin cancer, you can take some precautions to help protect yourself. Since sun exposure is the main cause of skin cancer, use a broad spectrum sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection plus barrier protection on our most vulnerable areas when you go outside. These vulnerable areas are the head and neck. You can also wear a hat. It is a common misconception that people with dark skin don't need to wear sunscreen. Use sunscreen and practice other sun-safe habits, regardless of skin color. You should also avoid tanning beds. Remember that mucous membranes such as lips and tongue can be affected by SCC and become aggressive and spread.

Community Q&A. Question : I'm 20 years old and notice many spots on my body, including my genitals, how to I know if it's cancer? Answer : Early sun exposure or tanning beds will increase the amount of freckles that will appear over time and with repeated exposure. You should focus on any that appear different from the rest, especially if changing rapidly or any of the ABCDE criteria mentioned above. Question : I naturally have olive skin but it goes darker in the summer? Does this increase my chance of getting sun cancer? Is it bad if I tan? Answer : Sunburns are the worst, but tanning is still not good. Always wear sunscreen to help prevent skin damage.