Stark (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stykera) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2025-12-09 02:56 pm
stykera) wrote in fandomhigh2025-12-09 02:56 pm
Dealing With Other People's Trauma, Tuesday 12/9
“The reindeer,” Stark said with a sigh, “are not attacking even if you think they are because you were once attacked by an inflatable reindeer that tried to eat you.”
He paused. “That was almost certainly just my experience. Never mind. In any case, the reindeer are not trying to hurt anyone.”
Probably. But who knew, really?
“So. I was frightened by that, briefly.” But he had not shot any reindeer, he'd just jumped and screamed a little it was fine.
“Sometimes, things you don't expect can come up. Like reindeer running towards you. Or anything else that might remind you of a negative memory. Winter is like that for me. Cold weather and snow and ice often have me remembering things I'd rather not spend too much time thinking of. A…a lot of things happened in the winter but we're not here to talk about me. Not really. We're here to talk about other things. Like…are you all all right, with the newest things happening on our island?”
“If you're not, is there anything I can do to help? Besides the snacks, of course.” Snacks almost went without saying. Almost.
“Were your sweaters all right yesterday? Or the falling candy? Or the bears? I like the bears but they could be frightening if you weren't expecting them.”
He paused. “That was almost certainly just my experience. Never mind. In any case, the reindeer are not trying to hurt anyone.”
Probably. But who knew, really?
“So. I was frightened by that, briefly.” But he had not shot any reindeer, he'd just jumped and screamed a little it was fine.
“Sometimes, things you don't expect can come up. Like reindeer running towards you. Or anything else that might remind you of a negative memory. Winter is like that for me. Cold weather and snow and ice often have me remembering things I'd rather not spend too much time thinking of. A…a lot of things happened in the winter but we're not here to talk about me. Not really. We're here to talk about other things. Like…are you all all right, with the newest things happening on our island?”
“If you're not, is there anything I can do to help? Besides the snacks, of course.” Snacks almost went without saying. Almost.
“Were your sweaters all right yesterday? Or the falling candy? Or the bears? I like the bears but they could be frightening if you weren't expecting them.”
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
A soft smile, because it was nice when people cared. "I've plenty of blankets at home, don't worry. And I've made it through plenty of winters now. I just don't like them. The winters, not the blankets. They make blankets that are heated, you know."
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
And Henry's personal trauma response - being aggressively friendly and throwing himself into other people's problems at times - had started weeks before he came to Fandom and there was not yet any end to it in sight.
"... wait, did you see heated blankets? What, do they tuck a warm rock into it or something?"
... as was the easily distractable by weird things.
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
Maybe later, who could say?
"Heated blankets! They're electric, you plug them in and they heat up!"
Having someone else to share s blanket with was better but hated blankets were pretty great.
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
Henry still didn't understand that even a little bit, but he was trying.
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
What? It was as good an explanation as any.
"The blanket gets power from the outlet in the wall and then it heats up. But...a fireplace is nicer, isn't it?"
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
He was always hungry.
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]
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Re: Listen/Discuss [12/9]