Picture Prompt Fic Meme

[Wig_Powder]

Even though there wasn't much of a response to my query in the "general" area of this section, I decided to go for it anyway and see if anyone else was interested. If not, enjoy the sample fic.

The Stock Photo Picture Fic Meme

RULES

1. Go to any of the websites listed here (although I recommend istock, shutterstock, 123irf, and masterfile in particular) and poke around until you find a photo you like.

2. Link to said photo, ideally sans commentary. The more creative opportunities for the filler, the better.

3. The person after you writes a 100-1000 word story related to the picture. Then they post a photo they like, and repeat.

4. As per general site rules, no underage pictures. If the picture description on the site uses any variation of "boy", "girl", or "teenager", don't use them. If there is no description, use your judgement about the person's age.

5. Similarly, no nude or blatantly sexual photos (although I don't think stock photo sites have that sort of thing, and probably not in the sneezing category).

6. You can post more than one picture at a time, but only if they're the same model (as I will demonstrate in my sample).

SAMPLE

Person A links to these photos: http://www.inmagine.com/sbcore06/63575cor-photo and http://www.inmagine.com/sbcore06/63573cor-photo.

Person B then writes;

Katherine hastily set down the groceries, the itch in her nose growing stronger every second. The last thing she wanted was to shatter all her groceries due to one ill-timed sneeze. Once the bag was safely pressed against wood, she held the dreaded bouquet as far away from her as possible, her hand coming up to futiley rub away the itch.

She was delighted that her son was showing an interest in dating, but she wished he hadn't appointed her to be the one to go out and purchase flowers for that "special someone". Next time, she hoped, he'd stick to chocolate.

And then they link to their own picture.

I hope other people are interested in this! Have fun!

[Wig_Powder]

So, to try to kick this off in earnest, I offer http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&searchterm=woman+sneeze&search_group=&search_source=search_form&safesearch=1&prev_sort_method=popular&sort_method=newest&page=1#id=109382534

[cob]

"Hiiii..." Laura's breath hitched for the seven hundreth time that day. She was going to have to get her allergenist to prescribe stronger medication.

"Heeee..." Her current dosage was just strong enough to prevent her from sneezing her head off all day, but unfortunately, it was also strong enough to make it very difficult for her to sneeze at all. And, maddeningly, it wasn't strong enough to prevent the ambient pollen from driving her nose crazy.

"Hiiiii-ehhh... Heeeeheee.... Ehhhhh..." With a final exhalation, the sneeze slipped away.

After a long day of work, and about seven hundred more hitching breaths, Laura found herself at home, finally. She made a beeline to the bathroom, where she could finally wash off the pollen that bothered her so.

"Hiii.. Heeee... HEEEEE!... Ehhh..." She breathed, slipping her shirt over her head, as the sneeze once again moved out of reach.

"Heeee.... Hiiihiiihiii... HEE! HEEEE!" But her nose wasn't done. As she removed the last of her clothing, she built up to another sneeze, so strong that she was sure this was it. "HEEE!... Ehhhhh..."

Laura was fed up. She needed to sneeze, and that was final. With unnecessary force, she threw open the bathroom window, and pressed the side of her face to the screen. She took one deep sniffle after another, letting the pollen pervade every nook and cranny in her nasal cavity.

"Heeeee...." She began, but she moved a slender finger underneath her quivering, angry, nostrils, quelling them for now. She continued to sniffle.

"Heeeeeeeee...." Laura started again, but pressed her finger firmly into her reddened cartilage, as the sniffles became deeper and wetter.

"Heeeeeeeeeee..." She started, and her eyelids fluttered shut. She rubbed her finger back and forth against the underside of her nose, creating enough time for three more sniffles before...

"HEEEHEEHEEEE!" An allergic tear fell from one of Laura's tightly shut eyes, rolling down, beside her monstrously flaring nostrils. As the tear passed by, her finger was whisked away from it's position holding back the sneeze, as Laura's hands began to involuntarily flap in front of her face, like a desperate attempt to get clean air to her nose. The tear crossed over the lump in Laura's cheek caused by her tongue pressing against it, and finally, fell off of her face. "Hiiiiiheee.. HEEheee... HEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"kkKERRRTEEEE-CHEEEeeeooooo!" Laura sneezed! Bending double at the waist, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt such relief from her allergies. And with the feeling in her nose, she was far from done.

http://www.shutterstock.com/s/sneeze/search.html#id=112623209

[Wig_Powder]

Thank you for the lovely response! I'm so flattered that you used one of your first comments to reply to my prompt!

So to return the favor...

“Ehh…hehh…Ut-shoo!”

“Bless you, Lin.”

“This is all…ahh…your fault.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“I just wanted to hear it again. Ut-chh!”

“Bless you. How was I supposed to know that your nose is sensitive to clove based cologne? I’m an innocent here!”

“Was it really innocence? Or was it…Utshh! Wishful thinking?”

“Bless…wait, what?”

“I remember what happened when you came to pick me up one night wearing that lavender scented cologne. You seemed oddly eager to bless me when we realized I was allergic, and you were downright reluctant to wash it off. So when I came home that night, I did a little research.”

“Eep.”

“Don’t look so terrified, Gordon. I actually think it’s kind of…cute.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Something so simple gets you going? It’s charming. And as long as you don’t abuse it, I’ll never laugh at you for it.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Here, I’ll seal it with a kiss.”

“But I haven’t washed off the cologne yet. You’ll sneeze your head off.”

“That’s the point. Come here, you…”

***

Got a triple set this time: http://www.inmagine.com/bms003/bms003218-photo, http://www.inmagine.com/bms003/bms003220-photo, and http://www.inmagine.com/bms003/bms003221-photo

[Dusty15]

One of the most bizarre and loved of all the stock photo sets! I've always wanted a fic around that photo, so here's a ficlet....

----

Cara had planned everything for her wedding; she'd picked out her dress, her perfect shoes, the incredible venue atop a seaside cliff, the flowers, the cake, and the arched trellis under which she'd say her vows and marry Jay, the man of her dreams.

Everything about the morning of the wedding had been bliss so far. Hectic, yes, but still exciting and full of the thrill of the upcoming ceremony. In a room in the cozy local bed and breakfast, she was putting final touches on with her best friend and maid-of-honor Irene and her two bridesmaids, Kate and Maura. Affixing a flower in her hair, she stood and surveyed herself in the mirror, smoothing out her untraditional lace tea gown and tucking back some her red hair behind her ears.

"Beautiful," Irene said, adjusting the blossom in her friend's hair so it sat at an angle. "Jay is going to be in heaven."

"How long?" Maura asked. "Ten minutes til we get into place? Are you excited?"

"I am!" Cara said, smiling at her friends. "A little nervous, but excited."

"Don't be nervous," Kate assured her as she put her tube of mascara down and reached for a bottle of perfume, giving her neck and arms a light spray before turning to Maura who was nearby. "Perfume?"

"Sure."

Maura extended her wrists for a spraying and Irene went over to get the same.

"Cara? Want some perfume?"

Cara didn't reply. At the mirror she stood with a strange expression on her face. Suddenly, her nose crinkled and she pitched forward with a small, itchy-sounding sneeze.

Heh'tsitt!

"Oh, bless me!" she said with a sniff. "Sorry, that came out of no where. Sure, I'll have a spray."

She put out her wrist for Maura and then pressed it to her nose to smell it better.

The reaction was nearly instantaneous. Her nose crinkled again as her mouth dropped open. Her head snapped forward and the flower in her hair was thrown askew as she sneezed into her steepled hands.

Eh'tsghh! Tsh'ii! Tsh-heh'ghh!!

"Bless you!" her friends chorused, but she wasn't done. A horrified look grew on Maura's face as she realized what was happening.

Hehh'tsghtt! Tsh'ghht!! Ehh...hehhh'tsghttt! T'shii!

"Oh my god," Maura said. "You're allergic!"

"I've never been allergic to per...hehhh...Ehh'tsghtt! *sniff*...to perfume!" Cara said, keeping her face covered with her hands.

"Here," Irene said, grabbing a vintage handkerchief from the vanity that Cara planned to carry as her 'something old'. Cara grabbed it and pressed it to her nose.

"You've got to get out of this room!" Kate said.

Cara, nose shielded by the handkerchief, ran out of the terrace doors and into the nearby field. Sinking to her knees, she reared back for more sneezes as in the distance, guests took their seats for the ceremony.

Inside, Irene ran to find the venue wedding coordinator.

"I think we're going to have to delay ten minutes or so," she told her. "We've had a bit of a problem!"

-----

http://www.inmagine.com/cusprm-028/ptg01672483-photo and http://www.inmagine.com/juis021/juis021437-photo (they aren't the same guy, but close enough!)

[a-tissue]

These are all really good so far. Want to join in but those images aren't available in my country for some reason. :S

[Dusty15]

I took a screen shot! Here are the two images:

http://i48.tinypic.com/25fuka9.png

http://i48.tinypic.com/555sgw.png

[a-tissue]

"Chris, I really think you should go home," Steve said, as he blew his nose yet again. Chris shook his head, "Started this walk. Godda fiddish id," he responded gruffly. "Suit yourself, mate. Just don't come crying to me if you give yourself pneumonia." Steve knew perfectly well why Chris, who had never shown any real interest in hiking before in their 21 years of friendship, was suddenly so keen to be outdoors. Chris had hated spending time in his flat since his (now ex) girlfriend had moved out a month ago. Of course, being Chris, he had also been insisting very loudly that he was absolutely fine, that he was going to break up with her anyway, that he was glad to be free and single again and a million other things which Steve recognised were complete bull, especially since Steve had known him long enough to realise that whenever Chris was stressed, he got ill.

"Huuurrrsshhht! HUUUURSSHFFFT! HURRSHOO!"Chris sneezed. "Bless you!" said Steve, in a mocking voice, as he knew his nd this annoying. Chris glowered at him for a moment but then his face creased into a pre-sneeze expression again. "HUURSHOOO! HAAARSHOO! HUUUURCHOOO!" he sneezed again, before breaking into a small coughing fit. Steve noticed he was shivering. "Dude, you're not well. I'm gonna turn around and get back in the car. You can either accept a lift home from me or be stranded here until you freeze to death. Chris sighed "Whatever, but I'b fide," which worried Steve - his friend would normally argue, and he must be feeling pretty lousy if he was only offering such token resistance to be looked after.

The drive back to Chris' flat was silent, apart from Chris' frequent coughing, sneezing and sniffling, which Steve decided it would be unwise to pass comment on. When they got back to the flat, Chris gave him a hoarse, perfunctory "Thags for the lift," and got out. "You're not gonna invite me in?" Steve asked, wth mock offence - he wanted to make sure Chris was ok, but Chris would just get irritated if he was explicit about it. "Well, if you wadt a cup of tea thed..uuhh-hhuuhh-HUURCHUUUH! HURRRSHFFFT! - I s'pose I cad bake you wod," Chris replied grumpily. It wasn't like him to be this unfriendly, even in a bad mood. Steve followed him up to his flat and had to suppress a gasp when Chris let him in. It appeared that he hadn't bothered cleaning up since Alice had left and the place was filthy. "Sorry 'bout the -snrf- bess" his friend said, "I've beed busy ad-uh-uh-URRRSHOO! ARRSHOOO!"Chris groaned, rubbed his temples, and blew his nose again. "I can help you clean up if you like," Steve offered. "I'll do it byself, just deed to get aroud to it," Chrisanswered, sounding a little affronted, then addly more gently "Thags for the offer though," before his voice tailed off into painful-sounding coughs. "Maybe you should go to bed" Steve said, bracing himself for an argument, but Chris just gave him a mocking "Are you my bother?" then walked through to his bedroom. Steve followed and watched as he pulled off his coat, kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with his scarf still around his neck. "Chris must really be feeling crap to be protesting so little," he thought " and those flowery sheets had to be Alice's," Steve thought, then noticed Chris was still shivering. "You got a hot water bottle?" he asked. Chris rolled his eyes, but pointed to the top drawer of his chest of drawers.

A few minutes later, Steve returned, with a full, warm, hot water bottle, which he handed to Chris. Chris tucked it under one arm, then his breath began to hitch reached into his pocket to take another tissue. "Huu-uu-URRSCHH! URCHOOO! USHOOOO!" he sneezed, sounding exhausted and miserable, and Steve couldn't resist saying "Bless you." Chris looked at him for a few seconds then said "Thags. You're a good bate."

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-102606356/stock-photo-hispanic-woman-sick-with-the-flu-with-a-white-paper-tissue-in-her-hand-and-holding-a-cup-of-tea.html

[StarryView]

Kevin gently brushed the dark hair from Alisha's face and gave her warm forehead a kiss. Alisha opened her eyes, and instantly looked at him with a pouted lip. "My throat.." she whispered. Kevin smiled and handed her the cup of warm tea. SItting up, Alisha bent her head over the steaming cup allowing it to ease her congestion while she tried to smell the sweetness. It was working, and a little trickle of mucus started its way out of her nose. With a sharp inhale, Kevin looked at her with concern and fascination. He had dreamed of seeing her like this, but it also worried him, as she wasn't one to get sick often. Alisha's breath hitched, while a tissue was pressed firmly into her hand. WIth one last deep inhale, she managed to sneeze AISHEWW without spilling any tea. "Bless you, darling." Kevin said, and Alisha just held the tissue to her nose, looking a bit sheepish.

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-8180525-sneezing.php?st=aef17e1

[Blah!?]

Ooh, I like that one. It's cute, and I think it's a perfect one for me to join in on.

---

Jamie ran down her front porch stairs and quickly turned around, seeing Allison stumble out the front door with a full tissue box in her hand. The young woman giggled at her friend, placing a hand over her mouth as she watched Allison nearly fall down the stairs after her.

"Allison, put that back!" Jamie laughed, pointing at the tissue box. Allison shook her head and immediately pulled a small paper square from the box.

"I can't. I need it!" Allison complained, her voice sounding light but stuffy. She pressed her tissue to the underside of her nose, feeling a sneeze quickly building up.

"Why? You look silly" Jamie continued, giving Allison's shoulder a gentle shove. Allison shook her head again, her eyes starting to flutter.

"Hah... Hah! HA'SCHHH! My allergies," Allison explained after sneezing powerfully. She quickly balled up the tissue and tossed it into a trash can next to the sidewalk and immediately planted her face into a fresh one.

"Haahh... HA'SCH!"

"They're really that bad, huh?" Jamie said, gently rubbing Allison's back. Her friend nodded, snuffling loudly. Allison pressed a new tissue to her nostrils and gave a powerful, honking blow. Jamie couldn't help but smile at the loud sound, but she did feel for her friend.

"Alright, we'll walk fast. How does that sound?"

"Oh... Hah... Ohkahhh... HA'SCHHH! Okay..." Allison replied, interrupting herself with another sneeze. She blew her nose into yet another tissue, not realizing how quickly she was using them up, and then the friends began their walk to the library. Allison's tissue box only lasted half way.

---

Aaaand here's mine: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-16696986-young-woman-sneezes.php?st=27dcf14

[Umeko]

http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/8797563/2/stock-photo-8797563-having-a-cold-or-alergy.jpg

Akiro pitched forwards for what to him seemed like the ahundredandfiftyeight times since he entered the classroom "hh'tshuu! n'tsh!! tshh tshhhhh!!" he sneezed desperately into his bundle of tissues.

Somehow someone had left the window open in his homeroom; which had left the room filled with pollen.

And now when it was time for class after the lunchbreak, the poor teen could not do anything else but to sneeze and blow his nose every few seconds.

"hh'tshhh!! tshhh!! TSHHHUUUH!!" his lungs were screaming for precious oxygen, his cheeks were dampened with allergy tears.

The kid next to him looked at him with a look of discust "Are you done soon? I would like to be able to hear what the teacher is trying to teach us without being interupted by you spreading your filthy germs all over the class!" the kid said with an arrogant tone in his voice.

But Akiro couldn't stop "Ihh... I... Ib all... tshUUH! allergic... snf snf... wh... who left the widow oped?" he looked around with his puffy redrimmed eyes.

"Oh that was me, I thought I'd let some fresh air into the room before the class started, it helps my concentration" the kid said with a smuged grin "If it is bothering you, you should leave class" he continued waving his hand in a 'go away' gesture.

Akiro glared at the kid and slowly felt the anger rising within him "What's the matter Yammai? cat's got your tongue!"

That was enough to send Akiro over the edge, he stood up and punched the kid so hard that he flew across the room and into a wall.

"The HELL is wrong with you Yammai!? Have you gone mad!?" The kid shouted.

The other classmates didn't dare to interfere they knew about Akiro having a short fuze during a hayfever fit.

Eien just passed the classroom as he was headed to his homeroom, he threw a glance into the room and saw Akiro standing ontop of another kid and rushed in to hold his lover back

"Akiro! What happened?" He looked at his lover then back at the kid who spit out some blood from a cracked lip "You had better keep your boyfriend on a tight leash Yuro! He just flew at me for no reason!"

Akiro clenched his fists "You bastard!"

Eien looked at the other classmates "What happened?" a girl was brave enough to rise her hand "Junta had opened the window before class to air out the room, and he teased Yammai-San because he was having an allergic reaction, until Yammai-San stood up and punched him" that was all the redhead needed to hear, he looked over at Junta and then back at his lover "C'mon hon, he's not worth it" with that he stood on his tiptoes and kissed Akiro lovingly, while passing him a box of benedryl and a travelpack of tissues.

Then they walked away from the classroom to let everything cool down.

***

Done ^^

This was fun!

I'm sorry it became a shortish long story drabble thing X3 couldn't stop writing

[Dusty15]

Cute one, Umeko! :-D Just FYI- the idea was to write a fic based on the photo the person above you posted.

So the next person should post one based off the picture Blah posted: http://www.istockpho....php?st=27dcf14

[Wig_Powder]

I've always liked that picture. (And thanks for your cute fill, Dusty!)

May was taking a walk through the hills when she came across a beautiful meadow that was overflowing with fuzzy dandelions. She smiled, remembering her youth and the old story that if you made a wish and blew all the seeds off at once, your wish would come true. Impulsively, she plucked one and held it up, considering what sort of wish she would make. She had a good job, her social life was excellent, and she wasn't complaining about her romantic life. She brought the dandelion to her face, still thinking. I suppose I could wish for a nice bonus at work, so I can buy that coat I've had my eye on...

As she stood there thinking, a few seeds, shaken loose by her breath, floated upwards and were promptly inhaled into her nose. May's nose suddenly started itching, and as soon as she saw the bare patch on the dandelion, she realized what had happened. She held it away from her face to prevent more seeds breaking loose, and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the impending sneeze. "Hh-gnkt!" It wasn't enough to dislodge the seeds, however. Only a big, uncovered sneeze would get rid of them properly, it seemed.

May mock-glared at the dandelion for putting her in this predicament, and then the idea occured to her. With a smile, she lowered her hand and brought the dandelion close once more. As her head lifted up in preparation for the sneeze, she quickly thought, I wish that I never get bad hayfever, so I can continue to enjoy lovely days like this. Then she closed her eyes and let the sneeze out. "Ah-HESHHH!!!"

When she opened her eyes, the dandelion stalk was bare, and she could see a cloud of seeds floating away. She smiled in satisfaction, dropped the stalk, and continued on her way, playfully rubbing her nose.

***

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-20578556-sick-young-woman-visiting-to-doctor-clinic.php?st=302f803

[Coffee Chicken Barista]

Jumping on the bandwagon here. Sorry it's so short!

Anna sniffled as she geared up for another loud sneeze. She had been sneezing constantly for the past 2 days and, after she began to feel feverish, she made an appointment to visit her doctor. Anna had always had very loud sneezes. As she sat in her doctor's waiting room, the tickle in her nose constantly growing, she couldn't help but feel subconscious. There were 3 other people in the waiting room with her and, even though it was perfectly normal to be sick in a doctor's waiting room, her loud sneezes had always embarrassed her. She pulled out a tissue and rubbed her nose with it forcefully, hoping to will away the tickle but it only made the tickle worse. Much worse. Anna's breath hitched and try as she might, there was no way she could hold it back.

"Hi...Hi...Hi...Hi...Hi...HAISHOO! HAISHOO! HAISHOO!"

Anna blushed as the man sitting across from her jumped in his seat at the sound of her monstrous sneezes. He smiled at her.

"Bless you."

She smiled back slightly before leaning back in her chair, waiting for the nurse to call her in, blushing and sniffling all the while.

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-20790232-sick-young-guy-blowing-his-nose-in-tissue.php?st=cd6276c

[slsabm]

http://www.istockpho....php?st=cd6276c

"HAAA-K'SHHHT" Adam sneezed for what felt (and may have been) the hundredth time. His allergies had sent him into an uncontrollable sneezing fit, causing him to slump down the wall and sit on the ground while helplessly sneezing over and over. Given the way the rest of the day was going, he thought it was wise to just sit and wait for the next set of violent, itchy sneezes to come.

"Hey, Babe?" Adam's girlfriend, Clara called. "Are you alright? You've been there for quite a while." Adam was embarrassed, and terrified to begin a sneezing fit in front of her. Given that their relationship was somewhat new, Adam thought she might not find him quite so attractive once she saw him shoot the messy contents of a sneeze everywhere.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine, just my allergies." He called back sheepishly. He began to feel the all too familiar tingle in the back of his nose. Not now, please. He thought.

"Oh okay, but I have to show you something! I'm coming in!" Adam rose to his feet, tossed his soggy tissue into the trash, scrubbed at his nose, and prayed that he could hold off the impending fit until Clara was out of earshot.

"Look at this video that Molly just posted on my wall... Isn't it hilarious?" Clara asked. Adam felt the tingle turn into an itch. He scrubbed vigorously at his nose. It didn't do much. He felt the itch turn into a burn, and when Clara came to stand next to him, her flowery perfume tortured his already overworked sinuses, his raw, chapped nostrils flaring, his jaw held slack as he tried to hold it back as long as possible.

"oh.. ehhh... haha it's-sssehh...re...reall..." Adam tried to talk as his breath began to hitch

"Sweetheart, why are you talking like that?" Clara asked, as she turned towards him. Her long, blonde hair grazed against the tip of his irritated nose as she turned.

"NXGT! NXSTTT! NCHT! NXCHT NGG-CHUU!" Adam was impressed with his ability to stifle them, given how big they were. However, stifling never seemed to help him rid himself of such a tickle, and of course, the itch grew stronger.

"Oh, bless you!" Clara offered. She put her hand on his shoulder, moving close to him to rub his back. With another whiff of her perfume, Adam's sinuses were sent over the edge. Adam knew these would be too big to hold back, but he would try anyway. Turning away from Clara, Adam exploded with a rapidfire

"NXGG-CHUU! NXXXT-CHOO! IHHHH-CHOO! HIIIH-CHOO! HIIIIIIH'CHOOOO! HUHH-CHOO! HUHCHOO! CHOO! CHOO! CHOO! HAAAAAH-CHOOOOO!"

The last sneeze echoed off the walls. He counted his blessings that it didn't shatter everything glass in the room. He was embarrassed, and he couldn't bear to look at Clara. His hands and sleeves had the remains of his messy sneezing fit on them, and he couldn't breathe through his nose. Without looking at her, he started with

"I'm so sorry..."

"Adam" She cut him off. He looked up to her holding a pile of tissues in her hand. She held it up to his sore, red nose.

"Blow." And he obliged.

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1637613-allergy-sufferers.php?st=301bf5e

[VividBubbles!]

"hh.. ih'chiuu!”

Karry sneezed into her tissue, blowing her nose afterwards. She couldn’t help but marvel at the setting that surrounded her. The clearing was almost a perfect circle, surrounded by a dense, green forest. Karry could hear the sounds of stream, babbling away in the distance. The place would have been perfect—except for the flowers.

“heh’HngGTshh!—uhh.. hh.. ih’hhh.. IHhGnTSHh!—uh.”

Karry glanced over at Marc as he sneezed. It had been his idea to come here for their fifth date. She had readily agreed. Usually, she loved the outdoors. The three mile hike here would have been worth it, had her nose not started acting up as soon as they reached the clearing. And then she’d seen Marc.

His eyes had been bright pink and watering, his nostrils twitching. His hand had risen slowly to pinch his nose before he turned to the side, stifling his sneezes.

“hh’HngT!—ahh.. GngxT! NngT!—uh.. HEGngtt’NGtt!—hh.”

He’d turned to give a sheepish smile of apology, but she’d already given into the tickle in her nose.

“ihh’Ngchiuu! Tshiuu!”

Marc’s face had morphed into one of extreme disappointment.

“I’m so sorry, Kare,” he’d said to her. “I had no-hh.. no idea that you would be allergic.”

She’d given him a warm smile and kissed his cheek.

“It’s alright,” she’d said, putting her head on his shoulder and observing the small, perfect meadow. “Actually, if it's okay, I’d like to stay here for a while."

Marc had given her an astonished look, but he'd agreed.

~~*~~

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-22475047-athlete-with-cold.php?st=07476b6

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-22537283-athlete-with-cold.php

Edited January 15, 2013 by VividBubbles!

[Wig_Powder]

I know the description says "athlete with cold", but the background's giving me different ideas...

Nate exhaled sharply, feeling the almost pleasant burn in his lungs. Glancing down at his combination watch/pedometer, he was gratified to see that he'd managed ten miles in an hour. It looked like his training was paying off. Even the cold he'd had last week couldn't slow him down.

Feeling like he deserved a break, he came to a stop and pulled his water bottle out from his back pocket and took a drink, letting his heart rate slow a little before he continued on. He'd go forward for another half-hour before turning around. He sighed and looked around, admiring the autumn scenery. Mid-October and early April were always the best times to go running, if you wanted something to look at as you ran.

Throughout the jog, Nate's nose had been running, both from the chill in the air and the lingering remnants of his cold. Now, however, his nose actively prickled, and his breath hitched. It was only then that he realized that he had stopped just in front of a grove of birch trees, which had turned a beautiful gold...and which he was allergic to. Normally it only caused him a few sniffles and some watering eyes, but with his nose still sensitive from his cold, the effects were a little more dramatic this time.

"HESHHH!" The sneeze burst out before he could get out a tissue, but he quickly pressed one to his face to muffle two more; "ESHMMP! HSSHT!"

He kept the tissue to his face afterwards to limit the amount of pollen he inhaled. Despite all this, he couldn't help but give a slight smile. Looks like his break would be shorter than anticipated...

***

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-29318272/stock-photo-women-with-allergies.html?src=ff99726f362f4c80135fcfcbc36fead2-1-33

[SummerSnowflake]

Shaina was laughing from behind her handful of tissues because really, it was that or cry. What part of "mom can't even be in the same room with a cat" had her kids failed to understand? Maybe cute black kitten had overriden their common sense. It was the only excuse she could think of for hiding a cat in the house for two whole weeks, knowing their mother was sneezing her head off and playing as innocent as always.

"We're dot keepig hib. Absolutely dot." She echoed for the tenth time. "It's...ih...ihh-IATSCHH!Hetsch!"

"We'll wash him every day-"

"Doesn't help-" She was beginning to say, when the everpresent itching in the back of her throat took over and turned her words into a fit of three painful sneezes.

"God DAMMIT." When Shaina was finally able to raise her head and open her eyes again, both children were staring at her as if she had just pulled a rabbit out of her hat. Not that a rabbit would've been much better.

Her nose was dripping, chest burning from her sneezing fit, her eyes had been stinging from allergic irritation. Despite that, the damn thing was pretty cute and her daughter's bouncing from side to side was cuter. She no longer had the energy to fight it.

"Okay, fine. You win. We can keep him for NOW. But he stays in the garage, and-no no no don't-"

She put out a hand to try and ward her daughter off but it was too late, the little girl jumped up and wrapped her mother in a tight, dander infused hug. It took every motherly instinct she had not to shove the kid away.

"Ah-ah...ih...." She groaned softly, turning away and pinching the bridge of her nose to try and force the tickling sneeze out once and for all. "ihtsch! Hailey, g-guh...go...take hih...hitsch! hib out...HehHATSCHshn!"

"Garage, now!" She managed as she stumbled out of the room. As Shaina escaped into the bathroom to strip out of her clothes and jump immediately into the shower, she made a mental note to call her doctor and sign up for shots again.

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/1109/1109,1144634379,3/stock-photo-a-patient-receives-a-checkup-focus-on-hands-and-stethoscope-1185678.jpg

[Healer]

"Okay, sit down for me, Sarah" Dr. Jenkins said, reaching for his nearest equipment

Sarah nodded, but before she could do anything she reached for the nearest she could and sneezed, harshly, into it. "Heh-TISHEW! Ugh" she wiped her nose, sniffled a bit and turned around

"Do you thigk you bight have sobe idea what's wrog with be, doctor?" she asked, her voice heavily congetsed

"Well, it's mostly likely just a cold, but it always helps to be safe" he replied

"I suppose that bakes seh--" she halted, and grabbed for her tissue again "...ehh..Eh-HNK! Uh...TISH-nk" she stifled both sneezes into the tissue, and blew her nose. "Sorry, I just keep sdeezig" she muttered, sniffling

Jenkins smiled "It's fine. Don't worry about it" He reached for a tongue depressor

"Could you open your mouth for me, Sarah, please?" he said, and Sarah complied.

He used the tongue depressor for it's namesake, and looked down her throat. "Yes," he muttered "Your glands do look slightly swollen"

He pulled the depressor out, giving Sarah the ability to reply

"Yeah, as I said, I've had a sore throat for a few day dow. The sdeezig ad blocked dose started yesterday" She grabbed her tissues again, and gave her nose a firm wipe, to illustrate her point.

"Okay, could you just turn around for me now, please?" Jenkins asked. Sarah nodded, but not before her eyes started to flutter and she sneezed a loud "Heh-TCHEW! ...eh...HET-ISHEW...eh...ah..ASHEW!" she sniffled, and wiped her nose again.

Jenkins reached for his stethoscope, and Sarah turned around, as Jenkins applied the cool steel to her back. Sarah, in the meanwhile, was focusing on her nose which still running, and she had taken to holding the tissue to her nose, to prevent it. Jenkins nodded, and pulled the stethoscope off

"Sarah Wilcox" he said "It seems you have a bad cold"

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-89681410/stock-photo-image-of-businesswoman-sneezing-while-her-partner-looking-at-her-unsurely-in-office.html?src=67a8dfc66e0b8a26d9fb63d59a5730a9-1-4

[Wig_Powder]

I apologize if it seems like I'm spamming this board; I just don't want any of the participants to be disappointed and not get a fill. Since I started this topic, I feel responsible for it. So on that note...

"Hah-tchh!" Olivia sneezed into a tissue that was starting to grow damp from overuse. As she sniffled and lowered the tissue, she noticed her partner, Tyler, giving her a look. "What?" she said curtly.

"Olivia, you've sneezed five times in the last three minutes. Just admit it; you have a cold."

"I'm fide." Olivia insisted, cursing the congestion that had crept into her voice. She sniffed again and continued, "Besides, we have to complete this project by the end of the week. I'm not about to let anything stop me."

"You can work from home and e-mail the results to me, and I can put the final thing together. You don't need to be in the office."

"I need to be here," Olivia said, "I want to be on the ground, making sure everythings ru..run...Rushhooo!" She barely managed to get the tissue to her face to catch the sneeze. When she opened her eyes, Tyler was actively glaring at her. "All right then, how about this argument? If you stay here, half your team, including myself, will catch this from you, and then the project will be completely doomed. And what if you sneeze on the boss while you're presenting? He'd have your hide for it!"

Olivia paled at the thought. "All right," she groaned, "You win. I expect an e-mail with all our current figures waiting for me by the time I get home."

"It's a deal." Tyler promised. Oliva rose to her feet and gathered up her things, making sure to scoop up her used tissues to throw out... and to grab a few clean ones for the drive home.

***

Another triple this time: http://www.agefotostock.com/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/X7D-1057290, http://www.agefotostock.com/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/X7D-1057289, and http://www.agefotostock.com/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/X7D-1057286

[PuddinPop]

It was a warm, early autumn day, and Jo had decided to walk home from work. She would have caught the bus, but this early evening, she was in no hurry to get home.

She walked briskly down the pavement, the evening air cool against her face. She came to the entrance of the park that was filled with dog walkers, people jogging and kids playing. She smiled as she walked inside.

She got a few steps down the path befor a couple of kids, probably about 12 years old, came running up to her with tears in their eyes.

"Please, Miss! We've lost our dog, can you help us find him? He ran in there," one of the boys said pointing towards a set of trees. Jo couldn't help but melt. She adored dogs, but she adored kids even more. She was desperate for one, one day.

She smiled at the boys.

"Don't worry, we'll find your dog," Jo said reassuringly.

She made her way into the gathering of trees and began searching and whistling for the dog.

After a moment, she felt a slight tickle in her left nostril. She absent-mindedly rubbed her index finger under her nose before continuing her search.

A moment later, the feeling returned, stronger this time, making Jo twitch her nose and rub her finger along the underside again. This time, she could feel slight moisture on her finger where her nose had began to run, and sniffled quickly. This made the feeling in her nose intensify, and it turned from a slight tickle into a huge itch that filled both her nostrils.

Jo stopped dead and closed her eyes, still with her finger under her nose, knowing an impending sneeze was coming quickly.

She felt her breath hitch and could feel her nostrils twitching and flaring with each ragged breath.

"Hhh... heh... hiii... HatiShuu! Haah'Eshiew!! Huhh... TchIEW! Hhh... heeeeh... HAASHIEWW!!"

The last sneeze bent Jo at the waist and she sniffled miserably, wiping her damp nose with the back of her hand, realizing she had no tissues with her.

The feeling in her nose reappeared, as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Hahh... HATSHIEW! TSHIEW! TSHIEW! TSHIEWW!! Hah... HATCHIEW!!!"

As the rapid fire sneezes exploded out of her, she wondered what was making her sneeze like this. Through bleary, teared eyes, Jo could see she was standing right next to a willow tree. She turned her head slightly and one of the branches rubbed under the side of her twitching, pink, allergic nose.

"AATTSHIEWW! HATCH'ISHEW!! AHH... AHTCHIEWW!! Heh... hehh... hehhh..." She could feel one last sneeze dancing inside her nose. She had her hand against the tree to steady herself as the sneeze teased her nose, making her eyes close half way, her nostrils flare wildly, and one bead of moisture made its way from her nose onto her top lip.

A breeze blew by suddenly, making the branch of the tree once again brush under Jo's now extremely sensitive nose.

"HA'TCHIEWW! TCHIEW! TCHIEW!! TCHIEWW!!" The last sneezes came exploding out of her as she supported herself against the tree.

She saw the little dog at her feet, so grabbed him and ran as quickly as she could away from the trees, desperate to get home and take a shower.

http://www.agefotost...e/ESY-004633462

Edited February 4, 2013 by PuddinPop

[Wig_Powder]

Preston blearily checked the clock on his nightstand and groaned when he realized it was time to take his medication. Shivering as he got out of bed, he grabbed a blanket and a box of tissues before making his way to the kitchen. Once there, he set the tissue box on the countertop (not an easy thing considering all the spent tissues lying around) and opened the refrigerator to grab the medicine bottle. The cold air against his face made him shiver even harder, and he closed the door with relief.

He stood by the counter, pouring the blue-green liquid into the provided container. It looked, smelled, and tasted disgusting, but damned if it didn't ease his congestion and lower his fever a little. He had no idea what was in it, but he'd have to send his doctor a thank you note once this stupid flu made him feel a little more lively.

The instructions said he had to take a dose of this stuff once every four hours. Unfortunately, his body seemed to have picked up a routine of its own. When the small cup was half-full, a sneeze exploded out of Preston without warning. "KERSHH!" the medicine missed its target and spilled over his hand, cold and slimy. Swearing, he quickly set down the bottle and pulled out a tissue to wipe it away. Then he pulled out another one to wipe his nose. Finally, he pulled out one more to catch yet another sneeze. "AH-KERSHMMPH!"

With that, he added the spent tissues to the pile on the countertop, finished pouring the medicine, and downed it in one gulp. Then he slipped the bottle back in the refrigerator and dragged himself back to bed, hoping that this time he'd wake up feeling a little better.

***

http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/4269-4905

[queenie]

Eh-kshii! Louise's head bobbed delicately for the twentieth time in as many minutes, perfectly curled black ponytail bouncing at the back of her head.

"What's up with you tonight?" Molly asked, adjusting her cleavage in the dressing room mirror. "You've sneezed like two million times tonight."

"I thought you were going to fall off the stage during that last number," Charlotte added, holding out a tissue, "right into that table of businessmen."

Heh- ekshoo! Louise jerked again, ruffling the yellow feathers that adorned the top of the corset of the newest costume for the showgirls. "Thags," she sniffled, accepting the tissue from Charlotte and using it to wipe excess mascara from under her watery eyes. "Something in the air, I guess." Her breath hitched with a soft heh-eh, but the sneeze receded. This time.

Carrie turned around, pursing her full red lips. "I think I know," she said, slinking across the room with a box of tissues in her left hand. She offered them to Louise and settled her right hand across the back of Louise's neck. "Blow, darling," she murmured, and then: "have you ever worn feathers before?"

Louise shook her head, tissues clamped around her nose as a decidedly sneezy expression clouded her eyes. Eh... heh... kissht, she smothered into the clump of damp tissue clasped in her hand.

Carrie smiled wryly. "It's the new costumes. I've seen it before. You're allergic to the costume. You'd better get out of it."

"That's imbossible," Louise sniffed, "I'mb fi-- fide..."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Admit it, you haven't taken a breath without sneezing since you put it on." She grabbed the loose end of the boa and wrapped it around Louise's face.

Defiantly, Louise inhaled deeply.

The effect was instantaneous. Ah-kshi! EHkshoo! Ash-kew! Eh-heh-heh... akishoo! kishoo! Kish! Ish! Ish! Eshoo! eh... Louise looked up at her laughing friends with streaming, miserable eyes. Kashtoo!

http://www.superstock.com/preview.asp?image=1830-84847&imagex=84&id=18328164&productType=3&pageStart=0&pageEnd=100&pixperpage=100&hitCount=4411&filterForCat=&filterForFotog=

[SummerSnowflake]

It just wasn't fair. Rachel had done everything right but all the flu shots in the world couldn't protect against the monster head cold she had woken up with. The only relief came when she was soaking up to her ears in a hot bath-she had sort of lost track of how many times she had stumbled into the shower sneezing her head off that day. As she dried her hair in front of the mirror she groaned softly at the familiar tingling already building in the bridge of her nose.

Oh no. Not again. Not already.

Rachel blindly grabbed a handful of tissues as her face contorted into a tortured presneeze expression, mouth slightly open, eyelashes fluttering slowly, nostrils starting to twitch. "Aieh...ih...AHTshh!"

Her aching head snapped forward as she clamped the tissues around her nose , eliciting a soft groan.

"Heh-hitsch! You've gotta be kidding be...I cah...hih...can't...hehh...HATSSchh! "

Rachel's towel turban tumbled from her head as she used every ounce of strength she had to keep the doubled over sneezes from knocking her off balance. " hih...AITSHH!"

Why did she have to get every cold that went by? Rachel didn't feel like contemplating such mysteries when her nose was dripping and positively burning from what felt like the sneezing fit of the century building.

"Eh-ehh...eitschh! HeTCH! Hitsngxht!" In between sneezes her nostrils flared visibly, twitching unhappily as she grabbed another handful of tissues to bury her face in.

With a loud sniffle, she turned in defeat back to the comfort of her shower. There had to be at least ten minutes of hot water left.

http://www.agefotostock.com/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MAR-W311227

[Wig_Powder]

"Thanks again for helping me with my photography class, Quinn." Cameron said, setting up his camera.

"Anything to help a friend," Quinn answered, looking around the white backdrop, "What exactly do I have to do?"

"I need to take a series of photos of someone in motion. Kind of like making a flipbook." He got behind the camera. "Just start moving around. I'll take pictures as we go."

Quinn tried to ignore the clicking noises coming off from the side and started moving. She jumped up and down, twirled in place, tossed her head, and waved her hand, waggling her fingers. Just as she was was about to ask Cameron if he needed any more, there was a commotion outside the "studio".

A calico cat streaked into the room, followed closely by Pam, Cameron's mother. "NO! Bad kitty! I told you not to come in here!"

Quinn had always been slightly allergic to cats, and now, with the cat running around shedding fur everywhere, the symptoms hit her much quicker, and more violently, than usual. "Hah...hahh...Hah-SHHH! Et-CHH!" She groped around for the tissue she kept in her pocket. As Pam finally grabbed hold of the cat and hoisted it into the air, Quinn reared back and let out the most violent sneeze yet. "AH-KESHOOO!!!"

Two weeks later, Cameron told her he'd gotten an A+ on the photography project. "My teacher thought the set was extremely dynamic. She wants to have it on the wall for the student fair next month."

"That's great, Cam. Are you going to give it a title?"

He smiled a little. "I was thinking 'A Study in Allergies.'"

***

http://www.agefotostock.com/00596iwtaz/checo/enim01.asp?foto=10535129&light=&foto_clave=BSI-0922707