#//The hopeful outlook of it all helps them cope with Everything

[dutybcrne]

Lumine has mulled over the idea of finding love in someone in Teyvat and settling down with them, especially after getting to know certain people. She’s aware it’s an exceedingly self-indulgent idea, esp since she doesn’t KNOW if she’ll choose to stay in Teyvat once she gets through to Aether ( if they have to leave Teyvat to keep the Abyss’s influence away from him, so be it ). But she genuinely has thought it over and imagined not only what wedding she’d like, but also what life there would be like for her and her spouse, where she would like to spend their married lives at.

[peachsukii]

₊✩‧₊ ⎯ 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. it's your final year of UA High, an achievement that should be celebrated and joyous, but you couldn't believe just how much has changed in such a short amount of time. one thing you never thought you'd have to deal with is the potential of losing your best friend and being powerless to stop it.

content // spoilers for ch.362 through 424 of the manga (this is how i'm coping), aged up to 18/19 + end of senior year @ UA, teeny bit of angst mixed with emotional comfort & fluff, reader is in the support department (w/ an unnamed quirk), reader & bakugo are childhood friends, talks of ptsd/trauma/regret and nightmares about death, mentions of medical issues & therapy, emotionally vulnerable and sickly sweet confessions, extremely soft bakugo (maybe ooc? but trauma changes people's outlooks soooo), idiots in love, best friends to lovers. wc // 5.7k + crossposted to ao3 『 k.bakugo masterlist 』

tagging in the beginning to prevent spoilers if you wanted to avoid them; @slayfics @maddietries @starieq @liluvtojineteyam @jays-adventure3 @simp-plague @queenpiranhadon

War…is over.

For now.

The media wouldn’t stop playing the coverage on repeat, leaving you unable to escape the scene that will haunt you for the rest of your life and forcing you to realize how vulnerable you are as a human being.

((spoilers below the cut))

You knew the second that Bakugo popped out of the shell of UA’s fortress through a grainy livestream that something was wrong. The way he staggered out, covered in blood with a mangled arm…your heart sank. You had no clue what happened moments prior in that bubble, only the heroes inside knew the truth at the time. Watching Midoriya’s awestruck tears flow as they worked together to save All Might from All for One’s grasp didn’t fill you with hope like others around you - it filled you with fear, a deadly reminder of how dangerous hero society is and the sacrifices it entails. How your duty as a support technician, and as a best friend, wasn’t even close to enough to help him in such dire straits.

Your calls and texts to him went unanswered...as expected. He probably doesn't even have his phone on him. Rumors spread over the course of the week following Shigaraki and All for One’s demise about what happened on the field when the cameras weren’t rolling.

Did you hear about that Bakugo kid? How’d he even get up after all that? You mean from being clinically dead? Yeah, I heard Edgeshot saved his life on the fly. His heart exploded! No, he was punched and it ruptured. But he saved All Might’s life! That was so cool to see. Deku helped, too. He wouldn’t have made it in time without him. A lot of the other students went through a lot of shit…and they expect them to go back to school?

UA was 'kind' enough to give all students a two week break from classes with dorms and buildings open for access as needed. Two weeks to recover from everything that's happened...it was a joke.

You lost count of how many nights you woke up sobbing from nightmares about Bakugo’s death within the past week, ranging from surgery complications to being left to die on the battlefield alone, unable to reach him in time. Your therapist reiterated in your session that this is all a normal response, even when the events didn't directly happen to you and resembled a form of survivor's guilt. It only worsened your negative outlook on society as a whole, knowing full well that they’ve saved Japan today, but there will always be evil lurking and stewing in the shadows, waiting for the next greatest hero to bring to their knees.

The hospital barred anyone outside of the immediate family to see patients, no matter how much you begged every front desk associate to let you see him. You didn’t want to resort to sounding desperate, but you gave in by the end of the week, stopping by Bakugo’s family home to talk with his parents. To your surprise, Mitsuki was home and answered the door. Not more than a second passed before she was scooping you up into a hug, her shaky hands clutching the back of your shirt as if you were her own daughter returning home for the first time in months.

“Hi sweetie,” she greets, her voice hushed and somber; an entire 180 from her normal demeanor. She lets you go, moving her hands to your shoulders as she invites you inside.

You spend some time catching up with her before asking the inevitable question lingering in the air. “How’s Katsuki? The hospital wouldn’t let me in to see him.”

Mitsuki’s eyes glisten, tears pooling in her eyes as she shakes her head and swallows harshly. “He’s a tough ass kid. Surgery went as good as it could’ve, but…” she trails off, wiping the lone tear rolling over her cheek. “Why don’t you come with me this afternoon to the hospital?”

You bite your lip, hands curling in on themselves as they rest on your knees. “But they told me—”

“Screw that!” She interrupts, standing to her feet. “You’re comin’ with me. You are family to us.”

Your stomach cartwheels as the hospital comes into view from the backseat of the Bakugo family car, Masaru driving the three of you through the visitor’s parking lot. Mitsuki glances in the rear view mirror, catching the nervous twitch in your lips as you stared out the window.

“Dear, could you give us a minute?” she asks Masaru, motioning him to go on ahead. He nods in acknowledgment and leaves the car to head to the lobby.

“Do you wanna talk before going inside?”

How the hell did she know you were nervous? She’s known you for a good chunk of your live, it’s not too far fetched she’d be able to analyze your emotions like she does for her own son.

“I'm...” you say meekly, fidgeting with your jeans. “...trying to stay positive, but I’ve had so many nasty nightmares and I don’t know what to expect. I've only heard rumors at school about his condition.”

Mitsuki reaches to the backseat and gently takes one of your hands in hers. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re allowed to be scared. Shit, I’m terrified for him and all the other kids…this isn’t something everyday people experience, so it’s unfair to expect yourself to have standards on how to feel. He's alright, I can promise you that.”

You sigh, her words giving you a sense of comfort. “Thank you.”

“And if I can say one thing,” she adds, squeezing your hand to grab your attention. “That kid adores you, he’s just a stupid boy who doesn’t know how to say it.”

The laugh that bubbles up from your belly is genuine, a thin layer of anxiety dissolving at the thought of him getting embarrassed by his mom’s words. Nodding, you let go of her hand and open the car door, signaling you’re ready to go inside.

“Katsuki! You can’t be up and roaming around!”

Mitsuki’s heels click against the marble flooring as she scampers to Bakugo’s side down the hallway, Masaru trailing behind her when she catches a glimpse of him hobbling into a room that isn’t his own. You stay back, peering from around the corner to avoid being seen if he happened to glance your way. A few minutes pass before you faintly hear Masaru say, "Come on, let's get you back to your room to rest," and the sounds of their footsteps retreating down the hall.

It's almost embarrassing how long it takes you to work up the courage to follow after them - what's the big deal? Your best friend is physically here, not some ghost or a walking corpse from your nightmares. You knew in your heart what it was that kept you frozen in place, a feeling you've long shut away, burying it within the depths of your heart to keep yourself sane.

Love.

And it scared the shit out of you, especially now. 

Retreating back to the lobby, you mindlessly scan the vending machines as a distraction until a hand touches your back. You jump at the contact and turn to see Mitsuki and Masaru standing behind you.

"We're heading home for a few hours to make some dinner and come back with leftovers for Katsuki. I told the nurses you're with us, so keep this pass with you." She hands you a visitors badge and you tuck it in your uniform pocket. "I'll bring you some dinner, too, dear. Don't waste your money on snacks. Now go see him, he could use some time away from us."

You've got a chance to be alone with Bakugo to talk with him about...everything, and you're frozen in the goddamn lobby. It takes a bit of kicking yourself in the ass to get moving, but eventually, you begin to warily make your way back to the patient wing. 

A vague memory of standing at UA’s entrance comes barreling to the front of your mind, the day that the hero courses all left to prepare for the war torn city streets with the pros. You’d stood to the side, passively blessing everyone with good luck and your best wishes as they prepared to depart. When Bakugo shuffles away from his parents, he spots you in the crowd and approaches you with a straight face. Just when you’re about to say something, he grabs you by the shoulders, spins you around and pushes you toward a set of hedges nearby. Not completely out of sight, but enough to hide from the majority of the congregation of friends and families.

“Kats?” You question, confused by him secluding the two of you from everyone else.

“Not another word,” Bakugo warns, cornering you in the darkness of the wall and bushes. He hesitates before reaching for one of your hands, warmth flooding from his palm into yours. His other hand scratches at the back of his neck nervously, eyes upturned to the sky as he speaks lowly. 

“Wanted to say thanks for supporting my dream of bein’ a hero all these years. Don’t go worrying about me while I’m out there, alright?”

Before you could interject, his back was to you and marching over to join the others. 

His words rang in your head every night, repeatedly taunting you about the feelings that rattled your ribs from how fast he made your heart beat.

You should have told him then.

The walk up the stairs to his floor fills you with unexplainable jitters that you've never felt before - were you dreading the conversation? Are you scared he wouldn't reciprocate your feelings, despite Mitsuki's words from earlier? Or...afraid to see the damage in person?

You find his name on one of the patient plaques, taking a deep breath as your knuckles tap on the hollow door. His voice follows soon after, "Yeah, come in."

Your hand lingers on the door handle for a moment before you convince yourself to go inside.

‘Come on, it’s Katsuki. He's your best fucking friend. He knows everything about you and vice versa. Don’t be a damn coward and make it weird.’

The door slides on the track at a snails pace, revealing your face bit by bit to Bakugo as he stares in your direction. Imagine your surprise when his eyes widen upon seeing you, mouth open to say something, but nothing comes out. You shut the door and walk over to the right side of his hospital bed.

“Hey Katsu—”

The words refused to come out as you took in his current condition - a full arm cast, a brace around his waist, oxygen tubes through his nose and multiple bandages covering his pretty face. The window sill is lined with various vases of fresh flowers and 'Get Well Soon!' cards. It's overwhelming, the lump in your throat hardening at the sight, unable to stop the lightning bolts of anxiety zapping the color from your face. Bakugo snaps you out of it when his left hand reaches across the bed and grips your wrist, pulling you closer to him.

“Stop analyzin’ the damage and c’mere already.”

Before you could react, he’s using his free arm to wrap around your shoulders, tucking you against him as tightly as he could manage. “Was wonderin’ when you were gonna come visit me.”

The tears are swiftly building on your waterline, threatening to downpour all over your cheeks and stain his hospital gown. It takes every ounce of willpower not to say 'I didn't think I'd ever see you again.'

“They wouldn’t let me, I’ve been trying for a week. Your mom convinced them to let me in,” you explain as you lay one of your hands over his heart, thumbing over the fabric and feeling the freshly raised scar tissue underneath. “I’ve called and texted you, but figured they didn’t let you have your phone.”

“I don’t even know where it is,” he huffs. “Ma probably has it, or it’s dead on my desk in the dorms.”

Bakugo’s fingers run through your hair, playing with it absentmindedly in silence, sighing to himself. “I’ve got so much shit runnin’ through my head that I can’t think straight.”

“Yeah...I thought that would be the case.” You pull yourself away from his embrace, shifting to the opposite side of the bed before settling in to the chair by the window. "What's going on?"

He pouts, extending his left hand in your direction. There’s a hint of pink under his bandages that begins blooming down his neck when he mumbles, “Want you closer.”

You pick up the chair to scoot it forward as Bakugo groans aloud, shaking his head and patting the empty space next to him in the hospital bed.

“Kats, there isn’t enough room for both of us,” you laugh, unable to hide the drag of your lips curling into a smile at his flustered expression. He stares at you for a moment longer, asking 'please?' with those beautiful ruby eyes of his.

How can you not give in to him?

As gingerly as you can, you slide under the thin blanket on the bed and up against his left side, his arm raised to make room for your body to mold into his. You’re terrified to touch him, treating him like a porcelain statue and stiffening in his embrace.

"M'not gonna break if ya touch me," he comments, patting you on the back for assurance. Reluctantly, you lay your head against his chest and drape your arm over his midsection, settling in and getting as comfortable as you could in the confined space, careful to avoid all of the wires and tubes hooked up to him.

"I'm not used to you being touchy-feely for more than a minute at a time," you joke, smiling when you hear the click of his tongue against his teeth in response. 

"My damn parents are the only ones I've been stuck with, gimme a goddamn break!"

A few minutes pass before you two carry on the conversation again, Bakugo clearing his throat awkwardly before letting go of the breath he was holding. "How...are ya holdin' up?"

Truthfully? You weren't, hoping that the light purple pockets forming under your eyes and lifeless hair were not dead giveaways of your mental status.

"I've...been better. What about you?" you reply, blatantly lying through your teeth. It wouldn't be fair to lay out all of the traumatic shit you've thought about over the last week when he's in the hospital recovering from the actual traumatic events.

"It's...lonely here," Bakugo mutters faintly, almost too low to hear. "An' I can't sleep. The nurses are nice, though, same with the therapist they sent in yesterday."

"They made you see a therapist straight out of surgery?"

"Right? S'what I said. Didn't talk much, though. Basically gave me the rundown of UA supplying all the students a therapist next month. Don't think it'll do much for me, not like I can undo all the shit that happened, but Ma talked me into goin' later on."

"Can't hurt, even if it's every once in awhile."

"...Yeah."

You trace some of the creases in his hospital gown idly, savoring his presence and the sound of his voice. Bakugo fidgets with the material of your shirt, wanting to avoid dumping all of his thoughts on your shoulders, but the weight is too much for him to hold onto any longer. 

"Izuku's...quirkless again. I don't know how to feel, but I cried like a damn child when I overheard him talkin' with All Might about it. Gave me a perspective that I never thought about before all this shit went down."

"And what's that?"

"...I robbed him of his dream."

You wish, more than anything, that you could go into Bakugo's head and pluck out all the guilt he still harbors over his and Midoriya's childhood together. It's not like Midoriya held it against him anymore, and Bakugo knew that, but he couldn't shake those demons loose that reminded him of his past self.

"You didn't. He knew the costs of One for All and agreed to it, it's not your fault."

"I know, but I feel so fuckin' shitty for treating him like he's dirt for so long."

"It's not stupid to feel," you say, feeling his body tense and relax beneath you. "But Katsuki, you need to forgive yourself. You can't let this eat away at you forever, it's been over two years since you apologized."

His heart aches at your words, knowing you're right, but he couldn't forgive himself...not yet, anyways. Maybe tomorrow, or next week, even next month, just not right now.

"...thank you," is all Bakugo can say, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from getting choked up about it for a second time. Silence falls upon the room, letting the two of you simply co-exist for a moment of peace. It had been a long fucking week, and being in the same room, let alone touching one another, was a luxury you didn't know if you'd ever have again.

"I'm out of commission for a bit, but that's not a concern to me right now. I know I can come back from this shit and stay on track to bein' number one. There's somethin' else that's been on my mind since..." he trails off, the hand on your back moving to your shoulder to tighten his hold on you. "...I fought Shigaraki in that damn fortress."

You rest your hand atop his on your shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it if it's stressful."

"No, I need'ta tell ya before I chicken out 'cause I didn't say it when I had the chance." He tucks a piece of hair behind your ear, twisting the strands in his finger as he bit his lip nervously. He's thankful you aren't currently looking at him, else wise all his cover would be blown before he spoke one word about it.

"The second he broke my arm, I didn't think about the pain, all I could think about was seein' you again. And then some otherworldly shit happened, the weirdest fuckin' out of body experience. I didn't believe in any of that junk until now."

Hearing him recollect the memory of his untimely death resurfaces all of the dormant fears lying in your mind from your nightmares. You screw your eyes shut to keep them away, to shield you a little longer from the pain they inflict upon you. Bakugo was right here, right now, with you. He's not an illusion or a figment of your imagination...he's here.

"...are you shaking?" He asks, hand cascading down your back to calm your nerves. You hadn't noticed that you were trembling, focused on doing your damndest to keep it together and let him spill his guts freely. "Do you want me to stop talkin' about it?"

It's muffled against his hospital gown, but you're able to squeak out a measly 'no.' He pats your head tenderly and shuts his eyes before continuing.

"I remember focusin' on rushing in and getting hit a second time, but this felt...different. There wasn't any pain, and when I came to, All Might's vestige ghost was there. He didn't say anything when I talked to him," Bakugo pauses, inhaling deeply to compose himself. "He led me back to UA and took me to the support wing's workshop. You were testing somethin' with Goggles, giggling away like an idiot with her."

The tears welling up in your eyes were inevitable at this point - was he insinuating that while he was skirting between life and death, he thought about you?

"And then I was outside, lying in the grass at our favorite spot down by the river. You'd dropped your fuckin' popsicle in the dirt, whining about how much you wanted it. I made fun of ya a bit before givin' you mine, but you insisted we share it instead. It was...nice. Everything felt warm and peaceful. When I actually woke up to Jeanist and the others, they kept sayin' I was revived and needed to go to the hospital. That's when I jumped in to help Deku and, well, y'know the rest."

Your body shivers, the hiccup you were desperately holding in coming to the surface in a muted sob. He silently lets a few tears fall, too, the bandages growing saturated with saltiness and stinging the open cuts on his face. His stomach was in knots, but shockingly, he welcomed the foreign feeling. To him, it only confirmed what he felt was true. He didn't know jack shit about love, but was more than confident that he could untangle the complexities of it with you.

"I was knockin' on death's door and you led me back home. Before I left, I was gonna tell ya how important you are to me...now more than ever."

You pray that Bakugo can't feel, or hear, how hard your heart was beating against your sternum, hammering away at his unexpected confession. The whirring of the medical machinery accompanied his words hanging in the air, swirling in tandem with the thoughts in your head.

Do it.

Say it.

Take the chance.

Cautiously, you attempt to sit up and haphazardly slip on the sheets, colliding foreheads with him while trying to catch yourself. Instead of scolding you, Bakugo bursts out laughing, a few stray tears falling from the corners of his eyes. "Y'coulda said something instead of head butting me, brat."

"Like you gave me a chance to say shit!" you scoff, poking him in the chest playfully. When your eyes meet, reflective hearts are bouncing between your gazes, faces lingering dangerously close to one another. "I've...been waiting to tell you something, too."

"Yeah? An' what's that?"

Your vision begins to blur, eyes falling shut as the gravity becomes too much to bare any longer. Your left hand glides up his chest, finding purchase on his collarbone while your lips rest plush against his. Electricity races through your veins and time stands still, all the clichés about love coming to the forefront of your mind and how true they proved to be in the moment. You barely notice when Bakugo's free hand threads through your hair and settles at the nape of your neck, melding the two of you into a deeper first, and definitely not last, kiss. When you part, it's not met with gasps for air, but with breathless sighs of bliss. You're pulling away only to gravitate back into his orbit, unable to resist his advance when he lurches forward to steal a second kiss. Your lips quiver against his as the words in your heart beg to be released, unable to cage the emotions thrashing around in your chest.

"You have no idea how many nightmares…I had about you not coming home…or that it was too late…to bring you back to life in the hospital,” you mutter between delicate kisses, finally having the strength to lean back and lock eyes with him. “I'd be standing at your goddamn grave like a widow whose husband returned from war in a casket, vacantly staring at the ground while the rain soaked through my clothes. The roses always had thorns that cut my hands open. It changed every single night, a new version of losing you before getting the chance to say...," you stop, attempting to swallow the pain long enough to confess, but your voice betrays you and cracks as you blurt out, "that I love you, Katsuki, and—"

He dreamily exclaims, "I love you, too," before the realization hits that he said it out loud and not in his head. It catches you both off guard and sends him into an adorable panic, the previous pink hue to his skin growing deeper by the second.

"S-shit," he stutters, squeezing his eyes shut and scrunching his nose to hide his lovesick expression. Your run your finger along his jawline, careful not to catch any of the bandaging, and stop at his chin to coax his attention back to you.

"I want to be the loudest person that you can hear cheering for you in a crowd when you save a little kid or capture a villain." Your hand cups the right side of his face while you continue to pour your bruised heart out. "To be your number one fan at signings and promo events that an agency is going to force your grumpy ass to do, the one who picks up your broken pieces when no one else is around. I want to give you everything because you deserve nothing less than that."

For the first time in his short life, Bakugo is speechless. What did he ever do to deserve your endearment? He wasn't one to shy away from expressing what was owed to him through blood, sweat and tears - like working hard on an assignment and deserving nothing short of a 100% passing grade - but this was unlike anything else. He truly didn't know why you were so captivated by his energy, even before these confessions came stumbling out into the open. What about him appealed to you in such a way to make you desire him so deeply?

"I—" he struggles to find the words to say, searching his brain incessantly for something to match your sweet sincerity. "I'd be happy sharin' popsicles with you by the river for the rest of my life if that's what it came down to. I don't need money or fame as a hero, bein' with you is more than enough for me."

In the past, something so sickly sweet would make Bakugo gag and be an immature jackass over the sentimentality, but now? He wouldn't admit that he enjoys the warmth blossoming in his chest and how it gives him stupid ass butterflies, especially when it comes to you. It struck at the most random times; when you'd laugh at his dumb jokes, toss him a smile in the hallway between classes, sit on the countertop while he cooked dinner for you two in the common room kitchen, fall asleep during your movie nights on his shoulder and drool on his shirt...the list kept growing exponentially until it kept him up at night, yearning to be by your side whenever you two were apart. 

He should've known the moment you approached him on the playground over a decade ago, joining him on that rusty swing set out of nowhere and started talking his ear off about the dandelions by the riverbed. 

Fuck, he was smitten as hell for you.

Your eyes well up with crocodile tears, lower lip wobbling and unable to stop the fat droplets coating your lashes, staining your strawberry cheeks and dripping down your neck. 

"T-thank you," you choke out, wiping your palms over your face to erase the tears. Bakugo chuckles under his breath, reaching to cradle your cheek in his hand. 

"So, do I still gotta ask you?" he jokes, smiling awkwardly as his eyes dart to the ceiling. 

You don't know what he's referring to. "Ask me...what?"

"...Seriously?" Bakugo lets his hand fall from your face. The blank expression on your face confirms you are absolutely clueless to what he means.

"Fuck, fine." He rolls his eyes, shrugging his shoulders dramatically before shifting in the bed to re-position himself. He leisurely tilts his head forward and into your space, close enough for his breath to fan over your lips as he speaks. "I want ya to be mine."

"Didn't sound like a question to me," you tease, lovingly nuzzling your nose with his.

"Shut the fuck up...wanna hear ya say it."

Uh oh, gravity is kicking in again.

Your lips part with half-lidded eyes as you purr, "I'm already yours, Katsuki," before melting into him, sealing your promise with another kiss. He tries to control it, but the tiniest moan floods out of him when he experimentally swipes his tongue across your bottom lip, ferociously flaring your cheeks into a deep scarlet flush as you reciprocate. Instinctively, he moves his right arm to cradle you closer and is met with searing pain, jolting away from your lips unexpectedly.

"Fuck!" he shouts, out of breath and wincing at the pain burning into his shoulder. "Sorry, s'my fault for trying to move the damn thing. Wasn't thinkin' and forgot where we are."

The sparkle in his eyes dim as he cast his gaze downward to analyze the cast. His shoulders slump and he shakes his head, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I was never good at timin', but dammit, I wish I could hold ya properly."

"No, no, it's alright, we've got plenty of time when you can."

Bakugo exhales while shifting his weight to readjust, making room for you to lay on his chest and tucking you back under his good arm a second time.

"Promise me somethin'," he sighs into your hair. "No matter how awful shit gets in the future, don't lose faith in me or the others over some dumbass villains and let it sour your outlook on the world."

Wow, were your feelings that obvious?

"It's...not that." Guilt trickles down your spine, goosebumps prickling up your arms from pinpointing the negative associations you've built up in your head. "Of course I believe in you, Kats, but it scares the shit out of me that this all happened before any of you had the chance to be pros. I know you said you're not worried about it, but I am."

He knows you're right, you have every reason to be concerned over the state of the world and what that means for the future after everything that's happened this year.

"I have hope," he starts, letting his head fall back against the stack of pillows. "Doc told me my right arm is dead in the water 'cause of all the bone segments they had to join together in the surgery, but the possibility of it healin' isn't out of the question."

Your heart sinks in the pause of conversation. How could he have such a positive outlook after being legally dead?

"I refused a prosthetic and wanna try rehab first. M'not gonna let it ruin my approach to bein' a hero. The real challenge is my heart, but that's not—"

"Wait, what's wrong with your heart? I thought Edgeshot patched it up?" you interrupt, turning up at him with your brows scrunched together. It might be a silly question, all things considered, but Edgeshot was a masterful surgeon with a high success rate in his field...everything should be fine, right? 

His heartbeat kicks up in tempo under your cheek - that can't be a good sign.

"He did...but it's not that simple, sweetheart. I've gotta take it easy for at least six weeks, maybe some meds to keep things stable. Shit sucks, considering I'm used to training daily, but it's not impossible to deal with. I can handle it. Plus, I got you an' your gadgets on my side."

"And you're telling me all this, but are worried about my feelings and Izuku being quirkless instead of yourself?"

Damn, you hit the nail on the head. Bakugo smirks, laughing to himself. "Heh, yeah. Guess so."

"Typical Katsuki, silently caring about everyone else before himself." You snuggle into him, a yawn falling out of you as you pull the blanket up to your shoulders. "Stop making me like you more and go back to grumpy, please."

"Only if ya promise to stick with me." 

"Like you have to ask. I promise."

He places a kiss to the crown of your head. "Good."

Your eyes fall shut, the rhythm of Bakugo's heart beginning to lull you into a tranquil, and much needed, sleep. Before you pass out, you drowsily slur, "Everything's gonna be okay. You're the strongest person I know...love you, Kats."

Pearlescent tears pool at the corners of his eyes, the ones that escape rolling over the gauze on his face and soaking into the material once more. All the pain, worry, and relentless thoughts about failure temporarily fade away into nothingness, offering him peace and a sense of safety to drift off to dreamland. He closes his eyes, lips upturned into a smile as he whispers, "Thank you...love you too, princess. Sweet dreams."

The door to Bakugo's room creaked open a half-hour later, Mitsuki and Masaru returning with dinner as promised. "Hey kid, we're—"

She stops herself, putting a finger to her lips and turning to Masaru, signaling for him to quietly shut the door. They can't help but jointly smile at the sight before them, the two of you are snoring away on the hospital bed together, cozied up under the sheets and out like a light. 

"Reminds you of us, doesn't it? I had a feeling seeing her would help him relax," Masaru says, lightly stroking Mitsuki's back. "Why don't we come back in a bit to see if they're up?"

She nods and hands the containers of mabo tofu for him to take while she approaches the hospital bed. Her palm glides over Bakugo's cast, thumb tracing over his right wrist as her mind wandered back to memories of him as a little firecracker of a child; chasing butterflies in the backyard, playing super heroes with Izuku, and his toothy little grin anytime he was excited about something. Nineteen years flew by, and Mitsuki couldn't be prouder of her bombastic hero. Before turning to leave with Masaru, she affectionately pinches Bakugo's cheek, light enough not wake him from his slumber. She peers over at you, admiring how much you've grown, too.

'If anyone's gonna take care of my brat, it's you...thank you.'

The two of them leave you to enjoy each other's comfort. 

The hurricane has passed and there's sunlight shining on a new future. The will be storms to come, but society has been given a chance to heal, all thanks to the next generation of pro heroes sacrificing their youth to challenge the status quo. Things won't be easy, that's for damn sure, but it's gonna take something stronger than the depths of hell to keep Katsuki Bakugo away from his dream - and you. 

written in a frenzy while listening to epiphany // evermore & semi-proof read through my own tears, so apologies if it's just a bunch of mushy ramble. i have a bunch of other projects to work on, and am shifting back to them, this just was in my head and i needed to get it out. thanks for reading. <3

[vvanillavveins]

On the WTNV finale:

Look, i like Brinknor. They helped me fall back in love with Night Vale when i was feeling particularly uninspired. It's hard to put it into words; i have adhd & i struggle to remember big intricate plots unless something reoccurring has really grabbed hold of my attention, and before Brinknor, i was struggling to sink my teeth into anything attention-holding, so to speak. I guess i was becoming less enthusiastic in Night Vale's storyline as time went on, even though i couldn't really work out why. I just couldn't stop tuning out. But, with Brinknor, there came a bunch of shiny new plotpoints- at a faster pace. The show could actually hold my focus properly, and my wtnv fixation was suddenly up & running again.

All this is to say that i know it's just my impatience talking when i say that i wish that the loose ends of those new, interesting plotpoints had been tied up a little more by episode 250. I adore the way they write about Cecil's childhood and his family, and i want Kevin & The Boy's arc to be given the same amount of love, and attention, and time that the Palmer siblings' arc got. The same goes for Tamika. And Carlos. And Lauren, actually. Yes, i know she was a central figure in the last 2 episodes, and i loved that because she's one of my favourite characters. I fucking adore eldritch Mother Lauren. But still, it was all too vague to really learn anything new about her or the desert otherworld. And, above all else, i can't help but think of how wonderful it would've been if Charles and Donovan were included in the finale- especially Donovan.

When Kevin first came back in 2023, one of my silly little hcs as to why he was apparently in the Smiling God's bad books (and why he didn't mention Charles or Donovan) was that because Charles & Donovan aren't from Desert Bluffs they haven't devoted themselves to the Smiling God like the rest of the townsfolk. They wouldn't "smile" properly. One of my darker ideas at the time was the possibility of Kevin having to choose between making them part of his faith, i.e., making them "smile" like the rest of Desert Bluffs (which i doubt he'd go through with after his mudstone abyss arc), or having Charles & Donovan leave town (which i doubt they'd go through with), or, doing neither & keeping quiet about his life with them to avoid drawing attention. If he chose the latter and then got found out, it would make sense that he'd stop being the Smiling God's favourite. Obviously, i never thought any of that was correct- i was just having fun- and i was excited to find out the real story further down the line.

But that didn't happen, and we still don't really have many answers. Everything to do with Kevin, and Lauren, and The Boy got wrapped up in about 10 minutes flat. We've already had an emotional Fatherhood themed episode with Cecil & Abby; we didn't need another one just for the sake of it.

With the context of what we already know about Kevin's father, the ending of episode 250 was just uncomfortable. Sure, Kevin's talked about his father positively before, but that's always been in contrast with the actual content of his memories. It's always been made clear that the script/the writers disagree with Kevin's sunny outlook, and therefore the listeners should too. Those moments are there to demonstrate just how fucked up Kevin really is, and that his positivity is just a coping mechanism. But this time Cecil spoke for him, so we didn't get Kevin's usual sing-song rambling. It was calm, and collected, and matter-of-factly. And this time there were no sugar-coated descriptions of abuse, only genuine praise. We were actually supposed to agree with him this time, and it made the whole speech (and ending) sound hollow and forced.

I really didn't like this episode. It felt rushed. It tried to cover far too much far too quickly, and it failed. But, despite all that, i am hoping that future episodes will bring some sort of clarity about what happened. And hopefully some closure about Kevin and his family, too. I want loose ends to get tied up properly and i believe that maybe, with time, the important ones will be. Slow burning subplots are kinda quintessential to Night Vale's writing at this point anyway. Brinknor definitely missed the mark with this one, but they're still incredibly talented writers and i'm not ready to give up on them like some of the other fans on here.

Besides, i think that some of Night Vale's worst episodes are still incredible pieces of writing in their own right. The bad episodes are only bad in comparison to the dozens upon dozens of absolutely phenomenal episodes that make up the rest of a show that is, for the most part, a joy to listen to. So, here's to some hopefully better episodes in the future, i guess.

[youngyoo-apologist]

OG!Lock appreciation post because he’s one of my favorite characters

Lock is one of my favorite TCF characters, even if he doesn’t show up as much as other characters, but this time, I wanna talk about OG!Lock because TBoaH universe is definitely something that needed to be studied in a lab under a microscope.

TBoaH was a tragedy, a universe where basically everything went wrong. TCF!Lock is already different from TBoaH Lock because he never lost his hope, and he had his siblings with him. Lock was no longer the only survivor of the wolf tribe, and while he was hurt, he still had a reason to go on with a more positive outlook.

TBoaH!Lock on the other hand, was not able to live such a life. Lock is very young, thirteen when he loses his whole family, and fourteen when he loses Pendrick. Anyone would be driven to despair after such an event, especially a young kid like Lock who was definitely still coping with the loss of his family.

I think one of the lines I remember the most clearly out of all the TBoaH segments we get early in TCF was the conversation Lock had with the Whale King. And just that whole section in general. The fact that even if he was scared and afraid, he still did his best and fought with Rosalyn and Choi Han.

This is such an important thing, especially in the context of TBoaH Lock, who had lost Pendrick recently. Right now the only other family he has left are Rosalyn and Choi Han. While fighting against mermaids and their poison is scary, to Lock, the idea that Rosalyn and Choi Han will die while fighting and he did nothing is scarier.

This is the Lock that hid away when the rest of his family died, this is Lock who wasn’t able to do anything when Pendrick died. Of course he would be scared of being alone, no one wants to be alone. It must be even worse for him now that he has to live with the fact that he did nothing when all of his family died, even if it wasn’t his fault.

That was why, even if he was terrified, he still fought against the mermaids with them.

What makes TBoaH so tragic is how little we know of what happened, their feelings, their pain, it existed but we never got to see it. The only person who remembers most of what went on is OG!Cale and Kim Roksoo.

Something I think about a lot is Lock and Choi Han, and how Choi Han definitely sees himself in Lock. He protects Lock in a way he couldn’t protect himself, to him, Lock is a boy who has gone through the same pain he has at an age he never should have had to.

That’s why I think Choi Han’s guilty conscience would be even stronger. Seeing Lock suffer would make him want to become a hero even more, despite the fact that being a hero definitely hurt himself in some way. Had it not been for KRS!Cale, I think Choi Han would have become a self sacrificial person without even meaning to.

That is the nature of wanting to bring across justice. Justice is something that isn’t free, and can only come from something that has been done wrong. Choi Han can bring justice and help as many people as he can, but he can’t make up for the past and what happened.

I think the thing that is so meaningful is that none of them gave up, they lost hope over and over again, maybe they had lost it by the time the war was coming to an end, but they still fought. The fought for a world that was basically left for dead years ago, it’s incredibly sad, but it is a kind of strength to be able to live on in such circumstances.

TBoaH universe will always be such an existence, the fact that it only lives on in two people’s memories(Three if we count Choi Jung-gun)

[heretherebedork]

I agree with almost everything about Ray and Mew but isn't Ray also using the fact that Mew's bf just cheated on him and they broke up as a vulnerability to obtain what he wants. Which is dating Mew? Again, Ray blamed and hated Top a few episodes ago for "cheating" on Mew with Boston, but the same Ray thinks it's OK to kiss Mew and Sand at the same party.. Same Ray thinks it's OK to have both Mew and Sand.

And here's the thing. I actually don't think he's *corrupting* Mew. He's not. He's not helping, but Mew is making his own choices and Ray is incapable of pulling himself out of his own shit, let alone anyone else. Misery loves company.

But it amazes me that people can see that so clearly and *still* blame Mew for everything that's happening with Ray here, up to and including Ray definitely trying to double-dip with Sand. AND Ray is using Sand. He is using Mew too but he's very much only using one of them on purpose.

Ultimately Mew is using Ray, but Ray's also using Mew.

I'm torn between 'Ray is using Mew' and 'Ray genuinely doesn't know how to say no to Mew' and those two come at the same issue but from different angles.

I don't blame Mew for any of it. Mew's decided to try to live a fantasy with Top and spiraled when it failed. That's what happened and he is using Ray to get down that spiral more easily and he is, in a way, pulling Ray down farther with him because he wants to go farther.

But as for Ray using Mew... that's actually an interesting question about Ray's character. He is definitely spoiled and selfish. He's wanted this chance with Mew forever because Mew literally shaped his idea of love by saving him and I don't think Mew could offer Ray that chance and have Ray turn it down no matter how much he loves Sand.

Now, is that using Mew, being used by Mew, being a broken young man who's struggling with addiction and loneliness, being unable to say no to someone you love? There are so many different aspects to Ray and to their relationship and their very broken friendship that I struggle to tease them apart.

Ray, I think, wants to sincerely love Mew and be the best one for him and, yes, he's taking the rebound from Top... but it's also very clear that it isn't what he expected and isn't fulfilling to him the way he hoped this would be, the way he thought that he would be filled up by love. Mew doesn't make Ray happy, no matter how much Ray wishes he did.

Ray has a very damaged outlook on love, possessiveness, emotions and himself. He was absolutely wrong to walk away from Mew and directly into kissing Sand and he is, definitely, not respecting any aspect of the relationship he and Mew are kind of in.

So... they're using each other equally? I'd really put this fairly equal. Mew is dating Ray mostly to piss Top off and also to try to be more like him while Ray is just desperate for anything and has absolutely no coping skills that aren't addiction.

Actually, I really do think Mew is using Ray more than Ray is using Mew but Ray is doing more wrong and is less able to cope than Mew is with any of what's happening. (Mew has a steady support system in Cheum and his mothers while Ray has a father who yells at him for the cost of his car when he's in the hospital). So... they're both wrong. In different ways.

Ray's damage is not Mew's fault but Mew is using that damage without thinking about it deeper. Mew is wearing Ray's persona as if he truly believes that Ray is doing better than he is at coping when he's the one who saved Ray from himself and has watched him dig a deeper hole constantly over the years and it feels... wrong. But they're all young.

I absolutely cannot imagine blaming Mew for this. But I also don't see the point in blaming Ray for this either. They're both messed up in this and they're using each other.

I just have a soft spot for Ray that I don't have for Mew so most of my focus is on Ray's pain. I won't even deny that. I care much, much more about Ray's eventual happiness than I do about Mew's and that's just me. Everyone is gonna have favorite characters.

But, no, this isn't entirely Mew being wrong or Ray being wrong. They're both wrong and they're going to hurt each other and I hope their friendship falls apart because neither of them is a good friend to the either or, frankly, capable of it at this point.

Mew cannot be a good friend to Ray and Ray cannot be a good friend to Mew and that's okay.

[just-ray]

Irish politics sonnet 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

We mention times of political desperation

When the outlook on the world seems to be bleak,

As if it were not always bleak, across every nation.

As leaders speak but refuse to meet.

As if every stab wound were worse than the last,

As if we don't instead forget the pain and remember again,

Convinced of no pain more harsh,

Yet believing of all past pain to be more favourable to attain.

Yet I cannot bring myself to forget

Those who have been kind to me amidst it all,

When everything falls, though it's not fallen yet,

A Labour TD bought me lunch in the Dáil,

When those elected fail to pull through,

It does not erase all the good they have done,

Or a Fianna Fáil TDs secretaries, who knew,

They would help my friends mum buy her first family home,

Nor does it erase all the good conversations

I've had after class with a teacher of mine

Discussing elections, debating inflation,

I knew even before he told me, he's social Democrats alright.

The fighting will not make me forget again,

The people aren't as different as you might assume,

Though they might not like to think it. My best friend is sinn féin,

And I love her more than the seats, or the votes or the moon.

The girl who lives next to me is PBP,

So, When times are bad and you feel you can't cope,

You sit down with her, over Trotskyist tea,

I have seen beauty, and I have seen hope.

I announced my departure from my party before fall,

I could canvass for them, they said, or canvass for none,

I always was greedy, I had to have it all.

I always was greedy, I could not love just one.

And after the Fine Gael Councillor drove me home when it was dark,

It will not take away the mileage on her car.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hi! 😊 I was hoping to get a hobbit match up? Thank you so much for doing this! I know how much work it is. Thank you for your time! 😊

Personality: I’m a teacher so I have patience, sillinesses, and a firm nature about me. I love to nerd out about anything and everything. I’m extremely protective of those I care about. I can get agitated a bit easily and have a dry and sarcastic sense of humor and tone. I try and look on the bright side of things though my anxiety sometimes gets the best of me. I try to lead with kindness. I tend to laugh at inappropriate times- I never learned to cope with certain situations. I grew up on romantic comedies and I feel like that pretty much sums up my outlook on life. All I need is some good music to make me feel better most of the time.

Interests: Music, reading, baking, movie marathons, traveling, going to the beach, etc. I nerd out pretty easy over Star Wars, Star Trek, comic books, and Lord of the Rings.

Pet Peeves:Rude, hateful, spiteful, and petty people. I tend to go into action before thinking so I tend to go head first at people who treat other people terribly.

Hi! Absolutely! I am excited about this! Thank you so much for requesting one! I hope you enjoy it <333333

---

---

The Hobbit;

Thorin Oakenshield:

🗡 You met Thorin when you joined the Company, well, really what happened was that Gandalf asked you to come to the little Hobbit hole and it took all the Dwarves and Hobbit by surprised by your arrival; Thorin, in the beginning, didn't want you to come, like he did with Bilbo, but he warmed up to you

🗡 Even though Thorin was a bit rude, to you and Bilbo, you were patient and knew that Thorin was just stubborn; and you tried to look at the bright-side of things, you'd join them and help them throughout the journey, you were more than happy to help

🗡 Now, these Dwarves are pretty mischievous and rambunctious, and you were good at getting them to simmer down during serious moments, but that didn't really stop you from laughing at their antics; Thorin grew to admire your kindness, how you led with it, how you smiled and cared truly for his Dwarven friends, (and you slowly noticed Thorin wouldn't act all grumpy near you, and sometimes he'd even smile when talking to you :0)

🗡 When you all were staying at Beorn's place, you and Thorin sat together quietly, sort of getting to know each other a bit; Thorin found out that you love reading, music, baking, and traveling, Thorin feels like you might be his One

🗡 After regaining the mountain, and everyone surviving, Thorin finally confesses his love to you, (after giving you a big hug and letting out a sigh of relief that you're alive); after a little while, rebuilding the kingdom and whatnot, Thorin gifts you a dagger he had made and asked if he could braid your hair, (and you obviously said yes) :)

---

[puyoginge]

What's been going on with me.

3 years later I’ve decided to resurrect my Tumblr because it is my sanctuary and the social media ever. I disbanded twitter because it makes me angry all the time and for the sake of preserving my dwindling adult sanity. lol.

You may remember me from my few posts under the username yaboinate28. very 2018 lol. I posted a lot of trans / general mental health relatable stuff to manage my struggle with gender dysphoria and hopefully connect with others who felt the same as me. If you want to get a taste of what's been going on since then then please do read on below!! (TW mental health stuff)

WHY I LEFT

Some time in 2020 I purged all my trans posts, removing all my incentive to return to this new decade apocalypse of a site. I guess was feeling really insecure about the discordance between my Tumblr open-transness (??) and my irl extreme stealth thang. I was chronically worried about people from my real life finding my account basically. 

Much of my stuff was very Tumblr cringe and probably stuff you’ve seen before but there were a couple of self help posts that were actually insanely good resources for coping with gender dysphoria (particularly in the early stages of social transition) which I seriously regret deleting. I remember a lot of my memes “blowing up” which made me feel really special and like I could contribute something to the world. As a young teenager struggling with self harm and severe depression as well as navigating my life within a home that outright rejected my trans identity, my Tumblr was my lifeline, the people I met made me feel hopeful for the future, and seeing people reblog with “I needed to hear this” or “thanks so much for posting” meant everything to me.

But its important for me to address that I’m not the person I was back then, !!and whilst I'll be attempting to find and repost some of those self help resources!!, I probably won’t be posting about my trans experience much anymore other than within this entry. But please please reach out if you need someone who’s been through it to talk to. I’d love to support you however i can!! I’m only a message away. 

LIFE STUFF

Since 2019 my attitude on life has changed a lot and whilst coping with my mental health issues are still a daily hurdle, I’ve found myself a groove in which to sit and ride the wave. Essentially I’m managing and I’m happy and able to maintain a positive outlook on life, which is good. Additionally, with time my family have softened to my trans identity. Its not perfect, but I’m not at risk. I love my family and I don’t blame them for their actions, I’m just taking it slow. 

Passed my GCSES with flying colours, passed my A-levels with regular colours, and I'm going to uni. Life has continued and its good. And whilst I would rather eat my own shit than go back and relive the days when my mum had to force me me out the door to get me to go to school, I made it through every last day. That's fucking badass, and tbh I'm pretty resilient now because of it lol.

I guess my point is (crass warning) see the joy in what you have. Take life day by day. Don’t let yourself take the easy route, because then you’ll learn how fucking strong you are. And you are stronger than you think even if all your cards are stacked against you.

TRANSITION STUFF

Since the last time we spoke I’ve legally transitioned, and am (at the time of writing) dealing with the initial admin of medical transition. I’ve been speaking regularly with a gender specialist therapist for 2 years. more recently I’ve been exploring my gender expression with my new found freedom. AND I’m in a relationship with someone who is beautiful and kind and couldn’t be more supportive of me (I adore them). And.... I’m still as stealth as ever. Just as resistant to say “yAYYyy i’m trAns!!!” as I’ve always been. I fucking love it. Some things never change lol. As I said family are being dragged by the tail along with me and have warmed to the whole thing. Support is not the word, but acceptance is pretty apt. They both realise it’s always been “me” at this point and that's enough for the time being.

WHO I AM NOW

I’m now an adult (wtf so surreal????) I have allowed my passion for retro gaming to flourish, recently got super fucking into rhythm games, developed a healthy collection of games and consoles which I may post about perhaps. Resurrected my love for anime, particularly dumb slice of life shows and Madoka Magica (all hail you beautiful broken masterpiece of infinite spinoff potential)

I found my interest in psychology (wowwww surprise!!) Got a job, found some friends, told some people a long overdue fuck off. And rounded myself into a much more open minded person than I used to be.

I couldn’t care less how many people read this, mainly I’m doing it for me. To provide myself a clean slate and stuff. But if you do read this, and you used to enjoy my silly little posts or find them helpful or whatever: I hope you’re well, I’m glad you stuck around and I hope you stay :)

[elizaellwrites]

Ryan was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but has always been fully aware of his true origins. His immediate family was lucky during the attack, with all of them surviving and remaining together in their escape with only minimal injuries. They are also included in the small number of survivors from the nation of Edreli, as they ended up being in the right place at the right time.

With such luck, Ryan's childhood was fairly positive in comparison to many Hecathians after the attack occurred. However, this didn't prevent challenges from complicating their lives. At ten years old, his mom grew sick, progressively growing weaker and losing her vision. This was when a representative of the academy discovered their presence and suggested they move to gain the assistance and presence of other Hecathians in their lives, this would also allow Ryan's dad, Daunshi, to teach Hecathian history, as it was his profession before the world turned upside down.

He began his training as a healer as soon as his natural abilities began to grow stronger, and despite being informed of his limits in healing, he held the naive hope that his growing skills could help his mom find relief. His dedication to learning and mastering his abilities and limitations led him to become one of the youngest healers to hold an official position in the academy. Unfortunately, along the way, tragedy struck his family with the sudden disappearance of his older brother. This event would only be the first of the chain of mysterious disappearances that would take place over the next two years at the academy.

Having already been involved in the observance program at this time, Ryan only became more dedicated to the cause of helping others around him. He had given up on helping his mom, and following his brother's assumed death, her condition only grew worse. Through everything, Ryan upheld his cheerful demeanor, coping through quiet moments and through the jokes he told on a daily basis. He pushed through his sadness, determined to keep his optimistic view of the world and bring light into the world around him. This approach, however, did not absolve the reality of danger but brought his attention to the more nuanced side of life.

He finds it difficult to believe that anyone is truly bad, but that people will do bad things for various reasons that they each find justified. This outlook places him in an odd position, as he tries to subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) influence those around him to make better choices for themselves and others around him. After all, he may be a jokester, but he hides his serious intentions behind his lighthearted exterior.

He's always up to make new friends, and playfully torment Elaine (because it's entertaining, duh.) He considers himself friends with everyone on his team and easily demonstrates his loyalty to them, even if they've only been teammates for a day. Whatever you do, though, do not underestimate him. He's smarter than he looks.

[babygirlwolverine]

I’m really sorry about your test and how you’re feeling right now. I know it’s not the same but I’ve screwed around in school lately and have just been feeling really lost and like a failure because of it, but I got some advice recently that helped put things into perspective a little for me.

Basically someone told me that you just need to think of life as your story and characters in stories inevitably have those arcs where they’re really going through it and everything seems like it’s going wrong for them, no matter how kind or smart or competent that character really is. But it’s important to remember that that’s only an arc throughout an entire story and it’s purpose is to lead you to where you’re supposed to be.

It might seem like a weird coping mechanism (which it kinda is) but this has helped me not get so down on myself and realize that failure or being lost doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path, it’s just leading you to a new, better part of the story.

It won’t get rid of all the bad feelings, but it helped me feel a little better about my situation and I hope it makes you feel a little better too :)

thank you nonnie for this advice. I haven’t heard of something like this, but since I’m a writer, that might actually be a really useful coping mechanism and outlook for me to use. I definitely need a reminder that failure and feeling lost doesn’t mean that I’m on the wrong path. I’ve been self-doubting all day if I’m meant to be a vet… so hearing this helps to soften the blow even just a lil. thank you again nonnie, for your kindness and support and general encouragement

[rpxgifs]

[ hailee steinfeld | she/her ] Another face is seeking safety in New Orleans. Make sure to welcome GEMMA MIKAELSON to the home of the resilient. Rumor has it that they are an 19/24 year old VAMPIRE/WEREWOLF, who is one of the SACRIFICED but we’ll keep that a secret. They are said to be ARGUMENTATIVE, but that’s all a façade to cover up their MAGNANIMOUS nature. We’ve heard that they can be found listening to INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS by NATALIE JANE, which sums them up pretty well. Let’s hope that they can find a way to survive this harsh new world. 

NAME: Gemma Reign Mikaelson NICKNAME: Gem AGE: 18/22 BIRTHDAY: SPECIES: Vampire/Werewolf hybrid GENDER: Cisfemale PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUALITY: Pansexual FACECLAIM: hailee steinfeld HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Hazel FAMILY:

Declan Bishop ( biological father )

Autumn Pearson ( biological mother )

Freya Mikaelson ( adopted mother )

Keelin Malraux ( adopted mother )

Briggs Mikaelson ( adopted brother )

Billie Mikaelson ( sister-in-law )

All the Mikaelsons are extended family. You know the ones.

tw: murder, kidnapping, torture

HISTORY:

Gemma’s parents had her at a very young age and tried their best to care for the young wolf, but ultimately fell short. For the majority of her young life, Gemma was left to fend for herself as her parents were working non-stop just to be able to keep a roof over their head. But she didn't really mind. She grew up to be independent, maybe growing up a little too fast.

* . ⊹  THE TRAUMA:

When Gemma was only 13, tragedy struck and it was a day that would change her and her outlook on life forever. It started off as any normal day, but quickly took a turn for the worst when her parents were brutally murdered right in front of her. The intruder believed it to be just adults in the house, but when she came out of her room wondering what was going on, she saw the whole thing and they turned on her. But their plan was much more sinister for the young teen and everything went black.

When she came to, she was locked in a dark, nondescript room. And in that room, in that house was where she would stay for the better part of two years. She was provided food and water, she was let out of her room occasionally. There were even a handful of times that she was allowed to leave the house. But it was always under supervision and she always had to wear some sort of hat and glasses. By the end of the first year, she knew better than to act out; she had learned the consequences.

While she wasn't acting out as much, she was slowly and calculatingly coming up with a plan of escape. Her werewolf temper created a fire within her that was only fueled with each passing day. At the age of 15, she had enacted her plan of revenge, waiting for a moment that her captors' guard was down on one of her days out of confinement. It wasn't without a fight, but she wasn't about to let a year worth of planning go to waste. She triggered her curse while escaping, but she escaped nonetheless.

Found wandering the streets, someone noticed her as a missing person, called the authorities and she was taken to the hospital. This was were she met Keelin and formed an immediate bond (think Vanessa Morano's character and Meredith Grey in that one episode of Grey's). She was lucky that Keelin and Freya were willing to take her in and eventually adopt her when she needed safety and comfort the most.

* . ⊹  THE HEALING AND THE TRANSITION

The next few years took a lot of work, but Gemma eventually learned to cope with her trauma, learned to control her werewolf side with the help of Keelin. She would never be the person that she was before, but she was okay with that. She took the time to heal what was needed, bond with her new family, and figure out who she was as a new person.

One weekend she and Hope went out on a girls' weekend to just get away for a while. But, now being a Mikaelson, nothing could ever be easy. The pair were ambushed by a group of hunters who claimed to be part of a "movement". A movement that would eventually become the OEA. The pair put up one hell of a fight as they had been taught to. But they were no match for the wolfsbane laced bullets and arrows coming from every which direction. While Hope had managed to take down most hunters, forcing the others to retreat at the power of the tribrid, Gemma had gotten hit with a couple bullets, the shrapnel getting lodged in her heart. There was no way she was going to make it to any semblance of help before it was too late. In that moment, Hope knew was she had to do and fed Gemma her blood just before her heart had stopped. And just moments later, she was successfully in transition.

* . ⊹  THE BETAYAL

Coming from the family of vampires, Gemma had no problem with her transition. She had plenty of people with plenty of experience around that she could lean on. But the party wasn't quite over.

A few years later, when Gemma was coming home, she was ambushed by a group of witches and tortured, wanting to have some fun with her before she was sacrificed and sent to the prison world. Right before she was sent, she learned of the reason. The witches wanted to get back at Freya for not following them and the best way to do that was to attack her family, starting with her children.

— ☆ — ONE YEAR LATER — ☆ —

After everyone was released from the prison world, Gemma took some time to get acclimated to real life again. In this time, she learned of the passing of her biological grandmother. She had been absent her entire life, the hybrid had never met her. But she still had her Gemma's biological mother listed in her will. Being the next of kin, that money went to Gemma.

Having a large sum of money in her pocket was burning a hole in her pocket and the last thing she wanted to do was stay in New Orleans with everything that was going on. So she took that money and spent a year traveling to wherever her little heart desired. Though she kept in touch with the important people, she was more or less a stranger to the rest of the world.

With her Roxy being on tour with Sebastian, Jagger, and Riley, Gemma would often meet up with them whenever she could under the guise of wanting to support Riley. But it was undeniable that when Jagger was on stage, she couldn't look away, a smile plastered to her face until the last round of applause. Their meetings usually ended with the pair getting a little two close, falling into some old habits, and a few hook ups here and there. But each time Gemma found herself falling under his spell, she knew it was time for another trip, separating herself from the group. Yet she kept coming back, his magnetic pull with her undeniable.

With funds running lower than Gemma would like and the promises off free drinks at the ball, Gemma made her way back to New Orleans, slightly nervous to see what she was coming back to.

[beavtifvltragedies]

[ hailee steinfeld | she/her ] Another face is seeking safety in New Orleans. Make sure to welcome GEMMA MIKAELSON to the home of the resilient. Rumor has it that they are an 19/24 year old VAMPIRE/WEREWOLF, who is one of the SACRIFICED but we’ll keep that a secret. They are said to be ARGUMENTATIVE, but that’s all a façade to cover up their MAGNANIMOUS nature. We’ve heard that they can be found listening to INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS by NATALIE JANE, which sums them up pretty well. Let’s hope that they can find a way to survive this harsh new world. 

NAME: Gemma Reign Mikaelson NICKNAME: Gem AGE: 18/22 BIRTHDAY: SPECIES: Vampire/Werewolf hybrid GENDER: Cisfemale PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUALITY: Pansexual FACECLAIM: hailee steinfeld HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Hazel FAMILY:

Declan Bishop ( biological father )

Autumn Pearson ( biological mother )

Freya Mikaelson ( adopted mother )

Keelin Malraux ( adopted mother )

Briggs Mikaelson ( adopted brother )

Billie Mikaelson ( sister-in-law )

All the Mikaelsons are extended family. You know the ones.

tw: murder, kidnapping, torture

HISTORY:

Gemma’s parents had her at a very young age and tried their best to care for the young wolf, but ultimately fell short. For the majority of her young life, Gemma was left to fend for herself as her parents were working non-stop just to be able to keep a roof over their head. But she didn't really mind. She grew up to be independent, maybe growing up a little too fast.

* . ⊹  THE TRAUMA:

When Gemma was only 13, tragedy struck and it was a day that would change her and her outlook on life forever. It started off as any normal day, but quickly took a turn for the worst when her parents were brutally murdered right in front of her. The intruder believed it to be just adults in the house, but when she came out of her room wondering what was going on, she saw the whole thing and they turned on her. But their plan was much more sinister for the young teen and everything went black.

When she came to, she was locked in a dark, nondescript room. And in that room, in that house was where she would stay for the better part of two years. She was provided food and water, she was let out of her room occasionally. There were even a handful of times that she was allowed to leave the house. But it was always under supervision and she always had to wear some sort of hat and glasses. By the end of the first year, she knew better than to act out; she had learned the consequences.

While she wasn't acting out as much, she was slowly and calculatingly coming up with a plan of escape. Her werewolf temper created a fire within her that was only fueled with each passing day. At the age of 15, she had enacted her plan of revenge, waiting for a moment that her captors' guard was down on one of her days out of confinement. It wasn't without a fight, but she wasn't about to let a year worth of planning go to waste. She triggered her curse while escaping, but she escaped nonetheless.

Found wandering the streets, someone noticed her as a missing person, called the authorities and she was taken to the hospital. This was were she met Keelin and formed an immediate bond (think Vanessa Morano's character and Meredith Grey in that one episode of Grey's). She was lucky that Keelin and Freya were willing to take her in and eventually adopt her when she needed safety and comfort the most.

* . ⊹  THE HEALING AND THE TRANSITION

The next few years took a lot of work, but Gemma eventually learned to cope with her trauma, learned to control her werewolf side with the help of Keelin. She would never be the person that she was before, but she was okay with that. She took the time to heal what was needed, bond with her new family, and figure out who she was as a new person.

One weekend she and Hope went out on a girls' weekend to just get away for a while. But, now being a Mikaelson, nothing could ever be easy. The pair were ambushed by a group of hunters who claimed to be part of a "movement". A movement that would eventually become the OEA. The pair put up one hell of a fight as they had been taught to. But they were no match for the wolfsbane laced bullets and arrows coming from every which direction. While Hope had managed to take down most hunters, forcing the others to retreat at the power of the tribrid, Gemma had gotten hit with a couple bullets, the shrapnel getting lodged in her heart. There was no way she was going to make it to any semblance of help before it was too late. In that moment, Hope knew was she had to do and fed Gemma her blood just before her heart had stopped. And just moments later, she was successfully in transition.

* . ⊹  THE BETAYAL

Coming from the family of vampires, Gemma had no problem with her transition. She had plenty of people with plenty of experience around that she could lean on. But the party wasn't quite over.

A few years later, when Gemma was coming home, she was ambushed by a group of witches and tortured, wanting to have some fun with her before she was sacrificed and sent to the prison world. Right before she was sent, she learned of the reason. The witches wanted to get back at Freya for not following them and the best way to do that was to attack her family, starting with her children.

— ☆ — ONE YEAR LATER — ☆ —

After everyone was released from the prison world, Gemma took some time to get acclimated to real life again. In this time, she learned of the passing of her biological grandmother. She had been absent her entire life, the hybrid had never met her. But she still had her Gemma's biological mother listed in her will. Being the next of kin, that money went to Gemma.

Having a large sum of money in her pocket was burning a hole in her pocket and the last thing she wanted to do was stay in New Orleans with everything that was going on. So she took that money and spent a year traveling to wherever her little heart desired. Though she kept in touch with the important people, she was more or less a stranger to the rest of the world.

With her Roxy being on tour with Sebastian, Jagger, and Riley, Gemma would often meet up with them whenever she could under the guise of wanting to support Riley. But it was undeniable that when Jagger was on stage, she couldn't look away, a smile plastered to her face until the last round of applause. Their meetings usually ended with the pair getting a little two close, falling into some old habits, and a few hook ups here and there. But each time Gemma found herself falling under his spell, she knew it was time for another trip, separating herself from the group. Yet she kept coming back, his magnetic pull with her undeniable.

With funds running lower than Gemma would like and the promises off free drinks at the ball, Gemma made her way back to New Orleans, slightly nervous to see what she was coming back to.

[influencermagazineuk]

Tips On How To Get Over Disappointment In People

Disappointment is unpleasant, painful, and hurtful. Disappointment is a negatively colored feeling, provoked by unfulfilled and unjustified expectations, dreams, and hopes. It is characterized by a feeling of dissatisfaction because of something that failed or did not happen as desired. Often disappointment becomes the cause or trigger of depression. And to avoid the consequences, you need to recognize the feeling in time and try to get over it. Why do we get disappointed in people? The reasons for disappointment in people can be various. If a person has lied once, he or she can justify himself or herself and promise to improve. But repeated lying provokes a loss of trust in the liar and disappointment in him. Cheating is also one of the most common reasons for disappointment in a loved one. If the other half cheated, it means that the real feelings in which you were so sure, there is simply no. And if you do not accept and are not ready to forgive cheating, there comes disappointment. If something or someone did not meet your expectations, it will in any case upset you and cause a negative reaction. But emotions usually pass quickly, and the attitude to people or situations remains the same. Strong disappointment in a person can lead to anger, aggression towards the object that did not meet expectations, desire to hurt the disappointed person, hurt him, revenge, and lack of trust in people. If you have become disillusioned with life or yourself, the signs may be more serious and affect your emotional and psychological state. How do you get over disappointment? How to survive disappointment, how can you cope with such a negative feeling and get on with your life? Follow the recommendations below: - Try to analyze the behavior of the person or situation. You have likely provoked disappointment by expecting too much from someone or something, giving people qualities that are not inherent in them, or having false hopes. In this case, it is important to realize that people are not obliged to behave the way you want, they can make mistakes and stumble. - Stop idealizing people and take off the rose-colored glasses. Everyone can make mistakes, and if they have done something bad once, it may have been spontaneous, ill-considered, reckless, or triggered by a state of passion. Maybe it makes sense to forgive everything, forget and give a second chance? It is not necessary to trust people completely. Of course, you should not look for flaws in everyone and expect a trick but remember that people are not perfect. - Realize that not everything in this life happens the way you want, not everything depends on you. Inevitably, unforeseen circumstances and force majeure situations that knock you out of the rut and make you reconsider your outlook on life. Try to come to terms with this, change your outlook, take everything less seriously, and be prepared to be surprised. Take time and enjoy gambling at andar bahar real cash. - Accept the event that made you disappointed in life or people, as an inevitability, not subject to correcting coincidence of circumstances. But at the same time, you must realize that you have the power to change fate and build your life as you plan. - Let all negative emotions out, don't keep them inside. Tell your feelings to a close person, just cry or scream into a pillow. If there are no close people, a psychologist will help you cope with disappointment. And sometimes the most objective and adequate is the view from the outside, so it is worth getting the opinion of a person who has nothing to do with what happened. Perhaps you will be supported by several people, and you will realize that you are not alone in your little temporary trouble. - Try to relive the experienced emotions again several times. They may not seem so important or even unjustified and meaningless. Give yourself time to process what happened. Let the emotions subside, and the negative memories will gradually fade from memory. So that disappointment does not prevent you from living on and believing in the best, study the above tips and follow them. And remember that all negative emotions eventually pass! Read the full article

[mental-health-advice]

Hi there,

I've been having a hard time with moving on. I went through a lot in the past year. My best friend of 14 years ended our friendship in the weirdest way. My cat unexpectedly passed away. And then a month later my boyfriend left the relationship unannounced we were together for 4 years. I'm having a hard time accepting everything for what it is. And I know I can't dwell on things because it will only hold me back. But do you have any tips on how to take it one day at a time? Any ways to cope especially with everything happening all at once? Also do you know any websites I can find therapy through I'm in the USA.

Thank you so much!

Hey there,

Wow, it sounds like you have been through so much and in such a short period of time! I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your cat – it is never easy to lose a pet and especially when it was so unexpected.

In relation to your best friend and your boyfriend both ending their relationships with you, I want you to know that either one is not your fault. Sometimes these things just happen and out of the blue and for reasons that is completely out of our control but it does happen from time to time, but please try not to be too hard on yourself!

I do not know the reasoning for your best friend ending their friendship with you but perhaps they had something that was going on for them or they were changing in ways that consequently made them review their friendships and make changes? What I am trying to say is that sometimes friendships will end out of nowhere and there is nothing we can really do, or could have done to try to prevent it from happening. Friends will forever be coming and going from our life and each will help to shape who we have and will become in the future. So, perhaps your friend was just moving in different directions than you and this is OK, not all friendships will last a lifetime. Although I do know how hard and distressing it can be when friendships end for whatever reason.

In regards to your boyfriend of 4 years, this must have been a big shock for you! Again, please be kind to yourself and maybe things just weren’t meant to be with him? It doesn’t mean you won’t find someone who is right for you and who will love you unconditionally in time.

I think that you have a great and positive outlook of life given that you have acknowledged that dwelling on these things will only hold you back. I do know and appreciate that this isn’t easy to do though – moving on. And especially when these relationships ended so suddenly!

I am not sure if you have checked out our page of helplines but if not, I encourage you to do so. Here is the link. If you are wanting to find face-to-face based therapy though then a good starting point is to see your local doctor or GP and ask for a referral to see a counsellor or a therapist. A counsellor from a helpline may also be able to help you find someone face-to-face too, or else you can do therapy over the phone or via web counselling.

I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way!

I’m thinking of you and hope that you are going well!

Take care,

Lauren

[simranshrihelp]

Tough Times And How To Bounce Back 

Everyone goes through hard times. People feel low and the depression blues get the best of all no matter who they are. What matters is how you utilise those times and feelings, to either learn something from it or understand more. Rehabilitation centre in Delhi has many patients who deal with ill health and have daily functioning problems. The program is centred around, identifying what is causing them harm, changing the patterns of behaviour that make them dull and sad and building a positive outlook regarding life. 

Setbacks are common to everyone but how we react to it depends on our personality and thinking mindsets. Most people who have negative thinking do not tend to take failures easily which causes problems in accepting what is wrong with them or the scenario in which they have put themselves into. People who have a positive mindset can accept their shortcomings and are better at understanding the change that is needed to improve the situation. 

Best rehabilitation centre in Delhi offers treatment programs that help people improve their mood, emotions and thinking to help them become better individuals and live more peaceful lives. Some things people do during tough times to cope are listed here for better understanding:-

Thinking of positive things 

When we are going through something our perception becomes skewed. We start to see everything in a negative light. This perpetuates a cycle of negative thoughts and feelings. To break this cycle we must start to see the good things among things and find happiness in the things we have accomplished. 

We shouldn’t Blame

When we go through a failure be it personal or professional, we start to judge ourselves more than we should. We start to blame ourselves for the things we did not even have control over, and at the same time we divert blame towards other people when we should be responsible for the things we did wrong. 

Comparison Pulls Us Down

Other people who seek success, we start to develop jealousy towards them. This not only pulls us down, as everyone is different and sees success differently but also puts us in a bad light. 

Losing Hope When We Need It The Most

Many times we start to lose hope regarding who we are and that even are we good. This creates a lot of self-doubts and we seem to get stuck. We should always believe in ourselves because that is what keeps us going and is the most important aspect of success. 

Even though life may not seem the most promising everytime, doing these things gives us the strength to bounce back. Rehabilitation treatment centre in Delhi, has the best experts and staff to help you feel better. Many people relapse back into addictions during these times of blue. Top rehabilitation hospital in Delhi & Ncr, have the best results and is trusted by many people which has given them better future lives. Rehabilitation centre in India is open for anyone who is suffering and wants to seek help. Please contact our website- www.simranshri.com for further information regarding our centre. 

[monmuses]

nurturing-starlight​:

She never understood how he could do it. How he could be so kind despite everything he’s been through. Honestly, it makes her worry far too much about him, worry for his well being. Perhaps she’ll talk to Pocket later about keeping an eye on Pip to make sure he’s really okay.

Her grip on his hand was loose, an attempt to respond in a gentle manner as best as she could. After all, she only truly knew rough but she was working on it, slowly but surely. She must admit that she’s impressed in his firm grip though.

“Well as long as you’re taking care of yourself too. I’d hate to hear that people are still treating you poorly and that you’re just letting them. Though if they still are, perhaps I could get rid of them–” She’s still got her hangups… “It’s amazing what can be learned after death though, You have Herbert to thank for my change by the way, he’s been.. helping me as best as he can.”

     Pip had his ways of caring for his being, but there was something else about him that drove people from ever bothering him like how they used to. Besides Damien being there to stick up for him and a few other true friends, how he turned out as a Fallen Angel spoke a little more of what he had done to cope with his death.

     There was no forgetting that he was, in fact, a monster. Just his visage screamed of a tormented being, hiding it with his bright, toothy smile. He was no longer human, which was something he would have trouble accepting after a while.

     “Do not worry, Miss Estella! I am doing quite well. Much better than before, you know,” he assured her. “I have quite a few friends I speak to! A-And there is no reason to go after anyone! No one has to die for it! I can speak to them quite well, you see. Or I can ask Damien for some assistance. He has a few ways to get through to others, you know!”

     He was much more cheerful now, holding her hand with a soft squeeze and a happier approach to this. “Mr. Pocket is quite helpful, isn’t he? I’m happy to hear that you are handling things much better now. Perhaps that things have a better outlook, things will be better! Not with any old and horrid friends from the past, I hope!”