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dancingtotuyo · 8 months

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1. tame the ghosts in my head

Woman | Joel Miller X Reader

Series Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Joel Miller finds an unexpected face upon his return to Jackson.

Tags: Joel Miller x Reader. Age Gap. TV show characters. Mostly Cannon compliant for show and game.

Chapter Warnings: references to canon type violence, injuries, swearing, medical exam, illusions to loss & grief.

Words: 2437

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Familiarity is a foreign thing in this world. A priceless gift from the universe if you’re deemed to be so worthy, it’s a treasure to be treated as so, but when one is lucky enough to be chosen, fear tarnishes it. Gifts only last so long before they are taken away, leaving only grief and loneliness in their wake, making you wonder if it was really a gift at all or just a cruel prank. Yet, it gets you everytime, roping you into its trap.

It might be 20 years since you’ve laid eyes on him, but that stance, those brown curls, you would recognize them anywhere You spent the younger years of your life committing him to memory. You feel the trap tugging you toward him. You can’t be caught up again. You tell yourself you won’t be.

“Joel!”

He turns around, dark brown eyes meeting yours. He doesn’t expect anyone else to know his name here. Why does it sound familiar to him?

It all escapes from the recess of your mind. That all-encompassing file titled “before,” flies open. Memories come flooding back of him and of Sarah. You’re only conscious of the first trap, but there are others lying in wait. You and Tommy talk about her sometimes, but this brings up so much more.

He looks confused at first. You watch him wrack his brain. He recognizes you, but from where? You’re not the kid he once knew. The fresh, doe-eyed look of a 20-something new graduate is replaced by the 40-something worn woman you’ve survived into. Finally, it dawns on him.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He walks over to you, disbelief written across his features.

“Hi.” You smile.

“Hi.”

It’s an awkward thing. Do you hug? Shake hands? You were Sarah’s babysitter from the time she was 6 until she complained she didn’t need one once she turned 13. The two of you still hung out when you were back from school. Joel usually slipped you a $20. You would’ve done it for free, never expected the cash, but you were also a broke college student. You never turned it down.

The lure of a familiar face is strong. The two of you settle on a comfortable distance. Closer than strangers, further than family.

“Tommy told me you were here at Christmas. He’s been worried about you.”

Joel nods. “It’s been a long couple of months.”

“Just months?” Your brows shoot up.

Joel fights back a smile. He remembers the smartass remarks you used to give Tommy when he teased you while you waited for Joel to cough up the cash he owed.

Flashes of coming home to pillow forts and Sarah’s giggles, arts and crafts with glitter that littered the house for weeks afterwards, and the countless other memories play in his mind.The memories send a pang through his chest, but he can handle them now, and here is another person who holds those precious memories.

“Relatively speaking of course.” The smile breaks through on his face. It’s starting to feel less foreign to him these past few days.

Joel wasn’t the most smiley person when you knew him 20 years ago. It suits him, you think. Another lure. Another diversion you don’t catch because you are so aware of the trap you’re sure it set, you don’t see the other one hiding. You won’t let the universe give you another person just to take them away.

“Of course.” You return his smile.

“I’m supposed to get checked out at the clinic. I think they gave me bad directions. Either that or my memory is shit.”

“I was just headed there. You can follow me.” Nod your head in the general direction.

“You’re a nurse.” He seems slightly unsure.

“Memory can’t be all that shitty, I guess.” You shrug. “If you call 3 months in the trauma unit being a nurse that is.”

“You got the education. I remember that.”

The keys jingle in your hand as you unlock the doors. The lights buzz to life with a flip of a switch. The slim medical supplies you have are neatly organized on shelves. It’s enough to care for basic needs. Scout teams sometimes bring back supplies from other places when they go on longer expeditions. All medications are safely locked away. You have the only key. You count the meds on a weekly basis with Maria and go over your meticulous logs. There’s a board-certified doctor in town. He practiced family medicine before the outbreak. He’s good with routine stuff but didn’t want a key. Too much pressure he claims.

You deal with the big stuff. Gaping wounds, infections, whatever it was that resembled surgery in this world. You play doctor, nurse, surgeon, and midwife. It falls on your shoulders and what you can remember from school. There are a few medical journals and textbooks on your shelves. Dr. Pooley has taught you a lot, but his knowledge is more outdated, more about family medicine. More often than not, you fail. People remind you; you do the best you can, you’re not trained for this, supplies are limited. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t.

“You can take a seat.” You nod toward the medical table.

Joel nods, hopping up. “Did Ellie stop in last night? She said she would.”

“Yeah she did.” You wash your hands with soap. “Seems like a good kid. She’s got quite a mouth.”

Joel chuckles. “She seem okay?”

“For someone with two bites on her arm, yeah.”

He looks up, his eyes a mix of fear and concern and then it goes away. “Tommy told you?”

“Yeah… wanted to make sure I was the one who checked her out.”

“He tell anyone else?”

“Probably Maria.” You shrug and watch the uneasiness leave him. “I won’t tell anyone, Joel. It’ll either get people's hopes up or cause a witch hunt. Besides, doctor patient confidentiality and all that.”

He looks relieved. “Thanks.”

You nod. “Now, take your shirt off.”

He raises an eyebrow. You roll your eyes.

“I swear if you give me some snarky comment, I will stab you with a scalpel.”

He cringes feeling fantom pain in his scarred abdomen. “Noted.”

“You okay?” You catch the twinge on his face, stare at the gash on his neck.

“Yeah… it’s just…” He sighs, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

For a moment, you are 22 years old again and sense of medical professionalism ceases to exist. It’s embarrassing really, the crush you had on him. Though, it’s just as embarrassing that it’s still affecting you. 20 years ago, you thought the world was more likely to end than anything remotely close to this happening. It seems Ironic now.

The nurse in you returns before his shirt slides off his shoulders. Your eyes go wide as you spot the big, angry scar on Joel’s abdomen. “What happened?”

Your fingers press around the scar, inspecting it. It’s cruel and jagged, still pink, but healed. It’s several months old and there’s no signs of infection.

“Your fingers are cold.”

You roll your eyes. “What happened?”

“We came across some raiders. I took them out, but not before one of ‘em got me with his broken bat.”

“Fuck, Joel.” You press a little firmer, searching for any signs of sensitivity or irritation.

It hits him that he’s never heard you curse. He bites back the tilt of his lips. He doesn’t think you would appreciate it. He never teased you like Tommy did. He was more of a quiet observer before the outbreak. He still considers himself so, but there’s an urge to tease you now. Maybe he wants to steal a slice of pre-outbreak life back.

“Does this hurt at all?” You continue to press all around, this time looking in his eyes. You’re firmly in his personal space now.

He never got to look at your eyes this closely before. They’re beautiful. He reads so much swirling in them. He still sees bits of the 22 year old he knew, freshly graduated and eager to help a world so close to damnation. He sees the shadows floating around, the trauma of living in this world. He sees it in others all the time. He sees it in himself everytime he looks in the mirror, but he wants to know what caused the darkness in yours.

He catches the fine lines that have started to age your face, and a few silver hairs beginning to weave through your natural hair color. He thinks they suit you.

“Joel.” Your voice is firm, shaking him out of his thoughts. “Any pain? Discomfort?”

He shakes his head. You let out a low whistle. “You’re one lucky bastard. It’s a bang up job on the stitches, but it did its job.”

“It got infected. Ellie managed to get her hands on some penicillin.”

His eyes darken. There’s more to the story, but you know better than to ask. One doesn't just “manage” to get their hands on penicillin, especially out here.

Your eyes scan his abdomen, but it is purely medical this time. Joel has several old scars covering his back and abdomen consistent with what you expect. The gash on his neck has already scabbed over, a couple of days old. You do your best to clean it without opening it back up.

You bring your stethoscope to his heart. It thuds in your ears. He breathes in at your instructions: long and steady in, long and steady out. His breath tingles in your ear. Your eyes scan up his neck and face. You think he might be just as handsome now as he was 20 years ago. He meets your eyes and you snap back to the tasks at hand. Heat rises over the back of your neck. You pull away before it reaches your cheeks.

Joel keeps quiet the whole time. His eyes track your every movement; a hazard of living in this world. It’s a hazard you learned to drop when within the walls of the settlement, though it took you years to do so.

His blood pressure is a little high, nothing too concerning or surprising. It’s not like you have medication to help. “How old are you?”

Your eyes meet again. “56.”

You wrack your brain. You helped Sarah with his birthday on numerous occasions. “September 26, right?”

“You remember?”

“I believe I helped put on several of your birthday parties.” You crack a smile, writing it down on the form. You have one for each member of the settlement in case of emergencies. “Shit… that’s-”

“Yeah, I know.” Joel crosses his arms. He hasn’t put his shirt back on yet. His biceps bulge, drawing your eye toward them. It hits you; maybe adult you also has a crush on Joel Miller. You shove that thought to the side. You’re avoiding that trap too.

Joel catches your eye. You swallow, hoping he didn’t catch you staring. “You can put your shirt back on.”

He nods. You don’t watch as he buttons it up. You study the file in front of you like it’s the next great American novel. “Do you know your blood type?”

“O negative.”

“You absolutely sure?”

“You calling me a liar?”

“No, but I’d hate to tap you on the shoulder asking for you to transfuse blood and the person drops dead because you had O positive or some other type.”

“I’m sure.”

You nod, marking it the chart. Joel’s shirt is back on. You can’t decide if you’re relieved or not, but something else catches your eye as he struggles with the last button.

“Hold out your hands.”

His eyes roll but obeys. You visually inspect them. Nothing seems wrong at sight.

“Now make a fist.”

He does, internally cursing when his right hand shakes and shutters. It still doesn’t close all the way. Taking all those fireflies out the day before doesn’t help matters. He eyes you, but you’re completely focused on his hands.

You place your index and middle fingers in his palms. “Now squeeze.”

You feel the fight in his right hand. Its grip is loose compared to the left.

“I broke it back in September.”

“How?” You take his hand. It’s warm and calloused. You ignore that part away as you feel through the bones and tendons searching for misplaced bones or built up scar tissue.

“Took out a Fedra guard leaving Boston QZ.”

“Define took out.” Your inspection continues.

Joel shifts looking away from you. It gives you a good look at his profile. Your eyes flicker up the muscles of his neck, his strong jaw and the scruff that covers it. You catch sight of a faded scar on his temple. He didn’t have that 20 years ago… you kick yourself for remembering that.

“It was just a hairline. Healed up fine on its own.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Obviously.”

Joel refuses to meet your eye. He doesn’t answer your question. Your annoyance grows.

“I’ll give you some options. Stunned? Mamed? Knocked unconscious?”

“Look, I'm not the person I used to be.”

You straighten up. “Nobody is, Joel. We’re literally in hell.” You push back images of your own actions- and inactions. “Now tell me so I can make a rough estimate on the force you used.”

Joel sighs. He remembers the cracking of bones. The way the guard went limp. It doesn’t haunt him. He would do it again to protect people, so why is he so hesitant? Is it that he associates you with Sarah?

He swallows. “Killed.”

He waits for you to kick him out, for a look of disgust to cover your face, but it never happens. You simply keep going with the exam. “Okay.”

You hit a sensitive nerve in his hand. He hisses. “I think it was more than a hairline… but it seems to have healed okay all things considering.”

Joel nods.

“I’m going to rig something up to help you strengthen the hand. It probably won’t help the nerve though.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I will. I’ll drop it off at your house this evening.” You make note of a few things on a clipboard. “Otherwise, I’m giving you a clean bill of health.”

“So I’m free to go?”

“Free to go.” You nod.

He’s almost out the door when you turn around. “And Joel…” He stops, meeting your eye for the first time since his confession. “We’ve all had to kill people, do ugly things for the sake of survival. Don’t think you’re the only one.”

He wants to ask further questions, but you turn your back to him and it dies on his tongue.

#joel miller #the last of us #tlou #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal #woman (joel’s version)#woman (joel miller)#Joel miller age gap #joel miller baby sitter

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caffeiiine · 4 months

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I read the tags on your Kunikida post… go ahead and explain, my liege

JUST SAW THIS SOMEHOW ABYWAYS TYYY

OKAY so probably going into detail about how kunikida can be considered passively suicidal since i have the most coherent thoughts on that aand warnings for stuff of that nature under the cut :D + length

[also small disclaimer, i have been procrastinating reading dazais entrance exam and so far have only seen the anime adaptation which apparently left a ton of stuff out so feel free to correct me on inaccurate details and/or missed examples or just downright incorrect information]

[note: idk if passive is the correct term bc i was thinking about it and hes not exactly like oh i hope this kills me yk, so whatever that term is lmk <3]

This stuff also sorta ties in with his ideals and their potential self destructive-ness. they tend to cause him to either negligently often risk his life with there being an apparent “other way”, or just outright risk his life with barely a second thought for his ideals.

so kunikida has very strong morals and that’s the core of his character. the main ideals referenced in the show being his infamous “ideal woman”, “how to make dazai ideal”, and the ideal that basically tells him to save people. [i forgot what that one is referred to as]. If we’re talking timeline wise i think one of the first examples of his ideals causing him to negligently risk his life would be in Dazais Entrance Exam, or The Azure Messenger arc if you’re an anime watcher.

First example off the top of my head in dazais entrance exam would be when him and Dazai first see the hostages, specifically the ones in the room

after the gas came down dazai has to actually wrestle kunikida away from the room because otherwise hes gonna die. kunikida repeatedly shouts about how “people shouldn’t die like this”. This might be a bit of a tangent but later on in the episode he remarks how he “may as well ahev set the bomb off himself” when Dazai asks about Rokuzou’s dad, implying he blames himself for Rokuzou’s dad’s death. This is of itself isn’t enough for me to say “oh yeah he’s passively suicidal” so moving on to the main manga where there are several other instances of his tendencies to throw himself directly in harms way.

[there may be examples before this i just skipped to chapter 40] and starting off strong we have the thing with Aya. This could be written up to circumstance but he had the opportunity to avoid death himself so im counting it. he’s basically hugging death. that’s all i have to say for this.

of course he ends up surviving it because of deus ex machina yosano. After the fact, Aya asks him what he would’ve done if Yosano wasn’t there. To which he replies basically he would’ve done the same thing he just did except died and basically would have been fine with the outcome as long as she didn’t die in front of him. [he would’ve been dead as well and not had to deal with the guilt] i should point out as well, he does this because of his ideals. he specifically cites his ideals around these parts usually. The not letting anybody die before his eyes is one of ideals and the most common one he uses.

[im pulling that from the fact he had no backup plans or anything to actually stop the bomb aside from Yosano, since his words could imply he would’ve tried to save Aya. and the guy with the bombs was using the fact Kunikida holds his ideals very close to him, taht he wouldn’t have allowed Aya to die if he could’ve prevented it.]

aaand i think our last example and best example for tonight

context for the scene: they’re in the getaway helicopter and tecchou is trying to take it down via his sword and Kunikida decides to take matters into his own hands and take down Tecchou. First off, HE DID NOT HAVE TO, CHUUYA IS RIGHT. THERE. HE LITERALLY SHOT TECCHOU WITH GRAVITY BULLETS EARLIER.

HE DID NOT HAVE TO RISK HIMSELF BUT HE DID. also additional context, in this arc and the previous arcs, he’s been faced with situation after situation where his ideals have failed him and he’s been unable to exercise them and save the people he thinks he should.

point being, he feels like complete shit! he probably is thinking like if he should do anything then, it should be he makes sure he gets his friends out of there. regardless of whether he’s dead or alive because he jumps out of the plane and full body tackles tecchou while being in direct contact with fucking chuuya.

chuuya “has to stay out of the fights and arcs half the time because he’s too good at his job” nakahara.

chuuya “just shot tecchou and did a decent job at keeping him back a few pages before” nakahara. you see my point.

oh and then he just attempts to blow the both of them up.

he does not care for his life at all here. not one bit. also he did not need to blow the both of them up. he could’ve made a fucking stun gun or anything else that wouldn’t KILL the BOTH of them??

my whole point is he does not care for his life here and it’s gets worse the more you progress through the manga.

anyways anyways ending off, kunikida repeatedly puts his life in danger either for his ideals or neglectfully and/or without need. this has been a ramble. this man is not okay.

also kinda funny is he’s partners with dazai of all people, actively suicidal princess bungou himself. i really enjoy their differences and how similarly different they are.

^ not actually related to anything but i almost started laughing so hard with my family in the room at this piece, junichiro looks so concerned

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blissfullyecho · 1 year

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my daily & weekly routine (2023)

self care | studying | health | working | etc.

figured i would write my daily routine that i’m going to adhere to for the next few months— at least until summer semester starts for me (in may) but that’s still TBA.

first, let’s start with my goals until summer semester.

get accepted back into school and pass my entrance exam

get hired to start the patient care technician program at the hospital i want to work at in march so that i can gain hospital experience and i can start working in healthcare (this is the hospital that i want to become a nurse at also)

lose 40 pounds + form a habit of daily exercise

work as much as possible (try to aim for at least 5x a week) until the patient care tech program starts (which is only a 5 week program but i’ll be unable to work those weeks) — my goal is to get caught up with some bills/debt and have $5,000 saved so i don’t have to worry about working during the patient care tech program

move into a new apartment either in downtown or on the beach

grow in my faith, self-love, and be more knowledgeable

so basically, my goals for the first part of 2023 is working on my career, going back to school, and getting my health and finances together.

i would like to start my business, but i want to first focus on getting accepted back into school and getting my career started; then starting my business.

moving on to my daily routine/ tasks, and my weekly and monthly routine

daily:

study for at least 3 hours a day for my school’s placement exam (math, reading, and writing) — an hour each day for each subject

exercise at least 30 minutes a day to start with, eventually graduating to an hour a day

until my phone interview next thursday for the patient care tech program, i’ll spend some time going over interview questions to get myself more prepared— spending at least 30-45 minutes going over that each day

daily bible reading and prayer

reading at least 1-2 chapters per day of a self-help book

listening to at least 1 podcast or educational video each day

follow my morning/evening beauty routines like skincare, showering, haircare, and eventually make it a habit to get ready every morning (this will have to wait until my grandmother gets better honestly— i don’t have the time)

adhere to a cleaning routine and clean as i go so i can spend less time cleaning and more time thriving in a well-maintained environment that’s beneficial to both my physical and mental health

weekly:

to track my weight loss progress, i will measure myself and weigh myself 1x per week (saturday)

go to work at least 5x each week or work at least 5 shifts (some days i might work doubles)

take a weekly practice test of each of those subjects (math, writing, and reading) (sunday)

attend church (in person or online) each week (sunday)

i should also mention that i lost 1.7 pounds this week.

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twiwoncrackpopcorn · 1 year

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ツイステ Twisted Wonderland EVENT at Sunset Savanna “Tamashna Muina” GAMEPLAY

EVENT SCHEDULE

The Event Story is split into 3 releases on 7th February, 13th February and 20th February. Event ends on the 27th.

Event Free Cards (temporary versions) and Event Missions Stamp Cards will be released with same timing. You can claim the permanent version only at the very end, so not before the 20th.

Event GuestRoom Furniture will be available for crafting after having finished each Event Story part.

EVENT CARDS

HOW TO PLAY

Same as usual, accumulate Event currency during regular lessons to unlock Event Story chapters and trade at Sam’s for the Event Free Cards (once you’ve completed the Event Story in full).

The second Event currency you can receive from Event Missions can be exchanged with Event Background, Event Groooovy Items and etc.

Same as for Port Fest, you can Collect some Event Paint to craft Event-exclusive Furniture for your GuestRoom. You can start collecting paint from the first day of the Event (and the Collect Battle lets your borrow SSR Leona and other Event Characters) but the crafting unlocks after having finished the first part of the Event Story so it’s normal if you don’t see craftable items in your list at the beginning.

If we follow Port Fest model, you may need around 200 Event Paint to craft the entire series (don’t worry and collect the Paint first, as it is available only until 27th February while you have until 27th March to finish crafting, so you can Collect regular materials as second priority then).

EVENT SHOP

Vil and Lilia need Event Groooovy Items, you can get them at Sam’s. Event Cards from the mirror gacha banner do not need them.

As for previous World Events (Aleab Narya and Kelkka Rotu), you can get an Event-limited Souvenir at Sam’s for 50 paid jewels. The good news is that this time you can display it in your GuestRoom.

EVENT STAMP CARDS (3 in total)

STAMP CARD 1 (with Vil) MISSIONS [finished]: use Event Vil as your Home character | get Event Vil to level 20 | invite Event Vil in your GuestRoom 1 time | get one of Event Vil magic spell to level 5 | win 5 Water Exam Battles and 5 Fire Exam Battles | collect 100 and 200 Event Juices | login 3 days during the Stamp Card period.

STAMP CARD 2 (with Lilia) MISSIONS [finished] : use Event Lilia as your Home character | get Event Lilia to level 20 | invite Event Lilia in your GuestRoom 1 time | get one of Event Lilia magic spell to level 5 | win 10 and 20 GuestRoom Collect Battles | collect 300 and 400 Event Juices | login 3 days during the Stamp Card period.

STAMP CARD 3 (with Leona) MISSIONS : get Event Lilia to level 40 and one of Event Lilia magic spell to level 8 | get Event Vil to level 40 and one of Event Vil magic spell to level 8 | play 5 and 10 Rhythmics Twistunes | collect 500 and 600 Event Juices | login 3 days during the Stamp Card period.

#ツイステ #twisted wonderland #twst event #twst tamashna muina #twst gameplay

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unverified-mawa · 12 days

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Just caught up with the Frieren manga: I'm really loving how the First Class Mage Exam arc played out, not just in the anime and manga where it's a highlight of the series, but also how it affects the trajectory of the series as a whole.

Manga spoilers below.

Like, almost every single arc since has tied back to the characters introduced in that arc or the Central Magic Association.

A lot of shonen manga will start shaking things up at around chapter ~40, but often it's done by cycling through side characters (killing them off or otherwise incapacitating them) to make room for new characters, and often that tonal shift can be frustrating for readers.

Frieren, by focusing on a relatively small cast and then expanding it significantly at this point close to the border of the northern lands, manages to make that tonal shift more subtle without being needlessly wasteful of its characters' lives.

It then feels a lot more rewarding when these characters show up again in later arcs because it feels like part of a wider plotline outside of the immediate goals of Frieren's party.

And it is a significant tonal shift: the exam is the first time we see Frieren significantly injured and after that we see her get injured several more times against immensely powerful demon foes. Fern and Stark also sustain more injuries the further north we go, despite becoming a lot more experienced fighters along the way.

It makes me wonder about Sein; it seems likely he will make a return, but he'll definitely have needed to get some combat experience to survive with the party going forward.

#frieren spoilers #frieren manga #frieren manga spoilers #sousou no frieren #frieren: beyond journey's end #frieren

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lemonluvgirl · 9 months

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Ok, so this idea just would not leave me alone. I told my husband about this idea for a three-chapter Everlark modern high school AU and he really liked it and told me I should write it. So, here is the first part.

August

Junior year

Panem HS

Another year, another seat in the back of the class next to the window. Another bland teacher introduction followed by the passing out of the class syllabus. Then come the dreaded icebreakers.

Never mind that we live in a town of less than 3,000, or that our graduating class will have less than 200 members if every one of us manages to make it through the next two years of high school. And forget the fact that we’ve all been in the same grade together since kindergarten. Every single year our teachers insist on forcing us to ‘get to know each other’.

If I don’t already know the favorite season and holiday of the person sitting next to me by now I probably never will. (It’s Delly Cartwright, and hers are summer and Christmas respectively)

But everything about this class, about this day, hell, probably about this entire year will be completely predictable. The brains, like BT Latier will work their asses off to get top grades, and the sportos like Cato Anderson will try to copy their homework and cheat off them during tests. Girls like Galinda ‘Glimmer’ Franklin and Clove Moretti will ignore the no cell phones rule and regularly update their Twitter and Instagram during the lecture and will only get called out about 40% of the time.

The rest of us will just muddle through, hopefully paying enough attention to pass the exams and avoid remedial tutoring in the library with Ms. Trinket who, contrary to first impressions, is not a vapid airhead who wears too much makeup and hairspray but in reality, is a total hard ass and does everything in her power to make sure the kids she tutors pass their classes. My life is all about reducing stress and hassle, so I’ll be avoiding her at all costs this year. Besides it’s much easier to just pass the first time around than have to deal with the fallout from failing.

So I inwardly roll my eyes at the whole charade of introductions and do my best to try and look only mildly bored.

When it gets to my turn I don’t bother standing up.

“My name is Katniss Everdeen. I’m 17. I’m stubborn and good with a bow and that’s pretty much it.” I say dryly, and it gets a few chuckles.

After that, the spotlight of my peer’s attention moves on and no one spares me a second glance. Which is exactly how I prefer it. Everyone here already knows I’m not very interesting. I hate the whole school spirit scene, and I’m not in any clubs or on any committees. The last time I was voluntarily a part of something, was five years ago. I quit track in middle school so I could spend more time hunting in the woods to supplement the money from my father’s income that we lost after his death. I’ve gotten so good at it that Mr. Abernathy, the owner of the local sporting goods store, took me on as a seasonal hire last summer. I parlayed that summer gig into a year-round job that helps keep food on my family’s table, and shoes on my little sister’s feet.

My life is a series of responsibilities and expectations that my classmates could never relate to. And their lives are a carefree existence of parties, dances, and soap-opera drama that I have no interest in.

They live in their little bubbles and I live in the real world and we will go on co-existing in this way until graduation breaks the cycle.

I zone out of the rest of the class. We won’t do much work today if at all, so I allow myself the small indulgence of looking out the window and planning for this year’s hunting season which is set to open up for archery on the first of October.

That leaves me only a few weeks to finish getting the permits and stock up on the needed supplies.

This year will be harder than the years before since I’ll be hunting alone. My best friend and hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, graduated and left for Maryland this past summer. He’ll be in Annapolis, training to become an officer and a marine while I’ll be up to my elbows in wild turkey and white-tail deer.

Even though I’m happy for him, I can’t help but feel saddened by his absence. Now there will be no one to watch my back in the woods. No one to help me carry a hundred or more pound buck back if I manage to bring one down like I did two years ago.

The only thing I can think of is maybe asking my boss, Haymitch if I can borrow his truck and if I can rig up a travois then—

The bell rings and I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the shuffle of feet and the whoops of excitement and laughter that my classmates let out at the sound of the last period ending.

I pick up my old hunter-green JanSport, that’s due for another patch of duck tape soon, sling it over one shoulder and make my way to the door.

My exit is delayed by the clump of jocks jostling each other playfully around the doorframe. I breathe out an annoyed huff as I wait for them to pass.

One of them, one of the kinder ones, turns around and shoots me an apologetic look, bright, clear blue eyes shine back at me for a moment before his friends call his attention and pull him roughly behind them. A piece of folded-up paper falls out of the side pocket of his backpack in the midst of this and lands at my feet.

I swoop down to pick it up and my mouth opens to call out his name but the words died on my lips before they can slip off my tongue.

I catch sight of something completely unexpected when I automatically glance down at the paper in my hand. It's the letters K.E. inscribed neatly on the corner that spark my curiosity and prompt my hand to open up the folded paper to see what’s inside.

I lose my ability to speak, to even think for a moment because it’s me.

I’m staring down at a picture of my own face, straight dark hair pulled back into an unseen braid that hangs down my back, while a few stray pieces fall around my eyes, framing an oval-shaped face, dark brows perch surreptitiously over slanted grey eyes and a straight nose above a generous mouth that’s for once not tilted down into a frown, but is instead caught in a relaxed position, not quite smiling but something like the ghost of it, is settled on my lips. And my head is tilted to the side, curiously.

I have no idea when he caught me making this expression. Maybe when I was looking out the window? When did he draw this? Why did he draw this? Is this some sort of practice for art class? I think he takes Ms. Portia’s intermediate art class at the same time I take shop. I’ve seen him going into that wing of the school because it’s right across from the shop building. Maybe he’s just practicing his life study skills. Maybe he’s taking turns drawing everyone in our history class.

I move forward and stick my head out the door, calling out, “Peeta,” but the hallway is empty.

I look back down at the drawing in my hand and fold it back up carefully, before slipping it into the most secure pocket of my backpack, thinking I’ll give it back to him tomorrow.

#thg #everlark #fanfiction #lemonluvwrites #peeta mellark #katniss everdeen #the hunger games #high school au #modern au #Paper Hearts

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chains-of-destiny · 4 months

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A little info on the upcoming update

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. It's been a month since the last update for Chains of Destiny, and I wanted to give a little update on how Chapter 2 is coming along. I decided to take a break in the second half of December, and most of January has been packed with exams, so writing took a bit of a back seat (yes, I know, I've used this excuse before…). However, in between study sessions, I've managed to add about 22k words to the upcoming chapter. Currently, I'm estimating the first part to fall within the range of 40-50k words by its completion.

While I don't have a set release date just yet, I'm aiming to push out the update sometime in February. Huge thanks for all the patience and support!

#chains of destiny

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everynart · 16 days

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#everynaruto #naruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #ino yamanaka #shikamaru nara #choji akimichi #kiba inuzuka #akamaru #hinata hyūga #shino aburame #kabuto yakushi #chūnin exams #volume 5 #chapter 40: the first exam

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to-the-stars8 · 1 year

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Learning to Love Slowly

Jason Todd x Reader All Chapters AO3

40-Batcaves and Dead Robins

“So…Jason, are you bringing your girlfriend to dinner tonight?” Bruce asked suddenly.

At the question, everyone went silent and turned to hear his answer. Jason sneered at him because he hated being put on the spot like that, especially in front of everyone. There was a few moments of silence before he finally decided to say something.

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked her if she wanted to come,” He said.

Dick, on behalf of his father, rolled the chair from the batcomputer over to his brother’s phone on the table nearby. Despite Jason’s irritation at the invasion of privacy, especially since his password was now obviously compromised, he didn’t make a move to take the phone from him.

After a few seconds, after the message was sent, there was a ding. There wasn’t too much wondering from the crowd surrounding him about what you said, because as soon as it appeared on the screen Dick read it aloud.

“Of course, Jaybeans, I’d love to! By the way, do you really think your Pops will let me see the Batcave?” Dick then added on his own commentary after seeing Jason’s face, “Don’t be too upset, Jaybird. It’s the last family dinner before the new year, let’s make it fun!”

Bruce chuckled in response to his eldest son, only meeting Jason’s angry eyes briefly before quietly surrendering himself to the idea of staying out of it. Taking his phone back while mumbling about how no one there wouldn’t know how to respect boundaries if it hit them in the face, Jason then disappeared upstairs.

He didn’t mind you coming over—Hell, he wanted you there, but he also hated suddenly springing things like this on you. Jason was about to message explaining what had happened when you replied again.

Should I wear the dress you like so much?

Okay, maybe he wanted you there a bit more than he initially thought because the thought of you in that pretty little pale pink dress drove him wild. After all, it would be nice to see you after the tough time you had with your exams.

When you arrived Jason met you at the door with a kiss, and Dick ran out greeting you like a dog after its owner arrived home from a long vacation. He was excited, pulling you in with Jason trailing behind the cave.

“It’s kind of weird to have someone who’s not, ya know—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Dick,” You laughed. “Let me get my bearings first. I’d like to say hello to Alfred and your Dad before I go invading the most personal of your family’s spaces.”

“But—”

“Dick,” Jason warned. Reluctantly, he let you go.

Bruce and Alfred were thrilled to see you back in their home, saying how long it had been and how much your presence was missed. You felt so welcomed whenever you entered the Wayne Manor as they seemed so happy to have, as they described it, someone normal around for a change. Well, the second normal person. Apparently, Tim had been dating a civilian, too, named Bernard.

The entire time Dick had been impatiently waiting to show you the Batcave, and, by the time dinner had been served, gave up on showing it to you at all. Jason didn’t care whether or not you saw the cave, and, in fact, preferred the latter.

There was too much history in the cave, happy and sad, that he felt like he would have to explain. To Jason, the cave was nothing more than a pit of despair and longing that he knew would turn anyone with common sense.

Forgetting the cave, dinner was great. You seemed more than happy to be there, and Jason was more than pleased, especially seeing you in that dress. The dinner had gone so great that everyone had insisted you stay longer to play some of their games. You joined in with such enthusiasm that Jason already knew you might be stuck at home with him for the night.

Watching you beat Dick and Stephanie in Mario Kart earned you an extremely special place in the household as one of the greatest players of the game, a title previously owned by Steph. Soon enough, Tim was going around to the whole group gathering money on who would win in the next round, all bets going to you. Unfortunately, just as your luck was up, Stephanie quickly earned back her rightful name.

You handed over the controller to Jason, “You play now. I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Oh, do you need me to show you…”

“I’m fine, I’ll be right back, honeybee.” With that and a kiss, you were gone.

Jason watched you go. The first few minutes you were gone he thought about following you, just to make sure you didn’t get lost in the twisted maze of the manor but decided against it.

It wasn’t until the third round he had played did he start to get worried that you were lost. Excusing himself, Jason got up to go find you. The halls were empty and, for once, quiet. He was worried you had left without saying anything until he had come across Alfred.

“She’s with Bruce down in the Batcave,” Was all he said before stepping away.

Jason didn’t know how to feel at that information, especially since he wasn’t there with you. As he made his way to the cave entrance a thousand rushed thoughts were going through his mind. Did you like the cave? What were you thinking? How in the hell did you end up there with Bruce of all people?

Shaking off his trainwreck of an inner voice, he tipped-toed on the stairs down to where the two of you were. When he got down to the platform he could hear you and Bruce talking, voices echoing clearly.

“It’s small,” You said.

Jason, standing back and slightly hiding, could see the two of you standing in front of the glass cases of old suits. The two of you were in front of his, making his heart sink as you stared at it. Even from across the cave it was obvious how fucked the suit was from what had happened with the Joker and that building. There were spots of blood on the yellow and green and black spots from the soot of the explosion.

All remnants of a dead Robin.

Bruce chuckled, thoughtfully and somberly. “He was a small kid.”

“You would never guess it now,” You remarked. It was a joke, but the way you said it was like you were thinking out loud. The wheels in your head were turning, and Jason wanted to know what thoughts your head was cranking out. “I—I can’t imagine what it was like for you, Mr. Wayne, as his mentor and a father. I’m sorry.”

Bruce was quiet for a few seconds before finally saying, “Thank you. I regret what happened every day. He was—No, sorry, still is a good boy. ”

“He’s a softie.” You patted Bruce’s arm. “And a good person.”

“I know, and every day I wonder where he got all that from.”

Jason sat there in stunned silence. His heart was thumping in his chest and all he wanted to do was bury his head in your chest while he cried. It had been so long since someone called him, an over six-foot-tall brick house of a man, a boy, much less a good one.

Suddenly, Bruce changed the subject, “Jason, when did you get down here?”

Jason was sure Bruce had known he was there far longer than he showed but spared him the embarrassment of getting caught by you. You turned around fast with surprise before melting into an expression that just gave away how happy you were to see him. Laughing lightly at himself, he walked toward the two of you.

“A few seconds ago. Dick was getting annoying.”

You giggled, “I’m sorry to have bailed. I ran into your dad on the way back from the bathroom and he offered to show me the cave and…” You gestured all around you. To him it wasn’t much, but, as far, as he could tell, you liked it. “Don’t think I could resist getting a tour from the Dark Knight himself.”

He couldn’t see the appeal in what you described, but the cave and Bruce had become such an odd norm to him. He nodded over to the glass case. “Bruce told you the sob story of the dead bird.”

“No,” You said. “No birds here.”

Jason thought about rebuffing your words when he realized what you meant. Right, there were no dead birds. Just a dead kid. His eyes shifted over to Bruce whose eyes were looking glassier than usual. And, a dead son.

Jason cleared his throat. “We better get back upstairs, Dick’s gonna be pissed when he hears he wasn’t the one to give you the grand tour.”

“That’s right,” You said. “Let’s go. Are you coming, Mr. Wayne? I’d like to hear some more silly Jay-Jay stories.”

Bruce finally tore his eyes away to look at you and nodded. Clapping his hand on Jason’s shoulder and your’s he guided the two of you back upstairs. Though, usually apprehensive to his father’s touches, Jay tried not to be too quick to push away this time.

It was the least a good dead son could do for his grieving father. It would be a good New Year’s resolution anyway, to breach the gap between him and Bruce.

Just as the three of you emerged from the clock entrance upstairs, Dick entered the room. Looking distressed, he whined, “Did you show her the cave without me?”

#robin jason todd #jason todd headcanon #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd fic #jason todd imagine #jason todd robin #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x female reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x reader #dick grayson #nightwing #good dad bruce wayne #bruce wayne being a good dad #bruce wayne #stephanie brown #tim drake

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dekusheroacademia · 2 years

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My Hero Academia stage play information + subtitles project

Welcome to the Ultra Stage (colloquially called the MHA musicals) info post! In this post I will give a brief description of the musicals, tell you where to find them or buy them, and talk about the actors and promotional material. You will also find links to pics, videos and, of course, the subtitles. And easy weebly version of this post can be found at this link.

SUBTITLES

We are making English subtitles for all four musicals! At the moment, subs for musical 2 are out.

MUSICAL 1: ENGLISH SUBTITLES DOWNLOAD - coming soon, 80% done

MUSICAL 2: ENGLISH SUBTITLES DOWNLOAD

MUSICAL 3: ENGLISH SUBTITLES DOWNLOAD

MUSICAL 3´4: ENGLISH SUBTITLES DOWNLOAD - coming soon, 40% done

Wanna help with making subtitles? Or donate on kofi to help us commission missing dialogue to translate

VIDEOS AND GIFS (in this blog)

I also have been posting some gifs and pics from the four BNHA musical (official musicals) which are out at the moment. You can find them at the tag bnha musical. I also post comparisons of scenes between the musical and the manga, and I post snipped of subtitled videos at this tag ultra stage video.

INFO: THE MUSICALS

There are, at the moment, four musicals, in chronological order, covering the bnha manga plot from chapter 1 till the end of Deku vs Kacchan 2. I will add their Japanese tiltes if you wanna look for them on Amazon Japan.

The first musical is called "My Hero Academia: The "Ultra" Stage" and came out in 2019. It adapts the beginning of the manga, up to the sport festival (chapter 1 to 44). This is the Japanese title: 「僕のヒーローアカデミア」The “Ultra” Stage (ジ・ウルトラ・ステージ). And the musical is about 2 hours. This is also the only musical that can be found on bilibili.

The second musical had some troubles due to covid, so, as far as I know there were two versions. The first one was interrupted by covid, but the second one run in 2021 and had some extra scenes too. The title is "My Hero Academia: The "Ultra" Stage A True Hero, Plus Ultra version" and it covers the Stain arc, the internship, the final exams and it ends with the mall scene where Deku meets Shigaraki (chapter 45 to 70). The "Plus Ultra version" is specifically added because it is the second version of the second musical. The Japanese title is 「僕のヒーローアカデミア」The “Ultra"Stage 本物の英雄ヒーローPLUS ULTRA ver.. And the musical is about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The third musical came out in 2022 and it is called "My Hero Academia" The "Ultra" Stage Symbol of Peace" and it covers the forest training arc and Kamino (chapter 70 to 95). Title: 「僕のヒーローアカデミア」The “Ultra" Stage 平和の象徴(法人特典なし).

The fourth musical has been announced at Jump Festa 2022, the 17/12/22 and is called "My Hero Academia" The "Ultra" Stage The Greatest Hero mode (the link of the website and the cast is here). The musical run until 21st of May 2023 (from the 29th of April 2023). The dvd is out for preorder and you can find it on amazon with this title: 「僕のヒーローアカデミア」The “Ultra” Stage 最高のヒーロー. It will come out the 20th of September. The musical covers from the teachers meeting the students' parents to the aftermath of Deku vs Kacchan 2 (up till chapter 121).

DVDS

The musicals all run live in different theaters, but luckily they were all filmed. The title I used are also the title used in the dvds. Each dvd copy comes with two discs, one with zoom in on faces and camera work, and the second one with a still camera, so you can see the whole stage. The dvds comes without subtitles, but the dialogues are very similar to the anime.

At the moment all the musicals (1, 2 and 3) can be purchased on Amazon Japan, or rented on Amazon Prime Japan (only 1 and 2).

Musical 4 can be pre-ordered.

Other options for purchases are: YesAsia and CdJapan.

For the exact titles to search (with covers, to make sure you get the right one), please check this page.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL

The Kacchako cooking video went quite popular, it was a promotional material for the second musical being filmed for dvd. You can find the transcript here and the subtitled video here (it is two parts, so you can find part 2 in that post). These videos were created for a special series of mini videos called Smash! Unfortunately no other Smash! was recorded or shared.

The actors also shared a lot of pictures from behind the scenes, so I will link their twitter accounts to their names. I will also try to share as much twitter pics as I can here on my blog, with the tag "musical twitter promo".

THE ACTORS

This information comes from the dvds and the wikia. I tried to link all twitter accounts I could find, as the actors usually share pictures.

Class 1A

Shin Tamura as Izuku Midoriya (instagram)

Ryota Kobayashi as Katsuki Bakugo (instagram)

Yume Takeuchi as Ochaco Uraraka and Mt Lady (instagram)

Naoki Takeshi as Tenya Iida, from musical 2 onwards. In the first musical Hiroki Ino played Iida.

Ryo Kitamura as Shoto Todoroki

Mao Noguchi as Tsuyu Asui

Naoki Tanaka as Eijiro Kirishima

Yugo Sato as Denki Kaminari (instagram)

Shinichi Hashimoto as Yuga Aoyama

Saaya Yamasaki as Momo Yaoyorozu

Nagato Okui as Minoru Mineta

Rin Matsubara as Fumikage Tokoyami (instagram)

Akari Kawakami as Kyoka Jiro (instagram)

Shin Ikeda as Hanta Sero

Yume Nagatoshi as Mina Ashido (instagram)

Keisuke Ohkubo as Mezo Shoji

Yuta Chatani as Ojiro

Sakaue Shoma as Sato

Other students

Marino Baba as Mei Hatsume (instagram) in musical 1, while in musical 4 Mirano Takei plays Hatsume Mei.

Daisuke Matsukawa as Hitoshi Shinso

Judai Shirakashi as Inasa (and Masaru Bakugou)

Mirano Takei as Camie and Hatsume Mei (only in musical 4)

Shunto Imai as Shishikura Seiji

Haruna Morodomi as Tatami Nakagame (and Inko Midoriya)

Akiyoshi Tsujimura as Shindo Yo

Villains

Raita as Tomura Shigaraki (instagram)

Kosuke Yonhara as Gran Torino and Giran (instagram)

Bishin Kawasumi as Stain

Yuta Osumi as Dabi

Anju Inami as Himiko Toga and Thirteen

Yusaku Kawasaki as Twice

Shin Koyanagi as Muscular

Daisuke Hosomi as All For One

Tasuku Yoshioka as Mr. Compress

Tanabe Ken as Magne

Kawashima Tatsuki as Spinner

Heroes

Yusuke Seto as Eraser Head (instagram)

Hiroaki Iwanaga as All Might Muscle form (instagram)

Yuki Okamoto as Present Mic and Tiger (instagram)

Yusuke Ueda as Endeavor (instagram)

Tasuku Yoshioka as Small Might from musical 2 onwards. He also plays Mr Compress and Yokumiru Mera. In musical 1, Tsuyoshi Hayashi played Small Might.

Kosuke Yonhara as Gran Torino and Giran (instagram)

Anju Inami as Himiko Toga and Thirteen

Ami Kiuchi as Midnight, Uwabami and Pixie-Bob

Changae as Best Jeanist and Moonfish (instagram)

Ohara Mayuko as Nana Shimura and Mandalay

Fukui Shota as Tensei Iida and Naomasa Tsukauchi

Ohara Mayuko as Ms Joke

Others

Inomata Rei and Ina Seiran as Kota

Haruna Morodomi as Inko Midoriya

Ohara Mayuko as Mitsuki Bakugou

Judai Shirakashi as Masaru Bakugou

enjoy!!

#my hero academia #bkdk #kiribaku #bnha #boku no hero academia #mha musical #bnha musical #resource #mine

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camcanime · 9 months

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When Stars Align

(A Kiribaku x F!Reader fic)

Ever since you were little, all you wanted was to become a great hero. Your parents are both amazing people in your eyes, saving others every day, so why wouldn't you want to be like them? Every great hero has to start somewhere and you've got your eye on U.A. High-school of Japan.

(Chapter 1) Got What it Takes?

U.A.: the super-elite school of Japan for young, aspiring heroes, who want to be the best of the best. Only the most skilled, tenacious, and daring teenagers make it here. This school has produced some of the greatest heroes in the world. It must be pretty cool if so many people talk so highly of it, right? You hope so. You have travelled halfway across the world just to score a chance of getting in, after all. You can only hope that all the hard work pays off. It has been a long and difficult process but, finally, you are here.

With clenched fists and determination glistening in your foreign eyes, you stare down the first obstacle in your wake: the gate to the physical exam. You almost can't believe this is the real thing. It certainly seems a lot more intimidating up close. There aren't many things that worry you, especially when it comes to your quirk and your ability to use it. You have to admit, you have been blessed with a truly wonderful quirk, so why are your palms so sweaty?

Everyone around you is preparing themselves, warming up, and getting in the zone. There are definitely some strong-looking students. You never really took much notice of just how many varieties of quirks there are. With competition such as this, you are beginning to wonder how much of a hard time this is going to be. Snap out of it! Now is far from the time to worry. You need to remain primed and focused if you stand any chance of passing this. With a steadying breath, you close your eyes and mentally go over the rules set in place for the marking criteria.

The briefing entailed that four types of "faux villains", as they were called, are to be expected in this trial. Each villain will be worth different points according to their respective difficulty levels. It sounds easy enough: just beat up some bots using your quirk and rack up enough points to get into your dream school within ten minutes. Easy peasy. Yeah, not so much. Present Mic also detailed that the fourth faux villain variety awards you zero points, merely acting as an obstacle more than anything else. It must be quite a hindrance given the fact that there is only one in each sight.

After what feels like a lifetime, the gates finally open. It's go time. A series of bright, star-shaped constructs take form beneath your feet and betwixt your fingers, sitting comfortably within your palms. They may be no larger than your hands but, with enough of them, you are able to lift yourself from the ground. It is only a few inches in the air but it's a lot faster than running. Not to mention, it will likely be wise to conserve your physical energy for combat and evasive manoeuvers should you not be able to activate your quirk fast enough.

You bob and weave around oncoming students, and it doesn't take long before you encounter your first hurdle - three of them, in fact. You land nimbly on the ground and the stars disappear, leaving you to face the robots that rank with a couple of level ones and a two. Decision time: do you prioritise the higher level, or do you rid of the lower rankings first to reduce the numbers? You choose to favour the latter option and fling a cascade of especially sharp stars their way. The metal skin shrieks upon impact, tearing away and unleashing a gush of sparks from within. One quick turn of your body soon after and you direct double the amount towards the last robot. It takes just one more attack before it blasts out of commission. If you keep going at this pace, victory is sure to be well within your grasp.

Some minutes pass and you can only assume that you have managed to reach the 40s. It's a rough estimate but it's good enough for you at the moment. Unfortunately, fate has other plans and decides that it is time to meddle with your good luck. Flickers of multi-coloured spots pass by your peripheral but you make no effort to stop. You can't stop. There is absolutely no way of telling how many points all of the other students have retrieved. If you stop to take a break now, you might just lose your chance. There isn't much that can be done at this point in time, so you take it upon yourself to listen out for anything that sounds heavy enough to be a robot and aim your stars as best as you can. Scatters of rubble come up to your left and you strike to the best of your abilities immediately. How strange...

That didn't sound like metal.

"Whoa," a gravelly voice bellows, "I can tell you wanna' win but don't take out the competition."

This is a fact that you overlooked. Without your sight, the risk of hitting nearby students is that much greater. How could you be so careless? Not only could someone have gotten seriously injured but you could lose out on points because of your recklessness. That is a consideration taken into this exam, right?

"[I'm so sorry]," you accidentally spill in your native tongue. You swallow before correcting yourself. "I've used my quirk too much, and now I can't see anything. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

You hear a laugh, "No, man, don't worry! Lucky for you, I have a pretty indestructible quirk."

What a relief, you think to yourself. Nonetheless, that still doesn't change the fact that you could have hurt him. If it was someone who didn't have a defensive quirk like him, they could have suffered some serious cuts. You don't dwell for much longer when a firm hand lands on your shoulder, followed by that voice again.

"You gonna' be okay? We should probably get you out of the battlefield if you can't see."

"No, no, I'll be fine," you object desperately, shaking your head. "It'll wear off soon."

You expected this mystery person to leave it at that and wish you luck before continuing to get himself more points but he decides to stay. He clearly has a big heart, that much is obvious already. If any of these students deserves to pass, it's him you've decided. You can only hope that this inconvenience doesn't hinder his chances.

When your vision begins to return, you can just about make out smudges of black and red. This guy's face is still rather blurry but you can tell it's the colour palette of his hair and eyes. Is that a small scar on his brow? It's hard to tell. Another colour comes into view, distracting you: green. That can only mean one thing.

"Watch out!"

You are quick to pull the student out of harm's way and your other hand extends, targetting a flurry of bright, iridescent stars at the faux villain. Luckily, you can confirm that it is indeed taken down before your eyes are invaded with kaleidoscope colours once more. Seconds after, the horn blares, signaling the end of the exam. Is that going to be enough? You got so caught up in the mess that you completely lost count. It isn't even a matter of being able to confer with the boy who helped you as you are already being dragged away by the paramedics. Shoot.

You didn't even get his name.

This is the part that is most agonising. You could have been beaten to a pulp during the practical and the physical pain would still hail in comparison to the existential dread occupying your precious time. You have the ability to practise impeccable temperament but the impatience is wearing you down thin. You can talk a big game about your quirk all you want but deep down you're just a canister of anxiety waiting to be punctured and explode. What if the examiners retract points for your reckless mishap? What if you didn't get enough points, to begin with? Did you ruin the other student's chances of getting in? You hope not; he seemed nice. The stewing of these questions has been fermenting and rotting away in your brain since the exam finished. Your downward spiral is cut off to a temporary halt when a resounding knock breaks the silence, followed by a voice.

"[Starshine,]" it calls gently through the varnished wood. "[I made breakfast. You should come and grab a plate.]"

Food is the last thing on your mind but you know that the insistence of your father won't allow you to skip out on the most important meal of the day. Begrudgingly, you peel away from the mountainous cocoon of fluff and trudge out, being sure to drag one of the blankets with you over your shoulders. The man you refer to as 'Paps' smiles endearingly and pats the top of your head as you pass him. He has been awfully distressed about you - both of your parents have. Being a lot softer than his cartoonishly calloused partner, he has a tendency of going over the top in assuring you have everything you need to feel better. It is terribly sweet, of course, but you wish he wouldn't be so concerned, especially considering how much energy he puts into his job. Both of your parents work so hard, they shouldn't have to worry about some measly exam anxiety.

Paps follows your fragile self down the stairs like a hesitant slinky, silently wondering what more he can do to alleviate this pressure that's weighing you down. All contemplation is set aside when the mail for the morning slips past the front door's tongue. Is that...? It is! Your makeshift cape tears away and lands in your father's face as you descend the rest of the way via the banister. You fumble the landing and drop to your knees, scrambling for the letter like a crazed raccoon to a pile of scraps.

It must undoubtedly make for a hilarious sight because you can hear your Paps' laughter come up beside you. "[Well? What are you waiting for? Open it.]"

Yes. Opening the letter is the next step, isn't it? Your entire body is practically vibrating with a mix of nerves and anticipation. Those worrisome thoughts are close to bombarding you into a coma again but you know you need to open it despite your fears. Your fingertips threaten to pale beneath the pressure of your grasp. Just think of it as a bandaid: you just need to rip that sucker off and get it over with. Through bated breath, you scurry back up to your bedroom and close the door. If this is to turn badly, you would much rather be alone for it, much to your Paps dismay. He shall let you be for now but will remain at the ready should you need him.

Prying open the envelope is hardly done with any grace or precision but you can barely withstand your trembling. A disc-shaped ornament tumbles onto the carpet in front of you. That explains the strange shape, at least. The device stares back at you dauntingly and you have to take a deep breath before pressing the little button that will unveil either your demise or your sanctuary. It chirps to life and a hologram projection springs up, revealing the greatest hero this planet has ever known: All-Might. This must be a good sign. There is no way they would get the top dog himself to bring bad news to the students, right?

"It is I," he announces, baring that trademark smile of his. "Well done, (Y/n) (L/n)! As I am to become a teacher at U.A. I have the proud honour of declaring your success in making it in. Congratulations! You have a fantastic quirk, young lady. Now, you certainly had a couple of fumbles during the practical but your ability to prosper again was most impressive. We weren't just examining students on how many points they could get, after all. You earned some hero points saving that young man from that faux villain."

There is a lot to unpack here. The top-ranking hero himself is going to be a teacher? That's amazing! Not only did you get in but he's going to be your teacher as well. This is almost too good to be true. You thought for sure that said occurrence would have lost you points, especially since you got that student into that mess in the first place. It is a guilt you had been bearing on your shoulders this entire time - a weight that is slowly starting to lift with All-Might's words. It makes you wonder how that boy did and, as if on cue, your question is answered.

"Don't worry, (L/n), the young gentleman has also made it into the school," he continues, easing your aforementioned worries. "He earned himself a fair few hero points with the noble deed of checking on your wellbeing. Being a hero isn't just a matter of how many villains you can take down - it's also about doing what is right! Well done to both of you! I have a feeling you are both going to make wonderful heroes someday."

You catch your own smile in the mirror opposite to you once the hologram disappears. Having two wins to hold under your belt is something you hardly expected but you are certainly not going to complain. Any and all previous engagements with your negative psyche are dwindling as you turn your focus to preparing for school. That first day cannot come soon enough.

Getting this done was a mission and a half, let me tell ya'. I lost this first chapter TWICE due to technical difficulties, but we got there in the end. I really hope it's good enough despite the blimmin' torment XD (Also, if there's any confusion, the dialogue presented as '[ ]' is meant to represent characters speaking in English)

Chapter 2

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