well, shit.

Smiled

Grinned

Beamed

Brightened

Lit up

Glowed

Radiated joy

Looked pleased

Looked delighted

Looked thrilled

Softened

Relaxed

Warmed

Let out a small laugh

Let out a content sigh

Gave a small smile

Eyes softened

Shoulders eased

Expression brightened

Looked content

Laughed

Cheered

Whooped

Clapped

Pumped a fist

Jumped for joy

Bounced

Squealed

Giggled

Chortled

Hugged

Threw their arms around someone

Leaned in

Squeezed someone’s hand

Rocked on their heels

Kicked their feet

Spun around

Threw their head back laughing

Covered their mouth while smiling

Pressed a hand to their chest

Eyes sparkled

Eyes crinkled

Eyes shone

Dimples appeared

Cheeks lifted

Face lit up

Brows lifted with delight

Mouth curved upward

Smile spread across their face

Teeth flashed in a grin

Said happily

Said brightly

Said warmly

Said cheerfully

Said with delight

Said with excitement

Said eagerly

Said with a laugh

Said playfully

Said with a grin

Radiated happiness

Brimmed with joy

Practically glowing

Overflowing with excitement

Bubbling with laughter

Full of delight

Positively radiant

Giddy with happiness

Bursting with joy

Thrumming with excitement

Heart lifted

Chest swelled with pride

Breath caught with joy

Laughed under their breath

Let out a delighted noise

Nearly bounced in place

Clasped their hands together

Covered their face while laughing

Leaned forward eagerly

Couldn’t stop smiling

“Yes!”

“That’s amazing!”

“No way!”

“Really?”

“That’s wonderful!”

“I’m so glad!”

“You’re serious?”

“That’s great!”

“Finally!”

“I love that!”

Felt lighter

Felt warmth spread through them

A small smile tugged at their lips

Something in them loosened

Relief washed over them

Joy bubbled up

A laugh slipped out

They couldn’t hide their smile

Their heart lifted

⟡ Knows exactly what their damage is and has named it and introduced it to people

⟡ Can narrate their own spiral in real time with impressive clinical accuracy

⟡ Says 'this is a me problem' and then continues having the me problem at full volume

⟡ Has identified their patterns, knows when they're in one, and watches it happen anyway

⟡ Describes their own chaotic behavior with the tone of a nature documentary about someone else

⟡ Says 'I know this is irrational' and then presents the irrational thing with full documentation

⟡ Has done enough self-reflection to know they are going to do the exact thing they just analyzed

⟡ Announces their own red flags upfront as a courtesy and an efficiency measure

⟡ Has therapized themselves into understanding the behavior without being able to stop the behavior

⟡ Provides running commentary on their own decision-making in a way that is both useful and unhelpful

⟡ Knows which of their habits are coping mechanisms and uses them anyway with full awareness

⟡ Can explain exactly why they do the thing they do and cannot stop doing the thing they do

⟡ Says 'future me is going to hate this' and does it with eyes open and no hesitation

⟡ Has made peace with their most chaotic trait by giving it a name and some light boundaries

⟡ Diagnoses their own communication style mid-sentence and continues in the same style

⟡ Knows when they are projecting, names the projection, and finishes projecting

⟡ Has awareness of their avoidance patterns precise enough to predict their own behavior in advance

⟡ Catches themselves catastrophizing, acknowledges it out loud, and catastrophizes more efficiently

⟡ Can trace any of their current issues back to a specific formative moment and does so freely

⟡ Says 'I have a type and this is it' while looking at the very type they said they were done with

⟡ Knows the difference between their actual feelings and their performed feelings and shares both

⟡ Has insight into their own behavior that would be impressive if it translated into change

⟡ Is aware they overthink, thinks about how much they overthink, catches it, continues

⟡ Can explain their attachment style, recognize it in action, and proceed at full speed anyway

⟡ Knows their response to stress, predicts it accurately, and produces it on schedule

⟡ Says 'I'm going to regret this' and does the thing with full and informed consent

⟡ Has so much self-knowledge that it functions as entertainment for the people around them

⋆˙⟡ "You want to know why I did it. Fine. But you don't get to make that face afterward."

⋆˙⟡ "I wasn't always this. There was a version of me that would have stood exactly where you're standing. I mourned that version. I'm done mourning."

⋆˙⟡ "They took something from me that wasn't theirs to take and everyone who could have stopped it looked away. I just decided to stop looking away. The methods are different. The principle isn't."

⋆˙⟡ "You want a reason you can argue with. I'm not giving you one. Because you know it's legitimate and that terrifies you."

⋆˙⟡ "I didn't choose this. I arrived here because every other door was closed. Some of them by people who called themselves heroes."

⋆˙⟡ "The system you're defending failed me first. I didn't declare war on it. I just stopped pretending it worked."

⋆˙⟡ "There was a moment. One specific moment. Where someone could have done something and didn't. Everything after that is just consequence."

⋆˙⟡ "I'm not asking for sympathy. I stopped needing it a long time ago. I'm just asking you to be honest about the chain of events."

No Pain Killers Available

Gotta Stay Quiet To Avoid Discovery

Feverish Delirium And Mumbling

Cowboy Medicine: Whiskey Internally & Externally Applied

Huddling For Warmth

Desperate Hand-Holding

“Breathe, Just Breathe”

Protectively Cradling A Broken Arm

The Word ‘Winced’

Whimpering

“Easy, Easy There”

Being Carried; Bridal, Fireman’s, Two-Person, Doesn’t Matter- Being Carried

Coughing, or, God-Forbid, Sneezing, With Broken Ribs

Fainting

Waking Up Not Knowing Where They Are

Animal Attack

DIY Bullet-Removal

Field-Medicine in General

Blankets/Shirt Collar Shifting Just Enough To Have Bandages Peeking Out

Gentle Shushing

Needing Help To Drink From A Glass

Brushing Hair From Brow

Collapsing Off Of Horse

Dramatic Irony Injury Reveal (Audience Knows About It But Other Characters Do Not)

Frantically Feeling For Breath Or Pulse

-The comforting one watching the hurt one sleep and feeling incredibly ~fond~

Stubbornly Standing Only To Have Their Legs Give Out And Being Hastily Caught/Supported

“We Still Haven’t Settled Who’s The Superior Rival–So…S-so Don’t You Dare Die On Me!”

The Worst-Injured Character Half-Conscious And Begging To Know If The Others Are Okay

Lips/Cheek-To-Forehead Temperature-Checking

Taking Off Shirts To Change Bandages

Smoldering Sexy Gentleness

Platonic Tender Gentleness

Waking Up Bandaged In Somebody Else’s House/Bed

Soft, Funny, Dumbass Comfort After Painful Hurt

The Rough Character Holding The Injured Soft Character Gently And Breaking Down Over Them

The Soft Character Holding The Injured Rough Character Protectively Close With The Spark Of Protective Rage In Their Eyes.

Holding Hands And Eye Contact To Endure Through Pain

Insisting You’re Healed Enough, Time To Make This UST Into RST

Insisting That No, They’re Still Too Hurt And The Audience Needs To Stew More

Amnesia Of Basically Any Variety–Funny, Tragic, Sexy, Infuriatingly Ill-timed

Loopy/Forgetful/Over-Affectionate On Pain Meds

It's rude. You're making someone take their time to read something you couldn't bother to write. You're telling them they were so unimportant you couldn't be bothered to actually take the time to say something yourself. And frankly, you're lying about it while you're at it.