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slasherflicks999 · 1 month ago

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new oc/sona yaaaaaay!

oh how i wish i had all those piercings (bridge come back to me💔)

can we guess where his name came from gang (suspiciously username shaped name)

i actually really enjoy his character design and i literally color picked his color pallet from a diagram(?) that shows how a bruise heals and it worked out LMAOO sooo new character design life hack

more info and lots of general yapping about him after the break if you care to read :3 and i yap a LOT i have lots to say about him bc its been a while since i genuinely developed an oc LMAO

cw for LOTS and LOTS of talk of death if you do decide to read! just in case :3

first of all you may be thinking “5’6? short king!” and i will have you know i actually made him taller than i am irl by a few inches LMAOOO whoops t boy swag will do that to ya

anyways the thing about his color pallet being based off of that of a literal bruise IS actually relevant because he is literally immortal and is CONSTANTLY getting injured like all the time. i think conveying info about characters via their color pallets is fun and i wanna do more of it so hehe. plus green and red and purple are a nice combo and it worked out very well :3 also another little note about his design: he’s a very creative and artistic person and i wanted to show that through his clothes being somehow modified and i think i did that well too. trying to properly get back into making actually decent and thoughtful character designs so im proud of myself :3

that being said his immortality causes him a SHIT load of problems. i feel like being immortal would really suck LMAO but more-so i feel like i dont see people do much with the idea of immortality in terms of horror or at least not from what i’ve seen. like im still figuring out his lore but the basics are: he has no clue who his dad is and found out he was immortal at a somewhat young age but literally his entire life he’s been viewed as just kind of off?? like he looks human and for the most part acts it but he just has certain traits that humans…. do not have. his eyes glow in pics like a nocturnal animal’s would and his teeth are suspiciously sharp and he gets weird cravings for raw meat which he can somehow digest perfectly fine with absolutely no issue but he’s not like OVERTLY some otherworldly creature he’s just a little weird. a tad strange even. possibly even kind of unsettling depending on who you ask.

and i like to imagine these are a lot of things that were present in his childhood too, like his mother would wake up to the sound of rummaging in the kitchen and find him at the ripe old age of five just gnawing at a whole raw steak in the dark. he’s just sort of always been like that and didn’t realize it was weird until he was older. (is a lot of this used as metaphors for undiagnosed neurodiversity/mental illness? …..iii dont knowwww :3 (yes) (although not every aspect of him is a total reflection of myself, he is still his own character in many respects lolol))

but in general this ends up causing him all sorts of issues in all sorts of millions of ways. for one he has sort of a fragile sense of self because he doesn’t even know what he is?? he knows he can’t just be a regular old human because of all the previously mentioned reasons and a few more, but that aside he has no idea what he is. he also doesn’t know pretty much anything about how his immortality works beyond what he’s experienced and what the others have told him during the times when he’s “dead,” he has no idea how his aging is affected by it because he seems to be aging relatively normally so far, he has no clue if he will EVER die for good/if there’s any way to kill him, he has no idea how his body seems to heal the most insane fatal injuries as if nothing happened, and much more quickly than a normal human would, he kinda doesn’t know jack shit about himself and it pisses him off a little bit!

it also has just caused him lots of trauma as you can probably imagine. lots of dissociation everywhere he looks

moving on to how his immortality actually works: like i said there’s only so much he knows about it but this is all the info he knows so far. he CAN “die” but all of his deaths are temporary. that is to say that his body will eventually heal and regenerate itself and he will come back. it’s not like deadpool where he can get stabbed in the head and go about the rest of his day like nothing happened, he might be able to keep himself up for a while to fight back or run away but it wont be long before he drops dead for a few days or so. during said time his body outwardly does seem very dead. he’s unresponsive and still and isn’t blinking or nothing and his pupils are blown (which he already has huge pupils but yk), like if you were to just show him to someone they’d be like “yeah that’s absolutely a corpse and also why would you show this to me.” but his body is still alive in a sense, it’s just sort of… yknow when you put a computer into sleep mode?? upon first glance it’s gonna look like it’s off but inwardly things are still going on. his body is still working to regenerate itself the whole time, even if whatever he sustained that “killed” him would very much not be healable or survivable by any normal person. in his POV, he just sort of gets knocked out for a while and then wakes up exhausted and sore and absolutely FAMISHED. like he could easily eat a horse without any exaggeration the boy can eat.

he’s also always been interested in horror and the supernatural and crime and shit and is largely desensitized to that sort of stuff from that + experiencing a lot of different deaths himself bc of the whole immortality thing paired with him being generally reckless when he was younger because what’s it gonna do? kill him? (“what’re you gonna do, jeff the kill me?” -him at jeff moments before being stabbed, probably) he says he doesn’t care but it actually effects him deeply in ways he doesn’t understand for a while. as he gets older he becomes less reckless and doesn’t throw himself into dangerous situations as often.

all that being said he’s not necessarily all that dangerous himself?? he carries his dagger around with him for protection or cutting up meat and apples or woodcarving more than anything and as a proxy he works a lot more as just an… observer. despite his name he’s not really all for the killing people stuff if he can help it unlike many of the others, if anything his name more so refers to the fact that HE’S usually the one getting slashed up. (it’s actually just bc of my username but shhhhhh) but generally he much prefers to be in the background keeping watch or scoping things out or just sort of… stalking people basically. dont ask me how he manages to be stealthy in THAT outfit… he manages somehow i swear 😔

but yknow overall he’s not an incredible threat to most people, the “creepy” part of him being a creepypasta comes a lot more just from how much it would suck to be in his shoes as just a guy who happens to be immortal but still able to experience the pain of death over and over again. he isn’t the creepy thing as much as his entire life experience is LOL. usually he’s just unsettling and disturbing at most.

he also has a VERY complex relationship with BEN in my AU specifically (WHICH RANDOM DISCLAIMER TIME: NOT THE LITTLE 12 YEAR OLD VERSION NOOOOO EW my au’s BEN is like a combo of “fanon” him and behavioral event network he is not 12 years old and i dont want him being shipped with anything NEAR that version of him, ONLY my AU’s version who is 19. im not a freak. 💔 they’re not a couple anyway (BEN🤝slasher -> being aro) but i did wanna preface that just in case bc im not trying to get misinterpreted like that) might write more about that sometime… bc their relationship has a lot of symbolism and complexity bc BEN is my fav character ever period and yes i am gonna write him and my self insert oc as being incredibly deeply intertwined bc i love him and cringe culture can kick rocks and therapy is difficult to get :3 oc x canon shippers platonic or romantic yall will always be safe on my blog frfr

im gonna post more about BEN soon too…. literally working on actually making a proper design for him rn which is mostly just difficult bc i cannot for the life of me think of what to give this freak to wear. i need them to serve cunt but like….. how do i do that 💔💔 that one BEN design i reblogged that gave him the adorable little heels….. absolutely genius………. u know who u are :3

more random rapid fire fun facts about him bc why not: he loves piercings and tattoos and body mods bc they heal so easily for him, he has his tongue split! (NEEEED to do one day actually my dream body mod), his immortality doesn’t seem to effect his ability to get sick which he HATES but when he does get sick it only lasts for a day or so and he’s a total drama queen the whole time, he loves to sew (though only by hand, he’s genuinely afraid of sewing machines) and will patch up or modify clothes for his friends or other proxies if they ask, his favorite kind of raw meat is boar, and his favorite cooked meat is a tie between pork (boar or domestic pig) and chicken, he wears his headphones most of the time bc he loves music and sounds can sometimes overstimulate him, and BEN can talk to him through them because of course he can, he loves animals and actually has way more empathy for them than for humans, and he absolutely LOVES medical dramas and does not care that a lot of the actual medical parts are inaccurate he will eat them up. he WILL be caught staying up until 6am watching chicago med and he will not apologize.

ANYWAY i think that’s about it actually. if anyone actually read all my ramblings…. i love u /p u mean very much to me /p

i WILL be yapping more soon (except probably about the actual “canon” pastas hehe) :3

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whateverisbeautiful · 2 months ago

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Recently saw a photo of Danai and Andy hugging. Lauren Cohan is hugging both of them. It looks like maybe a goodbye hug after shooting the bridge. (It wouldn’t let me upload.) What do you think about the off-screen chemistry between Danai and Andy? Sometimes it’s palpable. What do you think or feel when you see them out of character together?I love reading your insight on things.

I know the exact photo you’re talking about! Those two have so many great behind-the-scenes pics that capture the sincerity and intimacy of their connection as actors. 😊 I think Andy & Danai’s off-screen chemistry is something special. It’s why from their earliest TWD interviews to their latest TOWL promo they never fail to captivate and create memorable moments with their shared sense of charm, humor, eloquence, and passion for their craft and their characters.

And it’s so fortunate that two authentic actors with that insane amount of chemistry and mesmerizing talent got to play it out through two characters who have an epic love story.

When I think about how I feel when I see them out of character, I think about how years ago I saw my first clip of Andy and Chandler Riggs being interviewed and I remember something feeling so interesting to me about the clip. And then I realized it was because I was so used to seeing those two as father and son on TWD and in that interview they had a really cute dynamic but it was my first time seeing them not feel like a father and son but pals, understandably of course.

And then soon after that, I remember I saw my first interview with Andy and Danai and again I was like something feels so interesting to me about this clip. Except this time I realized what was so interesting to me is how their level of chemistry was so similar to Rick and Michonne.

Andy & Danai are different from their characters of course & consummate professionals, it’s just that in its own way the Richonne chemistry is definitely evident in their offscreen chemistry as well. Which is nice to see as that isn’t always a given with costars. And it makes sense that their chemistry as actors inspired the writers to want to give Rick and Michonne more scenes together.

They’re magic together on screen and off, and I love that they seem to have such a sincere loving friendship. They speak so highly of each other and the respect and admiration they have for one another is really sweet. And their banter has some legitimately great comedic timing too. 😂

Plus, having collaborated creatively to develop TV shows before, I know how that process can often put a lot of strain on collaborators’ relationships. So it’s really refreshing to see that Andy & Danai working together with Gimple as creators for TOWL actually seemed to be an overall positive bond-strengthening experience for them.

Just like I believe Rick and Michonne were meant to be together, Andy & Danai were meant to act together and so I’m so glad it worked out to where they could combine their exceptional talents in roles that were truly perfect for them. ☺️

#richonne #reflecting on richonne #asks & answers

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citysweet · 1 year ago

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I read a fanfiction of something like this but I genuinely can't remember who, would you write a fic of photographer r? Orrr maybe barber r (because she's always there 😭😭)? Idk I'm lowkey lacking creativity, that's why I don't write lmfao

i was gonna do the barber one but idk shit abt cutting hair so :D

一 very pretty

♡ wc: 724

♡ elisa posts like a 60 yr old but its ok cause its her

you double checked your bag, making sure you had everything you needed. your company had recently sponsored a certain soccer club and you were assigned to their infamous #5.

it was an outdoor scenery on a bridge by the water, so no extra lighting was needed. meaning the rest of your small crew you usually had with you, wasn’t there. you were kind of nervous to be alone with her since you didn't know that much about her.

so when you made it to the designated spot and see her and who you assume is a manager of some sort, your nerves seem to worsen. she's so pretty. her manager smiles at you then waves, leaving you two alone.

your greetings are quiet and awkward before you distract yourself with getting your camera ready. you can't help but notice how nice she looks in her outfit. from the pictures you’ve seen of her, it was very different compared to what she normally wears.

once you're ready, you sling your camera to your hip and motion her over to where you’d take the pictures. she follows closely behind and you tell her to pose how ever is comfortable for her.

but you can't hold in your laugh and she stands with her arms awkwardly by her sides. “try to loosen up a bit, yeah?” she laughs softly and nods, switching positions. however, this one isn't much better than the first.

you giggle, lowering your camera and walking over to her. “um, here, let me..” you trail off, moving behind her and gently grabbing her wrists. you angle them, avoiding her eyes which you can feel on you. once you do look at her, she smiles at you.

if you thought you weren't nervous before, you definitely are now. butterflies in your stomach erupt and you quickly go back to your position, fumbling with your camera. after taking some, you stand next to her, clicking through the ones you took to show her.

you look up for a moment, hoping she's happy with them only to find her looking at you instead. “pretty.” is all she says and you find yourself going red. “the pictures. they're very pretty.�� she says turning away, the grass suddenly very interesting.

“ah, it's all you really.” you mutter, pretending to do something important while clicking random buttons. she laughs, “they say the beauty is in the beholder, yknow.”

“i guess you’re the beholder then.” you say, suddenly feeling bold. this time, she's the one going red. and when you actually show her the pictures, she compliments your skills. she watches how flustered you get, quietly thanking her.

before you both know it you’ve taken all you need (along with a couple more cutely awkward touches). the way back to the rest of the staff is a quiet one with the sun setting behind you two on the bridge. “wait,,let me get a picture of you.”

“of me? why?” you ask after hesitating for a moment. “you look pretty.” your little game of blushing hadn't ended, but you were losing badly now. you back up a bit after handing her your camera. your arms perch up against the railing, looking towards your left.

you weren't usually on this side of the lense, but you had some experience. so you assumed your pose was fine. however, elisa thought otherwise. she walks up to you with a hum. her tongue pokes out a bit as she holds your arm, turning you the other way.

just when you think she's done, her fingers softly grip your chin, turning your face towards hers. which is a lot closer than you thought it was. the moment seems to last forever while you look at her before she backs up.

she snaps the photo, a toothy grin on her face once she sees it. “see? very pretty.” she says, flipping the camera to show you. you don't bother looking at the photo, basking in the way she smiled and how the sun seem to hit her just right. you nod, “mhm..very pretty.”

一

once the day was done and after meeting with your crew, you were rather happy to find out you’d be taking photos for her a second time. making sure to act extra clueless if she asks to take pictures of you again.

一 sorry this took so long 😭

#一 citysweet's works #elisa de almeida #elisa de almedia fluff #elisa de almeida x reader #psg #nyx loves elisa #一 nyx's pink era

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jawbone-xylophone · 8 months ago

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Still not entirely happy with my characterization, but I do like the slightly experimental choices I made here. I just think Hypnos and Thanatos are extremely divorced, and it's partially because they both think Hypnos should be exactly like Thanatos. Neither of them is sure when it all fell apart, though.

Flavored with an eldritch being having body dysmorphia, and also copious flowery language surrounding People Dying.

~🥀🦋🥀~

It's an old and rotten unraveling, this thing between them.

Before earth and air, before moon and water, there was a suggestion of what could be. And it writ upon itself Night, and it writ upon itself Love, and the darkness filled itself with a thousand shadows, a thousand stars.

And they learned to sleep. And they learned to dream. And they learned to die.

They learned many other things, of course, and Hypnos learned at the knee of Mother Night what gave men delight and terror. He liked to be gentle with them. He liked to weave dreams of river mist and poppy stems and stardust, let mortals taste a little of immortality away from bloody work and bursting callouses. Everyone, everywhere, deserved something nice in their lives.

He'd really thought Thanatos agreed.

Sleep is the midwife of the gentle dead, after all. He lowered their eyelids, fluffed their pillows, reminded them they were loved, drowsy souls all wrapped up in a neat little bow for his brother to take below. They'd danced this dance for aeons, before Time fully knew its own name. A matched set, hand in hand, waltzing the thin blurry line of oblivion and eternity.

They were twins. They should have had an understanding.

Up the hallway Hades loomed over his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose to stifle a gold flush of rage in the wake of Prince Zagreus's latest antics. Mother Nyx hovered outside the prince's door like she'd just happened to be there since the dawn of time for no particular reason, and something about it- her hands, her jaw, the smoke-pale skin they'd all consciously matched to mark out family, was just... a lot. A lot to handle. Honestly, just a little bit hilarious.

He'd been using a human-shaped body for so long it had involuntary responses now, wasn't that funny? Thanatos had come by... some timeless amount of time ago, maybe a decade, maybe a year, to tell him to get better at record keeping. Registering new shades. It wasn't a bad job. It wasn't an ideal job. It could sure prove he wasn't incompetent and clingy and dependent.

All he had to do was stay awake and friendly and not do anything creative, with zero help from anyone, and try not to accidentally slice his hand on his quill every time Thanatos dismissed him. He bled poppy sap, after all, not ichor like the Olympians.

It was kind of funny. Very funny, actually. He really had no reason to bleed anything- he might as well bleed ichor, if he could. Something to work on after his shift maybe. If he dreamed hard enough, he might change enough to improve something. He'd only really remembered in the last millennia to keep the number of his fingers stable. Sometimes he'd wake up with more or less. Maybe that was a problem.

It wasn't, once upon a time. It'd just been him and Thanatos on the banks of the Lethe, dancing the way flowers and butterflies do, drawing souls gently down into that final sleep to end all heartache and pain. Something gentle. Something good.

Hypnos let his papercuts scar like a human, trying to keep track of the last time his brother gave a damn, and got back to work.

#my writing #hypnos hades #thanatos hades #hades supergiant #hades game

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a-very-sparkly-nerd · 3 months ago

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There Are Bridges You Cross You Didn’t Know You Crossed until You’ve Crossed

Ch3 of Don’t Leave Me 'Til My Sorry Life Has Ceased Prompts: Necessary, Monster The time has come to do the spell to kill Domina Profundis, and it's Callum's last chance to put everything as right as he can.

The trip to the mainland was unceremonious. They pulled on dark cloaks to shield from the raging weather and to avoid recognition, trekking through muggy swamplands to a hut made of rotting wood, a house that the witches from the fairytales always lived in.

Its occupant was, in fact, not a witch, but a dark mage, which were basically the same thing anyhow. His face was more marred than Callum’s now, buzzed black hair shot through nearly entirely with white, and a clouded-over eye that still seemed to see him, only ten times more creepy. Callum didn’t care for his name, because a name meant he was a human, too, and he was better than so few these days.

“Finally getting your revenge, eh?” the man chuckled as he rummaged through his cabinets.

“Tastes even sweeter after all this time,” Finnegrin replied. “I knew you’d hold onto it.”

“Knew what you’d do to me if I didn’t,” the man snorted, and he shrugged.

“I won’t deny that.”

He finally procured the unicorn horn, and Callum stepped back, breath catching in his throat. It gleamed silvery-white, the color of Rayla’s hair in the candlelight, spiraled and twisting much longer and much pointier than he’d envisioned. The end, the stump where it had been sawed off, Callum realized, stomach churning, was still stained with blood. Dark and crimson, smelling of mud after a long day and faded floral perfume instead of the usual vomit-inducing metallic scent.

Finnegrin clapped his shoulder. “He can carry it. Wrap it up real nice, won’t you?”

“Only the best.”

The artifact was delicately wrapped in a red cloth, handed to him with care. Briefly, Callum considered dropping it and hoping it would shatter into a million unusable pieces, but under Finnegrin’s stern gaze… He’d know it was on purpose, and Rayla…

He could do nothing but accept it, marveling at the priceless relic in his hands. Surprisingly heavy, was all he could manage to observe through his heartbeat in his ears. This was real. He was really going to just… repeat history, and roll the dice and hope they’d finally get to go free? Surely that couldn’t be the only option. There was always some creative solution.

And then they were being escorted out, the man likely unfathomably relieved to be rid of them, Callum thought with envy burning at his ears, and back into the raging storm outside.

“We should get out to her hunting grounds by sunset in two days,” the elf informed him, strolling leisurely with his hands in his pockets. “You’ll do it then and there.”

“Fine.”

“What, no sassy comment? Come now, they’re amusing.”

“Nope.” He looked downward, to his soaked boots, tears pricking at his eyes. Where was the Callum who would have fought this tooth and nail the way Rayla was? Why was he utterly defeated ?

He tsk ed, practically begging to be clocked square in the face again. But he was only mercifully silent for a moment before he began whistling a jaunty sailor’s tune, the legend of that missing sailor Callum recalled hearing on Katolian piers when he was young, flipping that blasted coin with his thumb.

AO3!

#rayllum #tdp s5 #my fic #snake boi callum #snake boi callum week #tdp callum #ao3 #my writing #angst #sbcw

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simlicious · 1 year ago

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My game recommendations

I had a reblog in my drafts folder for a couple of days to keep working on it and when I was done I saw that the original poster sadly deactivated reblogs on their post. They lovingly suggested that simmers should indulge in other games too, and I couldn't agree more. It is a special feeling to dive into a new game, learn new mechanics, and have a very different experience from the last game you played. I really put a lot of work into my answer, so I decided to make a new post for it.

I'm a simmer and a gamer (simming since 2000), gaming since 1994 or so. I used to play Everquest II way back when and dabble in Elder Scrolls Online but I quit for Baldur's Gate III which has me obsessed for months now, highly enjoyable. Sims 3 has fallen a few steps on my top 10 list in recent years, but I use it as a creative outlet anyway and do not tend to judge it against other games much. I do judge Sims 4 though, which is a sad state of affairs. I can have fun in it if I spend the time in CAS, or for the first 6 hours in a new expansion - but it's just too expensive for its little value, especially compared to other games on this list.

City Builder/Automation games:

Factory Town: super chill cozy vibe, automate logistics for your pixel-people town. Lovely game

Timberborn: build a town for cute beavers!

Farthest Frontier: a nice city simulation with some logistics and events such as raiders invading the town

Satisfactory: one of the most ambitious automation games, with amazing graphics, for people who like to puzzle, analyze/calculate, and really use their heads while gaming. I like to play it as a challenge and see how far I can take my spaghetti conveyor belts!

Frostpunk: a harrowing/grim atmosphere, dystopian, make hard choices for your town

Simulation games:

Roller Coaster Tycoon and Planet Coaster: I love building super scary rollercoasters and then riding them and trying to get people in the park to ride them too

Strategy games:

Anno 1800: I can spend my entire life in this game it feels, it is engaging and relaxing all at once - love this so much!

Action/adventure games:

Assassins Creed Origins: stunning world, super detailed visuals and fun combat mechanics

Scifi/Exploration

No Man's Sky: At first I thought this was more of a casual game, but prepare for a lot of grinding and long-ish quests. It is fun to discover new plants/creatures and name them!

Survival games:

Raft: great to play with friends too and it has a relaxed vibe but also survival mechanics that keep you engaged

The Long Dark: I love the art style and music so much, the story mode is great, the survival mode can be very challenging depending on settings and it is super immersive. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket to play 😂

Subnautica: my favorite game ever before Baldur's Gate 3 dethroned it! It is a game that will guide you to leave your comfort zone time and time again, but you choose when you feel ready for it. You can really follow your own pace and exploring the vast, beautiful, and terrifying depths of this ocean planet is absolutely immersive and filled with surprise and wonder. It has also very chill and calm base-building elements to counteract the scarier moments. The soundtrack is one of the best in terms of evoking feelings/ building atmosphere, do not turn off the sound while playing this game!!!

Storytelling games:

Life is Strange: a classic, it's fun to explore what we could change and what the consequences would be if we could go back in time.

Firewatch: very emotional and touching, leaving a lasting impression

Casual games:

Bridge Constructor Portal (the dark humor is a bonus, it's fun and trains your analytical thinking!)

Carcassonne (like the tabletop game, chill puzzle game)

Simulacra (you uncover a mystery on a phone, interesting idea!)

Retro Games:

My favorite old/retro game would be Black & White (from 2001), which I played when it originally came out, I loved it so much! The free camera was revolutionary at the time. You play a god who is powered by worshippers whom you can either provide and care for or reign terror over, and your actions decide your alignment, good, neutral, or evil. You get a creature that you can train (and will be more or less useful to your goals or disrupt them depending on how well you train it). IIRC, you can train the creature either in the story mode or sandbox/skirmish mode and then go back to story mode with a stronger creature. The mouse gestures which activate miracles in the air felt like a revolutionary new idea back then. The game is not available officially anymore, but it is downloadable from some abandonware websites and the community-made patches so it is still playable today! Writing this, I had to reinstall it right away... the nostalgia!

RPGs:

Cyberpunk 2077: it's just iconic, the city energy and car drives are nice, the story is interesting and it feels immersive

The Witcher 3: great quests and story, beautifully crafted open world

Baldur's Gate 3: I could also talk for hours about Baldur's Gate 3. If there is one game out there that everyone should have tried once in their life, it's that one. It really lets you try any strategy you want and did not actually expect to work in a video game, but in BG3, it does. Even cheaty ones like pushing enemies from a cliff or using explosives to blow stuff up. If you got surprise-attacked but have no weapon handy, you can throw a grease bottle at the enemy that can make them slip and fall, and then you can throw your burning torch at it to light everything on fire. You can stack boxes to climb up to reach something (or throw a goblin body onto someone's head, because it's perfectly normal to carry those around with you). You can be sneaky and steal stuff, even rewards from enemies. Don't like fighting? You can talk your way out of most fights if your character has the necessary skills and still complete quests that way. 95% of NPCs have something to say, and if you click them again, they will have another line. The narrator is awesome. The companions have so much character, the banter is great and every character has its own story arc and goal, the voice acting is phenomenal all around. Definitely get the talk-to-animals skill and use it on all animals, you'll have hilarious conversations! It's worth every penny, even if it's not on sale (and I hardly ever buy a game at full price, so that is saying a lot). Thanks for reading, I hope you feel inspired to try some new games! Have fun 😊

#game recommendations #but for simmers #not exclusively though #non-sims

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royalwhumpness · 5 months ago

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Reimagined [Fanfic Chapter 2]

Frustrated with her mom, again, Astrid hops on her bike and sets off around town. She'd done this countless times before--it has always been her go-to way to find some peace or make sense of everything going on.

If you'd like to read this or the first chapter on AO3 you can go here!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I was disappointed by some of the creative choices, particularly in how certain characters were portrayed and the story direction. This fic is my re-imagining of the movie, reflecting how I feel the characters and story could have been better developed.

Foreword: I wanted to mention the tone of the story. You might be thinking, "GoldenOra (or royalwhumpness on tumblr), this isn't funny, Beetlejuice is a comedy." And you're right. But! My rebuttal is to ask you to be patient.

These are establishing chapters, and I want to give the sequel everything I felt the movie deserved. If you read the script of the first film without hearing the dialogue or seeing the visuals, it wouldn't come across as funny either at first. Beetlejuice was not really a laugh-out-loud movie (of course it had its moments). The humor comes from how the lines are delivered, how the scenes are framed, and the characters' costumes--those elements are what made the original so comical.

WARNING: The NOTE after the chapter has some spoilers if you've never seen the movie.

---

Astrid paused at the foot of the hill, her eyes drifting towards the town’s entrance, framed by the familiar bridge. She’d crossed it countless times, but today, everything seemed washed out—the colors of the day and the buildings dull and lifeless. The town square just beyond barely expanded, with only a few residential streets fanning out. She and her bike had explored nearly every road, sidewalk, and public lawn in this place. Her tires rumbled over the bridge. The roads on the other side she could ride blindfolded—if not for the occasional car or passerby. At least here, she could lose herself, drifting into her thoughts and daydreams as she pedaled.

Before she moved away, she used to ride through the small town, thrilled to say goodbye to the old buildings. Bigger things were waiting, and she looked forward to the day when her old life would shrink into the distance behind her. But boarding school wasn’t as grand as she’d pictured. No antique wooden walls, the floors weren’t speckled stone, and the library was far from magical. “Well, this isn’t Europe,” she mused, offering herself a small excuse for the disappointment—just a regular building with linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, and plaster walls.

Her bike sped through the town center, up a small hill, onto a quiet residential street. It was far enough from home that she could pretend, even for a moment, that it was somewhere else entirely.

Despite the plainness of the school, she still managed to bury her nose in academic and fiction books alike, but she mostly kept to her room. Her roommate was friendly enough, though they rarely saw each other. Astrid was surprised to find that most of the students were pretty nice. Back in her small town, her family had always stood out. She’d taken after her mom, wearing darker clothes, and often borrowed or was gifted eccentric pieces from her grandma’s closet. While the locals back home would occasionally give her stares or glares—though they should’ve been used to it by now—no one at boarding school seemed to care. This time, it was Astrid who found herself staring at students sporting mohawks and leather jackets with spikes.

Finally on the residential street, Astrid passed by quaint houses untouched by corporate sameness, each one displaying its own varied and charming architecture. Some lawns boasted lush gardens, while others had neatly trimmed grass with swing sets, lawn chairs, or empty above-ground pools. Her effort to climb the incline paid off as she reached the top of the hill. This was her favorite part—racing downhill. She paused for a moment, just as she did at the bottom of the hill near her own home, and took in the new view. A brief sense of gratitude washed over her that she hadn’t grown up in a big city. As she began her descent, one or two pedals were all she needed before gravity took over, pulling her effortlessly toward the bottom. The wind grew harsher as she picked up speed, drying out her eyes. For a fleeting moment, she considered closing them and letting whatever happened, happen, but not wanting to test fate, she blinked, trying to coax tears back into them. The world flickered from blurry to black and back again as she did, making her miss the open manhole directly in her path. At the last second, she spotted the dark void in the street and swerved sharply, her bike veering off into a new route, slipping between houses and into someone’s backyard. She crashed into a tree, her head smacking against its rough bark, and everything went black.

“Hey, can you hear me? You awake? Ah, she probably can’t hear me.” The voice echoed in her skull, bouncing around like a stray thought. She could’ve sworn she also heard church bells, though it might have just been the warning sign of an oncoming migraine. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only for the sunlight to pierce through her pupils, setting her brain on fire. “Ah.” She covered her eyes with her hands. “Okay, so she’s awake. Can she hear me? Hello? Can you hear me? Probably not.” Peeking through her fingers, Astrid saw the tree she’d crashed into—and an old treehouse nestled in its branches. A teenage boy, about her age, maybe a little older, was leaning out from the doorway, checking on her. “Sorry…” she muttered, moving her hands to shield her eyes again. “Sorry I crashed into your tree. I just need a minute.” “Holy shit,” he exclaimed, sounding genuinely shocked. The treehouse creaked as its ladder rattled beneath him, and he climbed down quickly. “Hey, it’s cool. Just take your time,” he said, now standing beside her. “You really hit your head hard. You probably have a concussion.”

Astrid sat up slowly, moving her hands from her eyes to her forehead. She winced as her fingers brushed the bruise just above her hairline. Now that her vision had cleared, she could finally see who she was talking to. He was cute. Tall and lanky, with soft reddish-brown hair that puffed up, defying gravity. His large hazel eyes were gentle and kind. “I think I’ll be okay,” she said, offering a small smile. “I’m Astrid. Sorry again for crashing into your yard…and then your tree.” He laughed. “I’m Jeremy. No, it’s really ok.” He looked at her with genuine interest. “It’s really nice to meet you. Where’re you from?” “From here,” she replied, pointing toward the hill that loomed over the town. “I live in that house.” “No way, the ghost house? You’re Lydia’s daughter? She’s a legend!” Astrid smiled. “Yep, that’s my mom.” Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Wow, so that explains—uh, the clothes.” He gestured vaguely at her outfit: a long black t-shirt, baggy black cargo pants, and chunky black shoes. She had a thick choker around her neck and her hair styled in a spiky bun. “I just came from a funeral,” Astrid said matter-of-factly. Jeremy smiled. “Ah, I see. So what are you doing in my neck of the woods?” “I needed a break from family.” Jeremy took in a sharp breath, glancing back at his house. “I hear ya.” “Family drama?” Astrid asked, recognizing the look of child/parent tension in his expression.

“Yeah, my parents and I don’t really get along,” Jeremy admitted. He glanced between Astrid and his treehouse. “But I don’t want to bore you with that.” He bounced a little on the balls of his feet and gave a sheepish grin. “Hey, I know we just met, but would you like to see inside?” He pointed up at the tree. Astrid offered a small, shy smile. “Um, I’d like to, but—“ “I hope I’m not coming off too strong,” Jeremy interrupted, holding his hands up in a gentle, defensive gesture. “Oh, no, it’s not that. I just… I guess I could.” Astrid said in a soft, hesitating voice. Her eyes darted from the tree to the road and back. Connecting with people had always been tough for her, even when they showed kindness and interest. She longed for friends, but the right words often eluded her. “Oh, great!” Jeremy beamed. Astrid looked up at the treehouse, which appeared old and somewhat unkempt. “Is it safe? I don’t want to fall through and hit my head again.” Jeremy snickered, “It should be; it’s pretty sturdy wood. Don’t be fooled by the rotting parts; it’s held firm since my dad was a kid. Besides, I think you’ll like what’s inside.” Astrid smiled at his warmth and charm. Jeremy climbed the ladder ahead of her. “I’m excited to show you my collection.” “Collection of what?” she asked, following him. “You’ll see.”

When she reached the top and stepped inside, Jeremy spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. “Welcome!” The interior was cozy, adorned with rugs, posters, string lights, and a collection of nostalgic memorabilia. In the back, by a window, was a record player and a crate full of old records. Astrid’s eyes lit up as she took it all in. “May I?” she asked, pointing to the crate. “Of course, that’s what I wanted to show you.” “Awesome.” Astrid began to finger through the album covers, admiring their artwork. “Would you like me to put something on?” Jeremy asked, coming to stand next to her. His proximity made Astrid smile, and she felt a flutter in her chest. She stiffened, wondering if the flutter was too loud. She glanced at him, but if he noticed, he didn’t show it. He pulled out a record by Pink Floyd. “How about ‘Dark Side of the Moon��? It’s a pretty chill album to have on while we get to know each other.” He flashed a cheeky grin, wiggling the album side to side. Astrid chuckled, “Sure.”

As the music began to play, adding a whimsical backdrop to the room, Astrid took a closer look at the decorations. The walls were adorned with posters of old movies and music: RoboCop, Nirvana, Ghostbusters, Fight Club, Green Day, and other iconic vintage classics. “You really like the 80’s and 90’s,” Astrid said, shifting her attention to a small bookshelf. “Yea, I guess I do.” Jeremy noticed her sifting through the books. “Do you like to read?” “I do.” She pulled out a book, Poetry of Poe, and flipped through it absentmindedly. She smiled and quoted, “From a proud tower in the town, death looks gigantically down.” Jeremy’s eyes widened with surprise. “Wow, The City in the Sea, I wouldn’t think many people know that one. Where’ve you been all my life?” Astrid laughed, “Atop the hill, surrounded by ghosts, apparently.” “Seen a lot of ghosts, have you?” “No, actually,” she said, her tone becoming somber. She placed the book back on the shelf. “My mom says I saw one when I was four, but honestly, I don’t remember, and I haven’t seen one since.” Jeremy looked puzzled, “No? Why not?” She shrugged, “I couldn’t tell ya.” She settled into a beanbag chair across from the bookshelf, holding her stomach. It started to churn and threaten to bring up what she ate last.

“So, this is a small enough town, why haven’t I seen you around?” Astrid’s voice sounded a little strained. Jeremy had moved his attention to a small stand of classic VHS tapes beside the record crate. He looked over them mindlessly as he answered, “Oh I’m sure we’ve passed by each other here and there, but I go and stay with my grandparents quite often. It’s a small vacation away from Lucifer and his wife.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing towards the house. Astrid chuckled, “Ah, that might explain it. I did end up leaving for boarding school, so I haven’t been around much, myself.” She winced, groaning softly as she leaned forward, clutching her stomach a little tighter. Hearing her, Jeremy’s focus shifted back to her, concern on his face. “You ok?” he asked, approaching her and kneeling by her side. Astrid initially nodded but then shrugged. “I’m not sure. I suddenly feel sick.” Jeremy glanced around the room, looking worried, and let out a defeated breath before saying, “Are you hungry? I don’t have any food around, sorry.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I just feel nauseous.” She placed a hand on her forehead and groaned. “My head suddenly hurts.” She closed her eyes, wincing. “Uh oh. I think you might actually have a concussion. You should head home.” “Really? A concussion? This fast?” “It can take some time for the symptoms to show up, and then—wham—it hits like a train.” “Okay. Well, I should get home then.” He helped her up. “I’ll go down first in case you’re feeling weak, so you don’t injure yourself more if you fall.” As he guided her down, Astrid noticed that he kept her hand in his a bit longer than necessary. Despite his warm eyes, warm smile, and warm charm, his hand felt surprisingly cold. “Thank you,” she said softly. At the bottom of the treehouse, before retrieving her bike, she turned to him. “Thank you for letting me see your treehouse. It’s really cool.” “Thanks,” he said with a smile. “Maybe you can come back again sometime?’ She gave a small nod, “Yeah, that’d be cool.” “Cool. Maybe tomorrow, if your head’s ok?” “Sure, thanks, Jeremy.” She gave an awkward wave, and he chuckled. “Bye, Astrid.” She grabbed her bike and walked it back up the hill. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that he was still watching her. She smiled.

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END NOTES: Changes I've made (and plan to make) from the movie.

I’ve removed the fiancée/manager character entirely. I found him unnecessary, and his execution felt lacking. The overuse of mental health terms to villainize him and, by extension, the mental health movement, struck me as lazy and problematic. While his manipulative nature was meant to control Lydia, there was no positive representation to counterbalance his portrayal, leaving the audience with little context for his misuse. Instead, these issues were treated as punchlines, which, in my opinion, trivialized the subject matter.

In my version, Betelgeuse’s ex is introduced more subtly, with hints of her greater role as the main antagonist in a potential third installment: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetljuice Her character was completely underutilized in the film, and I felt she was given one of the most anticlimactic ends for any villain.

Bob is not in this story.

I’ve slightly re-imagined the detective, a character with a lot of untapped potential. On the other hand, Jeremy was the standout character for me and should have been the central antagonist. I’ve developed his relationship with Astrid more deeply, creating a stronger emotional impact leading up to his betrayal.

Astrid, in my version, is a more realistic teenager—not the stereotypical brat she was in the movie. She and Lydia have a complex relationship, which, while strained, is more balanced. (Let’s not forget that Lydia herself was once a moody, gothic teen. She had personality, moped around, and resented her stepmother, but her characterization felt more nuanced and authentic than Astrid’s does here.)

I was also disappointed by Delia’s treatment in the sequel—she felt like a mere caricature of her original self, and I believe she deserved much more.

As for Betelgeuse, he went from being an outcast in the first film—someone you were warned against—to having an office and a legitimate business? That felt completely out of place. Much like Delia, he seemed like a caricature of his former self, and he’s significantly overpowered in this version. I’ve returned him to the chaotic, outcast anti-hero we all know.

If you enjoyed the movie, that’s great—everyone has different tastes, and I respect that. But I hope you’ll give this version a chance and maybe find something to enjoy here too. If, like me, you were left wanting more from the sequel, perhaps this re-imagining will help scratch that itch. It’s been a cathartic project for me, and I hope you enjoy the read.

#beetlejuice beetlejuice #beetlejuice #beetlejuice 2 #beetlejuice fanfic #beetlejuice fic #astrid deetz #lydia deetz #delia deetz #charles deetz #betelgeuse #winona ryder #michael keaton #catherine o'hara #jenna ortega #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3

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astriiformes · 2 years ago

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minnesota gang <3 id love to hear your thoughts on living here as someone from out of state, if u wanna share!

Of course -- I always enjoy when other people get excited about my Minnesota blogging, haha.

For context I grew up in Arizona and then Colorado, and spent a fair bit of time in both Oregon and California visiting family, so I am very much from the west. Minnesota's been an interesting place to end up because of the ways it does/doesn't overlap with it. Like, I deeply, deeply miss the mountains, which are the part of the country that truly has my heart, but I've come to love a lot of the nature here as well, particularly the fact that the Twin Cities have a much healthier relationship with natural spaces than a lot of other urban areas. Just today a friend and I were walking on a bridge across the Mississippi and stopped midway to look out over it for a while. I love that there are city parks with waterfalls here, and that it's not uncommon to see eagles in and around the lakes, and that I've found fossils and geocaches clambering down steep gorges along the river. It's nice.

(And I especially love the nature up north, even though I've only been a few times -- Lake Superior is awe-inspiring, the glacial geology here is fascinating to me as someone who loves the natural sciences, hopping across the stepping stones at the mouth of the Mississippi up at Itasca is kind of mind-boggling, the trees up there feel a lot more like home, and as a certified Wolf Guy, learning that Minnesota is home to more wolves than anywhere in the contiguous "west" has genuinely delighted me.)

But I've also just loved the community I've found here. A large part of the reason I left Colorado was because Denver was just too expensive for me to consider (I was living with my family, in a suburb outside the city that was really stifling and lonely), and I really thought a lot of the places I could find real belonging would have too high a price tag, which I think is a common fear for queer folks who have mostly heard about big eastern and western cities as safe havens. The Twin Cities have given me everything I wanted in that regard. I have so many queer friends here, some of whom are more like family at this point, have regularly had coworkers like me and even had one job where I was encouraged to be fairly loudly out (and got to do some neat outreach as a result), and these days in particular am counstantly counting myself lucky to live in a state fighting for the rights of its transgender population.

And I've found community in other ways, too! There's a really vibrant, creative geek scene here, that's hung onto more of its old-school fandom roots -- probably my favorite convention anywhere is right here in Minneapolis (CONvergence), and there's a wonderful filk community in the area. I love, love, love my very queer, very social justice-oriented synagogue and that there are interesting Jewish community events going on with some frequency (and that I've even found a great deli to buy hamantaschen at every Purim!). And man. 2020 was a hard year here, but I'm going to remember the ways my neighbors and I stepped up for each other for the rest of my life. When the rest of the country was acting like our cities had burned to the ground, I felt like I was seeing the best of humanity from so many of the people around me. There were a couple days my qpp and I drove around just... taking pictures of all the art that had sprung up around the Cities, and on the boarded windows we knew would be taken down, because people had made them blossom with color and rebellion and love while they were up.

All told, there's a lot of neat things here. There's a lot of problems, too, but it's not hard to look around and see people fighting to solve them -- and in the meantime, there's plenty of joy and community to cling to. I've been fortunate enough to live in a few different parts of the country and have fallen in love with each of them in their own way, but Minnesota took me by surprise. I always thought of it as one of the quieter, more boring Midwestern states and I'm glad to have learned otherwise.

(I am also a cold weather guy through and through, despite my desert roots, so the winters treat me just fine, ha. The camaraderie through the blizzards and below-zero temperatures is another very real part of the state's charm.)

#land of eldritch lakes

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a-halfblood-named-coin · 2 years ago

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Saw DND:Honor among thieves and I have THOUGHTSSSSS

Disclaimer: I am a dnd nerd but not intensely so. So compared to other more serious dnd people I probably care less about ‘game accuracy’ or whatever. Also, if your gonna reblog with “weren’t we boycotting” or smth, just leave bestie also SPOLIERS duh

ANYWAY- my main critique is the pacing. Overall, the fast paced nature helped keep the vibe flowing without getting caught but their were a couple times where I kinda got overwhelmed with how often we were switching scenes. That and I agree with the critiques of the tiefling design being rather boring, especially when you factor in her whole “I hate humans” thing since she looks almost exactly like them.

…and that’s it….no really! I found myself enjoying this film FAAARRRR more than I thought I would. At the end, I think why I loved it much more than similar movies is that it nailed the humor and comedic timing. It has its serious moments and it does them well, but overall it’s a really fucking funny movie where one of the main villains is defeated with a potato to the face. There are several stellar jokes, like-

The fat dragon

Everything Xenk says

The death of the red wizard lady lol

“What’s wrong with my lips!?”

The dwarven bridge

The fake window at the end

And of course NAT 20 potato!

I was laughing a lot throughout the movie, definitely it’s best aspect in my opinion. But I also loved the relationship between Edgin (the bard) and Hulga (the barbarian). I LOVE that they have raised this child platonically and have no desire to change that. There’s no secret crush or anything, they’re both interested in the opposite sex, just not each other. Simon is stellar, his arc is very sweet and simple and I love how his magic is shown. I like how he knows what he can or cannot do, the range of his spells and stuff like that. He doesn’t just wave his hands and magic just happens, it’s an actual skill. Of course the Druid solos, the use of the wild shape is so creative and very fun. And xenk (the paladin) is so deadpan and serious, I love him. All these characters are very silly and fun and fit very well into the goofy writing. I will say, the red wizards are not very fleshed out, but for most of the movie they aren’t really the main villain so it’s whatever to me.

The effects were really dope! They were several times where I think the practical effects really made the creatures that much more real. Defiantly a great case study for why it’s a great idea to ditch CGI (at least partially) and go practical.

Lastly, the serious scenes are really nice here, I’ll discuss two.

1st, the scene where they almost break up. Every good campaign needs to almost break up but I really like this scene. Yes, Edgin has lied by omission but only because he truly believes that Simon can do it. I like how he brings them back together, he doesn’t exclude himself from being a fuckup as well. But you have to keep trekking until youre happy, becuase if you don’t, your past trauma has won. Its very sweet how they all sit together. But what I love most is that they pivot their plan, Edgin still believes in Simon but realizes that not every insecurity can be over come by encouragement. So they come up with a plan that feels more comfortable, but just as crazy.

And 2nd, of course the death scene at the end. Yes it was predictable,but hulga dying and coming back is not what makes this scene, it’s Edgin putting his daughter first. Obviously I think she would want to meet her birth mother, but at the same time it’s a women she’s never known. Edgin realizes that he’s the only person here who would rather bring back his wife than Hulga. He comes to terms with the fact the Hulga is just as much his child’s parent as him or his wife, she means just as much to her. So, finally, he puts his daughters feelings first and resurrects the closest thing to a mother she’s ever had. It’s heartbreaking, but the action of a true parent.

OVERALL, I really loved this movie, again a lot more than I thought I would. Its funny, witty, fast paced fantasy fun. If you don’t want to give money to WOTC or Hasbro, watch it after it gets released online. But I definitely recommend it!

#dnd #dnd honor among thieves #honor among thieves

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erics-meep-morps · 8 months ago

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A Helping Rose

This is a RWBY fanfic I began writing in December and finally finished almost six months later. During that time I've been dealing with struggling mental health, multiple job rejections, and working a job where I have a big responsibility, requires a lot of focus, and can easily make me stressed, but will hopefully lead to something better in the future.

I wrote this story as a creative outlet, for comfort, and to help process all my thoughts, hopes and worries that have been going on in my head pretty much since the pandemic began in 2020. While it's nice to go back and read through it, I figured I'd post it since I put a lot of work and heart into this story. Maybe someone out there can relate to it, maybe get inspiration to write their own story, or maybe you're one of those in the RWBY fandom looking for any new fan content, no matter how small, while we await the future of canon RWBY.

Where this fanfic takes place on Remnant I left obscure, and as for when it takes place that's also kind of obscure, but it does take place sometime after Team RWBY + Jaune come back from the Ever After. This story is split into three parts: first from Ruby's perspective, then Yang's perspective, and finally my perspective.

For those of you who read it, even if just a small part of it, I hope you enjoy.

Trigger warning: This story mentions depression and suicide.

This started off as an average winter day. Weiss told me about an adorable little cafe that I would love since according to her they have the best chocolate chip cookies on Remnant; a very bold statement, so I had to see it for myself. I could've taken the bus there, and most people would on a cold day like today, but I like seeing the festive decorations around the city and people getting into the holiday mood. As a bonus there’s a beautiful stone arch bridge overlooking a spectacular waterfall on the way there.

The sun was at its midday peak, and it wouldn’t take long for it to set. As I started across the bridge a harsh and cold wind took me by surprise, but I soldiered on. Very few people were on the bridge, and those that were quickly walked or ran across to get out of the wind. One particular person however, was standing and staring off into the distance admiring the view, though he was facing away from the waterfall, and I almost wanted to tell him to check out the other side of the bridge.

The cafe was indeed little and adorable. The interior was very decorative with both regular decorations and holiday decorations. While kind of cramped with there being only five tables with each having two chairs, it was also warm and cozy, and the smell of sweets really added to the festive atmosphere. Yang met up with me there since she was also interested in these supposed Remnant's greatest chocolate chip cookies. We each bought seven because our hopes were already high on the taste of these, and in general we tend to overdo eating cookies. They were indeed very good, but not quite the greatest we’ve had. I’m not sure what it was; maybe Weiss overhyped them, or we just have different tastes, but even though we didn’t think they were the greatest Yang and I still swiftly ate them. On the other hand, the hot chocolate we also ordered was one of the best we’ve ever had. There were several hot chocolate flavors and we were tempted to try them all, but that would have to wait a different day. In the midst of enjoying our hot chocolate and chatting we lost track of time, so Yang had to rush off for an assignment. Meanwhile I headed back to our apartment to give Weiss my review, and I mentally prepared for how disappointed she would be with it. Maybe the great review of the hot chocolate would soften the blow.

It was now almost four o'clock and already dark. The wind hadn’t calmed down, and any tiny bit of warmth from the sun was gone. I thought about taking the bus back, but I decided to brave it and walk. As I approached the dimly lit bridge there was no one on it for as far as I could see. Halfway across however, I noticed a person who appeared to be just standing there.

“What if that’s the same guy from before,” I jokingly thought to myself. As I got closer however, the more it looked like him. My concern was rising, and then full blown shock to see it was indeed the same guy standing in the same exact spot and staring off in the same direction. “Maybe he went somewhere and then came back,” I thought to myself as the only reason for why he was here, but my brain and heart knew something wasn’t right. I slowly walked towards him trying to see if he would notice me, but even when I was only five feet away from him he showed no signs of seeing me.

“E- excuse me,” I softly said to the man.

As if I had snapped him out of a gaze, he jumped slightly and quickly looked towards me.

“Oh, I’m sorry to startle you. It’s just that I saw you here several hours ago and you’re still here. Do you need anything?”

��I- I’m okay, thank you,” he replied nervously and turned his head back to where he was looking.

“Will you be heading home soon? It’s quite cold tonight.”

His mouth quivered as though he were struggling to bring words out.

“D- did you know trains used to run on this bridge a long time ago? I never saw it myself, but I’ve seen videos of it.”

An interesting fact, but my concern grew with him dodging my question. Perhaps I needed to approach him a different way. “Oh, interesting! I didn’t know that. Do you happen to have one of those videos so I can see?”

“I would pull it up on my scroll, but it’s dead,” he replied and showed his scroll, and it seems he was telling the truth because he pushed the screen several times and nothing happened.

“Oh, no worries! Maybe we can find it on my scroll,” I said and walked closer to him. As I did this he stepped backwards. He could see the concern on my face, and I’m sure he knew how nervous he looked.

He sighed. “I- I promise I’m not going to do anything stupid, I’m just… not in the best place right now and came here to think.”

I got some reassurance now that he was starting to open up. “Would talking about it help?”

Another sigh. “Life isn’t going the way I expected it to. I finished school years ago, and ever since I’ve been trying to get in the career I want, but I haven’t had much success. I... felt like coming here to reflect on my life. There's a very tiny part of me saying I should, well, jump off this bridge, but it's mostly just considering whether I should keep trying to achieve my goals or go an easier route; find a simple job and live a simple life.”

The more he opened up the more at ease I was, but I thought carefully about my response. Maybe relating to his struggle would help. “I was in a similar situation. I've wanted to be a huntress since I was a kid, and I was given the opportunity to do that earlier than I expected. Since that opportunity though, it hasn’t gone the way I thought it would at all. I’ve had many setbacks, some small, and some big; a couple of my friends who were also huntresses lost their lives. I thought that I wasn’t allowed to be a failure, and with all the failures I’ve had I started to believe it would be better if I just went away. I… tried to kill myself, but I was given a second chance at life and realized that I don’t need to be perfect. Who I am is enough, and I have many people in my life supporting me and helping me to keep moving forward. Do you get encouragement from people in your life?”

He thought for a moment. “I- I’m sorry, c- could you repeat the question?”

“No worries,” I replied assuredly. “Do you have support from people in your life? Family, friends, anyone who knows your goals and encourages you to keep working towards those goals even when you have setbacks.”

“I do, but it's hard for me to keep that encouragement in mind. Sometimes I’m clouded out by negativity; my failures, some people telling me to give up, and something recently that was really discouraging was my dad, frustrated over my lack of success in getting a job I wanted, asked me what if ten years from now I'm still in this same dilemma. I didn't say this to him, but the thought that immediately came to my mind when he asked that was… killing myself,” he said and paused. “I know no one is perfect and everyone has failures, but I've reached a point where I don't take failure lightly. One job rejection after another piles up, working jobs I don’t want to do, and I get more and more angry with myself and I bully myself for it.”

“Well, you shouldn't be mean to my new friend," I said, hoping he would receive the message I was trying to give.

He looked at me with tears quickly filling his eyes. I slowly walked over to him, and this time he didn't back away. I hugged him as tightly as I could, and he hugged back.

"What's your name, new friend?” I asked.

"Eric. And yours?”

“Ruby."

"It's wonderful to meet you Ruby.”

"Likewise." I could feel his body shivering. Part of it definitely from the cold, but I'm sure also all of the emotions he was having in this moment. "Do you want hot chocolate? I was coming back from a cafe close to the bridge with great hot chocolate, and according to my friend the best chocolate chip cookies ever.”

"Th- that sounds pretty good r- right now," he said in a shivering voice.

At the cafe the barista welcomed me back, and I ordered another platter of cookies.

“Had to get another order of Remnant’s greatest chocolate chip cookies?” The barista asked cheerfully.

“You bet!” I responded as confidently as I could to mask the awkwardness of how I truly felt about them.

As I brought the cookies to the table Eric was rubbing his hands, which despite having gloves on were red and shaking from the cold. He struggled to keep the first two cookies in his hands, and he took small bites. As he warmed up and his shivering eased though he was able to easily hold the cookies and ate them at a steady pace.

“What do you think of the cookies," I asked after he had a few.

“I’m not sure they’re the greatest I’ve had, but they’re definitely delicious!”

I chuckled. “That’s exactly what I thought. How about the hot chocolate?”

“Also very good, though when you’ve stood outside in the cold for… around seven hours any hot drink sounds good,” he replied with a chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

I was shocked by the amount of time he was outside, but I chuckled along with him. The important thing now was he was safe and trusting me. “After this if you want to you can come over to my home. Well, not exactly my home, it's an apartment my team and I are staying at indefinitely, but my team is my sister and a few close friends so it feels like home.”

"Well... I wouldn't want to be a…”, he said and paused. "I- I mean, yes I would love to.”

"What were you going to say?” I asked.

"A bother," he replied with a sigh, "but I need to be nice to myself, just as you're being nice to me.”

I smiled seeing him already trying to be more positive about himself.

When we finished I asked if he preferred we take the bus, but he was okay with braving the cold. As we walked across the bridge we looked at the waterfall with the city lights glimmering off of it.

The warmth of the apartment building was very welcoming as we walked inside from the brutal cold, and the walk up a few floors warmed us up even more (I suppose a benefit of not having an elevator). Blake and Yang were out, so for now it was just Weiss in our apartment. As I opened the door I could see her laying in her bed and she turned towards me. For a brief moment she smiled, but then her facial expression quickly turned serious upon seeing Eric behind me.

"Woah woah, it's okay," I quickly said just as she was about to grab her rapier. "He's a friend.”

Weiss sighed as she moved her hand away from the rapier. "We've been over this; text us when you're bringing visitors!”

“Yeah sorry, I forgot," I said while rubbing my head. “Anyway, this is Eric. Eric, this is Weiss.”

“Uhh, hi," Eric said hesitantly and with wide eyes like a deer in headlights.

"My apologies for the icy welcome, but now that I know you're a friend of Ruby you're also a friend of mine," Weiss said and shook Eric's hand, which was once again red and cold. "Geez, your hand is freezing! I'll get you a warm towel.”

Weiss ran into the bathroom and quickly came back with a towel soaked in warm water and wrapped it around Eric’s hands. "So Eric, how long have you known Ruby?”

“Uhhh, for a little over an hour,” he replied.

“Oh, a very new friend! Well, welcome to our... sort of home, that we should get used to since we're living here for who knows how long. Anyway, how did this friendship come about?”

I looked at Eric to see if he was comfortable talking about it.

“Well...," Eric began, but stopped.

“It’s okay," I said to him assuringly.

He softly smiled and took a deep breath. "I'm... kind of in a dark place in my life right now. I was standing on a bridge for seven hours just thinking about my life, and whether I want to keep trying to achieve my goals or find something easier to do in life. There’s also a very small part of me that wonders if I should just... give up on life.”

"How are you feeling now?” Weiss asked.

“Better. The worries are still there, but for now they’re small and manageable.”

“What kind of worries?” Weiss asked.

“For awhile I’ve been worried about what the near and far future might bring for me. With how things have been going I feel like I need to make a plan for tons of scenarios, many of those scenarios seem like doomsday type of stuff, but at the same time I feel like I don’t have any plan at all and I’m just winging it through life."

“Well, when you think way far ahead it can get very overwhelming. When I left my home because of my abusive father I had a lot of worries; did the rest of my family still love me, would I ever see them again, what was I going to do about finances, would I still be able to make a better legacy for the Schnee name, how I would carry on as a huntress, etc. It's good to plan, but not to an extreme level where you’re constantly stressed and worried. It's important to still live in the moment," Weiss explained.

"With the Schnee name, did you ever feel a lot of pressure to be perfect?" Eric asked.

"Oh yes, all the time. Not really anymore, but that worry still lingers from time to time,” Weiss replied.

“Were you hard on yourself when you made mistakes?” Eric asked.

Weiss nodded. "I hated making mistakes and being imperfect, but now it's freeing to know that no one is perfect.”

“Yeah…”, Eric began with a sigh, “I try to remember that, though it's been getting more and more difficult lately with the amount of job rejections I've had. I know what I want to do in life, but I’m feeling so far from that goal.”

"What is your goal?" I asked.

"To have a career in city planning, mainly in transportation, but I have an interest in all things that make cities function. It’s always the same response after I apply for a job in that field; ‘we thank you for your interest, but we found someone who aligns more with what we’re looking for.’ After so long it gets old and frustrating. Friends and family tell me not to give up, but it’s hard to hold on to that encouragement.”

“How long have you had this goal?” Weiss asked.

“I’ve been interested in cities my whole life, but I knew I wanted to be a city planner since… a decade ago,” Eric answered.

“You said you went to school for that, right? What else have you done to try to achieve that goal?” I asked.

“Lots of stuff. I’ve traveled around Remnant learning about various communities small and large, I've had a couple internships at city planning organizations, I’ve volunteered with various efforts to improve cities, and around here I walk, bike, and take transit as much as I can,” he explained.

Weiss and I looked at each other and nodded. “Eric, don’t give up,” we said at the same time.

For a moment Eric stared at us and then laughed, and we laughed along with him.

“We know you’ve heard it from other people, and we just have to join them in reminding you not to give up,” Weiss said.

I placed my hand on Eric’s hand, which was now warm and recovered from the cold. “We don't know how the path will be toward your goal, and we really hope it gets better for you soon, but in times like these where it's hard and seems hopeless, just remember that people including Weiss and I will be cheering you on and helping any way we can.”

Eric's eyes started to tear up and he wiped them with his sleeve. "Thank you. I know I won't ever forget this night, and it’ll be a nice reminder when I’m feeling…, well, like I was on the bridge.”

Weiss handed him a tissue. "You're more than welcome to stay the night here. I think you've had enough cold for one day.”

"It's not much, but we have a couch you can sleep on," I offered.

"That works just fine for me, thank you," Eric replied.

As we laid in our beds we continued chatting. First the cafe was brought up, and of course Weiss was devastated that Eric and I didn’t think the chocolate chip cookies were the greatest. She was however, happy to know that we loved the hot chocolate and would definitely be making frequent visits there for that.

Eric asked us about our lives as huntresses, and just as he felt comfortable sharing a lot with us, we were comfortable sharing a lot with him. Everything from the good times at Beacon Academy, to being firsthand witnesses to its fall, and our long journey from then to now. The most difficult part was explaining our experience in the Ever After, and we definitely didn’t blame Eric for having a hard time believing what happened there. Sometimes even I take a moment to wonder if it was all just a dream, but it did indeed happen.

For the heavy topics we had to pass around the tissue box, but we also had some laughs like talking about how my first interaction with Weiss involved me sneezing fire dust right into her face. We talked until we were too tired to keep our eyes open, and with that we said good night and went to sleep, or at least Weiss and I did.

—————————————————————————————————

As Blake and I walked back to the dorm I got a text from Ruby.

"We have a friend staying over for the night. He’s sleeping on the couch,” Ruby texted.

For a moment I thought maybe Sun was visiting, but if it was him or someone else I knew Ruby would’ve included that in the text, so I was curious who this mystery friend could be.

When we arrived at the apartment we slowly and quietly opened the door expecting everyone to be asleep, but our guest was sitting up on the couch and looking out the window. He turned to us and waved with a soft smile.

"Can't sleep?" Blake whispered.

He shook his head.

"We could go to the common area and talk there if you'd like," I offered.

"Sure," he replied quietly and slowly got up from the couch, which tended to creak with even the slightest movements. Blake and I giggled watching his face cringe more and more with each creak of the couch.

“I'm Yang," I said and shook his hand as we walked down the hall. His facial expression had a hint of nervousness, perhaps just some shyness meeting new people, which I know Blake can relate to. More so however was an expression of exhaustion, partly because of his baggy eyes. It looked like he had a long day, and perhaps also hasn’t gotten proper rest in awhile.

"I'm Eric," he replied. He took a second look at my hand after we shook. "If I may ask, is that a special kind of glove?”

I chuckled. “You could say that, but more technically and literally speaking it's a prosthetic arm. A very fancy one I got from Atlas," I explained.

“It does look quite fancy, especially with the gold paint,” he commented.

“Mhm,” I said with a nod. “I do miss my original hand, but after awhile I’ve gotten used to this, and it’s been great for huntress work.”

“Are you a huntress too,” Eric asked Blake.

“Sure am, and I’m Blake,” she replied and shook Eric’s hand.

“Well it’s very nice meeting you two. Don’t feel obligated to stay up too late, by the way,” Eric said.

“Oh it’s fine. We have the day off tomorrow anyway,” I said.

We pulled up some chairs in the common area, which wasn’t the greatest looking, but it had the necessities for cooking, eating, and just hanging out. Luckily we only had to share it with a couple other apartments, and the people in those apartments also went to Beacon. At this time of night, unless it was a weekend and people were partying, there was almost never anyone here.

“So what brings you here?” Blake asked.

Eric sighed. “Oh boy, it’s kind of a long story.”

“Well I love hearing stories as much as I love reading them, so tell as much as you want,” Blake assured him.

“Today, well actually yesterday since it’s past midnight, I was having a mental breakdown, identity crisis, and just reflecting on life as I stood on a bridge, which lasted seven hours. Ruby could tell I wasn’t feeling well, and she was a spark of light and hope in this darkness I felt trapped in. We came back here where I was introduced to Weiss, who… almost stabbed me, but she’s also a wonderful person, and they both helped me put my mind at ease. As I was trying to sleep though, my brain just couldn’t shut off. Part of it is being in a different environment, but also the lingering worries.”

“Any particular worries you want to talk about?” I asked.

“Having a purpose and identity in this crazy and unpredictable world is the main one,” Eric replied.

I chuckled. “Crazy and unpredictable is an understatement.”

“I can relate to trying to have a purpose and identity. As a Faunus I-,” Blake was saying, but paused. She took a deep breath and continued. “I was a member of the White Fang. I want Faunus to be treated equal to humans, but the White Fang became more and more violent against humans, and I didn’t know what to do. Part of me wondered if leaving the White Fang would be betraying Faunus, but I also didn’t want to create more violence in this, as you say, crazy and unpredictable world. Part of the reason I became a huntress was to help people, while still fighting for equal rights.”

“How did you go from being a member of the White Fang to a huntress?” Eric asked.

“I already had experience fighting Grimm, and as I became more unsure of being part of the White Fang the more interest I had in becoming a huntress. Beacon Academy lent me a hand, and I began a new chapter in my life,” Blake explained.

“Lent a hand; that’s what I need. I keep getting rejected from jobs I want, and after awhile I’ve felt the way I do now,” Eric said.

“What kind of job are you looking for?” Blake asked.

“Something in city planning, but it can be a job related to it. Recently I tried being a bus driver, but I just… Sorry, this may seem off topic, but how do you handle being huntresses? Isn’t there a lot of danger, stress, and trauma doing that?” Eric asked.

“Well”, Blake began, “having experience definitely helped towards becoming a huntress, but even though I knew about the dangers I underestimated them, especially witnessing Beacon Academy falling. It can be very tough work, but if it means helping people and making Remnant a better world then it’s worth it through all the danger, stress, and trauma I’ve faced.”

“With my semblance I had a lot of confidence in becoming a huntress. Sometimes I get a little cocky, but my team that I’ve been with since Beacon helps me stay humble while also still having the confidence to get out there and be a huntress. When I lost my arm it was a struggle to get that confidence back, but my dad and my team gave me the encouragement I needed,” I replied.

“So you both have fought a lot of Grimm, right?” Eric asked.

Blake and I looked at each other. “A lot is an understatement,” Blake replied and we chuckled.

“I walked inside a Monstra,” I added.

“Monstra?” Eric asked with a confused look on his face.

“A whale Grimm,” I replied.

Eric’s mouth dropped and his eyes widened. “Holy shit. That uhhh, makes my fears look minuscule.”

“Eh, there’s no contest. Everyone has their fears, big and small, and all are valid. So, you were saying something about bus driving,” I said.

“Well, I ask because meanwhile for me I- I’m scared of the path I’m on. I briefly tried to be a bus driver, but I felt so stressed and anxious every time I did it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the what-ifs, all the mistakes I could make that could put me and others in harm’s way, not to mention having to socialize with a ton of people everyday. I walked away from that, but later on with no luck in finding a new job I decided to try being a train driver. With driving a train at least I don’t have to socialize with the public as much, but the fear is still there. I’m trying to do it because I don’t know where else to go, and I’m hoping it can lead me closer to a city planning job, but I often wonder if it’s worth it. Even if I stuck with this job I don’t know how long it would take before I got a job that more closely aligns with what I want.”

“Well as a fellow introvert, constantly socializing with random strangers for an entire shift doesn’t sound ideal. I might be good at combat, but that doesn’t mean I’d be good at customer service,” Blake commented.

“Give yourself props for trying. Just because I have confidence fighting Grimm doesn’t mean I would have confidence driving a bus or a train. I don’t even know how you start those things,” I said.

“I suppose we all have safety critical jobs, just in different ways. It’s just so scary thinking that if I make even a little mistake it could have disastrous consequences, and while I am getting plenty of training so I shouldn’t make those mistakes it could still happen. There’s so much responsibility and it feels like a ton of weight on my shoulders and-,” Eric was saying with more and more of a panicked tone before stopping abruptly.

“Are you okay, Eric?” I asked.

“I’ll get some water for him,” Blake said and got up.

Eric stared down at the floor and then looked up at me with tears filling his eyes. He quickly opened his arms and hugged me. “I- I’m sorry,” he said and sniffled.

I tightly hugged him back. “There’s nothing to apologize for, friend. How about we take deep breaths together?”

“Okay,” Eric replied.

We slowly breathed in and out a few times, counting up to three each time. Blake came back with a large glass of water and handed it to Eric, and he drank it like he’d been walking through the deserts of Vacuo for days.

He took a deep breath again and exhaled. “I’m just so scared doing this. When I was kid I would’ve loved driving trains, but as I got older I didn’t feel confident having that responsibility. I thought with going to college I could easily reach my career goal, but as time goes on I reluctantly think I have to go a much harder route, and… yeah, it scares me.”

“Think of it this way,” I began, “having a train driving job should be a good kickstart to your career goal. Now not only do you have the book smarts, but also the street smarts, and if, big if, employers are still rejecting you then they’re absolute fools. I get it though, it’s a big responsibility and it’s natural to have that fear with a new responsibility like that. What I learned from one of my professors is that fear is like any other emotion, it comes and goes. This same professor, who has fought Grimm for decades, is afraid of mice, which sounds ridiculous, but it’s true and shows that even he has fear from time to time.” I paused and thought for a moment. “If you don’t mind me asking, what thoughts were going through your head as you stood on that bridge?”

“Reflecting on life, how I got to this point, and where I wanted to go, whether it be keep trying to get to my career goals, find something easier to do in life, or just… give up on life,” Eric replied.

“I know this is easier said than done, but don’t give up. Don’t give up on what you want to do, and don’t give up on your life. It may look ideal to give up; trust me when I say our team has been in that situation too. We’ve had many major setbacks, and several times the thought of giving up occurred. We’ve also had times where we separated, but we always came back together and kept moving forward. It wasn’t easy, but we did it, and I hope you will too. Right now it’s definitely tough for you in reaching what you want to do, but remember that it won’t be like that forever. I wish I could say when it’ll get better, but believe me when I say it will. Whether it's tough times or good times you've got friends like us supporting you through it all.”

Eric’s eyes filled with tears again, and Blake handed him a tissue and another glass of water.

“Speaking as a huntress, you’re as brave as us, and you deserve to get to that career you want,” Blake said and hugged him.

“Thank you, both of you,” he said and hugged Blake. A moment later he yawned, and Blake and I chuckled.

“Ready to get some sleep?” I asked.

“I think so. It’s... definitely been a long day,” Eric replied followed by another yawn, even longer than the first one.

I patted Eric’s back. “Let’s get some sleep then.”

Upon returning to the apartment Eric laid back on the couch while Blake and I got ready for bed. Just as we were getting in our bed we saw Eric was already asleep.

—————————————————————————————————

I awoke to sunlight casting through the window, making the room clear as can be. A little past 10:00 AM it showed on my now charged-up scroll, and with that I felt relief. With the day and night I had less than 24 hours ago I was mentally preparing for it to already be noon. No one else was in the room, so I wondered what I should do. Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed a sticky note on the table next to the couch.

“Having pancakes in the common area” was written on it plus a smiley face.

As soon as I saw the word pancakes my stomach growled. While pancakes aren’t the most nutritious, nor were the chocolate chip cookies last night, any food would do. I got up feeling hungry, but refreshed from the sleep. As I opened the door out into the hallway Ruby was about to grab the door handle.

“Oh! Good morning, Eric,” Ruby said.

“Good morning to you,” I replied happily. “My apologies for the startle.”

“No worries! I was just about to check up on you. How are you feeling?” Ruby asked.

“Better. That was honestly the best sleep I’ve had in awhile,” I replied.

“Awww, that’s good to hear! Yang and Blake told me you had trouble getting to sleep when they arrived.”

“Yeah, my brain just didn’t want to go to sleep. We talked for a bit, I… dumped my emotions to them, and finally my brain was ready to rest. I guess I’ve made quite the first impression with all of you,” I said with a chuckle and rubbing the back of my head.

“Well our first impression of you is you’re a nice and gentle soul that just needed a lift, and now how about we have some breakfast? We’re making so many pancakes even Nora wouldn’t be able to eat them all!”

“Who’s Nora?” I asked curiously.

“Oh whoops, you haven’t met her yet, but eventually you’ll meet her and know what I mean. Anyway, shall we?”

I happily accepted and walked with Ruby to the common area. Weiss, Yang, and Blake greeted me as we entered, and on the table were some plates with pancakes stacked on all of them.

“Hope you’re hungry, we’re still making more,” Yang said.

“Very much so,” I replied.

“Did you sleep alright?” Blake asked.

“Well when I finally did get to sleep, yes, and it was the best sleep I’ve had in awhile,” I answered.

“After your little adventure yesterday we’re glad you got some proper rest,” Weiss said and handed me one of the plates of pancakes. Before I could say thank you she threw another few pancakes on. “We have maple syrup, strawberry jam, or if you’re insane like Ruby there’s chocolate syrup.”

“Oh wow, thank you! I think I’ll be crazy like Ruby and try it with chocolate syrup.”

“Yes! Finally it’s not just Nora and I,” Ruby cheered.

Before getting too carried away I poured a few drips of chocolate syrup on a tiny piece and ate it. If my eyes could sparkle they would in that moment because it was the perfect combination. I added chocolate syrup to the rest of my pancakes, and it didn’t take long for me to finish them.

“Nora might have some competition,” Yang commented.

“The more you talk about Nora the more I’m interested in meeting this legend. You make it sound like she’s the ultimate champion in eating contests,” I said.

“Pretty sure if she wasn’t a huntress she would be in eating contests, and definitely winning all of them,” Weiss remarked while giving me a few more pancakes.

The rest of them joined me in eating, and I learned about Blake and Yang’s side of the story of their journey of studying to become huntresses and suddenly being thrust into helping to save the world. It was difficult for me to fathom all the danger, craziness, and ups and downs they’ve been through together.

“Doesn’t it feel like a lot of weight on your shoulders?” I asked.

“It does, and for awhile I thought that as team leader it was weight I had to bear on my own, so the more the mistakes and setbacks piled up the more I felt useless in being a huntress. But I realized that just because I’m team leader doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to make mistakes and get help from my team. The weight feels a lot less when your team is helping you carry it,” Ruby replied.

“Last night I remember you mentioned you felt a lot of weight on your shoulders being a train driver. Do you have people at your work you can talk to about that feeling, and maybe they have similar experiences and could help you with it?” Yang asked.

I thought for a moment, trying to remember the conversation we had, and then I recalled the state of panic I was feeling when I mentioned weight on my shoulders. “The specific weight on my shoulders I’m feeling, part of it definitely has to do with operating a train, but the bigger weight on my shoulders is what I hope to achieve in my life with a city planning career. I have many ideas to improve communities around Remnant, but the more time goes on the more it seems it’s less likely I can make those ideas reality. I worry when I’m old I won’t feel accomplished with what I’ve done with my life,” I explained.

“I know that ambition of wanting to make Remnant a better place. It’s definitely been more difficult than I expected, and pretty much nothing like the tales of huntresses I used to read, but if we gave up every time we lost then Remnant would never get better. All of us just being here right now makes Remnant better, no matter how small that may be. Seeing you on the bridge last night reminded me of the crisis I had, and since then there has and there will be times where I doubt myself again, but you are one of the reasons why I won’t quit,” Ruby said, and then looked around at us all staring at her with wide eyes. With a chuckle she said “uh, sorry. Too deep of a conversation during breakfast?”

“Oh you’re fine,” I said while wiping a few tears from my eyes. “I do admit I wasn’t expecting to be this emotional while eating pancakes, but you’re right. We can’t get too carried away putting a ton of weight on our shoulders while trying to make Remnant better, but we also shouldn’t give up,” I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

“Hmmm…,” Weiss said and got up from her chair, proceeding to brush my shoulders.

I had a feeling I knew what she was implying, but I still had to ask. “Uhhh, what are you doing?”

“You still have too much weight on your shoulders,” Weiss replied simply.

The rest of her team and I laughed as she continued brushing around my shoulders, and with one last little sweep she returned to her seat. “I know it may not be that quick and easy to shake off so much unnecessary responsibility, but”, Weiss said and placed her hands on my shoulders, “you, Eric, are a good person. You are enough, no matter how much you’re able to accomplish in this life,” she said and proceeded to hug me.

What started as a few tears became several large tears dropping down my face. I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you,” I said and hugged her back.

“Whatever you’re currently doing in life right now to get by, just take it a day at a time,” Blake said.

“Exactly. Like I said last night, when you think too far ahead it becomes overwhelming, and that’s when you put too much pressure on yourself to fit that long timeline,” Weiss added.

“You’re right. Where I’m at right now with train driver training, I definitely need to try to have the mindset of taking it one day at a time, and after each day just determine where I want to go from there,” I said.

“And after each day remind yourself that you are enough. No matter what kind of day it was, tell yourself that you are good and you are enough, okay?” Ruby said.

I nodded. “Yeah. I am good, and I am enough.”

We continued eating and I talked about my life as a train driver. In addition to the big responsibility I have there’s some bad and good with the job, and for now it’s sometimes a struggle to see the good outweighing the bad. The shift times range widely, and it can be difficult to get a good amount of sleep. The type of work we do also ranges widely; sometimes it’s just a short distance passenger train trip, and other times it’s driving a freight train for many miles through many different landscapes. Dealing with Grimm is a possibility, but guards are usually on the train to take care of that if it happens, though sometimes I question their experience handling Grimm, and what Team RWBY told me about their train experience makes me question it more. Sadly in addition to Grimm, people have been more of a problem these days. With the world the way that it is it seems a lot of people just stopped caring about others and don’t have respect for the trains and the people driving them. There’s the small instances like people giving us rude gestures, as well as big instances like people narrowly beating the train across a crossing while we're going full speed.

Not wanting to leave off train driving on a bad note, I also talked about the good. While we don’t often get thanks from passengers, them just riding the train from one point to another without causing problems is bigger than a thank you. We sometimes see kids along the tracks who wave at us, and we always see a sparkle in their eyes when we wave back or give a short toot of the horn as we go past them. There’s also a nice feeling of knowing you safely moved lots of people or freight, and in our own way helping to make Remnant a better place.

After breakfast and cleaning up we hung out in the apartment for a little bit before I headed home.

“Now, what is the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?” Weiss asked.

“Message you guys,” I replied.

“Very good, but if you forget I will be spamming your scroll with messages until you answer,” Weiss warned.

“Since when are you such a mom,” Yang joked.

“Heh, I promise I won’t forget. And… um…” I was thinking of what to say, but all I could do in the moment was try to hug all four of them at once. It didn’t quite work, but they knew what I was trying to do and maneuvered around me and hugged me tightly back. “I’ll never forget my first time meeting you four. Thank you so much for lifting me out of the low spot I was in, and the service you do as huntresses, and the delicious breakfast. I’m very honored to have you as friends.”

“You know how we told you to remind yourself that you are good and you are enough? Also remember that you’re not alone. We’ve all had struggles, and while the circumstances were different they’re all still struggles, so whenever you find yourself struggling again don’t be afraid to reach out to us,” Yang said.

“And if it makes it easier, just send us the word ‘boba’. That’s our code word we use for when we’re feeling overwhelmed and need some help,” Ruby added.

I chuckled. “Is it also used for when you want to get boba tea?”

“Oh absolutely! When it finally gets warm again I’ll be in the mood for some boba,” Ruby replied excitedly.

“Yeah, boba in the spring and summer does sound good. Anyway, um, thank you all so much again, and I’ll be sure to stay in touch, and… I- I’m sorry, I’m not good at goodbyes.”

“It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later,” Blake said with a warm smile.

The awkward tension I usually feel when saying farewell eased. “Yeah, see you four lovely and wonderful people later.”

Feeling much better than yesterday, I happily walked down the stairs of the apartment building. As I did so I passed four people, one of whom was a young boy that, perhaps because he was carrying a cane, looked like he had a long experience as a huntsmen. We said good morning to each other and continued on our ways. Outside it was still a little chilly, but with the sun out and no wind it was nowhere near as cold as yesterday.

“I am good, I am enough, and I’m not alone,” I said to myself as I headed home.

#rwby #team rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #fanfic #self insert #rwby fanfiction #tw suicide mention

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