#and its just like creativity is really a bridge and its so nice that when you share a vision with someone and they reeeeally get it they

[bleachposting]

...waaaah so i applied for the teach in japan programme...not gonna name it for the sake of not getting flagged here and i was really hoping i’d get declined just bc then i wouldn’t have to make a decision... results came back this week and i made it onto the reserve list,,, so i could go if someone dropped out but it’s kind of a drop of a hat kinda vibe and may not even happen

it honestly gives me so much excitement to think that if i said yes i could go to japan this year ... like ive been dreaming for so long and now maybe i could?! my heart feels really swayed but my brain is really like girl u should decline ... i’ve got to finish my ma which i can’t just put on hold, there’s a family trip to the home country which like... as someone who is so passionately applying my asian identity in all my creative and academic work,, it would be hypocritical not to join, my family will literally flip shit if i go too, i’ve got financial goals like replacing my phone and laptop and getting a root canal lmfao but work has been getting harder and harder despite it being my favourite workplace i’ve ever worked, plus im even establishing a writing career now... honestly escaping to japan and just living spontaneously it so tempting and im definitely one to cave to impulse

i really dont know what to do :( it just pains me so much of sending my email declining even though i know it’s what’s best

ugh at the same time tho, i’ve told a few of my close friends and like i’m just pissed that no one has really taken the time to ask me about it? like they’ve been like ‘oh that sucks’ but no one has had the time of day to be like ‘hey like really tell me about it’ and like i’ve been so just touchy the last few days and not acting myself and it’s just shit that no one’s like ‘hey r u okay?’ like i GET that i’ve got a part to play in being transparent and asking for help but damn it just sucks i’ve really been the supportive friend the last few months w so many people and im sick of it?? im literally like well nah i’ve been an anxious wreck since that flasher incident and no one’s been like ‘hey ur acting differently’ i’ve literally been pushing myself to the bone with work and writing and still no ‘hey like ur literally burnt out like i see u dropping out of social commitments ur always on’ like why can’t someone just ask me how i’m doing like how i’m reeeally doing

aaaah vent >:( but it is what it is right? i’m gonna watch your name and weathering with you before i send the decline email just to see if that’s enough to change my heart but im not super hopeful it will be a game changer but at least looking forward to spending a day on my own terms 

[citysweet]

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. 

© citysweet 11:52pm 122623

一 sorry this took so long 😭

[jawbone-xylophone]

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.

[simlicious]

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 😊

[astriiformes]

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.)

[a-halfblood-named-coin]

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!

[erics-meep-morps]

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.

[cursezoroark]

playing desolation, and by the time I post this I will have Caught up to Desolation! This is my own opinion and review on the game! For the record I've only played Rejuv and now Desolation of the entire series. In terms of pokemon fangames i have played ep 1 of Flux , Gaia, and Unbound. Disclaimer and TLDR: the game is Very good as I expected I had fun :] . The devs worked their ass off and the fact this game is free and has this much shown effort is so awesome. when ep 7 comes out i Will be reviewing once again. It wont be for more than a year though given the recent dev update. either way!

Pros:

I love the spritework sort of thing for the dialogue, when important characters come on. It's very pretty!

the credits system is gen p interesting. motivator for getting exclusive pokemon and items and even the capsules + mints, which imo is much better than the AP system that was in rejuv. its more easier to achieve and more incentive.

also HELL YEAH sidequests! I loved the tidbits of main lore u get from certain ones, and certain choices. Inch resting!

The difficulty still makes me work Hard to think but doesn't kill me with a bajillion reset and planning so that's all fair and good 👍 the only one I had to rlly drive home for was Jarred. Jesus fucking Christ. i had valerie flashbacks from rejuv but its worse cause it was a DOUBLE BATTLE.

the SPARKLES. lifesaver for me who loves the shiny sprite reworks in this game. i have a beautiful shiny greninja, umbreon, hydreigon, and vikavolt. Vikavolt is my favorite shiny i love whoever reworked that. Jade is so so pretty :]

the music is KILLER. Vs Shiv and Vs Nova is Good. Very Good. honestly the ost choices here rock. one of the best ost selections i enjoyed it very much.

interesting story! I can sort of peel bits of it off and it'll probably come back later to haunt me. Act 3 REALLY ramps up stuff so it did sweep a good amount of confusion I’ve had since the beginning. Act 3 was great. I miss Tristan. Nova's character is Great when it reaches a certain plot point.

I love the rangers bases, and the sidequest lore does build up nicely on the side. its starting to interfere with the main story too which hmmmmmmm hm hm hm. i will wonder about that.

Criticisms/ personal nitpicks:

i mentioned this above but i wish the ui for sidequests was a bit more clear. Like location wise, where to go, and all that. Icons above characters would rlly help me distinguish things.also PLEASE add flashing settings and shaking sets automatically to the options board pls pls pls.

I hope there will be more featured fields in the future. I did mention this was the more lax difficulty ive been through involving fields, and i watched playthroughs of reborn and played rejuv myself. (idk if theres more games with the field system but do let me know its literally one of my fav things). Like it went from oh God to oh ok to hmm to Oh God like a cycle. Though I think that’s just on my team balancing rlly

Please..... more TM versatility. While it does allow me to get creative with my team choices, it also limits what I can actually do. My TM pool is so low and i want to get creative so bad :']]]. The TM shop at Sunshell was a huge improvement though. very stingy though at lvl 65-70s though.

i Do Not like the maps for specifically silver forest and blackview. Its either very cluttering and makes me walk in Direct Circles, or leaves me very lost when im searching for a specific area. I do get the "open area" aspect of Silver mountain though, and it was easier once I got all the bridges down but still yk? but i literally couldn't find the move relearner Anywhere in blackview. it took me forever.

I wish i had more time to spend with some of the characters (Scarlett particularly) so i could rlly grow attached. I do understand that these are mostly main plot points blasting off from each other, but i just wish I could have had more interactions with the characters? More funny dialogue, more MC options to talk and affect relationship values, yk? I do anticipate an arc for a particular someone coming up though. so we'll see. the plot did do a rlly good job at the ceilia leaders though I adore All of them.

some of the language i winced at. idk if its just me so ill leave this one in the air. i dont know how to feel because im muddled.

In a way, because the plot blasts off one another, the room for me to acknowledge the changes in characters or their relationship between each other was a bit small. Like Connor and Scarlett, I think I only got like two cutscenes or tidbits of their entire growing friendship, so it didn't rlly hit me when The Scene Happened. Either way I do like themboth thumbs up.

SPOILERS THOUGHTS DO NOT READ IF U HAVENT PLAYED OR DO NOT WANT TO KNOW:

I ADORE Cecilia’s leaders. I’ve seen complaints how we seem to be Stuck There for some time and. Yeah I can sorta agree with that. Despite being Rlly Huge it also makes me Yearn for the Routes yk? either I love them all I Adore them dearly. Garrett is my favorite he got to me. Reeve and Rosetta and Aaron are all so very charming in their dynamics and gym leader squabbles.

Waldenhall is a Great Character in his introduction holy shit what an impact this guy had. also artem's sprite made me laugh so hard because their (idk their gender) portrait is just staring straight at the camera whats up w that.

Conclusion:

Should you play this game? YES. its quality is amazing, the artwork is insane, the gameplay is so good for pokemon fans who enjoy a good challenge, and want to get into some existential crises. In general, this series is So Far the easiest in the reborn deso rejuv trio. but it doesn't by far make it bad, or a cakewalk for players. Have a good ol time with it. My criticisms are my own nitpicks, but i rlly admire how much effort devs put into their fangames, by semblance of story, custom art, custom maps, etc. appreciate them lots and lots more. This game in particular weighs your choices a lot more, so you rlly have to snoop around for a particular result that you want. all in all lots of good fun!

Hope to review this again in Ep 7! and here's a goodbye from my Current Team :]

[demizorua]

1,3,11,15,21,23,31,37,43,53,74,76

ask game

TYSM!!!!!! :D!!!!!

1. Favorite Type

POISON!!!! i LOVE poison types!!!! they're so fun to use, and so many of their designs are so COOL, and i love how many resistances they have!!!! adding the poison type always makes a pokemon more fun to use, imo!!! i've loved them even before they got on offensive use with fairy types!!!! them being defensive is enough for me :D plus a lot of my favorites happen to be poison types, like trubbish, zubat, and drapion!!

3. Favorite Dual Type

oooooo this is HARD!! hm... pre-gen 6 dark/ghost is fun... i really enjoy poison/dark with their one weakness to ground, and ground/steel is also super fun, like excadrill!

but i think my overall favorite has gotta be poison/ground, like clodsire and the nidos!! the resistances of poison types (my favorite defensive type and fave type overall), and the offensive power of ground types (my favorite offensive type and second favorite type overall)!! and i mean. how can i ever say no to STAB earthquake.

11. Favorite Trial (Sun & Moon)

hrmmm. it's been a while since i've played gen 7... i think my favorite is the ghost trial!! it's a creative concept, with the photos, even if it's along the same vein of "get Things and battle pokemon and then Final Battle" that every trial and many gyms follow, and i mean. i love the mimikyu room. it's a nice touch!!

15. Favorite Shiny Pokémon

OH JEEZ... minior. i love shiny minior so much, even if it's kinda hard to see it when you have one.

honorable mentions to shiny suicune, shiny wooloo, and shiny hisuian zorua/zoroark, which is Significant because i don't really like shiny unovan zorua/zoroark very much.

21. Favorite Legendary/Mythical Pokémon

uhhHHHHHH....... suicune!!! it's so nice looking, i love when it appears in the anime (barring... anything that happened in journeys i can't speak for that) and it's so nice!! shiny suicune specifically.

honorable mention to landorus therian. i like how its paws have those flattened claws on them, like for digging! because it tills the land! and also... landorus therian. vgc moments.

23. Favorite Music Track From A Pokémon Game

VILLAGE BRIDGE. ABSOLUTELY VILLAGE BRIDGE. when i first found village bridge i adored its music, and then i found the musicians !!!!!! aaaa!!!!!!!!!! and i love that it has lyrics. people often cite roxie as the first in-game pokemon soundtrack to have words/lyrics, but she's not!! village bridge is!!!! i adore this song it is so near and dear to my heart

everyone please listen to the village bridge with buildup. oughhghh.

31. Favorite Fire Type

mmmm..... volcarona. love that bug :D the design is really nice, and it's so fun to use!! bulk AND power, and quiver dance?? HELL yeah!!!

honorable mentions to. fletchinder. and ash's litten specifically because. i am going 2 cry <3

37. Favorite Flying Type

DODRIO. nobody EVER talks about dodrio and it makes me so sad!!! i love that guy!!!!!! they're so cool and you can ride them around and i just !!!!!! dodrio!!!!!!!!!!

honorable mentions to tropius, staraptor, minior and gliscor!!

43. Favorite Electric Type

mmmmmmmmmmm......... i think galvantula wins this? it's either galvantula or luxray. i love them both sooooo much, and it's interesting bc i don't really have any other close runner ups besides them! zeraora as a third place, maybe?

53. Favorite Dragon Type

HYDREIGON!!!!! ohhhh hydreigon my best friend. i love them so much, they're so fun to use and busted, but it feels like a REWARD when you can use one, and the way they're used for subtle storytelling in the gen 5 games makes me CRAZY god i love gen 5 and i love this big ol dragon.

honorable mention to applin, if only because i love the joke and refuse to let people mock them. it's a wyrm in an apple!!! that's a good joke!!!!! also goodra i really like goodra.

74. Favorite Alolan Version of a First Gen Pokémon

ooo..... alolan muk. i love that it's an oil spill but like one of the colorful ones, and i think the like. crystallized poison? that's so cool!!!

plus.... i mean.... poison/dark type <3

76. A Pokémon You Feel is Underrated

i've got multiple

zubat (it's a really good pokemon to use once it gets wing attack, or right away with recent gen leech life, and we shouldn't blame them for being in caves. they live there. they're bats!!!)

natu (they're so cute!!!! i love the little guy c'mon. little friend <3)

sudowoodo (I LOVE THEM!!!!! plus i mean. their japanese name my adored. wish that joke didn't get lost. watch M21, sudowoodp my beloved)

and ivysaur! everyone loves bulbasaur, and venusaur gets a decent amount of attention, but ivysaur is my favorite in the line and i'd love to see more of them!!!

thank u so much for asking!!!! :D!!!!!

[royalwhumpness]

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.

---

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.

[avanacapital]

Unpacking Avana Capital: Your Gateway to Innovative Financial Solutions

What’s Avana Capital All About?

Avana Capital is a financial firm that focuses on providing creative solutions for small businesses. If you're a business owner looking for financing, you've probably heard of them. Their main goal? To help you get the funds you need to grow and thrive. With a strong commitment to understanding the needs of their clients, Avana Capital offers services that are tailored to fit different types of businesses.

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When it comes to financing, many options are available, but not all are created equal. Avana Capital stands out because they prioritize personal relationships. They take time to connect with their clients, learning the ins and outs of each business. This means that when you approach them for funding, they already have a better grasp of what you need and why. Isn’t it nice to know that someone is really listening?

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Avana Capital offers various services designed to support small businesses. Here are some of the key offerings:

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Real Estate Financing: Planning to expand or improve your business’s physical space? Their real estate solutions can help you secure the property of your dreams.

These services are aimed at making it easier for you to succeed, ensuring you have what you need to take your business to the next level.

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One of the best things about Avana Capital is their flexibility. They understand that every business is unique, and this is why their financial solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Rather than cramming clients into a predetermined box, they assess your specific needs and develop funding options that truly work for you. This is like customizing your favorite pizza; everyone has their own unique flavor preferences!

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Applying for loans can often feel overwhelming, but Avana has streamlined its process. Instead of drowning in paperwork, you’ll find that their application is user-friendly. With clear instructions and prompts, you can easily navigate through the steps. This simplicity in their process lets you focus more on what really matters—running your business.

Support Beyond Financing

What sets Avana Capital apart is not just the funds they provide, but the ongoing support they offer. After your business gets the funds, their job isn’t over. They’re there to assist you as you grow. Need advice? Have questions? Their team is always ready to jump in and offer guidance.

Final Thoughts: Is Avana Capital the Right Fit for You?

If you’re looking for a partner in your business journey, Avana Capital could be the breath of fresh air you need. They listen, they care, and they go the extra mile to ensure you're equipped for success. With tailored solutions, a simple application process, and a focus on meaningful relationships, it’s clear why so many businesses choose Avana Capital.So, why not take a chance? Reach out to them today and see how they can help you achieve your dreams. Your business deserves the best, and Avana Capital just might be the ideal partner in your journey.

[vitaminwaterreviews]

S.E.S. A Letter From Greenland

I just wanna start off by saying that I was quite impressed by this album. I didn’t expect to get so much jazz instrumentation out of S.E.S., their vocals totally won me over, and I even started to enjoy the slow jams. That’s like, as high of praise as we can hope for from a 1st gen girl group. The “default sound” of the album was really nice, chill but also still kind of interesting, which meant that even in the filler songs I was still vibing. Loved the horns, loved the sax, I enjoyed Mr. Unnamed Male Rapper’s reappearance too. It was still way more monotonous than 2nd, 3rd, 4th gen SM, but this is probably my favorite of the 1st gen albums so far. Average of 7.0 which feels like, exactly correct. Solid album, no big complaints, but nothing super special either.

Be Natural

Apparently this will later be re-recorded by Red Velvet

I love how jazzy this is, particularly the vocals

Very r&b instrumentation, percussion and bass at least

The horns and the vocals though are Super jazz, I like that

It’s not very catchy but I really don’t care, it’s fun to listen to

The muted trumpet in the background though!

Who produced this?

Yoo Young-jin, I’ve 100% seen that name here before, didn’t make a note of it though

This actually sounds So much more mature than–

Oh my god ITS MISTER UNNAMED MALE RAPPER HES BACK

8/10, that was Cool

Slip Away

Kind of jazzy, feels a bit latin actually

Wikipedia lists this as r&b and jazz-pop, that’s fair enough from the two songs we’ve had so far

The slightly muted English lyric section is really neat

Love the chanting

This song does have a rap bridge

8/10, barely, but if my ults released this I’d be all over it

I Will…

Oh no, is it slow jam time already??

The electric piano is scaring me

Yep, there it is, there’s the bass and that stupid stupid snare sample

(I’m browsing Reddit because of how bored I am and apparently WJSN are releasing Season’s Greetings, and honestly I’m amazed they still exist, when’s the last time they came out with music?)

Okay this guitar solo is actually pretty cool

(July 5, 2022, a year and a half ago. I guess that’s not that long ago, and I remember one of them was on Queendom Puzzle, but still!)

6/10, great background music for researching WJSN

Show Me Your Love

Title track time!

Super artsy MV actually, this is cool

Woahhh we really r&b out here with that wailing

Nice shuffle feel

The bass feels a bit too techno for me, I think something a bit more classic would serve this song better

Yeah, jazz-pop is accurate. It’s not jazz, but it’s definitely jazz inspired

I hear that piano in the chorus

Genuinely impressed by the MV, I suggest watching it if you haven’t

This vocalist loves to growl

Heyyyy a sax solo!

Ending on some vocal / sax interplay, this is really cute, the scatting is great

8/10, surprisingly strong and innovative title track

Goog-Bye To My Love

Mmmm that clean guitar, we love to hear it

Not sure where this song is going yet but more unnamed male samples

Super strong synth line in the intro

A more r&b chorus

I really really want to hear this rap break though, I’m certain it’s coming

Pretty vocals in the opening of the second verse

I KNEW IT OMG

ITS MISTER UNNAMED MALE RAPPER I KNEW HED MAKE AN APPEARANCE I LITERALLY CALLED IT

Awww his rap was so short though

7/10, creative but a tad too monotonous and slow for me

Long Long Time

Hahahahaha

Cute intro

Horns

More horns, nice sax over there

Post-chorus is really fun

Kind of an uptempo pop jazz track with cute vocals

7/10, very solid, nothing too special though

Beautiful Life

Uh oh

Hey, the muted trumpet at least is creative I guess?

That “oooooh” in the background was cool

Hahaha that tiny little muted trumpet carries this album so hard

Woah a subdued / muted rap section, really low both in terms of her range and the mix, this is neat

How is this only halfway through the songggg

8/10, believe it or not. It won me over, I think I might be starting to appreciate slow jams?

Joy

More horns, cute scatting

Ohhh some aggressive autotune, that’s a first on this album

I don’t really get “joy” from this, one of the weaker tracks so far

Ugh but I am such a sucker for the horns

I don’t really know what genre this is. It’s like, r&b pop with hints of jazz I guess?

7/10, barely

Story

Hahaha

Pretty harp in the intro

I also love talking in music

Not totally sure what’s going on here actually, it’s very stripped-down

Yeah, very very little background music. I hear a bass, percussion, and a single synth line dancing around

I actually think I like it, it’s incredibly simple but that’s not totally bad

Lyrics by Bada, that’s cool

6/10, I got bored by the end

Chance

Pop background, those chimes, or are they strings? Whatever that synth is up there

Mr Unnamed Male Rapper reappears

And the song feels 100% different here too

This feels like (‘Cause) I’m Your Girl for some reason, like the pre-chorus into chorus

6/10

Melody

Love that piano intro

And now it’s upbeat with horns and a techno bass? Alright I guess

This song is incredibly forgettable, but it’s enjoyable to listen to

7/10 barely

Wish

Wow that intro was a trip

But now we’re back here

Most albums have kind of a “default sound,” you know? Like, Perfect Velvet does, Savage does, Stamp On It does (I’ve listened to all four of these in the same day) and so does this one. And this song is very much that default sound

I wish it had stayed in that intro space

I like the female raps on this album – but we actually have a bit of male vocalist in the background here too

6/10

Tiny Little Things

By the Law of Album Structure, it is slow jam time

Is it?

Hmm… I can’t actually tell yet whether this is slow jam or not

I’m actually leaning more towards not, this is kinda fun

And now we’re kind of back to the default sound I was just talking about

Nice, pausing the instrumentals to accent her vocals, clever

I have such mixed feelings about whoever their main vocalist is. On one hand her voice is kind of annoying, on the other hand it’s kind of charming, and I think she’s quite a good singer

Winter moment haha

It’s unnamed male rapper time! Except he’s in English??

Oh my god, not the fadeout haha

7/10

Rain

Woah this is a super pretty intro

Slow jam with extra steps? This percussion is doing way more than a usual slow jam but the rest feels slow jammy

There we go, now we’ve settled back into slow jam land

That drum sample still going off here and there though lol

Yeah, I’m actually very convinced by their vocalist, I like what she’s doing

This is a nice variation on the slow jam formula

Woahhh the modulation, we sure didn’t expect that!

(I totally expected that)

7/10, not bad tbh

Ghetto Style (Hidden Track)

I mean it’s not on Spotify so yeah I’d say that’s hidden

Nice r&b humming going on

Yeah there’s nothing Special about this song so far, it’s kind of just a vibe

And it’s unnamed male rapper time!

Also I just realized the implications of the title “Ghetto Style,” I guess that’s probably why it’s a hidden track

7/10, vibey

[chorusfm]

Chase Tremaine – Accidental Days (Deluxe Edition) Track-by-Track

This past week, I was able to chat with Chase Tremaine to discuss his deluxe reissue of Accidental Days. The deluxe edition of the album has been re-released today on Bandcamp, and it features ten new bonus tracks, plus commentary on the ten main album songs. I continue to be impressed by Chase’s extensive work ethic, and I hope this track-by-track sheds some light on his creative process. Let’s get started. The first track that you have on the deluxe edition is called “After Love,” and it features Benjamin Daniel. It has some cool electronics and keyboard elements on it, too. Can you explain what went into that one? Yeah, so I’m sure he’ll be fine with me outing him, but Benjamin Daniel is a Chorus.fm user named Lucas27. We met on Chorus back in 2016 in the forums, hit it off, and started messaging and emailing each other. And we would send each other song demos. So our friendship from the very get-go has been established on us encouraging each other and helping each other with our songwriting and the music that we’re making. He and I are both kind of on the same track together in a cool way. We both debuted in 2020, and at this point, we’ve each released three studio albums. So “After Love” comes from our first attempt to co-write together. It was a Zoom session back in, I think 2020. We were working on lyrics together, and I had my acoustic guitar out. We basically just came up with things until he liked it, and I let him guide what I was writing until we were on to something that we both thought was really cool. By the end of the session we had a working acoustic demo of this song that we loved a lot. I wanted to spotlight this one more than the other nine bonus tracks because this is a special song. It’s the big single for the deluxe edition re-release of Accidental Days, and it’s something that we’ve been excited for people to hear for a long time. And it just evolved from that original acoustic demo. What was originally just an acoustic guitar part, I turned into a synth part that goes throughout the entire song. I challenged myself to get a little unconventional, thinking out of the box with the drum parts that I wrote for it. And I got to have a lot of fun writing the bass for the song, pushing myself as a bassist. And then I got to bring Ben into the studio here in Nashville, the place where I recorded Development and Compromise and also where I recorded these bonus tracks for Accidental Days, called The Hilson Studio. Ben came in and recorded his vocals for the pre-chorus and the bridge, and then I had him and my wife Paige sing the gang vocals for the third chorus. The song just kept expanding and getting bigger, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Granted, at this point, I haven’t talked about what the song is actually about. It started with an idea from Ben, of just how easy it is to think of love, or to kind of get warped and twisted in our heads when thinking about love, in terms of merely what we’re getting from others: about what we’re receiving and not about the love that we’re giving. So the song kind of takes a bit of a cynical view from the perspective of someone who is just using others. One of my favorite lyrics in it is “You give me warmth, yet I leave you cold / You kept me young until you got old.” It’s this idea of using people in a way that isn’t actually love and makes no attempts to be reciprocal. I think it ties back to the rest of Accidental Days in a nice way. There’s a running theme throughout a few of the songs of love withheld – of not doing the good that we should do. I think about “Nothing Wrong” from Jimmy Eat World’s Futures; it’s a great encapsulation, in my mind, of the idea that not doing a good thing is its own form of evil. You can say that there are two categories of evil in the world. One is the explicitly evil things that we do. And then the other evil would be the good things that we should have done but didn’t. And that wasn’t even an intentional theme… https://chorus.fm/features/chase-tremaine-accidental-days-deluxe-edition-track-by-track/

[eggmarr]

congrats on 143 followers ahh its such a creative event! may i ask for 7. nobody compares (you are my one and only) - scaramouche?

tearing me apart (143 event drabble)

pairing: singer!scara x manager!reader (gn)

warnings: inaccurate portrayal of music artist management, snarky scara, slightly ooc scara, mentions of pain relief pills being taken for a headache, distaste for screaming, a pinch of “not like the others” only because boy band music is full of it

a/n: this is entirely built on late night jamming to one direction and taylor swift and i am not afraid to admit this!!! i wanted to focus on the “charmer” part of scara because i feel like he’d be more inclined to banter with someone who’s been with him for as long as manager reader (also tysm for requesting for the event! i am so sorry that this took much longer than anticipated, but i hope you like this!)

songs: nobody compares and kiss you - one direction

From the very first day you met Scaramouche, you had known you would despise him with every fiber of your being.

His fellow singers under the label were sweet, kind, and even generous (despite being a little mischievous at times) - yet just being in the vicinity of such a deplorable man makes you want to turn in your two weeks notice and dip.

It’s already been a year. You’re in for the long haul.

“You’re one angry little man, you know that?”

The man in question simply raises an eyebrow at you from his chair as he fiddles with his microphone and the last-minute embellishments you’d authorized. “And yet, you’re still here.”

“With great reluctance, believe me.” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose and wishing you’d brought some-

“Here.”

Huh. While a year of working with the man made you feel batshit insane some days, at least it gave you some perks.

You caught the bottle of pain reliever he chucked in your direction, along with the subsequent water bottle he hurled with it.

“Hey, you didn’t get smacked in the face like an idiot this time!”

“Shut up.”

The bottle rattles as you drop two into your hand, quickly washing them down with a sip from the water. “Thanks.” You mutter, checking your watch for curtain call. He stands, scanning the cuffs at his wrist and brushing invisible lint off his pants.

“You’re on in fifteen. Be nice this time.”

Scaramouche musses his hair, giving you his signature sarcastic smirk. “Are you finally gonna watch instead of being in the curtain? Watching my back all the time makes you seem so boring.”

“I usually have to be behind the curtain,” You groan, standing back up from the reprieve you quickly miss. “That’s what happens when you don’t act nice.”

“Aw.” He tilts his head, putting on a puppy-eyed pout. “I thought it was because you just couldn’t stand to be-“

Your palms connect with his shoulders, twisting his body to face the door as you usher him out. “It’s ten now.”

His sputtering is almost comical when you slam the door of his own dressing room in his face.

——————

You hate to admit it, but he’s good.

Scaramouche is a natural for the stage, playing up the angsty bad-boy persona he likes so much to make the crowd scream for a quirk of his lips. He leans back to back with his guitarist - Heizou, as you’ve had to learn, loves to flourish the strings as he harmonizes with the singer.

You lean back in your chair, wincing slightly from the high shrieks of some girls nearby. The pain reliever seems to be winding down from top effectiveness.

The song ends with a riff, earning unanimous yelling from his audience. He dips into a bow, running a hand through his hair and winking to the big screen camera. More screaming. How wonderful.

“Thank you for your enthusiasm!” He grins, raising an eyebrow as he laughs a bit. “Being able to stand here like this is a dream come true. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you!”

He makes a heart with his hands, and you try to avoid acknowledging the slight tug at your heartstrings. You know he really does care about his fans, despite how he acts…off the stage.

“Now,” He motions for the crowd to settle down. “For this final song, I want to dedicate this one to the people who are incomparable-“

The yelling reaches a new high.

“-For the people who can’t be replaced. This one’s for you.”

And when he points up to the section of the audience you sit in, you call those five seconds you wish he was talking to you a reprieve.

[sitp-recs]

Hidden Gems by @cavendishbutterfly

Happy Wednesday with A+ comfort food! Cav has been an amazing addition to the fandom, and sometimes it even feels like they have been around for ages! I still remember the exciting joy of finding Bridges, which became an instant fave - I fell in love with its gorgeous Budapest aesthetics, the wistful atmosphere, the perfect and organic slow burn, the beautiful romance. My obsession was so immediate I started the rec before even finishing the fic! Since then I’ve been following Cav’s blog closely and checking every new work knowing it will be a special treat.

Putting this reclist together was lovely because I got to revisit all these fics again, and they’re the best snack-size romantic reads for those who love shorts like me! Cav has this unique way of making short fics feel both light and intimate, with just the right amount of delicate, chill and depth, and so very soft. They prove that shorts can be just as emotionally satisfying and completed stories as long ones, perfect to indulge when you just need a nice and easy get together. Enjoy!

In The Wings (2021, T, 1.6k) - such a soft and heartwarming established relationship, I couldn’t stop smiling! Ballet dancer Draco is the concept I didn’t know I needed, comforting and very aesthetique 😌

Ballet has been a path to healing for Draco after the war. Now, it's his final performance in the starring role, and his boyfriend is in the audience for the first time.

Just A Phone Call Away (2021, M, 4k) - pining!Harry + friends to lovers, sign me up! This is light and sweet and the intimacy of that hair washing scene is stuck in my head. Unspeakable Drarry and cooking lessons as a treat!

Today’s the day: Harry’s getting over his ridiculous crush on Draco Malfoy. Even if Draco’s just invited himself over to wash Harry’s hair. In a very platonic way, obviously. Not intimate at all.

Glowing (2022, T, 9.7k) - one of my favorite Fangfest fics this year, a lovely cottagecore h/c with trans man Veela! Draco and ace Vampire!Harry living together and falling in love. It’s about loneliness and understanding, and it’s soft, quiet and bittersweet in a very gentle way.

Harry's lived alone and vampiric in his cottage for ages, until a long-lived Draco Malfoy suddenly shows up to answer an advertisement Harry had practically forgotten he'd put in the Prophet. Cue soft blood drinking, quiet nights of reading and crocheting, and Harry thinking that maybe--just maybe--he might not be so alone anymore. Read my rec here.

Bridges (2021, E, 16k) - get ready to fall in love with both Drarry and Budapest in this immersive and quietly introspective co-workers to lovers that celebrates hope and grief in a beautiful, touching way. Perfect slow burn and get together. Cw: brief Harry/OC, mention of Holocaust, use of alcohol and weed

Harry and Draco are on a trip to Budapest to help with Kingsley's re-election, but that's the boring bit. More interesting: Harry Potter is changing his Tinder preferences to include men. Read my rec here.

The Ever-Changing Room (2022, E, 33k) - cool and intriguing case fic where Draco & Mione form a dream team to track Harry down. I love their camaraderie and the supporting cast is amazing too! NB fashionista Draco, safe houses, Euro trip, and a really interesting take on the Deathly Hallows plot point, so creative and engaging!

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have been married for five years, and everything's grand—until Harry disappears one day without warning. He's left behind three letters and the whole of the Wixen World demanding to know where he's got to, including Draco. Unfortunately, Draco's not a very good detective. Hermione is, though. Or: Draco travels Europe looking for their ever-elusive husband.

[samsspambox]

hi hellooooo, what do you think would it take for each of the nxx boys to curse out someone else in the nxx? how quickly will it take for them to get pissed, who'd they most likely curse out first, what words do they use, how do the others react, the whole shebang ykyk. e.g. not just dammit or crap, actual swear words (f-word, b-word, etc.) also sorry if this is a bit too vulgar idk, have a nice day!!!

heyo nonnie! you def came to the right person bc i have a fucking bigass sailor's mouth, not that i've ever used it to cuss out someone (in their presence at least lmaoo) but i do know my way around the cuss words skndfksn. actually, i use fuck daily, are we sure its considered a 'bad word' LMAOOO

the nxx and their anger: will they cuss each other out? (+ habits)

1.3k words

Marius:

i'd like to think he's incredibly slow to anger. actually, most of them are incredibly hard to anger, but marius would be the zen one. he's grown up with two-faced people his entire life, if he were to get mad at every little wrong turn he'd get sick. so he's really slow to anger in general. it's also a public image thing. he can't get mad or else the media would eat that shit right up.

the thing about marius is that he's loyal tho, so for someone to rile him up properly you'd have to start insulting his family and/or his brother. in lost gold, when his 'uncle' lowkey betrayed him, he wasn't really mad? he was surprised and sad, but not mad. while in the one argument he gets with artem, he starts to get heated bc artem implies giann is not what he seems.

marius doesn't really get mad, but he does hold onto resentment. he does treat artem colder compared to, say, vyn. i think the only one of the nxx that could get marius to break is artem. honestly vyn could as well, but there's no point. unless vyn tells him he's too attached to giann, then they have a problem.

as to what words he'd use, im not... sure? i think his anger would be burning hot with indignation. i guess some of the worlds he would use would be: son of a bitch, motherfucker, cunt, prick, asshole, fucker. he'd also get hella creative with his cusses. like, he'd call someone an 'asswipe' or things like that.

he'd lay heavy on insults and bring up dirty laundry tho. living in his world taught him to hold on to pieces of information that may benefit him later (re: resentful). he'd be the first to switch from insults to fists if he's the one who's incredibly mad. a slow build-up to an explosive climax.

Artem:

he's a lawyer, so i don't think he has the instinctual habit of trying to cuss someone out. he's the poster child for 'use your words'. his anger is definitely more explosive than the others. quick to burn, quick to dim. he's more likely to yell out his arguments should he be mad instead of cussing someone out. he's more likely to pinch the bridge of his nose, breath in, and move on.

that's not to say he doesn't curse. like luke, he has a filter, but that filter is relegated to his own home. he'll yell fuck when he gets hurt at home while only hissing in pain out in public. he'll say shit when he drops something. (he also seems like the type of person who apologizes to inanimate objects after bumping into them). artem would favor trying to solve things with discussions.

in terms of getting mad at the nxx, i think the most likely candidates to get him mad are vyn and marius. like marius, artem is incredibly loyal to the people around him. the second marius mentions neil, artem starts to get defensive. however, artem doesn't let that argument last long and it fizzles out after he (mildly) insults marius, saying he has no time to argue with him. again, he uses his argumentative prowess to get out of a situation before it starts getting too out of hand. vyn and artem would argue, but wouldn't reach the stage of cussing each other out either. artem would want to bail before that point, but would still hold his own against the conversation driving dr. richter.

the breaking point for artem cursing out the nxx would be someone putting mc/rosa in danger, and even then it would be mild. he'd call them 'idiots' but that's not even a good cuss word. you'd have better luck hearing him say 'motherfucker' after accidentally cutting himself with a knife while chopping onions.

Vyn:

oh i genuinely think he cusses on the regular, but it's under his breath/mumbled and in his home language: svartish. he doesn't cuss at all, mostly bc he can't grasp how. like, i have this hc that vyn is still learning the bells and whistles of stellan, so he just... cant use slag or cuss words correctly. that's why he sounds so prim and proper. but he picked up cursing when his father mentioned that people like that sounded dumb. stick it to the man, vyn.

he's also really quick to anger, but he doesn't let it control him. his anger would feel more like a bright flame and then smothered to burn under the surface. cold, calculating anger with an initial red hot spark.

he's another one i think that values a verbal smackdown compared to just throwing out cuss words willy-nilly. he likes to be in control of the situation, only engaging in an argument only if he knows that he will emerge victorious. you could throw him some curveballs and start revealing things about him, but that wouldn't warrant such an explosive response that is cussing someone else. he uses cuss words a lot more colloquially, even if people don't understand him.

in order to get him to cuss, in my opinion, it would have to be a life or death situation, and even then it would be super small like 'not my partner you bitch' or something similar.

within the nxx, i don't think he'd let it get to the point of anger with them, mostly indignation and a couple of scoffs, in his head he's calling them: 'bastards, idiots, assholes,' in svartish along with other svartish curses.

Luke:

he's also one that uses curses like he's sprinkling pepper on a dish, but he knows how to filter himself. but! he's one that will actively go out of his way to cuss out someone. his anger is controlled, but he has somewhere it can go: his agent raven mode. when he gets mad, he gets quiet and starts shaking with rage. if it weren't for his training in the nsb, he'd be the type to start crying when he gets incredibly mad. instead, he goes quiet and lets that rage fuel agent raven.

if it weren't for the rating tears of themis has on the app store, i'm like 89% sure that this man would have called people he was beating up 'bastards, fuckers, sons of bitches and assholes.'

in order to beat up someone in the nxx tho, it'd be super hard. mostly because he's so far removed from their problems. he has no link to giann and neil, and idk what his directive is considering the government sent him (IM LOOKING AT YOU ASSHAT). so.. unless they directly insult mc/rosa, i don't think he'd get mad at them? besides, if you've got luke mad, it's already a little too late. he's coming for your head one way or another. honestly he's one that would rather use his fist rather than cuss someone out.

if i had to pick, though, he'd get incredibly mad at vyn, marius, and artem in that order. vyn is a controlling type, a puppeteer of sorts and luke kinda is too. they'd clash heads in terms of principle, but i don't think he'd get mad at vyn unless he started opening him up like a jawbreaker and exposing his layers. in that instance he would walk away and tell him to 'drop it, asshole' or he'd genuine punch vyn to shut up. cuz vyn would get going on a tirade and he knows what buttons to press. marius would be irritating and put up his mask, which im 77% luke can see through on the first time he meets him. i can't see him getting mad at artem for nxx reasons, but i can see him getting mad if it has something to do with mc.

luke curses as a warning. his fists follow shortly after.

Reactions:

i think everyone in the nxx would have the gut reaction to stop whatever was happening in terms of verbal lashing (except vyn. if vyn is a bystander he will let it play out unless the argument has any inclination of going physical). he already did with marius and artem, who's to say luke's wont be different?

the rest of the nxx would at least try to defuse the situation, bring attention to the subject itself, or literally tell them to stop.

and well, yeah. there you have it nonnie! my take on if they cuss each other out or not. honestly the only tension they have with each other is being in love with mc, which is why i don't really see them cussing at each other. (aside from the giann vs neil factions). honestly, once giann and neil get found and the tension ends they'll be a well-oiled machine.

thank you for the ask nonnie! this was really fun to think about! :D