Give advice to the OC above you!

"If limbs aren't falling off, then the training isn't too harsh. Your students might hate you now, but once they get into a battle, they'll be silently counting their blessings. As a matter of fact, how about you let me deal with them? Once they see how your roughness has trained them, then they will stop complaining."

Chiono was probably not the right person to come to for advice, especially when it came to the feelings of others. As far as he was concerned, there was no such thing as being too harsh. However, there was such thing as being too aggressive. He had learned as much when he was younger.

"Don't yell or shout at your students, though. I've learned that they'll only take your words as insults rather than actually listening. Keeping an easy tone to listen to will be more effective. But don't change the regime. If you can keep your words simple, tell me how it goes."

~~~

"There's someone I love, but I don't know how to tell or show her that. I've tried giving cupcakes, but she always assumes that they're poisoned or that I'm testing her. How can I show my daughter my loved one that I'm just trying to be nice?"

        Hala... was wary. Either there was a reason for this loved one to be nervous, or she was just absolutely paranoid. Still, the Hirvedan woman looked Chiono over, her expression fixed into a pensive frown. She supposed it wasn't any of her business, really, to squeeze into another person's family, to make statements of it, but...

       "..If you want to show someone that you love them, I think... if they're already distrustful of you... it's probably for the best not to push your affections onto them?" Hala suggested mildly, "Cupcakes -- any gifts, really -- maybe... it could just be that gifts aren't her love language. Something like that. It could be that you specifically make her nervous, and if that's the case, how do you expect anything, really?"

       "You need to be slow, maybe less upfront in your adoration. You cannot force someone to see that you're being kind, because she has evidently made up her mind. Does that make sense?" She shook her head. She did not think much more needed to be said to expand on the situation -- but she sighed, anyway. "Let her see your change in her own time. Anything else might... be damaging."

       "There is a specific piece from my homeland that I've been looking forward to translating into the language of where I live now... but, the author is no longer alive, and there are few other sources I can take from him to figure out what to do with the -- very, very old and frankly dated -- expressions and dialects within his writing. What do you think? Might it be better to leave the meanings and expressions as they are, making them outright even if they might not be easily understood, or..?"

     En could understand the problem. The older he got, the less he wanted in terms of gifts. He had enough as is, everything started to only take up space. Still, he wasn't sure what he'd want, let alone someone much older. Just like Keidon, he was drawing a blank.

     Drawing a blank... Drawing... Oh!

     "Why not a drawing?" the king suggested. "A painting, maybe? Or a framed photo? I've even heard of digital frames that can show multiple photos. Immortalizing memories would make a good gift, I'd think." The thought of having pictures of his kids at his desk gave him a warm feeling. "I don't know if music is big for your friend, either. My brother used to write songs for people. It would honestly be pretty cool to have a song dedicated to you, though, uh, I wouldn't even know where to start for writing one."

     En glowered at an envelope in his hands. He looked at you and waved it in the air with a joking laugh, "It's taking everything in me not to rip this open and read it. It's another love letter to my daughter, I'm sure of it." His laughter died into a tired sigh and he tossed it onto the table, though his glower stayed. "That girl. She falls in love with anyone that smiles at her. The worst part is that more often than not they fall in love too."
     He pinched the bridge of his nose. "She's in her twenties and she'll need to find someone sometime, I know that. It's not that I don't trust her either, but, well... I guess I'm just worried she'll fall for the wrong person, someone that'll end up hurting her more than she can recover. That's a natural fear, isn't it? I just don't know how to overcome it..."

"In all honesty I don't even know how to make myself happy. But I like to listen to music to keep myself from getting stressed and fidget less. If you want to make him happy try talking to him or spending time with him. You can also try giving him stuff he likes. Trust me if my friend were to give me weed I know that'll make my whole weekend," he laughed then scratched behind his head. 

"I'm not really good with advice in all honesty..." a part of Atticus began to feel guilty. He probably wasted Renard's time telling him crappy advice. There was obviously a feeling of care and concern in the entity's question, yet he didn't know how to care. It made him feel bad. "Hey maybe even try keeping up a positive attitude everytime you see him. It'll make him feel better I'm sure. And if all else fails, I got Marijuana that'll make him feel amazing!" he chuckled, trying to add a joke to lighten up the somber mood. Whether it was effective... he wasn't sure.

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Mentions of drugs

Tiny glanced across the counter. He wished the man had told him this BEFORE he'd served him 4 glasses of cactus juice whisky. The man was strangely dressed but Tiny had seen much weirder things. Besides, the man was a customer. And Tiny helped all his customers the best he could. 

    "Wanting to escape is a very normal feeling." Tiny rested his paws on the counter across from where Atticus was sitting. "Life is hard, and people drink to take away their struggles. But that doesn't make them go away." He reached out, taking the empty glass and gently cleaning it out with a towel. 

     "Look, a drink every once in awhile ain't bad. It's all right to escape every now and then. But you have to face your problems, or else they'll eat you alive like a pack of coyotes in the desert. You have to face your fears, and you have to face the facts. Drink all you want, but don't push your problems aside."  

v   

Tiny's hand shook as he read the poorly scribbled note. On it were the words he dreaded hearing most. "My littermates are coming to visit today!?" He screamed out louder than he wished he could. He quickly brought his voice down to a whisper, hoping the few customers in the bar hadn't heard. He whimpered as he looked around at his precious saloon. Everything was perfectly in place and free of dust and dirt, but it wouldn't be for long. Tiny's chest heaved up and down as he fought for breath. 

  "I love them, but such short notice? And every time they come over they tear up my bar! I'll spend hours cleaning up the mess! What do I do?" 

An AI like Artemis generally has no place in a saloon. After all, she can't physically drink, and if she could, alcohol wouldn't be her cup of tea. No, no, she's there to simply take in the atmosphere. She leans against the counter of the bar, facing outward, when her ears pick up the outburst. Her head turns to the panicking bartender and his woes about the current pristine state of the area, which will soon be completely train-wrecked. Turning her entire self around to face the bar, she rests her elbows on the countertop and places her chin in her palm.

"The moment they start making a mess," she suggests, "kick them out. Let them know that this is your establishment and that you have set expectations for what it should be like. If they cannot respect the environment of the bar, then they should not think about taking a step inside."

Artemis taps her fingers against her upper arm as she gives a hum. "My brother says that I should be more approachable, but I am not quite sure how," she muses. "There are plenty of things that go into it, so perhaps I should start small. In a physical sense, how can I seem more approachable?"

"Oh." The idea said, turning this over a few times before tilting their head and responding. "Perhaps you should simply look at their emotions, and see what other emotions they are feeling but mad. Perhaps if they are also sad, or disappointed. Then you can have a better idea of what to act. For example, I can tell you feel guilty and sad; and a bit apprehensive, and as such I am taking time to explain things in more gentle detail while you are seeking advice. Look into those small details you detect in their emotions and give them what they need to hear in the moment. Perhaps an apology followed by a 'reassuring pat', touch can be a grounding aspect for many species. If you cannot get close enough to touch, do not keep trying to touch, they do not want touch, I had to learn this one the hard way. I hope this helps in your social activities."

The idea paced in circles, long crab-like-claws giving hefty taps on the ground as they moved, their tail swishing side to side.

"If I wished to give someone a gift, for no reason other than wanting to, what is the best way to determine what that gift should be? I can tell if it was a good gift after the fact, but I want to know if there's a way to tell before the process of obtaining the object and gifting it to another."

88's head cants one side to the other as smile thinks, tapping gloved fingers against smiles plastic mask.

"Y—you must..." a shaky breath, "know them. What do... they like? Col—ors. Animals. Kn—knicked-knackeds. What d—do... they need? S—supplies. Tools." A long pause, as smile clears smiles throat and coughs, ducking smiles head. "A—a good gift is... in-ti-mate. Shows you... care. Very, very much."

Smile roughly clears smiles throat again, and then, asks, "h—how does... one... make friends? I—I am... in. Unsteady... standing, w—with... my besty-est friend's... father. He is. U—uncomf... un... he does not like me."

Smiley tilted his head to the side. "He doesn't like you? With a smile like that? :) Oh dear, oh dear. :) That's not good, not good at all. :) It sounds to me like he's not very happy himself. So! :)" He clapped his hands together and leaned forward. "Lets you and I go meet him and cheer him up! :) If we make him the happiest he's ever been, then he'll be super, super, super happy you're around his child! :) I know the perfect games to play, too! :)"

"What are some other ways I can help make people happy? :)"

The canine seemed to think for a few small moments, before he shrugged a bit. "Well... I mean there's a ton of ways! Personally I like to get gifts for people, it's just... kinda nice, y'know?" The Doberman said, perking his droopy ears up a bit as he gave a slight smile. He was a... tad bit aware of Smiley's murderous tendencies, although he just hoped he wasn't going to be his next victim-

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"Is there a way to get my personal poltergeists to stop annoying the shit out of me?"

Bridge rested a hand on their chest as their head leaned to one side. How curious... A haunting? She has not encoutnered many a haunting before. Despite her intrigue, she put her own questions aside to provide her own insight, "What a unique situation you are in. Have you perhaps tried giving them offerings? Or perhaps try to communicate with them? Maybe there is something they are trying to tell you... I do hope they are friendly phantasms..."

"I have been grappling with this for too long; How do other being interact with eachother so easily and so seamlessly? I do not comprehend this lack of cohesion between me and another vessel. How does one just socialize?"

Mantis made a grand gesture to the space around them, a smile on their face. "My dear, socialisation is simple! You'll find it comes in many forms... Still, it is not as seamless for others as it looks, believe you me." They bring a hand softly to their chest. "Perhaps, begin with a simple hello, and allow your conversational partner to follow. But for some, such as yourself, one can find just as much value in the non-verbal, and the feelings of connection simple acts of kindness can bring. Try it out! It may surprise you, how simply one can lose oneself in conversation given the time..."

"Is admiring the past a weakness? Do I, in my love of that slower point in time, manage to let the allure of the future pass me by? How does one await that which is unknown?"