Video | welcome, hallo, buenos días, ohayō, etc, etc! | UN: Newt

[groupiedrifter]

[Newt comes shuffling into view on the screen, holding a cup of coffee in his hand with a bag of what seems to be Sour Patch Kids harrowingly hanging out from beneath the pinky finger of the very same hand. Disheveled but more than happy to provide his services after dragging himself out of bed, he taps his knuckle on the chalkboard beside him — one that used to be Hermann Gottlieb's, may he rest in peace (in a not dead way — may he rest in peace on a beach or something while wholly alive and thriving).]

Noticed an influx of new and kinda-new faces over the last few days or weeks or whatever.

So here's my handy dandy welcome board! Recently updated, to keep with the times.

Read it over and get a feel for how this place goes; I'm gonna finish off this coffee before I take any questions.

[As he takes the world's most obnoxious-sounding sip and burns his tongue, here's the board in question:]



[And then, after a bit of time, he turns the board over to the other side:]



[No worries, current crew, if you can't get one of those introduction papers in person!

Because he's attached them in file format, too.]



[And in case you wanted a text format copy:

Name:
Age:
Birthday:
Favorite color:
Favorite food:
Favorite subject:
Favorite toy:
Favorite animal:
Favorite candy:
Favorite activity:
Favorite place:
Favorite book:
Favorite TV show:
Favorite movie:
I am good at:
I want to learn:
Least favorite subject:
Place I want to go:
If I could make one wish, it would be:
If I could have one superpower, it would be:
This is what I want my teacher to know about me:

(Have at it — threadjacking is encouraged).]

Comments

un: geraniums

[rootlessly]

we were all new sometime, though, and people were kind to us
shouldn't we pay that forward?

[greenpower]

Like three months ago. Not long enough for me to get nostalgic about how warm and welcoming everyone was.

They want to be here. I'm sure they'll be fine.

[rootlessly]

There isn't anyone you can think of who helped you with getting settled in?

[When he'd first arrived, Newt had helped him fix his arm, and had been happy to do it out in an inconvenient location like the sunlight room simply because Vash had offhandedly mentioned liking it. If there's anything he can do to help others when they've joined up, even if it's just helping them feel more at ease, he wants to.]

[greenpower]

[Ivy is on the verge of replying that no one had helped her because she hadn't needed it—she was an adult. The memory of Unohana bringing her a cutting of one of her ferns stops her short.

Instead, after a moment she sends:]

Yeah, and she's gone now too. So bully for us.

[rootlessly]

I'm sorry to hear that.
But I don't think that's a good reason to be unkind to Newt about it.

[greenpower]

I think there's a strong argument to be made that he likes it.

Otherwise he wouldn't be throwing himself out there for abuse like that.

[rootlessly]

I don't know, maybe.

[He hasn't known Newt that long to be able to say for sure.]

But I think he's being genuine about this exercise, and in wanting us to find common ground and be friends.

[greenpower]

Just because he's genuine doesn't mean I have to be.

[rootlessly]

No, you don't. But it takes less effort to do nothing than it does to be unkind.

[greenpower]

If that were true, a lot fewer people would be "unkind."

[rootlessly]

Not necessarily. Plenty of people are willing to make those efforts.

[He’s been around long enough to see it. Actions out of spite and anger and bitterness. Ivy’s making one of those efforts right now, the way Vash sees it.]

[greenpower]

Next are you going to tell me it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown? Because it sort of sounds like we're going down that road.

[rootlessly]

I mean, between us you're the scientist. So you'd know better than me.
But it's not particularly anyone's business if you smile or not.

[being MEAN on the other hand...!]

[greenpower]

Are you really gonna tell me you never want to say fuck'em? That it's never once been easier than putting on a polite smiley face and doing the fake nice thing, like yessss, sure, I really care when your birthday is and what kind of plush toy you sleep with since apparently we're children

[She stops, because that's getting rambly and worked up and doesn't really prove him wrong.]

It's not like I'm saying to toss them out a space vent or anything. Just... you know.

Fuck'em.

[rootlessly]

Why do you assume it's fake?

[His smiles are not always truthful, admittedly. But he has always cared. It's the only way he's been able to survive for all of these decades.]

[greenpower]

Because I'm not an idiot? Maybe not everyone is lying all of the time, but I've been around long enough to know most of it's bullshit.

[rootlessly]

That's kind of a depressing way to look at things, isn't it?
It isn't possible to be close with people you've only just met, true, but getting to know each other like this can help build that feeling.

[Nevermind that Vash skipped over all the questions that required any vulnerability, but listen. You can genuinely care about people and be closed off at the same time ok. Not necessarily healthy but entirely possible!]

[greenpower]

No shit, it's depressing. That doesn't make it less true.

And I notice you didn't deny it. Sometimes it's easier this way.

[rootlessly]

I’m saying it’s a matter of perspective.
You can look at it as “fake” because you couldn’t have had the opportunity to care about the birthday of someone you don’t know, but you could also look at it as a chance to meet people whose birthdays you’ll care about as you get to know them.

Would you believe me if I said I would care about your birthday if you told me, even though we’ve only spoken a few times?

[greenpower]

Sure, I believe you'd care.

[A fact which touches close to a nerve, considering her own parents hadn't. Worse than not caring, they'd used it as an opportunity to remind her that no one else cared either.

That she was a freak.]

In case you hadn't noticed, you're not normal.

1/2

[rootlessly]

[rootlessly]

Ahaha, I'd say you're not wrong, but I think in this case that's giving me a bit too much credit!

[greenpower]

Something literally no one has ever accused me of.

[rootlessly]

[What was that, suddenly he can't read.]

I think you'd find the others would care too, if you gave them a chance.

[greenpower]

I've given enough people chances! You know how many of them have cared? Three. And that's if you count Alec, and he's Swamp Thing!