Mae: Do you think we'd be friends if we weren't, like, stuck together in the same town? Like we were stuck together in Girl Scouts? Like... uh... is this just... what's the word?
Bea: Proximity?
Mae: Yeah.
Bea: I don't know. I honestly don't. My entire life feels like running after something that keeps moving away into the distance, while I stay in the same place... and I guess proximity counts for a lot right now.

When I was playing Night in the Woods for the first time on my first playthrough, I was already enjoying the game when I was beginning it, but I don't think I was really impressed with the game until I started the hangout events. Seeing the character interactions between Mae and her old friends was REALLY engaging to see, both with Mae trying to come to terms with how much life has changed for her friends and how much Possum Springs has both changed and stayed the same for everyone over the years was all so fascinating - the characters all felt so well written and so believable that it was easy to see why so many people enjoy this game. 😊

Then I reached the final hangout with Bea, Proximity - this scene, no joke, may be not just my favourite scene in the whole of Night in the Woods so far, but one of the best scenes I've seen in ANY video game I've ever played. It was the moment where I thought 'this is one of the best games I've ever played'. ❤️

The buildup to the confrontation between Mae and Bea near the river as it shows just how much Bea feels desperate to have at least some time away from her life she feels trapped in and try to appear 'normal', with her resenting Mae for throwing away the chance to achieve a college education when Bea would have given anything to 'make something of her life' and not be trapped in Possum Springs anymore. And finally, Mae, after being previously called out for her attitude and childishness, tries to calm her down and apologise for messing up the party for her by saying she'll learn to develop her social skills and that they may both be stuck in their current situations, but at least they have each other to confide in. 🥺♥

All of the conversations REALLY hit close to home with me (both for what Mae and Bea are going through with their life baggage- the amount that I can see myself in them both is honestly kind of sobering 😢 ) and combined with the music and atmosphere, the whole scene was phenomenally done. (And for the record, I also really loved the party scene at the start. It was really heartwarming to see Mae lose herself in the atmosphere - it also reminded me of when I started going to gigs again. :3 )

I hope I managed to do it justice here - I think this may be one of my new favourite pieces of fanart I've drawn this year so far. ❤️