#and some minor

[sulatni-flerida11]

Typing…

premade sandwiches (the scenes in between) | old memories in one drawer | start of main story

a few months before life itself

d&d gals 👑🎀

Lizzie | 7:02 AM

[picture attached]

Seen 7:02 AM

Lizzie | 7:02 AM

Pearl and I are on our way!

Seen 7:02 AM

Katherine | 7:07 AM

Ooooo, safe travel you two !! :D

Seen 7:08 AM

Lizzie | 7:08 AM

Of course :D

Seen 7:09 AM

“Next stop, Suburban District 1.”

Pearl hands an earbud to Lizzie, the latter accepting regardless of whatever songs her friend is playing. It’s something they got used to when they were younger with their other friends – sharing music and other media they consume – and has extended to small speakers playing in their dorm, or earbuds shared in public spaces like these.

Lizzie leans into her seat as the train starts moving, then she looks at Pearl.

She treats the other like a sister, at this point. Actually, she treats their entire friend group like her sisters, her found family. Whether it be from endless cheers for her art (which Lizzie is still a bit scared to share), or being the main people she hung around when they were kids, or that they still keep in touch despite the physical distance between their group of five.

Sometimes, she’s brought back to the time it all began.

~

[years ago...]

~

“Please, just one go?”

Lizzie looks up to see two heads of ginger before her, hands clasped together. For how much they insist that they aren’t alike, Gem and Fwhip look absolutely identical right now.

“Fine,” she groans, quickly followed by Fwhip throwing his fist in the air and Gem throwing her arms around her.

“Thank you, Lizzie!” Gem laughs. “Would you be free this weekend, or some other time?”

“This weekend, just to get it over with.”

“Oh,” Fwhip calls, “bring Jimmy too, will ya?”

“So you could tease him again?” Lizzie raises a brow.

“I said sorry!”

“I’d rather not have a reason for you to say sorry in the first place, Fwhip.”

“But he’s so little!”

“I’m not little!” Jimmy butts in out of nowhere, jumping on Fwhip’s back, strangling him slightly, “I’m 9 and a half!”

“And I’m 10 and a full!” Fwhip retorts, spinning around in hopes of disorienting the other.

Gem and Lizzie laugh, but still cautiously watch their siblings as they play-fight in the school halls.

“Say Jimmy,” Gem starts, “y’think you can bring Grian to D&D?”

Jimmy drops off Fwhip and beams, “Wait, it’s actually happening!?”

“Yup!”

“Oh, joy!” Jimmy tugs Lizzie’s arm, “Can he Liz? Can he? Can he?”

“If their parents say yes, Jim.”

“Invite Pearl while you’re at it,” Fwhip suggests. “They’re also siblings, right? I’ve had the chance to talk to her in Art Club, and she seems cool.”

“Sure!” Jimmy smiles. “I’ll be sure to tell ‘im, though no promises. Last time he was put in some acting situation, he hated it.”

“Tell him to give it a go,” Gem laughs. “Who knows?”

~

[1 notification] Message request: “The Emperors 👑🎭🪄”

You and six others have been added by Fwhip

Fwhip | 4:06 PM

d&d group chat!!

Seen 4:13 PM

Katherine | 4:08 PM

Ooooo

Seen 4:13 PM

Shelby | 4:10 PM

is this why you asked for our contacts the last time

Seen 4:13 PM

Fwhip | 4:10 PM

yes

Seen 4:13 PM

Fwhip | 4:11 PM

and now me and gem don’t have to find lizzie or jimmy if we think of having a session

Seen 4:13 PM

Fwhip | 4:11 PM

or if any of you want to hang out

Seen 4:13 PM

Pearl | 4:12 PM

ooooo what’s this about?

Seen 4:13 PM

You accepted the message request.

Lizzie | 4:15 PM

Oh great

Seen 4:15 PM

Lizzie | 4:15 PM

More places to be bugged by the goblin

Seen 4:15 PM

Fwhip | 4:16 PM

THE GRIMLANDS WILL BE GREATER THAN YOUR SEA

Seen 4:16 PM

Lizzie | 4:16 PM

It’s the OCEAN Fwhip

Seen 4:16 PM

Joey | 4:16 PM

I’m with Lizzie here

Seen 4:16 PM

Joey | 4:17 PM

though my jungle’s still the best

Seen 4:17 PM

Shelby | 4:19 PM

you mean your avatar knock-off?

Seen 4:19 PM

Joey | 4:19 PM

YOU TAKE THAT BACK

Seen 4:19 PM

~

“Say guys,” Katherine starts as the group clean up their session of the day (a fight against some evil demon plotting to destroy the world), “do y’all remember me mentioning a new friend from school?”

Shelby looks up from compiling their character sheets. “The guy that just moved in your village?”

“Yeah… He’s interested in joining, if you guys don’t mind?”

The rest of the group looks at each other, as if waiting for a confirmation. The silence that comes out of the question almost makes Katherine backtrack, but Fwhip beats her to it.

“If you think he’ll fit in, then sure. The more, the merrier!”

~

Katherine added Joel to the chat.

~

“Is Grian ever coming back to a D&D session?” Fwhip asks curiously, while Jimmy and Joel share a look.

“He’ll only come back if it means annoying one of them,” Pearl reasons, “though honestly, I don’t think he finds these games that interesting.”

Lizzie rolls the dice in her hand as she asks, “Will he still be showing up at our hangouts?”

Pearl shakers her head. “Unless we’re doing something other than D&D.”

“I’ll take that,” Jimmy says. “One less person to make fun of my slime trades.”

Joel scoffs. “I do still think it’s kinda stupid.”

“Oh one day Joel, one day, you’ll be forced with this kind of deal and you would NOT be able to say no. Mark my words.”

~

Jimmy | 7:06 PM

since when was THIS a thing ???

Seen 7:20 PM

Katherine | 7:10 PM

???

Seen 7:20 PM

Gem | 7:10 PM

What.

Seen 7:20 PM

Fwhip | 7:10 PM

jimmy what

Seen 7:20 PM

Joel | 7:12 PM

you mean you’ve been invited here for longer than me yet i’ve chatted first ???

Seen 7:20 PM

Joel | 7:13 PM

boy do you not check your message requests ?

Seen 7:20 PM

Jimmy | 7:15 PM

i

Seen 7:20 PM

Jimmy | 7:15 PM

i’ve never seen this before ???

Seen 7:20 PM

Pearl | 7:16 PM

this has been a thing for months now ??

Seen 7:20 PM

Jimmy | 7:16 PM

is this where lizzie gets the hangouts and party info ???

Seen 7:20 PM

Gem | 7:17 PM

Jimmy…

Seen 7:20 PM

Jimmy | 7:18 PM

oh my god

Seen 7:20 PM

Jimmy | 7:22 PM

LIZZIE I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING THROUGH THE WALL SHUT UP

Seen 8:25 PM

Lizzie | 7:28 PM

Oh my god I'm never letting you forget this

Seen 7:28 PM

Jimmy | 7:29 PM

YOU BETTER HIDE IMMA TACKLE YA I SWEAR

Seen 7:29 PM

~

The next day, Gem stares at their small group of four, trying to not act too out of the ordinary "So..."

It doesn't work. Fwhip tries to hold back his laughter as he looks at Lizzie and Jimmy, each with matching bruises on their forheads.

"Not. A. Word." Lizzie stares him down, which just makes Fwhip burst out loud.

"Look - I expected Jimmy, but Lizzie?"

"Oh you shut up," Jimmy groans, readying to tackle Fwhip now. Even though Fwhip initiates the rough play between them (it's their love language, don't worry), almost all times, their bits end with Fwhip laughing and gasping out "mercy!" or the like, with the few exceptions being when he has help from Joel or their other friends.

The latter stops, running away from the bruised pair with his hands up.

~

[1 notification] Message request: “d&d gals 👑🎀”

You and three others have been added by Katherine.

Katherine | 3:48 PM

hey guys!!!

Seen 4:28 PM

Katherine | 3:49 PM

or gals

Seen 4:28 PM

Katherine | 3:49 PM

whatever

Seen 4:28 PM

Pearl | 4:16 PM

what do we have here now huh

Seen 4:28 PM

You accepted the message request.

Lizzie | 4:30 PM

Was the separation from the boys necessary

Seen 4:30 PM

Gem | 4:31 PM

Oh please

Seen 4:31 PM

Gem | 4:31 PM

I might not have come up of this

Seen 4:31 PM

Gem | 4:32 PM

But you have to admit that the boys are a bit rowdy sometimes

Seen 4:32 PM

Shelby | 4:32 PM

and loud

Seen 4:32 PM

Gem | 4:32 PM

And messy

Seen 4:33 PM

Lizzie | 4:33 PM

Okay, okay I get it

Seen 4:33 PM

Katherine | 4:36 PM

honestly I made this because Mom wants us to have a girls’s day

Seen 4:37 PM

Katherine | 4:36 PM

because the boys hang out by themselves too sometimes

Seen 4:37 PM

Pearl | 4:40 PM

that’s fair

Seen 4:40 PM

Pearl | 4:40 PM

I’d be down!

Seen 4:40 PM

Gem | 4:41 PM

Yeah!

Seen 4:41 PM

Lizzie | 4:41 PM

Same here!

Seen 4:41 PM

Shelby | 4:42 PM

when would the first one be!?

Seen 4:42 PM

~

Shelby | 6:16 PM

hey everyoneee

Seen 6:18 PM

Katherine | 6:17 PM

Shelby :D

Seen 6:18 PM

Shelby | 6:17 PM

i don’t know how weird this is to ask

Seen 6:18 PM

Shelby | 6:17 PM

but

Seen 6:18 PM

Shelby | 6:17 PM

on our next meet-up

Seen 6:18 PM

Shelby | 6:17 PM

can i have some of your guys pics?

Seen 6:18 PM

Shelby | 6:17 PM

just 1x1 ones

Seen 6:18 PM

Lizzie | 6:19 PM

What for?

Seen 6:19 PM

Shelby | 6:20 PM

uhm

Seen 6:20 PM

Shelby | 6:21 PM

the other people in my high school are doing this thing of putting pictures of their friend groups in the backs of their phone casee

Seen 6:21 PM

Shelby | 6:21 PM

since we’re graduating and all that

Seen 6:21 PM

Shelby | 6:22 PM

you guys are still the best friends i got

Seen 6:22 PM

Shelby | 6:22 PM

so yeah

Seen 6:22 PM

Shelby | 6:23 PM

may i have a picture from each of you?

Seen 6:23 PM

Gem | 6:23 PM

Aw Shelby

Seen 6:23 PM

Gem | 6:23 PM

Of course!

Seen 6:23 PM

Lizzie | 6:23 PM

Oh I look a bit off in my recent ID picture

Seen 6:23 PM

Shelby | 6:23 PM

that’s fine!

Seen 6:23 PM

Pearl | 6:24 PM

I’m willing to give one if you trade me one in return Shelby

Seen 6:24 PM

Katherine | 6:24 PM

Hold on

Seen 6:24 PM

Katherine | 6:24 PM

Is this gonna be a thing now too ??

Seen 6:24 PM

Pearl | 6:25 PM

what

Seen 6:25 PM

Katherine | 6:25 PM

What if we exchange id pics every year?

Seen 6:25 PM

Lizzie | 6:26 PM

That sounds nice

Seen 6:26 PM

~

[present day...]

“You have arrived in Urban District 1.”

[2 notifications]

Jimmy | 1 new message

Gem | 3 new messages

Jimmy | 7:30 AM

you guys there yet?

Seen 7:35 AM

Lizzie | 7:35 AM

We are!

Not seen

Lizzie | 7:35 AM

Just got out of the station

Not seen

Gem | 7:26 AM

Lizzieeeee

Seen 7:36 AM

Gem | 7:26 AM

[picture attached]

Seen 7:36 AM

Gem | 7:26 AM

We’re here now

Seen 7:36 AM

Gem | 7:36 AM

Oh nevermind look up

Seen 7:36 AM

Lizzie and Pearl might as well be knocked off their feet at the sudden “hug attack,” their childhood friends wrapping their arms around them. Of course, the pair quickly return the hug as laughter and excited chatter fill the air.

---

“What’s that on the back of your phone case, Liz?”

Lizzie looks up from her collage to Jimmy, standing with a mug of steaming hot something, (Lizzie smells coffee, maybe from a certain rancher). Joel and Grian trail behind, Grian interrupting her phone peacefully on the dining room table by picking it up and observing the back.

“You look like you had fun lately,” Grian pokes fun at her, light hearted. “Last time I saw your case, it was four squares like 4 Pics, 1 Word.”

“That from your latest hangout?” Jimmy asks, and Lizzie nods with a smile.

“Mhmm. Katherine bought a polaroid camera recently, and she had us pose five different times for each of us.”

“That sounds nice,” Grian comments. “How long have you known them again?”

“Longer than she knew me,” Joel half jokes.

“He’s not wrong,” Lizzie laughs, “but with how we are ‘til now…”

She grins, looking back at her collage – it’s a compilation of pictures with her, Pearl, Gem, Katherine, and Shelby. Some pictures feature them in preschool, in matching uniforms and missing teeth. More pictures have them wearing different clothes and looking older, pictures taken by her parents during the playdates they had when they had time in elementary. Eventually going to different schools made it harder to find common gaps in their schedules, but it makes them treasure their times together more. Most are taken when Lizzie got the go signal to dye her hair pink, when Shelby was allowed to go outside more because she graduated, when Katherine got more piercings, when their group was allowed to meet-up without any parental supervision because they’re ending their teenage years and stepping into adulthood.

And there’s one picture, the latest one, taken in a self-service photo booth they paid with their own savings. The single sheet had eight different poses, each a testament to how much they’ve grown over the years since they first met each other.

“... I’d say I’ve known them forever.”

After some minutes when the glue is dry, Lizzie retrieves the collage she made, admiring it a bit before putting it in a photo album in her drawer. She fishes out her phone, typing a quick message before falling asleep.

d&d gals 👑🎀

Lizzie | 10:57 PM

Say guys

Not seen

Lizzie | 10:57 PM

Mind holding the next meet-up in a shorter amount of time than this one?

Not seen

A/N: i miss empires smp, so i took this as an opportunity to add the empires crew as the first group of friends lizzie, pearl, joel, and jimmy have. gem's character would also be explored on more in the main story, while the rest may just be supporting characters.

if it wasn't obvious, lizzie & jimmy and pearl & grian are siblings, and fwhip & gem are twins (yes empires references -).

[gibbearish]

love when ppl defend the aggressive monetization of the internet with "what, do you just expect it to be free and them not make a profit???" like. yeah that would be really nice actually i would love that:)! thanks for asking

[sunshinem0ths]

club meshis

[iapislazuli]

Guys I’m going to be so bare naked ass honest with you we had a house fire tonight and I was standing in the kitchen with the flaming stove reading the Wikipedia page for fire

[bet-on-me-13]

The cult of...Danny Fenton?

So! Way back when Danny first moved into his new neighborhood in Gotham, he had some trouble controlling his Powers. The different Types and Levels of Ectoplasm in the air when compared to Amity had thrown off his control.

He was used to being in places where his Ectoplasm meshed well with the Atmosphere, like a Water Balloon in a Pool, but in Gotham that analogy would be closer to a Water Balloon in the sewers. It was too different from what he was used to to fully control his Powers.

So it's understandable that he messed up a few times and his neighbors found out about his Abilities.

They took it well at first, Danny wasn't going to go Rogues or anything, and he never used them maliciously, but eventually they got curious.

They asked what his limits were, how he got them in the first place, and what the hell the Ghost Zone was. The answers "None Really", "I died and was reborn", and "A Collective of every Afterlife at once" did spark some interesting reactions from them.

Most importantly, a few of them joked about him being an Eldritch God that they needed to worship. He was good enough friends with them that at that point they felt comfortable pranking eachother, so they did just that.

Danny woke up one day on his birthday, and saw all of his friends and neighbors surrounding the makeshift Throne they had made and put him on while he was asleep. The entire day they chanted stuff like "The Great One requires Ms. Smiths Apple Pie for his day of birth!" And "The Great One Wishes for us to sing the Ritual Song! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birth-"

After his birthday, they kept up the joke.

It didn't help that his powers had evolved Again! And now he could bestow abilities onto his friends. The jokes they made about their God granting them Supernatural Powers to rule the world with were insufferable.

Then, one day while he was just resting at home, watching a movie on his TV, he felt a Pull at his Core. The same kind of Pull whenever he was being summoned. But why would they summon hi- Oh Shit! It's Mr Jenkins Party today! He was supposed to meet them at the Warehouse they used for special events an Hour Ago!

He quickly accepted the Summoning, but was met with a suprising sight. His Neighbors all tied up in a pile to his right, a spilled table of party food to his left, and right in front of him, Batman and his Family watching him with wary eyes.

Slowly, he opened his mouth. "...so, did you come for the party or..."

[emberglowfox]

i dont think the sages are distinctly aware of everything their avatars are doing, but i imagine some things probably bleed through

[pk-tf0]

I hope they are dating your honor

[demonadelem]

Rare pity, mercy and compassion of the giants called humanity

[anonymousdandelion]

A general tip for students who are sending those dreaded Religious Absence Emails to your professors: Rather than asking permission to take the day(s) off, politely let them know that you will be taking the day(s) off.

In other words, consider not saying this:

"May I miss class on [date] so I can observe [holiday]?"

It's not that there's anything wrong with the above, per se. But because it's phrased as a request, it risks coming across as optional — a favor you hope to be granted. Problem is, favors are not owed, and so unfortunately asking permission opens the door for the professor to respond "Thanks for asking. No, you may not. :)"

Instead, try something along the lines of:

"I will need to miss class on [date] because I will be observing [holiday]. I wanted to let you know of this conflict now, and to ask your assistance in making arrangements for making up whatever material I may miss as a result of this absence."

This is pretty formal language (naturally, you can and should tweak it to sound more like your voice). But the important piece is that, while still being respectful, it shifts the focus of the discussion so that the question becomes not "Is it okay for me to observe my religion?", but rather, "How can we best accommodate my observance?"

Because the first question should not be up for debate: freedom of religion is a right, not a favor. And the second question is the subject you need to discuss.

(Ideally, do this after you've looked up your school's policy on religious absences, so you know what you're working within and that religious discrimination is illegal. Just in case your professor forgot.)

[hayden-christensen]

It all started with a farmboy, a scoundrel, a princess, and a dark lord...

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY STAR WARS WEEK 2024 DAY 6: MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU

[sulatni-flerida11]

[1 notification] Cleo | 2 new messages

premade sandwiches (the scenes in between) | people standing in line to go home | start of main story

a couple of months before life itself

Cleo | 12:54 PM

jimmy

Seen 12:54 PM

Cleo | 12:54 PM

have you found any alliums yet?

Seen 12:54 PM

Jimmy | 12:55 PM

no i havent sadly

Seen 12:55 PM

Typing…

have you

“Is that Cleo?” Lizzie asks, looking over Jimmy’s shoulder.

Jimmy nods, then Lizzie replies “They probably haven’t found any yet as well if they’re asking you.”

Groaning, Jimmy erases his message. “It will be easy to find,” their prof said. “Alliums should be growing by now,” he said. Yes, they are, but they aren’t for picking yet… and even if they were, it would probably be a small amount: not enough for the people owning the flower fields to ship out.

Typing…

have you

why did

Jimmy | 12:56 PM

why did we take horticulture?

Not seen

“I could’ve taken a major in Animal Science instead! Become a rancher… that sounds better than… this.”

“Rancher? Really?” Lizzie laughs. “Is that your best?”

“Hey! I enjoyed my animal science classes before.”

“Yeah, until you had to cull the chickens you grew.”

“Mr. Clucks didn’t deserve it!”

Lizzie continues laughing, and Jimmy would’ve defended himself more if not for -

[1 notification] Cleo | 1 new message

Cleo | 12:57 PM

tell me about it

Seen 12:58 PM

Cleo | 12:58 PM

i do have one final option though…

Seen 12:58 PM

Jimmy | 12:58 PM

which is?

Seen 12:59 PM

Cleo | 12:59 PM

meet me at the train station?

Seen 12:59 PM

Cleo | 12:59 PM

and prepare some money for the ride

Seen 12:59 PM

Jimmy | 12:59 PM

where in the world are you taking me?

Seen 12:59 PM

Cleo | 1:00 PM

alliums

Seen 1:00 PM

Cleo | 1:00 PM

you don’t have to go

Seen 1:00 PM

Jimmy | 1:00 PM

i’ll be yhere

Seen 1:00 PM

Cleo | 1:00 PM

alright

Seen 1:00 PM

“I’m off now, Liz,” Jimmy calls, motioning to walk out the flower shop.

“Where to?” she asks, and Jimmy shrugs.

“Cleo said she has one more idea.”

“Ah,” Lizzie raises a brow, “going to barter with the flower farmers themselves?”

“Maybe,” Jimmy sighs. “I better be off now.”

“I’ll be going to class then. Text me when you get there and on your way back!”

With a thumbs up, Jimmy walks to the station.

---

Jimmy and Cleo are greeted with a sea of people, some angry commuters, and the voice of an enforcer saying to look for alternate modes of transportation as the trains are having some electric malfunctions.

“What the actual -” Cleo stops herself, then runs a hand through her hair. “Really?”

“Where are we supposed to go anyways?” Jimmy asks as they walk back out the station. “Can’t we take a bus?”

“The flower shop I went to got their flowers from the farthest agriculture district, three stations away,” Cleo sighs. “The shopkeep said that their supplier was open to direct barter.”

“That would’ve been good.”

The pair consider their options: all the buses on the road are full, bus terminals would have them in line for hours, and walking would take them longer than waiting in line.

“Can’t we just bring onions?” Jimmy tries, spotting a market nearby. “They’re alliums, right?”

Cleo laughs, “God, I wish. I’m close to resorting to that too.”

“Uhm, excuse me?”

The two are interrupted by a shorter man, holding three small sacks of what looks like chicken feed.

He could’ve just bought one big one? Huh...

“Yes?” Cleo supplies for them.

“Are - Do the trains work now, or?...”

“What do you mean now?” Jimmy blurts. “They’ve been broken since when?”

“Since… this morning? I got here by train, bought these sacks, then when I got back, bam! Trains gave up.”

“Oh my god…”

“They’re still not fixed,” Cleo replies. “Though you’ve been here for hours now?”

“Walking around the place, yeah…”

“Oh dear.”

“Which station are you going to?” Jimmy asks. “If you don’t mind us asking, of course!”

“The agricultural area closest to here, a station away.”

“Guessing you raise animals for a living?”

The man laughs, “Yup! Got all these feeds for chicks and their mamas, though I was told to get a bag for some fish too.”

Ah, that explains the multiple bags…

“Do you come here often?” Jimmy asks again, and the man shakes his head.

“Nah, it’s usually other ranch hands going over here, but I’m setting myself up to become one of them!”

“Sorry, but you seem a bit…” Cleo pauses, “young? To be a ranch hand? How are they letting you work already?”

“Family business, ma’am.”

“Ah,” Cleo nods, “though, no need to “ma’am” me, I’m fairly certain all of us are around the same age,” they finish, light hearted.

“Fair,” the man acknowledges. “What do you two do?”

“College,” Jimmy replies, “looking for some fresh flowers for an assignemnt we have.”

“Flowers, you say?”

“Mhm.”

“What kind, ‘cuz there are flowers right beside our ranch.”

Jimmy and Cleo share a look. “Really?” Cleo asks.

“Yup. Not ours, but we’re friendly with the owners. So what kind?”

“Alliums.”

“Ah,” the man clicks his tongue, “a bit trickier, but still pretty doable. You two taking horticulture or just a general class?”

“Horticulture, yeah.”

The man takes a pause, giving Jimmy and Cleo a good look before offering, “Say, if you can help me find a quicker way back, I can get you two sorted with the flowers?”

“Tempting,” Cleo whispers, but Jimmy takes the bait.

“Buses are out of the question,” he starts, “unless you’re willing to spend an hour or so packed like a standing sardine.”

“No thank you.”

Cleo’s eyes light up. “Wait, where are you in the agricultural district?”

“A bit close to the main road, within the first 15 minutes or so when you cross the border.”

“Jimmy, you can ride a bike, right?”

Raising a brow, Jimmy chuckles, “Oh I see where this is going.”

---

“So why not bike to the 3rd district?”

Thankfully, the man Jimmy and Cleo befriended (for now) has been on a bike before, so it was easy for them to arrange themselves (and the sacks of feed) across two bikes – Cleo has two sacks on them, one in the basket, another tied on the passenger space behind them, while Jimmy has their new pal behind him and the last sack in his bike basket.

“Too far,” Jimmy replies, “and not worth the rent.”

“It’s new to me - the bike and scooter rentals, I mean.”

“It’s a popular thing in the suburban districts.”

“Ah, I see…”

The rest of the bike ride was silent and quick, thanks to the bike lanes. It was nice, Jimmy thought, seeing the transition between districts slower and clearer than usual. There's something that seems to make his brain look forward to what's about to come with the visual cue of the numerous concrete buildings, to trees being seen close to the road again, to the meadows that stretch across all three agricultural districts. Maybe it's just his association of open space with freedom, or the fact that he's on a spontaneous adventure with one of his sister's best friends and a random stranger they just met.

Or that he could actually see himself putting his degree to use in this kind of life.

I could get used to this.

“If there’s one thing I’m thankful for in Agriculture, it’s being able to be outside more often,” Jimmy shares. “Sure it’s tedious, but the work is so rewarding, and it’s quite an underrated field.”

Their friend (? Jim, he's a stranger) hums, “Man, I agree with that.”

“Have you grown up in this district?”

“Mhm… and I’m staying because it’s hard not to fall in love with the animals.” He laughs.

He has a nice laugh.

Eventually, he motions Jimmy and Cleo to turn a corner, and under a minute or two, a loud and open grazing field with a big, red barn catches their eye. Cows can be seen with a ranch hand in the distance, and Jimmy can hear the moos from where they were stood. Further, there are coops, pens, and a simple bungalow where he assumes their companion lives with his family.

“You’re from here?” Cleo asks.

“Yup!”

Jimmy has his jaw dropped, “It’s incredible…”

They get off the bikes, and the man opens the gate to let Jimmy and Cleo park their bikes inside. The three each grab a sack of feed, and set it in the entrance to the barn a few paces away from the entrance.

“Thanks you two,” the man smiles, “really.”

“No problem,” Jimmy smiles. “So, the flowers?”

“Yes!”

The man leads the way back out to the neighboring field, Cleo following closely. Jimmy trails behind a bit, fishing his phone out of his pocket to send Lizzie a quick text.

Jimmy | 2:12 PM

jn agri district 1

Seen 2:13 PM

Jimmy | 2:13 PM

with cleo and a fine gebtleman over here

Seen 2:13 PM

Lizzie | 2:13 PM

What

Seen 2:13 PM

Lizzie | Typing…

Jimmy | 2:13 PM

please don’t worry

Seen 2:13 PM

Lizzie | 2:13 PM

I’m quite worried

Seen 2:13 PM

Lizzie | 2:13 PM

You two know better than joining a random “gebtleman” you just met

Seen 2:13 PM

Jimmy | 2:13 PM

stop making fun of my spelling :(

Seen 2:13 PM

Lizzie | 2:13 PM

:P

Seen 2:14 PM

Jimmy | 2:14 PM

and there’s a flower field right beside his ranch

Seen 2:14 PM

Lizzie | 2:14 PM

*His* ranch?

Seen 2:14 PM

Lizzie | 2:14 PM

Woah you two met a bigshot

Seen 2:14 PM

Jimmy | 2:14 PM

no

Seen 2:14 PM

Jimmy | 2:14 PM

it’s

Seen 2:14 PM

Jimmy | 2:14 PM

his family’s ranch

Seen 2:14 PM

“Jimmy?” Cleo calls. “Nose out your phone, we’re here.”

Jimmy looks up to see the flower field before them – it has a variety of spring flowers, from tulip bulbs, marigolds, and the most awaited alliums. There are trees scattered about as well, one of them having a tire swing hanging from it.

“I could also get used to this,” Jimmy laughs, “This is incredible.”

“Isn’t it?” The man smiles, opening the gate to the fields.

“Uh,” Cleo stops, “are you allowed to just let people in?”

The man grins sheepishly. “Well, my family is friendly with the owners. For the most part, they let us pick flowers in exchange of our animal products. Just gotta give them extra this month.”

“I see, carry on then.”

The allium picking was quick, Jimmy and Cleo each grabbing 6 or so flowers.

“Thank you for saving our grade,” Jimmy half jokes to the laughter of the rest.

“Indeed,” Cleo added. “You saved us big time here.”

“No problem!” The man grins once more. “You two heading back now?”

“Sadly,” Jimmy replies. “We have classes to catch tonight.”

“Well, safe trip then!”

“Thank you, mister?...”

“Oh!” The man shakes his head. “Where are my manners, geez… Pleasure meeting y’all, I’m Tango.”

“Hello, I’m Jimmy.”

“Cleo. Thank you again, Tango!”

“You two are welcome,” Tango (Jimmy can finally put a name to the face) replies. “Feel free to drop by if y’all are in need of hard to find flowers, or animals products.”

“Will do!”

---

[1 notification] Lizzie | 3 new messages

Lizzie | 2:14 PM

Really now?

Seen 3:05 PM

Lizzie | 2:14 PM

Jimmy?

Seen 3:06 PM

Lizzie | 2:14 PM

God, please don’t die out there

Seen 3:06 PM

Jimmy | 3:06 PM

hey tango was a nice fella!

Seen 3:10 PM

Jimmy | 3:07 PM

and we're back on campus

Seen 3:10 PM

Lizzie | 3:10 PM

Tango?

Seen 3:10 PM

Lizzie | 3:11 PM

Your fine gebtleman?

Seen 3:11 PM

Jimmy | 3:11 PM

oh cut it off

Seen 3:11 PM

Jimmy | 3:11 PM

and he was a gentleman, thank you very much

Seen 3:11 PM

Lizzie | 3:11 PM

Damn

Seen 3:11 PM

Lizzie | 3:13 PM

So, when are you meeting him again?

Seen 3:13 PM

Jimmy | 3:13 PM

shut up

Seen 3:13 PM

Cleo | 5:33 PM

jimmy

Seen 5:37 PM

Jimmy | 5:37 PM

yes?

Seen 5:38 PM

Cleo | 5:39 PM

prof just announced on the LMS the flowers were needed next week, not tomorrow

Seen 5:39 PM

“Stupid -”

start of main story

A/N: "premade sandwiches" is a series of one shots that i'll hopefully get to make between updates of the main story to continue building the world, character relations, etc. these stories will be scatered across different points of time in the story, and i'm open to suggestions of scenarios y'all want to see, other characters, and probably stuff in the world to clarify !! feel free to comment below :]

also help i accidentally published this ;-; this was supposed to be for next week but welp it's here now HSHSHS

[theabigailthorn]

"Good" Acting

i have a theory that a lot of people say acting is "good" when they're emotionally moved by it, and a lot of cishet white people have a lifelong habit of not listening or empathising when minoritised people speak, so minority actors get called "bad" even when they display some pretty fucking amazing technical skill

[littlefankingdom]

I feel like everytime the batkids are together in the comics and Bruce tells them to not do something, just after he left, Dick turns to his siblings to be like "So, what we do here is never listen to B. So we are going to do it." and one of them will be like "This is not going to end well.", and they follow Dick in the danger Bruce told them to stay away from.

It's incredible how Bruce still trust Dick SO MUCH when he is pulling this bs ALL THE TIME.

[their-we-go]

[hai-nae]

uno reverse