#it was so funny though because what was the reason?

[theminecraftbee]

Grian sits on the edge of a desert cliff, watching the sunrise. His knuckles are bloody. He's had this dream before, and he's lived this moment before. He's awfully tired of it, honestly. He's not even particularly sad anymore. It's hard to be particularly sad, this long after, this much more between them.

But his knuckles are bloody again. There's someone sitting next to him.

"Joel?" he says, baffled.

"Yeah, hi, really weird bloody dreamscape you've got. Literally and figuratively: bloody hell. Like, Scott, he's got this pretty cottage and all these flowers and the single most terrifying version of Jimmy that I've seen in my life. Which serves him right, since he's a bastard, and I told him that. Or, uh, Pearl. She's normal. She's got dogs and... shit, I don't know--"

"Why are you here?" Grian asks.

"Oh, right, I was tasked with asking you if you regret it," Joel says.

There's a long moment of silence. The wind blows.

"I mean. No?" Grian says.

"Right? That's what I said! Blumin' stupid question, that!" Joel says.

"Wait, you mentioned--are you asking everyone that?" Grian asks.

"Yeah! It was all, oh, you've got a car, you can travel, it'll be all poetic like. You've had a 'character arc'--like I'm some, some fake guy--and grown as a person, everyone else has to, would they do things differently now? And I said, man, that's stupid. That's really stupid. But the glowing purple eyes guys--"

"Wait wait wait wait, the who?" Grian interrupts.

"Sorry, do you not know the glowing purple eyes guys? Martyn was acting like you're all buddies or something. Then I punched him. Because it was funny," Joel says.

"No, I know the--they asked you to do this?" Grian says. He takes a moment to try to imagine it. He has some trouble. Joel and the Watchers don't really belong in the same place at the same time for so many reasons that Grian doesn't know where to begin.

"Apparently, I'm not being serious enough," Joel informs Grian. "I kinda get it, actually. Like, everyone but Cleo has been somewhere like..."

Joel looks out over the cliff. It is tall, and Grian knows he cannot see the ground from the top. He had been able to during the actual games, of course, but these aren't the actual games; these are the memories of what brought him to victory, made manifest.

"So I guess I kinda wondered, since you lot always seem so blumin' sad about it," Joel finishes.

"I'm not really," Grian says.

Joel raises an eyebrow.

"I mean, maybe once, but--nah. Not really."

"Cool. That's the last one then," Joel says. "Hear that, weird glowing eyes guys? You act like I'm all weird or whatever but none of them regret it either. Not a single one of them."

Grian looks over the cliff again himself.

"None of us?" he asks, very quietly indeed.

Joel sighs. "All of you asked that too. I'm getting back in the bloody car."

Grian doesn't watch Joel leave. He rubs the blood off his knuckles and watches the sky instead. When he's tired thinking in circles about how he didn't really expect that he would be telling the truth, just then, he starts trying to imagine the trouble Joel might be giving everyone else instead. It's much more fun to think about than the sand that's getting in his socks. He's never able to get sand out of anything, these days, and it leaves him always just a little bit uncomfortable. Oh well; the price of being in a desert. He wouldn't be anywhere else if he had the choice, though, grit in his socks or not.

[chloe-spade]

Fight for What You Love: I See London

London.

London.

LONDON.

Noah should've expected so much whenever he was in a new place around the world, and London was somewhat on his to-do list, but not while they were trying to avoid Jack the Ripper while doing stupid challenges. Luckily for him, they were on the stretcher, for which Tyler happily volunteered.

"Quick tie him down before Alejandro shows up and makes me do it just because I'm shorter," groaned Noah.

"Aw, why don't you like Al?" Owen spoke up, tying Tyler down. "He's great."

"I don't trust the guy," Noah answered, hands on the wheel. "He's like an eel dipped in grease, swimming in motor oil."

"Hm, dirty?"

"Slippery," Noah corrected. "Think about it, Owen. He's like Heather only with social skills. And trust me, I've seen that first hand."

Tyler's anguish screams cut their conversation short, even though Noah hadn't started it yet.

"Stop," Tyler begged. "Stop! It's too much! Stop!"

"You do realize that we haven't started yet, right?"

Tyler gets up and looks around before sighing in relief. "My bad, it's cool. I'll go silent. Sweaty yoga-ish monk style."

Noah rolled his eyes and started to turn the wheel.

"Well, if we are going to talk about our friends," Owen chuckled as he looked at the side. "Like you and Cody?'

Noah blushed as he pulled on the wheel, which caused Tyler to react in surprise.

"..What about him exactly?" Noah muttered as he carefully started to turn the wheel. "Well, I guess I could say that he's simple but goofy and funny to be around…most of the time. And we had a couple of accidents during the World Tour."

"Like Al made you think of Cody when you kissed that fish-"

"NOT THAT."

"Hehe, sorry, but it seems to me that you love Cody," Owen teased. "Like a massive ton!"

"Hey, just because I kissed his stupid ear during Island does not mean I love him," Noah rolled his eyes. "It's unrealistic that I have a crush on him."

"But you have that look. I know the look," Tyler intervened. "It's the look of love."

"Says that whose girlfriend forgets he exists every 5 minutes," scoffed Noah. "Like come on. Even if I did like Cody, he likes Gwen, remember?"

"Oh…no, he doesn't," Tyler commented. "I mean, when's the last time he tried to look cool in front of her."

"Every day if he wasn't smothered from that freak." Noah chuckled. "She is so freaky that I can't believe Chris even lets her participate. Poor Cody, I know I wouldn't treat him like that."

"Oh my god, he said it," Tyler gasped, looking up at Owen. "He compared himself."

"I don't think he noticed." Owen whispered back. "But let him talk. I think this is the only time he's talking about his feelings for Cody."

"I would've liked this if I wasn't be stretched out right now," Tyler groaned. "Does that mean I own you 28.98 Candian Dollers?"

"You bet, buddy."

"Shouldn't you be quiet?" Noah asked Tyler, glaring at him.

Tyler shuts up after that, but Owen decides to ease Noah into talking again.

"Come on, little buddy, I want to hear you talk about Cody more," Owen urged. "I think it's a good way to let your frustrations out."

It made him oddly bitter, and that was new for Cody. He never felt bitter before, especially towards a girl he liked. Yep. Liked.

Noah continued to talk about it until the hatch opened, revealing a new clue for them to read.

☕

Cody groaned as he took care of his burned hand. But it wasn't surprising. What did he think would happen when he fell asleep during the day in Jamaica? He should've known better, but man, he was tired for many reasons, which made him feel bad. In the most sociable words Cody could think of, Sierra is a massive pain. He still goes by what he said when he tried to eliminate her, but the other girls had him apologize for something that wasn't his fault.

Cody didn't know how a crush could disappear so quickly, but it did. He enjoyed it while on the World Tour, but her joining Sierra in an attempt to get her back on her feet made Cody very sour. It was so sour that he backed off and hasn't tried to make any moves, which Gwen overlooked.

During that time, he felt stuck.

But all that changed when he remembered catching Noah during their Yukon Trip, causing an accidental kiss. But Cody took it in good faith and joked about it.

And now everything between them made so much sense! He didn't think much about it, but Noah seemed nicer to Cody, and unlike Owen, he barely gave him nicknames that many considered demeaning—the stares, the laugh at Cody's sucky jokes while at Economy Class. Everything started to make sense, and now he has to find a way to tell Noah.

Cody.

Cody likes…

Cody likes Noah now.

Or did he want to?

Was it because of Sierra? Mostly.

He wants to. But he was scared.

Why?

But did he care that much? No.

He's sick of trying to bend to people's expectations, and there was no more bullying.

This was Cody's choice. And he needs to do it.

"The Ripper's Most Natural Place has two levels that make up the space," Noah reads, then scoffed. "Sure…easy peasy."

Especially since Sierra was the one that got them caught by Jack The Ripper, so there's that.

☕

Things couldn't get any worse for Noah. Tyler was so silent that they forgot, which led to his capture. Owen was making a fool of himself, which isn't bad when they were on the plane, but not during the challenge.

"Double Decker Bus?" Own answered as he took a dog off his arm.

"Yeah," Noah acknowledged. "So there is a brain in there. You've been holding out on me."

"Holding Out?" Owen gasped. "I told you I smuggled some wieners off the plane!

Noah chuckled as he started to walk away, with Owen following. Going to the night with the stars out and a killer on the loose who could capture them at any moment was scary, but as they approached the Double-Decker Bus, bag in hand, they entered the Bus, hoping that the clue was right.

As they entered the Bus, they noticed how empty it was. But that wasn't unusual, but it made things extra creepy.

"Here, Ripper, Ripper, Ripper," Owen whimpered as the friends tip-toed forward. "We have a lovely bag for you."

Noah didn't have to say much as he felt the Ripper's hands around his mouth and swooped up above Owen, but Owen noticed when he heard the doors of the driver seat open and Noah's unsettling screams.

But Noah watched as Owen released the dogs, who imminently attacked Owen. But once one of the dogs found the sausage, Owen kicked it into the Ripper's hands, and all six dogs attacked him, and that's when Owen bagged him up.

"Alright Owen," Noah cheered.

"Who's the Ripper now?" Owen proudly grinned as he farted in the Ripper's face. "Oh, Noah, let me get you out."

"Sweet, everyone's ok!"

"No! Wait until the air clears!" Noah screamed.

☕

Once the teams boarded the plane, it was a relief to see that everyone was alright. Noah was concerned about why Alejandro wasn't happy that they had won and was just glaring daggers at Noah.

"Yep, everyone's fine," Heather confirmed. "You guys were so stupid to be worried."

Everyone glared, so Heather shut her mouth, which Noah was glad about.

"But it was reasssuring to see that someone was concerned," Alejandro spoke, glaring at Noah completely.

"You…You were watching everything?" Noah asked, now feeling a sense of dread. "Well, that's awkward."

"Like an eel dipped in grease," Alejandro repeated, his eyes narrowing down some more.

"Where I'm from, that's a compliment," Noah chuckled nervously, though he knew Alejandro saw right through him. "Tough Neighbourhood and all that."

Noah cleared his throat. "But hey! We caught the Ripper type guy!"

Owen unbagged the Ripper, who looked disheveled after the dogs attacked. His wrinkles curled when he frowned, looking over the teens who watched him.

"Old Man Jenkins?" Everyone gasped in unison.

Chris stoically stepped forward and grabbed the old man's head, revealing another shocking face—a face that everyone thought was eliminated in the very first episode.

"Ezekiel?" Everyone gasped again.

"Found him living in the cargo hold," Chef explained. "Found him homeschooling with the rats."

"I was gonna let him back in the game if he avioded getting captured." Chris added. "But since he could not."

He was booted off the plane. But there was still a question that lingered around.

"Who did Courtney and Gwen catch?" Heather asked, looking at their full bag.

"Well, Chris wanted a crinimal," Gwen started, looking down at the bag. "Well, ok, we didn't catch the right one. But.."

When Gwen removed the bag, Noah and the others' eyes widened at the sight of the green-haired delinquent. Everyone didn't even know his location, and he was right back on the plane once again.

"Duncan?"

"You brought me back here?" Duncan groaned, annoyed. "Ugh, where the stupid exit again?"

Duncan was ready to leave until Chris stopped.

"Uh, uh, uh, not so fast, quitter," Chris spoke, stopping Duncan. "Thought you could skip out on the game, eh? Thought we wouldn't find you, hmm?"

"Um, you didn't. We did." Gwen corrected, with Courtney nodding in agreement. "Sorry."

"And that's why Team Me is Super Hot is our winner!!" Chris announced. "That means that Team Amazon is going to the elimination room. Don't be late."

Everyone gasped in surprise.

"And Duncan, since you just came back, you join Chris is Really, Really, Really, Really hot!"

"…what kind of team name is that?" Duncan cringed. "That name is stupid."

"Blame the stalker," Noah chuckled, pointing at Sierra. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Cody groaned as he entered the restroom. His hand was still burned, and he felt his heart beating so hard, considering the camera situation when they were captured. Watching Noah, who is just as stoic as a soldier, admits to having feelings for Cody made Cody feel very warm. He was so lucky that Sierra was arguing with Alejandro during that time. He had to get it out of his chest, even if it was in the confessional.

"Ugh, whatever," Duncarn rolled his eyes and walked past them.

☕

Gwen was the one who got eliminated. Heather, Sierra, and, to her shock, Cody were the main ones who voted, but she accepted and jumped.

"Uugh," Cody groaned again. "I feel all fuzzy inside, like I drank too much pop…." he paused when he realized the camera. "…Cause Gwen is gone! Obviously! Stinks we lost Gwem…and the challenge."

Cody looked down and sighed.

"…Is it wrong that I'm glad we lost?" Cody finally asked. "I-"

He jumped as he heard the door open, and Noah was there. He didn't look quite surprised, which Cody was grateful for.

"Oh crud- I didn't lock the door?!" Cody gasped, still in shock.

"The lock's broken-who's surprised." Noah replied sarcastically, looking at Cody. "How's the hand doing?"

"Not much better," Cody boasted. "Why? You have something to say bout it?"

Noah chuckles and carefully grabs his hand. "Maybe I do? Is that a bad thing?"

Cody laughed and looked down at his hand. "Ow…Hey, you know that hurts."

"What are you going to do about it?" Noah teased, a playful smirk on his face that made his eyes sparkle.

Cody felt a rush of energy coursing through him as he looked at Noah, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. This is your chance, his mind urged, the two thoughts intertwining with each other. You must kiss him, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!

The moment's warmth enveloped them, and the tension hung thick in the air as Cody's gaze lingered on Noah's lips, making it harder to suppress the instinct pushing him closer.

Cody gulped, put his free hand on Noah's cheek, and pulled him forward for a kiss. Noah didn't even object as he lingered closer, hands carefully intertwined. Nothing could stop this moment, and they were so in the moment that they didn't know that Tyler watched with bated breath, now witnessing the moment of love.

Cody was with the one he truly loved.

What's the worst that can happen?

(au belongs to @fight-for-what-you-love who gave me permission to write this)

[beneathsilverstars]

your post about nille and party interactions is always fun to look back on but her interaction with loop is the funniest to me specifically because of your idea in regards to loop giving nille the worst possible advices where you can only do so much but the exact opposite since it's so funny to me. i like to think that since nille's status in the party is completely new and foreign in loop's eyes (new and with no previous memories to look back and go with wide-eyes on) they actually and sincerely believe in the advices they give. no snark and bite the way they do it with sif (because it's an entire different case with him) so trying to be the 'helpful loop' (now no longer having the attention of the universe) they were before now feels like more of a slight refresher as opposed to what was once before. obviously nille will still VERY MUCH act in the opposite way of what they adviced but hey, it's the thought that counts.

and on a different note, do you think she would connect the dots in regards to who loop used to be? i'd imagine that with how she sees siffrin and loop it'll be hard and everyone else would still dance around the topic for reasons that may be but i wanna know what you think! sorry if this is too hefty of an ask, i just got hit by the nille obsession and your fic about her hit me right in the gut as a result. thanksies in advance!

glad you enjoyed my fic!! ^^ ^^ ^^

with loop’s shitty advice i was imagining more along the lines of

nille: why would bonnie need me to protect them when they have you guys, i’m utterly useless

loop: oooh ok then i guess if a sadness attacks us you should stand way in the back behind bonnie

nille: what?? no!!!

loop: why not

nille: bc what if the sadness does get past you, i should still be between it and bonnie??

loop: but if you’re completely useless then that would accomplish nothing

nille: … i guess i’m not completely useless

loop giving genuine shitty advice is also very funny though. siffrin actually is a lot better at understanding how to help other people, they just lose all critical thinking skills the moment a situation touches on their own insecurities? however loop has been trapped in a timeloop for years so i could imagine them being a whole different kind of bad at it. just entirely out of touch with what sorts of situations are worth being concerned about or not.

in my fic outline i have loop joining the party after nille, so she’d find out at around the same time as everyone else, though i haven’t decided how that’ll happen exactly. but i think that even if the party knew first, they’d have to tell her before too long. it’s just too awkward/inconvenient/impossible to dance around it for the sake of one person not finding out when everyone else already knows, and it’s not fair to expect a kid to keep that kind of secret from their guardian. no matter how much loop doesn’t want anyone to know, i think they’d be very quickly convinced by “bonnie has been through a lot and been near a lot more, and they need to be able to talk with their sister about all of it, including you.”

[quarterlifekitty]

To add to my earlier ask about how I have more step-dad Nik, your add on was so good because absolutely. Yes. Sweet girl is too fucked out to ask about protection or to think of anything other than Nik fucking load after load into her. She also doesn't think to ask for protection the next day in the shower since Nik gets her so worked up with his mouth first. Makes her cum on his tongue at least twice before fucking a few more out of her and filling her again. Cleans her up too, happy to hold his sweet girl and bathe her. Now I don't know how but she manages to get Nik to let her leave a second time (Nik is getting a new house ready closer to her college so she can attend online schooling, he doesn't want her feeling stir crazy when she's further along after all) and about a month after getting back she finds out she's pregnant. And despite being absolutely terrified of the situation she doesn't want to get rid of it, or at least keeps putting it off out of nerves. She eventually asks Nik if she can come visit and he's like 'oh, I sold that house, too many memories with the ex, new house is much closer to you though, do not worry' and he picks her up. Hand on her thigh the whole way to his (their) new home. She tries to act normal and everything but Nikolai can tell his sweet girl is distressed and presses her for the reason. Eventually she caves and tearfully confesses she's pregnant and she's 'so sorry' that she was so reckless and that she swears she won't bother him with anything and she'll go and he doesn't have to worry about her. And Nik only smiles 'Ah, what makes you think I'm mad? Hmm? And on that note, what makes you think that I'm not going to keep my pretty girl right here where I can take care of her?' and while SD should definitely be nervous and the red flags should be waving she never had a great basis for healthy relationships and she is falling for Nik as ashamed as she was of it at first. She keeps asking him if he's sure and it gets to a point where he just picks her up and takes her to their bed to show her just how sure he is. Funny side note Nik fully shoots her mom a text with something like 'thanks for introducing me to my soon to be wife, you should expect grandchildren within a year. Don't expect to see them though.' (take any dialog I type as an idea of what someone says cause I'm ass at typing in character) Once again thank you for listening to my rambling

Bro please ramble here all the time forever. I love this and I owe you my life.

Nik sending his ex a picture— doesn’t have your face in it, but you’re wearing like the one piece of family jewelry you ever got from her side of the family. It’s got your baby bump, and his hand holding yours— got a pretty ring on it now, too. And then he blocks her <3

Also reader like 100% has daddy issues in this one. Like her mom is piece of work and her dad is completely absent for whatever reason— when was the last time someone took care of her? Probably back when she was physically incapable of caring for herself. From the moment she could dress and feed herself she was on her own. It’s why it’s so painfully easy for her to fall into things with Nik. After a life that kind of treatment, Nik’s brand of doting is like crack.

And I like to imagine, while she might not know this in a full conscious way, she wanted to keep the baby because she fully expected Nikolai to leave her. It’s what she’s used to— and it’s strange for her to depend on him so much when he’s just her former stepfather, no? She’s constantly second guessing herself about leaning on him even a little— that she’s probably bothering him, and he’s just too kind to tell her off. But she does love him. So things would be hard, to raise the baby on her own, but at least she’d have a piece of him with her. She could remember the moments they shared that way, even when he left her.

She’s in for the fucking, no, the lovemaking of a lifetime when she confesses that little tidbit to him.

(This is all just my humble onion as this story is yours lol but this is what goes on in my imagination realm)

[thedepressedjuggalette]

So funny thing the answer is simple for this situation and it really shows how people think and how Cait is thinking beyond selfishly.

Caitlyn and anyone who hasn't been wrongly imprisoned and can't take 5 seconds to think about anyone else's perspective on that are selfish and inconsiderate.

Cait isn't being considerate to Vi because all she cares about is being right and getting what she wants.

Think about what Cait does in S1.

She badgers Vi with questions.

Literally said "In what mad world would I trust someone like you?"

And after that food scene and a few more she asks this insensitive as fuck question: "How do you not know if your sister is dead? What do you not have parents?"

Bitch, have you never heard of an ORPHAN?

Have you not seen Zaun before?

Never heard of a chem-baron???

See funny thing is, when you live in a world of privilege, you have a hard time even conceptualizing what it's like to not have that privilege.

Think of how white people always say "well they should've complied with police!" To every single police brutality case against a black person.

Think of every single time they say "but what about black on black crime?" Or some ignorant shit like that.

That is Caitlyn.

Caitlyn is a privileged rich kid who is talking to a person who is so in debt and poor that the idea of someone not having a maid and a $5 Billion Dollar Yacht with a matching lake side condo is the equivalent of asking her if the sky is green.

She cannot conceptualize it. She'd legitimately have to be given the math and the experience in order to even get an idea of it and even then she'd have a hard time getting it.

This is why her and Ekko's interactions had to be held back so much. Ekko would not put up with her bullshit. He would've dragged her ass down to his level. Especially if we're talking In-Game Lore Ekko who legitimately hates her ass with a fucking passion.

The only way for Caitlyn to even get an idea of what it's like to be a Zaunite is if she were to live there for about a month and that would be a death sentence because no one would take her seriously.

Though not stated in show, in lore there are absolutely no laws governing Zaun.

Cait killing a kid isn't illegal.

In fact it's rather common for Piltovans to go down to Zaun to commit crimes and what's worse is that because of how poor the Undercity is, even if they did try to fight back, killing a Piltovan would get more Zaunites slaughtered.

Cait is that privileged and she doesn't understand that she is the one who holds that power in this situation and is doing so in the most obnoxious way possible. Honestly the only reason why Cait doesn't use similar language to Marcus (aka "Trencher Trash", "Sump-Rats" etc.) is likely because they knew it would make Cait look worse. And they didn't want that nor did they want to give up their Centrist take.

s2 caitvi is really making me nitpick s1 caitvi too ngl because why is caitlyn badgering vi for answers on silco right after finding out she's been beaten in prison when all vi wants is to just sit down for a minute and eat something good after 7 years?

Cait cant even give her that after all the hell shes been through shes just worried about what she wants. like dawg we have all day to chase silco and his goons can you not give this physically abused and emotionally neglected woman ONE MOMENT of peace for herself where she can enjoy home and have a proper meal? she even says it was a bad idea to get vi out...to break her out even after she knew she'd been imprisoned unjustly and was being beaten, all because vi just wanted to sit down and eat...and she's deadass mad about vi eating thats the one thing she complains about "i didnt break you out of jail to eat slop..."

and then my poor shayla was even nice enough to offer her some like broo get her out of here dfhskdfhdkh

ppl talk about vi "finally getting to be selfish" when she cant even do that shit with caitlyn either. everything she does now has to revolve around what cait wants

[shnowyfox]

Okay so u ppl like the horseformers it seems heres some more designs :D

swindle isn't even rlly in the story tbh but here he is. he should NOT have an insignia because this is moreso a civilian swindle. he's a strong and resiliant little feller but really probably shouldn't carry all that shit around on a battlefield. i just dont feel like going back and fixing it. also! combiner teams uhhh they exist! but i think maybe instead of combining they're just in a herd together like soulmates but its besties u know what im sayin. heavily taking from his wfc design (why he has cloven hooves... i love his silly pedes) since we don't get any CONFIRMED visuals on him in tfone..

considering changing jet wings to "feather" wings? and making megatronus prime a griffin because the seekers are griffins.. The two chains across the chestplate btw are like a motif in his court. Megatron, Ironhide, and the high guard all fall under his court

and a d-16 :) dont mind why he looks so judgmental.. this was supposed to be a comic. giving arcee the side eye... glad i focused on the designs first i fucking love his shin guards he's so pretty

griffin seeker! specifically starscream here :) there is lore reason why they get a mane and organic wings btw

hound! under liege maximo's court, and like megatronus' chains, liege's court has a motif in the horns. again, no cogged form so i had to kinda blend his cogless one design with his idw and foc designs? i really like his funny chestplate in g1. forgot his insignia but he is a decepticon in this one he was one of the first teehee

still going between horse and lion for optimus. heres pax though with victory leo's body as his lower half :) he was born under alpha trion's court and also all the lions in the japanese continuity?? forgot his insignia but maybe this is also civilian era (drops my head on the table and screams) also theres no reason for him to have a halberd he doesn't use one i just.. put it in his hands.

and alpha trion these last two admittedly arent great because i drew them just now when i woke up. way too top heavy but i'll fix it later when i start finalizing everyone's refs (this fool thinks he'll be interested long enough to finalize designs).. forgot hsi fucking autobot insignia too </3 also might give those under his court a cape which would mean i could give orion pax a cape too teehee.

ty everyone for encouraging me btw i was straight up about to redesign them to not be centaurs (cringe) but i kept them as centaurs and i'm figuring out how to make it work in the story (based)

[noona-clock]

Heart of the Ranch - Part 8, Final Chapter

Genre: Cowboy!AU, Slice of Life, Fluff

Pairing: Namjoon x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Words: 3,298

A Few Months Later

When you realized that your hand was resting on the inside handle of the car door as your rideshare drove up the graveled road toward BTS Ranch, you had to laugh softly to yourself.

Today, you were ready to open the door at a moment's notice because you could barely wait a moment longer to see a certain handsome cowboy (something he wasn't particularly fond of being called, by the way), but a few months ago it had been because you could barely wait to get out and check your phone for any work notifications you'd missed on the flight.

It's funny how things can change so quickly, isn't it?

Your heart jumped up into your throat as the car approached the house, and when you saw Namjoon step out onto the porch, an anxious smile curved your lips. You were good-anxious to see him since it had been several weeks since your last visit here, but you were still nervous-anxious because... Namjoon still made you nervous-anxious like that. Not particularly in a bad way. Just in a 'I've only been dating this person for a few months' kind of way, y'know?

Anyway.

The second the car stopped in front of the house, you pulled on the handle, pushed the door open, and sprang out of your seat.

Your eyes connected with Namjoon's as you jogged over to him, your heart skipping a beat as a wide grin appeared on his lips -- and dimpled his cheeks.

He held his arms out as you approached, and when you practically threw yourself into those strong, familiar, comforting arms, he wrapped them around you so tightly that it almost hurt to breathe. But boy did it feel wonderful.

"I missed you," he murmured as he buried his face in your hair. "Ten weeks is too long to go without seeing you."

"Ten weeks?!" you laughed. "It's been four and a half!"

Trust me, you'd been keeping track.

"Well, it felt like ten. Felt like ten months, actually."

His words made you beam and squeeze his neck tighter.

But then you pulled back just enough to see his face, to grin and look him in the eye when you replied, "I missed you, too, cowboy."

Namjoon huffed with irritation, though he still captured your lips in a sweet yet hungry greeting kiss.

"I'm not a cowboy," he grumbled against your lips, as he always did when you called him a cowboy.

Before you could answer with your customary "You are to me," the driver of your rideshare beeped his horn. Both yours and Namjoon's heads swiveled to look, seeing the driver had already taken your luggage out of the trunk and was simply letting you know he was leaving.

"Thanks!" Namjoon called out, lifting one arm to wave.

You were hoping that your boyfriend would put his arm back where it had been and continue kissing you. So, when he did the opposite -- stepped away from you and let his other arm slide out from around your waist -- you couldn't stop yourself from letting out a whine of protest.

But really, you knew if Namjoon was cutting your reunion short, it was for a good reason: the ranch was busy.

So, you scampered after him, reaching out and holding onto his arm. "What do you need me to do?" you asked as he took the handle of your suitcase and began heading inside.

Namjoon slipped his arm out of your grasp but only so he could wrap it around your shoulders as the two of you strolled back to the house.

"I was in the middle of doing laundry if you'd like to help me with that," he told you before gently kissing your cheek.

"Aww, look at you," you grinned. "Asking me for help so easily!"

"I know, I'm practically a changed man," Namjoon chuckled.

"But in the best way possible," you assured him. "Just remember that you're not the only one who's changed around here."

As the two of you neared the steps of the front porch, Namjoon slowed to a stop and turned to face you. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, I haven't taken this much time off of work... ever."

"True," he agreed.

"But also..." You lifted your arms and gestured all around you. "Look at this place! You have guests and you're not running yourself ragged!"

Namjoon tried to hide an incredibly pleased expression, but you knew how proud he was of the ranch. And then he leaned in, his nose just barely brushing yours. "We both have you to thank," he whispered.

You moved your hands to rest on his chest and whispered back, "I barely did anything. It was all you."

"Oh, please," Namjoon scoffed, and feeling his breath tickle your lips made you shiver. "That week you stayed here after your friends left basically changed everything. I mean, besides when you guys re-did my website and started my social media accounts and raised all that money to fix the fence and get the tree taken away."

"Yeah, all of that was nothing," you teased with a dismissive wave of your hand. "You're right, it was really all me and everything I did by myself for that one week."

Namjoon rolled his eyes good-naturedly and leaned in the last little bit to press his lips to yours quickly. "Come on, oh humble girlfriend of mine. Those towels won't fold themselves."

You simply chuckled softly, helping to lift your suitcase up the steps and following Namjoon inside.

"Here you go," Namjoon murmured as he carefully set down a mug of steaming hot tea on a coaster next to you.

With a quick glance away from the computer screen, you thanked him and happily received his greeting kiss.

As he pulled up a nearby chair, you lifted your mug and sipped the strong but heavenly tea that you'd learned was the cook's secret recipe. It was strong, yes, but incredibly comforting and it had taken hardly any time at all for you to request a cup every single night.

"How is it looking?" Namjoon asked as he leaned toward you to peer at the computer screen.

But of course, you couldn't let an opportunity to see his dimples escape, so you answered by reaching up and gently squeezing his cheeks with your thumb and index finger. "Lookin' handsome," you said with a slight smirk.

Namjoon shrugged your arm away, and even though you knew he knew by now what your M.O. was when you answered his mundane questions with a compliment, he still smiled and gave you exactly what you wanted.

Satisfied, you turned back to the computer and said, "Not bad."

"Better or worse than when you were here last?"

"Definitely better," you assured him.

With a nod, Namjoon said, "I'll take it."

"What about bookings for the rest of the month and next?" you asked before taking another sip of tea.

"Last I checked, almost full," he told you, very obviously trying to tamp down a smile.

You didn't hide your smile and said, "See? We told you our plan would work."

"I never doubted --"

Your sharp look stopped Namjoon from continuing his sentence. Instead, he said, "I learned my lesson, don't worry. I will never doubt you again."

"Do you know how attractive a smart man who learns from his mistakes is?" you asked.

Despite the flush of pink blooming on his cheeks, Namjoon nodded toward the computer screen and asked, "Do you think I could hire another part-timer anytime soon? Or at least an accountant?"

His words immediately wrinkled your forehead in consternation. "You already have an accountant," you pointed out, trying not to sound too offended.

"Baby, I --" Namjoon cut himself off with a huff and lifted one hand to rest on the back of your neck, squeezing you there gently. "I can't keep asking you to do this for free. And I don't care if you're offering. You deserve to be paid, and if you won't take my money, I should find someone who will."

Honestly... you weren't sure how to feel. You could see his point -- it was one thing to implement the ideas you came up with, but it was another to utilize your professional skills without actually putting you on the payroll. But there was absolutely no way you would take his money! And there was also absolutely no way you would put his finances into the hands of someone else!

...A thought popped into your head, and even though it was a thought you'd acknowledged several times over the last few weeks, you didn't have time right now to voice it.

So, you simply said, "That can be put off for another time. The answer is yes, I think you can hire another set of hands."

And you would leave it at that. For now.

Namjoon nodded, moved to stand up, pressing a kiss to your temple on his way up, then murmured that he had to go get the cows into the barn for the night.

"Tell them 'Hi' for me," you called after him before turning back to the computer to finish up for the night. You knew the two of you would meet back up in Namjoon's room soon enough, so there was no need to say 'good night' just yet.

Every single night you'd spent here during the last few months (excluding when you were a guest, of course), you had always gotten ready for and into bed before Namjoon joined you. No matter how much you nagged him to leave certain chores for the next day and turn in earlier, you were always the first one to turn down the covers for the night.

So, when you trudged up the narrow staircase to the attic-turned-bedroom and opened the door to hear Namjoon brushing his teeth in the en suite bathroom, you were both surprised.

Namjoon stuck his head out through the doorway, his brow wrinkled as he looked at you with an 'Everything okay?' expression.

Truth be told, you were nervous. You'd been sitting at the front desk, long after emptying your cup of tea, ruminating on that thought from earlier. You hadn't allowed the thought to settle any of the times it came to you previously, but now that you were back here at the ranch -- more specifically with Namjoon -- you figured it was time. It was time to stop and truly think about --

"It's late," Namjoon's voice interrupted your contemplative stupor, and you just now realized he had finished his nightly routine and left the bathroom to stand in front of you by the doorway.

"Yeah," you replied with an awkward chuckle. "I didn't realize."

Namjoon reached out to place his hands on your upper arms, his forehead still deeply wrinkled as he gazed at you. "...Everything okay?"

You replied with a nod before stepping up and sliding your arms around his waist.

"Look," he murmured, returning your embrace. "If this is about me hiring an accountant --"

"No," you interrupted. "...I mean, actually it is, but not how you think. Probably. I -- Let me get ready for bed, and then we can..."

"Sure," Namjoon agreed.

But before he could step away, you buried your nose in his shoulder, inhaling the scent you were so familiar with by now. You never would've guessed that the smell of pine would end up bringing you so much comfort, but here we are.

"I'll be quick," you whispered, and then darted into the newly vacant bathroom.

After haphazardly brushing your teeth, rushing through your skincare, and hurriedly changing into your pajamas, you made sure all of the lights in the room were turned off before shuffling over to Namjoon's bed.

He lifted the covers for you, one arm laid out across your pillow so you could immediately cuddle up against him.

And as soon as his arm wrapped around your shoulder, as soon as your head settled into the crook of his neck, he said, "Okay, what's going on?"

You let out a shaky breath and told yourself to just say it. There was no logical reason for you to be so nervous, and you would feel a lot better once it was all out in the open.

"I'm just wondering what my future looks like," you began, relieved to hear your voice was calm and steady. "Obviously, I can't keep taking time off to come visit, but I also don't want to bring work with me. I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

Namjoon simply hummed in agreement.

"So... I don't know, it sounds kind of crazy now that I'm about to say it out loud, but maybe I should --- maybe I could... "

Come on, Y/N, just rip the band-aid off and say it!

"Move here and help you run the ranch."

It took everything in you not to let out a huge sigh of relief.

But you had to admit, it did feel incredible to finally share that thought with someone else.

As the seconds ticked by, though, that incredible feeling began to wane because Namjoon wasn't saying anything.

Now, you knew him well enough by now to know that he frequently needed time to process things before he could respond.

But... I mean, if he had to think about this, the answer was probably going to be 'No' right? He wasn't ready for that yet. He didn't know the two of you were that serious yet.

So, you were about to assure him that it was just a thought, and you were more than fine to pretend like you'd never brought it up. You would say 'good night,' turn over so he wouldn't have to see your embarrassment, and then attempt to sleep.

But Namjoon spoke before you had the chance -- thankfully.

"You would do that?" he asked softly.

Well, it wasn't a 'No,' so you replied with a nod. "I would," you confirmed in a whisper.

After a few more seconds, Namjoon leaned back, forcing you to look at him. You couldn't quite make out his expression, honestly; it could've been one of surprise, confusion, or even a mix of the two.

"You... would pack up your whole life and leave the city and your job and your friends... to live at the ranch?"

Well, when he put it like that, no wonder he was surprised and confused.

"No," you amended. "I would pack up my whole life and leave the city and my job and my friends for you. You could be anywhere in the world, on this ranch or not, and that's where I'd want to be."

Namjoon searched your face, his gaze flitting about as if he was actually looking for something. And then he said, "Can I just ask you one question?"

"Of course."

He inhaled deeply before asking, "If I told you that I wanted to move to you, would you let me?"

Just as he had with your idea, you thought about it for a few seconds. But then you said, "Of course I would, if I thought that's what would be best for us."

"...So you don't think that's what's best for us?"

You shook your head and hummed negatively.

"Why not?" he asked, and you appreciated that his tone was anything but accusatory.

"Because you wouldn't be happy living in the city."

"And you would be happy living here?"

Okay, now you understood his line of thinking.

You moved your arm up between the two of you, resting your hand on his chest and locking your gaze on his. "Namjoon," you said softly. "I don't live in a big city because that's the only place I ever imagined myself living or because I'm used to the noise and lights or anything. I didn't move there because I wanted to, I just... ended up there. I got a job with a big company and found an apartment close to the office, and that was that. I followed the job, and that's exactly what I'll be doing this time, too. Of course, I love my job, but I guess it's really more accurate to say that I love my work. I've just gotten used to my job. But my job doesn't have you. And if I can do the work I love to do and be with you at the same time? Why wouldn't I jump at the chance?"

"But what about your friends?"

"Don't worry, I'm already devising an evil plan to get one or all of them to move here, too. That is -- if you'll have me," you told him. "But, for now, FaceTime and planes are there for us when we need them."

When he didn't reply for almost a minute, you added, "This place is your home. It's run you ragged the past few years, and I've never actually seen you anywhere else, but I just know. This is your ranch. You're the heart of this place, you belong here. I can't say the same about my apartment or my office. Of course, I love my friends, but we haven't always lived in the same place. We've been apart before, we can do it again. Our friendship is strong enough to survive anything. But... if I'm being honest, I'm afraid that I'm not strong enough to survive not being with you."

Maybe you were just imagining things, but it almost looked like Namjoon's eyes were... glassy? Almost like they were filling up with tears?

And when his lips curved into a derisive smile, and he murmured "Ah, shit," in a very watery voice, you knew that your eyes weren't playing tricks on you.

You had never been adept at comforting people, but it was very obvious that Namjoon had yet to feel comfortable crying in front of you. So, you removed your hand from his chest and scooted closer to him. You pressed your forehead into his neck and shoulder, slid your arm over and around his back, and held him closely.

He did the same, holding you to him like a lifejacket in a vast ocean.

After what seemed like an hour or two, but was in reality probably just a few minutes, Namjoon pulled away just enough to rest his forehead against yours.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, and every time you're here, I just feel so... this place feels so... I don't know, complete. It breaks my heart every single time you leave, even though I know you're coming back. I've wanted to ask you pretty much since the beginning if you could just stay here, I just didn't want to be selfish."

"So, does that mean you'll have me?" you asked with a grin, anticipation thrumming throughout your whole body. "I can become a cowgirl?"

Namjoon groaned, and you couldn't help but giggle as he rolled his eyes at you.

"I'll let you live here on one condition: you have to stop calling me 'cowboy.'"

At that, your expression dropped. "Really?" you asked forlornly.

After a second or two of searching your pitiful face, Namjoon let out a sigh. "No, not really. Just promise you'll let me keep pretending I'm irritated about it."

"Deal," you answered immediately, and you truly couldn't wait any longer to seal your promise with a kiss.

Before you could get completely lost in his lips, though, you inched away and whispered, "I love you, too."

And you knew right then and there, feeling his lips brushing against yours, feeling his hands coming up to cradle your cheek and brush your hair away from your face, that this was the beginning of the rest of your life.

And nothing could've made you happier.

[randomperson0k]

jekyll andh yde jjekyln and yyde hdye hyde jelyl and hyde jekyll hyde

info below wwww

every comment i get about these not being accurate to the og characters ill draw jekyll in a pink dress and cat ears dancing to taylor swift . i dont like taylor swift no not really i just find it funny to think that jekyll listens to taylor swift and britney spears . yeah. and lady gaga too. that evil 43 year old man would totally love that type of stuff

uh yes this was my old tgs headcanon world if you recognise these from that hi. but i kind of got out of tgs a bit due to personal reasons so i grabbed the previous headcanonned characters and flipped them upside down and made them into their own thing outside of tgs. i think i did a good job? i didnt really want to associate them with tgs anymore so i just took every creative turn that squirmed itself into my head. and it helped that my previous tgs headcanon world strayed really far from the og in the first place and was kind of already its own thing. so yeah i kind of like what i have so far im pretty happy with it . i really like uttersons character so far and im excited to start on emma and lucy [my hatred for the j&h musical has fuelled me to make my own version of them] im especially excited for emma i have so many ideas for her character and just. ideas to actually make her even a character and not just a plot role for jekyll. i love you emma you deserved so much better ill give you a gun and make you a werewolf and everything you deserve everything cool and awesome babygirl !!!! ill even give you a cool spiked jacket that your girlfriend gave you!!!! everything for you !!!!

basic story plot for this side of the story [since the story is split across multiple perspectives and these are just some of the many] uhhh jekyll goes crazy and fully stays transformed as hyde and falls into really bad habits and addiction as hyde . it starts small at first but when lanyon dies it hits the tipping point and they fully give up on trying. jekyll is considered dead due to being missing for a good chunk of months and hyde inherits the stuff from the will and takes over the life their previous persona had [very messily though since hyde is a complete wreck right now]

meanwhile utterson in the background is fully loosing her mind in depression [thinks he lost her two only friends. fair enough] but one day sees jekyll in the street running even though jekyll has been considered dead for like months by then. utterson then gets real bad tunnel vision on finding jekyll and dedicates everything to finding jekyll. spends all her time locked in her room just looking for leads. drops her job and everything to dedicate herself to this. his main lead and who he has to team up with to find jekyll?: hyde [said person very much so not wanting to team up with utterson due to who theyre hunting but only does it because theyre still clinging to and missing some of the old parts of their previous identity as jekyll with one of those parts being their old friendship with utterson] anyways they basically go on a big little detective goose chase until utterson gets pissed at hyde after figuring out some stuff and they fight and split off from eachother and hyde like gets kidnapped immediately after that because lets be real nobody really likes that guy they have so many enemys. what a loser

oh and yeah uh lanyon gets brought back to life frankie style and just becomes a minion for this guy kind of. im still developing them. basically theyre hunting hyde though because same as everybody they think hyde killed jekyll . and lanyon kind of lost their marbles from the whole getting brought back process and lost a lot of their memorys. ok guys cmon literally all my lanyons are sweethearts who just so happen to be friends with insane people [utterson and hyde] i deserve to make a adaptation where all 3 of them are equally insane. ok. i deserve it for all the normal lanyons ive made.

i wanted to make jekyll really creepy and also affected by the soul split thing and not just hyde so jekyll is kinda weird in this one. he looks younger in some images and thats done on purpose . when hes being creepy he looks younger. uh i have a doodle of what he looks like when hes getting ��𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 and being very not normal . im not adding it. to the main post because i dont like the art it looks STINKY !!!

you can see all my design notes on the side lol i like to yell at myself in my notes

feeling cute so ill probably kill them all as the storys ending yeah somebodys gotta humble jekyll and beat his head on the curve im just doing gods work yknow

kidding maybe

still deciding. vote to decide if jekyll gets beat in the street or not !!!

ok im ending this i gotta stop talking or ill never stop

im VERY tired right now. hit like and subscribe for more epic bangers from yours truely!!!!

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Here’s some for hanging out the very very fun prom fic!! 🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩🪩

- Sarah

Thank you!

120 or 1k for 🪩:

---

“Okay,” Eddie replies. But he doesn’t look happy with this answer. 

Buck is frustrated by that, actually. He can’t just be tired? After the day he’s had? They have to talk about it right now? Maybe that’s hypocritical. Buck is usually the one pressing Eddie to talk. But can’t they just… Wait until morning? Fuck. 

“Okay?” Buck repeats.

“Yeah…” Eddie frowns. “I just… I just wanted to make sure we’re good.”

“Why wouldn’t we be good?” Buck asks. 

“Because today was weird and you’re currently speaking to me like I’m your adversary on a daytime court television show?”

Shit. He is sort of doing that, isn’t he? 

Buck sighs loudly. 

“Eddie, I have just had three incredibly frustrating days in a row, and I’ve been extending myself a lot lately, and I want to go to sleep, okay? That’s all I want. I’m not upset.”

Eddie offers him a sort of sympathetic frown. 

“You’ve been doing a lot,” Eddie says. “And I broke my foot at the worst possible time. I’m sorry I can’t help you more right now.”

Buck shakes his head. “It’s not even close to being your fault.”

“That doesn’t really change it, though,” Eddie says. “It sucks.”

“Yeah,” Buck says. His throat is tightening. His eyes feel a little watery. Fuck. “I just, uh… I really want things to go well.”

“I know you do,” Eddie nods. “But things are great, right? Apart from the broken foot and the busted Jeep?”

Well, he’s right. He’s right, but…

“But I…” Buck struggles. “I want to make sure Chris has the best prom experience he can. And I want to make sure we have the perfect wedding. And it really shouldn’t be this hard, but shit keeps going wrong!”

“It’s not all in your control,” Eddie says. “You know that.”

Buck wipes his eyes. “Yeah, but…”

Eddie puts his hands on Buck’s shoulders. “But nothing, Buck. Chris is going to have a great prom. We’re going to have a great wedding. It’s all okay. I promise.”

“Sorry,” Buck mumbles. “Sorry. I’m losing it a little.”

Eddie smiles, sympathetic. “That’s okay. We’ll give you a clipboard detox after and it’ll all be okay.”

Buck laughs and cries in tandem. “Do you know what the worst part is?”

“What?” Eddie asks. 

“I feel like I kind of understand where Ainslee is coming from.”

Eddie laughs brightly. “You? Really? No.” 

“Shut up,” Buck sniffs. “It’s not funny.”

“Well, it sort of is. Only if you’re just realizing now.”

“Stop,” Bug begs, unseriously. 

“Hey,” Eddie chuckles. “I get it. I can’t imagine the three of you in one vehicle.”

“You have to come with me next time,” Buck says.

“Oh, not until we’re married,” Eddie jokes. “For better or worse doesn’t start until then.” 

“You’re the worst,” Buck complains.

Eddie grins. “Can I see my surprise?”

“Absolutely not,” Buck shakes his head. “That’s for my husband. You’re just someone who won’t join me on the errands trip from hell.”

“True enough,” Eddie retorts, smirking. “Will you come to bed? I think tomorrow will be better.”

Buck takes a deep breath and nods.

“I’m not doing anything. Not a damn thing.”

“You deserve that,” Eddie agrees. 

Days to Prom: 1

Eddie has a surprisingly great sleep. Despite his foot, he’s comfortable and blissfully warm, all curled into Buck. This is much better than sleeping alone, like he thought he would that night. 

Buck needed to have that little meltdown, he thinks. He has a lot on his plate, and a lot to get off his chest. There’s a lot of stress, it turns out, in planning a happily ever after. Very different from the first wedding, where the stress was in trying to make everything seem like it wasn’t a rushed, pressured disaster. Maybe that’s why he’s so much less stressed than Buck. Regardless of what happens here, they really are marrying each other for the exact right reasons. He has nothing to worry about, even if the day falls somewhere short of perfect. Though, somehow he doubts it will.

[darth-grips]

Adding on to this since I love everything about it, because other than water, banthas seem to be one of Tatooine's main agricultural products, it stands to reason that people born and bred on Tatooine are very much part of a dairy culture (as in, a culture that produces and consumes dairy products, not something that makes yogurt, though Tatooinians almost certainly also do that LMFAO). An obvious analagous irl example would be camel pastoralists living in MENA, and those people consume A LOT of camel milk, especially when there aren't very many other forms of water/moisture available. This is actually true of most pastoralist cultures living in arid environments (think Central Asia/Mongolia, East Africa as well). Because along with being calorie-dense and nutritious, milk contains a lot of bioavailable water per volume compared to other food, which makes it particularly useful in arid environments.

One of the main reasons humans domesticated ruminant ungulates in the first place was to convert the nutrients found in low-quality forage we aren't able to digest as humans (grass, woody shrubs, etc) into something more readily available for our phisiology. In arid places, this can include converting the moisture found in these plants into something we're able to drink! (Milk is the main product used for that, but also blood in certain cases, particularly in times of deprivation). I imagine the Sand People, since they don't appear to utilize vaporators all that often, subsist almost entirely on bantha milk and black melons in order to meet their daily water intake.

But the Larses are moisture farmers, you might say -- they of all people would have water to drink, they don't need to buy milk to meet their hydration needs (I'm assuming they buy it, since there don't seem to be any banthas on the homestead lol). And, well -- sure, I suppose. But water is also THEE cash crop on Tatooine, and you don't want to be drinking all your money, especially when it can be sold/bartered for a bunch of different, perhaps less important for basic survival but still equally useful stuff. I imagine blue milk is actually probably a little cheaper than water, not quite as hydrating but still nutritious and full of other good stuff like sugar and fats and proteins and micronutrients, all of which are especially important if you're living marginally in one of the harshest environments a human can reasonably survive in. Why only eat your calories when you can also drink them and also recieve a hydration boost in the process? So milk and dairy become not only a survival tool, but also a part of culture and identity. So of course Luke is going to grow up drinking blue milk probably every day, and crave it as an adult out in the big wide galaxy even if he has no intentions of ever stepping on Tatooine again after RotJ.

It's easy as westerners to dunk on Luke's milk drinking habits because, lbr, Luke Skywalker at first glance looks like was plucked right off the Santa Monica boardwalk circa 1977 and most of us who either look similar to him or come from western backgrounds probably stopped drinking dairy regularly when we were kids. It's objectively very funny to think of a grown man going into a bar and ordering a tall glass of milk to take the edge off a hard day. And you know what? It probably isn't as deep as I'm making it out to be.

But given what we know of where and how he grew up it makes complete sense for him to be drinking milk way into adulthood. Look at rural Mongolia for example, another extremely arid environment where pastoralism is their primary means of agriculture, 50% of the calories consumed by an average person during the summer come from dairy products (got this figure from the Max Planck Institute), a huge chunk of which is from liquid milk products (albeit probably processed in some way, most likely fermentation). Like, their flagship alcoholic beverage is made by fermenting mare's milk, though it can also be produced at low alcohol contents and drinking this version is a pretty regular occurrence. Like obviously the proportion of milk consumed in the average modern Mongolian diet goes down the more urbanized of a lifestyle they're living (trending toward the globalized mean), but like every Mongolian, along with the occasional Kazakh or Kyrgyz, I've ever seen who's commented on the subject on places like reddit agrees that drinking milk of whatever animal as an adult is super duper normal lol because it's simply part of the culture.

So. All this to say that the SWars writers consistently making Luke order blue milk in bars as a jokey joke is accidentally good and compelling worldbuilding and makes sense given his home planet and upbringing along with just being a cute quirk LOL. Anyway.

the people need your deepest thoughts on the whole blue milk situation

Love the implication that he drinks milk all the time, and that the habit continued throughout his years with the rebels. That one comic where Han asks for a stiff drink and Luke asks for a milk to go with it lives rent free in my mind…

[enter-drfrog]

Another fun Peter Pan Goes Wrong moment from the other night. After Annie was electrocuted, they took her fairy wings off to give her breathing room and to get a better look at her. But when they took them off they handed the wings to Francis who handed them off to the next person. The next person being a man in the front row. The guy in the audience just kinda held them for a minute before Francis took them back. But the poor guy in the audience just did not know what to do with the wings

[egophiliac]

(breathing into a paper bag) FRALIO....

can't believe they gave us another guy. oh my god. so I guess Kelka is more, uhhh, more OOO then, and Fralio is Ankh? not that it matters too much, although they do seem to be doing something with the connected Riders so. who knows. anything goes! or if I may, anything gOOOes! god. of course they're the Ambition parallel. of course they are. oh my god.

fortunately there's nothing else they can throw at me right now that could possibly --

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 169

this is it, the dynamic

[wallcreeper-and-oro]

connection.find(omni_net) connection established omni.id.vericode(Y/N) (Y) {vericode entered} connection verified - lancer 910372

⋆𖦹 (haha i did it!) uh but i agree!!

okay okay i think i know the origin of almost everyone's callsign!

i'll start! mine is Ouroboros, like the curly snake that bites it's own tail, Liza says it's originally some pre-fall thing but but i got it because i have a habit of looping songs... like a lot (Thebe says "ya a lot", thanks... ) and enough jokes about me doing things over and over and... ya but i think Oro (which is what i mostly get called if someone's not using my name) is pretty cute! so im happy!! much better than just "greenie"

uuum next up is Kanmi's! he's Rosy, firstly because his favourite drink is a rose (the e has a fancy tick but i dont know how to do that), and it's what he'd ask Dido for when she was ordering supplies, so it kinda stuck! but the other reason is kinda funny, because he gets flushed really really easy, like whenever someone compliments him (especially Dido...) he gets beet red and it's funny to watch, so Rosy!

okay Thebe's walked off! her callsign is Neutron, like a neutron star, because... i love her but she's a bit dense sometimes - it's fine we went through the academy together i can say that -, not that i want her to see it, also Liza says it's cause she can be self-centered but i think that's just mean..

speaking of! Liza's callsign is Sour Patch! or just Patch if someone is yelling for her (which happens often enough), and okay apparently it's a reference to some pre-fall cradle thing i don't get, but i think it's just cause she looks sour all the time (she's quite sweet though under that, not that she'd be caught dead admitting that)

and uh Dido i have no idea, she's just Dido, Liza says it's an old cradle queen? cool?

This is Ouroboros signing off!

Does anyone else find callsign naming conventions hilarious?

You get stuck with a boring one at first, then something interesting happens--some unique quirk of yours gets picked up on--and just like that, enter stage right: your new name.

Well, I do love to make an entrance.

|| FOXGLOVE ||

[kacievvbbbb]

Mihawk and the Red Haired Pirates

-Look I don't know what to tell you, Mihawk's epithet is literally Hawkeyes meaning he is world-renowned for his eyesight meaning that he'd probably make a good sharpshooter. And maybe Yasopp decides to test this theory with a little friendly competition. And after giving Mihawk a quick intro into how guns work, maybe Yasopp had to pull out every trick there is in the book to narrowly avoid losing to said Hawkeyes, who as it turns out is indeed very good at hitting targets and who had literally just learned how to cock a gun not even 30 minutes ago. But who's to say what actually happened, the day of November 25th at 2:35pm? Certainly not Yasopp, the record clearly shows he is undefeated.

-Once a year Ben and Mihawk go on a little trip just the two of them. They act like it's just so they can shit-talk Shanks but actually, they just go fishing somewhere in the middle of the ocean and drink horribly overpriced and fancy alcohol. Look Benn loves his crew, and would die for them but also if he doesn't get at least a week to himself once every year he'd kill them all himself. He deserves nice things and a little peace and fucking quiet and not being constantly inundated with the whims of a man child and Mihawk's the closest he's ever gonna get to a friend with taste, and he travels alone with a bunch of fancy wine. Sue the man. Mihawk who would rather nap is fine to let someone else sail his overgrown raft against the annoyingly ever-changing grandline for a week or two.

-Wouldn't it be cute if Mihawk learned a lot of his fancier cooking techniques from Roux? Like he knew how to cook to survive but watching Roux is how he learned to like properly dice vegetables and that eating fish prepared the same way three times a day is not infact a life he would like to lead. This was of course less cute to Lucky Roux who in the beginning had no clue what was happening and only felt the weight of Mihawk's otherworldly stare on the back of his neck as he handled knives. (he defiantly for at least a little bit, thought Mihawk had a knife fetish. which, he's not entirely wrong)

-To Building Snake (who I just learned is the RHP's navigator) Mihawk might as well be a modern-day miracle. In his eyes, Mihawk's sailing is proof that god exists, because only divine intervention can explain how this man ever gets anywhere never mind on time or early even. Building Snake is pretty sure he owns neither a map nor a log pose and he has never actually seen the sails of Mihawk's pretend ship unfurled or in use. Actually, he has never seen Mihawk do anything but sit menacingly on the throne in the middle of the boat, which why? If you think about it for even a second longer that 2 minutes how Mihawk "sails" anywhere breaks every law of physics and somehow even the concept of geography. Building Snake would like to dissect him and study him under a microscope but knows the boss would disapprove.

[feroluce]

For some weird reason, I've always been fascinated by how wildly different Sampo operates in the Underground vs the Overworld.

Sampo is present in both places and even in official sources, he's not really counted as one side or the other- now that the theory has been confirmed in-game, he's generally just lumped in with the Masked Fools.

But there really is a big difference!

Probably the most obvious and well known instance of Sampo's...business practices *cough burglary and fraud COUGH* in the Overworld is from the Belobog Museum event. In it, you don't find out Sampo is the main culprit until near the end, because Pela has to set up a sting just to catch him in the act. And that sting is necessary all because the initial suspect they arrested, Norbert, had pretty much no idea of his partner's identity. Sampo wouldn't even speak to him face-to-face.

And whereas Sampo is normally very pleasant and friendly with the trailblazer...when he thinks he's talking to Norbert here, he straight up says that they are NOT friends. Like he really shuts that shit DOWN.

There's also an Overworld NPC, Chavez, who heads the "Dark Blue Scam Support Group." And he. Really really really does not like Sampo fjkdasjklfdj

Chavez clearly wants Sampo caught, and has literally no positive feelings about him. So. Why call it the Dark Blue Scam? Why not just out him by name? Chavez obviously doesn't give a single shit about Sampo's dignity or privacy. But he never once refers to him as "Sampo," and even the pamphlets he passes out make no mention of it. No one in the entire support group seems to know how to identify him or how to refer to him except by his hair color. If the trailblazer says his name, Chavez reacts as though he's never heard it before.

(I've seen people say this means Sampo Koski is an alias and not his real name? But Ray pointed this out, and honestly I agree; even the Fools call him Sampo, after all. I think it's just that Chavez never knew Sampo's name in the first place, and given his immense distrust, immediately assumes it's an alias.)

And then there's his characters stories, where he proceeds to pull off a heist in the Overworld while in disguise as Brughel Poisson the entire time. Literally his own stories don't mention Sampo's name even once.

So anyway, all this shows that when he's up in the Overworld working cons, Sampo is incredibly slippery and secretive about his identity. The only people who seem to know him are Pela, Serval, and Gepard. He doesn't get close to anyone else, and is even surprisingly unfriendly. Nobody knows his name. No one knows his face. He has zero qualms about backstabbing or double-crossing, and even plans for it in some cases.

Meanwhile, down in the Underground, I'm pretty sure literally the worst thing we hear of him doing is scalping tickets in front of the Fight Club. Which isn't even illegal in a lot of places (although it's certainly a dick move).

In Hook's companion quest, a vagrant miner steals Fersman's equipment and tries to sell it to Sampo. Even before the trailblazer and Hook jump in and out the vagrant as a thief, Sampo hesitates to buy it because it sounds like stolen goods, which he doesn't want any part of.

Even knowing that a geomarrow detector is rare and incredibly valuable in the mines, Sampo makes no attempt to double-cross Hook or profit off of her loss, and even tells her who to go to to get it fixed.

And my favorite example of Sampo in the Underground is the Survival Wisdom adventure mission. In it, Sampo starts up a business with Peak, another miner. And like. In wild contrast to all the cons he pulls above ground, Sampo is actually super nice and helpful here.

Just the same as with Hook's quest, Sampo talks to Peak face-to-face, with no disguises or barriers. When the trailblazer finds them, they're just in the Great Mine, no secretive meeting places. Peak knows Sampo, is familiar with him, and calls him by name. It's not even a con! There's nothing illegal going on; it really is just a business partnership. Peak is more than happy with their deal, he's even pretty enthusiastic about it, because thanks to Sampo he can now make enough money to get by while also accommodating his chronic fatigue.

The only person Sampo lies to in this whole ordeal is the trailblazer, who he manipulates into getting Peak's mining equipment back from the vagrants that stole it in the first place. And when it's done, he rewards them with a legit treasure map.

So when he's working in the Underground, Sampo is MUCH more upright and lawful. Part of this is probably to do with his "business" model- Sampo only takes advantage of the wealthy, and poverty runs rampant in the Underground. When he charges Peak an extra 30% (the same percentage he charges Norbert as a consultation fee in the museum heists- Sampo seems to go by percentage instead of a flat rate, which means his prices are more fair for lower incomes) for carelessly losing their supply, Peak literally starts counting out pocket change.

Dude's working for pennies and good will down there dknsmdmd

And you can twist this into a Robin Hood thing if you want- Sampo IS technically working to feed orphans and heal the sick. He says himself he's more than happy to make up the shortfall between the greedy and the marginalized- I mean he says it in the shadiest way possible, but I doubt the people benefiting from his work really care that he's a slimeball if it means they can survive another day. Even the two heists he pulls in his character stories are literally just him stealing absurd amounts of food.

Personally though I think it is solely because of Natasha, and Sampo is hilariously well-behaved specifically for her, because she keeps him on a short leash JSKZJMSMSKS