#that's!! relatively a lot of years since hs !!!

[franeridart]

yknow, i get ross's view. but also i Am david lmao. high school was hell for my autistic ass and im Bad at faces and worse w names.......

!! right! I don't wanna spoil dave's exact situation but there's a lot of reasons why you might forget all about someone you used to know, it's something that can just happen yk! sometimes my best friend from hs will mention people and my brain will just blank out, I really have no idea who he's talking about hahaha

[finelinefae]

Could we please get a check in with the aviator? I love them like no other i swear

synopsis: y/n finds out she's pregnant with Aviator!Hs baby.

wordcount: 2.6 k

a/n: this isn't really a check-in more so something that happens a year into their relationship because i think about this moment a lot and i needed to write about it !!!!

also first one shot for the aviator whoop!!

. . .

It was the middle of the night. 

Y/N had been up since dinner, laying beside the toilet bowl so she could vomit the contents of her stomach every ten minutes. She’d stuck the thermometer under her armpit to check if she had a fever, only to find it at a completely normal temperature. 

She was tired and frustrated and her head hurt from throwing up so much. She hadn’t had a wink of sleep and she still had to get to work in the morning. 

The door swung open and Y/N lifted her tired eyes to find Nancy looking down at her, “You’ve been throwing up since dinner,” She held out a glass of cold water and Y/N gladly took it. 

“Sorry,” Y/N groaned, after taking a sip, “I’ve tried taking medicine but nothing seems to be working.”

Nancy sighed, “You don’t need to apologise, do you want me to call Harry?”

“No,” Y/N shook her head, “He’s been working all week, he’s probably exhausted.”

“Okay well you can’t just sit by the toilet all night, do you want me to warm you up some ginger ale?” Y/N sighed, considering her offer before pushing herself up from the floor and following Nancy to the kitchen.

She sat at the table, clutching her stomach and ignoring the nausea she felt. Nancy took out some ginger ale and began to heat in a saucepan over the stovetop. “I just don’t understand how I can feel like this but not even have a fever,” Y/N huffed. 

Nancy shrugged, “Are you due? Normally I feel pretty sick a week or so before my period starts,”

A dip forms between Y/N’s brows, “I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure-” Y/N paused, thinking back to the last time she had had her period. She had been waiting for it to arrive this week but one glance at the calendar on the kitchen refrigerator revealed that it was already a week late. 

Panic surged through her, “Nancy,” She gasped, looking up at her roommate and friend, “It’s late.”

Nancy’s eyes widened, “Are you sure?”

Y/N’s mind was racing to try and piece together the days but she knew that she was right and her period was over a week late.

Y/N didn’t have to say anything for Nancy to understand what she was thinking. “W-what am I going to do?” Y/N panicked as dread ensued her, “I-I can’t have a baby, I can’t.”

“Y/N, it’s okay,” Nancy crouched down on the floor in front of her and took her hands, “It’s going to be okay. Tomorrow morning we’ll go down to the clinic and ask them to take a test to make sure.”

Y/N shook her head, “Not the morning, Harry will know and he’ll-” She covered her mouth, “Oh God, Harry, what if he hates me?”

Nancy scoffed, “How could he possibly hate you? I’ve never seen someone as in love with somebody as he is with you,”

“But Nancy, a baby. It’s too soon and he’s still got Elise and-” Y/N’s mind was whirring with thoughts as she thought about how her life was about to change if she really was pregnant. Elise was only four and their relationship was still relatively new - they’d only celebrated their year anniversary a month ago which was more than likely to be the reason that got her in this predicament. 

“Y/N, calm down,” Nancy soothed her, “Everything’s going to be fine. We’ll deal with these things after we find out whether you really are pregnant or not. For now, we’ll go to bed and think about it in the morning, okay?”

Y/N nodded slowly, trying to digest the words she was hearing. Nancy was right, she needed to not worry until she had confirmation from the nurse that she really was pregnant. She tried to pause her worries until the morning but not a wink of sleep occurred when her mind was whirring with thoughts about how Harry would react to the possibility of it all. 

. . .

Y/N felt sick to her stomach as she walked to the hangar where she knew Harry would be working. She’d been so many times now that she knew exactly where to go, following the path through the doors and round the back.

“Evening Y/N,” One of the boys said as she walked past, tipping his hat. Y/N forced a smile onto her face in reply.

She walked through the back doors and found Harry outside smoking a cigarette on his own, the sun setting behind him. Unlike how she usually felt whenever she was around him, Y/N began to panic wondering whether she should turn back now before she told him something that would change both their lives forever. 

Harry’s head lifted and a smile carved onto his face when his eyes landed on her. He threw his cigarette on the ground and stubbed it with his foot, “Hi birdy,” He walked over and embraced her in a hug, pressing a kiss to her lips. 

Y/N knew Harry had sensed something was wrong from how stiff she felt in his embrace. He pulled back but his arms stayed looped around her, “Wha’s wrong?” He frowned, “Y’okay?” He cupped her face in his hands and looked her in the eye.

Y/N pulled away, “I’m okay,” She lied and Harry immediately knew something was wrong when she took a step away from him. Usually, whenever they were together there was barely any space between them.  

“Hey, when do y’ lie to me?” He forced a smile, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

Y/N’s eyes glistened, she sniffled and scrunched her nose to try and prevent herself from crying. “I just missed you is all,” 

“Birdy,” A dip formed between his brows, “M always right here y’ know that. Did something happen at work today?” 

Y/N shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself, “No,” She replied, “I-I need to tell you something.”

This time Harry really did begin to panic. He thought back to the past few months and wondered if he had done anything wrong to upset her in that time but every day had been as blissfully sweet as the last. He was so in love with Y/N and that love continued to grow every passing day. She was the first person he woke up to in the morning and the last person he saw at night - every day it was Y/N, the love of his life. 

So he couldn’t understand what had currently gotten her so distant with him or why she was being so vague and secretive whenever she was with Nancy, “Are you…Are you breaking up with me?” Harry voiced his biggest concern out loud.

Y/N almost gasped, reaching for his hand and holding it to her chest, “God Harry, no. No, of course not.”

He relaxed slightly but still wondered what was going on in her head that was so difficult to tell, “Wha’s wrong then baby?”

Y/N released a shuddery breath, looking away from him and down at the hand she was currently holding. She twisted the ring on his pinkie finger, one lone tear rolling down her cheek that she quickly brushed away. “Harry, I'm pregnant.” She whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. 

Her heart thudded against her chest when she felt his hand stiffen. She could barely look up at him as she waited for him to say something.

Two rough hands cupped her cheeks and lifted her head up. Her eyes met his, lips parting to see tears rolling down his cheeks and the biggest smile she had ever seen stretched across his face, “We’re havin’ a baby?” He whispered in disbelief.

Y/N nodded slowly, “I found out this afternoon.”

A laugh escaped his lips, “Holy shit,” He let go of her and ran his fingers through his hair before covering his face with his hands and smiling beneath them.

Y/N stood waiting, still a little tense until he took one step towards her and picked her up in his arms, her dress twirling as he spun them round, “Holy shit we’re having a baby.” 

A wave of relief washed over her, Y/N finally mirrored the smile on his face when she saw the excitement on his face. 

He set her back on her feet, “You’re not mad?” Y/N asked. 

“Why would I be mad? This is my dream, I’ve always wanted to be a dad.” Harry was unable to rid himself of the smile on his face.

“I know but we’ve been together a year and-” 

Harry silenced her by smashing their lips together in a messy kiss, “I love you bigger than the whole sky Birdy, there is not a single person in this entire world I would rather have as the mother of my child.”

Y/N’s eyes watered and tears began to fall as she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands fell to her tummy, “I can’t believe there’s a tiny human in there,” Harry chuckled in disbelief. 

“I love you so much Harry,” Y/N murmured, wondering why she was ever nervous to tell him in the first place. 

. . .

Safe to say, Harry had become somewhat even more obsessed with Y/N than he had ever been before.

“Tha’s my baby mama!” He whistled, wearing his grease-covered overalls as he slid off the wing of the plane and ran towards Y/N who was only a month pregnant.

Y/N’s cheeks heated, eyes darting around, “Shh, what if someone hears you?” 

They had yet to tell any of their friends or Harry’s brothers that Y/N was pregnant.  Nancy had been sworn to secrecy despite her boyfriend constantly pestering her over telling him what they were always whispering about whenever Y/N refused a drink at a party. Harry struggled to keep such a big secret from his siblings since he had always told them everything, but Y/N wanted to make sure everything was okay before they let the world know another baby would be entering their little family. 

“There’s no one around, don’t worry.” Harry smiled, a dimple carving into his cheek. 

She had the tiniest bump, barely even noticeable unless she was bloated, but he was obsessed all the same. His hands reached for her sides, feeling the small curve of her tiny bump as he held her. “Hi Harry,” Y/N grinned, “Thought we could walk to the clinic together.”

Today they would be having their first appointment together with their assigned midwife. Harry had been close to a kid at Christmas as he counted down the days until he got to hear his baby’s heartbeat. “Yeah, I’ll pack my stuff away and we’ll head on down,” He nodded but stopped to kiss her quickly, “Missed y’,” He murmured. 

Y/N laughed, “You saw me three hours ago,” 

“Much too long,” He countered, slipping away from her and going to pack his things away. 

He returned in a fresh white t-shirt and jeans, reaching for her hand and threading their fingers together as they walked down to the clinic. 

Harry could feel Y/N’s nerves bouncing off of her as they sat in the waiting room of the small office waiting for their midwife to call them in. She fiddled with her fingers in her lap, tapped her foot against the floor and chewed on her bottom lip. Every now and then her eyes would glance to the door like she was desperate to get out. 

He reached for her hand, holding it in his lap and playing with the small ring on her index finger. His thumb traced the mole in the middle of her wrist, her pulse fluttering beneath it. “Y’ okay?” He murmured.

“Jus’ nervous,” She admitted, “I don’t like doctor’s offices all that much.”

“Y’ not having second thoughts about the baby are you? Because if you were there are things we can do and talk about. I-I’d never force y’ to have a baby, y’know that right Birdy?” Harry said. 

Y/N’s eyes softened, she cupped his cheek in her hand, “I want this baby with you more than I want anything ever.”

Harry smiled, “Y’ mean that?” He needed that reassurance from her more than anything. 

“I mean it,” She kissed him quickly. 

The door clicked open and in walked the midwife, “Y/N Y/L/N?” 

Y/N took a deep breath, squeezing Harry’s hand as they stood up. The midwife, an older woman with kind eyes, gestured for them to follow her into a small room. There was a simple examination bed and a tall metal stand with a strange, trumpet-like device hanging from it.

“This is a fetal stethoscope,” the midwife explained, picking up the device. “It’s how we’ll listen to your baby’s heartbeat.”

Y/N climbed onto the bed, her heart racing. Harry stood by her side, never letting go of her hand. The midwife placed the wide end of the stethoscope on Y/N’s abdomen and pressed her ear to the other end.

The room was silent as the midwife concentrated. Then, her face lit up with a smile. “There it is,” she said, turning to the expectant parents. “Your baby’s heartbeat. Would you like to listen?”

Harry’s eyes widened as he nodded eagerly. The midwife handed him the earpiece, and he leaned down, his expression changing from nervousness to awe as he heard the rapid, steady thump of their baby’s heart.

“Our baby,” Harry whispered, his voice thick with emotion. 

Y/N could feel her eyes welling up as she watched him. Her hand reached out to thread through his curls as he pressed his ear to the earpiece once more and listened for the faint sound of a beating heart they had created, “Can y’ hear it?” Y/N smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“Tha’s our baby,” He repeated like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

“Tha’s right, H.” Y/N said softly.

Harry reached for her bump, placing both of his big, heavy palms on it. He lowered his head and pressed a small kiss to the spot above her belly button, “Hello baby,” He murmured, “How can I love you this much when all I can hear is y’ heart?” 

Y/N smiled, letting him have his moment, “Promise I’ll take such good care of it,” He continued to speak soft and slow, “Both yours and mamas,”

Harry reached for Y/N’s hand and held it in his own, his other palm resting right over her bump. He felt Y/N give his hand a gentle squeeze and wondered if she could hear just how fast his heart beat for her even without the earpiece.

“Don’t cry,” Harry smiled, reaching to wipe away Y/N’s tears. 

“I’m just happy,” Y/N sniffled, “You’re going to be such a good dad, Harry, I hope you know that.”

The words settled something in him. All his nerves seemed to melt away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of love and anticipation for the new life they were about to bring into the world together. 

A family of his own. 

“I love you birdy,” He leans down and speaks to the bump once more, “and I love you too, baby birdy.” Y/N laughed and watched as Harry continued in conversation with their baby, hearing nothing but a gentle heartbeat in reply to his voice.

[sunflower73498]

I literally can’t stop thinking about Young Royals S3

I have always been fascinated by Wille’s relationship with his parents, or lack thereof. Specifically his mother, because until this season, his father was little more than a cardboard cutout. In S1 I strongly disliked Kristina. In S2 she seemed to be trying a little more, though her efforts were specifically aimed at achieving her own goals for Wilhelm, not his. In S3, I once again dislike her, but I feel bad for disliking her.

Because truly, her grief, the extreme psychological and physical manifestations of losing a child that she is experiencing, is all completely valid, and within the spectrum of what is expected of a parent who has lost a child. I feel sympathy for the physical and mental health problems she is experiencing, and I think it’s OK for her to be experiencing it, to take a step back to deal with it. 

What I don’t think is OK, however, is expecting her 16 year old son, a first year HS student with his own history of mental illness, who is also deeply grieving, to take over all of her responsibilities. Yeah, they don’t really mean for him to take over everything, because he’s a kid and still in school, but they’ve also really stepped up the pressure on him without offering much additional support (Farima offers some, she’s the most present adult in his life this season, and really the one who seems to know him and care about him most of the adults on the show). They ask him to start a foundation and support a cause, but neither of his parents show up to support him in doing that, even knowing that he has sometimes extreme anxiety regarding public speaking/public appearances. They don’t walk him through the process or offer guidance, just constantly remind him that he’s expected to step up, and may have to fully take over within a year or two, and send Farima to deal with him (which in my opinion is much better that Jan Olof, because Farima actually seems patient with Wilhelm and to know how to handle his emotions with sensitivity). 

While I’m mad at Kristina, despite her legitimate grief, I’m more mad at Ludvig, I think. Yes, he also lost a child and is grieving, but he’s holding it together enough to support his wife, so why isn’t he offering any of that support to his son, even when said son starts reaching out more, and clearly wants to talk? 

I also think this is all complicated by the fact that Wilhelm didn’t have a good, close relationship with his parents to begin with. Kristina was harsh and dismissive of him even before Erik died in season 1. If Kristina had only started neglecting Wilhelm, putting excessive pressure on him and comparing him to Erik after Erik had passed, I would be a lot more forgiving. But I get the impression that Wilhelm has always been compared to Erik, has always been made to feel that he isn’t good enough in comparison and needs to be more like Erik, and his parents have never made much effort to understand him. I think he often only got attention when he was in trouble, and toddlers and teenagers are similar in the fact that if their negative behaviors are what get the attention the desire, they will keep doing that as long as it is reinforced that negative behavior leads to attention. His outburst at them in episode 5 had been building a lot longer than the few months since Erik died. 

I think his parents both desperately needed to hear what he was shouting out them. I think that shouting and getting angry and destroying things wasn’t the best way to go about getting them to listen, but as discussed above, I think it’s the only way he really knows how to get their attention. And yeah, the timing isn’t great, when his mother is suffering so much, but Wille is suffering, too, and he has reached his limit. It seems like a relatively little thing, to get mad that his parents talked too much about Erik on a day that’s supposed to be about Wilhelm and that his mom didn’t feel up to sticking around for cake, but that was really just the final straw on a long history of trauma, turmoil, and emotional neglect, the last Jenga block being pulled out before the tower toppled. 

(Admittedly, this is young royals, it’s a show about Wilhelm, and we viewers have come to love him over the 3 seasons, it’s his struggle that is being portrayed, so of course I’m on his side and want better for him rather than siding with his mother even though I do feel some sympathy for her.)

Anyway, I will probably keep reflecting on this aspect of the show for a lot longer. Maybe I’ll even feel some inspiration to write fan fiction in response. We’ll see where it goes. 

I also have a lot more thoughts about August, and about Farima of all people to share at some point.

[hinata-boke]

Hi! When did you get into hq? Have you had trouble with waning interest over time, or how do you keep your passion fresh?

hi!! i first watched haikyuu at around the end of 2019, where i just binge watched all of season 1-3. i enjoyed it a lot and thought it was really really good, but somehow i didn't get into it then. i just kind of said "oh they weren't kidding about it being good", and didn't engage with or create much fancontent. (a couple of my friends liked it, one of them even started playing vball because of it in hs)

when s4 came out i watched the first few episodes as they came out but didn't actually keep up with it all the way!! i only ended up finishing season 4 sometime last year.

around 2022, my brother wanted to find an anime to watch with our family, and i thought haikyuu would be a good choice (especially for my mom) since i thought it was very wholesome, exciting sports fun with good characters. while i was rewatching i was one again like "hey this is really good" and i made this blog to post occasional drawings. this time i was more invested since i noticed more characters the second time around, and i was like oh there's a LOT of funny little guys in here

then i started doing 1hqaday on a whim after seeing some prompts for 15 and 30 day challenges, soon after finished s4 and read the manga and got VERY invested! (also i only started REALLY liking akaashi here lol) also i think having to find references for a whole bunch of characters and thinking about their significant moments while drawing them made me appreciate each of them more, and haikyuu as a whole.

compared to a lot of people id say im still relatively new to actually being a part of the fandom so i haven't dealt with much waning interest in my current phase (i dont count since the beginning since i wasn't originally that invested), but in the past i tended to cycle through main interests every year or so. haikyuu still seems to have a lot going on though, and i have SOOO many ideas i haven't drawn yet that i hope ill be able to stick around for quite a while!

(sorry for rambling)

[fiskesprett]

*crowd boos* yea ok so i know i owe a lot of threads rn and as someone who is in as big of a debt as i am i have no place bringing in another muse but also i have no self control so. yeah im back with jaden fanning who's really the face of the formerly gifted child! he's an allara native paired with an unhealthy dose of escapism which brings him to terra! ...for work, of course! you know the drill: hit that LIKE button and i'll come running for plots again!

aquarius sun / virgo moon / libra rising

born and raised in los angeles! he's got a cookie cutter life with upper middle class parents who stuck together and 3 sisters, 1 older and 2 younger, and they're all relatively close in age! being the middle child and only boy means he basically gets to do anything he wants so even though his sisters pretty much gang up on him, life is pretty breezy honestly

jaden's also a really smart kid and he's one of those weirdos who genuinely enjoys maths so he really excelled in school! him and his sisters are all pretty high achievers in general, so growing up in that environment really helped foster his education

he gets into the compsci program in whatever version of mit is present a millennium later in allara and this is really where his life starts! living away from his childhood home, he was really able to break out of his mould! it's very much like if you've always been a class clown in hs, people expect you to only be a class clown and similarly in his home, people expected him to be jaden, their son / brother / whiz kid, but for once he was really able to just be whoever and do whatever he wanted!

absolutely bombs his first yr in uni thanks to his newfound freedom ( tho bomb in his family's standards is like a B- ) so his parents start calling, sisters start teasing him, everyone starts to get a little concerned for him and he kinda doesn't like disappointing people so he locks in! one thing he's learnt from this tho is that he kind of realises that he can never really be who he wants to be fully, because his family will always kind of be hovering over him ( like family ought to do but yk men n their need for independence )

anw he graduates thankfully and manages to snag an internship with allara's version of terrascape ( allarascape or sumn idk ) as an engineer! has been working there since and he's got some good critical thinking, work ethic & he's got an easygoing personality so he climbs the ranks pretty easily!!

only for things to grow so mundane again? his now 5y old job is very reminiscent of his childhood, how he's now shelved as a can-do engineer and everyone knows and expects him to always act in a certain way

at this point he starts looking for other jobs ( doesn't tell his parents tho bc they'd call him crazy and talk him out of it considering allara(scape) is like. the biggest company in allara im guessing ) and around sometime end of last year, he finds an opening at his company to transfer to terra as an inter-server compatibility engineer! it genuinely felt like the perfect opportunity for him so he applied immediately

doesn't tell his parents until he actually gets approved for the job and is told that he needs to relocate in like a month, and his parents are naturally sad about losing their son but he convinces them like hey, it's only semi-permanent and he can come back anytime if he doesn't like it, he's only doing this to move up in his career and what better way than to be in touch with the other part of his culture ( all lies btw he just wants some excitement in his life ) and his parents eat it up so they agree that he should take the job

but yes! that brings him to terra! he's moved over to the server for about a month or so now so he's literally a fresh face!

personality-wise jaden is really easygoing and has a very try anything once type of mentality! recently, he's been getting into the music of terra ( ngl he found it a lil rocky at the start but it's grown on him ), the games ( iron fist rocks btw ) and their cool dating app, but yeah he'll literally try anything to keep himself entertained!

in saying so jaden bores very easily... he's truly an aquarius at heart in that he loves to try new things but he also learns very quickly and gets bored of them once he does, so he'll run through many different hobbies and interests until he runs out then that jaded feeling leading into escapism comes creeping back in... luckily he's only on his first month in terra tho so the shine's gonna stay for at least 1-2 years still!

ironic but maybe the reason why he bores easily is because he's fostered a pretty boring life for himself 😖 definitely a lot more boy-next-door compared to some of the muses here so really, he's just your typical dude!

considering the event that just concluded i should also say that he's a terra glazer, given that he works with the code he does find it hard to admit that there's anything wrong with the code so if your muse is out here saying that terra is lying and all that he's treating them like scientists treat covid deniers : >> will kinda write them off eek but in saying this he's also not very self-aware lol prob rates himself pretty high on the nice, down to earth scale so take that how you will

you'd never imagine that i'd be able to rattle on about some random guy uve met on the street yet here we are... anw here's some plot bunnies for ya!

i'd love for him to kinda meet anyone working @ terrascape! whether it be thru their mentor-mentee program or if they're chillin at the canteen tgt, he's ur man! he also likes going out for tgif drinks w his colleagues so !

as i said he's getting used to a lot in terra so you can definitely find him in random spots across town! whether it be the quaint bakery no one knows about or that coffee shop everyone knows AND WARNS everyone about! i assume culture is quite different between servers too so maybe he does something that's a little outside of the culture of terra? like if he tries to tip a waiter and they find him rude as hell... ye come educate this white man

honestly he's really getting into iron fist at the moment so i can see him gaming a lot! would love for him to have gaming friends he met thru iron fist and maybe your muse has decided to take pity on this literal noob lol... maybe even games other than iron fist while we're here? he's really trying anyth rn gang! while we're at it i'm also looking for someone he's a big fan of!

speaking of fans and celebrities, he's a compatibility engineer btwn terra and allara, so your muse has thought to transfer to allara briefly for a tour / to go on holiday? he doesn't usually deal with the customer aspect of things and is more present behind the scenes, but maybe bc your muse is famous the ceo employs "a professional" to handle the case and greet you so you feel special and feel enticed to keep spending your merits using this service

he's also been getting used to coach rn so maybe you've matched w him! watch him bring u around to the lamest places bc he doesn't know any place...😌

because he's moved here for his job, (allara)scape's also placed him in the megabuildings! neighbour plots would be kinda cute huh?

[davekat-sucks]

Ironically part of the solution to your problem with davekat is that you needed more davekat. But not like end game davekat, you need more early-mid game davekat. You know the at each others throats into friendship part. And this isn't me just suggesting the honda odyssey again cause it would be funny, no. This is me factoring in why people like the other ships during act 1-5, and remembering that the time difference is ludicrous between the halves of HS. Cause 1-5 only lasts a day/a few days, where as 6 is three years repeated twice due to two timelines. Like yeah no shit some people are going to feel like buildup is sparse when spread so relatively thin.

But even then, there were a lot more problems going on than just each other in romance. Such as with Gamzee and Rose's alcoholism. Them ignoring those obvious issues on the meteor makes them seem like they are ignorant assholes. Dave is like Rose's brother, so why would she ignore his sister in trouble? Karkat has only Terezi and Kanaya around as the living trolls. Shouldn't he be more concerned of keeping them close eye after all the murder? Why did it have to be VRISKA to do all the work so Dave and Karkat can use Wayward Vagabond as a pet? Why didn't the webcomic let Wayward Vagabond be more active in the role when he got revived? Did Ghost Godtier Feferi's Life Powers made him retarded? Why was it shown as a Vriskagram for the Post Retcon? It's all fucking bullshit and people think this narrative writing is the greatest thing since Harper Lee.

[searedtroutpeacharugula]

To quote the most wise and noble scholars of our age, "well, THAT just happened!"

I don't think any of us could have possibly expected this, but Homestuck^2, the (much-maligned) Homestuck sequel, is back.

And to top that off, it's looking good.

James Roach, who composed many of the tracks for Homestuck's more recent projects and was generally one of the few well-known people still openly associated with the IP in any official capacity, has formed the Homestuck Independent Creative Union, or HICU, with Andrew Hussie's blessing. Dedicated to finally completing the long-abandoned HS^2 project (now rebranded as simply Homestuck: Beyond Canon) as well as working on even more Homestuck projects in the future(!!!), HICU would appear to be the greatest hope that Homestuck has for the future.

Now, I'm going to preface this by saying two things. First: I have only been involved in the Homestuck fandom since the beginning of this year, and I only finished the original comic last month. I am by no means a long-time fandom member, nor do I have the same experiences with the fandom that many other people have had. Second: I have not read/played the Homestuck Epilogues, Homestuck^2, or any meaningful amount of Hiveswap Friendsim or Pesterquest. While I am familiar with a couple concepts from post-canon Homestuck, I am unfamiliar with any of the works in their entirety.

That being said, I still want to discuss my opinion on the sudden return of post-canon, and what I think the future of Homestuck may be. My time as a Homestuck may have so far been relatively brief, but the comic has made an incredible impact on my life. HS holds a special place in my heart, and even if I'm not the most well-educated fan I still want to put my opinion out there.

I am, to put it in simple terms, cautiously optimistic about the return of Homestuck^2. To my knowledge, HS^2 has so far been a complete and total trainwreck. Now, I'm not personally in a place to judge the work: after all, I haven't read the damn thing. But if what I've heard is true, then HS^2 seems almost irredeemably bad. There's a chance, however, that the HICU will be able to turn this around. By taking the writing in a new direction, proving to the fandom that they know what they're doing, and trying their best to fix this, they might just be able to make this work.

James Roach and the rest of the HICU seem genuinely very passionate about Homestuck. It's clear that they love this universe and only want the best for it; and I think that's the most important thing.

If there's one thing that has defined the Homestuck fandom for the past few years, it's been cynicism. You'd be hard-pressed to find a single fan who thought Homestuck had any sort of future ahead of it outside of Hiveswap; post-canon was practically dead, Andrew Hussie had long since moved on to greener, clown-filled pastures, and a large, faceless corporation with seemingly no interest in the IP had become the publisher. Suffice to say, it wasn't a good time to be a Homestuck fan.

But now, with the formation of the HICU, there's something the Homestuck fandom hasn't seen in a long, long time: hope. There is a chance, however slim, that Homestuck will be getting new, well-written, well-characterized content. Homestuck has a future, it has a chance at redemption!

I just hope that James Roach and the rest of the HICU don't fuck this up. Maybe, just maybe, if we're fucking lucky, Homestuck can leave this years-long slump.

Alright, I'm done rambling. I've got a lot of stuff to read: after all, I don't want to miss the return of Homestuck, no matter how it turns out!

[fardf150]

oc lore dump again bc im bored ⬇️

so last time (like a year and a half ago... oops!) i mostly went over dick and neo but another rly important part of that story is dick's younger siblings

theyre a pair of identical twins, vince and kate. when they were in grade school and dick was in hs, their parents split and the boys stayed with their dad while kate went with mom... though neither was really better off than the other. shortly after (like idk 1-3 years at most) dick was kicked out and dad cut all contact with him.

at some point dad dies. mom is halfway across the country so vince ends up in dick's care. some time later, kate catches wind of this and bus hops all the way to dick's shitty apartment to be with her brothers. mom cant really be bothered to care. the boys are a little surprised to see how much shes changed, not even recognizing her when she first showed up. but theyre quick to support her anyway.

because of his younger siblings, dick starts wanting to be a better person (and also suddenly needs a better job). this both brings him and neo closer together, and sparks their main conflict(s) ("you were willing to change but not for me/you were the one who taught me i should be this way, why are you suddenly changing your mind?/you dont care about me enough")

the kids also have a little group of friends, though im not totally clear on them yet. theres sue-anna, who vince is closest to (and has a thing for). shes like if a horse girl acted like a wolf girl. also she actually works on a farm so she can lift all her friends easy. she wears dorothy braids all the time.

sue-anna's best friend is kiana, whos pretty similar to her personality-wise, though maybe a bit shyer. kiana's older sister janae hangs around their group sometimes; shes like if the cool older brother with a band archetype was a girl. kate really looks up to her.

a lot has changed w/ neo's origin and the general direction of the story but i actually want to do smth w it so i wont give away tooo much yet...

the gist tho is that after neo escapes the lab, the company that screwed his parents out of the rights to their work (and eventually liquidated everything dedicated to their research and shut everything down) finds him and acts like theyre the ones who were really invested in that research, and theyre SO glad theyve found him. does he want to hear about how terrible his parents were?

as for moo and nyra, most of what i had last time story-wise is the same, though i have a clearer idea of what the family looks like now.

nyra has a younger half sister, angelica (or smth idk), and theyre very close despite the ~4-6 year age gap. her stepdad's been around since before she was born, so hes really just her dad and her sister's just her sister to her. her parents both work in childcare in some capacity; her mom is a social worker and her dad works at a high school, so when moo comes into the picture, malnourished and seemingly frightened of almost everything, theyre all too ready to help.

moo also has an aunt, though for some reason his mom refuses to refer to her as her sister. she didnt even know moo existed until months into the story, and everyone is freaked out at first when she shows up. she quickly grows close to the family, though, and helps out however she can. while moo absolutely considers nyra and her family to be his own "real" family, he also thinks it's nice to have a positive connection to a bio relative.

i also have another set of them 🔥

so isaiah, stephen, and ruth all work in the same building, but completely different sections; isaiah is an engineer, stephen works in accounting, and ruth is a janitor. they end up crossing paths when all three of them end up in the basement at the same time, and everything goes to shit from there.

turns out theres this huge underground research lab underneath the building, but all of the equipment is long abandoned and shut down. there they find an ai, adam, and they instantly have to start running. guess it was abandoned for a reason, though adam seems to disagree.

so the four of them are on the run together, none of them happy about it. adam just kind of drags them along and they have no real choice but to comply. hes trying to get them out of this mess... sort of. hes mostly working towards his own goals, but hes pretty sure if theyre met, the rest of them will be off the hook.

the others dont really know each other, but theyre bound by hatred of This Fucking Guy. also turns out none of them really had a lot going for them before this. isaiah moved away from his home town straight out of high school and never really tried to form any meaningful bonds with anyone afterward. he has 1 friend left from school who tries to encourage him to socialize or at least come home every once in a while. it mostly falls on deaf ears. ruth has lots of friends, but none of them are all that close. her family is... complicated. she loves them and they love her, but they can be difficult, and they dont see each other all that often because of that. she has no problem dating, though it's surprisingly tough to find someone who wants something serious with her. most of stephen's family doesnt talk. he and his sister are close, though she lives in another city. his most consistent relationship at the moment is the random guy he always ends up taking smoke breaks with by accident. he doesnt know his name, but sometimes they talk.

basically none of them are losers per se but theyre definitely not winners. also theres some fucky religious theming there but atm most of it's all just vibes. yk how it is

[khalixvitae]

STOP AGDHHS i forgot i had that fic idea stuffed up the ass of my archives but i thought you might have some more ideas to embellish it, since you have an art history degree (which is pretty fucking neat!), especially about the details of the art they'd produce and just how it influences multiple cultures; kind of a way to show just how adamant they are on having the memory of their lost love live on. my senior year means i won't get to work on it at all but if i do id definitely funnel my attention towards getting the rook cunt hunting scene down good because by god. that man drives me nuts. does he hunt an animal down? does he hunt yuu down? does yuu hunt rook down?? who fucking knows man. all of the above and more.

I am currently chewing the carpet HELLO!!!!

Also before we dive into this: good luck w senior year ::D !!! The last year of any type of schooling is rough, HS or Uni, but I applaud you and know you will do well !!!

So, as for artworks: if RookVil are commissioning, collecting, and creating works from all over the world, I have some suggestions.

1: A MOSAIC FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST AVHHHGHG THEY ARE SO TIME CONSUMING AND ORNATE AND OFTEN MASSIVE, THEY ARE SUCH A COMMITMENT!!! I cannot stress this enough- it is individual pieces of colorful glass arranged PAINSTAKINGLY to create their subject. Historically mosaics have been used for lots of different reasons, but often to showcase wealth and (frequently) religious or sacred subject matter. Mosaics are a SUPER old art form, like dating back to Mesopotamia. But they’ve been found/utilized all over the world, especially in the Mediterranean and Northern Africa. The Romans rlly liked mosaics, and the Byzantines were well known for their super ornate and massive mosaic works.

2: woodblock prints. They’re incredibly beautiful, but also showcase understanding of color and line weight. You have to carve/copper each stamp so the images line up on top of one another to create the correct overall look. Block printing can also be done on textiles like silk, which leaves me with the mental image of silk brocades with multiple block prints/a pattern of either their lost love or one large print of the three of them. Block printing has origins/prominent ties in South and East Asia

3: I fucking love textiles so TAPESTRIES. I genuinely. Need I say more? You get the idea qslsjsodjdu <33 they’re a relatively global art

4: still an art object but more of me being weird, reliquaries. Basically they’re ornate containers meant to hold the relics of (typically) religious figures. Many religions practice the keeping of/pilgrimage to holy relics contained in reliquaries. They were mega popular with Christians for a hot minute, originally in Eastern Christian denominations (Eastern Orthodox and the like) before moving into western Christian churches. France had a lot of them if I’m not mistaken??? Ik that even some of their non religious dignitaries/royalty requested to have reliquaries made from some of their remains. Anyway reliquaries can contain anything affiliated with the person they’re devoted to- hair, teeth, bones, personal belongings, etc. they’re meant to be sacred and often time supremely beautiful. I think it would be especially painful if RookVil had created some kind of reliquary for their lover out of whatever personal items they’d left behind when they vanished.

Those are just some ideas !!!! Now. As for Rook and the hunting.

Thinking about Yuu watching him prepare for a hunt from the upper floors of the castle. The window of their makeshift studio overlooks the wooded area Rook so frequently disappears into. He’s in more casual clothing than they’re used to, so that’s already kind of eye catching. They watch as he sits by the tree line and waxes his bow string, carefully examining all of his equipment with practiced ease and a steady hand. They don’t even realize theyre staring until he looks up, meets their gaze, and waves. Of course Yuu looks away- that’s so embarrassing! Staring at their mysterious new benefactor and getting caught? Watching him from his own home? And of course it had to be Rook, who would be so kind and chatty about the ordeal without fail. When they finally risk a peek, he’s no longer by the tree line. Instead he’s standing on the lawn beneath the window, waving again. It then becomes clear he’s asking them to come down and join him. Can they really say no? Do they want to say no?(Absolutely not).

Cue Rook and his typically chatty disposition, guiding them across the crunching leaves that cover the lawn and towards the edge of the woods (it is autumn in my mind idk why but that makes me even crazier about this scenario). He doesn’t seem to have taken offense to them staring, instead asking if they’re curious about what he’s doing. He seems to think their interest was in his hobby rather than him, which is a relief. The conversation is easy- he seems genuinely excited to talk to someone about his passion. It’s easy to see that this is a longtime practice of his- he has the build for it for sure, which they’re certain of now that they’re up close. They are not sure how it happens, but before they know it he’s offering to teach them how to shoot. Something in them replies affirmatively before their brain can really catch up. And so there they are, caged in between his arms, his hands guiding theirs over the bow. He speaks softly and he smells like the outdoors, and between gentle instructions he makes a joke about how Vil will have his head if he gets their precious artist covered in “forest muck” before dinner. Yuu can practically hear Vil’s voice chiding Rook with that very phrase, and it does make them laugh a little. The huntsman seems pleased that they relax at that- he doesn’t want to scare them off, after all. Even if he could always bring them back (in theory, maybe not in practice) the prospect is vaguely terrifying to him. And so they fire the arrow under Rook’s careful guidance, which he seems absolutely thrilled to pieces about. He’s quick to guide them into the forest then, as if completely forgetting Vil’s imminent displeasure at their little adventure. In that ever jovial tone of his, he says something that almost sounds reverent- that he can’t wait to make them into the hunter they were always born to be.

SORRY I WENT BONKERS BALLS TO THE WALL ALSOSHDUDJ THESE ARE. MY FAVORITE TOPICS ANON. ANYWHO. AFFHHHGGGVHHHH!!!!

[bakafox]

Sorting again through boxes

It's kind of astonishing finding the sorts of things my parents kept that are neat- but aren't things I'm so attached to myself that I want to keep them, especially since I am having to slim down even more useful things.

Mostly stuff from my dad and his family, really.

My dad's HS graduation cap. His first communion certificate and guest book. Survey and tax paperwork for my paternal grandmother's home- she died in the 80's and there's a parking lot there now from what I heard. Random other guest books that I'm not sure if they're for funerals or other communions or what.

Today I found a copy of my paternal grandmother's will. Last week it was the award my dad won for a photo from the San Antonio Light back before I was born.

And of course so many copies of all my school photos- Best I can figure is my parents sent yearly photos to my maternal grandparents as well as keeping some themselves, and then when my grandparents died, all those photos returned to our family and my mom kept them. Even if we already had five copies.

Every mother's day and father's day card I ever made or bought for them.

Some stuff I have to keep, like a large framed photo of my dad while he was still ordained and I imagine was his mother's. But so much of it is like "I love you and treasure your memory but I really don't need this to remember you."

And it feels so weird to throw it out. But like- I don't even know my paternal relatives well other than my dad's remaining brother and sister. I don't imagine any of them would care or want any of this. I'm never going to have kids who will want to know about this, (even if I did have kids they probably wouldn't be too interested in my dad's graduation cap.)

The school photos I can toss way more easily, though I keep one copy of them for some reason- I am not entirely sure why, those were miserable years even if I'm smiling in the picture.

Some family photos found loose also I can feel fine throwing away, like the sibling line-up photo of my mother and her sisters and brother from every family gathering ever. I keep one or two, I don't need all 16-20.

But it always feels weird.

[nerves-nebula]

TW: VRISKCOURSE IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2023

Feel free to ignore

Ding ding the witch is dead (the witch being vriska)

But honestly while I do agree that vriska represents Tumblr better I'm glad she lost because since I read homestuck for the first time 5 years ago I always found her kinda boring?

Like she only becomes interesting when interacting with other characters, like Terezi's whole thing with her, John/June's complicated feelings towards her, the many times she assaulted tavros and how that affected him, her relationship with Meenah (honestly I'd argue that Meenah is more interesting and spend less time with her than vriska, and she's still a dick so trust me the issue here is not unlikeability)

People act like she's the peak of unlikable female characters but she's just a popular girl that bullies others because her mom sucks, I already dealt with plenty of those IRL (especially during the time I first read HS), the machinations of her mind really aren't that complex, the only thing interesting about her is her powers.

Otherwise she's just a plot device

Basically what I'm saying is that there are unlikable female protagonists out there that are more interesting

Then again maybe her making me respond in this way is the point, maybe the point of a Tumblr woman is to make you wonder why anyone finds her interesting but I dunno I only been here for 6 years what do I know?

i mean i think that the way shes mean is why people hated her so much, cause she was mean in a way they found Too Close to real life. she wasn't unlikable the way a fictional character is SUPPOSED to be, she's unlikable the way your worst friend who ruined your life for years was, hah.

i dont really have a horse in this race as far as the Tumblr Culture goes, cause idc that much. but I do have an interesting relationship with her character so I might as well share it here.

I have particular affection towards Vriska because she reminds me A LOT of my older sister. which you might think is a bad thing and it sort of is, but its more complicated than that.

SEE my oldest sister basically had to raise all of us, on top of dealing with some weird emotional incest stuff with our mom (our mom would call her her "little husband" so it wasn't great) and worst of all she had to protect us from our oldest brother who was and still is an incredibly violent and volatile person. so she'd basically get beaten up all the time protecting us, and if my oldest brother was picking on one of us she'd antagonize him to get him to beat her up instead cause she could take it or something.

ANYWAY she's gone through a lot of trauma processing now and I love her and everything she stands for, but she was kind of a cruel kid/teenager. which makes sense, our childhood was a never ending hellscape of fighting and injuries and abuse, especially for her. So she did what she thought it would take to keep us (relatively) safe, including some rather abusive tactics to try to stop us from appearing weak, and she also lashed out cause she was like 13 raising 4 kids and constantly fighting 1 bigger kid

Anddd the thing about Vriska is that she's also a teenager and she's also been abused and she basically doesnt trust anyone else to NOT screw up (which is very much like my oldest sister too, but you cant really fault the controlling nature when everything was so high stakes hah)

soooo fsdfdsfsdfsadfds like,, my oldest sister wasn't a very good person until a bit into her later teens. So I can't really hold Vriska to like a Worst Person Ever standard because to me she doesnt represent a person who was awful to me and who I stopped being friends with or whatever. She's like a child version of my oldest sister, and that child deserved to be cared for instead of thrown into the hell that she was. I would wrap her in a blanket if I didn't think she'd stab me for it or something.

ANYWAY that's what I feel about this fictional character.

plus i love abused characters, what can I say. she was never my favorite but i did always wish the best for her hah.

[rylredrants]

The Clock App & My Father

With the "formerly known as birdy" app burning down, I started exploring the clock app. It felt like a space for lighter, fluffier stuff where I didn't think I could (or should) post anything, but that changed yesterday. A lot changed for me yesterday. It was 5:30am and I'd been at my desk for about half an hour already, preparing a 6am training. My mother messaged me, saying that some "stuff" came up about my biological father's identity and asking if want to talk about it. I'm almost 45 years old, and this was the first time I'd heard the expression "your biological father." Of course, I wanted to talk about it!

She admitted that she cheated on my father with her HS sweetheart and told me exactly when and where I was conceived. His name was familiar to me for several reasons... his family had been a chosen family of sorts when I was a child. His mother was my other Nana, his younger sisters my aunties, and his daughter and I had been connected on FB for several years.

I also knew that he fathered a pregnancy when my mother was 16 and that she was able to legally terminate pre-Roe because of the state laws of the time. I'd told my half-sister that story, and we joked about how we almost had a half-sibling in common.

It turns out that she's known about my paternity since our father passed away over 20 years ago. My aunties have always known. I was THE family secret for over 40 years...

Another kicker here- someone with my bio father's last name popped up on my 23&Me years ago, but it didn't set off any alarm bells. He messaged me 5 years ago saying that he thought we were related, but I didn't see the message until I got back into the account yesterday. He is mutual friends on FB with my aunties, half-sister, and MY MOTHER.

Also, when I looked yesterday, one of my aunties turned up on the same list of DNA relatives, and I think that was the catalyst for my mother's disclosure. In one message, she said she wanted to tell me before I saw it on 23&Me, but when I asked whose profile it was "clearly laid out on," she said she didn't know. She would have taken it to her grave, knowing that my half-sister and aunties knew the truth and would have to tell me.

There are so many layers to all of this that I'm still unpacking.

Growing up, I'd never felt like I belonged in my dad's home. He openly resented me for my resemblance to my mother, and though she said that he had no suspicions about my paternity, I genuinely believe that he felt it. I spent much of my childhood locked in my bedroom, unable to understand or connect with the people raising me... my dad, his parents... I've written about them a lot. And I was right. I didn't belong there. They weren't my people.

Then there's the fundamental genetic and health stuff. My dad and his mother had this awful, papery skin that split open at the slightest touch. She had breast cancer and died after years of cardiac issues, both of which are hereditary.

Due to what I believed to be the family history, I got my first mammogram early and have been obsessed with sunscreen and moisturizer since I was a teenager. As it turns out, I should have been more concerned about my tendency towards high blood pressure since my father died from an aneurysm, and my half-brother has survived two of them to date.

Layers... so I took the dogs out to the porch and filmed my first TikTok last night. Pirate called it "intense" but has been unbelievably supportive. I'm thinking of a series about all the mother-daughter issues in my life. All the things my mother gave me. All the ways I failed my own daughter. How to use my voice... my actual voice and my actual face to express myself after hiding behind the written word all my life.

Maybe I'm just screaming into a different void there. I've still got my account set so only followers can see my content for now. Olive reached out after seeing it but so far she's the only one of the dozen people I know in real life that follow me there. I might open it up later but first, I have to figure out how to make better videos.

I've been told more than once that I've got quite a story, and it just got more interesting... and interesting is my favorite euphemism.

[inkovsky]

19/6/2023

The HSI opened 86 points higher, narrowed its gains to 47 points, hit a low of 19,876, then widened its gains to 327 points, hit a high of 20,155, and closed at 20,040, up 211 points, up 631 points in two days, marking the highest level since May 8. Over 20,000 levels. The HS Tech index closed at 4,233, up 35 points, rising for the sixth day in a row. Turnover soared to more than HK$170 billion , an increase of 44% from the previous day, the most in four and a half months.

The HSI gained 650 points for the whole week and gained 1,293 points for three consecutive weeks. The HS Tech index gained 299 points for the week.

Although the HSI has broken through the 20,000-point mark, it still has a lot of resistance from the 100-DMA (20,163) to the May high of 20,300 points. However, if there is another adjustment, the initial support level is 50-DMA(19,709), and the rising 20-DMA (19,166) has stronger support.

The valuation of Hong Kong stocks is at a relatively low level, and the recent upward trend is mainly due to the successive introduction of mainland policies, including the reduction of the medium-term lending facility (MLF) interest rate and the loan market quotation rate (LPR). Including the relaxation of policies in consumption, infrastructure, and the property market, the market expects that the mainland economy will improve in the third quarter, which has led to a recent rebound in Chinese stocks that had fallen more earlier. Will it be under pressure? The relevant factors may affect the upward momentum of Hong Kong stocks.

After the exchange rate of the RMB against the US dollar fell below the 7 level, global investment banks have lowered their forecasts for the RMB. The RMB has depreciated nearly 4 percent against the dollar so far this year, making it one of the worst-performing Asian currencies, Reuters reported.

European stock markets rose across the board, French stocks closed up 1.34% better performance, British stocks and German stocks rose 0.19% and 0.41%.

The latest consumer inflation expectations in the United States have dropped sharply, but two Fed officials made hawkish remarks again, arguing that the central bank needs to raise interest rates further to deal with high prices. Friday is the "Quadruple witching day" for U.S. stocks, that is, the settlement day for index and individual stock futures and options. About 4.2 trillion US dollars of contracts expire. According to the past, the market conditions on this day are generally more volatile. As a result, U.S. stocks fluctuated on Friday. The market rose first and then fell. After the Dow opened 55 points higher, the increase expanded to 180 points, reaching a high of 34,588, and then fell repeatedly. The S&P once rose 0.51%. The Nasdaq rose 0.59% . All three major indexes closed near their session lows.

The U.S. stock market closed, with the Dow up 108 points to 34,299; the S&P 500 dropped 16 points to 4,409; the Nasdaq dropped 93 points to 13,689 after losing its 6-day winning streak.

In terms of the whole week, the S&P index and the Nasdaq have achieved the best week since March, and the S&P index has risen for 5 consecutive weeks, which is the best since November 2021. The Nasdaq rose for eight straight weeks, its longest winning streak since 2019.

[seirei-bh]

OH! I also thought about this theory! It'd be very interesting if it turns to be true, but yes, the problem is the age of the characters maybe don't seems to fits here. Personally, I see Thomas and Amanda as around 25 while Devon, Roy and Jason could be… between 28-33? Rayan Zaidi in UL was 33, and at least Devon and Jason looks similar in age. Roy maybe could be 2 years younger than Devon, because Devon and Roy could have been besties and go to the same school and HS but not be in the same class (or perhaps Roy just seems younger, but he isn't)

Now, let's try to to calculate this! Mmm the og sucrette and Nath/Castiel/Priya/Hyun are supposed to be 32 in the mclng time skip, or at least that was what someone told me, and Thomas was 6 or 7 years younger than them. About the new sucrette, I guess that depends of the player, (I like to imagine her near my age, so for me my sucrette who is in Jason's route is 28 years old, while my other sucrettes who are in Amanda and Thomas's routes are 26 years old), but at least she should be 25-26 because she was woking to other company during a while before she started to work at Devemenentiel.

Nathaniel in Mcl High School was 16-17 years old. The young man about Nath talks about, who replaced his father as boss, was a prodigy who had just finished college. This means that boss should be at least 21-22 years old when he started to work. Five years more than Nathaniel. So he should be 37 years old in new gen. But Jason is supposed to be the same age than Devon, and they doesn't feel so old as other older characters that appeared in the game, like Eric. So the only option is that Jason should have been a gifted person who would have had to have finished high school and his university career much earlier for this to be true, and therefore have started working at 18. On tone hand, if Jason was 18 at the time, this would fit a lot with the fact that Francis saw in Nathaniel a reflection of that boy, since they would be approximately the same age back then, but on the other hand, Jason being appointed boss at an age so early it seems to me that it would be very strange, unless the former boss was also a relative of him or a friend of someone in his family, like it happened with Viktor, the og sucrette's crush that appears in the manga and was also boss of his own company at 18 because of an herency of his father.

As for the suit, maybe is because that theory, or maybe they both just shop at the same store. Besides, we don't know what kind of company Francis was working on, but I think it wasn't about events, it was something about logistic, unless that was his departement inside the events company, I have no idea about how this works inside companies, sorry XD

By the way, as a separate topic, I don't know if my memory is wrong here, but didn't Nathaniel mention in UL that his father, before ending up in prison, was fired from his company because they found out about the abuse he was doing to his son? I mention it because it would be wonderful if it had been Jason who fired Francis in this case, it would be a reason to applaud him.

In conclusion, I think it would be a somewhat far-fetched theory due to the age of the characters and how some other little things don't quite fit together, but it's not impossible either if Jason started to work very early, and it could be very interesting for some sub-plot or crossover with the og characters if it were true. Let's hope that if in the future we get more information about Jason Devon and the ages of the characters, all of that can clarify this issue for us.

Jason + Age Theory

I need to share with you guys a theory that I saw on the French forum

This person is theorizing that Jason may be the young progedy who took Nath's dad promotion.

They are pointing out the fact that he's dress just like him, suit + blue tie

If it's true, it makes me wonder what is the age gap between us and Jason (and the rest of the crush)

Because Jason would have to be older than OG Candy to take the job, but not by too much to be seeing as a young prodigy

And New Candy is probably younger than Og, but since I'm guessing that Thomas is the youngest in the office, she could be older than him.

And Devon is so weird to me. Because Roy looks younger than him, but they are childhood friends, but Jason is his rival, so he mustn't be far in age from him too??

But it's hard for me to picture all 3 of them as the same age???

[polygondotcomvideoproducer]

hwats the discourse around capricorn troll

Well the problem is that he's simply Cloun

[kashimos-hajime]

gold dripping down your wrist (2/8) | r.b.

summary: His breath flutters against your skin, and you wonder if he feels your heart tripping over in your chest. Or, despite every instinct telling him to run, Reiner gives in.

WARNINGS: ptsd nightmares, swearing, slight angst, otherwise,,, hmmm relatively unscathing besides a whole lot of yearning. dont worry next chapters will be sad as hell! pairing: reiner braun x fem!reader word count: 5.4k

a/n: hehehe biting my lip like a chad for isabel ( @luciilferss​ )

masterlist

crossposted on ao3 x

Shooting up in a silent scream, your hand flies to your neck as the last remnants of your nightmare dissipate. Breath coming in sharp, rapid inhales, you glance around the barracks and find no one else awake. Soft snores fill the room, and you shake your head to yourself, rubbing at your eyes.

No good to fall back asleep, now. 

Your entire body covered in cold sweat, you pluck at the front of your shirt, fanning yourself out as you swing your legs off the bed. A chill travels up your pants and through the holes of your shirt as you glance out the windows. Lunar light is streaming through but the moon itself is already fading. You get up, meandering over to the windows to look out. Some of the Scouts are on guard duty, as always, but other than that—tranquility.

So weird to think they have that when outside the walls, it’s a lawless land. 

Leaning forward, you move until your nose nearly touches the glass, and someone else in the room shifts with a grunt. You look over your shoulder, trying to decipher the shadows when a rough voice calls out right next to you. 

“Creampie?”

Slapping a hand over your mouth so you don’t scream, you look down. Reiner.

“What are you doing up?”

“Did I wake you?” you question warily, and he leans into the moonlight, squinting at you as he rubs at his face. Shaking his head briefly, he studies you with a narrowed glare and you almost want to shift back into the shadows at the perpetually annoyed expression on his face but you’ve learned that he just looks like that. “You can go back to sleep.”

“Are you cold? You look like you’re shivering.”

“No, I’m okay.” Liar. You think even your bones are chattering. 

He sits up, tossing his blanket off. “I can get you another blanket from the supply closet,” he mutters wearily. Standing, he pushes himself up and nearly into your personal space but he stops right in front of you, placing a hand on your shoulder. “C’mon. Back to bed.” He flashes a quick smile before brushing past you and words bubble inside your throat as you turn to watch him sink back into the darkness.

You whisper after him: “I had a nightmare about Marco.”

It is all it takes to make Reiner freeze. He turns around immediately, and you see his eyes before anything else. Wide with guilt, with grief. You lower your own head in shame.

“I’m sorry. I know I should try to move on, but he died all alone. It’s all I can think about. He must’ve been so scared” Keeping your tone as quiet as you can, you turn your face back to the night as he returns to your side. You stare at the stars and point absently at the one twinkling down at them both. “This older kid at the farm used to tell me all that every new star is another soul joining the heavens. Do you think…” Your arm falters and a weak sigh pushes past your lips as Reiner catches your falling hand in his own. You feel the calluses on his palms against your fingers as you swallow tightly. “Maybe that one is Marco?”

Your fingers interlace with Reiner’s as he wraps an arm around your waist, and you let him pull you towards him as he presses a rough kiss against your brow. The motion makes your entire being freeze in motion as he sighs, lowering his head. His breath flutters against your skin, and you wonder if he feels your heart tripping over in your chest. The tip of his nose brushes along your forehead, before he lets go of your hand, and you feel like ice digs into the fingers when his heat leaves. His arm around your waist falls and your head ducks.

The moment’s passed.

“That’s a good way to see it.” Stepping away, you watch his figure slouch, the way his shoulders cave in, and you can’t help the next words that come out. 

“I miss him. All the time. Him. And Thomas. Mina. Like they’re watching me on my shoulders, weighing me down. I can’t see them,” you continue, “but I feel them. All the time. I’m doing everything wrong and I’m letting them down.”

“Hey, don’t think like that,” he commands sternly, eyes flashing up to meet yours. It’s chilling, how much you’re inclined to believe him, but you don’t even nod as he grasps your shoulder. “You did what you could, alright? You just keep going, one foot in front of the other. You were one of the best in our class.” 

“I wasn’t even top ten,” you snort.

“Grades doesn’t make a soldier. Annie should’ve told you that it was all bullshit,” he says and you wince to yourself, lips pressing together You know he’s partially right, but you don’t have the strength to argue the rest. Guiding you back to bed, Reiner gently pushes you back down onto the cot and you fall back, lacing your fingers over your stomach. 

Craning your head up at Reiner, you look at him looming over you, silhouette outlined in silver. He stares down at you, his expression shrouded, and you wonder what he’s thinking in that mind of his.

Your hand lifts from your stomach, and taps on the open space beside you. A soft thump-thump, like your pulse, like an invitation. 

He turns away to glance back at the bed, and the moonlight hits his pale face blindingly. Squinting, you try to discern what emotion plays at his face as a sinking sensation begins to drag at your insides.

He’s going to walk away, a voice inside crows. Who do you think you are? Seducing the guy you have a crush on? As if.

You want to take it back. Excuse it as a moment of weakness. A brief, Can we forget I just did that? They could just move on with their lives knowing some lines are better left uncrossed.

But then, there is a weak: “This one time, alright?” 

Every word turns to dust in your mouth.

He turns back to you before you can respond and crawls into the space next to your own. Your heart lurches in your chest as he settles beside you with a silent groan.

He lifts an arm and you scoot closer, your head resting on his shoulder. Ear pressing into his chest, the soft thunder of his heart fills your entire body as he pulls you tight. Glancing up at him, you watch as his eyes slide shut tightly.

Your own face crumples and you bury it in his chest. “She’d say,” you continue on quietly, “that the the brightest stars were the fiercest warriors.” He stiffens as you twist the fabric of his shirt in a tight fist and your stomach twists as you try to find the words. The shadows are closing in on you, and you can only anchor yourself to the arm swathed around you as you whisper his name. “I was pretty much all alone after she left to find work a few years back. It’s part of why I joined the corps, but I heard she’s back there, now, and—”

“Don’t. Don’t tell me.”

What? 

Head jerking up to look at him, you meet a strong jaw clenching in a sharp scowl. His hand on your arm traces smooth circles and a drowsiness begins to flood your senses as he lets out a soft groan, rolling onto his side and pulling you flush against his chest. A leg slipping between his, you tilt into his chest as his arm wraps around your waist and it’s so tight you can barely breathe. Your arms crushed between their chests, your fingers twist the collar of his shirt and your nose brushes his chin when you shift against him.

“It just makes all this harder,” he explains hoarsely. 

A heat blooms in the small distance between their bodies as you nod. You understand. 

The wooden bedframe creaks beneath their weight as the hand on your back migrates to your shoulder blade and he buries his face in the plane of your shoulder. The searing skin of his temple against your jaw and your stomach in knots, you nuzzle yourself closer.

“I really am sorry for waking you,” you whisper, freeing your arms so you can loop them around his neck, thread your fingers in his hair but he doesn’t acknowledge your words. Their every breath is shared, and you swear their hearts are touching through the thin walls of their skin and sinew.

A gentle wave crashes over you when he hooks his fingers onto your shoulder, so unbearably close that you wish he’d either come closer or push himself away. You want to sink into his chest, hold onto him for the rest of the night as your eyes begin to flutter shut. His arms tightening around you, you think for a moment, you can finally relax. He’s just so warm.

“I know since Annie joined the MPs, there’s a sort of emptiness in you. You miss her. I get that.” Reiner lifts his head, arms withdrawing a bit. “I’m okay with you using me to fill whatever space she used to, but I can’t—” You hear a soft inhale above and you look up. You wonder if he can feel your racing heart under his palm. He’s already looking at you, and when your eyebrows rise in silent question, he shakes his head and looks away, lips curling into a scowl you barely see in the darkness. “I can’t.”

You can’t what, Reiner? Why won’t you look at me?

Then, he shivers, eyes shutting tight as he ducks his head again, and his cheek presses against your temple. Your eyes widen when his arms seem to pull you infinitely closer. “Shit.” More softly to himself: “Never mind. I’ve gotta go back to my bunk.” His breath is warm against your skin. A shudder shoots through you. “I can’t sleep in your bed.” A squeeze of your waist. Your leg slides against his thighs and he only hugs you tighter. “This isn’t right. I shouldn’t—”

“I’ll let go in a minute,” you tell him softly. 

Hs hand flattens along the top of your spine, spreading as if he’s afraid you’ll disappear if he doesn’t catch you. Cradling your head, his hand burns your skin.

When you wake up, it is alone to a mattress underneath your back, but Reiner waits until everyone leaves the room before he kisses your cheek good morning. It’s a one-time occurence, you know, but still, it’s nice.

.

Walking towards the edge of the internment zone, Reiner spots the newspaper cart milling with people, no doubt buying the new papers relaying the Marleyan victory in Fort Slava. The crowd is cheering to one another and his hands roll into fists as the line shifts forward. Meandering nearer, he can’t help but think of Paradis.

It was nothing like the hell they’d described. There were just tall walls, and people. Sure, they were behind a couple of years, technology wise, but they were relatively the same.

One thing that’s different though, was that there had never been the need for papers within the Walls. And if there was news to relay, you would come with the fresh news from Section Commander Miche, or Captain Levi. He’d always read your face as you gave the news—if your eyes still had a spark in them, that meant it had to have a hint of good news.

And you had been so relieved once you reached Utgard Castle you had hugged him so tight that he couldn’t breathe when he caught those eyes glimmering in the dawn. He remembers holding you tight against him with his ‘uninjured’ arm and the way you had just…

You had gone to him first. Not Bertholdt, not Connie.

Him.

And he had gone to you first, when he had seen you swaying in your seat atop a horse who hung his head low. He couldn’t even remember anything else, except seeing you and breaking away from his group, galloping towards you and Bertholdt. You were bloody, a corpse sitting up—his entire body had felt his heart drop into the depths of his stomach, the seizing in his gut. Even after he had thrown your confession into the dirt, stepped on it, told you it couldn’t be—he had betrayed that all in an instant seeing you with Death’s hand on your shoulder.

Shit.

He used to be so much stronger. How else could he still let you go for a mission that’s brought him nothing but ghosts?

“Excuse me.” The words pull out of his mouth as soon as he feels someone collide with his arm. Something falls and his hand shoots out to catch it before it can crash to the ground, his other hand grasping onto their bicep. Paper crunches and he straightens up, immediately finding who he bumped into. Purple hat shrouding a ducked head, she doesn’t look at him, frozen in space. You, he thinks dazedly. You again. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” he continues quietly. “Are you alright?”

A short nod, and then she breaks off, clamping a hand over a plum sleeve where a white armband rests, taking off past him, back deeper into the interment zone. Reiner glances down at his fist, at the paper still clutched tight in his own fist, and his head shoots back up to search for the figure.

Gone. Shit. How did they even disappear so quickly? The road behind him stretches for a distance that would take more than two damn seconds to cross.

Fitting a palm to his brow, Reiner’s expression tightens as he looks down at the paper and he sighs, whipping it open to the sight of their so-called victory.

He’s seeing things. He’s… he’s just tired, and tormented. That’s all. Even the letters of the paper look a bit strange to his straining eyes, and he sighs, lifting his head again to look at the empty road behind him.

.

“This is really crunchy,” you mumble. Krista smiles, pleased. Swinging the axe you’d been using to chop wood into the stump, you swallow and set a hand on her blonde head, rubbing it fondly before taking another bite. “Where’d you get this? We haven’t gone to town this week.”

“Bertholdt, Connie, Sasha and Armin went to go pick some fruits surrounding headquarters while Eren trains. I thought I’d bring some back for you gys.”

“That’s nice.” You grin, taking another bite and letting out a noise of surprise when juice dribbles down your wrist. Good thing your sleeves are rolled up. “You should take one to Captain Levi. I think apples are his favourite.”

“How do you know that?”

“Who doesn’t like apples?” 

Krista shrugs as another shape lumbers over to you.

“What’s going on over here?”

“Reiner, catch.” You grab an apple from Krista’s basket and fling it at the guy who catches it easily with a grin. Taking a bite, his eyebrows rise and you laugh as a delighted expression spreads over his face. “Good, right?”

He nods. His whole body is coated in a fine layer of sweat, the evidence of his labour staining the front of his shirt as he stops next to you. Your heart stutters at the heat radiating off his skin as he looks at Krista. His shoulders rise and fall with his breath, and you swallow to yourself, taking another bite of your apple so you have an excuse to keep your mouth shut.

“You should bring some to Eren and the others,” he suggests. “They’ve been working hard.”

“I will.” Smiling charmingly, the blonde girl adds that there’ll be some left in the mess hall later and waves, departing. You watch her go with another crunch of your apple and you let out a small sound when golden juice dribbles down your wrist. Without thinking, you lift your arm to your mouth, sucking the trail off before it can continue down to your elbow. Something burns into your cheek, and you turn your head.

Catching Reiner staring at you, a mortified feeling strikes through you and you let out a choked sound, dropping your hand. Averting your eyes, you stammer, “Sorry. Habit. Not used to people watching me eat. Mostly ate during work hours back home, so…”

His lips pull into a flustered smile. “N-No. That’s fine. You worked on a farm, right?”

“Yeah. With other orphan kids.” It was so lonely. You look up at him bashfully and he rubs the back of his neck with a hand as he bites into his apple. Unable to help the pleased tone seeping into your voice, you say, “You remembered.”

“Of course I did. You mentioned it,” he replies, waving it away, looking away. His face is red, and you squint against the sun. “You said there was an older kid there. Talked about the stars.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she was like family. Until I joined the corps and met you, Bertholdt, and Annie, that is. You guys just… I dunno.” You rub your elbow, smiling at him. “Times like these make me miss Annie. She’s a better friend than everyone gives her credit for, y’know? We always said when the time came we would work together in the MPs.”

“Uh-huh.” Reiner looks away, eyebrows furrowed together. “It’s getting hot.”

“Yeah.” Your brow crinkles but you let his diversion slide. “We should take a break.” You gesture to the shade nearby and he takes the lead, heading over to collapse against a tree. You rotate the apple between your fingers, you take another bite, nose wrinkling as a wind sweeps against your face.

They continue to eat in silence, not much to be sad. Your heart begins to slow, even as Reiner shifts closer, one of his knees bent, the other crooked flat on the cool grass. Smiling to yourself, you just watch the sun touch everything you can see, and in times like this, of absolute nothingness, you can finally remember how beautiful the world is. 

The sky is blue enough to drown in, the clouds are infinitely fluffy, and the grass gleams white underneath the heat. Even if you’re sweating your skin off, the wind is cold like a kiss, and you feel a delighted shiver course through you.

“It’s so beautiful,” you sigh. “The world. I wish we could see more of it, but what we have here… I think I take it for granted. How truly perfect it all is.”

“Yeah.” His voice rasps against your ear and you inhale the summer wind deeply once again, feeling it fill up your entire chest. “I think I do, too.”

Looking at Reiner, your lips part in a response before rough fingers cradle your chin and tug you forward. Apple core falling to the ground, your arms crumple against a strong body and you barely resist holding him with your sticky hands as a mouth presses against yours. Body melting against his own, your stomach flutters and you let out a soft moan as his hand travelled along your chin to cup your face, thumb stroking your cheek. His other hand rests on your knee and your eyes slide close as a tongue traces the seam of your lips, dips in tentatively. Arm wrapping around his neck, you pull him in deeper by the crook of your elbow and sigh into his mouth.

The soft warmth floods your entire body, cools you down somehow, and you swear you can’t feel the ground beneath your legs. Hours seem to pass—the gust caresses your sweaty skin, the leaves seem to chime. 

It’s idyllic. 

It’s perfect.

It’s only a few beats more before he draws back sweetly, hand falling away from your face and he searches your expression.

“You, uh, missed a spot,” he whispers hoarsely, clearing his throat and drawing back. Smiling dopily to yourself, you wipe at your mouth with the back of your hand but not even that can erase the tingling sensation spreading through your face. Looking into your lap, you chew on your bottom lip, trying to prevent the ginormous smile from spreading while he leans back against the tree, looking out into the distance.

“Hey!” Heads jerking up, the two Scouts spot Ymir glaring at them by the entrance to the headquarters. “Didn’t know some of us were having a day off!”

Mikasa carries a near-passed out Eren into the building while Section Commander Hange and Section Commander Miche wave them, gesturing for them to come back in. You sit up straighter and Reiner lets out a displeased grunt as you tear up some grass by your leg.

“Get that wood and get back in here,” Miche calls. “That’s more than enough for the week.” You find yourself nodding as Reiner pushes himself to his feet and you look up as he walks back into the sun. Their superiors head in, but Ymir lingers, watching them, and you stare back until she seems to let go of her crossed arms, shake her head, and turn back inside.

You blink. Scrambling after Reiner, you catch up with him and wait to see if he’ll see anything. When he only steps towards your pile of firewood and slings the frame to hold bundles of firewood in onto his back, your hand shoots out before you can stop yourself.

He stiffens at your touch.

“Shouldn’t we talk about what just happened?” you ask quietly, a swirling sensation swimming in your chest. Confusion tinted everything as Reiner pauses, glancing at you out of the corner of your eye. “We… kissed just now.”

He ducks his head, lips curling back in a grimace. “Yeah. We did.”

Pangs hitting your chest, you take a step away from him as he bends down to collect the firewood. The sun’s already beating down on the back of your neck as you glance at the pile of wood. “Do you not like me?” 

“What?” He freezes mid-way through grabbing another bundle and you busy yourself with slinging your own carrier onto your back. Your body is burning, and it’s not because of the sun.

“I like you, Reiner, but… if you don’t like me, then I’m okay with pretending that never happened.”

“Of course I like you. You’re a great friend and soldier and—”

You shoot him a furtive look before putting it bluntly: “I like you in the way that I want you to kiss me like that all the time.”

The silence that follows will haunt you for the rest of your life. Your heart pounds in your skull, echoing like the sound of death drums before his shoulders slouch forward and he sighs heavily. You stand upright, head tilting and he grabs the back of your neck and pulls you towards him.

This time, it’s almost devouring the way he kisses you—messy, and warm, and his thumb brushes the underside of his jaw as you bend into his chest, your hands fisted, twisting his shirt at his waist tightly and you barely hear the words he murmurs into your mouth over the pounding of your heart.

“You’re so pretty—“

Panting, he kisses you again and again as you crumple in his arms and you can’t help the stupid smile on your face as you kiss him back, quick punches that last an eternity until they rip themselves off each other. More, Reiner stumbles back, and you tear yourself off of him, just so they remember how to breathe.

Your lungs scrambling for air, your fingers press against your mouth as your gaze falls to the firewood, and Reiner’s heavy breathing can be heard just a few feet away as he falls to his hands and knees. Watching him, your heart cracks into pieces, and there’s a sinking sensation in your stomach. 

Reality slams into you like a fucking horse.

“We shouldn’t,” he whispers hoarsely, fingers digging into the dirt. Your eyes wrench to him and he looks up at you harrowingly. “We’re soldiers. We shouldn’t. We could die tomorrow, next week on that expedition even, and this would be for nothing.”

Falling to your knees, you glance down at the dirt. “I like you.”

“You shouldn’t.” 

You clench your jaw. Your gut cramps as you stare blankly at the grass. “So… what now?” you ask, chest lurching. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know. I just…” A harsh swallow. Your breath burns in your chest. A strange pain stitches into your ribs. “We should stay friends.” Everything inside you drains, and you nod, eyes not rising. Your lips still tingle with the sensation of his mouth against your own, and you swallow the hard knot in your throat, but it only lands like a boulder in your stomach. “It’ll hurt less.”

I don’t think it will, you want to argue. I’ll still want you just as much as I do now.

But you don’t say any of that aloud. 

Instead, you try to make it sound joking as you murmur, “You’re the worst.” You flash him a quick smile that you hope dulls the edge of your words, but he merely looks at you numbly.

For a moment, Reiner’s hard frown slips into something more fragile, and he turns away with a hard swallow, whispering out a soft, “I know,” as he gets to his feet and gathers the rest of the firewood. Once his load is on his back, he half-turns to you and he looks at your hands rather than your face. “I’ll see you at the meeting.”

You wait until you can’t hear his soft footsteps cushioned by the grass until you pull yourself together. Lifting your face to the sun, wind chases away the heat clouding your cheeks, and soothes the swollen skin around your eyes.

Grabbing the wood, you rub at your face with the back of your hand and when you get back inside, Connie doesn’t seem to notice anything wrong.

.

Reiner pays the vendor and looks at his cousin, smiling uneasily as she bites into the sandwich. He wouldn’t have much more for the day if they kept going at the pace they’re going, and although he doesn’t mind (not that he could say no) a part of him just wishes he could go home. But Mom had insisted so Gabi could have some supervision and that he needed to get out, she wasn’t getting any younger and he’s so glum! 

“You need to find a nice girl, Reiner.”

He doesn’t know what about his appearance when his mom walked into his bedroom screamed romance, but apparently it was what she read between a soaked shirt and wide eyes and pale skin. 

He’d woken up in a cold sweat, as he does most days, but this time it’d been haunting.

Because it wasn’t flashes of blood, screams, the glint of metal underneath the grey sun. There was no yellow lightning, no deafening crashes.

It was almost like it wasn’t a dream. Trost had been so real, alive around them as you paid for the honeycomb and as you snuck a bite while you thought he wasn’t looking, he remembered…

The way his heart fluttered, the way he couldn’t stop looking you. There was not a moment he remembers your hand was far from his, when their elbows did not brush, when they left each other for a moment. When did he ever stop thinking about your hands, your laugh, the way you could send him into a flurry thinking what every other word you said meant?

“Reiner? You coming?”

Blinking, he looks over his shoulder to see the others already moving on. Pieck lingers near the back of the group, tilting her head at him and he clears his throat, pocketing his wallet and walking towards her.

He never meant for this. You were never meant to be more important than him than breathing. How does he carve away the prints you’ve left on his lips and eyes? Does he even want to? It’s hard to decide. 

Sometimes, he wants to scratch you out of his brain just so you can stop laughing at him. Other times, he wishes he could dig inside his skull and put the memories together in a collage the shape of you just so he has someone to talk to.

“This is so good!” Gabi cries out as Porco sets a hand on her head and Reiner suppresses the smallest smile teasing at his mouth, but it feels tired, and he lets the urge melt away easily. Walking after them slowly, he watches the festival around them, so loud with clowns and buskers and people just talking to one another that it makes his head pound.

His legs feel like they’re about to give up, and his head is heavy as he trails after them. 

“Eat slower,” Pieck censures as they migrate through a thicker crowd, “or you’ll get a stomach ache.”

“They might get a stomach ache either way,” Galliard teases. “Do you see how the slobs are eating?” Walking against the tide, Reiner makes sure he doesn’t knock anyone over going too fast in the opposite direction. The energy would be electric if he didn’t feel so bone-tired. Sun warming his face, Reiner lifts his chin to the sky just as the sound of someone’s voice teases his ear range and his head snaps to the sound, eyes widening.

Stopping in his tracks, he searches for the source and his eyes fixate on the same woman in the purple coat. His mouth opens on its own accord and his eyebrows furrow together as she pays the vendor. He tracks her figure with a quick sweep before turning away to make sure he isn’t trailing too far behind the others.

When he glances back, she’s gone.

Fucking ghost.

He shivers, catching up with the group.

“You’ve got something on your mind,” Pieck observes as he empties out his wallet for the last food stall of the afternoon. They’d just finished their slices of something the man had called pizza, and Gabi had insisted on dessert to finish the day. Explains why he’s standing in front of a portly woman who insists on the kids picking which tart they want.

“It’s fine, Pieck,” he assures, closing his wallet and slipping it back into his pocket, significantly lighter than this morning as Falco grabs a pastry glazed with honey and Reiner’s heart seizes in his chest at the golden sugar glistening in the warm sunlight. “They’re growing kids.”

“I don’t think it’s your wallet that’s the problem,” she says. Galliard grabs a tart with flecks of rose petals within the filling and glances over at the two and Reiner arches an eyebrow at the strangled expression on the guy’s face.

Weird, he muses to himself when Porco grabs another tart and begins to walk over to them.

“You seem a bit lost. Did something happen earlier?” Pieck probes. Reiner sighs, crossing his arms, watching the Candidates switch tarts so they can try all the flavours. It’s so effortlessly… innocent, in a sense, in that gesture. Shit, when’s the last time he ever felt like that?

Gold dripping down your wrist… “I can see you eating the honeycomb, you know?”

God, did he want to kiss you then.

“Nothing happened.”

Pieck frowns, but doesn’t argue it further as Porco finally reaches them.

“Which one do you want, Pieck?” he asks, not waiting for an answer before shoving the rose tart into Pieck’s hands. She smiles fondly, reaching forward to flick Porco’s forehead. Reiner rolls his eyes. “The lady said it’s a popular flavour with… the ladies.”

“Thank you, Pock.” She takes a big bite, the sugar glistening her lips and Reiner’s watching Porco’s face which only opens at the pure delight on their pretty little colleague. Mouth snapping shut, Galliard looks away as if that’ll help the faint redness of his ears, and Reiner shakes his head. He chews on his cheek to prevent the soft smirk edging onto his face before he claps Pieck on the shoulder and heads towards the kids. 

Behind him, he hears a laugh that could only be Pieck’s followed by grumbling and harsh hushing that could only be Galliard’s.

When he glances over his shoulder, he swears he must’ve imagined Porco kissing the corner of Pieck’s mouth, sugary syrup on his lips, too.