#Air Canada Business Class Deals

[marattsirelson]

Family Flying Air Canada Questions Decision Not to Divert in Medical Situation

Family Flying Air Canada Questions Decision Not to Divert in Medical Situation https://ift.tt/WrvwY06   CBC News reports the flyer ultimately died shortly after arriving at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL).   Family Says Flyer Got Sick Several Hours in Flight; Claim Pilots Did Very Little According to Shanu Pande’s story, she was traveling with her father, 83-year-old Harish Pant, from Dehli Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Montreal after he earned Canadian permanent residence. Once the flight got airborne, she says the elation quickly turned to tragedy.   Seven hours into the trip, Pande says her father began developing severe illness symptoms. His conditions included chest and back pain, vomiting, and the inability to stand up. Pande says she “pleaded” with the pilots to divert the flight due to the medical emergency.   However, the flight continued towards its final destination. The family says the crew wheeled the man to a restroom to clean up, allowed him to move to business class to lie flat, and asked anyone with medical training to see a flight attendant for help. Nobody answered the call for assistance. Upon arrival in Montreal, paramedics met the flight and attempted to help Pant. The flyer died shortly after landing.   The family claims Air Canada made the wrong decision, and that the flight should not have continued because his condition was life threatening. In a statement to CBC News, the airline says their pilots and crew followed the airline’s policies correctly.   “We can confirm that throughout the flight Air Canada’s crew properly followed the procedures for dealing with onboard medical emergencies and provided continuous care for the passenger, including relocating him to the business cabin so he could fully recline,” said Peter Fitzpatrick with Air Canada Corporate Communications in the statement to CBC News. “It is important to note that based on careful consultation with the ground-to-air medical team, diversion was not recommended.”   The statement also notes that the airline diverts flights for emergencies an average of 40 times per year.  The family tells CBC News that they plan to pursue legal action against Air Canada over the incident.   Share your thoughts about the incident – and how it should have been handled – on the FlyerTalk Forums. via FlyerTalk – The world's most popular frequent flyer community https://ift.tt/9NotYM4 November 06, 2023 at 04:13PM

[computer-learning-dscs]

Skillfully Manage Your Flight Bookings with Delta and United Airlines

Air travel plays a pivotal role in our lives, going beyond simple transportation from one point to another for the majority of travelers. It encompasses a holistic experience that commences with the meticulous booking of flights, selecting preferred seats, and ensuring every detail aligns to create an ideal journey. This significance is heightened when dealing with renowned airlines such as Delta, United, Southwest, Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue—each offering unique services and procedures that demand strategic navigation.

This comprehensive guide is focused on Delta and United, the key players in North American air travel, serving thousands of travelers daily across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our objective is to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of their flight booking, change, and cancellation processes, empowering you to navigate their systems with proficiency.

GRASPING FARE CLASSES AND THEIR ADVANTAGES

Basic Economy: Representing the most budget-friendly fare class, it typically comes with strict restrictions, including no free seat selection, no alterations or cancellations, and limited overhead bin space.

Main Cabin/Economy: Offering more benefits than Basic Economy, this fare class includes seat selection, complimentary snacks, and the opportunity to accrue miles or points for frequent flyer programs.

Premium Economy: Advancing from the Main Cabin, Premium Economy provides additional amenities such as more spacious seating, enhanced meal service, and priority boarding.

First/Business Class: Occupying the highest tier of the fare hierarchy, travelers can expect luxuries like lie-flat seats, gourmet meals, priority boarding, and access to airport lounges.

CHOOSING THE IDEAL FLIGHT AND SEAT

Nonstop or Connecting Flights: Decide between a nonstop flight for a quicker journey or a connecting flight, allowing for a possible layover in a city on your wish list.

Flexible Travel Dates: If feasible, maintain flexibility with travel dates to discover better deals and options in terms of fare, seat availability, and preferred travel times.

Online Seat Maps: Utilize online tools like Delta and United seat maps or SeatGuru to identify optimal seats based on legroom, proximity to exits, or other personal preferences.

Special Requests: For specific seating requirements due to disabilities or other needs, directly contact the airlines or communicate your requirements during the booking process.

SECURING OPTIMAL DEALS AND BOOKING FLIGHTS

Book Early: Airline ticket prices tend to rise as the departure date approaches. Aim to secure your flight at least six to eight weeks in advance for domestic travel and even earlier for international destinations.

Subscribe to Fare Alerts: Enlist in fare alerts from travel websites or airlines like Delta and United to stay informed about the latest deals, discounts, and fare reductions.

Leverage Airline Credit Card Offers: Investigate co-branded credit cards from airlines, offering benefits like discounts, waived baggage fees, and priority boarding for additional savings.

Bundle Your Booking: Consider bundling your flight with hotel accommodations and car rentals for package deals that could ultimately result in cost savings.

NAVIGATING CANCELLATION AND CHANGE POLICIES

24-Hour Cancellation Rule: In compliance with the law, airlines servicing the United States must provide a 24-hour cancellation or change option without penalties, facilitating necessary adjustments to your booking.

Waivers for Major Life Events: Some airlines may waive change fees and penalties for significant life events like deaths, severe illnesses, or natural disasters. Review the airlines' policies and contact their customer service for more information.

Fare Class Restrictions: Lower fare classes, such as Basic Economy, might have stricter cancellation and change policies than premium fare classes. Review these policies before booking or making modifications.

Change or Cancellation Fees: Understand airlines' fee structures for changes or cancellations beyond the 24-hour grace period. Fees may vary based on fare class, destination, or other factors.

UTILIZING FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS

Enroll in the Airlines' Loyalty Programs: Sign up for Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus to earn miles or points for eligible flights and enjoy exclusive member benefits.

Earn Status Tiers: Through consistent travel with the same airline or alliance, earn elite status, unlocking additional perks like priority boarding, baggage waivers, and access to airport lounges.

Redeem Miles for Travel: Utilize accumulated miles or points to book flights, upgrade your seat, or for other travel-related rewards such as hotel stays or car rentals.

Partner Airlines: Both Delta and United are part of major airline alliances (SkyTeam Alliance and Star Alliance, respectively). Earn and redeem miles or points across partner airlines for added flexibility.

CONCLUSION

Navigating the complexities of flight bookings with major airlines like Delta and United may seem daunting, but armed with this comprehensive guide, you'll be well-prepared to manage your bookings and optimize your travel experience. Understanding fare classes, selecting the right flight and seat, securing the best deal, navigating cancellation and change policies, and leveraging frequent flyer programs will enable you to streamline your travels while minimizing stress.

We specialize in Delta Airlines reservations, Delta Airlines booking, United Airlines reservations, and United Airlines booking, ensuring 100% affordability for your international flights.

At Flybookie, we are committed to simplifying, enhancing, and making travel more budget-friendly for all.

With our insight and guidance, each step of the process becomes manageable, making air travel booking a stress-free experience. Wishing you happy travels, and let Flybookie be your trusted partner in your future voyages.

[traveltoflight]

Affordable Luxury: How to Score Business Class Deals from India to Canada

Dreaming of traveling in style from India to Canada without breaking the bank? You're not alone. Business Class offers luxurious comfort, better meals, and personalized service, making your long-haul flight an enjoyable experience. While Business Class tickets are typically pricey, there are ways to find great deals and experience the lap of luxury without emptying your wallet. In this guide, we'll explore how to score affordable Business Class deals on flights from India to Canada, ensuring you have a comfortable and cost-effective journey.

1. Book in Advance

One of the key strategies for securing affordable Business Class deals is booking your flight well in advance. Airlines often release discounted Business Class seats when they first become available. By planning your trip ahead of time and monitoring ticket releases, you increase your chances of finding deals.

2. Sign Up for Fare Alerts

Fare alerts can be your best friend when hunting for Business Class deals. Set up alerts on airline websites, travel apps, or fare tracking services, and you'll receive notifications when discounted Business Class fares from India to Canada become available.

3. Utilize Miles and Points

If you're part of a frequent flyer program or have credit card points, it's time to put them to good use. Many airlines offer the option to upgrade to Business Class using miles or points. Accumulate them with your preferred airline and take advantage of this cost-effective luxury.

4. Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates

Flexibility can significantly affect the price of Business Class tickets. If your travel dates are flexible, consider flying during off-peak seasons or on weekdays, as these flights are often more budget-friendly. Fare comparison websites can help you find the most affordable options.

5. Keep an Eye on Promotions

Airlines frequently run promotions, sales, and flash deals. Follow airlines and travel deal websites on social media to stay updated on these discounts. Flash sales often come with short notice, so be ready to book quickly.

6. Consider Layovers

While non-stop flights are convenient, they tend to be more expensive. Opting for flights with layovers can result in significant savings. Although layovers may extend your travel time, the opportunity to fly in Business Class makes it worthwhile.

7. Search for One-Way Tickets

Business Class one-way tickets can sometimes be more budget-friendly than round-trip tickets. Compare the prices of both one-way and round-trip options to see which offers the best deal for your specific travel plans.

8. Upgrade at the Airport

Some airlines offer the possibility of upgrading to Business Class at the airport for a fraction of the regular fare. While this isn't guaranteed, it's worth asking about at the check-in counter, especially if Business Class seats are still available.

9. Mix Airlines and Alliances

Consider mixing airlines or airline alliances for your trip. This can provide cost savings, as different airlines and alliances may offer better deals on different legs of your journey.

10. Follow Airline Newsletters and Loyalty Programs

Joining airline newsletters and loyalty programs is a great way to receive exclusive offers and deals. Airlines often send out promotions and discounts to their loyal customers.

Scoring affordable Business Class deals from India to Canada is possible with the right strategies. By booking in advance, staying flexible with your travel plans, monitoring promotions, and using miles or points, you can enjoy the luxury and comfort of Business Class without the premium price tag. Experience the ultimate in air travel while keeping your budget intact. Bon voyage!

[diplomamate]

how to make fake diploma?

Are you in need of a diploma but don't have the time or resources to earn one? Look no further! With the help of a diploma maker, you can now easily buy fake certificates that appear authentic and professional. Whether you require a fake degree maker or Fake Diplomas Thailand, or even fake diplomas Canada, there are numerous options available to cater to your specific needs.

In today's fast-paced world, buying a diploma can be a lengthy and demanding process. It often requires years of study, dedication, and financial investment. However, sometimes life circumstances may prevent individuals from pursuing traditional educational routes. This is where the concept of buying fake certificates comes in handy.

Education is critical to fulfillment in modern stressful place of business and for personal development. However, there are situations while human beings are unable to reap a valid license. In such instances, it can be prudent to get a amazing phony certificate from BuyDiploma.Org. This article discusses the benefits of acquiring the best forged diploma and info the traits that supply these files an air of authenticity. The schooling sectors that BuyDiploma.Org serves are secondary, tertiary, and postsecondary. Each diploma and transcript is designed to look and feel just like the real deal, from the college of your preference.

If you fake a degree from us,our counterfeit certificates are designed such that they’ll be proven with the aid of contacting the relevant universities. You possibly realize that a diploma needs to go through some kind of verification manner before it can be conventional. Employers and academic institutions which can be considering hiring you or accepting your software will regularly conduct the verification system. To useful resource in the verification system, we collaborate with established groups. This is what separates us from different agencies in the market for credible fake degrees. Our counterfeit degrees are of the highest satisfactory and are designed to mimic the appearance and sense of legitimate credentials. Given their verifiability, you could utilize them freely without worry of repercussions and attain anything you like.

People who, for something reasons, have been not able to earn a fake degree may additionally discover joy in the possession of a replica diploma. They serve as tangible evidence of your willpower for your research and the crowning glory of your efforts, permitting you to flaunt your academic success with self belief.Careful interest to element, first-rate substances, and expert printing strategies are the hallmarks of the maximum convincing faux certificates. They are designed to be precise replicas of actual diplomas in look, feel, and functionality. Everything from the inventory of paper to the typefaces employed need to be cautiously taken into consideration with a view to produce a resounding fake. The first-class counterfeit diplomas feature extra security features like holograms, embossed seals, and watermarks, all of which lend credibility to the report.

You want no longer be any one of a kind from humans who have completed formal schooling. Buy one now from buydiploma.Org. When you have a valid-looking faux, you may have get entry to to many blessings. Certification and diploma. You may check out the schedules today for a scouse borrow of a deal. When a capacity organisation needs to double-take a look at your credentials. It’s child’s play. Contact us right away to analyze info that aren’t covered here. These falsified legit transcripts are remarkably correct. Get the life you have constantly wanted by means of buying a fake transcripts from us nowadays.

[purocleanbradenton02]

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If your property has suffered from a water disaster, our highly trained and certified Bradenton water restoration specialists are here to help. We specialize in water damage, mold removal, odor mitigation, and more.

When abnormal moisture is present, microorganisms like mold can grow and thrive in hidden areas. Our technicians will perform a thorough search for pre-existing mold, remove it, and eliminate lingering moisture sources.

Water Damage

PuroClean is a leading, world-class service brand that provides water damage restoration, fire and smoke damage mitigation, mold removal, and biohazard clean-up services. They serve customers across the US and Canada.

When homeowners experience a flood, water damage can be devastating to their property and belongings. It is not covered by standard home insurance policies, but the professionals at PuroClean water removal bradenton just for you are ready to help.

They have IICRC certified technicians who will thoroughly inspect your property and ensure the water damage is removed properly while being respectful of your possessions. They will use powerful air movers to increase evaporation in the affected area and create an environment for dehumidification.

During the process of removing excess water, the PuroClean of Bradenton team will also look for pre-existing mold that may have developed due to the presence of lingering moisture and remove it. This will prevent further mold growth and health risks.

Mold Removal

Molds are a common problem in homes. They can cause health problems and damage furniture, carpeting, and other materials. They also produce spores that can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat.

Mold can also cause staining and discoloration on materials like drywall and wood, which can lead to structural damage. It can also produce a musty smell that can trigger headaches and nausea in some people.

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Restoration professionals will work quickly to remove excess moisture from a building and its contents, ensuring that the structure remains free of mold. They will then sanitize and deodorize areas to minimize the likelihood of future mold problems. They will also make sure that the structure has been dried thoroughly to avoid further damage.

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Whether you have water damage, mold, or fire damage, the PuroClean experts know how to eliminate odors. These odors are often the most difficult to deal with as they can be so unpleasant and may cause health issues for anyone exposed. Moreover, when they get to a point of becoming overwhelming and can lead to the onset of biohazards, they can be very stressful to both homeowners and property managers. The certified specialists at PuroClean will ensure the odors are safely removed and sanitized to protect everyone in your home or business. They are always available to handle all your restoration needs, no matter the time of day or night. Call today to schedule your odor removal service!

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If your home or commercial property has suffered from water damage, you probably want to have it fixed as quickly as possible. The PuroClean team will quickly assess the damage and start the remediation process. The first step is to remove any standing water and restore your structure to its pre-loss condition. This includes cleaning out the affected areas with specialized equipment and using EPA registered disinfectants. Next, the team will ensure that all areas are properly dried. You may also need to remove any mold that has grown from lingering water or moisture sources. The professionals from PuroClean will take the time to find pre-existing mold and ensure it is removed. This will help prevent future mold problems and keep your family healthy.

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[jacksjames]

Book Business Class Flights To Air Canada

Find the cheap and Luxury Air Canada business class flights, discounted business class tickets and best business class flight deals on Air Canada, AI at Myflightpal.Because this website provide the cheap price to book flights and save money on your next holidays.

[nurturingfather44]

Easter Ideas For Teenagers

Founder, Angela Truppe sits on an Ethics Committee with a team of execs within the business to ensure that the choices made within her program are above reproach and don't compromise the integrity of her clients. The group at CSC and Evolution Eggs are always egg donation bmi requirements striving to offer the most effective sources, guidance, and support by way of each step of the method. Angela has always believed in empowering ladies to achieve their full potential.

A team of scholars, together with Colette Benko, BMSc Class of 2022, are shifting on to the worldwide finals the World's Challenge Challenge with their revolutionary proposal for Project Lightbulb, a digital, hands-on science schooling program. Rachelle Beanlands and Lily Robinson fashioned a mentorship program for LGBTQ+ medical students at the School. Now in its fourth 12 months, it has continued to provide hope, reassurance and a secure environment nurture egg donor for self-expression. Sasha Dowhayko, Medicine Class of 2022, attracts on his experiences in nursing, psychiatric care and community well being outreach on his journey to becoming a physician. It's been two years since the World Health Organization declared a world pandemic. Andrea Lum and Laura Foxcroft write that now, more than ever, strong well-being helps are needed for Canada’s health care suppliers.

Despite my medical background, I still threw my legs up in the air after sex , ate a lot of dietary supplements and stopped exercising , all to try to management a seemingly uncontrollable state of affairs. Going by way of fertility therapy is a susceptible course of and you have to trust the clinic you go to. If this is not attainable, it is your proper to ask for clarification in your treatment protocol and voice your concerns. Keep a file of your medical info that features information of your cycles, drugs, monitoring outcomes and any checks, especially those that you pay for out-of-pocket. A little-known bonus of infertility treatment is that the costs can be claimed as non-refundable tax credit.

We have been blissfully pregnant for seven weeks till the heartbeat stopped and we miscarried. Over the previous few years, I too have turn into a patient going through infertility therapy and have had to deal with the burden that this carries emotionally, physically and financially. My husband and I deferred starting our own family till our late 30s, after we had been settled comfortably into our careers and had been together lengthy enough to have travelled and enjoyed our childless freedom. Three and a half years of attempting to conceive later, I feel more like an professional than I ever expected to be. Two groups of scientists have independently created artificial mouse embryos in a lab without using eggs or sperm cells in a significant leap ahead for the sphere of developmental and stem cell biology. Probiotics are chock-full of live micro organism that may assist ensure your gut is populated by principally the nice kinds of microbes.

I have also devoted my time over the last 18 years to not only our surrogacy program but to third celebration replica boards, email listservs and media. The OAFB has an excellent allocation and distribution system that co-operatively shares meals and financial donations primarily egg donor criteria based on ongoing assessments of needs and assets. For many patients, remedy at an IVF clinic maximizes the possibility of conception and wholesome being pregnant. After the IVF consultation, certainly one of our experienced fertility doctors will stroll you thru each step of the journey.

5.1.6 All production models shall have distinct, defined boundaries. Parallel production crops, both organic and non-organic, are inspected just prior to reap and an audit of all parallel production crops occurs egg donation criteria after harvest. In the event of emergency pest outbreak, Canadian operators are required to inform their certification physique immediately of any change that will have an effect on natural product certification.

[kayla1993-world]

Disability advocate 'humiliated' by treatment on Air Canada flight to Hawaii

Max Brault hoped that his business class Air Canada flight to Hawaii would be the trip of a lifetime for him and his wife, two weeks in an island paradise, to attend his stepson’s wedding.

However, the Ottawa disability advocate claims he was embarrassed and humiliated by the treatment he received from Air Canada staff who were unprepared to deal with a man in a wheelchair, although Brault had checked and rechecked to ensure the airline was aware of his special needs.

He was so angry and embarrassed that he says it took him months to decide to tell his story. “I dislike displaying weakness. I like to think people think I've got it together,” said Brault, a vice-president and accessibility consultant at BDO Canada and a former senior adviser on accessibility issues for Infrastructure Canada.

Brault, the former executive producer of a program called AccessabiliTV and co-chair of the National Council of Federal Employees with Disabilities, is in an awkward position.

“What really hurts the most is that I did everything right,” Brault explained. “I was so critical of my travel agent. ‘Make sure you double-check,' I advised. 'Check again….’ This was a trip we had hoped to take, but it turned out to be a nightmare.”

Brault, 52, has been using a wheelchair since his twenties due to degenerative spinal muscular atrophy. He’s a seasoned traveler who understands the challenges of traveling with a wheelchair, particularly one powered by lithium-ion batteries like the smaller “hybrid” chair he took to Hawaii.

When he and his wife, Laurie, arrived at Ottawa airport on April 14 for their 7 a.m. flight, the airline threatened not to let him board. “Will your husband require help to board the plane?” the gate agent inquired.

"What are you talking about?" Brault asked, surprised. "All my medical needs and requirements should be updated in my file.” She then forced him to fill out and resubmit paperwork for the batteries, which he had already done when booking the tickets.

Worse, when it came time to board, the airline lacked a special device known as an Eagle Lift. The lift carries a disabled passenger in a sling and is narrow enough to be rolled down an airplane aisle before swiveling to lower the passenger into the seat. Instead, airline employees lifted Brault and carried him to his seat on the plane. They dropped him at one point, and he injured his elbow on the armrest.

Unfortunately, the same issues occurred at stops in Toronto and Vancouver. Air Canada staff misplaced Brault’s wheelchair in Vancouver, nearly causing the couple to miss their connecting flight to Honolulu. That flight was delayed for 45 minutes, and Brault was once again carried to his seat by the staff.

“I like to have everything in order. It irritates me when I’m cast as the bad guy, as if I’m the villain,” Brault said. The couple paid $4,200 for their round-trip business class tickets. Air Canada has not even offered a partial refund.

“I paid for everything in first class. And I received nothing." Air Canada acknowledged in an emailed response to this newspaper Thursday afternoon that it mishandled Brault’s flight.

“While we deal directly with our customers," the airline said in a statement, "we can tell you that the service these customers received was clearly not up to our normal standard, and we deeply regret this. We have contacted them to apologize and to offer a goodwill gesture for the difficulties they encountered on this leg of their journey."

Brault said Thursday afternoon that he was pleased with Air Canada’s response, but that the airline had not yet contacted him directly.

[emmatheronus]

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[surprisebitch]

had a really interesting discussion or topic in one of my classes today, which was Business Writing.. and it was about Inherent Biases, which somehow drove to the topic of racism and prejudice. it was really nice because our professor acknowledges that they are white and have privilege, and even went on about how Canada is not really better than America because indigeneous people are not treated well here. to the point, he made the floor open and suggested people to share their thoughts.. one of the students spoke up about it and said that they experience microaggressions in the workplace and it’s something they have trouble coping with but learned to deal with. it’s just they have to be silent out of fear of jeopardizing their career. and then i decided to add onto their point where i have experienced those too and stayed silent with it. and my professor asked me this question “why do you have to compromise for them? why does it have to be that they are safe to express these opinions that may hurt you but you are okay to just be silent and be uncomfortable?” it was a rhetorical question and it is something that never really crossed my mind and then the student even added the quote by Desmond Tutu in the chat that “if you are neutral about political issues, you’ve chosen the side of the oppressor” and that it is really more of a basic human rights issue. anyway, fast forward, the student and i pm’d each other and added each other on social media and got to talk a bit more about it!

but yeah, it was nice to have that safe spot in an academic setting to talk about these things and I could feel there was an uncomfortable tension in the air from students probably not speaking up or just because of the silence. It can be such an uncomfortable topic but our prof really got to expound on it. and they even said that they do not regret that we ended up talking about it in length because they feel these things are as important in business and life itself. anyway that was a really refreshing experience. first of its kind in a business course where it is most unlikely to take place!

[ariclz]

hey  y’all  !  my  name’s  tay  &  i  have  brought  to  you  my  child  ,  ariel  that’s  a  lot  a  bit  of  a  mess.  i  am  obsessed  with  true  crime  &  makeup.  anyways  ,  i  wrote  some  points  below  about  her.  it got  a  little  long  ,  so  forgive  that  lmao.  if  you  would  like  to  plot  ,  please  click  that  little  heart  lol.  if  you  prefer  discord  ,  pls  let  me  know  &  we  can  slide  that  way.  anyways  ,  her  intro  is  below  &  i  cannot  wait  to  rp  with  y’all.

✎ 「 have you seen ARIEL JUNG yet this school year ?? maybe in POWER SQUAD, DEBATE & FASHION CLUB ?? i heard some wild rumors about the SEVENTEEN year old last semester, but now that they’re a JUNIOR it might be a different story. according to their friends they’re pretty ORGANIZED, but sometimes SHE can be MALICIOUS. who knows, this might just be HER year ! 」[ JENNIE KIM ]

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔  !

NAME   :    ariel  jung. GENDER   :   cisfemale. PRONOUNS   :   she  &  her. AGE   :   seventeen  (   17    ). BIRTHDAY   :   27th  november. ZODIAC   :   sagittarrius.   ETHNICITY   :   korean. ORIENTATION   :   bisexual.

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅  !

FAMILY   :   born   in  the  affluent  city  of  newport  beach  ,  california  to  the  jung  family.  her  father  is  the  creative director  of  a  soju  company  while  her  mother  is  the  ceo  of  a  popular  korean  cosmetics  company.  so  ,  she  was  groomed  from  birth  to  be  somebody  in  life.  they  moved  to  canada  right  before  ariel  started  grade  school  on  a whim  as  an  effort  to expand  their business ventures.

image  was  everything  to  the  jung  family  ,  so  they  made  sure  that  ariel  lived  up  to  their  name.  from  the  schools  she  went  to  ,  the  grades  she  got  (   bc  they  def’  made  generous  donations  to  the  schools  she  went  to  in  order  to  keep  her  at  the  top  of  her  class  in  middle  school   )  ,  the  friends  she  kept  &  the  way  she  presented  herself  to  the  public.  everything  had  to  be perfect  &  if  it  wasn’t  ,  faking  it  like  it  was  was  always  the  first  option.  her  life  was  set  up  for  her  to  succeed  &  ariel  &  her  parents  were  willing  to  do  anything  to  make  that  happen.

on  the  outside  their  family  was  all  put  together  ,  but  on  the  inside  ariel was  literally  battling  with  her  mother.  her  mother  is  extremely controlling  ,  and  ariel  feels  like  she  is  being  suffocated.  everything  she  does  isn’t good  enough  in  her  mother’s  eyes-- especially  when  it  comes  to  the  pageant  world.  ngl  ,  her  mother  is  kinda  verbally  abusive  &  enjoys  putting  her  down  bc  she  believes  it  will  toughen  her  up.  so  ,  ariel  kinda  always  has  an  awful  attitude  because  of  it.  she’s truly a fucking c*nt at times.

also  ,  at  a  young  age  ,  ariel  was  put  into  multiple  different  activities  to  find  her niche.  the  one  thing  she ultimately  gravitated  towards  was  beauty  pageants.  her  mom  thought  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to  capitalize  on  her  beauty  at  a  young  age  &  ariel  loved  it.  she  loved  the  spotlight  &  everything  that  came  with  it.

because  of  the  way  her  mother  treats  her  &  her dad  barely  being  around  to  back  her  up  ,  ariel  resents  her  parents  to  the  fullest.

SCHOOL   :   ariel  is  a  pretty  good  student  bc  things  come  naturally  to  her.  she  as  kind  of  conditioned  at  a  young  age  to  always  be  the  best  at  whatever  she  decides  to  do.  so  ,  although  she  doesn’t  alays  show  it  ,  she  takes  her  school  work  very  serious.  especially  since  she  has  to  go  to  college  to  become  a  doctor.  even  though  she secretly  wants  to  go  to  nyc  for  fashion  school.

𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚  !

QUICK-TEMPERED   :   although  she  has  tried  to  work  on  her  temper  ,  it  has  been  a  very  rocky  journey.  a  lot  of  things  irritate  her  &  she  reacts  without  thinking  things  all  the  way  through.  any  little  thing  can  set  her  off  &  she  usually  starts  with  words  to  hurt  people  because  she  knows  they  can  cut  deep.

HONEST   :   ariel  just  does  not  know  how  to  not  be  honest.  if  you  ask  her  for  her opinion  on  something  ,  she  will  say  exactly  what’s  on  her  mind.  she  sugar  coats  nothing  &  spares  no  feelings  in  the  process.

FEISTY   :   ariel  has   a  very  sharp  tongue.  she  is  aware  that  some  things  she  says  can  come  off  out  of  pocket  ,  but  doesn’t  really  care.

PRETENTIOUS   :   because  of  her  mother  ,  ariel  has  this  air  around  her  that  she  is  better  than  most  people.  she  will  let  it  be  known  that  she  feels  that  way  too.  she  def’  uses  her  looks  ,  money  &  status  to fuel  this belief.

MALICIOUS  :  she  spares  no  feelings  &  will  do  things on  purpose  out  of  spite.

COMPETITIVE  :   she  is  extremely  competitive  in  all  aspects  of  her  life  &  will  always  do whatever  she  needs  to  get  her  way.  she  doesn’t  care  about  who  she  has  to  step  on  to  do  so.

in  general  ,  i  would  say  that  ariel  is  just  blunt  ,  outspoken  ,  can  come  off  very  rude  ,  but  can  also  be  a  good  friend  when  she  wants.  in  most  cases  she  is  looking  out  for  herself.  if  she  feels  as  though  she  will  not  benefit  from  a relationship  /  friendship  /  situationship  she  will  either  lose interest  or  not  even  waste  her  time.  if  people  can  deal  with  her  personality  she  is  def’  your  ride  or  die.  if  not  ,  she’s  like  a  fucking  bat  out  of  hell  tbh.

𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 !

RIVALS   :   can  be  in  different  aspects  tbh.  power  squad  ,  school  ,  outside  of  school.  whatever  !

TRIO    :   just  two  other  people  to  make  a  trio  of  bad  bitches  tbh.  they  would  def  be  the  people  that  ariel  trusts  with  her  life  &  would never  betray.  think  the  powerpuff  girls lmao  or  azula  ,  mai  ,  and  ty  lee.

EXES    :   we  can  plot  the  nature  of  their  relationship  in  depth  ofc.

FWB   :   self  explanatory.

literally  down  for  any  kind  of  plot  ngl.  

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch. 2

Oh wow! Thanks for 115 followers, guys!

I'm going to put in a minor warning for you guys, of stalking and a bit of voyeurism. Nothing graphic, it's only mentioned is all.

[[MORE]]

"Am I being stupid with this?" Marinette stared at herself in the mirror, fretting over the grey knit dress she wore, nervously tugging it down lower on her stocking covered legs. Her gaze flickered down to Tikki casually sitting on the vanity table, nibbling on a cookie. "I mean, I just met him this morning, Tikki, and I'm going on a date with him tonight. What if he thinks I'm easy? That I'm some French floozy?"

"Marinette, this doesn't have to be a romantic date." Tikki flew up, slowly circling her Holder, before hovering before her face. She offered a kind smile. "This can be a date for you to get to know each other. And you can't get to know each other unless you spend time together, right?"

"You're right, I'm just overthinking things again." Marinette let out a small giggle, then took a seat at the vanity. She had chosen to let her hair loose, the dark waves reaching far past her shoulders, as she had decided to grow it out forever ago. She smiled at her reflection, then began painting her lips a soft pink colour, as Tikki returned to her cookie, munching happily. "He's not expecting anything, I'm sure. I.. I won't go further than a kiss. If he tries anything, I'll just drop him altogether."

"You're taking Eva's advice on dating again." Tikki giggled, watching Marinette pick up her signature purse, the kwami quickly flying inside. Marinette merely smiled in response, heading towards the elevators. As soon as she pressed the button, she heard a door open. She turned to see Alix stepping into the hall, frowning.

"You going on your date?" Alix sounded stiff, awkward when she spoke. Marinette merely blinked, and Alix's face reddened, and she crossed her arms. "Listen, just.. Don't let him get up to any funny business. I'm not.. I haven't been the greatest friend, I've been a real shitty one, but I still worry. I.. I know she's lying now. I should have before, but I was stupid."

"Alix, what.." Marinette shut her mouth as soon as she saw tears welling up in Alix's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to shed.

"I should have fucking known. I kinda did, but I didn't want to get in the middle of the shitshow, so I tried to stay neutral. But today, we left you behind in Gotham, a place that's really dangerous. And I'm sitting with Lila and Alya, listening about how you're mooching off this hot intern to make Adrien jealous, maybe get a threesome, and I'm just sitting there thinking 'aren't they worried about her? This is Gotham, the Joker and people are here. This isn't Paris, people get kidnapped and die here, and they stay dead, there's no Cure!'

"And I try and bring this up, and Alya has the fucking nerve to say that you deserve whatever you get, because you're a worse bully, have been ever since Chloe transferred to a different school. It.. It was a wake up call for me, Mari, and I realized how much I screwed up and that I was so horrible to you. We all have been. And I'm sorry, I really am.. And.. Please, be safe. I want you to come back safe."

"Alix..." Marinette stepped forward and hugged Alix tightly, surprising the girl. She felt tears in her eyes, and let them fall as she hugged Alix tightly. Something in her that had long since been locked away, came forth. "I am so happy to hear that. I... I've missed you. I miss all of you."

Marinette pulled away after a few minutes, wiped away the tears, and smiled brilliantly, a real smile.

 "And don't worry, I can take care of myself. If he tries anything, I'll make sure he'll never walk right again." The fierce grin she gave caused Alix to burst into laughter. 

"Not if I get to him first. He does anything funny, they'll never find the body!"

Both girls shared grins, once destroyed bridges finally beginning to mend.

…

When Marinette got down to the lobby, she felt a little better. It wasn't by much, but that bit certainly helped lift her mood. She smiled at the sight of Damian standing in the lobby. He was a really handsome guy. Tall, broad shoulders, dark messy hair, he even had muscle, muscle that could be well seen with the black turtleneck he wore. 

In her unashamed ogling, she hadn't noticed that he was talking with someone. Or that that someone was Miss Bourbon, who did not seem impressed with whatever Damian was telling her.

Mari rushed over before the TA could scare her date away.

"Hello Miss Bourbon, I take it you're giving Damian a lecture." She spoke up, grinning when she saw pink dust the older woman's cheeks. 

"Not a lecture. Just a warning that you're my student, and if anything happens to you, I'll bring the wrath of Hades down upon him." Eva grinned, and giggled with Mari, before turning back to Damian. "But in all seriousness, I want her back by nine o'clock sharp. We're going to Gotham City Park tomorrow for a picnic, and we don't want the students abandoning Marinette again."

"Completely understood." Damian gave her a small smile, then held out his arm for Marinette to take. Even Eva had to admit, Damian was an attractive man, not that she'd touch him. A twenty three year old should never go after a seventeen year old. Ever. "I will just be taking Marinette out for dinner, then I'll bring her straight back."

"Well, good.. I understand the whole… Young love thing, just don't go overboard, okay?" Eva found herself smiling at Damian, then gave Mari a wink. "An old lady like myself knows exactly how that type of thing can go badly."

"Bon soir, Evangeline. I'll bring you a piece of cheesecake, if they have any where we're eating at." Marinette assured her, before she was guided out of the building. They were greeted with the sight of a driver opening the door of a very expensive looking car for them. "Damian.. You… You have a personal driver?"

"It's not too much, is it? I just thought it would be easier to talk to you, if I didn't have any distractions." Damian gave an almost embarrassed smile, helping Marinette into the car, then sliding in after her. As their thighs pressed together, Marinette could feel the heat radiating off of him, and her heart began slowly picking up speed. "You know, your English is pretty good for someone from France."

"O-oh, thanks. Miss Evangeline is from Canada, she came to France to strengthen her French. So she helped me with English, while I helped her with French. A fair trade." Mari felt her cheeks go scarlet, trying to ignore the heat of him, of his charming smile. It should be illegal to look so good. "She.. She really cares, you know? Miss Bustier, she wants you to ignore what anyone does bad to you, she wants you to be an example to the bullies, to cause little fuss, just smile and be the bigger person."

"So, what you're telling me,is that you are being gaslighted by your teacher, you are being bullied by everyone in your class, and only a person from a different country believes you?" Damian's brows rose, and Marinette glanced down at her folded hands, then clenched them tightly to keep them from trembling. "Do you want me to kidnap you, so that you'll never have to deal with them again?"

"What? No, no, it's fine! I just have to deal with them until graduation. Besides, some of them are coming around." Marinette shook her head, Alix flashing in her mind, but she ignored it and smiled up at Damian once again. "Let's not talk about it, okay? I want to get to know you better. I like you Damian, but I don't really know anything about you. I don't even know your last name."

They shared a smile, and began to talk as they drove along the streets of Gotham. Marinette explaining how her parents were bakers, of her aspirations in fashion, meanwhile Damian went on about his father and brothers, though he was very careful not to mention his last name. He liked how Marinette looked at him. At him because he was Damian, not because he was Damian Wayne. He wasn't lying to her, but he wanted to keep that look, at least for tonight. 

"I mean, life has been hectic, ever since the akuma attacks started a few years ago.." Marinette began, as the car slowed to a stop. Damian's brows drew together as he thought over her words. 

"Akuma attacks? What's an akuma?"

"Master Damian, we have arrived." The driver spoke out, cutting off Marinette's attempts to respond. The two exchanged a glance before they climbed out of the car, standing before a small diner. Damian took Marinette's dainty hand into his massive one, and guided her inside.

When they stepped inside, Marinette decided it felt warm and comfy there. It was a quaint diner, a few people scattered here and there, enjoying warm meals. It was a relief, so see this, instead of some upscale restaurant where it would be so fancy, her head would spin. The smells of spices and something faintly citrusy filled the air, as a perky waitress guided the couple to a booth, then left them alone with their menus and ice water.

"Now.. Want to explain what an akuma is?" Damian glanced up, meeting Marinette's gaze. He noted out her hands tensed, gripping her menu tighter.

"You really don't know what an akuma is? But they've been terrorizing Paris for years, how can no one know about them?" Her voice became soft, hollow as she spoke, those blue eyes of hers seeming to close off their expressive nature. "How is that possible? Is that why.. Why the Justice League wouldn't come and help? Because they didn't think it was actually happening?"

"Marinette? Angel, are you alright?" Damian touched her hand, drawing Marinette from her odd trance she went under. She seemed a bit shaken, but forced a smile and returned to reading the menu. Damian took that as a sight to refrain from pushing the subject. So he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and went back to look at his menu as well. Maybe chicken alfredo would be nice.

…

Chat Noir scowled as he watched the diner from across the street, perched on a building. He didn't like the guy Marinette was out with. He just didn't seem right. It's not because Adrien was jealous, not at all. Marinette was just a friend. Or would be a friend, if she'd stop trying to expose Lila. He didn't want to have to deal with Lila being akumatized. Again. For the tenth time.

He snarled when he watched Marinette blush, watched her and the intern guy laughed. He didn't miss the body language they had towards each other. Chat Noir tried to assure himself that it was only physical attraction. That when Mari saw passed the guy's shiny exterior, she'd see he's only after a quick fling with a cute girl from France.

A very cute girl. When he had seen Marinette step into the lobby, dressed up for a date, a part of him wanted to go over and take her on that date. Maybe convince her to wear her pigtails again, cut her hair again. He wanted her back to the way she was, before Lila, before that stupid miss Evangeline and her encouraging Marinette to stick up to herself, to rock the boat.

You never rock the fucking boat. Ever. 

Chat Noir sat there for hours, scowling. He shouldn't be this hung up on a friend. He had His Lady afterall. His courageous, gorgeous Ladybug. She was waiting back for him in Paris. He had a new idea for trying to get a date with her. He was Chaos, she was Balance. They were meant to be, she just needed to realize it.

He was brought out of his daydreams of kissing Ladybug, stripping her out of her costume, but watching Marinette and Damian leaving the diner. He hated how cuddly they were. His claws dug into the stone of the ridge he was sitting on. 

He followed the fancy car back to the hotel, watching as Damien walked Mari up to the doors of the hotel. His jaw clenched when Marinette kissed Damian on the cheek, leaving the guy looking dumbstruck as she practically flounced into the hotel, like she was floating on air.

Fury curled in Chat's gut and he launched himself onto the roof that was opposite of Marinette's room. He had to warn his princess, he couldn't let her get hurt, not by some sleazy rich guy she barely knew.

And he sat there, watching her enter her room, opening her purse, and his heart stopped. The flying red kwami had bolted from the purse and flying around Marinette, the two obviously in quite giddy conversation.

And it clicked.

Marinette… Was Ladybug. His Princess was his Lady. And everything in the past made so much more sense. He grinned, realizing now why he was so protective of Marinette. Soulmates knew each other outside of the masks, so that's why he knew her, but didn't realize it.

So Chat sat there, grinning, as Marinette stripped off her knit dress, taking in her beauty. She had grown such beautiful curves over the past few years, she had such pretty skin. When she unhooked her bra, he purred, already lost in a daydream of him being in that room with her, carefully caressing her and making her his. And he could practically taste the salt on her skin, as she whispered his name. His green eyes stayed transfixed on her, as she stripped before his eyes.

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[beecherdrysdale]

Hiiii my bbs, I have literally been dreaming about going to Greece sooo I hope this is good

Adding onto brigids thoughts:

Okk so half of us pass out in the Uber that we take to the airport, so everybody is just holding onto each other barely awake or literally just fall asleep on you while waiting in line to get to security. Hehe ofc Ryan gets lost, and he’s like panic calling us and I just start laughing at him through phone. But then he finds us and I get beeped at security as usual and he’s chirping me and he gets beeped too and I chirp him, so it gets a bit chaotic at security.

Look at you brigid being organized and not over packing anything. I do the same thing to I just always add extra everything hehe. Hehe yes ‘Quinner how do you have more shit then me’ quinner likes pack extra as well hehe . We have a mini competition to see who brought more clothes lol.

Okkk everybody, Brigid has chosen, she is officially Jamie’s girl :)). Anywayssss you and Jamie are just sleeping and cuddling each other. You are in Jamie’s hoodie 🥺. Kesh and Kirby are also cuddling each other. Aww yes I’m in Quinners beanie !!. So far me and Ryan aren’t chirping you lol cuz it’s reallyyyyy early.

I wear a hoodie and sweats as well or for my bday my brother bought me a really cute sweatsuit so I might wear that lol. But I would love to wear Quinners 😌hehe we get on the plane and it’s you + Dylan and cozzy and Jamie sees and gets jealous ‘no Jamie I just got comfortable’ ‘please cozzy she’s my GIRLFRIEND’ and cozzy gets mildly terrified and says ‘only for $50’ so that happens and Jamie is super happy that he gets to sit with you. Hehe me and Ryan chirp you guys. Ok so I’m behind you, Jamie and Dylan. Then quinton, Braden and Peyton are behind my row. Kesh and Kirby are just sitting away from everybody because they aren’t ready to deal w us yet lol.

You+ Jamie +dyl. Okk so you are watching an action movie. Dylan falls asleep real quick, and you see that he’s in an uncomfy position so you just help him get more comfortable. So now that Dylan’s passed out Jamie cuddles up to you and you start playing with his hair and he loves it and it’s making him fall asleep but he’s still trying to stay awake because he wants to be w you. But you reassure him and help him get comfortable. You wrap him in a blanket hehe. Brigid you have a hard situation here because you have two hockey players asleep on you. After a bit they wake up to eat and make you rewatch the movie and your like why do I have to I didn’t pass out. Oo uno is fun, same with poker. But Jamie gets bored and just starts to braid your hair while you play with Dylan. Also when Jamie wakes up he whisper ‘thank you baby’ and you give him a kiss. Oo also while he’s sleeping you trace his freckles 🥺.

Kesh and Kirby are just chilling and being adorable. They both just make sure that they are comfy. Top tier couple.

Lexi+quinner(+Ryan)- hehe yes Quinner is immune to coffee even after drinking his two cups and half of mine. We made Ryan carry the drinks cuz we are clumsyyyyy. Awww yes, I’m vv in my Quinner feels tonight so Quinner falls asleep on me and I cuddle him and play with his hair because I am not giving back that beanie. I’ll make sure he’s comfy and all. Haha yes me and Ryan are just super loud and competitive w the game we are playing, probably uno, poker or connect 4 lol. And you turn to us and say ‘guys can you shut up, Jamie and everyone is sleeping’ and we are like ‘ok and?’ And you chirp us and we chirp you back until we realize that we really don’t want to wake everybody up lol. Ya I get up a lot on the plane so Ryan and I and you would just be walking along the aisles hehe. Ryan gets tired eventually and passes out and Quinner wakes up and we have some cute moments🥺. We just cuddle and I lay my head on his shoulder and he kisses my mild freckles.

Let’s say we are in first class cuz we got good salaries lol and we really need the leg room since we tall. Airplane food isn’t to bad. But the snacks would be elite. I’ll make sure to get our snacks brigid cuz we have similar tastes in snacks :)). Hehe yes I keep stealing snacks from them, and then get hungry and ask me to give you some but I get annoyed lol. So the y start throwing the snacks and accidentally hit Jamie and Dylan in the head but thankfully they didn’t notice.

Okkkk so now the captain announced that we are landing in like 10 mins and everybody is just super excited to get off the plane. Oo Jamie keeps showing you things through the window 🥺.

Ok so we landed, I get up quick and so do some off the other boys so that the team can get off the plane first. It’s kinda chaotic with everybody trying to get their luggage and some people get smacked in the face. Question does your hair start to curl when the air is humid. Cuz that always happens to me and it’s what I love about traveling to warm places because my hair looks good lol.

Okkk so pass border control etc and all get out of the airport. Also you and Jamie are holding hands the entire time ;)). Would you rather rent a car or take a taxi to the hotel?. Anyways we leave the airport and everybody is just so happy that we are in Greece right now!! It’s sunny and beautiful.

Skip to getting to the hotel: I think our hotel is pretty nice, and we get there at like 2 . would you share your room with Jamie or get a solo? Anywayssss we get to the hotel and all say that we are going to meet up to go to the beach for a bit? Because we just wanna wake up and cool off in the water and possibly tan.

Brigid you walk out in your bikini and Jamie is in awe like how is she that gorgeous. And some boy makes a comment and he glares at him. And he literally carries you into the water. Kesh and Kirby just want to be constantly around each other so they are cuddles to together under an umbrella sipping on drinks or possibly swimming together. Quinner and I are racing each other into the water, and then we both tackle each other at the same time. And then we see who can jump over the wave. And maybe we just hold onto each other and have moments😏 same w you and Jamie .

Side note: I’ve had some bad/funny experiences w waves because some big ones just pulled me under and I would just land on the shore lol. It would take me such a long time to regain my breathing lol.

Some of the boys are chilling and tanning because they want to get some good tans. Some boys have already met some girls and some are in the water with us.

Later we all go shower and get changed to go out for dinner w the team. I never blow dry my hair esp on vacays because it dries really quickly and I get curls wbu? You me and kesh get dressed into really cute summery outfits, I see myself in a flowy skirt and a tshirt or a sleeveless top- I am owning the freckles on my arms hehe. Brigid I can see you in shorts or maybe even in a denim skirt? And in a top that shows your pretty bralette. Kesh I see you in a sundress? Like a red or yellow sundress that looks amazing !!

They boys are speechless because we are owning our outfits. Anywayssss we all go to a restaurant by the beach and just have such a nice time. And maybe after some Brigid +Jamie and Kirby +kesh time on the beach at night 😏

Okkk I hope this was ok. Pt 4 will be more of our trip !!

omgggg i love all of this! lexi you’re amazing, thank you for providing the quality team canada content it is amazing. anywayssss long post

haha all of us just falling asleep on each other in the car and then when we’re in line for security. like jamie just rests his head on my shoulder while we’re standing there and somehow falls asleep lol. and then ryan gets lost bc ofc he does and we’re laughing at him but then we’re like oh shit we need to help him find us so we don’t miss our flight. so then we help him back to security where he and lexi both get beeped and chirp each other about it lmao

hehe yes i finally chose jamie🥰. dyl and i are more like chaotic best friends who are maybe a little flirty but ultimately are just friends lol. so anywaysss jamie is the softest bf so he lets me wear his hoodie and we cuddle up and sleep together in the airport🥺 and kesh and kirby are also cuddling and lexi is wearing quinner’s beanie that she stole lol. and thankfully ryan’s still tired and lexi’s busy with quinner so they won’t start chirping me and jamie yet. and also we’re all wearing the boys’ sweartshirts that they gave to us

hehe yes then we’re on the plane and jamie sees me with dyl and cozzy and he just begss cozzy to switch with him. and cozzy’s already gotten comfortable so he’s like “no jamie just sit in your own seat". but jamie’s like “pleaseeeeee it’s my girlfriend”. so then cozzy seeing the perfect money-making technique (and also mildly terrified lmao) it like “fine i guess i’ll switch but only if you pay me $50″. and jamie’s just like “done” and hands the money over. so then jamie and i are both really happy and ofc you and ryan are awake enough to chirp us now lol. and the two of you are sitting behind us with quinner and then quinton, braden, and peyton are behind you guys. and kesh and kirby aren’t ready to deal with us bc it’s too damn early so they purposely chose the seats far away from us lol. and the other boys are just scattered throughout the plane

me+jamie+dyl - so we’re watching our movie and dyl falls asleep realllll quick bc he didn’t sleep at all in the airport. so then i help him get comfy bc besty things and i feel bad for him bc i think sleeping in airplanes is uncomfy lol. and then jamie cuddles up to me and i start playing with his hair🥺 so then he starts falling asleep again so ofc i help him get comfy and give him a blanket so he can sleep. and then while he’s sleeping i get to play with his hair and trace his freckles🥰 so then when he wakes up he just kind of mumbles “thank you baby” and i’m like “of course” and kiss him. and then they make me rewatch the movie with them and i’m just like “whyyyyyy” but then i make them play uno and poker with me so it’s all good. but then jamie gets bored and starts playing with my hair and braiding it🥺 and it actually turns out decent this time

kesh+kirby - perfect, amazing, adorable together. trying to keep us under control, but eventually just give in and ignore the chaos and pretend they don’t know us lmao

lexi+quinner(+ryan) - hehe yes lexi and quinner made ryan carry the coffee bc they’re too clumsy and then quinner drank a shit ton of it, but he still manages to fall asleep on the plane. and then lexi makes sure he’s comfy and starts playing with his hair, all while wearing his beanie ofc. but then you’re being super loud and competitive with ryan playing a ton of games and stuff. so then i’m like “guys stfu, jamie and the other guys are sleeping” and you guys are like “so what?” before realizing you really don’t want to wake everyone up. so then you guys shut up and start wandering the plane lol. but then eventually ryan gets tired and falls asleep and quinner wakes up and you guys are being all cutsie. and you’re cuddling and kissing each other’s freckles and then me and jamie chirp you guys bc payback lol

hehe yes first class bc rich boyssss. so we actually have pretty good food but the snacks are still better. and then eventually the guys just start throwing snacks to me bc it’s faster than handing them to you to hand them to me lol

and then we’re about to land so jamie’s pointing out things out the window to me and getting super excited, so ofc i’m excited too. and then we land and all get up fast af bc we’re not waiting for other people to get off the plane lol. also i pray to God that no one in our group claps when the plane lands bc that shit pisses me off lol. so anyways it’s just chaotic getting our stuff and getting off the plane lol. my baby hairs would be getting curly from the humidity, but the rest would just turn wavy. so anyways then me go through border control and me and jamie are holding hands and so are kesh and kirby but lexi and quinner can’t bc they both have sm shit to carry lol. and then we rent a car to take to the hotel and everyone’s just in a super good mood bc we finally made it

hehe then we finally get to our hotel which is nice bc again rich boyssss. and then me and jamie would share a room bc i’m broke lol and also bc i love him and want to be as close to him as i can😍 so then we put our stuff in our rooms and get ready to go to the beach. and then obviously all our boys are so impressed by us in our swimsuits, and each of them (jamie, quinner, and kirby) is just like “damn she’s gorgeous, how’d i get so lucky” and then some guy tries to like catcall me and jamie just death glares him lmao

hehe jamie just carrying me to the water “jamie i can walk myself yk” “ik i just love you, i want to carry you” “ok thank you bb” and then kesh and kirby ALWAYS together. swimming together, cuddling together on the beach, going to get food together etc. and then lexi and quinner racing and tackling each other into the waves and stuff lol. and i make jamie join bc i’m a competitive bitch lol and i obvi can’t just leave him alone. hehe getting pulled under by waves isn’t a problem for me bc i have good breath control lol. and then you and quinner and me and jamie could have moments😏 esp bc we’re in the water which makes everyone look extra hot. meanwhile the other guys are like all playing volleyball together or picking up girls lmao

then we all go shower to get ready for dinner. personally i never blow dry my hair and my showers are really fast so i would be ready fast lol. ooh lexi and kesh looking cute, lexi with her sleeveless shirt and flowy skirt and kesh with her sundress. i’m wearing shorts bc i basically refuse to wear anything else lol. hehe but i have a cute shirt that shows off a cute bralette so it makes up for my lack of skirt lol. and then the boys are just speechless bc of our outfits and they’re making sure to keep us close the whole night. oooh and then beach time at night😏

okkkk i love all of this and i’m so excited for part 4!!

[rubeedas]

Best Airlines in UAE

We usually look for the most agreeable, slight adventure with the quickest/least annoying direction. In some cases, it’s difficult the spending that is vital, however furthermore, the help that matters. There are furthermore particular elements we located into an account with the reason that we can bend over the experience of flying like quality, wellbeing, and facts of the aircraft organization. We present to you a rundown of top companies with inside the Middle East to don't forget even as you e-book your next flight. 

Emirates Established in 1985, Emirates is the most important issuer with inside the Middle East and certainly considered one among the most important on the planet. The aircraft is the banner transporter of the Emirate of Dubai. Emirates works trips among��UAE and above 80 global locations. In 2005, Emirates had a scoop with getting the essential Airbus A380, the area’s biggest visitor aircraft at any issue fabricated. Flying facts emerge as made whilst Emirates requested for one hundred and fifty Boeing 777X and 50 Airbus A380 airplanes in 2013. 

The rate of the challenge is accounted for to be US$166 billion. The first of these airplanes is planned to enter control in 2020. Emirates professes to offer the most reduced outflows which are better for the climate. The issuer had US$ sixty- billion in income in 2012 and US$ forty-. 3 billion partially through 2013. This Dubai-based definitely issuer has greater than 60,000 representatives and it has 217 airplanes in its armada serving 133 objections in seventy-4 global locations. 

Etihad Airways Etihad Airways is the banner aircraft of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and it emerges as hooked up in 2003. The aircraft is probably the most important issuer inside the Middle East. Etihad flies to objections in Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. Having around 25,000 workers, 1000 Flights leave Abu Dhabi consistently. This is the second one-biggest UAE transporter. The issuer had 10. Three million travelers in 2012, which emerge as up 23% greater than in 2011. 

Income will become assessed at US$6.1 billion out of 2012. There are ninety- aircraft inside the armada serving ninety-six objections. In 2013, Etihad offered 33.3% of the Swiss-based definitely Darwin Airlines. Etihad has acquired 30 flying honors all through the last decade remembering to sever a for the great a few of the first-class control for the area from the World Travel Association. Oman Air Oman Air is the banner transporter of Oman. The issuer works trips to several objections with inside the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Established in 1993, the issuer has due to the fact seen large development and has assumed a massive detail in making Muscat a massive web page site visitors center issue with inside the Middle East, supporting the business, modern, and adventure organization areas. 

Oman Air flaunts fifty-one airplanes and serves forty- objections. In 2011, the issuer acquired the Gold Award for the great aircraft of the year. Egypt Air Egypt Air is the state-claimed banner transporter of Egypt. The aircraft is settled at Cairo International Airport, its number one center issue. Egypt Air is one of the world’s pioneers companies. Set up in May of 1932, it has become the primary transporter with inside the Middle East and the seventh transporter on the planet. Today the issuer has an armada of 80 airplanes serving 80-one objections inside the direction of the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. 

UAE E-Visa  Saudi Arabian Airlines Established in 1945, Saudi Arabian Airlines is one of the most seasoned Middle East flying organizations. Saudi is the banner issuer of the country, Saudi Arabia. The aircraft works trips to objections with inside the Middle East, Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. Being vital for the Sky Team Alliance, this issuer has an armada of 152 airplanes with 19 handles and serves 118 objections. This issuer is the fourth biggest inside the Middle East with inside the returned of Turkish Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways. 

 Flights are out of the Jeddah-King Abdul-Aziz International Airport. Saudi Arabian Airlines added Toronto (Canada) as a purpose in 2013 and Los Angeles (US) is new for 2014. In 2016, the aircraft commenced a minimal rate auxiliary this is known as Fly deal. Turkish Airlines Beginning on May 20, 1933, with five planes and lots much less than 30 workers, Turkish Airlines’ excursion proceeds with nowadays due to the fact the aircraft traveling to most global region sat the planet. 

Turkish Airlines is the second one most seasoned within side the Middle East and emerge as hooked up in 1933. This is the most important issuer within side the Middle East with 240 airplanes in their armada serving 244 objections. The aircraft needed to earn US$18.8 billion in 2013, with jogging pay of absolutely US$1.5 billion. Turkish Airlines is the fourth-largest issuer on the planet. 

Regal Jordanian Airlines Regal Jordanian emerge as hooked up in 1963 as Alia Airlines and commenced jogging in that very year. In 1986, the issuer changed its name to its present name Royal Jordanian. In 2001, the aircraft’s real name has become ‘Alia — The Royal Jordanian Airlines Company’. Illustrious Jordanian is clearly claimed through manner of way of the Government of Jordan and has auxiliaries which are Royal Jordanian Cargo and Royal Jordanian Ground Handling. Illustrious Jordanian has 33 airplanes and they fly to sixty-one objections. In July 2014, their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which seats 267 travelers, have become out to be important for the armada.

[hattywatch]

T. Seguin - Back Road Part 3

A/N: Happy Holidays ya filthy animals. 

Part 1 Part 2 "No, it's different." 

You can hear Tyler getting frustrated with whomever he's on the phone, but you don't want to interrupt, staying in the foyer, quiet until he can finish his conversation. 

"Well, she's coming and you'll just have to deal with it. I don't know what to tell you," that's when you decide to make yourself known, not wanting to eavesdrop on things you shouldn't hear. 

You open the front door behind you and close it a bit louder this time, "Hiii. I'm here?" 

"In here!" He shouts from the kitchen and you follow his voice after dropping your bag on the sparkling floors in the entryway. He finishes his conversation in hushed tones you can't quite make out over the sound of your sandals on the hardwood. 

When you finally get sight of him in the kitchen he's drinking a water bottle, shirtless, and shoving his phone in his pocket. 

"Do you like, ever wear a shirt?" His distraction technique is honestly flawless. You'd be hard pressed to recall what he was saying only a few scant seconds ago as your eyes take him in. 

He's positively preening, and you're sure he's flexing his chest muscles. So you do the mature thing and push him away from your person before you can do anything stupid like run your tongue up his abs and make him think his macho posturing is sexy. 

Like it is, but he can't know that.

You've only been seeing each other for two-ish months, but he's been great. Really attentive and sweet, calling you nightly even when he's traveling for work. 

He has some free time coming up, a weekend to be exact, and he invited you to his family's cabin in Canada. You weren't sure you were there yet- as a couple, but as Bridget Jones says, "It can't be just a fling, a mini-break holiday means true love." Which is definitely pushing it, but you're not going to pretend it doesn't make your heart flutter that he's bringing you home to meet his family. 

You spend the night at his place to make the shuffle in the morning easier since he lives closer to the airport than you do. He promises no funny business since you're leaving before dawn the next morning. 

Tyler sticks to his promise and you both sleep soundly in the same bed, jolted awake by the ringing off your alarm, but excited nonetheless for your trip.

Boarding the plane at ass o'clock in the morning sucks, but is made better by being in first class- Tyler insisted on paying. It seemed like a bit much, but he persuaded you: 

"I'm making you go.” “You're losing out on tips. At least let me pay.”

“It's not even like we need a hotel… 

“You can make it up to me in other ways."

It took a few days for him to convince you, but you eventually gave in, insisting you'll do most of the cooking, and cleaning while you're there, ensuring you earn your keep.

You're happy he convinced you because it is infinitely easier to fall asleep in first class and you're pretty sure you're going to hate going back to economy class after this. 

He nudges you awake when you land, "Hey, sleepy, lets go." He already has both carry-ons, so you grumble at being woken up, but you trudge through the airport a step behind him as he texts his mom to let her know you've landed safely. 

"No one else is coming up until a little later, we'll have the place to ourselves for a few hours." He gives you what you assume is meant to be a meaningful look, but you can't be bothered to flirt when it's pre-9 am. 

"Good, maybe I can take a nap." 

_________

When you pull up it's actually really picturesque, lakeside and a far cry from his McMansion back in Dallas. He parks the car on the crunching gravel before getting out and grabbing the bags from the trunk. 

You try to pull yours away from him a few times, but he won’t let you carry anything. It’s ridiculous, since all you brought is a weekender sized luggage and you’re certainly capable of carrying it yourself, but it is nice that he’s a gentleman, so you don’t make too much of a fuss. 

He unlocks the door and it’s just as beautiful as his house back in Dallas, bright and big, gorgeous hardwood throughout the whole open floor plan with floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the lake, glistening in the early morning sun.

It’s really, really beautiful- serene and calm, but you really, really want to nap, so you're not a cranky mess when you meet his family. 

As he drags you through the house and to the stairs, you yawn and he gives in, “Okay, okay, point taken. We can sleep.” 

The door he chooses at the end of the upstairs hall opens to a big bedroom, probably the master, if the balcony overlooking the lake outside is indicative of anything. You wiggle out of your hoodie and pull back the blankets, “Should we be sharing a room? Is your family going to think I’m slutty.”

He doesn’t answer directly, but rolls his eyes so hard you get the point. “I’m just trying to make a good impression. I don’t know!” 

“They’re not going to think that,” he peels back the comforter on his side of the bed and tugs off his shirt before lying down next to you. “I don’t bring girls around here often…" he considers, "... ever?” He rolls toward you and lets his leg rest against yours. It’s too hot for any more body contact than that, so you don’t mind.

You're nervous for what's going to happen when you wake up. The excitement of being on vacation with Tyler giving way to a very real fear that his family will hate you; you already overheard whoever he was talking to last night not wanting you to tag along on family time. 

You can't help it as you mash your eyes together and whisper, “Tyler?" He hums, eyes closed, sleep already setting in, “Who were you on the phone with last night when I got to your house?”

His eyes open, “My sister, why?” his mouth is set in a straight line, jaw tight, and you’re not sure you should continue your questioning, but you’re so nervous and you need your questions answered. 

“I overheard a little of what you said to her when I walked in. I didn’t mean to, but I did,” he doesn’t say anything so you continue. “It didn’t really seem like she wanted me to crash your family weekend.” You choose your words carefully, not wanting to offend or point fingers at his sister before you’ve even met her. 

“I don’t really care what she wants,” Tyler pulls you towards him into his bubble of warmth. 

“That’s not nice, Tyler,” he leans in close and kisses you on the nose. 

“You’re right. Still don’t care though. We’re going to have a good weekend,” all you can do is sigh, hope he’s right, and close your eyes to slide into your nap. 

_________

When your alarm goes off, it’s time to face the music, so you stretch and roll out of bed, ignoring a grumbling Tyler behind you. 

You shower in the adjoining bathroom; even that has a stunning view of the lake. Tyler starts making noise from the bedroom as you're swiping on mascara in the mirror and letting your hair air dry. He pops his head in the bathroom after knocking, "Hey, they said they'll be here in 30 minutes. I'm going to order in so we can eat when they get here. I'm starving." Nodding your assent, you brush through your hair again and check your reflection for the thousandth time. 

Standing over the two outfits you’d laid out on the bed, you settle for the high-waisted shorts and a flowy blouse. Nothing too short, and nothing too tight, you don’t want to come across at all tawdry the first time you meet his family. As you slide on your sandals you can hear a ruckus downstairs, paired with a whole bunch of female voices.

Time to face the music. 

After a deep breath and one last look in the mirror to smooth down your outfit and triple check that your shorts aren’t showing any cheek, you make your way down the stairs. 

_________

You can tell immediately that Tyler’s mom is effervescently happy to meet you. She pulls you into a hug and takes the chair right next to you at the table as Tyler tips the delivery driver and plops down a few pizza boxes on the counter. Tyler eyes her warily and sits down on your other side. He rests his foot against yours under the table and catches your eye. The move is clear, we’re in this together. It’s comforting. 

After everyone has dragged a slice of pizza onto their plate and chewed a few bites, his mom can’t seem to hold out any longer. 

“I don’t know if he’ll be mad at me for saying this, y/n but this is the first time Tyler has brought a girl to the lake.” His foot nudges yours gently. 

“Yeah, he mentioned that earlier,” you sip your water and continue, “I think it was supposed to calm me down but it just put the pressure on!” She smiles. It’s warm and that calms you down more than anything Tyler could have said. 

His younger sister, Cassidy, pipes up, “It’s just us, no reason to be nervous. We’re not his fancy Dallas friends.” You take it as a win, but you’ve still yet to get more than a sideways glance from his elder sister, and you’re sure she’s the one who was on the phone, protesting against him bringing you along. 

You can’t blame her. They live so far and she probably rarely gets to see him, it makes sense that she’s less than thrilled at you tagging along, taking up their family time.

It makes you want to prove her wrong, show her you’re not that clingy girl looking to drive a wedge between him and his family. You're just not sure how.

_________

When the wine comes out after dinner things get easier.

Jackie disappears into a closet and returns with Scrabble. Tyler is good, which (you’re embarrassed to say) surprises you, always ready to judge a jock. As your glasses empty and refill a few times the game gets progressively sillier. You challenge Tyler a number of times. 

He confidently lays down “playwrite” and starts to tally up his total before you get a better glimpse at the board and shake your head. “Uh-uh, I don’t think so! Pick that up!” 

He looks at you adamantly, “What’s wrong with playwrite?! It’s one word!” He gestures his hand toward the board.

“That’s not how it’s spelt! It’s W-R-I-G-H-T!” Tyler squints his eyes at you, tilting his head to the side like you’re being purposely difficult. 

“That makes absolutely no sense, they write plays!”

You cross your arms over your chest, “Doesn’t matter, it’s wrong!” 

Tyler matches your stance, “Is that an official challenge?” 

When you look over at the rest of the table you can see his mother is barely holding in a laugh as his sisters smirk up at his ridiculously defensive stance. The score is close and the letter bag is empty. The G is resting on a triple letter, the P on a triple word and you hope to God you’re not too drunk to remember how to spell. You nod solemnly, watching Tyler grab his phone. 

He types something out and you can tell you're right the moment his expression softens and deflates. 

“Fine,” he pulls a few of his letters off the board and leaves only “write" remaining, before adding up the score and writing it down on the paper next to him. Candace runs through all of her letters on her next turn and you all have to subtract your remaining letters from your own scores. She beats you by 3. 

After boxing up the game and tidying the table, you all sleepily stumble up to bed, exhausted from all of the travel and wine. Tyler kisses his mom goodnight and hugs his sisters. You do this awkward hug with his mom, not sure if you’re there yet, but she wraps her arms around you and says “Night hon,” so you’re probably overthinking it. His sisters call out a good night to you before they head into their rooms, but no one looks sideways at you and Tyler entering the bedroom together, so you take it as a small victory.

_________

Scrubbing off your make-up in the bathroom is exhausting, but a necessary evil, so you stand in front of the mirror again reflecting on the past few hours, the night coming full circle. 

“I can hear you dissecting every word that was said tonight. Come to bed, babe. It’s not that real,” Tyler’s footsteps creak on the hardwood and alert you to his presence before you can see him in the mirror behind you. 

“Do they like me?” You put down the wash cloth and turn to him. “I’m nervous. Help meee,” you’re only half kidding as you whine and stick out your bottom lip hoping Tyler takes pity on you. 

He does. 

He wraps you up in his arms and your face, still damp from washing it, leaves wet blotches on his t-shirt. “They like you just fine, you psycho. Relax,” he kisses the top of your head. “I like you that’s all that matters.”

Stepping back you look up at him, “Eh.” You smirk and he calls you a little shit before kissing you hard on the mouth. His hands trail down your back to your ass, squeezing once before he reaches for the front of your shorts. 

“I don’t think so mister. Your family is here!” you chastise him in a harsh whisper. He rolls his eyes but lets go, dragging his hands back around to your butt. He rolls his eyes, but leans down and kisses your neck. 

“Fine, but just know that I’m sad about it,” the way he whispers it into you ear has you second guessing your decision,  but it’s still hard to hold in the laugh. 

“Noted, but just know that I don’t care.” You let him drag you to bed and lave soft kisses down your neck before you fall asleep.

_________

When you all tumble out of bed the next morning the sun is shining. It glints off of the water making it sparkle in the summer heat and everyone quickly decides to spend the day on the lake. 

You always feel a little scrubby next to Tyler when he’s half naked. He’s hard and toned, barely an ounce of fat on his lean body. Meanwhile, you know it’s obvious that you don’t spend enough time in the gym and definitely love carbs.

As soon as he invited you to the lake, you went out and bought a new bathing suit. It sits high enough on your torso to hide your lower belly and nip in flatteringly at your waist while the top lifts and supports as much as you could hope for, so you think you look okay. 

When his sisters make their way out on the dock you instantly want to wrap yourself up. You know you’re built differently, but it doesn’t stop you from unhelpfully comparing your bodies. They’re long and lithe, and you feel nervous that they’ll find something to pick apart and cement their dislike of you.

After a few minutes, your fears dissipate. Everyone is enjoying a relaxing day in the water and no one is staring at your thighs like they’re offended. Candace even tells you she likes your suit, so you know you’re being silly and remember that you have nothing to be self conscious about. Life isn’t a teenage rom-com and no one cares if you have some cellulite on your butt. It helps that you catch Tyler sliding his sunglasses down his nose and winking at you when his sisters aren’t looking. It makes your heart freeze before thumping wildly against your ribcage. 

You take turns getting dragged around the water on an inner tube as Tyler speeds the boat along the empty lake. Jackie shouts to be careful from the dock, drenched in the shadow of her sun-hat looking truly terrified. Everyone laughs and waves at her, cheering when Tyler jerks the boat around trying to throw you all off of the tube.

When the sun starts to set you hop in the shower and everyone ditches their bathing suits for a bath and dinner. Tyler grills up burgers outside and you all sit on deck around the table, laughing and eating, less tense than the evening prior. 

As the sun fully sets it gets chilly on the water, so you all head inside and start up a game of rummy. It’s friendlier than the game of Scrabble. It turns out none of you are very good at remembering what another player picked up and you are all holding a meld that someone else is also trying to build. 

Jackie wins, she claims she’s had longer to learn strategy and you all boo her, chucking your cards into the middle of the table before heading up to bed, thoroughly worn out from the long day on the water.. 

_________

Sunday passes largely the same way. Tyler lets you all take turns driving the boat, which is simultaneously the most fun you’ve ever had and the most terrified you’ve ever been. 

“Cassidy barely got her license and Candace has a lead foot. I don’t know what I was thinking!” He looks over at you, hat backwards on his head and looking bronze from head to toe. You can barely process what he’s saying when he looks like this, but his sisters squawk at his unfair assessment.

“I only failed one time!” Cassidy shouts over her shoulder. 

Candace nods, “And I’m the one who taught you how to drive, little brother. Have some fucking respect for your elders!” Candace sniffs, offended, and turns back towards the bow. 

After Tyler has insulted everyone’s boating abilities, he breaks out some paddle-boards from the boat garage. Turns out paddle boarding is not a hidden talent of yours. You’re far too clumsy to stand up for any length of time. All three siblings are athletic enough to maintain balance while laughing and shouting pointers at you to no avail.

That night's dinner is a little subdued because you all know you’ll be leaving in the morning and your little bubble of vacation is about to pop, but you feel like you've made headway with Candace. She sits across from you at dinner and asks about your life back in Texas and seems genuinely interested in your answers, even if it is just about the diner you work in or where your little apartment is in relation to Tyler’s house.

You know you're correct when she drags you in the house to get stuff for smores as Tyler lights a fire up in the yard. You're in the middle of grabbing the graham crackers when she corners you in the pantry. 

"I just wanted to apologize," she looks you directly in the eye and it's a little unnerving. 

"For what?” you shrug, not wanting to let her know you overheard Tyler on his phone call with her. 

"I just… I wasn't sure about you. But I'm actually really happy my brother brought you around." You smile and she does a little too, but continues, "It's hard to tell who's with him for the fame and the money and who actually likes him for his dorky self."

Her face drops when your brows knit together in confusion, "The fame?" 

It's her turn to look confused, "Yeah? Because of the…" she tapers off, tilts her head to the side, and you can see the family resemblance in the mannerism, "Did that fucking idiot not tell you what he does?"

"I just-” she stares at your with her brows knit together and it’s hard to continue, “I assumed he was an athletic trainer of some sort,” you start. "He travels a lot, and he's in good shape and, you know- it's Texas. Football’s big there. The players need to condition…"

She's shaking her head in her hands and you don’t know how this conversation went south so fast. 

"Okay. I'm going to tell you a secret. Please don't clue him in that you know...” She types into her phone, manicured fingers tapping gently against the glass. When she spins her phone around the Google search results have everything clicking together in your head. “Buuuuuut he's kind of a big deal." 

"Are you kidding me?" 

Candace looks stricken, eyes wide and palms out in front of her.

"You can't tell him I told you. He'll kill me. Please don't be mad. You can understand why he'd be cautious…" 

"I won't say anything. I just can't believe I didn't think of it. He's such a dope." You roll your eyes but start heading out of the pantry. "C'mon, they're going to get suspicious," you nudge her shoulder with yours so she knows you're okay. Candace looks relieved and follows you outside with the marshmallows. 

Your flight leaves early in the morning and you say goodbye over breakfast before loading up the car and driving to the airport. You're too tired to be mad at him for keeping you in the dark. You hate to say it, but you understand. By the time he drops you off at your house and kisses you goodbye, after thanking you for spending time with his family, you're so soft for him you forget why you were ever angry in the first place. 

_________

He’s not quite sure what to do now. It’s been so long. They’ve been dating for almost five months at this point. She’s been to his house, knows his dogs; she met his mother for Christ’s sake. 

With camp coming to an end and pre-season looming in the very near future, he’s out of time. 

So, he has her over. He makes her grilled cheese and pours her wine, just like the very first time he ever got her to come back here. He hopes the nostalgia will soften the blow of the bomb he’s about to drop. 

She sits there in her leggings, wrapped up in one of his sweatshirts. It’s now or never and he knows it. Has to spill the beans before she sees his face plastered on commercials and all over downtown Dallas next to Jamie’s on a billboard. 

He's casual, "So I, uh, have a little bit of a confession to tell you." 

She looks up and stops chewing, eyes wide and brows high. She puts her grilled cheese down and has a sip of water before turning to him, hands in her lap. “That sounds ominous.”

He doesn’t know what’s about to happen, but he knows he can’t put it off any longer, “I didn't really lie, but I've definitely omitted some truth. We're getting really close, so I think it's only fair that I tell you what you're getting yourself into."

She nods, picks her grilled cheese back up and picks at the crust, “You have some bodies buried under the pool or something?” 

He loves her. 

“No, nothing like that,” he sips his wine. "I, Uh. I'm…" he pauses and she nods for him to continue. "I’m a little famous? I play in the NHL and that's why I'm always traveling and my work schedule is so crazy."

There. It’s out in the open. She can reject him if she wants, but he did what was right. The silence stretches on as she chews her dinner thoughtfully and he has a mini-panic attack thinking of everything that can go wrong. He hardly had her buy in at the beginning of this relationship; could this be the weight that breaks the tenuous string of trust she gave him? 

He doesn’t say anything. Just waits for her and bounces his knee up and down, needing to do something to loose the frenetic energy building up in his body. 

She swallows the bite of grilled cheese in your mouth and nods, "Yeah, I know." 

The first thing he feels is relief. It’s cool and soothing and coats his body. The second thing he feels is utter bewilderment. "You know?" It comes out more accusatory than he intended. He’s just… shocked is all.

Nodding, she answers. "Yeah I've known for a while. Like a month now I think?" 

He can’t even string a whole sentence together. The only words leaving his mouth are half questions, “Who? I don’t- When did you? What?” She bites her lip to stifle a laugh and he takes a breath and tries again. 

“How did you find out?” 

She barely shrugs, gently lifts one shoulder and pats him on the knee, “A good investigator never reveals their sources…” He shakes his head, “but maybe it was a certain sister, who shall remain nameless”

It takes a minute or two for him to settle, but he stops and lays both of his hands on her knees. "It’s just as well I guess. You're okay with that? With my life?" He has to know she’s all in, just like he is. She won’t block his number and ghost him when she catches sight of the cardboard cutout of him that some of the bars downtown display as mostly a joke.

She lays both of her hands midway up his thighs, stares into his eyes and grins, "I don't scare easily."  Her smile is devastating and his heart explodes in his chest. She’s not going anywhere. She’ll still have him. All of him. 

He can’t help himself and he leans down and lays a kiss on her lips- mouth salty and soft. It’s sweeter somehow, with nothing separating them, "What a coincidence. That happens to be my favorite quality in a girl."

[warsofasoiaf]

The Celtic Tiger - A Kaiserreich Ireland AAR Chapter 4: Soldiers Are We

“Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” -W.B. Yeats

---

4 January 1939 - Economic Session of the Dail, Dublin, Ireland

Michael Collins had been debating initiatives to help smooth things over with the Ulster Unionists in the North. He had already revitalized plenty of the region’s industrial base, Harland and Wolff and the Short Brothers Aerospace PLC were employing plenty of people in Belfast, but the new American refugees had caused a great deal of cultural friction. The Unionist Party was never particularly quiet about their opinions on the state of affairs, but things were actively getting worse in Northern Ireland. 

“We should expand the steel initiative.” Collins had addressed the Dail in the annual IEAA meeting. “Producing steel domestically will allow us to better manage supply shortages in the event that our trade is cut off, and domestic steel production will be invaluable to the factories and shipyards. Belfast has made a compelling point, they have a significant amount of steelworking knowledge and experience that would meet the target goals faster than they would in other regions. Belfast will reclaim her old mantle as our very own Steel City. The Open For Business Initiative has put us significantly in the black this past year, we can afford to invest heavily in steel production in Ulster along with zinc mining in our rural provinces. That should keep us in boom times and diversify our economic base, in case any post-Black Monday bubbles pop.” 

Privately, Collins was more concerned with placating the Unionists. They had been complaining that Dublin was largely favored over Belfast, and that the Open for Business Initiative was an attempt to lure away the young workers of Northern Ireland to Dublin where they would lose their culture, and their voices, largely swallowed up by the Catholic voters. Violent crime was steadily rising in Belfast, the victims being either Catholics or American refugees, or reprisal attacks by Catholics. If there was a war, he could not reliably count on Ulster, even in the face of aggression from the Union. That was a pity. That had been the British strategy against Ireland, divide and conquer. Something would have to give very soon, no amount of economic bandaging was going to resolve the core tension within Ulster - they did not see themselves as part of an Irish Republic.

An aide burst into the meeting hall, causing a minor clamor and it took some time to restore order. The aide burst out breathlessly. “The Union, sir, they’re steaming out of port. The RMS Rebecca is going full-speed at our destroyers in the Irish Sea.” The poor fellow could barely complete a full sentence, his stammering professed an almost lack of belief in what was happening.

“Have they declared war?” Collins asked. The Union and Ireland did not have normalized relations, but that did not mean no information passed between the two countries. G2, the Directorate of Military Intelligence routinely monitored diplomatic intentions within Mosley’s government. Of all the espionage work performed by the Directorate, the Union accounted for almost fifty percent of its foreign operations, perhaps even more. 

“No, sir. No word.”

What was frightening about Mosley’s intentions was how much sense it made to Collins. Mosley and Deat, despite their opposition to each other, had stressed the urgency of the revolution at their electoral campaigns, and had prosecuted an aggressive foreign policy to export syndicalism to the world.  Both had turned inwards, Deat had been particularly violent in his purging of Blum and Gamelin, and they believed now that without dissent, they would not have naysayers and fifth columnists betraying their governments. By all accounts, their countries were ready to stand at the forefront of a global transformation. Yet the results were not successful. France and Britain  had been completely humiliated in the Second American Civil War, with Reed about to face a war crimes tribunal. The Commune of France had threatened to annex Savoy only to have Switzerland seek German support and membership within the Reichspakt, and Deat had backed down. A defeat, militarily, within Europe, would be a disaster, evidence of endemic weakness of the Internationale’s new leadership. 

Ireland would have been Mosley’s choice for a target. The stunning growth of the Irish economy and rise in the Irish standard of living would be an ideological foe, proof perhaps, that another way would be better. It was close to Britain and far from Mosley’s foes in Germany, Canada, and the United States. Its army and navy were tiny, compared to the Union’s. If they hurried, it could be a fait accompli no matter what any of the other great powers would do.

Collins thought for a moment. Ireland had benefited significantly from its neutrality between Entente and Reichspakt, not the least of which because it hadn’t been drawn into Germany’s wars as it had in Ukraine. The Open for Business Initiative never would have succeeded had Ireland been fully within the German sphere, and trade with the Entente had pacified the Anglophiles in the Centre Party. It was a natural pivot point that Ireland, as the middleman, could profit from. But an invasion of Ireland would see Ireland severely outnumbered in manpower and industrial capacity. 

“Get ahold of Admiral O’Muiris, have him mine the Irish Sea. Conduct a full investigation of the radar stations and anti-aircraft batteries, I want them in perfect working condition yesterday. No more drills, our men must go immediately to battle positions. See what we can learn about any invasion plans, put G2 on it; if they’re planning to land, I want to know where so we can put enough guns to turn their landing craft to splinters.” Collins spoke as if it were 20 years ago, as if he was that same man, ready to fight the last time the British refused the demand of Irish independence. “Also, let’s see if there are others as willing to fight for Ireland as we are, start with the Kaiser.”

“And if he isn’t?”

“We look farther then. Look to Canada if you have to.”

“Are you going to invite the Windsors back in?”

“Not for a moment, but sometimes you must deal with devils. ”

---

25 January 1939 -  Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin, Ireland

It was the worst possible news. 

The Kaiser had been unable to provide support for Ireland. The Vozhd was threatening the Baltic Duchy and White Ruthenia with his goal of one land for all the Russian people, and Wilhelm II would not abandon them for a western war, especially not one who was not in the Reichspakt. Canada too, could not commit to protecting Ireland, as they were engaged in a large-scale war in India with the Princely Federation. The United States was still deep into Reconstruction, President Garner would not deploy the badly-battered US Army into a foreign campaign when there were still cholera outbreaks and people dying of exposure. They were all perfectly reasonable excuses, but it led Collins to an inescapable conclusion: Ireland was on its own.

No doubt Mosley was jumping for joy. His ambitions would not be curtailed by the major anti-syndicalist factions. Protests certainly arose, even within the Union itself, but Mosley had been able to quell them with daily speeches against Ireland, lambasting the nation for its capitalist economic policies, its embargo of British goods, and the ethnic tensions between Ulster and the rest of Ireland, which Mosley alleged to be inspired by Stephen X and a precursor to the establishment of a Catholic theocratic state. He had harshly criticized Dan McKenna, accusing him and the Thunderbolts of war crimes, summary executions of British volunteers, and torture of Union prisoners; a pointed criticism given that McKenna was soon to return to the United States to give his testimony on Welfare Island and the atrocities that had taken place in the Mississippi Delta.

Collins had established the Mosley Gan Mosley program on 2RN in response, with Irish comedians regularly mocking Mosley’s wild proclamations and providing evidence against his more spurious claims. Collins ensured that the broadcasts were transmitted on a wide band toward the British Isles, focusing on Scotland and Wales as the Autonomists had chafed under Mosley’s centralization and embrace of British nationalism. Collins directed the program to emphasize Mosley’s speeches as expressions of old British imperialism in the hopes of creating public unrest at home. He wondered if it was working at all, or if he was simply trying to give everyone a laugh before the end.

The days after the German and Canadian refusal had been a tense form of limbo. The An tAerchór only had a few fighter planes with limited training, nothing compared to the British Republican Air Force. Sending up pilots would be risky, and casualties would be high. The An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh was only slightly better off. The cruisers and destroyers were unlikely to match the British Navy in naval combat, but the submarines could pose a serious threat, and advances in naval mines would help cause further casualties among the landing craft. There was no getting around it, the Irish did not have the ability to contest the seas and so would be forced to repel the invasion with their ground forces. Civilians had been preparing for the coming disaster with air raid drills. Last-minute preparations for war were almost all that Collins could hope for, war would come, and Ireland would be alone.

“To ensure the liberation of the working class from the chains of oppressive and exploitative political and economic systems in the pursuit of global peace has been the compelling and continuing mission of the Socialist Union of Britain. To cultivate friendly relationships with nations likewise dedicated to the emancipation of those enslaved peoples and continue to progress toward the prosperity of mankind has always been the foundation of our foreign policy. 

Wherefore the government of Michael Collins has engaged and continues to engage in an economic and political system within the Republic of Ireland that deprives the Irish Worker of the fruits of his labor and depends upon his continued shackling to the dictates of Capital in violation of the Internationale Declaration of Human Rights. In pursuit of its goals against the working class, the Irish Republican government has illegally prohibited the Irish Worker to establish a political party to advance their interests in violation of the 1925 Irish Constitution’s declaration of freedom of association by banning the Labour Party.

The Socialist Union of Britain, in defense of the Irish Worker, therefore demands the reformation of the Irish government to that of a Regional Provincial Workers Council to be directly administered under the oversight of the Trades Union Congress and in accordance with the laws and principles of the Socialist Union of Britain.”

Yet, instead of an immediate declaration of war, Mosley had elected to send words, much to Collins's surprise. For a moment, the Taioseach wondered why Mosley had even bothered, such was the extent of his demands. Perhaps it was to spare himself a war while the Internationale conserved their fighting strength for other targets, or perhaps it was a compromise asked by France. Maybe Mosley thought that Ireland would surrender and he could one-up Deat who had failed to have his ultimatum obeyed. As he had read the words, Collins had almost torn the paper in anger, and among the ministers he had invited to the closed session, he had seen similar expressions on their faces. They may have disagreed on everything else, but not on this.

“The Republic of Ireland will not submit to the colonial dictates of Oswald Mosley. We consider these demands completely illegitimate and a violation of the sovereignty of the independent Republic of Ireland and the government recognized by the Irish people. The Irish Republic is a free and independent nation, and shall not surrender to the British yoke that has for centuries defined the history of Ireland with cruelty and deprivation. We demand the unequivocal cessation of all hostilities against the Republic of Ireland, the immediate removal of British ships from Irish territorial waters, and the abrogation of all demands and claims against the island of Ireland. We also call on the Third Internationale to condemn such a demand and reconsider their relationship with an aggressive nation dedicated to a mission of subjugation.”

Collins was sure that would get Mosley’s anger up. His support of the Anti-Colonialist movement could not abide a direct challenge by naming him the colonist that his government had spoken so long about overthrowing. The Union fixated upon proving that they were not the old British Empire, that they were a modern, just triumph over backward authoritarianism. Questioning the Union’s place in the Internationale was sure to cause some stir as well. South America had long spoken against European colonialism, and Chile had considered itself a bastion of colonial liberation within the continent. Even though Chile had not joined the Internationale, their success in Latin America and their support of Britain and France’s mission had mattered greatly within left-wing intellectual circles; it was their testament against accusations of colonialism. Robbing Mosley of Chilean support could cause unrest at home and with other syndicalist nations like Burma, and perhaps end his expansionist ambitions on Ireland.

Collins was only half-right. None of the major syndicalist nations saw fit to criticize Mosley, neither Chile, nor Burma, nor France, nor the Socialist Republic of Italy in Torino had seen fit to condemn Mosley’s action, nor was any independent comment from the Third Syndicalist Internationale forthcoming, at least not any that Collins had seen or heard. What was true is that Mosley was furious. He had read the Irish response out loud in the Trade Union Congress, and had immediately moved for a declaration of war. It had not been a request, not that any would oppose him after his centralizing purges in ‘37 and ‘38, but the British people were fired up. The declaration of war had been delivered, and almost immediately, planes began flying overhead, and the air raid sirens gave their low bleak wail. For a moment, Collins was certain that he could hear them as a banshee’s wail, and wondered whose death warrant he had just signed.

---

28 March 1939 - Command Bunker, Dublin, Ireland

It had been months since the declaration of war, and bombing missions had been flown against Ireland daily. The anti-aircraft guns and radar stations did their part, but the Union still commanded the skies. They had prioritized strategic bombing, hitting factories, port facilities, and coastal fortresses, but any target would do in a pinch. Each day, Collins made sure to hear the casualty counts, and each day he would address the nation by radio, encouraging them to continue to fight on. Every man, woman, and child had been doing their part. The Union had done a good job choking the imports of steel in an attempt to starve the Irish industrial machine. Air raid shelters had been a regular part of construction during the massive push for industrialization, and for that Collins had been grateful for what foresight he had. Even one life saved was worth it, but thousands had been spared being killed or maimed in a night raid or building collapse. That was small comfort, because fewer people dying still meant people were dying on his watch, soldiers and civilians alike.

G2 had conducted countless missions against the Union. Infiltrating the Army and Marine Corps were a top priority, any landing or invasion plans were a high priority for their agents. It had been a difficult endeavor, but Nancy Stewart, a Union turncoat who had lost her family members in Mosley’s purges and had been recruited to G2 as a local asset, had outdone herself. She had spoken to an overworked member of base security, stolen his keys and identification card, and had snuck it to her colleagues after drugging the man’s gin and dragging him home posing as his girlfriend. From there, Nancy and Rachael O’Brien, who had been recruited from the Cumann na mBan as part of Collins’s efforts to recruit sabotage experts for the Irish intelligence services, had been able to copy the plans all night before sneaking out the next morning, returning everything that they had left before their victim recovered from his night. The plans had been scheduled for late June, to land in the Clew Bay and Killary Harbor, on the west of Ireland.

Surprise was the Union’s primary goal, the territory in that region was a difficult landing, but if the Union soldiers were able to land and fortify, they could use the terrain to repulse an attack, perhaps even establish a breakout while forces had to cross the River Shannon and potentially seize Irish fortifications. The Republican Army was not concentrated in County Mayo, the likely destination would be on the east coast and it was there that they fortified with machine guns and artillery. The Union elected to launch from Cornwall, with a diversionary operation from Liverpool and the Isle of Man. Admiral O’Muiris elected to keep a defensive posture in a double-bluff; he didn’t want to risk any of his few ships on pursuing the Republican feint but kept his ships close to make it seem that he had not known about the Galway-Mayo landings. He didn’t like it, but if they could push back the attack, it might force Mosley to abort his attempt.

Tom Barry had stationed his men in Sligo and Galway city, waiting for forward observers to spot the landings on the western coast. The 1st Armored Division and the 2nd ‘Spearhead’ infantry would strike from Galway, while a mobilized force of cavalry Gardai would strike from surprise from the northeast. The 1st Thunderbolts were given the most difficult position, to fight a pre-dawn attack against the northern landing. Once they had attacked and cleared the beaches, they would march south and attack the main landing zone where the beaches were longer and flatter, supporting the most landing forces. Collins had hoped that he could bombard the beaches to oblivion, pinning the British invasion force soon after it had landed, and destroying their landing craft so they could not retreat. 

The landings were commanded by Thomas Wintringham, who had decided to primarily use regular army forces. He had petitioned Mosley for more men, but as that would have compromised the Welsh and Cornwall defensive region, so he was forced to call upon the West Lowlands Home Guard to fill out the invasion. In the middle of the night, the British had attempted to make the landings, but the currents had taken several of the landing craft off course to Galway, where a general alarm had been sounded and the landing craft subject to a heavy barrage. The anti-aircraft turrets weren’t able to be redirected toward the sea, but the river defenses on the Claddagh had utilized static artillery and machine gun pillboxes to create killzones, and the ports within Galway city had been blockaded. 

The mobilized Gardai Síochána and the 1st Thunderbolts moved to their northern position, and Barry began to push with a combined infantry and armor push toward the main landing zones. As it was a night landing, the Republican Air Force was unable to provide air support to its invasion zones. The Thunderbolts had marched all night and shot the Mayo landing forces to pieces as they arrived, keeping in contact with radio and light signals, before turning south to attack the main landing point. The 1st Armored advanced rapidly with light tanks before abruptly turning. Ground forces commanders, thinking that the Irish attack had been aborted because the tanks had outpaced their infantry, had attempted a shock charge to attack the Irish armor when they were out of position. Having advanced quickly, Barry closed the net, attacking with the South Mayo Flying Column and the 2nd Spearhead Division as the light tanks returned to repair the damage they had sustained during the light engagement. The ambush had taken the Union forces completely by surprise, and they were scattered, allowing Tom Maguire to push forward with his native Mayo forces and the Dublin Rifles toward the beach landings.

Continuing his hard push, Barry repeatedly probed the Union lines on the beaches, following up weakpoints with infiltration tactics and strongpoints with a withering suppressive barrage of artillery fire. Admiral Richard Boyle, commanding the U-Boats, attacked as the sun began to give visibility, sinking supply ships and troop transports. As the British Republican Air Force began to fly to support their mission, they had found the beaches to be a disaster area, littered with dead Union soldiers and destroyed Union equipment. The Union soldiers had fought tenaciously, but ultimately could not break out of the beachhead. As the hours stretched on, eventually the divisions surrendered. The first invasion of Ireland had been successfully repulsed.

Collins hadn’t been able to sleep, and paced in his command center the night of the march no matter what he tried. Mulcahy had opted to handle the long wait and let Collins try to get a few hours of sleep on a cot, but neither man believed that such a thing could really happen. When the news had come, Collins had listened to Maguire’s report almost dumbfounded, as if he expected to be woken up at any time. A complete success on all fronts, the British invasion had been foiled, and Irish casualties had been exceptionally low. Killed and wounded, Ireland had suffered just short of 3,000 casualties, roughly evenly split among the divisions in theater. The Union had suffered over 111,000 killed or captured in the failed raid, and what few weren’t captured were isolated and fleeing for their lives in the Irish countryside. It had been an overwhelming victory.

“My God, we certainly gave them a bloody nose.” Mulcahy, just as stunned as Collins himself, nodded approvingly.

“Then let us hope all it takes is a bloody nose.” Collins replied glumly.

---

“To conclude, what I witnessed in my almost-two years of volunteer service within the Second American Civil War was commitment in its best and worst forms. The Federal government, armed forces, and civilians of the United States had acted in devotion to their government and their mission, preserving their country and Constitution. Its reverse was true of its foes, a commitment to the annihilation of those who did not fit within their vision.” -Daniel McKenna, closing remarks, Denver Trials

McKenna didn’t belong here. Mosley had tried to invade his homeland. Every man was needed to fight. It was only a direct order from Michael Collins that had sent him to the United States. “We need foreign support more than we need one more general. The Thunderbolts will be well-led, you have my word. If the truth can come out about what had happened in New York, then we can push for further support. Your actions may help the war effort far more than back here in the homeland.”

McKenna thought the idea was sound, but he wasn’t seeing it pan out. Foreign support wouldn’t be pouring in, what had happened in the United States was already known and rationalized away. It was closure for the Americans, perhaps, but abstract notions of justice being punished hardly mattered when real Irish men and women were dying from British bombs. He had gone because he was a soldier and that meant obeying the orders of his commander-in-chief. McKenna had hoped that he could give a quick testimony and return, but he had been approached by the Irish-American Aid Association to give speeches to raise funds to donate supplies for Ireland. The United States was still recovering, but there were plenty of descendants from the Irish diaspora who were willing to donate food, money, and weapons to the Irish cause. That was something at least, some good had to come from this excursion.

McKenna remained in Denver as the tribunal judges deliberated their verdict. Reporters had hounded him the second he stepped out of his hotel until the second he stepped back in, even preventing him from enjoying any meals, calling them a bunch of cicadas in private. However, he was surprised to meet the reporter that he had met in New York covering the Denver Trials. Ruth Sofer had become a minor celebrity for her coverage of Welfare Island, and had resolved to write about the victims and perpetrators of the Second Civil War. “In my view, anything less would be cowardly, and I’ve been told I have an ironclad heart.“ Over dinner, Sofer interviewed McKenna, not only asking him further about Welfare Island, but telling him what she had learned in interviewing members of the Union State and Combined Syndicates who had been guilty of categorical atrocity, and what could have motivated them to do such a thing. It had sickened McKenna to his stomach, but no battle was too difficult for a soldier, and he obeyed his orders.

McKenna had wanted to return to Ireland quickly, but felt compelled to stay to help Sofer until she had finished her manuscript. Her book, Superfluous People, was a chilling examination of the systems of the two rebel movements within the Second American Civil War, their conceptions of a new transformation of reality in a form of secular millenarianism. Most of the second section of the book detailed the rationalizations regarding those to be left out of the new world, and the philosophies of the movements that originated these rationalizations, and the appeals both real and imagined that gave strength to these movements. The third and final section detailed the jump from theory to practice, exhaustively compiled through interviews of ground-level commanders that oversaw these eliminations in action. Notably, Sofer expounded at length on the Federal government in permitting Jim Crow legislation in the South as the foundation for groups like the Silver Legion.

Once the manuscript had been completed, only then did McKenna, hitching a ride on a supply ship from the Irish-American Aid Association, return home, to take up the command of his Thunderbolts once again.

---

12 June 1939 - Forward Command Post, Carrick-On-Shannon

After the failed invasion of Connacht, Mosley had blamed the militia system of the Trade Union Congress, finding the failure of the invasion to principally be the fault of the militia system’s poor organization. To Mosley, the inability of the Union Army to probably organize into a coherent and effective fighting force prevented them from successfully managing the Irish counter-attack until the greater numbers of the British army could land. Mosley dissolved the militias and established a more formalized military with an established central command structure. Officers could no longer be elected by fellow soldiers, Mosley had instead integrated soldier assent via the promotion board and mandated promotion in part on merit and ability to accomplish objectives. 

Mosley also reached out to the Communards across the Channel. Deat had not supported Mosley’s invasion of Ireland initially, but he was eager to demonstrate the prowess of the Communard Army. He had anticipated Mosley seeking help, but had thought it would have been more for occupation duties, and had planned for landing from Brittany to land in County Cork on the southern side of Ireland in the middle of August. The initial attacks were mere probing attempts, to see the Munster defenses and better analyze how best to invade Ireland. The weather conditions were right on the 15th of August. Unlike the earlier British invasion, the Communard elected on a daylight landing so their airpower could support the ground invasion. The increased visibility meant the Fenian Rams were able to find the French landings, sinking several troop transports and escort vessels and sinking before the destroyers and naval bombers could attack. Despite the navy’s efforts, French forces were also able to land at Baltimore and in a pasture in County Wexford after being shelled by Irish Republican forces in Waterford. The Dublin Rifles and 3rd ‘Black Badgers’ Division attacked in the Battle of the Sheepfold, where the lack of cover led to high casualties on both sides. The Baltimore landings fared little better, the rocky and open ground provided little cover, and the Irish forces were hard-pressed until reinforcements were trucked in from Limerick. 

The landings had similarly failed, though Deat had committed few forces and his troops were far more successful than Mosley’s initial foray. Deat had demanded that Wintringham coordinate with the Communard army for a joint invasion of Connacht. Collins had been able to repulse the Communard landings because his forces, not pressured on multiple fronts, had been able to relieve each other. Overwhelming numerical force would be able to do what smaller forces could not. As Ireland was considered Union territory and the Commune required most of its divisions along the border with the Kaiserreich, the Union would supply most of the manpower for the invasion, although the supreme commander would be from the Communard Army. Union and Communard planes and ships would combine for the endeavor, to support landings from County Claire to Sligo. 

The larger invasion force did succeed in its goals. Mosley’s centralization efforts had restructured the militias into an effective and organized fighting force. By standardizing equipment and radio procedures, the Union had been able to break through at Clew Bay, getting off the exposed beach. The Donnelly Division had been scattered, and the French were able to land in County Mayo and attack Sligo after a ferocious onslaught of terror bombing. The initial objectives only sought to reach the River Shannon, as the fortifications made crossing the river a daunting task. The Union took Galway after three days of fighting, Irish Republicans had retreated to the forests and hills outside of the urban centers. After five days, almost the entire province of Connacht was under Communard control. In Sligo and Galway, the Irish tricolor was lowered from the city halls and replaced with the hammer and torch of the Union of Britain, and the Internationale was sung. 

The Internationale also executed Irish Republican prisoners. A captain of the 1st Thunderbolts was singled out as a particularly grave offender, accused of having committed war crimes against Union volunteers in Philadelphia during the Second American Civil War. During his impromptu tribunal hearing, he loudly denied the charges against him, demanded hard evidence be presented instead of “self-serving lies from a nation of cowards,” and accused the Internationale of being mass murderers, imperialists, and “the bootlicking spawn of Oliver Cromwell,” disrupting the impromptu tribunal to the point where it was impossible to convene any proper hearing. During the occupation of Connacht, hundreds of civilians were executed. Some were executed for supporting Irish Republican partisan activity or giving supplies to holdout forces, some were members of the Catholic clergy, some others for not turning over foodstuffs to the Internationale army, and yet others were executed after being identified as business owners or landlords by native Irish socialists. The accused were given drumhead trials, their property seized, and hanged from lamposts.

When the news out of Connacht reached Collins, he ordered an effort to retake the lost province. That night, Richard Mulcahy, Hugo MacNeill, and Tom Barry outlined their combined plan to surround and eliminate the invaders, called Operation Execution Ground. A night march along the Atlantic Way from Derry to Sligo led by Barry and Maguire, a march north along the River Shannon toward Sligo for Dublin forces, and the main force pushing up toward Galway from their previous positions in Munster led by MacNeill. The Thunderbolts and Black Badgers, the elite infantry units of the Irish Republican Army, would bloody the Commune in Sligo, while the 2nd Spearheads would seize and destroy stockpiles and command posts that led from Sligo to the Mayo landing points, preventing resupply. Police volunteers from the Gardai offered to help encircle the Communards while the Union forces faced the main infantry force southeast of Galway. It left Belfast and Dublin critically exposed, only their naval minefields and garrison forces would protect them.

Cathal Brugha, already getting old, volunteered to lead any home guard for Dublin. Unafraid of any invasion, he insisted that regulars and volunteers support the Irish Republican Army. With a pistol in hand, he gave a stirring speech, that he would defend the Four Courts by himself if it meant that the interlopers were driven from Irish soil. Collins and Brugha took a photo of themselves, pistols in hand, standing on the steps of the Dail, saying that all Irish citizens young and old can do their part for the fight. 

Liam Lynch commanded the infantry coming from the south. When he had seen the bodies in Galway, he told the troops under his command that they were not obligated to “be kind to those who have shown us their cruelty.” Both in Sligo and Galway, the Irish Republican Army ordered heavy shellings on enemy positions followed by aggressive charges. The cavalry forces and the Spearheads moved along the shore, attacking supply lines and cutting off avenues of retreat. To complete the encirclement, the Thunderbolts moved to the west, hoping to break the Communard forces first so that they would flee east into hostile territory rather than west toward the Union.

A G2 agent, masquerading as a sympathetic Irish turncoat, made contact with the Communard forces in their forward positions by the River Shannon. Carrying mock orders, G2 successfully tricked the Communard forces into believing that the Irish had seized radio equipment and were attempting to trick them into thinking that they were attacking their landing sites in an attempt to move them out of their defensive positions and ambush them. The Communards didn’t leave for several hours until communications were severed entirely, exposing the ruse. The extra time proved invaluable to the Irish Republican Army, who were able to complete their encirclement before ordering an attack from all sides. Without radio communications, and surrounded on all sides, the Communard forces were shot to pieces. Only the units hunting the partisans to the west were able to successfully rendezvous with Union forces, the rest, after a ferocious battle, surrendered en masse.

The Union forces opted to abandon Galway early, and establish a strong position near their landing zones with Communard forces that had been ambushed in the forests to the west of Sligo. Lynch continued to push aggressively with his infantry, issuing Pervetin rations to the infantry under his command to sustain the attack. As Lynch turned to support the French encirclement, the Union returned to attack the city, revealing their earlier retreat as a ruse to attack while the Irish before their armies could get into position. The Donnelly Division, who had tried to hold Galway, were almost completely destroyed as a fighting unit, losing almost half of their fighting force. A relief effort from the Spearheads was the only thing to save Galway from being overrun. 

Only after the Communard Army was defeated did the army regroup and push toward Clew Bay. In the same position that the previous invasion failed, the Union and Communard forces fought a desperate defense. Eventually, the Internationale’s forces were ground down as they began to run out of ammunition and wounds began to take their toll. The news of the murdered civilians and POW’s had enraged the Irish Republican Army, and the Internationale’s landing zone was subject to intense bombardment that, in the words of one private: “seemed to be the devil’s own hand reaching out with one fell swoop to wreak his evil upon the world.” With little in the way of functional radio equipment, surrender was only possible at night when a desperate signals operator flashed Morse code using a spotlight to communicate surrender. 

The aftermath of the invasion of Connacht was tragic. Prisoners were marched in chains to prisons in the center of the country, and many officers and enlisted both were sent to firing squads if they were found to have had a hand in executing Irish civilians or in stealing food from non-combatants. Confessions were broadcast around the world about what had happened in Connacht, with the Internationale virulently denying the charges, accusing the Irish of fabricating war crimes to inflame public support and justify their unjust executions of prisoners of war. Collins had barely heard the figures - eight thousand Irish soldiers had been killed or wounded, while the enemy had suffered 179,000. Most of them had been Union soldiers, about 115,000, while France had taken around 75,000. The numbers were one thing, but his people were executed by a foreign power on Irish soil. It was the subjugation of Ireland all over again. Even if they had taken back their territory, how much more would it cost? The Internationale had six times the industrial capacity and fielded far more men. Even now, there had been no indication that Deat would abandon the fight or Mosley call for a truce. Perhaps they would drown Ireland in blood, if they couldn’t have it for themselves.

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30 June 1939 - Special Joint Session of Congress, Washington D.C., United States of America

“If you will not fight for the Irish, help the Irish fight.” -Eamon “Dev” de Valera

If there was one good thing to come out of the failed invasion of Ireland, it’s that the world finally seemed to wake up to Ireland’s plight. Eamon de Valera had gone to the United States to lobby for more support, and he had been received warmly by President Garner. Warm regards, however, hadn’t translated to what Dev had actually sought, a threat from the United States to back down or face war. The Gallup polls had been encouraging: 47 percent of Americans favored unqualified economic and materiel support to include shipments of food and oil to Ireland, which went up to 57 percent when the responses included “provided it does not enter us into the war.” Most opposition had come from the thought that America still required all of its strength to rebuild, but estimates had been heartening, support for Ireland wouldn’t threaten American recovery, or so the economic analysts had said. There had been much pain suffered by the United States, but it was on the road to recovery. Major Longist guerrilla networks that were uncovered in the Lousiana bayous had been broken up, and the last remnants of the socialist resistance had been killed or arrested among the factory wreckage of Chicago’s industrial district. It was heartening to see America recovering so quickly. 

Food and medical supplies, unarmed and flagged as humanitarian aid vessels, had already sailed to Ireland mostly without problems. The Union Navy demanded the right to search the ships, but Collins had threatened that if humanitarian food aid to Ireland was cut, the first people to starve would be the prisoners taken during the failed invasion. Dev had hoped to acquire more significant war support than mere food aid. Even basic equipment was starting to run bare in the depots, and bombing raids had started to take their toll on the factories. America had the industrial capacity needed to supply the Irish war effort, if it could only turn on the taps, an endless river of artillery, planes, and ships could flood the Irish Republican Army with everything it needed to fight the war.

Harry Hopkins had drawn up a bill with considerable bipartisan support, one that he hoped could both provide vital jobs for a recovering America as well as helping Ireland. Ireland could receive oil and war materiel on credit, to be returned when the war was concluded unless “the return of the equipment is made impossible due to use or damage.” Dev had asked Hopkins just how anyone was expected to return spent ammunition or artillery shells after they had been fired, answered with a simple chuckle. 

Dev gave a rousing speech in the halls of the US Congress, and had specifically asked for the German and Canadian ambassadors to be invited to the session as well so that he might be able to address the Entente and the Reichspakt together. The pictures of what had happened in Connacht had risen the ire of many Americans, and shouts of “Remember Welfare Island” had frequently been shouted at pro-Ireland rallies.

“We are a small nation, and in our young history as an independent republic we have never once acted with aggression toward another nation, whether stronger or weaker. In our history we have been the victims of aggression, not its perpetrator. We have now come to yet another chapter in the long history of struggle, a new foe empowered by an industrial war that far surpasses the Weltkrieg. We have stood strong, taken with calm courage and confidence in our people, that our nation will endure. We know full well that we cannot demand any other to stand beside us, or ask that their fathers, husbands, or sons do so in their stead. We ask only that you remember Ireland, a land who with tearful hearts had her sons and daughters leave her fleeing the horrors of famine and destitution, and who welcomed many of America’s sons and daughters fleeing the horrors of war and deprivation. We ask that you remember a land with blue rivers choked with blood and oil and green fields burnt and stained red. We ask you, America, such a vast and mighty nation, to remember a nation that could be swallowed by most of your own constituent states. We ask that you remember the injustice being wrought upon her, and we ask that you remember the words of your Benjamin Franklin, about how a great nation may be reduced to a lesser one. We know firsthand how difficult the path of justice is, but acting justly has its reward.”

Transcripts of the speech, personally written by de Valera, were delivered to the Canadian and German ambassadors, with slight modifications. Instead of referencing Benjamin Franklin, Dev had referenced British and German liberal thinkers. The Canadian speech had omitted about how Ireland had a long history of oppression, instead focusing upon Union aggression wishing to expel people from their homeland. These speeches were eventually collected together, with the German Foreign Minister secretly praising de Valera for the craft of tailoring his message to his audience. The response had been beyond what de Valera had hoped. In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm had declared the German Empire recognized the plight of Ireland, and had promised shipments of materiel protected by the Kaiserliche Merchant Marine. In Canada, the Tories were emboldened, accusing the sitting Prime Minister MacKenzie King of not doing enough to support the effort to reclaim the Home Isles, and that Ireland was fighting the Union just as the Entente had been fighting against the Totalists in the Bharatiya Commune in India. With overwhelming support, the Canadian Parliament authorized shipments of weapons to Ireland, emboldening the hawks in the Entente to push for Reclamation Day. Argentina, preparing for its own war with Chile, had independently recognized Ireland’s plight, and offered several large field guns every month to help keep the Irish in the war effort. 

The shipments were invaluable, and protected by convoy systems, most of the promised aid had landed in Cork and Galway. A reporter was on hand and took a picture of marching Irish soldiers wearing the German stahlhelm and carrying the Lee-Enfield rifle. The quartermasters had difficulty initially in supplying troops in the field, as German and Canadian rifles used different calibers and parts were often not interchangeable. Eventually, units were marked as “Grey” or “Blue” by the nationality of the loaned equipment. Speaking for the cameras, Collins was in high spirits, stating: “This is the turning point in this war. The Internationale knows that it has not cowed us. While we seek a just peace and an end to hostilities, we are capable of fighting this war forever, and this commitment proves it. Neither the Reichspakt nor the Entente would provide supplies to a nation that was doomed; they would not extend credit to a nation whose defeat was inevitable. We are committed as ever before, because we know that we have already won this war.”

Privately, Collins was less enthusiastic, but he had to keep the faith. Every soldier was doing so, and Collins could do nothing less, because he was still a soldier through and through.

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17 August 1939 - G2 Headquarters, Dublin, Ireland

The new supplies were put to use almost immediately, as the Union had attempted a quick invasion at Leinster before the Irish Republican Army could field an effective response. Army engineers had not been idle, the An Balla program had established an extensive array of coastal fortresses facing the Irish Sea. Fielding only 10 divisions, the Union attack only achieved anysuccess at the earlier French landing sites in Wexford, but an aggressive counter-attack by Richard Mulcahy had achieved great results. As much as Collins didn’t like it, ceding the landing grounds to the invaders and then attacking them after they had landed was far more productive than attempting to engage them at sea. Poorly supplied and out of place, they could be driven back to the sea, and the landing crafts weren’t able to pick many back up, if at all. The casualty counts had to be discouraging for the Internationale. 2RN had made sure to broadcast the figures of killed and captured every day toward the Union, to help spread fear and discouragement among the Union’s public. They didn’t have the strength to attack the Union directly, if they were going to win they had to make the cost unbearable, and prayed that the enemy called it quits first.

G2 had launched their most audacious campaign yet in an attempt to deter the Internationale’s invasion of Ireland given the new shipments. The new Argentinian cannons had included several decoy pieces meant to be installed on mock forts to draw fire away from real artillery pieces; a technique that was invaluable in their conflict with Chile to cause the enemy to expose their position for no gain. G2 had opted to go further, and opted to make an entire phantom army. The radio office had highlighted that the expanded conscription laws, increased volunteerism in support for the war effort, and new shipments of equipment from the Great Powers had finally allowed Ireland to double the size of their armies. Dan McKenna, freshly returned from the United States, would lead this new army with the 1st Thunderbolts at its head. Taking advantage of young, patriotic artists, G2 designed inflatable tanks and prop equipment to be used for staged photo ops. To properly seed the information, G2 designed the ‘public’ news to be disseminated through the public radio waves in Ireland itself and friendly countries, including a few foreign divisions signing on for adventure and the chance to fight syndicalism. Ireland couldn’t directly claim to receive foreign volunteers, that would undoubtedly run afoul of their foreign partners, but “expatriates” would be invaluable, drawing on the formation of the United States Refugee Brigades during the Second Civil War. G2 had expertly designed one division of British emigres in Ireland electing to “fight the syndicalist menace that the crown itself would not” called the Blue Lions, and a division of German emigres called the Iron Wolves whose goal was to secure “a peaceful future for the Irish Republic and the German Empire both.” McKenna had drawn upon his experience with the Volunteer Brigades to help design the false brigades, combined with the intelligence division’s Army Department to establish a formalized command structure complete with unit patches, fake pay records, and even a speech given to the new army by McKenna himself.

To make sure that the Union got it, Ireland elected to release a few wounded POW’s back to the Union after ensuring that they had overheard the information while they were in convalescence. Not sure of how much each man could remember, G2 had made sure to release multiple POW’s. Collins himself had made the offer, suggesting that as a humanitarian gesture, certain prisoners who were well enough to be moved could be released in order to free up hospital beds for other wounded individuals. Collins had instructed his negotiators to push for a payment in gold, but to back down if pressed. Mosley had thought he had secured a win, but Collins was the man with the last laugh. The news of the new Irish army, primarily stationed in Leinster, gave Mosley reason to pause, and instead he focused his attention upon County Kerry, hoping to secure Munster and establish a secure foundation to offload more Internationale troops with a short naval trip after a successful invasion.

The trap had worked perfectly. Collins had ordered general evacuations to ensure civilians would be able to flee, and had ordered the armies to wait until the enemy had landed in order to attack. On the day of the attack, Collins had ordered the An tAerchór to fly and contest the skies from the Internationale with the new delivery of fighters and close air support aircraft from the United States. The Irish pilots were not well-trained, but had been drilled extensively on formation flying for air superiority missions. The surprising attack blindsided the Republican Air Force, who had grown lax in their patrols due to their dominance over the skies since the beginning of the early war. Now with the aircraft to match the Communard and Republican Air Forces, the Irish were able to wrest control of the airspace over the Irish island and attack enemy bombers. Casualties were highest among the Air Force, many of whom were outmatched by the more experienced enemy pilots, but the surprising victory and establishment of further control had further enraged the Commune of France, who elected not to pursue “any Irish ventures” further. They had returned to focus on their Alpine Warfare program, and reinforce their borders with Germany and Spain, recalling their forces from the British Isles and reminding Mosley of the greater mission against the Reichspakt. Half a million casualties in a short campaign, multiple failed invasions only useful for teaching lessons on how to repulse the Entente when the French had elected to cross the Mediterranean; a true waste in every sense of the word. While the war was not ended, the Internationale had decided on other priorities. With Ireland in control of her skies and her territorial waters, they had held on, and they had won.

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23 September 1939 - Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin, ireland

According to the poets, autumn was the time of loss, from the possibilities of summer into the chill of winter. The poets had not seen fit to think of Ireland in that summer of 1939, where the possibilities of summer were to be bombed by a Syndie plane or executed for failing to turn over their food and valuables to an invader. Yet Ireland’s salvation was no balm, an end to war. On the 9th of September, Deat’s Communard government demanded the return of Elsaß-Lothringen, calling it Alsace-Lorraine, and flew over German airspace to drop leaflets in both French and German detailing their grievances. The Kaiser had refused the audacious demand, claiming that the territory had been German territory for over fifty years. The next day, the Commune of France had declared war on the Kaiserreich, with the Union of Britain joining. The Socialist Republic of Italy, already in a border war with the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, joined the Internationale, and King Ferdinando II responded by joining the Reichspakt. On the 10th of September, Savinkov, declaring the necessity to liberate the Russian people from German subjugation and second-class citizen status, declared war on White Ruthenia, the Baltic Duchy, the Polish-Lithuianian Commonwealth, and Germany itself. On the 15th of September, the Entente declared war on the Union of Britain, the Commune of France, and the Socialist Republic of Italy, citing the illegitimate nature of the governments there, and prepared their invasions. Finally, on the 20th of September, the Empire of Japan, citing pan-Asian ideals and the need to liberate the Far East from Western Dominance, declared war on German Indochina in addition to their ongoing wars in China.

Ireland was no longer the focal point on the world stage, but the rest of the world would feel the fires of war that the Irish had borne, and the fires would burn hotter and brighter than any the world had ever seen. Collins wondered who had been listening to his wish

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Diplomatic Moves in Ireland

Show of Force

Ireland Abandoned

Britain Demands Annexation

Mosley Declares War

Infiltrating the Army

Come Weal or Woe!

Ambush in Connacht

Casualties - First Invasion

French Landings in Southern Ireland

Casualties - Second Invasion

French Forces Encircled in Connacht

Casualties - Third Invasion

Irish Soldiers with Canadian Rifles and German Helmets

G2 Invents a Fake Army

Casualties - Final Count of the Irish War

Alsace Ultamatum

Alright then, 1939 is down. It’s the longest chapter so far, with the Second Weltkrieg having begun, all the Great Powers (except the US) at war. It’s a more successful tale of Czechoslovakia in 1938 combined with some Battle of Britain and some Operation Fortitude. Let me know what you think