#i have Much to say half of it is transferring things from old blogs and drafts brain go Brrrr

[queenwolf]

allison IS a relatively known figure in certain circles. the argent name is a known name and, though much of its history is tainted, it still holds its weight when convenient and necessary. this is even more true as allison grows into her role as the sort of monarch of the name and paves a way for a better reputation.

[ghostboneswrites2]

Dirty 30 || One Shot

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring all my work here slowly!

Request from @mrs--hiddleston on my old blog: It's my 30th Birthday today and I was wondering if I could request some fluff of all fluff related around the reader turning 30? They're very shy, always been told they're not good enough, escapee of a abusive relationship, never really been shown love?

Summary: Daryl plans a special day for you on your 30th birthday.

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: profanity, mentions of past abuse, mostly fluffy

        "Why didn't ya tell me?" Daryl asked from behind you. You were doing your usual; morning coffee for everyone, heating some bread and jam for everyone, other general morning duties to give everyone a start tot heir day. You were always the first to rise and the last to fall asleep.

        "Uh.. Tell you what?" You asked nervously. Had you forgotten to relay an important message? You hoped you hadn't messed up anything important.

        "Ya know." He urged.

        "I do?" 

        The only thing you could think was your birthday, but you'd never told anyone about it before and it wasn't a problem then. Plus, you'd hate to walk around begging for self celebration. 

        "Thirty?" He asked. You paused spreading jam on the toasted bread and turned to face him.

        "I..."

        "Why wouldn't ya tell me?" He pushed.

        Why would you? You two had grown pretty close since his arrival at Alexandria, where you'd spent the majority of the apocalypse. He visited you constantly, and a few of his friends lived with you. He took you on rides on his motorcycle, you two walked through the woods together. Still, you couldn't see it for what it was, and that was blatant interest in pursuing you.

        "I -- I don't know." You mumbled sheepishly.

        "Yeah ya do."

        "I.. forgot?" You tried to excuse it. The truth was just that you didn't know when or how to tell someone you had an upcoming day to be celebrated. You had never been celebrated, not once in your life. These people you had come to know and love had better things to do than spend their time on you.

        "No ya didn't." He shook his head, stepping closer to you.

        "I -- What's the big deal?"

        "It's your birthday." He said plainly.

        "Yeah, but I mean.. lots of people have birthdays. People that do a lot more for the world than me."

        "So?"

        "So I dunno.."

        "Didn't think it was important?"

        "No." You admitted. "I'm sorry."

        " 'S alright." He shrugged, grabbing a slice of toast from behind you and taking a bite. "C'mon," he talked through his full mouth, dry crumbs falling from his lips. "Eat and get ready."

        "W -- Where are we.."

        "Just hurry up."

        He was annoyed he didn't have time to get you a gift, but he still had a plan. You didn't talk much, or, really, you were borderline silent. He liked that about you sometimes, but he often wished you'd give him more. More about you, more of your interests, more of your thoughts, more of your voice, just more.

----

        "Ever been out this far?" He wondered. You shook your head. "Mm. Should take ya out more."

        You blushed a little. Nobody had ever taken you out, except maybe when your grandpa was still around and he took you for ice cream.

        You followed closely behind him. He had taken you on his bike until about a mile ago, from there the two of you had been hiking through the Virginia woods, mostly in silence. He wasn't much of a talker and you never felt like you had anything interesting to say. You came to a stop and gasped. He led you to the edge of a cliff. Not a big one like the Grand Canyon or something, but it was tall. It overlooked a waterfall on the far left, the mist raising and creating prismatic rainbows all around. You looked up at him with wide eyes as he took in the scene. His eyes landed on you, a small half smile playing at his lips.

        "Like it?" He asked. You nodded quickly, eyes falling back to the grand display of the earth's natural beauty.

        "I always wanted to see a place like this." You breathed. "You brought me here to show me?" You turned your attention back to him. He nodded as he looked down at you through the corner of his eyes. "Wow." Was all you could say.

        "Thought ya might like it. Ya didn't give me heads up enough to find you a real gift."

        "A real gift?" You scoffed. "I've never seen anything this beautiful."

        He struggled to contain a smile. Triumph. He found the perfect thing for you, even when you didn't want him to.

        "I have."

        "You have?" You asked innocently. "Like a bigger waterfall?"

        "Nah." He shook his head, eyes still on you, as nothing, not even a waterfall, would compare to that sight.

        "Oh." You choked. Was he talking about you? Of course not.

        "You have too." He told you. You pushed your eyebrows together in confusion.

        "I think I'd remember that."

        "Ya look in the mirror every day, don't ya?"

        "Well, yeah but I don't -- " Your eyes grew wide. He did mean you. "I -- I -- Oh."

        You stuttered and stumbled. Your ears and cheeks felt hot and you didn't even register the cheesy grin on your face. 

        He studied your face, grazing over every detail like words on a page. You were shy and reserved, much like him in a lot of ways, but unlike him your face was very expressive. Your eyes could tell him a thousand words in a mere second, and right now you read pure, astonished joy.

        "This is--"

        "Got somethin' else to show ya."

        He led you along the side of the cliff and helped you climb down some large boulders before he stopped you, gently tugging your arm down behind one of the boulders. 

        "Ya see?" He whispered. You peered over the surface of the large rock and scanned your eyes before you saw them. A Doe and her fawns. They were grazing the grass and drinking from the still water at the foot of the lake where the waterfall dumped into.

        "Oh my.." You breathed, eyes watering. Such purity in this world was a rarity at best.

        "Found 'em when I was trackin' a buck." He told you. "Didn't have it in me to kill 'em."

        "They look so happy." You nearly cried. He placed a hand on your back, right between your shoulders. He was always respectful of your body, never once touching an area that felt too intimate. Maybe one day, he thought, but never before you were ready.

        You leaned in closer to him, resting your weight into his side. You couldn't peel your eyes away. A family of deer knew more peace than you had ever known, and you had the privilege of witnessing it. You never would have, had it not been for him.

        "Got one more surprise for ya." He whispered. You looked over at him, daring to break away from the beauty before you. He reached in his pocket and pulled something out. The glimmer of metal against the sun caught your eye first. When he let the thin chain hang from your fingers you realized it was a necklace. A dainty thing that looked like silver, with what looked like a handmade pendant. You slowly took it from him, looking closer at it.

        The pendant was a river rock, one that was naturally tumbled to a perfect little oval by the rushing waters of whatever stream he found it in. He had wrapped it in a thin metal wire, intricately weaving it in a pattern that looked neat and tidy. You ran your thumb over the smooth surface.

        "It's quartz, I think." He told you.

        "I think so too." You smiled, a tear spinning down your cheek. "You made this?"

        "I found the chain but.. Yeah." He nodded. You couldn't restrain yourself. You threw your arms around his neck, clutching his gift tightly in your fist. Salty tears glistened down your cheeks. Nobody had ever been this kind to you, let alone a man. Men had abused you, called you names, reminded you every day how worthless you were. Your father, every boyfriend, your brothers, your uncles. Not a single masculine soul had showed you kindness before, let alone put so much thought into making a day special for you.

        "This is the best birthday I've ever had." You whispered.

        His arms settled around you, embracing you in a strong hold.        

        "C'mon. It ain't that special--"

        "No." You shook your head, releasing him and looking him in the eyes as you quickly wiped your tears. "No, you don't get it. This is the most anyone has done for me. Ever."

        His eyes bore into yours, deciding you were serious. How disappointing to know that something as simple as a rock on a chain could sweep you away like this. Surely you deserved better.

        "I'll make the next one even better, if you'll let me."

----

        It was nearly nightfall by the time you made it back to Alexandria. He helped you off his bike, ever the gentleman, and held his hand on your mid-back the entire time he walked you home. You led him inside, planning to pour a glass of homemade mead for the two of you, but you realized there was light coming through your back windows.

        "What's that?" You inquired as the two of you walked to the backdoor. He stepped in front of you, wanting to open the door first. He held it open for you.

        As you stepped outside you nearly cried all over again. He admired your wide eyes as they glistened under the lights that had been strung up all around, marveling at all of the people, food, and drinks that had been waiting for you.

        "Happy birthday!" Everyone shouted. Rosita was the first to run up and hug you.

        "You didn't think we'd let you keep it a secret, did you?" She grinned as she stepped to the side. Everyone else came one by one. Tara, Rick, Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, a few of your friends from before Rick's people arrived. You didn't know this many people even liked you.

        Abraham stepped forward with a glass of wine for you. "Happy dirty-thirty." He winked as you accepted the glass. You spun and looked at Daryl, who was watching with a satisfied little smile.

        "You did this?" You asked. He shrugged.

        "Yes, he did. Don't let him tell you any different." Carol spoke up for him.

        "More like, he planned it." Tara interjected.

        "Yeah, we did all the hard work." Rick teased.

        And there it was. The first time you felt free to just talk. To enjoy people and be enjoyed. To allow others to celebrate you, and to celebrate the love they had for you.

        Daryl spent the rest of that night by your side, a large gesture for someone who tended to avoid social gatherings. You ate food, chatted with people, opened up about silly little things you would have never thought anyone cared to hear. You drank, giggled, laughed, danced, and for the first time in a long time -- maybe ever -- had a good time.

[kiaradaughterofselene]

Intro post

Heyy I'm Kiara. The group blog over on @willows-pjo-ocs is cool and all, but I decided to make my own.

So here's some basic info i guess

Age: 15

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bisexual

Godly parent: Selene

Powers: healing (only at night), photokinesis (limited to moonlight and not that much, Aurelia says I'm like a glowstick), increased strength at night time particularly when the moon isn't obscured by the clouds (which does not change when the moon is new since its still the moon), I can transfer the pain you feel to myself, limited hydrokinesis since the moon controls the tides, and I sees better in the dark. Limited umbrakinesis plus I can shadow travel. Not really a power, but I am pretty good at chariot driving since my mom is Selene, if I do say so myself.

Status: taken i love my wife girlfriend @southerndaughterofeos

I'm pretty chill just don't be a dick, i guess.

Ooc under the cut

Heyyy! I figured it might be fun to make some blogs for my ocs. With the amount i have and probably will make, this will make things easier and more fun.

i am way too autistic about the riordanverse send help

I'm the moderator of @willows-pjo-ocs and my main is @gaygirldoodles

I also run

@southerndaughterofeos

@glykera

@overlyprotectiveheadcounselor

@amaiahunterofartemis

@melissathetherapist

@selene-goddess-of-the-moon

#willow speaks ◇ is what i'll use for when the mod is speaking vs #willows pjo ocs ♡ and #insomniac daughter of the moon will be for in character stuff

the rest of this will probably be copy pasted from the intro post on the group blog tbh

TW/CW FOR TRANSPHOBIA, MENTIONS OF DEATH, AND SELF BLAME IN HER BACKSTORY also SH so im making it extra big so you dont miss it i dont wanna risk anything

Kiara is a 15 year old transgender demigod daughter of Selene. She arrived at camp a bit before the Battle of the Labyrinth (the battle itself, not the book, but both are technically true), so she did end up fighting in the Battle of the Labyrinth, the Battle of Manhattan, and the Battle of Half-Blood Hill (plus if there was another one in toa i havent read it yet so dont spoil me.)

I would say she was about 12 or 13 when she arrived at camp so she's been there for a bit

She wasn't claimed until 2 or 3 years after she arrived since her mom didn't have a cabin yet

She is currently dating Aurelia Emerson, another oc of mine.

No father issues here since her dad is pretty awesome, but she does have mother issues, which comes with your godly parent being your mother.

She has a good deal of trauma from these battles, as do the other demigods who fought in said battles.

Since she can only heal at night, she compensates with her fighting skills. She was unable to save lots of friends and fellow campers during the battles and she blames herself for their deaths constantly. The tragedy of being a combat medic at her age.

Kids used to tease her all the time and do stuff like pulling on her hair at school but she ended up finding her people

At some point (sometimes i rp before, during, or after this) she ended up going on a quest. I haven't planned out much of this quest or who she gets captured by, but she ends up getting captured by these monster or something who want a son of Selene even though she very much isn't a son, but a daughter. They only ever referred to her as a boy and made her wear raggedy ass "boy" clothes (even though i believe that clothes dont have gender idk how else to phrase it)

She ends up back at camp somehow, havent planned that part out yet, but yet another trauma she has to deal with (yay i guess..?)

She ends up picking up smoking to deal with the trauma. She doesn't really tell anyone, and she tries to hide it since she's underage, it's against the rules, and sincs Aurelia would kill her if word got out.

Every time she heals a patient, whether it's a broken wrist or the entire arm is ripped off, she transfers a great deal of the pain to herself so they don't have to deal with it. Better her than them, she tells herself.

Eventually, she grows pretty numb to the pain. She can still feel it, of course, but she's just used to it. It doesn't bother her as much as it used to. Occasionally, when she takes a smoke break, she'll put out the cigarette on the heel of her palm or her shoulder or something just to prove that she can still feel pain.

Also, I apologize if I accidentally portray her a bit wrong since I'm not trans but feel free to critique me if I do something wrong bc I really want to know so I can do better/be more educated

Face claim:

tag list from the group blog:

@the-gods-abandoned-us @arisdaughter @mache-of-greece @kaiaalwayswins @unhinged-waterlilly @yourlocalfallenstar @son-of-the-moonlight @luci-likes-dinoss @elixs-mythology-corner @bast-the-best26 @emdabitchass @if-chaos-was-a-boy @luck-is-crucial @love-lightning-forethought @the-prince-telemachus @pink-koi-lovejoy @fire-boy-official

lmk if you wanna be added or removed!

[the-anime-man]

What if Sig got to the Tome of Sealing first? AKA Tomo AU

hi again tumblr, please dont expect a whole lot from this blog, once again, but, i wanted to post like a little basic thing about this au i've had since 2021 now that i'm back into puyo again,

this is an au that Heavily relies on bits of fanon and headcanon to make it work cuz canon is puyo puyo is very fucking wishy washy but essentially, what if sig had checked out the tome of sealing from the library before klug was able to? (sorry if this is a bit scatterbrained, im not good at organizing my thoughts much,,)

(also please dont mind some of the art, im like an ok artist at best and some of this shit is from 2 years ago as well)

so like, as the absolute fucking nerd i am, i made like an initial google doc on this thing outlining most of the shit im about to summarize here (that i might link if someone asks at some point i guess idk) as well as a fanfic, didnt finish that though, i got like through barely a chapter before i stopped and then i got into sam and max but that's unrelated to now

ANYWAYS, the au is as it sounds, sig goes to precise museum and, guided by the voice of the crimson soul, finds the tome of sealing and checks it out (much to akuma's chargin,,) and then he checks out the book again,,, and again,,,, and a gain,,,, (you see where this is going)

but uh, why is it called tomo au? see im being a little shitter here and i thought maybe the crimson soul's memory would be a little shot after spending ages in a book so they might not remember their name and sig is like "you're my friend now so i'm gonna call you friend/tomodachi" but then he's like "that's too long i'm gonna call you tomo instead" so they just go along with it, for future reference, anytime i mention the crimson soul i'm gonna be calling it Tomo

wow that's really fucking big sorry,

sig has an immense attachment to tomo from the get go btw, he's like, i wanna say like 8 or so when he first gets to the book, so besides the obvious literal halvsies soul connection there's that childhood connection as well,

side note: they can speak to each other cuz of that soul connection btw, it's my personal headcanon that after slug (canon strange klug/the crimson soul) can speak to anybody who they've possessed before as well as their other half, so in canon klug and sig can hear the book talk but in this au only sig can hear them

also, the reason why tomo doesn't attempt to take over sig right from the outset is A) they dunno where the unsealing objects are and B) sig is a child and uh, another part that i'm still trying to work the kinks through of is whether tomo decides to hold off on doing the fusion dance of their own volition or if because the cyan soul (which can speak to tomo, but only when sig is asleep cuz when sig is awake the cyan soul IS sig, nother headcanon sorry) decides it's too soon, they probably have memories of previous incarnations stored in there and know that eventually sig will start showing more demonic traits but not when he's baby

wow this is getting to be a lot but we're not even done cuz now i gotta talk about what this means about shit like fever 2 and such (y'know canon things and all)

boy tumblr just hates making images smaller nowadays huh,

so when sig starts showing signs of his heritage (i.e., a bit before fever 2 happens) tomo and sig start to hatch a plan to get tomo a body back! of course, tomo is omitting some things about how they're actually going to go into sig's body cuz at this point they've been together for a few years now and sig trusts tomo as like, a best friend i guess? something like that,

so sig is under the impression tomo is gonna be released and get their old body back and tomo is under the impression that as soon as the seal releases they'll enter sig's body, join back up with the cyan soul, and return to their original form,

so sig transfers over to amitie and klug's class, (tomo) overhears that lemres is coming into town with the items they need, and they steal the shit and head to the ruins to perform the unsealing

SPOILERS! shit goes wrong

ignore how shitty the ms paint art from a couple of years ago is, might change the hair to be more red in future art

for reasons (that i also need to workshop because to be honest originally it was a "whoever unseals it gets their soul swapped with whoever is trapped in the book" but like??? idk if that's how it should work when it comes to these two specifically), sig and tomo swap places instead of a fusion happening,

sucks balls for both of them cuz this is like the Last thing either of them wanted out of this tbh, sig obviously because well, trust got broken and ended up trapped til the artifacts are stolen (klug either swaps roles with amitie or sig, haven't figured that one out yet either) and tomo most certainly doesn't want sig trapped, as they wouldn't want anyone to experience the loneliness of being sealed away like they were (except klug, fuck klug specifically) (also the chronicles drama cd mentions that part of tomo's character in it so it works for my purposes)

this image wasn't necessarily specific to tomo au but i thought it would fit anyways, sorry it's a bit blurry my phone wouldnt focus on the damn thing properly

and after fever 2,,, i kind of dont have as clear of a story? or a plan? there's some tension between sig and tomo for at least a little while but sig eventually forgives them, as well i don't know how i would tackle something like sig's secret if at all?? but yeah that's the main shit to this au, sorry it's all so very long! this has been on my mind for a few weeks now and it was on my mind for months back in 2021, so i just have a lot i'm throwing out here into the wind, if you got this far: thanks so much for reading!

here's some bonus shit for getting to the end of the main shit:

tomo calls sig "little blue" sometimes, since he's yknow, younger than them and blue but calls the cyan soul their "other half"

if you couldn't tell from the first image, since sig has his bookbag, he carries tomo around in that, but if he's stopped somewhere he'll leave the book open next to him so tomo can see around (hard to see with the covers in the way)

sig was already probably ostricized for yknow, his autistic tendencies, the book did not help with that, but it gave him a trusted confidant :)

sig actually starts developing his demonic traits earlier than in canon due to his proximity to tomo, but not by much

klug has stolen the book before, both demon halves were not pleased with this and klug has not attempted to steal the book again

sig can supplement his own magic power with tomo's for an incredibly large boost, and tomo doesn't mind doing so, this gives sig almost the exact same amount of power as the full demon used to have and also changes his right eye to red

OH, both relevant to this au and my own interpretation: the full demon's name was wisteria, but neither sig nor tomo remember it until either are reminded of that

ok that's it go home now bye bye

[theretirementstory]

Bonjour tout le monde, oh how beautiful can winter be, this time I actually braved the cold to get this photo it was just too good to miss.

We have had “flocons de neige” , rain, cloud and sunshine but it has also been bitterly cold. Never mind the heating is on and I have been eating better so warm inside and out. I must be feeling better as I have baked, cheese scones, prepared roast dinners, cooked chilli and made a pan of soup.

The weather hasn’t stopped me going to do my shopping although the knitting has been pulling me back to continue with that.

My cleaner came twice this week but is away for the weekend so won’t be with me on Monday. With that in mind I decided to start the jigsaw my friend bought for my birthday. Wow it took me two hours to sort out the edge pieces and try to get those put together. I am sure it will take me until Wednesday to get it all finished so I think it’s a good idea that I have made food, just to be reheated, as the jigsaw will take all my time 😂.

It’s been a mixed emotions week, I was thinking of a friends and family, no longer with us, who would have celebrated birthday’s or who passed away at this time of year. Back to the here and now, it was Anie’s birthday on Friday. I couldn’t get in touch with her so she didn’t get her present until Saturday, fortunately the gerbera I bought on Thursday had remained wonderfully fresh in the car. She invited me for tea and gateau and we had a great time catching up and looking at photos of her holiday in Indonesia. I had made soup so took some for her, along with a couple of mince tarts, coconut slice and stuffed dates. She would like the recipe for the coconut slice so I will send it to her.

Now it’s the music section of the blog and this first record is back to the 1960’s. It’s “Beggin’” by Frankie Valli and The four Seasons, released in 1967. The next song , I would have said is more “up to date”, but as it is actually 23 years old this year I guess it’s still “old” to a lot of people. It is “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira released in 2001. As someone once wrote “The rhythm of life is a powerful beat, puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet”. Let’s hope that’s what these songs do for you each week!

Monique messaged to say she is in hospital, her white blood cell count was very low and she is still in the emergency ward, they will transfer her to haematology on Monday. I am messaging her to keep her spirits up.

“The Photographer” was at Scarborough AFC match on Saturday doing his “voluntary” job. Apparently it was freezing cold and by half time he couldn’t feel his fingers. He did however manage to get some great photos.

“The Trainee Solicitor” has had another busy week (a bit like his mother 😉) plus he had the worst luck in that he had an overflowing toilet (fortunately from the cistern). It’s still a nuisance, I hate leaking water as it can do so much damage! Anyway “Superdad” is hopefully going over today with a new plunger and will fit it, so that the toilet is working again. Another thing he could have done without I am sure!

“The Ex-Graduate” went to take her details to the new job she is due to start around the end of February. She had been out to buy some new work clothes and is looking forward to this new phase of her life. I remember starting my first job, £15 per week, £13 of that into my hand and I thought I was rich! When I left that job nine months later to go to a job that paid £22 (gross) per week I really thought I had arrived 😂.

My grandchildren are with their Mummy this weekend so no “surprise” FaceTime calls.

I haven’t heard from my friends in Bristol and I think once the jigsaw is finished 🙈 I will have to get in touch.

Now it is time for me to have another hot drink and get myself all ready to ………. continue with the jigsaw 😂😂.

It is only 2c here so wherever you are I hope it is warmer than this.

The photo below shows new apartments built at the back of one of the 12th century churches we have in town.

Bon dimanche!

[deputy-buck]

This is a transfer post from my old blog!

-------

Ahh! Hi! Yes! These are all extremely random, and kinda suck cause I’m bad at articulating what’s in my head- excuse my poor grammar lmao I hope you like them regardless

---

- Per Evan's book, he shows his affection physically, he's a very touchy man with those he likes. More specifically he really likes holding hands and cuddling on the couch, petting through their hair and over exposed skin.

- Often calls Nate "Honey", Brad "Babe", Ray "Menace (affectionate)", Walt "Pretty boy", Trombley "Pup", Doc "my old man (you know, like how southern couples call each other)", Stafford and Christeson "Staffy&Chrisy, the kids, the boys". And yet he calls everyone "Sweetheart"

- After he retired out of the Corps, he became a carpenter; decks, bars, kitchens, wardrobes, entertainment centers, wine cellars. He's more into trimwork than anything though. Good trimwork, none of that "oh the painters will caulk the gaps." bullshit. All his joints are tight, all his boards are flush, each miter is cut to the specific corner angle of the room, he doesn't just assume all walls meet at a perfect 90°, because they don't. Ever.

- Drives a ‘77 baby-blue Ford F-300 diesel dent-side. Automatic, flatbed and dual tanks, navy leather bench seat with an ebony stained dash and door panels. Rhino-Lined floor pans were a fucking must for him personally, because even though he does interior units, he hates grungy carpet. (yes this is just my dream vehicle-) 

- He loves working on it with Stafford and Christeson. He doesn’t yell at them for shaking the flashlight but he will bark at them if they put their oily, gritty hands on his paint. He’s too broke to get it refinished, okay, they’re grown enough to know better. 

- Wears cargo shorts but it’s fine, he actually uses the pockets. He always has a paper towel in his pocket too and forgets about it when he puts them in the laundry, so he has to pick off all the little bits of obliterated napkin every time. :)

- Needs glasses, has glasses, hates wearing his glasses. It’s a constant fight between him and Tim, Doc bitches that they were expensive and helps slow down the deterioration of Mike’s vision. Mike bitches that he paid for them and they’re his eyes so he can do whatever he wants with them... He wears the glasses.

- He likes camping a lot, but none of that tent camping shit, he says he’s too damn old to be sleeping on the ground anymore. So he owns a camper! A 2013 Rockwood Roo, it’s light, small, has three soft shell expandable bunks that are all queen-sized beds and a slide-out. He loves it, It’s a pain in the ass sometimes but it fits almost everyone who wants to go so it’s worth it.

- He gets ✨Emotional✨ when any of the guys are a part of a ceremony and have to wear their dress blues or service uniform. Nearly cries when they get promoted, he’s just so damn proud of his boys.

- Refuses to understand how modern kitchen appliances work; Nate’s Keurig is his archnemesis-

18+ under the cut

- A true switch, he likes just about anything that’s put on the table. And even if it’s not his cup of tea, he’s not judgmental at all, he values a lot of communication.

- Really enjoys cock-warming, loves having one of his boys’ mouths on his half-hard cock for hours while he quotes out material and types up invoices for jobs. He’ll rock his hips forward just a tad when he feels them dozing a little too far off, reminding them to keep his cock in their mouth. 

- Praises his partner no matter if he’s topping or bottoming. Seriously, he will say, “Fuck me harder, sweetheart. Good boy.” 

- Him and Captain Patterson have a Thing with Nate and Barrett being Theirs, and so they like to mess with each other by touching the other man’s Boy. All in good fun of course, they know and respect each other’s boundaries. Gunny has more patience than Patterson though, so he can watch as Patterson pets and praises Nate for much longer than Patterson can stand watching Wynn do the same to Rich. It always ends in Patterson reluctantly surrendering Nate back to Gunny and guiding Barrett to a “middle” position, having Rich kneel between Patterson’s legs and tilt his head back until they can maintain eye-contact, which leads to Patterson cupping one hand under Barrett’s jaw to press the back of his head to Patterson’s belt buckle. Gunny and Nate watch, amused and endeared.

- Can and will edge the ever living fuck out of his boys, the one’s who like it.. Brad. Brad really fucking likes it, to the point of whispering pleadingly in Mike’s ear whenever he feels too pent up. Mike’s fine with letting Brad thinking he’s doing any sort of convincing, he likes making it an emotional challenge for Colbert.

- Playfully pulls his rank when Stafford and Christeson “contradict him” in bed, “This is your Gunny you’re talkin’ to, boys.” or “Show your Gunny some fuckin’ respect, boys.” He’d never do it legitimately to make them do something they don’t actually want, but he knows they like the play of it, knows it gets them all flustered.

- Facials, I feel like that’s all I need to say but I want to say more so- Walt kneeling on the concrete garage floor, lips wrapped around Mike’s cock, hands obediently clasped behind his back while Mike thrusts into his mouth as he pleases. Mike is so close when he pulls out of Walt’s mouth, jacking himself off the rest of the way and spilling onto Walt’s face; thick, pearly ropes laid across his flushed cheeks, a risky string of it over the bridge of his nose making the younger man squint slightly. After catching his breath, all Mike can do is grin, “Such a pretty boy, Hasser.” and pat his cheek affectionately. 

- Was the only one to not treat Trombley like a fragile, skittish deer when they started getting intimate. He listened and paid attention to Trombley’s cues of when he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t fret over it. James admitted it was a little scary at first, but it made it easier to be openly affectionate with Mike and the others. Wynn, noticing how quickly Trombley is progressing, started pushing for more, quicker: deep kisses at random times to get Trombley all hot n’ bothered, feeling him up in front of the others at home like it was nothing, semi-graphic flirting in front of the whole platoon because everyone knows and couldn’t give two shits less.

- Capitalizes on Ray being smaller than him by breaking Ray’s brain just from gently wrapping his hand around Ray’s wrist, or placing his hand flat on Ray’s belly while he’s fucking Ray, acting like he can feel his own cock there. 

- Likes it a little too much when Doc wraps a hand around his throat and pulls him up while getting fucked from behind. Especially if they’re in front of a mirror so he can watch his own jaw drop slack and his whole body just utterly melt back against Doc.

[measlywritingblog]

Question of the week, should you choose to answer it: If you have multiple WIPs, how would the characters from one WIP fare if they were inserted into the world and/or plot of another? Alternatively, if you only want to talk about one, how would those characters fare if they were inserted into any book/TV/film world and/or plot of your choosing? - Mae (@touchingmadness)

Oh!! Funny story, I do have another WIP that I had before this one, and it's still very near and dear to me. You can read the WIP intro on my (very messy) blog for it here! It's called Defector's Faith and stars a very anxious mess of an alien named Blisk. They're my pathetic little wet napkin of a character, a poor little meow-meow, if you are familiar with the term- and they have to go on a journey to try and end the war that's happening between their people and humanity.

Alphara would absolutely succeed where Blisk is failing right now. While they both share the character flaw of being naive, Alphara is wayyyyyyy more confident, whereas Blisk knows that there's a whole lot that they don't understand and are unwilling to stand up for themself or their beliefs because of it. Alphara has the opposite problem, leading to the climax of Specter ending on a serious downturn for her. But in Defector's Faith, her blindingly naïve confidence in her optimism, combined with her natural charisma, would succeed in rallying the masses behind her banner of Peace and Love and All Things Good.

To put it simply, if Alphara would thrive in that universe. If she were in Blisk's position, she'd have the war stopped by the tomorrow morning.

Omegon is in a bit of a peculiar predicament even in her own universe, so she wouldn't really have any sort of analogue in Defector's Faith. I suppose I could see her as a powerful AI in that world, but you'd still lost the bulk of what makes her herself.

If Father got put into Defector's Faith, He'd go from kinda being the Emperor of Mankind from Warhammer 40k to definitely being the Emperor of Mankind from Warhammer 40k, and that would mean I would get sued by Games Workshop. He'd go full "Purge the Xenos!" which would actually be kinda good for humanity in that setting? Except it would just mean that the plot's whole message about power of friendship and peaceful diplomacy would fall apart, lol.

Hayes would also be happy as clam in Defector's Faith, while also being the character that would fit in the most naturally into that setting if I decided to seriously transfer him over there. He's a grizzled old war vet, and would blend right in with the masses of other grizzled old war vets that have been generated from the decade-long war against the aliens. I could picture him having some inspiring and consoling words to say to Adrian, my power armor dude from that setting, something about not needing to carry everyone's burdens all the time.

--

If we're talking the other way around, none of my characters from Defector's Faith would last very long in Specter. Blisk would crack like a fucking walnut on day one if they were subjected to half the kind of social pressure Alphara was under. Social conflict is sooo not their wheelhouse, and its their arc in their own story to overcome that fear. Additionally, Blisk already has trouble in their own universe keeping their heretical thoughts from the telepaths- they're not going to have any better luck in this universe, where the telepaths are even stronger and much more prevalent.

Adrian is probably the one that would do the best/last the longest? He's a really chill, go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but even he has limits, and as someone who would probably ask "are we the baddies?" pretty early on if he was working for Father's empire, he'd inevitably get the brainwashing treatment. He's also ride or die for A-35, which. . . see below.

A-35 would get the world speedrun record for dying the fastest in Specter, I think, though. He's actually a bit of a similar character to Omegon, but minus the trauma and minus the "rebel without a cause" thing that Omegon has in spades. On the flipside, he's really bad about shutting up about what he believes in even if it would blow his cover. So, given that he's an outspoken nonconformist who hates dictators, he'd quickly get silenced by Father's oppressive regime.

[mysmashplaythroughs]

Waiting with high spirits.

I figured I'd do an off-topic post once I finished all the entries for Gen1 (well I figured I might after doing Gens1-7 but now I realise how long that probably will be.) I've managed to get every single Pokemon on my list now with a lot of help from various people. I plan on crediting each person who's helped me in the entries for the Pokemon they helped me with so for now I'll just say if you happen to see this thank you once again. As for me, since I last posted off-topic, well firstly I spent a long time focusing on getting all the Pokemon I needed, to the point the only games I was playing for about three or four months were Pokemon. I enjoyed it quite a bit gathering every Pokemon I needed although I got very lucky finding help for the final three or so I needed. 2023 was probably the year I completed the least games and my backlog has grown a fair bit with games such as Pikmin 4 and Warioware Get it Together. This whole Pokemon thing however did finally make me focus more on my list again after mostly playing new releases. I will say now I have all the Pokemon I need and after also playing through all the DLC of Pokemon Violet I am already making a lot more progress with my list having played through more than half the amount of games I completed in 2023 already this year.

Speaking of games like Pokemon Violet, I definitely wasn't expecting to be adding new games to my list but in a surprise move four new spirit events have been announced. The first event was what I was hoping for with various recent Nintendo games represented which I want to play/have played anyway so I'm glad I can implement them directly into my list now, however the second was a big surprise with Hades, 13 Sentinels and WBSC eBaseball being added to my list. I'll admit the third was a bit disappointing, I was fine with Pokemon SV getting represented (especially as I've just played through it so was eager to add a couple of new things relevant to my list) but I wish it had been alongside other games such as Fire Emblem Engage and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. I'm curious at this point what the fourth and final one will be, especially as they seem to be putting it off a lot longer than the previous 3 were (which seemed to be biweekly).

I've also made a few changes recently, one thing is I'm currently between jobs which, is something I really need to sort out, I don't want to go on too much about it but I've left a field I've been in for 10 years so I have a lot to think about with regards to what to do next. In more positive news I've finally gotten a new PC, my old one which I'd had for maybe 11 years or so at this point was getting unusable with various issues it kept having so I decided to finally get a new one, it seems this new PC runs a lot better and allows me to possibly play some games I wouldn't dream of playing on my previous one, so it's definitely been a good investment so far. I've managed to transfer everything important over I believe to this new PC although until I'm certain on that I'm still keeping the previous one around, still eventually I'm hoping to give that one to my Mother as she's needed a new one for a while and hopefully the issues I had won't be as much of an issue for her.

That's mostly it, as you may have seen I've just finished every post for Gen 1 of the Pokemon on my list, I'm debating currently whether I want to go straight into Gen 2 or try doing another Fighter post next, if anyone actually reads this blog and has a preference feel free to say so in the comments. As for games, I'm planning on finally after all this time getting back to Tales of Symphonia, I have a bit more of a drive now to play through it following all my time playing Pokemon so I'm hoping this will be like Dragon Quest 6 was for me where my second attempt I get really into it. For games coming up, there's not a lot on the horizon I'm particularly excited for, Peach's Showtime is something I'm looking forward to and I'm sure will be interesting, Fantasy Life i is a pleasant surprise I'm hopeful for but admittedly have a couple of concerns about. I am however very very excited for Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door getting a remake, not only is it joint my second favourite game of all time alongside the original Paper Mario, but after how the series has gone I am so glad to see it getting another release, especially as this means I'll be able to far more easily get screenshots for this blog as I had a fair few things from that game for my list (including things such as the Putrid Pirahna and Mario's Wario and Waluigi colour options.) I'm also looking forward to seeing if there's going to be any additions given a Toad in the trailer who looks unique from any characters in the original game.

Really though, beyond that I'm mostly just hoping for various games, despite what people keep saying about 'too many remasters/ports', honestly some of my most wanted things are ports and remasters, I'm hoping for a remake of Fire Emblem Geneology of the Holy War (along with Thracia possibly as DLC), a port/remaster of Punch-out Wii with Doc Louis's Punch-out included (another of my favourite games of all time and something if it was on Switch I'd be throwing on whenever I want something to just mindlessly play) and finally I want to see Kid Icarus Uprising get a full on remaster with improved controls. I realise I'm asking a lot here, but I'd be ecstatic to just get one of these happen.

Finally, I suppose this will be the last month of the Wii U and 3DS online before it shuts down. Pokemon was the only thing I felt I really needed to get done before the shutdown, however I think I should have a look into anything else, I can play Federation Force and Triforce Heroes in single player, however if I can play online with others before the shutdown I would like to so I'll have to see if I can organise something.

[ravenouscultleader780]

COTL(ROTOF edition) The Cult Diaries No.2(Relics of The Old Faith)

Hello Everyone! so its been a while since i last posted bcuz my windows 10 laptop is out of order(cuz i did something i regret so much) and hopefully in 2 days it will be Fixed or will be replaced with a New W10 Laptop(if everything works out, thankfully my mother understands and promises to get new one) Anyways I have promised a few Weeks ago that i would bring this back from this blog's early start which is a series a pics of my in-game cotl save file(The Nightosphere) with The Cult Diaries aka my Journal Entries type thing. and well i didn't keep my promise since i was drawing more mlp base edits on my w10 laptop with ms paint and decided to continue doing it.

but now today is a very special, 1. i got a certain blue starfish to give me half my gold back in a cool way & 2. i reunited with Aym and Baal on my Crusade Runs.

Here are the Photos i has just transferred from my switchtransfertool app from my phone to my chromebook(thank god for chrome backup connections!) Hope you guys enjoy this

5-23-23(The Day of Midas's Revenge and Kicked Blue Ass!)

"The Day started pretty well by me doing some Early Morning Duties before going on a crusade. but to my surprise i witnessed a rematch of the bishop statues of Shamura in Silk Cradle(by fightning even stronger enemies this time round and beating it pretty successfully but still surprised how long the enemies kept summoning 4 times) soon enough i finally move upward into the door of which rooms i chose to fought enemies in this silk cradle crusade. until a walk into a room and meetup with this Mugger Starfish Midas..

As you can see by my Face, Lambert may be smiling but in my mind he's probs thinking "Oh Hell no, this Fucker again what amount of gold is gonna take now.. ugh"

As you tell by Midas he is still as smugly sacastically Greedy for my gold, that he can smell it despite starfishes not having noses?''

The Result Afterwards was Awful : As a Result of a Second Blow from Midas Mugging my 14k of my gold.. leaving me with 49.00 gold as a result.. man i f#cking hate him and i bet yall do too.

Anyways after seeing Midas again, i continue my crusade through slik cradle until i meetup with my beloved twin cat bois(aka my fostered sons) and their happiness after being reuniting Aym & Baal with their mother Forneus(or Forni for short)

The Result is a Sweet Feeling of a Thank You from Baal.. such a sweetie pie love both of them so much and miss them in my cult..

Love you boys, glad ur back with your Mother.

Anyways Ended the Silk Cradle and Continued to search down Midas to give him the Butt Kicking he Freaking Deserves to gain my gold back or at least half of my 14k.. and I went into Anchordeep. Now I usually hate going in Anchordeep due to always dying afterwards/losing.. but this time my demons and ladyluck was on my side! and the result was a Full on SWEET VICTORY FOR THY LAMB!

Cherished Customer my ASS! Your going down! I will end you and gain my gold back..

Well Here's the Aftermath and The Picture just says it all!

all i will put here is a quote from one of my fav flims ever..

"YOU GOT KNOCKED THE F OUT, BITCH!-Friday After Next(2002)

And Man am i happy! @liteonlamb hope you see this or we chat on Discord VC abt this! cuz dude im a happy Lamb!

and Thus Ended this Diary and a Long Awaited One at that, hope you all liked it see you soon.

[forevercreative]

Hi!! Thank you for stopping by!! My name is Stacey and I am so excited to start this blog and share my experiences, thoughts, ideas, recipes and anything else I can think of. Just wanted to tell you a little bit about me. I am a stay at home mom of 3. I have twins that are going to be 25 next month. Geez, where did the time go. I also have an 11 yr old boy that seems like he will be going on 16 😂 My kids are my heart!! I love to craft and make things to make people smile. I have always wanted to start a blog to show my crafts and maybe give someone an idea that you would like to try. And since the holidays are here, I wanted to start this blog now and hopefully share some exciting things.

I also have Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disorder. For those of you that may not have heard of Celiac Disease, it is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Celiac disease is a digestive problem that hurts your small intestine. It stops your body from taking in nutrients from food. I was born with this disease, diagnosed at 9 months of age. The doctors back then told my mom that I would grow out of it. Well, for most of my life I can remember eating cookies, cakes, sandwiches, pretty much anything I wanted to. As I got older I was still ok, until I got pregnant with my twins at 26. Everything was going great until week 22 that’s when things got a little hectic. My twins were born at 22 weeks and 2 days, weighing just about a pound and a half at birth. We spent a long 3 months in the NICU. At that time, I was so sick. I couldn’t eat anything without feeling nauseous. Guess what happened! The Celiac Disease returned!!!! Needless to say I have been on a gluten free diet ever since.

So the first thing I would love to share is a recipe for Sugar Cookie Chex Mix that my family absolutely love to munch on and it’s gluten free!! This recipe makes 12 servings and takes about 30 minutes. The recipe is easy to make and is fun to do with the kids. It’s the perfect snack to gift in cute little tubs that you can get about anywhere. I get mine at the dollar store. During the holidays they have the cutest little tubs and usually come in a two pack, $0.50 cents each is perfect. Keep reading to try this yummy snack!!!

Gluten-Free Christmas Sugar Cookie Chex Mix

This is the perfect recipe to swap for those also yummy Christmas cookies. This delicious gluten free snack is made with sweetened, buttery vanilla mixture, powdered sugar and red and green sprinkles.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups Rice Chex™ cereal

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups white vanilla baking chips

4 teaspoons gluten-free holiday-colored nonpareils or sprinkles

PREPARATION

Line large rimmed cookie sheet with waxed paper. In large microwavable bowl, add cereal.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar; microwave uncovered on High 30 to 40 seconds or until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 3 to 4 minutes, stirring after every minute, until thoroughly glazed. Add powdered sugar to bowl, mixing well to coat cereal. Spread mixture on cookie sheet.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chips uncovered on Medium (50%) 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after a minute, until melted and smooth. Transfer to small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut off small corner of bag. Drizzle over snack mix; immediately top with sprinkles.

Refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes or until drizzle is set. Carefully break into bite-size pieces; transfer to large serving bowl.

I hope that you will enjoy this yummy goodie. Enjoy!!!

[lightlycareless]

First it hurts— Chapter III

Summary:

Naoya Zen’in x Fem!Reader

While arranged marriages are not uncommon in the jujutsu community, it was strange to receive a proposal from none other than the Zen’in’s, nonetheless your clan accepted and before you knew it, you were married off to Naoya.

Your new purpose was clear: to serve and submit, to be seen and not heard. To forget any sense of individuality in favor of obeying your husband.

Will this marriage ever flourish into something else? Will it change…for better or for worse?

Chapter warnings: Arranged marriage. Alcohol consumption. Someone acts as a jerk. Misogyny.

A/N: Would a taglist be of your interest? I believe it might be easier to get updates that way, instead of having to come back to my blog 🤔 let me know if you’d like me to add you! Without any further a do, I hope you enjoy this chapter ❤

Masterpost ➸ Chapter 4

Ao3 link

You glanced at your husband and saw something likened to irritation in his eyes. His lips would jerk and his grasp tightened against his lap whenever a server or guest approached your table, but for sakes appearances he monitored these gestures and entertained the visitors gracefully.  You couldn’t put your finger on it, but taking his reactions into consideration, you assumed he was burnt of entertaining individuals and longed to go home with you.

Home.

The meaning of home changed when you got married.

It was in the agreement that you would experience the remainder of your days in the Zen’in estate once the marriage came through. You had no control, say or even knowledge if you would be allowed to take your personal belongings with you, but Hinata vowed to do whatever she might to transfer your undisputed favorites, while adding little memories of your time at the L/N estate so you would feel at comfortable when away.

Your husband’s estate was a mystery to you and your kin. Not even during the negotiations between two the leaders concerning your marriage where you allowed to visit the Zen’in estate, you didn’t have a clue why you weren’t allowed; however, it was adequate for your significant other to grace yours.

The main individual you had known to have visited the Zen’in home far more frequently than others was your father, probably to check whether their domain was a reasonable place for you to reside on.

In his own words, the estate was vast and imposing, traditional but well kept, much alike the L/N estate, but such things were to be expected from an old clan such as the Zen’in, so he was not surprised when he saw their home for the first time.

You contemplated whether you would have your own chambers or would you be forced to impart one with your better half. Back when your mother was still alive, she and your father had both isolated and shared chambers, it was common for them to rest separated when one got irritated of each other’s presence or when they felt under the weather —to forestall the other getting sick— however, they generally came back to one another’s arms. It was a marriage far from perfect, but you accepted it as an illustration of what a functional marriage ought to be.

The possibility of imparting chambers with your husband was one you tried not to dwell on for more than a few seconds out of embarrassment. You were unpracticed in act of intimacy and hoped your husband would essentially be patient while you got used to him. Perhaps he was inexperienced himself, but such an attractive man would have women flocking any place he went, so you scratched that chance out of your mind.

Your assumptions of his irritation couldn’t have been more exact.

Naoya was annoyed past your understanding and wanted nothing but to end this stupid formality.

He heard a loud gasp and his eyes darted to his father, there were servers desperately trying to ease his demands of more alcohol since he had more than enough to drink for the night, fearing they might be held responsible for his actions if they didn’t put a stop to his liquor consumption:

The best they could hope for was that Naobito was the drunken type to fall asleep one his body reached its limit, so all they would have to worry about is moving him to a place where he would remain undisturbed.

And the worst…well, that he was the violent type and would take his frustrations on one of the servers, even worse, in the father of the bride who was sitting very close to him.

It was a joyful celebration that did not deserve to end in such sour note.

Naoya took it as his cue to require everybody’s attention, standing up as he proceeded to announce your honeymoon’s destination.

It ought to be a rich escape at the edge of the city, encompassed by country towns and nature, far away from human progress with the promise of privacy. You two would only be half a month away, and when finished, would return to his estate.

“It would’ve been longer, yet I know how valuable she is to you all and I wouldn’t dare removing her from you more than necessary” He said cheerfully “Once we’re back, I’ll ensure she contacts you. It’ll be as if she never left”

Naoya’s eyes were straightforwardly set on your father, while he alluded to everyone, his words were only for your closest. He had needed to guarantee the role of a good and caring spouse to him, so your dad would not grow suspicious and let the two be.

His words were additionally coordinated to your sister, who had been throwing daggers with her eyes for some time now, the gesture becoming more obvious by each passing second. The nerve of that woman, he thought in disgust as he peered down to your face, why couldn’t she be as meek as you?

His words caused you to wonder if he genuinely implied those words or was he attempting to conciliate the visitors? In any case, you were unable to reject that his consideration —produced or not— caused you to feel appreciated.

The participants recognized Naoya on being a mindful companion, for they had not been married for more than one day and he was already looking out for his wife and family. It was customary for the husband to take his wife’s attention from everyone else, solely dedicated in tending the new family they would begin, so to see him allow his wife to keep a healthy relationship with her kin made the guest murmur in approval.

The only two that did not concur with that notion were your siblings, who currently gazed at you with objection. It wasn’t by large a sight a lady would need to see on her big day, yet you assumed it rooted from sadness for your departure than rejection of your union.

When Naoya conveyed what he thought necessary, he excused the attendees while assisting you with standing up, once at full height, he set his hand behind your back and carefully guided you through the aisles unto the exit, where as of now, was a vehicle anticipating the couple, ready to take them to their next destination.

You were approbative of the decision of changing into a much lighter dress for your celebration, for you didn’t think it was achievable to maneuver between the guests, servants and stairs with your big wedding kimono.

Once outside, you acknowledged the total quietness that appeared to wrap the two. It was now that you could first hear your thoughts, and it was also the first time you and your husband were distant from everyone else.

That reality sent a shock of uneasiness through your spine and hotness to your cheeks, your anxiety began to besiege you with irrelevant worries: Should you say something to Naoya? Voice how grateful you were with this marriage, albeit questionable of where it was headed? Would it be a good idea for you to talk by any stretch of the imagination?

As your cheeks began to turn red thanks to the stress your mind was encouraging, you neglected to see that Naoya was not intrigued by your essence by any means, instead, his attention had gone back to the building where your siblings and father were presently standing.

Naoya thought his little discourse was sufficient to satisfy whatever questions they might have, but their presence meant otherwise, and as much as he would want to dismiss them the same way he would excuse any deviant worker, he kept quiet and alluded to your family.

“Is there something bothering you, father?” Naoya endearingly asked, your sister Hinata feigned exacerbation at his act, and your brother Ren remained quiet but perceptive. Your eyes darted to your father’s reddened cheeks and you swiftly placed the pieces together: he was drunk. An enthusiastic alcoholic who was setting his daughter off.

Your father cleared his throat and placed his hand over your husband’s shoulder. Naoya remained stiff, but scent of alcohol reminded him far too much of home and wanted to pull away from the man. But he couldn’t go as much and disrespect your father, so he just acknowledged him and pushed forward.

“Is everything alright?” Naoya asked

“Yessss----my daughh-ther, she’ss, sheee’s preciouss to mee” your dad slurred, while your siblings had trouble understanding some of his words, Naoya —who had too much experience dealing with drunk parents— understood every single word impeccably. “Treeeeat heeer----rigggghhh-t”

Naoya simply nodded and delicately removed your father’s grip on him, his arm falling back to his side which Hinata took no hesitation to grab and hold tight against her. A caring gesture between father and daughter, as she wanted to prevent the liquor affecting his equilibrium.

Without anything else to say, Naoya grabbed your wrist and strolled towards the car, more than ready to leave everything behind and start his new life with you.

You followed suit of his actions, stopping just by the exit where the sudden cold breeze of winter crashed against your sleeveless arms causing you to shudder. But before your husband could open the car’s door, you froze at the familiar voice reaching out to you.

“W-wait!’ It was your father.

Even after months of anticipation, he wasn’t ready to see you leave, no, not yet.

He was deeply disheartened by your departure, and his intoxication only highlighted that reality.

Memories of the negotiations slurred through his mind at full speed and he started to feel regretful, appalled by this arranged marriage he forcibly pushed unto you. He couldn’t let you go, it was a mistake, you were walking into the wolves’ den, he had to stop this sham of a—

“Father, you’re drunk” Hinata and Ren simultaneously stated, stopping your father’s musings in his tracks.

Your older sister placed a hand over his chest and lightly pushed him back, just with enough force to stop him, but not strong enough to send a drunk man tumbling down.

She continued “You’ll be able to talk to her once sober” your siblings nodded at your tight-lipped façade, prompting you to look for consent from your husband. To say one last goodbye to your family.

“Wait” you called, the first words to him outside of your vows. You hadn’t anticipated your voice to come as soft as it did, just barely above a whisper, nonetheless loud enough for Naoya to hear. “I wish to say goodbye to my brother and sister”

Naoya stared back at you for a few moments, seriously debating whether to let you go or reject your request, but knowing how immoral that would look before his new in-laws, he nodded and let go of your hand. You thanked him and made a swift turn back to your siblings.

Hinata sat your father on a nearby chair deeper inside the building and made a beeline for you.

One she was close enough, her arms embraced you as tightly as she could —without hurting you— pulling your figure impossibly closer against her body. It was a gesture reminiscent of the ones in your youth, the same way she would hug you whenever she had to leave the house once holidays ended and she was set to return to school.

Back then, Hinata’s sadness would only be temporarily, for she knew that once the school year ended, she would return home to you.

This time, her sadness would be permanent: you were leaving her, and for good.

Your arms mirrored her gesture, although not with the same force, and took a deep breath of her scent. Roses, you mused, her favorite perfume for special occasions.

Ran was quick to envelop his sisters with his arms, his embrace capable enough to hold both thanks to being the tallest of the three.

His gaze was always received with the tops of your heads while hugging due to his height, and while back then he couldn’t care less for the view, he now wished to stay like this for eternity.

“I’ll be fine” you were the first to speak, separating your neck just enough to see your sister’s and brother’s faces, which were presently mournful. “Tell dad he doesn’t have to worry”

“W-we will” Your sister’s throat left out a constricted gasp as she struggled to hold back her tears. “b-but you have to promise us something”

“Anything” You affirmed. Your brother was first to let tears slide down his cheek, one of your fingers rose to swipe drop away.

“Whatever happens” he continued Hinata’s words “Promise you’ll tell us. If he hurts you, or dare to even think on hurting you, swear you’ll let us know”

His warning resonated across your thoughts as the bits of hearsay you frantically hoped were untrue rose from the profundities of your mind.

You have scarcely addressed to your husband throughout the celebration, only nodding or humming in response whenever he asked you something.

But from what you’ve able to perceive, he didn’t seem to be the horrendous man your servants and siblings painted him as.

Naoya ceaselessly showed worry for your needs, requesting the servers to be on the lookout for whatever you would require, benevolently captivating the guests that approached them as they laid their best wishes for the newlywed couple, and finally, the small discourse at the end of the ceremony where he voiced his expectations of maintaining a healthy relationship with his wife and in-laws, contrary to the tradition where the bride was forced to cut all ties with her kin as to solely focus on her new family.

All his actions made you wonder if the rumors were even true to begin with and weren’t a joke as to grow your uneasiness.

In any case, it wouldn’t damage to keep their warning in mind as you plunged yourself to a new life. Your father was exceptionally clear in advising you that you were the most valuable one in this union, if anything went astray, you had enough power to call it quits.

“I will” you gestured and hugged them once again, now dwelling on Ren’s scent “I swear I’ll let you know” you said against his chest, a feeble attempt to stop the tears now forming on your eyes.

“We have to go now” Naoya’s stern voice brought the family back to reality and you carefully stripped yourself from your brother’s and sister’s embrace.

You gave them one last smile before waving to your father at the back, —blacked out by now— and headed to your spouse.

Another winter breeze came through the door and you shuddered. This time, your hands shot up to your arms and scoured against them in attempts to deliver warmth.

Naoya positioned himself before you and opened the door, motioning for you to get inside first.

Once inside, he circumvented the vehicle and entered by the other door, sitting just by the edge of the window.

You paid mind to the distance between the two of you, even more after he leaned towards the window instead of your side. You innocently thought he wasn’t comfortable in sitting on the middle seat, perhaps even waiting for you to take the initiative and lean closer to him, but as you softly scurried to his side, Naoya inclined deeper into the edge.

You looked back once again at your siblings and waved them goodbye, their faces consistent with sadness, an odd feeling to have in such special occasion, while others would be ecstatic to see their relative get married, they were…disheartened.

They’re sad because it happened all too fast you rationalized it’ll be fine once I come back.

“Take us to the ryokan” your husband set out an order to the man in the driver’s seat, the one you neglected to notice with anteriority and the car began to drive away.

While you might not have much experience in relationships, you thought married couples would be virtually indivisible, at least in this early stage of the marriage. Or in this case, he would make attempts in getting to know you. His unapproachable behavior caught you by surprise, as it was the complete opposite of what he had shown during the party.

Perhaps he’s nervous you reasoned, trying to prevent undeserving guilt from drowning you.

Your eyes darted around the interior of the car in attempts of easing your anxiety, fingers intertwined with one another, occasionally playing with the silver wedding ring you would never remove from this day forward.

The car you were in was not short from luxurious, the seats had a shine that embodied an aura of sophistication, windows on the backseat tinted as to preserve privacy to the outside world and a glass separating the driver from the passengers to preserve the confidentiality of their conversations.

It was a reflection of your husband’s money, if it wasn’t already obvious by the lavish celebration.

These luxuries were not part of your lifestyle.

Your family had money, sure, but chose to invest it in other endeavors, often deciding to do things themselves instead of hiring someone else to do them. They were self-sufficient in that matter.

Your father, as cold as he could be, was a very hands-on parent and wanted to be as involved as possible in the lives of each of his 3 children, which regularly implied him driving you to school or preparing your meals whenever possible.

Naoya had demonstrated to be the complete opposite of your persona, indulging in expensive commodities just because he could, and that left you contemplating whether you would grow used to his lifestyle.

But even as your musings were working on distracting you, they couldn’t stop the overwhelming pressure of getting Naoya to acknowledge you.

You were once again alone with your husband, with no one else to interrupt the couple, and ignorant as to how to bridge the evident gap between the two.

In your mind, having a husband meant acting differently as one would do with friends or family, this was a whole new category in social interactions, one you have yet to experience, even with your previous relationships.

You couldn’t exactly start by acting completely oblivious since you two were already married, but couldn’t go to the other extreme either of acting way too comfortably with him, as Naoya might take it as a sign of disrespect.

Following a couple moments of thought, you’ve concluded the best route was to keep quiet, at least until he decided to start a conversation. It would be easier to follow his lead rather than imposing your own.

“We should be there in an hour, possibly less on the off chance that there’s traffic” Naoya said, speaking you out of your thoughts. You hummed and gestured in acknowledgement, eyes darting to his which were now looking up and down your figure while one of his arms relaxed against the window, cheek held against his hand. There was a glint of an emotion you couldn’t figure, but assumed had to do with approval of your appearance “You’re very quiet”

His words were your queue to speak.

“Well, I just didn’t know what to say, I’ve never been married before and---” You began to mumble, attempting to joke with your husband in efforts to lighten up the mood.

“I didn’t say I needed you to speak” He huffed and looked back to the outside of the window.

Oh, that was unexpected you thought, and went back to a silent stance once effectively reprimanded.

The remainder of the ride remained unbearably quiet. Naoya remained deep in thought as he looked just outside the window, not speaking a word to his wife —less to the chauffer on the front— his thoughts remained a mystery.

You were still hurt by the unforeseen way Naoya decided to interpose his wife. The wound of his indifference only growing deeper as he remained silent, not even glancing at the beauty sitting next to him, as if they were complete strangers and not husband and wife… you wondered how the rest of the night would unfold with a man who didn’t bother to look at his companion in the eye.

A seed of doubt now planted in your mind.

Naoya was right in saying that their arrival would be in less than an hour. Only 40 minutes after the couple left the venue, the chauffer informed:

“We’ve arrived at the ryokan, sir”

His words caused you immense relief as your eyes dashed towards the front window: a large ryokan just on top of the hill, faintly lit surrounded by leafless trees and fallen snow, an abundant river crossed by a small bridge, small enough for the car to follow into the main entrance of the building.

The dark wouldn’t permit you to sort out most details of the surroundings, but by the noise of the tires against the roadway and the nearby lamps, you assumed the ryokan was not as distant from the city as expected.

The driver cautiously maneuvers across the small path as you continued to admire your surroundings. You’ve been to ryokan’s in the past throughout school holidays, but not as rich as this one. 

This was, by a wide margin, the best vacation spot you’ve ever visited before, there was no question about it.

Once at the entry, two elderly women set themselves up with a smile to receive the newly wedded couple. Their beautiful yukatas were covered by a matching robe which just filled in as a reminder of how exposed you were for the weather. Even with the warmth provided by the car’s AC, you couldn’t help but to shiver at the prospect of going out in the cold.

It was essentially unthinkable for you to step out of the vehicle while in your thin, sleeveless dress.

“Get her coat” It seemed your concerns were crystal clear on your façade when Naoya spoke.

Unbeknownst to you, he had not been distant to your presence and noticed how you shivered once you stepped outside the venue.

And he was not as insensitive to overlook it was a fairly cool evening.

Quite the opposite impression you receive from him moments earlier.

Your husband didn’t seem appropriately dressed for the cold winter either, only wearing a two-piece smoking jacket and a white t-shirt underneath. But by the absence of shivering and complaints of the cold weather once he ventured outside the car and headed towards your side, you assumed he had higher tolerance.

Once the driver handed him the coat, Naoya opened the door and held his hand out for you to take, which you swiftly accepted as in second nature.

He gently pulled you out of the car and immediately put the coat around you, once suitably placed over your shoulders, he put his hand on your back and lightly pushed you towards the entrance where the cordial women eagerly received their patrons for the following weeks.

“Welcome, Master Zen’in The two exclaimed as they quickly bowed “Congratulations on the wedding. We’re so happy to have you here” the one on the right with the blue yukata added.

“We have set everything your stay” The one on the left with the green yukata informed, her eyes not leaving Naoya’s, officially recognizing him as the rightful benefactor of the two. “Allow me to guide you to your chambers”

“We expect tonight to be colder than previous days, so we went ahead and prepared the heater to a suitable temperature for the rest of the night The woman in the blue yukata was now looking at you. Her golden eyes puncturing yours in a frightening way that forced you to look away 2 seconds into visual contact. She seemed unamused by your reaction —believing she subjugated you too easily— judging by the small twitch of her left eyebrow and got back to Naoya.

The more you noticed them, the more you realized they held features way too similar to be ruled as simple co-workers. You also noticed that those features were similar to ones your husband conveyed.

By each passing second of analyzing them, you began to place the pieces together until a clear picture came into resolution:

They were sisters, they were related to your husband’s family, and this was a family-owned inn.

While in another other occasion this conclusion would be brushed as peculiar, it only managed to heighten your uneasiness but why? You thought they’re relatives…that’s all.

But the motive of your reasoning was not without cause. While you didn’t want to admit it, Naoya’s interruption caused you immense displeasure and you feared they would treat you the same. You perceived his action as little consideration for his wife, ignoring your attempt to brightening the mood and make the relationship smoother. Instead you were received by his irritation and a demand of silence.

It reminded you of one of the rumors you heard one of the maids’ mutters while you strolled around the L/N estate.

The Zen’in women have no place in the clan. They aren’t allowed to have opinions or voice in that matter.

Fear began to creep in the back of your mind as you slowly realized that the whispers surrounding Naoya might have some truth in them.

But before your mind could plunge deeper into despair, your kindness reminded you that 1 mistake was not enough to judge a person and everyone was bound to do things they didn’t mean.

Prompted to give him the benefit of the doubt, you brushed your pain as simple overreaction thanks to your sensitive nature and followed the two nakai alongside your husband into the building.

Yes, you thought, he’s just nervous. That’s all. You continued to soothe yourself Naoya must be the kind of man that isn’t sensible with his words.

Your turmoiled mind seemed to calm down and you smiled once your eyes darted to your husband’s profile. His handsome features ignited a small flame of attraction inside your chest as you began to imagine a domestic future by his side. No relationship was easy at the beginning, it would take effort from both if this were to work out and this was the first test.

But if your husband’s action did not serve as a warning of your role in this marriage, what transpired next did.

[theresa-of-liechtenstein]

The Herc and Linda Meta: What’s Up With These Two, Anyway?

“Every series, it seems,” Mang Juan wrote on his blog in 2011, “one episode causes me more trouble and hair-tearing than any two and a half of the others combined. […] This series it was Newcastle.” Though three years later, he would partially recant his judgement on the matter, concede that Newcastle was “a good introduction” for Herc Shipwright, and accept his pacing of events, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that even self-decreed flops conceal the biggest of slays.

Mang Juan wrote after Newcastle had aired in 2011 that its difficulty had to do with the sheer amount of information that he had attempted to cram in, and that Herc Shipwright and Linda Fairbairn’s flight deserved a separate episode. Though some of Herc’s most memorable character traits (including his fear of sheep) are only revealed in subsequent episodes, I believe that Newcastle alone is ripe with details and implications that make it possible to extrapolate more about either character, but especially Linda. Moreover, these same details make it possible to form an interpretation of the duo’s dynamic that is congruent with information provided later, as well as narrative themes and motifs.

Under the cut, this will be explored in the following parts.

“Old Friend Of Mine from Air England”: Herc Shipwright, or A Study in Minding the Gap

“The Plane-Spotting Pride of Penicuik”: Who is Linda Fairbairn, Anyway?

“The Best Candidate For the Job”: Putting Everything Together (I: “The Wee Scottish Airline”; II: Shipwright & Fairbairn)

1. “Old Friend of Mine From Air England”

I have said it before, and I will say it again: pilots do not make lateral career moves unless there is a very, very good reason for doing so. Herc Shipwright must have had a very, very good reason for forsaking a job at an implied flagship airline for a position at a much smaller one.

But before we speak more about (as of Newcastle) Cabin Pressure’s newest recurring meow meow—gentlemen, a brief diversion.

Airline Structure: Not Your Garden Variety Corporate Ladder

This section is based on five years’ worth of research, at least of two of which were owing to the fact that I wanted to become a pilot myself and thought I should know what I was getting myself into. The only reason this changed to engineering was that 1) I couldn’t afford ground school and 2) I am 150 cm tall and had a very rude awakening when I realized I could not, in fact, see over the control panel of an Embraer 175 while sitting in the first officer’s seat. The following is based on what I’ve gleaned from articles and forum posts over those years.

Commercial airlines, as the title of this section states, do not work like many companies. God knows why. (There are reasons, most likely, but they’re irrelevant to the scope of this write-up.) Since Ernest Gann was staunchly criticizing the very similar predecessor to the current system in 1961, I’ll just say it’s probably precedent.

In an airline, seniority is everything. When one is hired, they receive a number. This number determines a lot: the likelihood of them getting their first choice of a route (or “line”), how soon they can “upgrade” (upgrade = become a captain), and importantly—their job security. If things go south at the airline, the last through the door are the first to be asked to leave. If this sounds harsh—Yes. It is.

Even more (and this is crucial to understanding Herc, but we’ll get to that soon), seniority does not transfer between airlines. A brief example: if one is a captain for the A380 at British Airways, and decides they now want to work at—let’s say—easyJet for whatever reason, they cannot take their accumulated seniority from BA with them. They must start over again at the bottom.

This is why, historically, when pilots are hired at an airline, they expect to stay there for the rest of their careers. As Beyoncé once said, “If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it.” This isn’t the case all the time; plenty of regional carriers are often a pilot’s first step before going to the major airlines. Some have even collaborated to set up contracts and training programs that offer a path to the major airlines for young pilots through regional carriers.

Now, a relevant caveat: There are ways for someone with previous captaincy experience to, while still giving said pilot a low place in the seniority list, nevertheless hire them as a captain. This is called “direct hire,” and it happens if there are not enough first officers at the airline eligible to upgrade, or if the airline is expanding too quickly to upgrade the first officers it already has.

This brings us back to Herc Shipwright.

(End of diversion. Snack break!)

From the details we get in Newcastle, it appears that Herc Shipwright, despite every single warning to pilots ever made to focus on building seniority, has somehow managed to successfully execute a lateral career move at his age and stage. For starters, he’s a captain. Actually! That’s the single, biggest, most important thing. After enough of a career at Air England to build seniority and bulge logbooks, he makes the move to Air Caledonian and we meet him in Newcastle as a line captain. Since one cannot transfer seniority, something else has probably happened. It is likely, then, that Herc himself (on merits of his prior experience, and possibly, need) was a direct-hire captain.

But why? Why leave a much bigger, seemingly more prestigious airline for a smaller one that Herc essentially likens to a flying bus depot by the end of the episode? (Although, he’s probably somewhat bluffing in context; otherwise, why would he try to get Arthur Shappey a job at Air Cal?)

I—and my betters—have chosen to conclude that this is where Douglas Richardson comes in.

Perhaps Martin Crieff may have seen his hopes for networking go swirling down the drain when Herc and Douglas started chanting at each other upon first glimpse. And of course, there’s Herc and Douglas’ joshing over opera during the delay in Birmingham. But it’s the one scene in which these “old friends” are alone together, where Douglas is expecting something, and will take anything Herc will wanna give him, baby—Sorry. My bad. That’s Mitski.

Within the context of Newcastle, there is a certain tension in the way Herc and Douglas interact in that little exchange which adds an intriguing depth to the “old friend” moniker. To begin with, Douglas’ posture here is a subversion of what the audience has come to expect from him. It’s Martin who we’d expect to be the opportunist when it comes to career moves (easyJet, easy go…) But rather than taking Martin’s approach to Verbal LinkedIn, Douglas approaches a monumental shift in a pilot’s career as a favor to be begged of someone in a higher position than he. One has to feel for the desperation, knowing that he’s even pretended to be a captain for his now ex-wife, and knowing in context of the airline industry that Douglas is taking a huge gamble: he probably wants a low-seniority, high-rank treatment akin to what Herc has most likely gotten. (Funnily enough, if it was Herc copping Douglas’ act—Douglas is hoping to cop Herc’s here.)

But how does Herc react to this, probably knowing Douglas enough to anticipate what is going through the other man’s mind?

He coolly rebuffs him. And as Mitski so eloquently puts it, Douglas takes it, and retreats.

My betters have long touched the scorched ground at this point and murmured, “Something terrible has happened here.” I agree. We know that Douglas has had a severe fall from grace, losing the security he gained from working at Air England by his own fault. The question is, why did his “old friend” leave too? My betters have postulated that whatever caused Douglas to fall so far, Herc must have played some role in it, and come off better. He still leaves Air England, but he’s not the one knocking on the window asking to be let into Air Cal.

This has been an oft-explored concept; it meshes in so well, I even had to ask a friend who’s been into the show for far longer about whether it was actually written in or had just been extrapolated. (Okay, but I can at least pull the card that I was a kid and definitely not thinking about this show when Newcastle aired.)

We know why Douglas left Air England; he was forced to. But why did Herc leave, and how did he manage to stay within enough good graces that his experience would likely be considered as a factor when he was hired at Air Cal? He is a pilot, a long-established member of that workforce. He cannot plead ignorance about the ramifications of a lateral career move. Perhaps whatever he did to play a role in Douglas’ expulsion did affect Herc’s reputation at Air England, and he had no choice but to move somewhere that probably wouldn’t know him as well. After all, as this noticeably English man tells Douglas, “you don’t have to be Scottish to fly for a Scottish airline.”

Ouch. That would probably hurt even the most emotionally fortitudinous person.

And so, the question arises: what happened to Herc between what most certainly would have been a deeply traumatizing departure/life change and the incredible, amazing, show-stopping, never-the-same positioning flight he takes in Newcastle?

I think now is a good time to talk about his co-worker.

2. “The Plane-Spotting Pride of Penicuik”

Her name is called eight times in the episode. She utters 39 lines in the whole show. And she’s struggling to fully grow out of her father’s shadow.

Linda Fairbairn may not have been in Cabin Pressure for a long time. Maybe it wasn’t a very good time, either. (To be fair, there was no way her experience could top the very good time her co-worker had in this episode. Anyways.) But the little she says is a veritable treasure trove of characterization that—over a decade on—remains tantalizingly ripe for the picking.

From the moment she walks in, the audience is made well aware that First Officer Fairbairn is not a woman to be trifled with. After Martin Crieff unwisely makes an outburst at the apparent subversion of his expectations (namely, that he’d be encountering two male pilots he could potentially call co-workers, if he can get a foot in the door), the door has barely closed behind her colleague before Linda rounds on Martin and pointedly mimics his exclamation. This same defensive-to-the-point-of-aggravated posturing is all too familiar to any person in a field where they are a minority, but Linda’s righteous indignation strikes a particularly resonant chord with those who present and/or identify as female in a “male-dominated field.” (Sidenote: There is another character who, in this episode, similarly reacts in a similar situation. But we’ll get to that later.) It is no surprise, then, that this encounter has immediately set her up to treat Martin with suspicion, as she admits to doing by the end of the episode. This is only exacerbated by Martin’s failed attempts to question her about her (already gender nonconforming) hobby of rally driving, which only escalates the issue until he manages to poke the sleeping dragon that is Chief Pilot Fairbairn. This, above all, is what truly sets Linda off. “I can excuse you blundering your way into microaggression,” she essentially says, “but I draw the line at bringing my Dad into this!” Up to this point, every patient dealing with Martin has culminated in what can only be characterized as an explosion. Her patience has been worn thin; it is obvious that Martin, however inadvertently, has managed to hit a very sore spot.

Which brings us to what is the most interesting and ironic part of her character: Linda’s relationship with aviation. She may be utterly vehement toward the idea of her father having anything to do with the career path she has taken, but the truth is that her father probably played the largest role in her life’s path—by being the reason she’s into aviation at all.

From the beginning of Newcastle, Linda displays a knowledge and passion for flight that enthralls even Martin, who is the show’s epitome of a flying fanboy. She’s a line pilot herself—a profession which, in general, one has to like to be able to do successfully. She’s been in the skies for twelve years. She can identify MJN’s rare plane on sight. When they land in Birmingham (it’s the tiniest of details, but it’s there!) she even questions the engineer about G-ERTI’s state. This is not a woman who resents what she does or is only in it for the “glam factor.” Most tellingly, she literally tells Martin (to humorous effect when he tries to relate and she tries to work in a tease) that she’s been at it since childhood.

At this point, there can only be one explanation for this long-established love affair: Chief Pilot Fairbairn.

Now, hearing the emphasis with which Linda declares that her father has had nothing to do with her employment—and by extension, the path of her career—it would be easy to arrive to the fallacious conclusion that Linda resents or dislikes her father. But since Linda is at the very least implied to be a competent pilot (she’s still in this industry after twelve years, she insists that she was the “best candidate for the job” and—one does have to be good at flying and have potential for leadership to be hired at an airline, however ‘wee’), it would be safe to assume that she’d have gotten a job with any of the other airlines in the British Isles or even on the Continent (of course, barring existence of any financial crises or world events in-universe that would override any push factors for migration). It does not make sense for Linda to have a lifelong passion centered around the profession her father holds, enter that same profession, and work in the same company as her father—if she did not have a good relationship with him.

Ah…fathers.

Out of the range of fathers and father figures presented in Cabin Pressure canon—from the truly horrifying to the mellowly disapproving, the well-meaning but frustrated to the one who can solve anything, and of course the concerned and genuine one who needs no blood relation to have and express his love—there are not many notable examples of a father-daughter relationship being portrayed. The closest we get to this is Douglas’ relationship with his daughter(s): there is enough contextual evidence to at least suggest it’s not the greatest, which my betters have proposed. Even Theresa of Liechtenstein (who parallels to Linda in some ways) only speaks of her father in context of a joke about his desperation for a male heir. (Booooo, agnatic primogeniture! It’s the 21st century!) Linda’s relationship with her father, as implied through what she reveals and what can be inferred, is then one of the best examples of a relationship between a parent and child in the whole show.

Linda has a father, whom she must love dearly; and yet, she is adamant of her self-determination, explosively so. In combination, this is a woman who is sincerely cherished by a father she both loves and whose lengthy shadow she longs to escape: a delicious tension for a character who only appears in one episode.

May I remind the reader that this was taken largely—if not solely—from Linda’s 39 lines in Newcastle. What a picture these 39 lines paint!

Her appearance in the show, however brief, nevertheless continues to raise questions: about the aviation world in which the show is set, Linda’s career proper, and the crucial question addressed in the title of this write-up. I’ve been teasing about these questions for too long. It is now time to address them.

3. “The Best Candidate for the Job”

I. “The Wee Scottish Airline”

In the same way that Newcastle’s wealth of detail provides insight into the individual characterizations of Herc and Linda, it is also possible to make reasonable inferences—based on what is given in the episode—about what kind of an airline Air Caledonian is.

Hints about Air Cal begin early, with the whole premise of the episode being a positioning flight for a crew on standby or reserve over a relatively short distance—from an airport within the vicinity of Fitton (most likely Bristol, as one of the designated alternates to Fitton) to Newcastle. The proximity of the two locations might indicate, at first, that Air Cal is a small, regional carrier—but this theory is refuted by Herc describing his aircraft as a “bus” to Douglas by the end of the episode. Granted, it is possible to call anything bigger than G-ERTI a bus. But Herc’s description would ring most honestly (and sardonically) if Air Cal takes a niche similar to a low-cost airline like easyJet, Ryanair, WizzAir, or even Jet2; if Air Cal operates single-aisle, narrowbody twinjets on short-haul routes around Europe and to seasonal destinations.

Air Cal doing long-haul does not make sense in terms of Herc or Douglas’ characterization. Both men speak of Air Cal as if it were a “step down” from Air England. It is difficult to glamorize or romanticize a several-flights-in-one-day lifestyle, jetting off not to some distant land but a city that’s probably a few airspaces away. Yet, it is still a well-known airline, enough for Carolyn to reference it in jest and speak of their passengers as “proper pilots”—much to Martin’s consternation! Adding prior evidence to support this claim, Martin has already applied to easyJet (mentioned in Boston). If he’s trying for Air Cal now, it would be safe to guess that this airline is similar, lying in the middle between a small regional carrier and a long-haul flagship airline—a budget airline that flies short-haul.

We’ve been able to take a few guesses as to the corporate side of Air Caledonian. Now, we ask the question: what’s it like to work there, anyway? To answer this, we return to Linda Fairbairn.

As was explored in Part 2, Linda has probably heard everything about her father and would certainly rather not hear more, please and thank you very much. One can only imagine a tight-knit working environment at Air Cal, where people know each other well. Linda herself must also have been well-known in that kind of a community. Being the daughter of the Chief Pilot, it wouldn’t be a stretch to theorize that Linda must have been the subject of a fair bit of teasing from her colleagues. That could help to explain the explosiveness of her reaction to Martin. Linda’s only just met the man and she automatically thinks that he’s in on the joke too!  It’s a cute image (and probably even more annoying to Linda) to think about, nevertheless—Linda growing up in and around Air Cal as her father builds seniority and eventually earns the title and responsibilities of Chief Pilot. Imagine, if you will, the possibilities for Take Your Child to Work Day! Add to that the detail that she’s certainly spent her childhood in a pre-2001 world (if Newcastle does take place in 2011)—now imagine, if one will, a young Linda essentially growing up in the flightdeck whenever she wasn’t in school? I’ll wait a second for the Awww’s to subside. Okay, okay. Now imagine Linda’s dad presenting her with the Air Cal wings when she was hired…

Hey, it’s a good time to talk about Linda’s career. (If you know me, it’s actually always a good time to talk about Linda’s career!) Linda says she’s been a pilot for “12 years,” and if she is around Martin’s age (who was 32 in Helsinki. Give or take a couple of years, we’ll say he’s 34 in Newcastle) we can subtract back to figure out when she got her license. Given that she’s the daughter of an airline Chief Pilot and has harbored an affinity for aviation since childhood, it would be no surprise if she wanted to get licensed as fast as possible. So 12 years subtracted back can put her very neatly into the minimum age at which a pilot in the UK can hold a license (21 years old). That checks out.

12 years still seems like an awfully long time in an easyJet-type airline where many of the pilots’ goals include moving to bigger airlines with prospect of more experience and pay. And in Linda’s case, she would probably want to minimize any notion that her father is playing favorites during the hiring process. So let’s shave off four of those years, and devote that to Linda building up hours to make her case to the Dad-less selection panel. (Maybe this is also where her rally driving begins, too!) That gives up to eight years thus far spent at Air Cal when she walks through the MJN office door in Newcastle.

That’s still a long time. Eight years—and she’s still a first officer? Considering the probable business model of Air Cal, Linda should probably be at least a junior captain by now! What if Linda wants to be exactly like her father—in more ways than just the general profession? What if she’s fully expecting to build a career at this one airline: to quote Dan Fogelberg, be “a living legacy to the leader of the band”? That doesn’t match well with her clearly expressed eagerness to live outside her father’s shadow.

There are consequences for delaying an upgrade that can, and do, have material effects on a pilot’s life. There’s the financial aspect: higher pay. The seniority factor. The ability to have and execute command. Linda is giving up all these things by not electing to upgrade, and they are not mere trifles. What’s more, she absolutely cannot plead ignorance of these realities of her industry. For better or for worse, she grew up the daughter of her company’s highest-ranking line pilot. She has undeniably seen first-hand the importance of seniority. She must know that an eligible and qualified pilot (which after eight years, she must be) cannot waste time refusing to make the switch.

There must have been a very good reason for Herc to leave Air England for Air Caledonian. Likewise, there must be a very good reason for Linda to delay the advancement of her career.

We now approach the last part of this write-up, which I believe to be the apex of this whole affair.

II. Shipwright & Fairbairn: The Bestieworstie Case

If there is one single, overarching argument that I believe Cabin Pressure posits, it is that the end of all things is love. To extend, this love is then a unitive force—and how many times does our author make it so clear that the unitive force between his characters far, far outweigh their intensely varied and at times clashing backgrounds and personalities? It is what makes this story so resonant, especially and particularly among those who are yet to experience that genuinely unitive force in their lives, who are yet to find the true community that is built off of that force and not false, superficially unitive forces.

As has been previously proposed, Herc Shipwright must have come and was broken by such a “false” community. After years spent most likely copping Douglas’ act at Air England, a messy end has driven him to a downgrade of an airline, where he barely knows a soul and probably feels excluded due to his age, generational difference, or other factors.

Linda Fairbairn could not have come from a more different background. Linda is apparently cherished and has been introduced to a lifelong passion by a man who commands respect from others—due to his position, but most likely also to his character. She follows this man to this airline that’s probably been a major player in her whole life, but maintains a keen sense of self-determination and agency.

It’s been about eight years, and now, these two very different characters are being positioned together on a charter flight to Newcastle from an airfield that isn’t too far from Bristol, the major airport where Air Cal has perhaps set up a base. They get out of the car and take out their flight bags, squinting across the car park at the smaller airline’s little office. Linda spots a plane, parked at stand, that catches her eye; she wanders up to the fence to have a look at it. Maybe Herc shakes his head behind her, smiling, and enters the office in full trust that she’ll follow him in. And Linda does, maybe after taking a quick photo of G-ERTI.

When she opens that door, Herc is standing there, all relaxed confidence and practiced suavity: with a very affronted woman, two pilots who couldn’t look more different if they’d tried, and a slightly younger man who looks very happy to be there.

And Herc looks at her, and tells her with a smile shining through an incredibly affectionate tone— “I thought I’d lost you.”

This is literally their only documented interaction in the whole show. Yet, this—and the earlier conclusions I have drawn from the rest of Newcastle and using details from other episodes—was and is enough for me to beg another question, the same one that titles this write-up.

It is also enough for me to propose an answer. I argue that the gap between Herc’s departure from Air England and his appearance in Newcastle did not stand empty, and that it provides hints as to his journey as a recurring character to Zurich. I argue that Air Caledonian was what filled not only that temporal gap, but the emotional wounds Herc likely had as a character. Most of all, I propose that in keeping with Cabin Pressure’s exploration of the definitions of family and expression of love in its truest form as a charitable, unitive force of will, it is not only justifiable but logical to extrapolate that a friendship between Herc and Linda existed beyond what is presented in the canonical storyline.

By the time Herc is hired at Air Cal, he has been married four or at least three times (as we find out later in Vaduz). It is safe to assume he is not a father; not once does he mention children, estranged or otherwise. It is also safe, as outlined earlier, to treat Herc as being hired in the midst of a massive midlife crisis—or at least a sharp reckoning of his life choices. Imagine this man getting paired up to fly with this kid with huge starry eyes about the profession, who’s ostensibly doing what she’s dreamed of since childhood. And what if they keep getting paired together, to justify the familiarity in Herc’s tone in Newcastle and the fact that, were it not for Herc and Carolyn’s ongoing argument, she’d stay in the cabin with him? I propose it would have been Linda who made the choice to stick with Herc. He probably fully expects this young woman who’s been raised by a loving, respected, incredible father to want nothing to do with him and the sordid details of his past. But she stays—again, as has been explored, she has no shortage of aspiration but is stuck in a position where people know her probably a little more than she’d like. Wishing to grow out of the shadow of her father, and maybe feeling awkward about getting close to captains she’s probably known from a young age, Herc is a logical person for her to turn to. Someone new, who knows enough to know that Fairbairn = Chief, but not enough to have seen her grow up.

Herc, then, becomes a sort of proto-father figure, no matter how much he might want to be an actual father figure at this point. Linda, if we can be reminded until my face turns blue, already has a father. And yet, as Herc is the newcomer who does not have enough knowledge of the company to remember a younger Linda, she would most likely be least apprehensive to turn to him for advice and know-how when it comes to aviation matters. This would mean something to both of them; I propose this is what could have sparked a friendship.

Additionally, Linda demonstrates a parallel to another character, whom Herc also comes to like, that might support the argument of her and Herc getting along and becoming friends—Carolyn! Both Linda and Carolyn, when aspersions are perceived to be cast on their capabilities as women in similarly “male-dominated” fields, respond aggressively. That is to say, to quote the way a longtime friend once eloquently put it, Herc seems “utterly enchanted by the powerful and terrifying women around him.” (She has more to say about this than I could suitably put it without having to cite literally every other line, so all I can do here is raise a glass to her.)

Lastly, postulating a friendly/mentor-mentee/slightly paternal dynamic between Herc and Linda can provide clues as to Herc’s further journey to Zurich. While Linda cannot honestly and truly be the daughter figure Herc might deeply desire at the beginning of their acquaintance, there is a character who neatly fits into that niche: Arthur. In their first meeting, Herc is so impressed by Arthur’s character that he offers to use ways to find employment with him at Air Cal! (Sidenote: Mang Juan wrote in his outline for Newcastle that Herc “knows [the] Chief Pilot.” Yeah...that’s his bestie’s dad.) And indeed, as the characters progress through the show’s canonical narrative journey (of course, sans Linda) the audience comes to understand that Herc is the father figure that Arthur deserves: I argue that on Herc’s end, he realizes that he does not have to be a universally respected or idealized figure of strong character like Linda’s father probably is (and that has possibly caused him a lot of emotional distress in the past, considering the desperate state in which he makes his career move). He must realize, at some point, that the important thing is for him to be: to appreciate and cherish the Beloved how they are, as they are. Such is the definition of a true, charitable love. Postulating a previous history of such a relationship between Herc and Linda would then anticipate Herc’s relationship with Arthur later on.

Conclusion

Newcastle is one of my two favorite episodes of Cabin Pressure (it is tied with Vaduz for the top spot!). With its wealth of detail and the implications that these details present, it is a deeply intriguing episode that—while probably not entirely faultless—poses many questions about two of the characters presented therein.

I have postulated that the evidence presented through Newcastle’s treasure trove of detail can be used to propose a possible interpretation of the temporal gap between Herc Shipwright’s departure from Air England and his appearance in Newcastle. I have used the details given in Newcastle to outline the backgrounds of both Herc Shipwright and Linda Fairbairn as they arrive in the episode; to propose an explanation for the business structure and company atmosphere at Air Caledonian; and to argue that interpreting a dynamic of friendship between Herc and Linda is not only compatible with the information presented canonically, but compliant with the themes and canonical narrative arc of the show itself, as it explores love as an action; it argues for love as an act of charity and force of will toward unity.

I have been thinking about all these points for at least a year. In preparing to compile my thoughts into a comprehensive argument, I was surprised to learn that Newcastle was, apparently, not universally enjoyed in the same way as I had come to enjoy it. I could not disagree more with that sentiment! Newcastle proposes implications that can be extended, which can explain and enhance what is already there.

We have only to draw it out.

[xcrystalzero]

Hi there~ I'm new to your blog but I just wanna say I love your headcanons! They're so cute~ 💘

if this hasn't been done already, could you possibly do Pomegranate tea + english breakfast tea for Kaeya or Diluc? Your choice! (Or even both?👀 whoever you feel more inspired to write about!)

Thank you in advance, stay safe!😊🙏

Hello! Thank you so much!! Well, I love both of those fine gentlemen, so I decided to write for both of them! Warning, contains spoilers for both Kaeya and Diluc's stories so do not read any further if you haven't gotten there yet and don't want to be spoiled.

Kaeya:

pomegranate tea: at what point did they know they loved their s/o?

For some people, love is just something that grows to be a part of their relationship, a simple progression of emotions. That however, is not the case for Kaeya Alberich.

The rain showed no sign of letting up. He had been caught by the storm on his way back to Mondstat from a scouting mission and had took refuge in a cave to wait it out. The rest of the party had gone on out of there before him so he had not doubt that they had already made it back to Mondstat before the storm had started.

Ah, just him and the rain. How nostalgic...

"Kaeya!" Well, apparently not. Kaeya pulled himself to his feet as he made his way to the entrance of the cave, glancing outside. There you were, completely drenched as you wandered back and forth, calling his name into the wind.

"[name], here!" he called out, managing to grab your attention. Even through the fog and downpour, he can see the grin on your face when you spot him and run over.

"What are you doing out here?"

You stand just out of the range of the rain now, seemingly unaware that you're soaked as you smile at him. "I came back to find you! This storm is kind of nasty so I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

At that, Kaeya smiled. "Oh come on sweetheart, don't you know? Cryo is always stronger in the rain."

You scoffed at that as you set your bag down - whenever you had waterproofed your bag, he didn't know - had pulled out a towel as well as an apple which you offered to him.

"You might be stronger in it, but I know you don't like the rain."

How had you noticed? Kaeya aimed a quizzical gaze at you. "And why would you think that?"

"It's kind of obvious..." you remarked, rubbing the towel over your head in an attempt to dry off. "That's why I came over. Whatever it is, a little company should at least help a little bit right?"

It felt like Kaeya's heart had stopped in his chest. The feeling was strange, as though his chest was actually constricting at your words. What... was this? Eventually, he managed to speak.

"I suppose you're right..."

english breakfast tea: would they want a family?

I feel like this may let some of the Kaeya simps down, but it has to be said... I don't think that Kaeya would want a family in the near future, possibly even at all. Family is already a bit of a touchy subject for him. The only blood relative he remembers abandoned him under the pretense of fulfilling some old prophecy. He had thought he had found a new family with the Ragvindrs but that ended in nothing short of disaster.

Thus, Kaeya has come to a conclusion. He's just not cut out for families. Every one he's ever been a part of has come to a devastating end and he's convinced that he is the sole reason why.

Perhaps if one day, his internal struggles come to an end, he might consider it, but even then. He doesn't want to put himself or anyone else through the pain he's felt in the past. It's just safer to keep a distance.

Diluc:

pomegranate tea: at what point did they know they loved their s/o?

Diluc knew he loved you when he shared a secret he never thought he would, and yet, you still stayed.

"I tried to kill my brother." The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them.

You freeze in place, page from the book you were making your way through half-flipped as you slowly turned your face up towards his. You're silent for a moment and when you do speak, you pick your words carefully.

"I wasn't aware that you had a brother..."

Oh, you know the man he had once considered a brother and yet, Diluc knows that there's no way you could have made that connection with the knowledge you had. "We're not close anymore..."

"What happened?" You snapped your book shut, setting it down on the table beside you as you stood. Slowly, you made your way over to the couch Diluc sat on, sitting a comfortable distance away as you leaned in to listen.

And so, he told you. About the family he had once had and how in a single night, it had come to an end. He told you about the grief he felt, and then the shock, and then the anger and how he had taken it all out on a single person, and then things had never been the same.

He had been talking for a while but you've never once showed a sign that you wanted to leave. You continuously regarded him with that warm look as though his story was becoming your own as you listened.

Eventually, he ran out of words. You sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "You probably hate me don't you?"

"No." Your response was immediate, causing his head to fly up as he sought out your gaze. What he saw there wasn't an accusation or pity. It was a simple and straightforward resolution. "I am glad you trusted me enough to tell me all of this. And now, you don't have to suffer alone anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm here with you now. We can work through this together."

And just like that, Diluc Ragnvindr fell in love.

english breakfast tea: would they want a family?

In his heart, there is nothing he wants more, but he's just not sure that he's ready yet. Just like Kaeya, Diluc has already lost his family once. Unlike Kaeya, while he does feel guilty, Diluc understands on some personal level, that his experience is not what all families are destined to be like.

He's still scared though. Some strange part of him is sure that he's part of the reason why his family ended up the way it did and he doesn't want to transfer that burden to anyone else. With the correct person however, he might be convinced that it was not his fault and that there is in fact, a chance here for him to start over. To be able to start a new family and be able to protect them until the end.

It would take time, but he'd get there eventually.

request a tea prompt!

[cafeacademia]

The New Girl

Pietro Maximoff x Shy!Reader University AU

Summary: When you start late at Stark University you're immediately taken into one of the college’s most popular groups of friends after Rumlow makes you feel uncomfortable and a certain silver haired Maximoff catches your eye.

Warnings: Rumlow being a bit of an ass, flirting and fluff!

Word Count: Approx 1500

Navigation

A/N: Hi loves!! Here's the first part of the Stark University series!! This is a remastered version of the original that I wrote on my old blog, so while the bulk of this part is the same, there are some added parts to it that are completely new and that I hope flesh this out a little more. I hope you enjoy!!

If you'd like to join any of my taglists, please check the masterlist for the series and there will be links to the taglist forms, you can find that HERE.

Next part

Walking towards the double doors, you held a not-so-useful map of the university, along with your new ID card the people at the front desk had given you. It was your first day at Stark University and to say that your nerves were running high was an understatement. It certainly didn’t help that you had no idea if you were even in the right place for your first class, you could only assume that this was the lecture hall you had been told to go to, which you thought you remembered it being called Howard Hall, but you saw no sign on the doors, nor plaques on the wall around it to indicate which hall it was.

And with one deep breath, you stepped through the double doors into a half filled hall, students climbing up the steps to get to the seats at the back, a wave of laughter floating across the hall as a group of older students chatted. You heaved a worried sigh, nervously looking up at the rows of students. You were two weeks late into the year having transferred to Stark University, which had a notoriously difficult entry test.

“You the new girl?” A voice caught your attention and a darker haired individual with a cocky smirk plastered on his lips leaned forwards on his desk, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth as he grinned at you, fingers tugging at the lapels of his leather jacket and you wondered if this guy hadn’t just walked straight out of the fifties in his greaser attire. “Come sit with us, pretty lady.” He patted the seat next to him, the crowd of boys turning to look at you and suddenly you felt heat creep up your neck and cheeks. You felt like prey to them and your stomach twisted uncomfortably at the way he had spoken to you.

As he waited for you to respond, a few of the boys now dramatically whispering about you while you stood in the middle of the hall, a hand came down to rest on your shoulder. “You don’t wanna sit with Rumlow, Prinţesă, they’ll only screw you over.” You looked up to see a group of four guys and two girls.

Steve Rogers, the head boy of the Avengers house and his best friends Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson stood before you. You’d seen them around and on a poster for the next football game and they most certainly were a heart stopping trio. Your eye, however, was caught on the silver haired of the bunch, a soft smirk, warm and inviting posture, hands shoved in his jean pockets, blue eyes that were somehow so warm and you involuntarily smiled up at him.

“C’mon, come sit with our group.” Sam smiled down at you, a more welcoming lopsided smile on his lips and in comparison to Rumlow, Steve’s group seemed much friendlier and more appealing. You nodded, silently agreeing, still far too shy to say anything before you were patted gently on the back and guided over to their seats.

You sat down with people on either side of you, Bucky on your left who turned in his seat to introduce himself properly to you and a girl with long, auburn hair to your right, who was chatting in another language with the boy who’d made your heart stop.

“You’re the new girl in our house, aren’t you? Steve told us you were joining today. I’m Bucky.” He held his hand out to shake and you gently placed your hand in his, letting him shake yours. “Yes, I just transferred this morning.” You nodded. “It’s nice to meet you Bucky.” You smiled shyly as you pulled your hand away.

“I’m Wanda and that’s my twin brother Pietro.” Wanda smiled, catching your attention as you turned in your seat to see her better. “Nice to meet you, Prinţesă.” Pietro grinned at you. “I’m twelve minutes older.” Pietro went on, looking at his sister and your heart almost gave out at the sound of his accent, it was stronger than his sister’s but it sounded so good on him. Wanda playfully smacked her brother on the arm as she rolled her eyes. “What? It is the truth, no?” Pietro chuckled, winking at you and Wanda.

“Where are you from?” You blurted out, having not even introduced yourself or even uttered a word to them and both twins looked at you, smiling at your curiosity. “Sokovia.” They responded at the same time and the girl on the other side of Bucky, sandwiched between him and Steve scoffed. “They’re like the Shining twins.” She muttered, Bucky and Sam snorting at her remark. “That’s Natasha, she’s a real doll.” Bucky winked at you, Nat raising her brow before swatting his arm and shuffling in her seat to lean fully against Steve.

“Are they a thing?” You whispered to Wanda. “Nat and Steve?” She whispered back, watching you nod in response. “She denies it, but they’re so into each other.” She giggled, Pietro leaning over as he became curious of your conversation. “I wonder who else is into someone and yet they deny it, hm?” He asked, voice laced with challenging sarcasm, to which his sister fixed him with a warning stare. “I’m going to grab a drink, anyone want one?” Wanda asked, standing up from her seat, everyone in the group mumbling an answer before she shimmied out of the row of seats.

Pietro got up and dramatically flopped down into his sister’s seat beside you, leaving his blue track jacket in a heap in his own seat. He leaned his elbow on the arm rest, head propped up on his hand as he gave you a heart stopping dreamy smile, blue eyes looking into yours. “Are you going to tell us your name or am I going to have to keep calling you Prinţesă?” Pietro asked, Bucky sighing and rolling his eyes. “What did you just call me?” You asked quietly, a little shy. “Princess.” Pietro winked at you, seeing the way you reacted, slightly flustered and you went quiet for a moment, making him think you didn’t like it. “It’s Sokovian right?” You asked. “Can you tell me more?” You asked, inquisitively and Pietro grinned, nodding. “Only if you tell me your name, Prinţesă.” He winked, a soft chuckle on his lips. “Oh my god.” You heard one of the guys mutter from next to you, presumably at the way Pietro was flirting with you, but to be honest, you didn’t mind. It didn’t seem ingenuine and even if it was, he was so playful that maybe this was just Pietro.

Suddenly Pietro’s arm was yanked out from under him, head dropping and smacking against your shoulder, Wanda standing over him looking rather unimpressed, Sam and Bucky collapsing into laughter, a string of giggles leaving your lips as you helped Pietro sit back up straight again. Wanda hissed something at Pietro in Sokovian, Bucky’s eyes widening at her words and you realised he could understand them. “She said he’s an asshole for stealing her seat every time she leaves.” Bucky leaned into your side, translating for you, failing to mention the fact that Wanda had also scolded Pietro for immediately flirting with you. “And Piet just said- well you don’t want to know what he just said.” He chuckled, making you giggle.

The lecture finally started, the professor having been late to the session and the hall quietened, Rumlow’s group stirring up now and again with stupid remarks and general irritating school boy behaviour. The odd note was passed up and down the row between you and your new friends, mostly between Sam and Bucky, Wanda and Nat sharing their notes with you too.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the session and everyone immediately leapt up before the lecturer was even finished with his presentation. “So, Prinţesă.” You turned to see Pietro as you stepped out of the row of seats, the rest of the group heading down towards the lecture hall door. Reaching up to sweep his silver hair to one side, Pietro gave you a soft, lopsided grin, gesturing for you to go slightly ahead of him, though he walked almost beside you as you descended the stairs together.

“Want to finally tell me your name over coffee?” He asked, making you giggle softly. “I’d like that.” You nodded, glancing over your shoulder at him, sharing a soft smile. “Can’t wait, Prinţesă.” Pietro winked at you. And Pietro really couldn’t wait. He wanted to know who you were, who the girl was that seemed to completely melt his heart within only seconds of meeting her. And he wanted to know what you were really like, especially as you were so shy. You knew as you walked down the steps with him at your side, that your time at Stark University was definitely going to be more interesting and exciting than you had imagined it could be.

Next part

Pietro taglist (OPEN):

@barneswidow @megantje123

Stark University Taglist (OPEN):

@dracosaccount @thesewaywardskies @wasicskosgirl @acciopietro @hanaamara @ikkleronniekins

[pankowfruitsnackswriting]

losing sight of you (p.h)

My work is NOT to be transferred, translated, reposted or copied to any other sites without my permission. That is plagiarism. But you can re-blog the heck out of it on here :)

paring(s): pope x maybank!reader

summary: Y/n is finding it difficult to balance life with a long distance love, but when her father take his daughter’s fate into his own hands, everything changed.  (part two in losing sight of you)

warning: abuse, hospitals, blindness

(master list) (tag list)

Pope loves me, Sarah. I never thought I would ever be able to say those words, but he does. It had changed y/n's world since that day. She hasn't been able to focus since, but y/n had to call and update her best friend on the matter.

I never fully understood the way you shined after you found John B, but I do now. I'm seventeen and a half years old and I'm in love. It feels so good. Y/n enjoyed talking about it any chance she could get.

Anytime Sarah received a call from the girl, she would smile. Then relay the details to John B almost immediately. Y/n talked about everything pope and her talked about while he was at college or what they did when he came to visit (which wasn't very often). The pair was nearly inseparable and had been talking about a wedding in the next few years. Everyone knew from the moment the pair made it official, nothing could ever separate them.

—

JJ pulled his sister in a tight hug. "Come on, angel eyes. I need you to focus on your grades. It was one thing for me to slack, but you have everything going for you."

"I don't feel like a child anymore." The young girl sighed. "Math seems utterly unimportant when you're thinking about marriage. Like I have everything I need already."

JJ ran a hand over her head. His baby sister was growing up all too fast. It feels like just yesterday he was packing her lunch and making sure she had the same pairs of shoes on. Now she's taking care of herself and thinking of fleeing the nest.

Life has been changing for everyone. John B, Sarah, and Kie managed to get in to UNC making the trip back to the Outer Banks more times then they are in class. It's been great though and JJ nor Y/n would complain.

As for pope, he is at a starting a life in Colorado and hasn't stayed in much contact with the rest of the pogues, but somehow he managed to swoop y/n off her feet and make time for her either by FaceTime or calls.

JJ smiled. "I can see how focusing is difficult, but you need to maintain that level of maturity to do both." He knew his words would get under her skin due to the fact she is a few years younger than pope and the rest of the gang.

And that did exactly what it was supposed to do. In a few weeks, by early October, the girl was doing exceptionally well. She was always out with her friends or JJ, keeping busy.

"Hey! I'm running by my house and then I'll be right back." The girl yelled out to John B who sat at the table going over his homework.

"Give me a minute. I can drive you." He worried for her quite often, especially after learning of her and JJ's home life.

"Luke won't be there. I just need a change of clothes." Y/n gave him a quick hug. Ever since pope said he loved her, she's been more joyful and cheery. There wasn't a person who didn't believe that being in love didn't suit her.

John B wanted to protest, but knew she would be alright. Y/n could always handle herself. "Call if you need anything. If I don't hear from you in twenty, I'm sending a swat team in."

With that the girl took off in a sprint. When she arrived, she noticed her own fathers truck in the front yard. He wasn't supposed to be home. She thought. Oh well.

Y/n ran around to back and began to scale the ladder and make it to the window. She heard luke's shouting first, then noticed the ladder shaking, and before she could catch a grip on the window sill, the girl was falling for more than six feet.

JJ heard the screams from the crash as he pulled up, noticing Luke scampering off. Once John B said his sister went home, he beelined it. Luke happened to be laid off, but unfortunately y/n didn't know.

Seeing y/n on her back and unconscious made his heart drop. He immediately pulled at his phone to call for help. It was nearly impossible to formulate a sentence without puking at the sight of blood . The idea that she might be in pain wrecked him. JJ left his sister lying flat, praying for someone to arrive soon.

—

It was only a few hours later when JJ heard the screams from Y/n's room that terrified the group. Everyone was huddled outside, receiving an update. "Jj?" Her voiced pierced through everything.

"Hold her still." Someone instructed a near by nurse. JJ pushed his way closer.

"Y/n, it's alright." He called out. "I'm right here."

"Help me!" She replied hysterically. "Where are you?" The girl swung her own arm against her head and went completely still.

JJ's body froze over, his face paling over. "What happened?"

"She fainted." The doctor had a somber look on his face. He knew what he saw. No one could deny it, but he couldn't bare to say it out loud. "We have to run a few more test-"

JJ recognized the look of pity from any where. "What else is it?"

"I can't say anything for sure until we run more test." JJ blankly stared at him.  "I believe there has been severe damage to her optical nerve. Happens more often when people fall that way and land on the back of her head."

"How would you know?" He seethed with anger. More confusion washed over him.

"Even coming of the sedation, most people can focus on their surroundings. Y/n couldn't even do that, let alone know where you were. I haven't seen much with it, but I'll call an optometrist to do a check up."

"She can't." The boy cried.

"Y/n won't be up or out of testing for a while. Go be with your friends." The doctor rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'll have a nurse stay with her."

JJ nodded and slowly stepped back into the hall noticing Kie. "Where's John B?"

"He took Sarah to stand outside for bit."

JJ desperately wanted to ask her for help, but he didn't know how. "I need to see him."

Kie noticed the way his legs shook with every step. He could barely support himself so she tucked herself under his arm to help get him to where he wanted to be.

It was a pitiful sight for anyone who looked upon them, but as soon as John B and Sarah saw them, the couple pulled apart.

"Oh, JJ." John B could spot the defeated look in his eye from a mile away. He could tell what was wrong?"Is she gonna make it?"

"She's gonna make it." The blonde boy pulled Kie a little closer. "But, they think she's blind."

The group went silent, only moving closer together in a hug. Life was about to change.

(next part)

tags: @pogueslandia​ @1-800-brain-and-heart​ @novxturient​ @samxslaughter​ @wannabestarkeysgirl​ @mazzelloswannabegirl​​ @maybankforlife

[do-i-love-jaal-today]

   Hel-lo, darling ones! Aki here. Wanted to say some stuff, since I know I’ve been on and off here lately...

   First off, I have quite a few asks for imagines~! Super excited to get to them, but do know it’s been super slow for me, here, on account of a lot of IRL stuff that’s sapped my energy. (We’ll get into that in a moment.)

   Secondly... I wanted to do a far overdo gush post for everyone who follows and interacts with this blog.

   It continuously amazes me how much support this silly little thing gets. We’re nearing 2k followers and... I never thought I’d get these sorta numbers off of, “Do I love Jaal today?! Let’s find out!!” (I’m terrible at consistency, but I think it helps that I knew that ahead of time and opened up fics/headcanons, as well as rb’d art... The community already does so much! Gotta pay it back somehow, right?)

   I’m both delighted and exasperated (in a warm way!!) whenever I see the notifs for this blog blow up. It brings me so, so much joy to see people not only still love ME: Andromeda, but also Jaal and the angara in general! I sincerely hope we’ll someday see more of them...

   Here’s to hoping, what with an upcoming revisit to the Milky Way! (...I can desperately hope, at least.)

   Which leaves... IRL stuff. I’ll put it under the cut, as it’s pretty heavy stuff. [warnings for transphobia, homophobia, mentions of racism, and heavy depression]

   So... As of November of 2020, I left home. Not of my own will; I’m nonbinary, as well as DemiPan, and while my mother sort-of supported me... Her current husband, my stepdad, very much did not. He didn’t know fully what was going on, but he apparently got an inkling when his grandmother told him something was “wrong with me.” (I posted on Facebook about coming out, as well as talking about what each bit of my identity meant. I honestly did it in an attempt to tank familial relationships, as I had an inkling I wasn’t going to receive the support I dearly needed.)

   He’s an incredibly hateful man who- like most- defends this with religion. All others are wrong, bad, and evil. POC are making up stories about what they go through. Trans people have something wrong with them...and he simply does not believe gay people are pure. (So insert the age-old, “sinful gays,” line.)

   I have a boyfriend irl. He was able to make sure I was fed, when they didn’t. Made sure I was safe when I was breaking to pieces. I stayed over at his house for sleep, instead of in my own bed as much as possible. I didn’t see “home” as a place with family; it was wherever my boyfriend was, because I couldn’t stand to be in that hateful house, with a mother who overlooked the behavior right in front of her (because it “wasn’t as bad” as her relationship w/ my dad), and a bunch of children who deserved much better.....and I was terrified to gamble their safety on CPS. (I was made 3rd parent, being the eldest child.)

   So... November, I brought up more issues from stepdad. Mother defended him, basically. (As well as told me- to my face- that singular they/them pronouns don’t make sense. It’s only for plural, isn’t it?) I got super upset and emotional... Made worse by stepdad joining in and saying exactly what I thought he’d say.

   My boyfriend got me after work, I later gathered up my stuff (and then that stuff got stolen from the trunk of his car), and...I left. Never went back to live; only to continue picking up my stuff. We don’t have an apartment yet, and I’m just lucky his dad was okay with me staying with them.

   ...I wish that was the end of it.

   My dad has been a big help making the starting transfer over to adult life, especially as...nowhere I want to work at wants to hire me. But, I do have a phone, thanks to him. And am now able to contact my half-sisters.

   ...The older of the three coming out to me as bisexual (though she admits she might be pan?) and how things have gotten worse. Her dad- stepdad to me- told her to throw away LGBT+ books she bought; she had to sneak them out of the trash after he went to bed. She’s still not eating well. (As I did when I was there.) Her depression is fully apparent; her dad is unsupportive, mom still doing nothing to help, and even her own two sisters have started seeing things his way and don’t like who the older sister is.

   I...can’t do anything to help her aside from be around and it honestly hurts. Because I want to do more for her and I can’t. (I even tried encouraging them- all three kids- to be more open-minded when I was there; showing them SU and She-Ra to try to introduce those thoughts to them, since no one else was going to...)

   So.... Yeah. The explanation of why I haven’t been as active here, alongside of never getting the chance to finish ME: Andromeda for myself. I’ve been horribly burnt out from the pandemic, and then this happened along with it all... It’s been a blow that’s been so hard to recover from.

   And I don’t know how to even begin asking for help, so...I figured I’d write this. If you read this far, thank you so very, very much.

   It’s a lot. I know. I need therapy for all this, but my insurance is gone and idk what that means for me now. I’m trying to figure it out...

   But I guess if I was going to close this off on anything? Please take care of yourselves. Check in with friends, if you can. Try to not bottle up too much. No matter what anyone else says, you’re a lovely person and deserve so many kind, nice things.

   Look out for each other. Stay strong, and clear.