#Home service scheduling tools

[shiftchii]

U.A. High in my DR !

Basics

Students are separated randomly into specific departments and classes sectioned by the letters A-K.

These departments are:

Department of Heroics (A - B): Students in this department learn everything they need to know in order to become excellent heroes in service to the community. They are trained in battle, first aid, rescue, support, and all manners of heroic-related lessons.

Department of General Education C - E): Students who don’t make it to the hero course are included here. This department supports students aiming for college and other pursuits. It’s also possible for students with good grades and exceptional strength and quirk skills to be transferred into the hero course (And either the support or business course mind you). Basically regular HS but they get to say that they went to UA on their resume.

Department of Support (F - H): Students here focus on developing support equipment that helps heroes out on the battlefield. With a workspace stock to the brim with all sorts of special tools and their own studio to build things, this department provides an unmatched creative environment.

Department of General Management (I - K): This department focuses on all aspects of heroic business, from the founding and managing of hero agencies to the promotion of public opinion regarding heroes. They even do hands-on lessons in venture capitalism. They have a lot of free time.

Each class is usually comprised of 21 students. That means that the total student population at UA would be 693.

We stay in the same class with the same teacher for all 3 years.

Since UA is a highly prestigious school, we get a lot of funding and benefits for the dorms and when we go on trips and whatnot. (Food we buy for the dorms is paid for, we get free snacks/concessions in the sports festival, free hero costume updates and renewals)

The school curriculum is way less loaded than here. The school system is much better.

The Hero Teachers are actually good at teaching.

Since U.A. is famous, it has many sponsors with support and hero merch companies, so some hero course students (usually 3rd years) have their own hero merch already. Students are sometimes sponsored and do photoshoots and are invited to red carpet events. (Following the School Festival, Class 1-A gets loads of sponsors and stuff!)

The teachers and students are encouraged to decorate their classes and most of them do so.

U.A. has a popular school website.

Staff and students are recommended to have Twitter to update the public events, the majority of the students obviously don't take this seriously, there's always someone who has beef and makes it public (Monoma) and it always ends up like those MHA Tweets, it’s the funniest thing ever.

Schedule

School is Monday - Friday and starts at 8:25 and finishes at 15:10. Regular classes take place during the first half of school, then the afternoon (for the Dept. of Heroics) you will have hero training. Only Dept. of Heroics students have an additional 7th period.

The teachers move between classes while the students stay in 1 class (besides electives).

Wednesdays are half days and only consist of hero training (so no typical school work), though sometimes it's replaced by FHS. You also don't have to wear your uniform on Wednesdays.

We will always have some kind of free time for school despite our somewhat busy schedules.

Not all school days are the same (emergency drills, other schools coming to train with us, etc.).

Classes

Core Subjects for Dept. of Heroics

Homeroom: Taught by Aizawa. Acts as a study hall. The class reps will often give a small meeting with the class about important events during this period.

Japanese: Taught by Cementoss. Focuses on reading, writing, and literature.

Mathematics: Taught by Ectoplasm. Covers algebra, geometry, and calculus.

English: Taught by Present Mic. Emphasizes reading, writing, and conversation skills.

Home Economics: Taught by Midnight. Cooking and other aspects of household management.

Foundational Hero Studies (FHS): Taught by All Might, Aizawa or Midnight. Hero related studying: hero laws, safety precautions, first aid, jsl, media training, dividing hero and civilian identity etc.

Hero Training: Taught by various teachers, usually Aizawa or All Might, it changes every week and we are informed about the activities during homeroom. For example: Quirkless Combat, Rescue Training, Combat, Quirk Training etc.

Elective Subjects

Thought by various teachers. This is the only class where students move instead of teachers, these are shared, so you could end up with classmates from other classes. Students get to completely choose what electives they have. If they don’t choose, they are placed in extra training or study hall.

Options:

Foreign Languages (e.g., Chinese, Korean)

Journalism

Art Foundations

Photography

Ceramics

Psychology

Choir

Band

Orchestra

Woodshop

Metalshop

Chemistry

Poetry

Cooking

Baking

Biology

Physics

Film Analysis

Computer Programming

Animal Work

Volunteer Work

Theatre

Student Council

Literature Analysis

Forensics

Study Hall

Class 1-A Timetable

Around UA campus

The updated UA security system is really good. The sensors are so good, you don't even need to have your ID out. They can scan it anywhere on your person. If you lost or misplaced your ID, the gates also have facial recognition software, so it's fine. If you're not a student or staff, you NEED a visitor pass or the school will go into lockdown on you.

We can use our school IDs to get snacks and drinks from vending machines around the school hallways. It’s free and they are replenished daily.

UA has a courtyard where we can eat outside. Most of the 2nd and 3rd years get food from places outside of the school campus and eat outside in the courtyard. Because of this, the cafeteria isn't as crowded and when we eat lunch we can sit and enjoy our food comfortably. The cafeteria is also luxurious and looks like a fancy mall café.

The library is huge and has many resources with much to explore. There are many different levels with varying types of quiet floors and study halls. It's also open 24/7 so students who are fighting to finish a project can pull all-nighters.

There’s a little shop that has U.A. and hero merch and school supplies including books for courses. You can also buy the merch on the online website.

UA has extracurricular groups and clubs for those who aren't in the hero course such as other sports and things like cheerleaders, debate, theater, music, cooking, ballet, and much more. I mean, hero course students CAN do those things but they WILL have a hard time doing so all while dealing with said hero responsibilities. As mentioned before, business course students have a lot of free time and general ED students are basically regular HS students who just so happen to be going to UA and for support course students, it really depends on how much work you choose to take on for yourself.

There is a study center where students who need extra help can go. Students with failing grades must go here for a set amount of hours to get the help they need. It’s strictly work, and talking about anything other than school is basically prohibited. It’s usually run by Ectoplasm and his clones or Hound Dog.

Work studies & Internships

All first years do an internship, it’s required. This is usually after the sports festival when students have had a chance to show off their skills.

Work studies are basically experience-oriented off-study programs that allow students in the hero course who have Provisional Licenses to work with pros at their agencies. Students will be able to use their quirks under the guidance of a pro, and can even be dispatched to fight villains and help out in disaster areas. If you do well, you can be scouted to become the hero’s sidekick.

Work studies are a more serious version of internships. They entail helping pro heroes on the streets and with investigations. They are usually reserved for 2nd and 3rd-year students, who usually have their licenses. 1st years didn't do them in the past. However, with the rise of villain activity, the school decided to open up work studies to 1st years as well, albeit a very small and select few of them. If they didn't find a good agency with a proven track record they wouldn't do it at all.

Events

U.A. has seasonal dances and a lot of events, like Halloween, Hero Day and other festivals.

Uniforms

Color palette

The uniforms the students receive consist of 4 sets of each clothing (besides the coat and varsity jacket):

Shirts

Long sleeve

Short sleeved

Sleeveless

Blazer

Long sleeves

Sleeveless

Cardigans

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Sweaters

Sleeveless (two color variations)

Long sleeved (two color variations)

Pants

Shorts

Below The Knee

Classic

Skirts

Mini

Below The Knee

Maxi

Ties

Necktie

Bow Tie

Socks

Quarter

Crew

Knee High

Thigh High

Tights

Shoes

Coat

Varsity Jacket

Gym Clothing

Tank top

Loose Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Cropped Zip-up Sweatshirt (long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless)

Shorts

Below Knee Shorts

Sweatpants

Swimwear

Sleeveless, Short sleeved and Long sleeved

Lanyards

Uniforms aren’t required on Wednesdays

Students are allowed to accessorize their uniforms however they want and wear their own jackets

Piercings, colored hair, nails, makeup etc. are allowed

The uniforms aren’t gendered - all students receive all versions and are allowed to wear whichever one they prefer

For students with mutant type Quirks, custom made uniforms are made

Button and sleeve/lapel stripe differences between the department uniforms [1-General education, 2-Hero, 3-Support, 4-Management].

School Bag

Along with the Uniforms the school hands out bags. You can return them and use your own if you’d like.

A standard deep blue nylon matching the uniforms. The U.A. logo sits at the right bottom corner.

Class

If you’re standing at the front of the classroom looking out at the desks, the seating arrangement starts at the leftmost side of the room (“A” names), going front to back and then going to the next row to the right, and so on.  keep in mind that the alphabetical order here is based on the Japanese alphabet. My number is 10.

Here's how I laid out the desks for 21 students:

Since we stay in the same classrooms for most of the days we can leave out stuff at our desks. They have shelves underneath with 2 outlets and lots of space.

Class 1-A Friend Groups

Everyone is actually really close, but those are what groups spend the most time together. Of course we hang out in different groups or all together too.

We have frequent movie and game nights, 1-A has a group chat and it’s always active, there’s always someone wanting to do something. Sometimes we invite people from other classes.

DekuSquad

Izuku

Ochako

Tenya

Tsuyu

Shouto

Haruka

Hitoshi (after he joins our class)

BakuSquad

Katsuki

Eijirou

Mina

Denki

Minoru

Hanta

TokoSquad

Fumikage

Mashirao

Mezou

Tooru

MomoSquad

Momo

Kyoka

Yuga

Kouji

Rikido

I hope this was helpful! <3

© credits: seating arrangement • basics @/Priicklleshifts on TikTok • uniforms • dividers

[redflagshipwriter]

Halfa Cass 9 pt 1

masterpost

The first thing Danny did when he woke up was blink to focus on his breath. Nothing was visible. He vaulted up from his sprawl across the couch and prowled around the apartment, unnerved.

It felt like someone was here, or had been here. It was subtle, but there was a ghostly touch in the area. There shouldn’t be. He had confirmed that no one was haunting this building before they moved in. City ghosts tended to stay in their personal environment, whether that was sitting on a recliner in the apartment they’d died in or forever running a route in a ghostly version of the delivery van they’d worked in for decades. 

He investigated in increasingly paranoid detail, even daring to flick on a bit of smuggled Fenton tech to wave around in search of ecto.

“Whoever came by is gone,” Danny admitted. He stood in the middle of the dinky open plan apartment for a while feeling lost. Then the energy rush left him. He rubbed at his eyes and stretched a little, trying to work up a little bit of enthusiasm for the day. 

It was a Friday morning, not quite 5 am. Damn. He’d really adjusted his sleeping schedule. Jazz would be back from her overnight shift soon.

“I should make her breakfast,” Danny said, half-heartedly hoping that saying it aloud would magically compel and energize him. It didn’t. He eventually shuffled to the kitchen nook, pushed by duty and not any kind of internal motivation.

Jazz was the only one with a semi-legit identity. They hadn’t been able to pay for papers for both of them. Even though he was making the bulk of their money, they were pretty sure that Jazz needed some kind of legal justification for her income. 

Employment options were limited. Without qualifications, she was pretty much only looking at customer service, where hundreds of people would see her face every day. That was a nerve wracking prospect when they were hiding. They were serious enough about restarting that they had both trashed their lifelong career dreams. Jazz was studying friggin’ bridges and whatever, civil engineering. Danny didn’t even know what he would do when it was his turn to get a formal education.

So. Obviously. Standing in front of hundreds of people daily was not the best option for their desired level of anonymity.

Luckily, Gotham had a shitty fast food chain where the gimmick was that the employees were in costume. So Jazz had crammed her class load into Monday-Thursday and she worked overnight Thursday to Saturday nights every week, serving burgers up in a full face mask as a Black Bat. 

He decided to start with coffee. That might help.

Danny filled the water tank, put a filter in, and poured coffee beans in. Then he groaned, took the beans out, and resentfully put them into the dumb hand grinder. He put the powder back into the filter, pressed the button, and watched as nothing happened.

It took a while to notice that nothing was happening.

Jazz came home at 5:22, bringing with her a cloud of fry oil scent. He vaguely heard the door unlock and her kick off her shoes. She paused when she saw the disassembled coffee maker on their table. The old Jazz would have scolded him for making a mess where they ate. The high school version of her would have sighed about the mess.

The exhausted food service version of Jazz took it in stride. “I grabbed food,” she said. “Come on, couch.” She opened a cupboard door and took something out on tiptoes before shutting it near-silently. She put the food down to duck into the bathroom and take out her brown colored contacts.

Danny grunted. A few seconds later her words reached his brains. He blinked. “Right. Thanks,” he said belatedly. He put down his tools and washed his hands. “Should I grab utensils?” he called. He heard the sound of relief as Jazz sat on the couch, off her aching feet. 

“Yes, please.”

He yanked open the drawer, unintentionally making things clatter. Danny winced at the volume and picked out two forks. He grabbed a roll of paper towels and headed over to see what Jazz had brought home. 

She had two styrofoam boxes, clearly from a diner and not Batburger. Fair enough. They were both sick to death of their menu. 

Danny’s box had two pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a side of bacon. He glanced over to see that Jazz had the same thing with sausage instead of the bacon. The syrup was already on the coffee table.

The smell hit him like a freight train. Suddenly, Danny was ravenous. He tore through his eggs and bacon and then went for the syrup, drowning the pancakes. When he was done he put the box down with a sigh of relief and looked over to see that Jazz was slouching, hand thrown over her face. “Long day?” he asked.

Jazz groaned. “Leave me to die,” she begged. She slumped a little more, encroaching into his half of the sofa. Her dull brown hair coiled on the sofa cushion, dryer than it had ever been back in Amity.

Danny took the hint that she wanted the couch. He gathered up their trash and went back to the kitchen. He worked as quietly as he could on the coffee machine and wished his sister was home and awake more. 

If life was just like this, sort of hard but the two of them pulling together, it would be kind of…nice. There was a domestic fantasy element.

But the outside world was going to intrude. Danny put the coffeemaker together and then set it to run. While it worked, he went to the shitty plastic dresser that held his work clothes and changed into his underlayer of t-shirt and soft jogging pants. He stuffed a heavy jacket and thick jeans into a plastic bag and then put that in his work bag. He didn’t want to be late for work. Like, really didn’t want to be late for work. His supervisor coming to find him and meeting Jazz had featured in more than one nightmare. The people he worked for were just plain scary. Danny zipped his bag shut and then poured the entire pot of coffee into his thermos for the day. 

“I’m going,” he called quietly, on the off chance that Jazz was still awake. And then he left to see what the local gang needed built this week.

[nenelonomh]

organization 101

organization is about how we gather stimuli in our environment to complete tasks quickly and more effectively. it's about arranging our surroundings, providing order, and structuring items and activities around us.

this topic can be applied in so many instances - including physical spaces, digital files, schedules, and mental clarity.

staying organized offers several benefits:

★ when you're organized, you waste less time searching for things or figuring out what to do next. this efficiency leads to increased productivity

★ clutter and chaos can contribute to stress. an organized environment promotes a sense of calm and control.

★ organization helps you allocate time effectively. you can prioritize tasks and allocate resources efficiently.

★ a clutter-free workspace (or living space) allows you to concentrate better on the task at hand.

★ organized spaces encourage healthier habits, such as regular exercise, balanced meals, and adequate rest.

but how can you stay organized?

★ start with one area of focus (e.g. closet, desk, documents, ...) and gradually expand. focusing on one area allows you to see tangible progress, and as you declutter or organize, you'll build momentum to tackle other spaces.

trying to organize everything at once can be overwhelming. by narrowing your focus, you can prevent feeling swamped. concentrating on a specific area also allows you to learn effective strategies,, which you can apply to other parts of your life!

★ keep a to-do list. you can use a planner or digital tools to track tasks - and prioritize and sort tasks by urgency. write things down promptly to avoid forgetting them.

by freeing your mind from trying to remember all of your tasks, this mental offloading allows you to focus on the present moment. you can also assign urgency and importance, ensuring you will tackle what matters most.

★ give everything a home. clutter happens when items lack designated spaces. organize your physical and digital spaces intentionally.

★ once organized, maintain order consistently by building habits and systems. regularly review and adjust your systems when needed.

maintaining daily habits can significantly contribute to staying organized.

digital files

personally, the biggest issue i have with organization is building (and maintaining) a good system for digital files. it is crucial for me to learn how to organize these well, however, as a digital creator.

here is the process:

★ create a folder structure,, and design a clear hierarchy of folders that reflect your workflow. organize files logically based on projects, departments, dates, or file types.

at the moment i sort my files as content home < links, content plan, instagram, pinterest, tumblr, youtube < scheduling, post ideas

however, sometimes i find myself with documents that don't fit any of these sections. my plan for the future is to reorganize this to be the most effective it can.

★ use descriptive file names,, and name files clearly and concisely. include relevant keywords to make searching easier

★ consider using tags to categorize files across multiple dimensions. tags enhance searchability and allow flexible organization.

this is something that i am looking to employ!

★ utilize cloud services like google drive or dropbox for easy access from anywhere.

i will forever be a notion girl,, even though it is not quite a cloud service, it allows me a similar experience.

★ make decluttering a routine. delete duplicate or unnecessary files.

★ pin essential folders to your sidebar for quick access.

physical decluttering

writing this, i was reminded of the (horrid) bedrotting trend, especially those videos where people would show their rooms with shit everywhere and mould growing on stuff. i'm aware that some people find it super hard to maintain organization or declutter - hoarding is a very real issue.

the benefits of staying organized were previously mentioned, but decluttering specifically has its own little set of positives. this includes reduced stress, improved focus, enhanced productivity, and more positive overall wellbeing.

here are some essential tips if you are struggling to get started:

choose a small area or category to begin decluttering. set a timer (15-30 minutes) and sort items in that area into 'keep', 'donate', 'trash', or 'unsure' piles.

you could also attempt a room-by-room approach, by tackling one room at a time. focus on completing each room fully before moving on to the next.

try to organize your belongings into categories (keep, donate, sell, discard) to make decisions easier.

remember - progress comes from consistent effort, and small steps lead to a clutter-free space.

further reading

i hope today's post was helpful!

as for further reading, check out these sites: ★ How to Declutter Your Home: 6 Best Room-by-Room Methods (thespruce.com) ★ First Steps to Decluttering - Understanding the Clutter - Being Minimalist ★ Productivity, Organization & Personal-Development | 101 Planners ★ Executive Functioning Skills 101: Organization | Life Skills Advocate ★ How to Be Organized - 10+ Habits - Organized 31 ★ How to Be More Organized & Productive | 10 Habits for Life Organization (youtube.com) ★ How to Be More Organized (verywellmind.com) ★ How to Organize Your Digital Files | Reviews by Wirecutter (nytimes.com) ★ Master How to Organize Digital File Management (riverfy.com)

❤️ nene

image source: pinterest

[foreverrandomwritings]

Honey, Honey

Summary: Based off this ask for my Taste of Twenty-Five event. All the reasons Bob really loves his truck in chronological order.

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Afab!Reader

Warnings: Reader has a service dog for unspecified food allergy. Illness, death(not Bob or reader), swearing, the training exercise accident and smut at the end. MDNI 18+ only!

Word count: 6,560 (I got a bit carried away)

Masterlist M's Taste of Twenty-Five Masterlist

Bob’s truck meant the world to him. He had been obsessed with it growing up. He’d ride around in the cab with his grandpa around town. They’d have the windows rolled down and would be listening to an old blues tape. The cup holders always had two cups of sweet tea in them. There was a picture of his nan in the visor and Bob always dreamt about having a picture of his future girl up there. His grandpa took great pride in his truck. Bob remembered all the times they would be in the garage with him handing him tools and turning over the key when he was told to.

“Can you hand me that wrench?” Bob grabbed the wrench quickly and handed it over to his grandpa. There had been a gurgling noise when they had run up town and when his grandpa asked Bob if he wanted to help find out the problem Bob jumped at the opportunity. 

“Bobby boy go ahead and turn it over for me.” His grandpa called from his place under the hood. 

“Okay pops.” Little Bobby wasn’t even tall enough to reach the pedals but he could reach the key. He jumped into the truck and pushed the key into the ignition. Excitement was coursing through his little body as he turned the key and the engine came to life. He loved that truck then because it was something him and his grandpa bonded over. 

Then eventually his grandpa got sick and wasn’t able to drive the truck anymore and it sat and sat and sat. Until his grandpa passed away at the beginning of his junior year of high school. His grandpa had left the truck to Bob in his will. So Bob got a job as a busboy up in town that he would juggle between school and helping out on the farm. 

He saved up all his money and during the summer between junior year and senior year he fixed up the truck. He had it repainted the vibrant green it used to be. He had a strict schedule written down in a little notebook he kept in the glove box on when to change the oil, the tires and all the maintenance he’d done. He loved that truck then because it was a small piece of his grandpa he’d always have with him. 

Then when he went off to college he had packed up the bed and made the solo trip with one of those old blues tapes and a glass of sweet tea in the cup holder. When nights would get stressful due to exams or work or missing home he’d climb into that truck and go driving, never having anywhere in mind. He’d flip that visor down and look at the blank spot where the picture of his nan used to be and dream of a day he could add his own picture up there. He loved the truck then because it was a piece of home. 

Eventually that truck moved to and from different bases depending on where he was deployed. He never owned much so it was always easy to pack everything up in the bed and take those solo trips. He’d occasionally look in the passenger seat and wish there was someone there enjoying the old blues tapes that filled the glove box. He loved the truck then because of all the possibilities it made him hopeful for. 

The first time he ever met you he’d been driving to the farmers market early one Saturday morning to get some groceries for the week. He always liked to be one of the first ones there as it was always quieter and he could go booth to booth at a good pace. There was also a booth with tea, coffee and baked goods that opened before all the others that he liked to go to first thing. 

He was only about ten minutes away when he spotted you. You were on the side of the road, phone pressed between your ear and shoulder staring at the smoke billowing out of your hood. He pulled over behind you and clumsily climbed out of the truck. He adjusted his glasses and made his way over to where you were standing. You weren’t alone either, you had a cute little gray and white pitbull sitting next to you that looked at him curiously upon his approach. One ear was mostly gone and its tail looked a bit short as well. Bob noticed he wore a service dog vest. 

“Please don’t put me on hold again.” Your voice was pleading but you let out a large huff of air, rubbing your fingers into your temple. Bob guessed whoever was on the other line had indeed put you on hold. Bob cleared his throat awkwardly and your eyes snapped open from where you had closed them. 

“Uhm. Hello?” You greeted him, he could see clear confusion on your face, which was very pretty he might add.

“I noticed you were having some trouble and I was wondering if I could help out in any way?” His hand was rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Oh. Do you happen to know anything about cars?” The look on your face now was pure hope. The dog beside you was wagging its tail but remained sitting in its spot. 

“I know a thing or two.” He responded and your eyes lit up. Something he decided he wanted to see again. When you started talking again he took that moment to take you in. You were in a pair of worn medium wash jeans with the ankles rolled up and a pair of mustard yellow vans adorning your feet. His eyes looked over your cream shirt where a picture of bees and a jar of honey and a honeycomb sat, with a logo on it; Honey Bee & Comb. 

“It started making a weird clunking noise and then it just started billowing smoke. I barely got it to the side of the road before it shut off. I’m on the phone with a towing company but they keep putting me on hold.” You looked utterly defeated. But Bob gave you a reassuring smile and told you to pop your hood. You did as he said and opened your door to pull the lever. He pulled the hood up, turning his face to the side as the smoke barreled out and fogged up his glasses. He propped it open and backed up a few steps where you were once again standing. 

“Looks like it’s overheated, I have a friend that owns a body shop. He could give you a tow. I can call him right now if you’d like?” Then there was that light in your eyes again. 

“Would you mind? That would really help me out. I’ve been on the phone with these guys for about thirty minutes now.” You waved the phone out in front of you dramatically. He assured you it was fine and pulled his own phone out and pulled up the contact. You hung up your phone and two rings later and the person on the other end answered. 

“Hey Shawn. Would you be able to head out here to Weston street? I have a woman here with me that’s got a broken down car.” You waited as the person responded, looking him over he was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, worn boots and a navy blue ford t-shirt with a flannel over it. You thought he was the prettiest man you’d ever seen. 

“Alright, I’ll see ya soon.” You quickly looked away as the blonde hung up so he wouldn’t catch you staring. 

“He said he’ll be here in fifteen.” He informed you as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. Your shoulders sagged as you let out some of the stress. 

“Thank you so much….” You trailed off looking at him expectantly. 

“Robert.” He winced as he said it. Because he hasn’t had someone call him that in years. 

“Well thank you Robert.” His name rolled off your tongue and he almost groaned at how sweet it sounded. 

“I’m Y/N, this is Lewis.” You said gesturing to the dog who still sat in the same spot since Bob had walked up. Silence grew between you for a moment as you both stared at each other. 

“Where are you heading to?” Bob hoped you didn’t think he was a creep asking that. But you only gave him a smile and hooked a thumb over your shoulder pointing behind you. 

“Heading to the farmers market.” Bob lit up at the reply. 

“I’m heading that way as well.” You cocked your head and seemed to take him in once again. 

“Oh yea. I’ve seen you around. You’re one of the few early ones.” Bob nodded his head a blush dusting his cheeks and neck at the fact that you had noticed him. 

“Seems as though you are as well.” Though Bob hadn’t remembered seeing you before. 

“I have a booth there so it’s kind of implied that I get there early.” You didn’t seem disappointed that he hadn’t seen you. Which he was thankful for because he didn’t want to disappoint you. 

“What’s your booth?” His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to rack his brain. 

“I sell bee made products, honey, beeswax candles, chapstick and what not.” You waved your hand over your shirt and he finally made the connection. He’d seen your booth but had never gone over because his ma always sent him honey when she shipped him stuff from home. 

“Do you want to load your stuff into my truck? I can take you to the market since I’m already going there anyway.” He was really really hoping you would say yes. You fortunately told him yes and you both loaded up all your stuff into the bed of his truck. Lewis sat in the cab patiently as you loaded everything up. Shawn ended up coming shortly after and towed your car off. Reassuring you he’d have it looked at by the end of the day. In the ride to the market Bob informed you that Shawn was his front seater Michaels husband. 

After Bob helped you set up your booth even though you told him he didn’t need to worry about it. He offered to take you home as well, to which you thanked him and informed him that a friend of yours that had a booth would be taking you home. As you watched his face fall you had nervously asked him if he would like to go to dinner one night that week. He very quickly told you yes. You swapped numbers and then parted ways. He loved his truck that day because without it he probably wouldn’t have been able to help you. 

On your first date he picked you and Lewis up in his truck. Where he had jumped out and rounded the hood to open your door for you. He had given you a bag of treats for Lewis and a compliment on how gorgeous you looked. You spoke about random things including how you had rescued Lewis from a local shelter and put him through service dog training for your food allergy, until you got to the restaurant. Dinner went amazingly and before you both knew it you were in his truck heading back to your house. 

The windows were rolled down and you were humming along to the blues tape that was playing quietly. The cool autumn air was whipping through your hair but you didn’t seem to mind. Even when it got stuck in your chap-stick that coated your lips. When he came around to open the door for you again and you stepped out you asked him very sweetly if you could kiss him and he sheepishly nodded his head. Then he proceeded to lean you up against the truck and kiss you both utterly breathless. He loved the truck then because it was where he had found the feeling of home again in the form of you. 

You’d been dating a few months at this point. He had awkwardly asked you one day if you wanted to go steady with him. Your cheeks had gotten all warm and you gave him a sweet smile and a soft peck on the lips. Then you told him you’d love to go steady with him. The both of you had gotten into a routine of him coming to pick you up and take you to the farmers market on weekend mornings when he wasn’t deployed. 

This particular Sunday had been going like every other one had. You sat in your seat with Lewis between you though he was mostly laying on your lap. You’d picked out an old blues tape and had popped it into the stereo. You were petting Lewis on the head absentmindedly and occasionally sipping on your glass of sweet tea that was held in your other hand. 

You just passed by the spot you’d first met each other and a small smile formed on your lips. Your eyes turned to look at Bob to see him already glancing at you. Your eyes lit up and your smile got bigger and he felt his chest tighten and before he knew it he was spilling out three little words that made you feel like your bees at home were swarming in your stomach. 

“I love you.” He looked at you wide eyed once he realized what he had said. Was it too soon? Would you say it back? Would you leave him? Wait, why were you laughing? The sound of your laugh flowed through him and had him blinking slowly as he stopped at a stop sign and stared at you in bewilderment. 

“I love you too Bob.” You told him before leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He took a deep breath and tried to hide the blush that was taking over his face by looking back at the road. But from the way you were looking at him he knew that you saw it. He loved the truck then because you loved him. 

You and Lewis came and picked him up in his truck after one of his deployments. Your car had been acting up again and Bob had insisted you use his truck while he was gone. You knew how much the truck meant to him so you made sure to take great care of it while he was away. You drove the three of you back to your house where Bob had moved into before he left for deployment. Lewis laid in his lap and he pet the dog on the head as he admired how breathtaking you looked driving his truck. 

Once you got home you and Bob reacquainted yourselves with each other before starting on dinner. You had thought you’d had all the ingredients for said dinner but had forgotten to pick up one thing from the store. Bob offered to run up the street to grab it and you told him you could make something else but he assured you that he was up for the short trip. Lewis went with him because he didn’t wanna leave his side. Plus in the safety of your home you didn’t need to worry about your food allergy. 

The sun was still shining so he flipped the visor down and was pleasantly surprised to see a Polaroid picture of you and Lewis in the bed of his truck. You had a large smile on your lips and Lewis had his head tilted to the camera in an absolutely adorable way. Bob couldn’t help the smile that took over his face. 

“I’m gonna marry her one day.” He told Lewis who responded with a soft bark and wag of his tail. Bob loved his truck then because he finally had a picture of you in the place he always wanted one. 

Bob had been super secretive and awkward for a couple of weeks now. You hadn’t thought much of it though, you trusted him more than you trusted anyone else so you figured he had a good reason for the way he was acting. When he asked if you would like to accompany him and Lewis on a secret date you had enthusiastically told him yes. So you had both driven out to a field that Bob had found one day on a hike that was accessible by vehicle as well. 

He made you sit in the cab as he and Lewis got everything set up in the bed of the truck. Why he needed Lewis’ help was lost on you but you just shrugged and took in the view around you. It was such a pretty spot and you understood why Bob loved it so much. You climbed out of the truck when Bob called for you. You gasped when you saw what he had set up. He had laid out a bunch of blankets and pillows. A variety of foods and drinks were spread around. He had lined the side rails with strings of lights. Bob asked you to sit next to Lewis so you did and then noticed he had something in his mouth. 

“What do you have there, boy?” You asked him, holding out your hand waiting for him to drop whatever it was. But what you weren’t expecting was a ring box. You turned to Bob with wide eyes only to see him down on one knee and a nervous smile on his face. 

“I have been completely head over heels for you since the first day I saw you on the side of the road. I couldn’t imagine my life without you honey. Would you go steady with me for the rest of our lives?” The flashback to him asking if you wanted to go steady had you giggling as tears streamed down your face. You couldn’t get any words out so you resorted to nodding your head frantically. 

He reached out a hand and you handed him the box. He opened it to get the ring out and you sobbed at how perfect it was. It was absolutely everything you wanted in a ring. He slipped it onto your finger and as soon as it was settled you were pulling him towards you. Your lips crashed against his and you could feel the mix of yours and his tears in the kiss but you didn’t mind.

“I love you so much Robert.” Slipped out of your lips when you finally pulled away. 

“I love you too Honey.” He whispered to you and then peppered your face in kisses. The rest of the night went by spectacularly, you had dinner and the three of you cuddled up and watched the stars for hours. Bob sat against the truck with you between his legs and Lewis between your own. Your head laid on his shoulder then your breath evened out and he loved his truck then because you said yes. 

You guys had decided to have a small wedding. It was his friends Michael and Shawn whom you had grown close to. Your friend who took you home that first day you and Bob met was ordained so they married the two of you. And of course there was Lewis. You decided for your honeymoon you’d drive up to finally meet his family. 

Which is exactly what you did. Even though you’d met them through FaceTime and phone calls you’d never met them in person. You knew how much they meant to Bob so you were buzzing with excitement the whole way to Lima, Montana. 

Everything was going smoothly. You left early Saturday morning hoping to get there by Saturday night. It was Bob's turn to nap so he was. His head was on a pillow leaning against the window on the door. Lewis had his head in his lap and was sleeping as well. Then suddenly Bob was being woken up with a gentle touch on his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open slowly and grabbed his glasses from the dash before finally focusing on you. When his eyes landed on your face he was suddenly fully awake. You had silent tears streaming down your face and looked at him fearfully. 

“What’s wrong honey?” He asked you softly, reaching out to grab your hand. When he got ahold of it he felt you shaking and that only worried him more. He looked around quickly and noticed you were pulled over on the side of a back road. 

“I’m sorry.” Was all you said with a sad voice. 

“What’re you sorry for?” You looked down at where your hands were intertwined and mumbled out your reply. 

“We have a flat tire and a large scratch down the side of the truck.” He furrowed his brow at you in confusion because when in the hell did that happen? 

“What happened honey?” He unbuckled his seat belt and scooted closer to you causing Lewis to switch him seats. 

“Just come and look.” You told him and opened your door climbing out and he followed you. When he got out and saw the large scratch in the green paint down the side of the truck he couldn’t stop the gasp that slipped through his lips. A sob left your own mouth and his eyes quickly found you again.

“I’m really sorry, I was following behind a truck and he had a bunch of stuff in his bed. I thought I was far enough back that if anything flew out I wouldn’t be within range of being hit. But a piece of barbed wire came out and I just couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. It popped the tire and scratched up the side.” You took a deep breath before continuing, your fingers danced along the scratched paint sadly. “I know how much you love this truck. I really love it too and I’m so so sorry that this happened.” 

“Oh honey.” He said softly, taking you in his arms and kissing your head. He breathed in the smell that was uniquely you and took a moment to gather his thoughts. 

“It’s okay honey, we’ll put the spare on and once we get to my parents we’ll go into town and get them to replace the tires. Then we’ll have Shawn fix the paint when we get home. I’m just happy that we are all safe, you handled the situation perfectly.” He ran his hand down your back as you calmed your crying. You guys then changed to the spare Bob had been thoughtful enough to pack in the bed. You got into town late and met his family who all completely adored you. 

The next day you went into town to the only mechanics there was. You paced the lobby until they came out with the keys and told you everything was taken care of and you were good to go. You practically ran out to the truck and Bob loved the truck then because you loved it just as much. 

When Bob had gone down in the training exercise with Phoenix he hadn’t planned on telling you until after the mission. Which may have sounded awful because you were his wife after all. But he just didn’t want you to worry over nothing. However what he didn’t know was that Maverick had called to inform you and that you were on your way up to see him. 

He was in the middle of a conversation with Phoenix, whom he was sharing a room with when he heard familiar tapping of claws in the hallway. Before he could process what exactly that meant Lewis came bolting into the room and jumped onto his bed. Then you came running in behind him. He stared at you with wide eyes as you ran up to him and cupped his face looking him over for injury. 

“Honey, what’re you doing here?” He blinked at you slowly as he started to pet Lewis’ head. 

“Someone named Maverick called, he told me your plane had gone down during an exercise today. I was worried and just needed to see you. I also figured you wouldn’t tell me until you got back home and I couldn’t handle waiting. I need to see with my own eyes that you were alright.” It was a light scolding but he still blushed nonetheless. Then you gave him a soft kiss and stood back up. 

“How’s Michael, Shawn and the babies?” You knew he was changing the subject to avoid you scolding him anymore. But you let him do it anyway. Plus talking about his previous front seater and his new family members would cheer you both up. When Michael’s contract came back up he had decided not to reenlist because he and his husband Shawn were in the process of adopting and it would be an easier transition if Michael was a stay at home dad. 

“They are doing amazing. Michael is slowly adjusting to no longer being in the service, Shawn is glad to have him home. The triplets have been a handful since they picked them up from the hospital. They are all absolutely adorable, especially Robert.” Your smile was bright as you told him a bit more about the family. They had named one of two boys after him.  Then when you stopped talking you finally turned to the other person in the room. She looked terrified when your eyes met her own. 

“You’re Phoenix right? His front seater for this mission?” She glanced between you and Bob and Bob gave her a small nod. 

“Uhm yes. I-I’m really sor-.” But before she could finish her guilt ridden apology you were right next to her bed. 

“Are you okay? Do you need me to call anyone for you?” She choked on air at the way you were now dotting on her. She looked at Bob and he had a wide smile on his face and adoration in his eyes. 

“I’m okay. I called my fiancé already, so she knows I’m okay.” Bob looked sheepish as you both turned to glare at him when she said that. 

“Can I hug you?” You were bouncing on the balls of your feet, you just really felt the need to comfort her.  

“Uh yes.” She stuttered out and then she was wrapped up in your arms. She hadn’t realized she really needed a hug until then. You held her until she let go. 

“Thank you for keeping my husband safe.” You told her after pulling away. As Bob looked at you he loved his truck because it brought him, you. 

A couple of weeks after the mission the dagger Squad were all given the option of moving to Fightertown permanently. They would be their own squad indefinitely. Bob had asked you immediately what your thoughts were. He wasn’t sure you’d go for it since your life was in Lemoore. But you assured him you’d love to move there if he would. Because he didn’t have a front seater in Lemoore. Plus from what he had told you the rest of the Dagger Squad worked beautifully together once they got over bad blood. 

So you guys took a couple weeks to pack up then you were heading off to Fightertown. You had your bees in the bed of the truck, a whole bunch of things in the U-Haul hitched to the truck. All the bigger items had been picked up by the navy movers. You’d decided to sell your junk ass car to Shawn who was gonna fix it up and sell it at his shop. You’d also promised to come back and visit them often, as well as your friends and family that lived there. Selling your house in Lemoore and buying a house with plenty of land in Fightertown had been surprisingly easy. 

“Lewis is gonna have quite the time getting to know everyone and getting allocated to a new home. You said that Mav’s girlfriend has a dog right?” The only part of this you were nervous about was Lewis. Since you’d had him you’d only ever lived in one place. He had made friends at your local dog park as well as other dogs that had been in your service dog training courses. 

“Yea, his name is Theo. I think they’ll get along great. Plus I think Lewis will love Paybacks kids. We could also go to one of the shelters in town and find him a friend.” Bob had been doing a search for another dog already but he just hadn’t told you. He’d even found a dog that you guys could go and pick up in a week. She was a pitbull lab mix that had been surrendered by her previous owners because they were moving and claimed they couldn’t take her with them. Funnily enough her name was Bee, which Bob thought you would absolutely adore. 

You started to excitedly rant about how amazing it would be to get another dog. Then about how excited you were to meet everyone. Bob glanced at you and saw the way the sun was shining through the window on your face. You looked like a dream and Bob couldn’t help but love that his truck was taking you both to a future that held so many possibilities for the both of you. 

Bob didn’t really understand what had gotten into you but you just couldn’t seem to keep your hands off him. You’d had dinner with Phoenix and her fiancé which had become a regular occurrence. Phoenix and her fiancé had taken extreme care in the food they prepared so you hadn’t worried about bringing Lewis and Bee. Your eyes however hadn’t left his form all night. Every time he’d glance at you he’d find your eyes already glued to him. When you were saying goodbye to the duo you’d made it quick and were dragging Bob out of their house.  

Now here you were with a hand down his pants slowly stroking his cock and sucking bruises into the skin of his neck. He was concentrating very hard on keeping control of the truck on the road. You weren’t very far from your house which he was grateful for. He let out a low moan as you ran your thumb along the tip of his cock and gathered the precum that was leaking from it. 

“Honey.” He muttered out, you nipped at his neck gently before pulling away and looking at him with lust filled eyes. He groaned as he took in the sight of your swollen lips. 

“We’re almost home Bob, just pay attention to the road.” So that’s what he did: he kept both hands on the steering wheel and both eyes on the road as you resumed your assault on his neck. Your hand continued to slowly pump his cock, your thumb brushing the tip every so often. A low moan would leave his lips every time. 

When he turned onto the long gravel driveway lined by trees that lead back to your house your hand slipped out of his pants, you unbuckled your seat belt and positioned yourself so you were kneeling on the seat. You worked quickly to unzip his pants and pull his boxers down enough to slip his cock free. Your hand then was replaced by your lips and he couldn’t help himself as one of his hands left the steering wheel and found its way into your hair. He helped guide you up and down his length. You gagged as he hit the back of your throat before pulling up and going back down. 

The truck came to a stop as he rolled up to the front of the house and his hand left your hair to shift it into park. He fumbled to snatch the keys out and slip them into his pocket. His head tipped back as your tongue swirled around his tip. He muttered your name quietly, not really sure what he was asking for. He felt himself getting close but he wasn’t ready for this to be over just yet so he gently guided your mouth away from his cock. When you were sitting up his lips met your own in a rushed pace, he was eager to taste your lips and moaned at the taste of him on your tongue as you slipped it passed his lips. 

“Bob, please.” The request was a whisper on your lips as you pulled away. He knew what you were asking for without you needing to say anything. 

“Take off your pants honey.” He slipped his cock back into his underwear but kept his pants unzipped. He fumbled while opening his door before stumbling out and watching with hooded eyes as you maneuvered out of your shoes and pants and threw them on the floor of the truck. 

He took a second to take in how pretty you looked, your hair a mess, lips swollen, a wet patch forming on your underwear from how aroused you were. The look of complete lust on your face had his control slipping. He grabbed both of your ankles and yanked your body toward him. Your ass was on the edge of the seat.  His hands found your panties and slipped them down your legs and tucked them into the pocket of his jeans. You were practically vibrating in anticipation as you waited for him to make a move. 

Right as you opened your mouth to beg for his touch he was on you. His tongue slipped between your folds, one of your hands shot for his hair, fingers tangling in the strands as a loud moan left your mouth. He was bent over at the hips and his knees were slightly bent but he didn’t care that he’d probably wake up a bit sore from the awkward angle. All he cared about was that you tasted sweeter than the slice of cheesecake you’d shared for dessert. Really you tasted better than anything he could ever imagine. So he told you so, pulling his mouth away he replaced his tongue with his fingers, slipping them in and out of you languidly. 

“Fuck honey, you taste sweeter than anything I’ve ever had before.” He sucked a bruise into your thigh leaving a feather light kiss over it. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever find anything sweeter than you. Love you so much. ” He sucked a bruise into the inside of your other thigh, running his tongue over the skin to soothe it. You weren’t sure if the cry of his name leaving your lips was because of the words he was whispering or because of the way his mouth found its way back to your cunt. His lips found your clit and sucked on it delicately. His fingers curled and found that spot in you that had you letting out a mumbled string of curses. 

“Bobby, feels so good.” You whined as his tongue flicked your clit. “So close, I-I-I’m so close.” The words were barely making any sense but you hoped he understood. Your fingers that were still in his hair gripped tighter and with one more curl of his fingers you hit your climax and felt like you were flying, your hips had a mind of their own as they bucked against his face. Your legs tightened around his head and he took his time cleaning up every drop of cum you’d given him. 

When your legs finally relaxed, your hand leaving his head he pulled away and gave you a soft smile. Your chest was heaving as you tried to catch your breath. He rubbed soothing circles on your thighs with his thumbs and was about to suggest going inside before you whined a request at him. 

“Need you inside me.” You sounded utterly spent but who was he to deny you what you wanted. So he pulled his aching cock out of his boxers, situated himself at your entrance and as your legs wrapped around him he sunk into you. You both let out equally blissed moans as you settled into the feeling of euphoria. 

“You feel so fucking tight honey.” His country drawl was thick as he groaned out the words. His hair was sticking up all over the place and his glasses were crooked, his lips and chin were still wet with your arousal and suddenly you couldn’t stand being so far from him so you quickly sat up and wrapped your arms around his neck. He wrapped his own around your thighs and pulled you out of the truck. You were thankful you’d kept your shirt on as he leaned you against the side of the truck all while staying seated inside you.  

“Gonna move now.” He whispered to you before burying his face in your neck. He pulled himself almost all the way out and then thrust back in. It didn’t take him long to find a steady rhythm that felt good for the both of you. Your clit was getting a delightful friction everytime he moved and you were squeezing around him in a way that made him feel a little dizzy. 

“Bob, Bob.” His name fell from your lips like a prayer and the glasses wearing aviator almost fell to his knees as you slipped a hand into his hair and brought his lips to your own. They meshed together in a familiar dance, soft and practiced, yet still taking his breath away like the first time you’d kissed. His hands were squeezing your thighs as your tongues met each other and he swallowed the moan you let out as his thrusts began to stutter. 

His lungs needed to fill back up with air so he pulled away from your lips, nipping the bottom one with his teeth as he went. A whine left you at the loss of him. But he soothed you with sweet nothings as he got closer and closer to his climax. His forehead rested against yours. 

“Honey. I’m gonna, oh fuck, I’m gonna.” He could barely get the words out, but he wanted you to cum first. He was already so close from the edging you’d given him on the way home. 

“I’m close bob, m’gonna cum. Wanna feel you cum.” Your words were breathy and sounded like a plea. Your walls squeezed around him and he couldn’t stop it as his orgasm ripped through him. Your own following soon after. The both of you stood wrapped in each other's arms for a few moments, soaking in the feeling of being with one another.

The barking of your dogs from inside had you finally separating. Bob hissed slightly as he pulled out of you. He reached inside the truck and grabbed your pants and shoes before closing the door of the truck and walking you up to the porch. He set you down and let you slip your pants back on and take your shoes. Then you slipped the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. He turned and looked back, one thought in his mind as he shut the door behind him, he really loved that truck.

A/N: Thank you so so so so so much for being so patient while I got this done. I had such an amazing time writing this! Might've been just what I needed to get back into the groove of writing!

Taglist: @wkndwlff @sylviebell @kmc1989 @teacupsandtopgun @eternallyvenus @loving-and-dreaming

[stories-of-the-nrm]

Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds Part 5

(Sir Topham Hatt looks over his schedule to see when he can allow Gordon to slip away to the medical center.)

Sir Topham Hatt: Dear oh dear. We're right in the middle of the summer holiday. Duck and Edward will be busy on their branch lines. Henry has the Flying Kipper for the next two weeks. I suppose the only way to get around this is to run multiple trains. James, Emily and the Scottish Twins will have to relay the express for the day.

(He organizes the timetable in a way that makes sense.)

Sir Topham Hatt: Well I guess this is good enough to send to all of the station masters.

(Sir Topham Hatt's assistant faxes the new timetable.)

Sir Topham Hatt's message: I want all of the stations on the Main Line to share this updated time table. Make sure all passengers going to and from the station are aware of the changes to the express service for the day.

Narrator: After all of the station masters receive the temporary timetable, everyone works to share that information with all of the passengers using the express service.

(It's now the end of the day at Tidmouth Sheds.)

Narrator: Gordon rolls into his shed just as Sir Topham Hatt arrives.

Sir Topham Hatt: Gordon I'm sure you already heard the news, but tomorrow you're going to the medical center. I redid the timetable so you can have the day for yourself and our passengers can still get to their destinations on time.

(Gordon humbly nods.)

Gordon: Thank you, sir. I understand how difficult it would be to replace me. I hope that this would only be for one day.

Sir Topham Hatt: I hope so too. Good night engines.

Tidmouth Shed Engines: Good night sir.

(Sir Topham Hatt drives home for the night.)

Emily: Gordon? What's going on that you won't be able to pull the express all day?

(Gordon sighs.)

Gordon: My brother Scott is in the human hospital. His rebuild is going very poorly and none of the humans know how to treat him.

Edward: My goodness! I've never heard of a rebuild going so poorly that an engine's had to go to a human hospital.

Gordon: Indeed. I believe it shows just how little is known about our human forms. From my understanding, Scott is only stuck in this position because some parts have been woefully delayed. I don't think he even has a boiler.

(All of the engines gasp.)

Henry: What will you have to do?

Gordon: I'm his only living relative. The A4's simply have nothing in common with Scott to determine what would be normal for his human form. As someone who actively pulls passenger trains, I consider myself to be in relatively perfect condition. Yes my age is to be considered, but in spite of that, my health is not a problem. Therefore, I was asked to go to the medical center and do some tests.

Emily: What would happen next?

(Gordon contemplates the possibilities.)

Gordon: If Scott is in a physical state that is completely different than mine, then I have no idea. Our human forms are after all based on the state of our engine. If an important part is missing, a human doctor simply lacks the tools needed to fix it.

(The engines look solemn.)

Gordon: I have no idea if Scott will even make it out of this. I can only hope that my tests will help his medical team find a solution.

(James has a rare look of maturity.)

James: At least you won't have to worry about the express. We'll take good care of your coaches.

Gordon: Thank you. Now I must get some sleep. I believe tomorrow will be a very long day.

(The sun rises for the next day.)

Narrator: The next day, Gordon arrives bright and early at the medical center.

Receptionist: May I help you?

Gordon: I have business on behalf of Scott of the National Railway Museum.

(She looks at her notes and puts in a call. A man enters the waiting area.)

Doctor: Hello Gordon. I'm Dr. Pine. Thank you for taking time to come here today.

Gordon: What do you need me to do?

Dr. Pine: Well we'd have to do some tests to see what would be considered normal for an engine like yourself. I would ask to do a blood test but I'm not sure if you even have blood.

(Gordon thinks about how to answer that.)

Gordon: How would you know if I do have blood?

(Dr. Pine leads Gordon to the lab.)

Dr. Pine: We will have to find a vein and see what comes out. Just have a seat here and we'll start.

(Gordon sits down as the lab worker begins.)

Narrator: Many tests are conducted until Dr. Pine has a thorough idea of what's considered to be normal for a steam engine.

Dr. Pine: Thank you for helping us Gordon. I think we have everything we need now. If we need anything else, we'll contact Sir Topham Hatt.

Gordon: I hope that my tests can help you manage Scott's condition. Can you please provide updates on his condition?

Dr. Pine: Why yes we can. As soon as anything changes, we'll let you know.

(Gordon shakes Dr. Pine's hand.)

Gordon: Thank you for taking care of my brother. I hope you have a good day.

Dr. Pine: Same to you Gordon.

(Gordon leaves the medical center hopeful that the effort put in today helps his brother.)

Tagging: @bluy1206, @werbitssft, @klein-sodor-bahn, @theyellowroseofsodor, @juniebugsss, @tornadoyoungiron, @pxmun,

@nelllia, @pxmun2, @thefedoragirl, @roosinii, @ethereal-capricorns-blog, @jessica-sv509510,

@jayde-jots, @thatcheeseycandle, @jordeynnotgordon, @be-kind-and-rewind-again, @hardchildpainter, @asktheoriginalorder,

@onyx-and-friends, @that-mr-e, @sustysteel198, @monika-396, @fabianvalencia561, @gordon208, @savannahlee-d29,

@bladexjester, @sketalya, @agent-7-at-your-service, @i-heart-ukrain3, and @engineer-gunzelpunk.

[maryellencarter]

Will your walkable cities have guaranteed housing for all? Not just "we housed a thousand homeless people but there are 40,000 more waiting for space and nowhere to build", actual available housing.

Will they have safe parking to sleep in our cars without being harassed, and leave our cars at in the daytime to keep our stuff safe while we walk your walkable city?

Will they have plentiful benches, maybe even sheltered from the elements, and will we be allowed to sleep on them?

Will they have plentiful, safe, clean, well-stocked, 24/7 restrooms? Maybe even climate controlled? And will we be allowed to spend as long as we need to in them? Most homeless people have digestive issues because of our limited food access, if for no other reason.

Will they have free foot care clinics and mobility aids? We're already on our feet all day. It hurts. Many of us had mobility issues before becoming homeless.

Will you have free 24/7 transit for all, or will it be means tested, require residency, or have similar arbitrary limitations? How long will we be allowed to ride? Will there be easily accessible restrooms? Will it have posted maps at every stop, or will we have to use cellular data to find our way around? What measures will you take to prevent it becoming a superspreader system for Covid and other diseases?

(Actually, requiring a cellular or cable company to provide free public wifi as a substitute for part of their tax bill would be an interesting experiment. Or you could just make wifi a public utility. Still put up paper maps for transit though, we don't all have wifi capable devices or the ability to use them. Maybe even with Braille overlays on the plastic or something?)

If you're not allowing vehicles other than transit, what allowances are you making for grocery delivery, prepared food delivery (like Doordash type services), laundry service, diaper service, anything that doesn't require mobility-limited residents to use their steps? What's your plan for "I'm moving in or out of the walkable city and I need a moving truck for my furniture"?

How about "I'm buying groceries for two weeks for six hungry people and I can't carry it all home on the bus"? How about "My plumbing broke and the plumber needs his toolbox full of heavy tools and parts that *he* can't carry on the bus"? Will your buses/trains have luggage compartments, and how will the loading and unloading work with keeping a schedule?

[yarnings]

The other day I got on the bus to come home from the mall/edge of the city transit terminal, and there were a couple of Plain Mennonite ladies, obviously in from one of the routes through the townships, taking the bus to an appointment of some kind. They weren't quite sure about which bus they were taking (since they obviously hadn't used a website to find their route), and because their destination was very close to mine (and in my usual stomping grounds) I helped make sure they knew where to get off the bus and where to go once they were there.

But it got me to thinking - I grew up without bus schedules, because the TTC didn't really put them out for the routes by my house. * But once I moved (and once the undergrad bus pass came in) I got used to carrying a collection of bus schedules in my purse. (Basically every bus that I took on a semi-regular basis I carried a schedule for. The schedules listed all the stop numbers, so I could call for the real-time departure info and plan accordingly).

But buses no longer have the schedule (including the route map) in a little box at the front of the bus. There isn't even a main bus terminal anymore, but while the rack of bus schedules was still there the last time I visited, I don't think it was stocked. The new customer service centre definitely doesn't have that rack. My kids have the relevant bus schedules downloaded onto their smartphones. (At this point it happens on a trip-by-trip basis, as we plan the route that they'll take out and back). You can still get paper schedules, if you go to city hall. Given that this is also where public health is located, and where the in-person offices for Ontario Works (welfare) are located, it would be one of the last places to lose the paper schedules.

But city hall was also one of the last places in the downtown core to have a buggy shed. (It's not there anymore. And by the time I saw it, 10 years ago, I really doubt it was still being used. I have seen... approximately one buggy in the urban centre in the time I've been here). While the schedules are presumably still where they are because marginalized people need access to them, how much of the fact that they exist for my transit system is because we have many more horse-and-buggy folks using it than the average system does.

This is a long way around to say that I think that post that suggests you need to learn non-computer ways to do a bunch of things isn't wrong. However remember that a lot of those things used to be a lot easier to do, and aren't necessarily worth the investment of your time. Navigating your bus system is one of them. Does your system even still have paper maps? (Now, I would argue that learning to plan your route using the pdf maps, whether of the individual routes or the system, is worth doing. But the way to learn to navigate the system without those is to ride it a lot. While that's a useful skill, please don't try to magically jump to it, given that you don't have the tools we used to use.)

*Technically they did, but they just gave frequencies, not times, even on Sundays when the bus only came every 10 minutes.

[reactor-four-official]

History of the RBMK 1000 (Reaktor Bolshoy Moschnosti Kanalnyy): High Power Channel Type Reactor

The RBMK 1000 reactor, the type involved in the Chernobyl Disaster, is a boiling water reactor (BWR) designed in the 1960s at the Kurchatov Institute, the Soviet Union's nuclear science center.

The USSR had placed a priority on developing nuclear power in the late 1950s in its never ending attempts to improve its infrastructure and power its rapidly expanding industrial base. Nuclear reactors are extremely effective at providing high baseload capacity to a power grid, since they are rarely switched off and (depending on the design) can generate enormous amounts of electricity for lower running costs than a more traditional hydrocarbon power plant. Essentially, since they are (almost) always on, they are always providing the grid with a large and extremely reliable supply of energy. It also allowed the USSR to appear at the front of atomic energy, and laude the successes of the ‘Peaceful Atom’. In the atmosphere of the Cold War, peaceful use of atomic power was a key propaganda tool at home and abroad.

The RBMK was selected for construction by the Ministry of Energy over the rival VVER Pressurized Water Reactor in 1968. It was chosen because it was cheaper to construct in terms of material costs, and the components could be mass produced in pre-existing factories for far lower cost. With an enormous power output of 1,000 MWe (megawatts of electricity) it was declared the 'National Reactor' of the USSR. Construction began on the first RBMK in 1970 at the Leningrad Atomic Energy Station. This unit entered service on December 21st, 1973.

Below: A labeled diagram of the core of an RBMK type reactor.

The RBMK 1000 and its successor RBMK-1500 (basically the same reactor with a slightly higher power output) was fraught with safety issues almost from its inception. This was related to several design features and quirks of the reactor, notably the abnormally high positive void coefficient due to steam bubbles in the coolant circuit and the use of graphite as a moderator. Several other even more concerning design flaws would become apparent over the course of its operation, culminating in the explosion of Chernobyl Unit 4 on April 26th, 1986. These revelations have even continued up until present day, with the most recent example being in 2012 when Leningrad Unit 1 (the one mentioned at the end of the previous section) had to be shut down for 18 months to replace graphite moderator blocks that had deformed due to heat and extensive use. This issue has been identified at several other RBMKs.

The reactor type experienced no less than two partial meltdowns in the history of its operation, one at the Leningrad plant and one at the Chernobyl plant (the partial meltdown incident at the Chernobyl plant is different from the explosion and complete meltdown of Unit 4 in 1986). Both of these were serious incidents with not insignificant radioactive releases, but they only partially damaged the respective reactors. The public was not notified in either case, and all information on the design flaws was kept secret by order of the USSR’s highly centralized government.

RBMK construction was halted only in the wake of the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986. Of the 26 reactors approved for construction, only 18 ever entered service. Several modifications were made to the existing RBMKs to eliminate the dangerous flaws that had lead to the 1986 accident. As of 2023, most RBMKs have been shut down and decommissioned. Of the 18 completed reactors, only eight still operate (Three at the Kursk NPP, two at the Leningrad NPP, and two at the Smolensk NPP. All but one of them are scheduled to be shut down and decommissioned by 2030).

The RBMK’s impact has primarily been showing that graphite moderated reactors have far fewer safety features than other water moderated reactors like those in the West. Ironically, the VVER which had been sidelined by the RBMK has enjoyed massive commercial success both in Russia and abroad as an exported design. VVERs are still being actively built and operated in about a dozen countries worldwide.

This is simply an informative blurb on the history of the RBMK-1000 nuclear reactor. I am going to make a more in depth explainer of how the reactor is built as well as an analysis of the physics of the accident at Chernobyl. I will update this post with a link to them when they are complete. My planned deadline is the 26th of April, the anniversary of the explosion. I hope this post has been informative and I am of course happy to answer any further questions and provide any requested information.

[the-vixen]

𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥 : 𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙭 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

PART 4 PART 5 PART 6

-------- MASTERLIST

When you are sent on a mission to rescue Ethan Hunt from prison, the events that domino will force you to face the ghosts of your past and your guilt tied to Ethan.

This takes place throughout the events of ghost protocol. There will be a change in the story and the events of the mission impossible 2 and 3. Ethan and Julia never got married, a certain amount of information will be changed that will be revealed in the story. 

You returned out to see Benji and Brandt watching Ethan, Jane returned into the suite with the service uniform, "where's Ethan?" she looked around. 

The three of you pointed out to the open window, making her sigh. "You've gotta be kidding me." she muttered. You went to start up the mask synthesizer, inputting Moreau and Wistrom's facial scans into the computer. 

"what the hell is that?" you heard Brandt speak, making you look up. As you approached the window, you noticed what looked to be a cloud hovering over the city, coming its way to your position. You heard Ethan's voice crackle through comms, "yeah..what the hell is that?" he asked. 

You looked at it before looking to the direction where Ethan would be, "it's a sandstorm. happens often here. its a long way out, you should be able to get back before it comes anywhere near us." you spoke into the comms. 

Benji returned to his laptop as Jane paced. After a bit of tense silence you heard Ethan speak. "im at server level." 

You stayed silent as benji began working on his laptop, you could hear the sound of Ethan using the glass cutter, before a loud spark went through the comms. You heard a thumping noise before Ethan grunting harshly. "Ethan--Ethan are you alright?" you asked immediately, "Ethan?" 

He panted, "Yeah--Yeah..just a slight--" he grunted, "--hiccup." he panted. 

You bit your lip and let out a quiet sigh of relief. In a minute or so you heard thumping before glass breaking. "Im in." He voiced. 

"that's great Ethan, you're halfway home." Benji spoke.

You went off and paced as Ethan informed about locating the server. Benji confirmed over controlling the cameras and elevators, before Jane grabbed the tools. "time to redecorate. Y/n you drive and look out for wistrom and Moreau." She said. You nodded and went over to the computer, as Benji and Jane left. 

You cursed as you saw the familiar blonde appear to the elevators not even five minutes after they left. "Moreau is ahead of schedule--shes at the elevators." you informed Jane and Benji. 

Ethan's voice came through comms, "we can't open this thing can we?" he asked. You switched the cameras, "the doors? no. but you need to get down here.." 

Ethan took a breath and looked around. Jane rushed into the room to take off her blazer, Brandt kept an eye out for Ethan from the window, "we're not gonna make it--" "--we have to. get Ethan down here." Jane looked at you. 

"Ethan..you gotta be quick." you spoke into comms. "Ethan do you copy?" you tried again at the lack of response. You took a breath when you heard the glass shattering through his comms. "oh god please dont do something stupid." you muttered into comms. 

"It's either stupid or we dont make it in time." you heard before you could hear him panting. You went to the window next to Brandt and Jane to see Ethan hanging from a line, held tightly at his waist a couple meters above your window. 

You eyed him, "your line's not long enough genius!" you yelled out. 

Ethan huffed, "no shit smartass!" he looked around. 

You watched him before yelling out. "Maneuver six!" 

"what?!"

"Maneuver Six Hunt!" 

"You're crazy!"

"Dont call me crazy when you invented it!" you yelled back. 

You saw Ethan pant before running in the opposite direction, you moved Jane and Brandt back before you saw Ethan swinging towards the window. 

The three of you held your breaths as Ethan detached from the line, jumping towards you. You gasped as he hit the top of the window and fell, leaping to grab his leg. Brandt grabbed yours and Jane grabbed His, holding on tight as the three of you grunted. 

You looked at Ethan, "should've let me do it." you grit, watching him pull up to grab your shoulder and climb. Brandt pulled you back, making you pull Ethan as well, bringing the two of you away from the edge. The four of you let go of each other and sat back, panting. 

Benji returned, "woah..that was not easy.." he sighed as he came over, "I didn't think I was gonna make it in time...but I did it.." he took a breath as the four of you stared at him. "did I miss something?" he looked at you. 

You shook your head and stood up, moving past Ethan as his gaze followed you. 

Ethan, Jane and Brandt stood up as well, with Ethan following in your direction to go change. Your gaze fell on him, making sure he had no injuries as he took off his gear. You looked away when he looked at you, walking off to check on the mask synthesis. 

Jane and Brandt tested the photography lenses and the case, watching the printing numbers get scrambled. 

You changed out into a skirt and top, grabbing the heels and slipping them on. 

When Ethan emerged from the room in a shirt and trousers, Benji went to him, "are you sure I shouldn't wear a mask? yknow.. cause im not exactly Omar Sharriff--" he cut. himself off as Ethan shot him a look, "ill play it French. this is your tracking device and this is what you're tracking." he handed Ethan a phone and a paper. 

Ethan looked at it, "paperclip?"

"no its the paper, its covered in isotopes so that---its so that you can still track them even if the papers switch briefcases--"

"--range?"

"not that good, its best if you dont let Wistrom out of your sight--Is that Wistrom?" Benji turned his attention to the computer. "Who's that with him?" Ethan asked, Benji shook his head, "I dont know--we dont have an uplink I can't facial scan him." 

Ethan lifted the laptop before turning it to Brandt. You looked at the screen, "who is that with him?" Ethan asked again. Brandt stared at him before speaking, "Leonid Lisernker. Polish born cryptographer. he redesigned Russia's nuclear security after the cold war."

You watched Leonid with Wistrom, "he's here to authenticate the launch codes." you finished. 

"Yes he is we are blown." Jane rubbed her head. 

"we're not blown." Ethan shook his head.

"We will be once he sees the counterfeit launch codes." Brandt said

"We're not blown." he insisted, "he's in the elevator." Benji announced. Ethan looked at him, "delay them--" "--I'll try my best."

 "Benji how long would it take you to reprogram the case?"

"Uh a couple of seconds... what for?"

"to make an exact copy of the launch codes." 

You looked at him, "Ethan--"

"You can't do that." Brandt watched him. 

"Wistrom's on 22."

"slow him down." Ethan didn't look at anyone. You could see the gears turning in his head as he formulated a plan. 

"Ethan hold on--youre talking about handing over active nuclear launch codes to wistrom?--"

"--yes yes--reprogram the case!" 

Brandt moved in-between the case and Benji, "Wait stop! you're not thinking clearly--youre fixating--" 

Ethan looked at him and lunged for the case, but Brandt grabbed it and moved it to the window, extending his arm. "Its not gonna happen.. I won't let it.."

"Brandt" you took a step towards him. 

"Brandt use your head--the mission is not the codes the mission is Hendricks--"

He looked at Ethan, "Then just let it play out, give him bad codes, neutralize him."

You looked at him, "you know that won't work...failure to a terrorist is just a rehearsal for success.." you said gently. Brandt looked between you and Ethan, his arm still extended out the window. 

"we loose Hendricks today--he shows up somewhere else tomorrow--he finds another way--with no IMF to stop him--" the urgency in Ethan's voice evident as he took a step. "its now or never--brandt give us the case--"

Brandt stepped back further. "nothing can be left to chance you said that!"

"you're the analyst, tell me there's not another way for Hendricks to get those codes---tell me that this is his only avenue--right here, right now, today-- you tell me that and ill walk away." Ethan argued. 

A loud mechanical whirring and beeping cut the tension, you went to check on the mask synthesizer, your breath catching your throat as you looked at the destroyed masks. You looked at the rest of the team and shook your head. 

Ethan's gaze flitted between you and Jane. "we go without. Y/n stay with me--"

"what?" 

"without masks?!" benji exclaimed

"Jane needs to go solo. Brandt--"

"Ethan--" you began

"we have no choice."

"Ethan you'd be walking in on Moreau..unarmed, face first. literally. Jane needs backup incase Wistrom tries something." you argued. 

"No. Jane can handle Wistrom. we dont know that Moreau and wistrom have met. You come with me, authenticate the codes." Ethan didn't look at you before looking at Brandt. 

Brandt looked at him, "dammit." he handed him the case. 

He handed it to Benji, who began reprogramming it. 

You went to grab the spare lenses and put it on, "Ethan--let Brandt do it--even if Jane can handle him, what if something goes wrong?" you looked at him. 

He didn't meet your gaze, "no. you're staying where I can see you. we dont have time to argue." he grabbed his blazer and put it on. 

"this is bullshit Ethan and you know it." 

"I dont care." he snapped and moved past you. 

You grit your teeth as Benji handed Jane the case. 

You, Brandt and Ethan headed for the stairwell while Jane left to the other room. 

As the three of you approached the room, you caught sight of Ethan's goggles and grabbed his arm, stopping him. you pulled it off and shoved in his jacket pocket, fixing his hair before turning him back to the door. He blinked confused, before remaining his composure. 

You took a breath as you stood behind them, watching Ethan knock on the door. 

The door opened to show the stoic expression of Moreau, who watched the three of you. 

"Who's this?"

[xipiti]

HHS Launches Bridge Access Program to Safeguard Free COVID-19 Vaccination for Uninsured and Underinsured Adults

In April, HHS announced the ‘HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program’(“Program”) to maintain broad access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of uninsured Americans. This week, the Bridge Access Program officially launches, providing continued free coverage for the estimated 25-30 million adults who would have otherwise lost access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines now that the distribution of vaccines has transitioned to the commercial market. Doses will be available in some locations this week, with distribution increasing in the coming weeks.

Administered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the more than $1 billion program will create a unique public-private partnership to help maintain uninsured individuals’ access to COVID-19 care at their local pharmacies, through existing public health infrastructure, and at their local health centers. Doses will be available in some locations this week, with distribution increasing in the coming weeks.

With the updated and authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines now recommended for use (link to CDC statement), CDC has taken steps to ensure all Americans are able to receive these vaccines at no-cost from their local provider, community health center, or pharmacy.

“We have more tools than ever to protect against serious COVID-19 disease and death, but we must make sure everyone has equitable access to those tools,” said Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. “This CDC program provides free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured and underinsured adults at pharmacies, health centers and health departments around the country.”

To achieve this, CDC has leveraged an established network of state and local immunization programs to distribute updated COVID-19 vaccine through participating community-based providers, including local health departments and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported health centers. CDC has also modified existing Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program contracts with CVS, Walgreens, and eTrueNorth to offer vaccination services in areas with low vaccination coverage and access. As a result, CDC has contracted with more than 20,000 retail pharmacy locations nationwide to provide cost-free COVID-19 vaccines to people without insurance, or whose insurance requires a co-pay for in-network coverage. CDC will additionally ship and fund administration of vaccines to public health providers designated by state and local health departments – which could include more than 1,400 HRSA-supported health centers and 12,000 other vaccine providers.

The Bridge Access Program is temporary and scheduled to end in December 2024. A longer-term solution is the Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program, proposed in both the FY 2023 and 2024 Presidential Budgets, which would cover all recommended vaccinations at no cost for uninsured adults. This proposal has not yet been enacted into law.

COVID-19 vaccines remain free for most Americans through their health insurance plans – or through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides recommended vaccines and immunizations at no cost to about half of the nation’s children. Vaccination remains the best available protection against the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. COVID-19 vaccines also reduce the chance of having Long COVID. If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months, CDC recommends getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself in advance of any potential surges in virus circulation this fall and winter.

For more information on the Bridge Access Program, visit CDC’s website. Later this week, vaccines.gov will be updated with COVID-19 vaccine availability as the vaccine is distributed.

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

[torreshalstead]

On a crowded street in 1944 - Chapter 11

Summary - The four walls of Upton’s General Store were all Hailey knew although she longed to see what else life had to offer. When a handsome soldier walks through the door, she thinks he might just be the answer to the life she wants to have. But it was 1944 and the country was at war. Would fate smile on her or would her heart be another casualty of the war?

Chapters - 11/15

Notes - we are back to our regularly scheduled Saturday chapters, thank you for the support on this story ❤️ AO3 Link

December 1944

It had been two months since she had last received a letter from Jay, and the feeling that it was just a delay with the postal service had been replaced with a far less pleasant thought.

Hailey could only think of one reason why Jay wouldn’t be writing to her.

But she also thought she would feel it in her heart if something terrible had happened to him, and although the pain of missing him still persisted, it wasn’t joined by something more horrid.

It didn’t stop Hailey from scouring the list of the missing and dead that graced the back pages of the paper every day. She diligently went through each one, checking for a Halstead. She knew him as Jay but was aware it might be a nickname. He could be a James or a John Junior or any name beginning with a J for all she knew. But still, no Halstead’s appeared in her search so she let herself continue to hope.

Maybe his letter had just gotten lost. Because he would write if he could. And she knew he would, because she knew him. She loved him. And he loved her.

Oscar still turned up once a week to take her to the tea shop where he still ordered her a tea. He had never asked if she would have preferred anything else and she didn’t correct him. For Hailey it was just another example of how poorly they were suited to each other. Jay would have asked her.

Still, their time together was pleasant with only mild discussions of the wedding. It was too far off to plan anything so any time he brought it up, she managed to dismiss it without him raising too much of a fuss.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for her father who had taken out a half page advert in the newspaper announcing the upcoming union between the Upton’s and the Farrell’s. He had written the notice himself which would explain why it read as more of a business transaction than an excited father writing about his daughter’s wedding. But Hailey supposed that’s exactly what it was. It was a business transaction. His excitement was only for himself.

Hailey still hadn’t got any more specific details regarding who had promised who what but she knew her father well enough to see behind his smile. From the small amount of information she had gleaned from his loud voice and their apartment's thin walls, she believed it was that Upton General Store was looking to become the sole supplier of Farrell products - very popular leather working tools. It was a good deal and if Hailey’s own happiness hadn’t been thrown in as a bargaining chip, she might have been proud of her father for arranging such a deal.

But as it happened, every time he smiled, it made her stomach turn just a little.

Christmas was just around the corner but with the empty hope that Jay might have been home by Christmas a distant memory, Hailey wasn’t looking forward to the occasion. As with most things, they would decorate the store much more lavishly than their own apartment - all part of the act, and then come Christmas morning she would spend hours slaving away with her mother to prepare the lunch, minus the meat centrepiece this year, and her father would gulp it down without so much as a thank you or an offer to clean the dishes after.

The one relief was that the store would be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, giving her just a little reprieve and she might even get a chance to venture out without having Oscar on her arm. Just a little taste of the freedom she would be giving up soon.

Still, she hoped that Christmas would bring her one thing - a letter from her love.

——————————————————————————

January 1945

Her Christmas wish didn’t come true.

It had been three months since her last letter from Jay and she was now worried.

Everyday she diligently checked the lists in the papers and still no Halstead was listed, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t missing in action or, heaven forbid, had been taken prisoner. She knew nothing and somehow the not knowing made everything worse.

She pasted on a fake smile every day, served the customers in the store, completed her chores and listened to her mother get excited about her wedding. And then she would cry herself to sleep, the edges of Jay’s previous letters becoming worn and tattered from her continuous reading. Not that she needed to read them anymore, she knew every one off by heart. But she could imagine him holding the letters and touching them was as close as she could get to touching him.

She had debated trying to get in contact with someone in Jay’s family in case they had received news, but the only family she knew was his brother who was also at the front. There was no one else from what Jay had told her. So even if the worst did happen, she would have to wait for his name to be printed alongside the names of all the other poor souls who had laid down their lives for the good of their country. She didn’t know if there was a delay between when the news was received or when it got printed.

She knew nothing apart from that Jay hadn’t written and her heart was aching.

——————————————————————————

February 1945

February brought Valentine’s Day and still no news of Jay. Oscar bought her flowers, roses, not her favourite but he hadn’t asked and she hadn’t told him. Still, they brightened up her bedroom but not her mood.

Her mother had noticed her change in demeanour, her usually bubbly personality had been replaced by something far more meloncoly. She didn’t bring it up but Hailey noticed the small things she did for her to try and brighten her mood. She would slide extra portions onto her plate when she cooked her favourite food, she managed to get some sample fragrances that she suggested Hailey could wear on her next date, she offered to curl her hair for her. She appreciated them but still, her heart was pining and the longer it went between his letters, the more she believed the worst had happened.

He had been killed.

He had been taken prisoner.

He wasn’t coming back to her.

What she also knew but refused to fully consider was what Jay not coming back to her would mean for her. She would be bound to marry Oscar. A man she didn’t love.

——————————————————————————

March 1945

Hailey’s hope was dwindling away. She was holding tightly onto a thought that was looking less and less possible, her fingers blistered and bleeding from holding the thread so tightly. There was still no news. She started hoping when she checked the list of young men’s names in the newspaper that she would see his, then at least she could get closure.

She knew she’d never love again, that her heart belonged to him even if he was no longer walking this earth, but the not knowing was worse. Her mind spiralled through all of the possibilities, each one worse than the previous and never giving her a moment's rest.

Oscar had started to notice her shift in mood, how could he not, but she appreciated him not commenting on it. On their dates he would let her sit in silence, not attempting to fill the air with inane comments that she didn’t care about. If he ever guessed what was truly going on behind her sky blue eyes, he never said anything.

The ring on her finger still felt foreign but it was still a way out, she wouldn’t be beholden to her father after she was wed. Well, not completely anyway.

She tried as much as she could to focus on the positives but they were few and far between. She still cried herself to sleep most nights, having to splash cold water on her face and her red eyes before going down to the store in the morning to prevent any questions being asked. She couldn’t cope if she was made to voice aloud what was working through her mind.

——————————————————————————

April 1945

Nothing.

There was nothing.

The words that she had from Jay were all she was ever going to have.

They said the war would be ending soon, that the boys would be home before the end of the summer.

If that news had come months ago it would have made Hailey happier than she ever would have thought. But not now.

The end of the war was the deadline for her chance. When the end of the war came, she would be held to her word, to the promise she had given Oscar when she had accepted his ring and tested his patience.

She would be his wife.

And Jay would be nothing more than a memory, a part of her that would always remain but could never continue to be.

She thought about throwing out his letters, where reading them had originally brought her joy, they now only brought her pain. They were full of promises that would never be kept, of dreams that could never come true, of a life that Hailey was destined to never live.

But she couldn’t bear to part from them, they were the only piece of Jay that she had left. And if the worst had happened to both him and his brother, she may be the only person to keep their memory alive. The only person who would visit the graves that may or may not hold their bodies, to mourn at the monuments that would be erected with their names carved into it, the only person who knew the good person that he had been.

——————————————————————————

May 1945

Her nightmares had started to get worse, Jay would be walking towards her, a smile plastered on his face as he climbed down off the boat, the Stars and Stripes flying high above him. Just as he was getting to her, his arms wide to pull her into him, a blush of red would start to spread across his chest, staining his pristine uniform scarlet. His face would whiten, becoming sunken and ghost like, his handsomeness long gone and replaced with something else. Before she could get to him, to help stem the bleeding, he would drop down in front of her into a lifeless heap in the ground.

She would then wake up, her breathing heavy and her skin damp from sweat.

She started trying to keep herself awake at night so the haunting images of Jay wouldn’t fill her mind. But no matter how she tried, when she would succumb to sleep, the beautiful vivid images of their life together she had previously imagined were replaced with something far more hideous.

——————————————————————————-

June 1945

The sun had started to come out but Hailey’s smile had yet to make a reappearance.

What did she have to smile about?

The countdown to the end of the war was on, the excitement in the air was palpable. But the countdown to her was far less enjoyable.

She wished she could be excited, wished the prospect of the white dress and a promise of forever love brought her an ounce of joy. But it was starting to feel more like a prison sentence that she herself had signed her name to. Her positive attitude and hope had vanished and been replaced by a morbid person she wished she had never met.

She wasn’t proud of who she was becoming but there was only one way to fix a broken heart, and hers would never be whole again.

——————————————————————————

July 1945

The war was over.

The banners and flags were flying high, the pictures splashed all over the newspapers. People were rejoicing in the street, knowing that their men and boys would be home soon, at least those who had survived the atrocities.

The street parties were planned. The parades for the returning soldiers, both to honour the fallen and celebrate those who had returned.

But for Hailey. It meant that her timeline had run out. She was to marry Oscar.

The war had ended, but Jay wasn’t coming home.

She would never be Mrs Halstead. She would never be his wife. She’d never have his children and share his life. The dream was just that. A dream.

She was to marry Oscar and now there was no delaying it.

When everyone else was celebrating and cheering together in the street, Hailey cried herself to sleep, the sobs ripping through her body in anguish as she clutched her copy of Agatha Christie to her chest, remembering the promise a young boy had given her.

A promise she knew he would have kept if he could.

[crellauto]

Keep Your Car Running Smoothly with Mobile DPF Cleaning

As car owners, we all want our vehicles to run smoothly and efficiently. One important part of making sure your car works well is taking care of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The DPF is responsible for filtering harmful soot and particles from the exhaust, helping reduce pollution. Over time, it can get clogged and affect your car’s performance. That’s where mobile DPF cleaning comes in, making it easier for you to maintain your vehicle without visiting a garage. In this blog, we’ll explore what mobile DPF cleaning is, why it’s essential, and how it benefits you.

What is Mobile DPF Cleaning?

Mobile DPF cleaning is a convenient service offered by Crellauto, where a DPF specialist comes to your location to clean your DPF. Instead of taking your car to a shop, the cleaning service comes to you. The technician uses special tools and cleaning solutions to remove the built-up soot and particles from your DPF. This process helps restore the filter’s efficiency, allowing your car to run more smoothly and efficiently.

Why Do You Need DPF Cleaning?

Your car’s DPF collects soot and other particles from the exhaust gases produced by the engine. Over time, these particles build up in the filter, causing it to clog. When the DPF is clogged, it can lead to several issues, such as:

Reduced fuel efficiency

Poor engine performance

Warning lights on the dashboard

Increased emissions

Risk of engine damage

Regular DPF cleaning prevents these problems and keeps your car performing at its best. Mobile DPF cleaning makes it easier for you to get this service without disrupting your schedule.

Benefits of Mobile DPF Cleaning

Convenience Mobile DPF cleaning is incredibly convenient because the service comes directly to your home or workplace. This way, you don’t have to take time out of your busy day to visit a garage. Instead, a DPF specialist from Crellauto can clean your filter wherever you are, saving you time and effort.

Improved Car Performance When your DPF is clean, your engine can run more smoothly and efficiently. A clogged DPF makes the engine work harder, which reduces its efficiency and increases fuel consumption. After a mobile DPF cleaning, you’ll notice that your car accelerates better, consumes less fuel, and feels smoother on the road.

Cost-Effective Solution Regular DPF cleaning can save you money in the long run. A clogged DPF can lead to costly repairs if left untreated, as it can damage other parts of the engine. Investing in mobile DPF cleaning services can prevent these issues and save you from unexpected repair bills.

Eco-Friendly A clean DPF helps your car produce fewer emissions, which is better for the environment. By cleaning the filter, you’re helping reduce pollution and make your car more eco-friendly.

Extended DPF Lifespan Regular cleaning extends the life of your DPF. Since replacing a DPF can be expensive, maintaining it with mobile DPF cleaning is a smart and cost-effective way to keep your car running well.

How Does Mobile DPF Cleaning Work?

Here’s what you can expect from a mobile DPF cleaning service by Crellauto:

Booking an AppointmentFirst, you book an appointment with a DPF specialist from Crellauto. You can choose a time and place that’s convenient for you.

Inspection of the DPFOnce the specialist arrives, they’ll inspect your DPF to assess its condition and see how much soot has built up. They’ll also check if there are any underlying issues affecting your car’s performance.

Cleaning ProcessThe specialist will use professional equipment and cleaning solutions to remove the built-up soot from your DPF. This process usually takes about an hour, depending on how clogged the filter is.

Post-Cleaning CheckAfter the cleaning, the specialist will perform a final check to ensure the DPF is clean and the car is running smoothly. You’ll be given feedback on the condition of your DPF and any recommendations for future maintenance.

Why Choose Crellauto for Mobile DPF Cleaning?

Crellauto is dedicated to providing top-notch mobile car maintenance services that make car care easy and efficient for you. With trained DPF specialists, you can be sure that your car is in good hands. Crellauto’s mobile DPF cleaning service is designed to keep your car running at its best, with minimal disruption to your day.

Conclusion

Mobile DPF cleaning is an essential service for maintaining the health of your car and keeping it running efficiently. By choosing Crellauto, you get the convenience of having a DPF specialist come to you, saving you time and ensuring your car’s performance is optimized. If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to keep your DPF in top shape, consider booking a mobile DPF cleaning service today. Your car will thank you!

[spousesolution]

Know Your Dating Partner’s Location by Spy App for iPhone

Are you curious to unveil the whereabouts of your dating partner without arousing suspicion? Look no further than the ingenious Spy App for iPhone. This tool discreetly tracks your partner's location, offering invaluable insights into their movements.

How Does it Work

Harnessing cutting-edge technology, the Spy App operates stealthily in the background of your partner's iPhone, remaining undetectable at all times. Through GPS tracking, it pinpoints the exact location of the device, allowing you to stay informed about your date's activities without them ever knowing.

Why Choose the Spy App for iPhone?

Gone are the days of uncertainty and doubt in your relationship. With the Spy App, you can gain peace of mind by keeping a vigilant eye on your partner's whereabouts. Whether you're concerned about their safety or simply curious about their daily routine, this tool offers unparalleled convenience and reassurance.

Signs of Dating Partner Infidelity

Increased Secrecy: Your partner may become more guarded about their phone, emails, or social media accounts, creating barriers where there were none before. For more knowledge read the Related Topic.

Change in Routine: Sudden changes in habits or routines without a clear explanation could be a sign of infidelity. This might include frequent late nights at work or unexplained absences.

Lack of Intimacy: A noticeable decrease in physical intimacy or emotional connection could indicate that your partner's focus has shifted elsewhere.

Defensive Behavior: If innocent questions about their whereabouts or activities lead to defensive responses or accusations, it may be a sign that they're hiding something.

Secretive Finances: Unexplained expenses or secretive financial behavior, such as hiding credit card statements or cash withdrawals, could signal infidelity.

Gut Feeling: Trust your instincts. If you feel uneasy, talk to your partner. Explore concerns together.

Importance of Knowing Dating Partner Location

In today's fast-paced world, where relationships are often shaped by digital communication and hectic schedules, knowing your dating partner's location can offer numerous benefits:

Safety and Security: Being aware of your partner's whereabouts can provide a sense of security, especially in potentially risky situations. Knowing where they are allows you to ensure their safety and offer assistance if needed.

Building Trust: Transparency in sharing locations can foster trust and open communication in a relationship. It demonstrates a willingness to be honest and accountable, strengthening the bond between partners.

Peace of Mind: Knowing that your partner is where they say they are can alleviate anxiety and doubts, promoting peace of mind and reducing unnecessary worry or suspicion.

Coordination and Planning: Understanding each other's locations facilitates better coordination and planning of activities, whether it's scheduling dates, meeting up with friends, or simply knowing when to expect each other home.

Connection and Intimacy: Sharing location information can enhance feelings of connection and intimacy by allowing partners to feel more involved in each other's daily lives, even when physically apart.

Detecting Red Flags: In some cases, discrepancies in location information may raise red flags and prompt important conversations about trust and fidelity within the relationship.

Using Spy App for iPhone Service from Expert’s

When it comes to employing a Spy App for iPhone, seeking assistance from experts can be invaluable. Here's why: Some Secrets To Monitor Your Dream Girl

Professional Guidance: Experts in spy app technology can provide valuable guidance on selecting the right software for your needs, ensuring you get the most effective and reliable solution.

Installation Support: Installing spy apps can be complex, especially for those unfamiliar with the process. Experts can offer step-by-step assistance to ensure proper installation and setup, minimizing the risk of errors or detection.

Optimal Configuration: Expert advice can help optimize the configuration of the spy app to maximize its effectiveness while maintaining discretion. They can advise on settings and features tailored to your specific monitoring requirements.

Troubleshooting: Should any issues arise during usage, experts can offer troubleshooting support to resolve technical glitches or address any concerns promptly.

Confidentiality: By engaging with reputable experts, you can trust that your privacy and confidentiality will be respected throughout the process, safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining discretion.

Connect With Expert

Looking to track your dating partner's location discreetly? HackersList is your go-to choice. Their expert team offers tailored solutions for your needs. They prioritize your privacy, ensuring your monitoring activities stay hidden and your data secure. Need help with installation, configuration, or troubleshooting? They've got you covered with prompt support. And rest assured, they keep everything. Partner with HackersList for confidence in your monitoring journey. Get In Touch

[viceroy-transporter]

How to Buy a Car Online

Buying a car online offers a unique convenience, but it’s essential to approach the process with a plan.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you purchase a car online confidently and securely.

1. Set a Budget and Define Your Needs

Decide on a budget and list your must-have features. Consider whether you need a new or used car, your preferred make and model, fuel efficiency, and any additional features that matter to you. Establishing your needs early on will help narrow your options and streamline your search.

2. Research Reliable Websites and Sellers

Stick to reputable online car marketplaces and dealership websites to avoid scams. Look for verified sellers, read customer reviews, and check the Better Business Bureau for ratings. Some popular and trusted platforms include Carvana, Autotrader, and Vroom. Many dealerships also offer virtual showrooms with secure purchasing options.

3. Conduct a Thorough Vehicle Inspection

Once you’ve found a car that interests you, request detailed photos and a video tour. Look for any signs of wear, rust, or damage, and ask about the car’s history. For used vehicles, check the VIN and obtain a vehicle history report through CARFAX or AutoCheck. It will provide information on the car’s maintenance record, previous ownership, and any reported accidents.

4. Verify Pricing and Value

Use tools like Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds to get an estimate of the car’s fair market value. Comparing the asking price to these resources ensures you’re paying a reasonable amount and gives you leverage for negotiation.

5. Arrange Financing and Insurance

If you’re not paying in cash, arrange financing through your bank, credit union, or directly through the online car platform if they offer financing options. Shop around for the best interest rates and terms, and get pre-approved if possible. You’ll also need to secure insurance coverage for the car before finalizing the purchase.

6. Schedule a Virtual or In-Person Test Drive

If the car is within reach, test drive it in person to assess comfort, handling, and overall performance. If you’re buying from out of state, many sellers offer virtual test drives via live video calls, where they can demonstrate features and provide a closer look.

7. Negotiate the Price

Don’t hesitate to negotiate, especially if you’ve noticed minor issues or can provide lower price comparisons. Negotiating online is often straightforward, with many platforms allowing you to make offers and negotiate via chat or email.

8. Finalize Paperwork Securely

Complete all necessary paperwork securely, including title transfer, bill of sale, and any required warranty information. Ensure the contract includes any promised services or warranties, and carefully read through all terms. Most online platforms and dealerships will offer a secure digital signing process, or you may be mailed the documents to sign.

9. Arrange Delivery

If the car is far from your location, work with a reliable transport service to have it delivered to your home. Many online car sellers provide their own delivery services, while independent transport services like Viceroy Auto Transport also offer secure and timely vehicle delivery.

10. Inspect Upon Delivery

Once the car arrives, thoroughly inspect it to ensure it matches the listing and is in the agreed-upon condition. Verify that it includes all promised items, such as spare keys or additional equipment, and perform a final test drive if possible.

By following these steps, buying a car online can be a smooth and secure process. With the right preparation, you can find and purchase a vehicle from the comfort of home, making online car shopping a convenient alternative to traditional dealerships.