#mechanical issues with airplane

[ollieofthebeholder]

And If Thou Wilt, Forget: a TMA Fanfic

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Chapter 13: Come home across the desolate sea

[CLICK]

[SOUNDS OF A BUSTLING AIRPORT - CROWDS IN THE BACKGROUND, PERIODIC ANNOUNCEMENTS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, OBNOXIOUS MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY FROM SOMEWHERE]

GERRY

Finally. They’re almost done loading that group.

TIM

Nope, look, see those people charging over? Definitely Group B running late. We’ll have to wait for them.

GERRY

Just out of idle curiosity, purely rhetorical you understand, but is there any way we could maybe get on the plane faster next time?

TIM

We could always try breaking your leg.

[GERRY LAUGHS]

Or I guess I could book our next flight business class. It is work related. Might be able to get compensated for that. I’d love to see the look on Elias’s face when Gertrude sends him that bill.

GERRY

I don’t necessarily need to board first. You know, less time to sit around strapped into the Great Floating Temptation.

TIM

(Amused) You know the plane doesn’t take off just because we’ve got on it, right?

GERRY

Yeah, I know, it’s just…

(Surprised) You know, I never thought about that before. Mum didn’t fly much, we mostly took trains—cheaper and she could get off somewhere that struck her fancy if she wanted to—and Gertrude was always a lot more, uh, in a hurry than you are, so we were almost always running onto a plane that was about to close its doors and take off. I guess I just got so used to being the last one on the plane that I keep expecting it to take off right away.

Or at least not having to wait around in airport lounges for hours on end.

TIM

It’s been like thirty minutes.

GERRY

You okay?

TIM

Bit tight. I think I need to start cutting salt out of my diet.

GERRY

You know, if things swell when you go up in planes, maybe you should take that off for the flight.

TIM

I’m kind of afraid I’ll lose it. It’s fine, I’ll—

OVERHEAD TANNOY

Timothy Stoker, please report to the nearest white courtesy phone. Timothy Stoker, white courtesy phone.

GERRY

Huh?

TIM

…Weird.

Okay, be right back.

GERRY

Tim—

TIM

Don’t worry. There’s one right over there by the restrooms. I can see the gate, and I can hear the announcements, so if they do the final boarding call, I’ll drop it and run.

[HE STANDS UP, LEANS OVER, AND KISSES GERRY ON THE CHEEK]

Be nice to the flight attendants. Back in a flash.

[FOOTSTEPS ACROSS THE CARPET, THEN ACROSS TILE]

OVERHEAD TANNOY

Timothy Stoker, please report to the nearest white courtesy phone. Timothy Stoker, white courtesy phone.

TIM

Yeah, yeah, I’ve got it. (mutters) Should pick up the red one just to be contrary.

[PHONE LIFTS FROM RECEIVER]

Hello, Tim Stoker speaking.

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

Tim. When does your plane leave?

TIM

(Surprised) Gertrude?

[THE RADIO SQUEALS SLIGHTLY FROM ACROSS THE AISLE]

GATE ATTENDANT (OVER RADIO)

Now boarding Group D for flight 9543.

TIM

Uh—in like five minutes or so. We’re boarding now. Why, do you need us to stay?

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

No. I need you back in London.

TIM

(Instantly serious) Hold on. He’s getting on now, but if I hurry—

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

No need for quite that level of haste. Not yet, anyway. Get to—where are you heading?

TIM

Çukurova. Turkey. There’s a—never mind.

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

Can you get back to London from there?

TIM

I think so. The direct route is only seasonal service, but if nothing else we ought to be able to get a connection out of Istanbul. Or we can not pick up our connection.

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

There’s a very steep fee for that. Just turn around in Çukurova and come back.

Make sure you ask for the fastest route, not necessarily the first plane out.

TIM

…

(Quietly) It’s happening, then? The Unknowing?

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

Not yet. It’s the Extinguished Sun.

TIM

The Dark? Where?

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

Here. In a sense.

I’ll explain everything when you arrive. Once you get back to London—

(Suddenly tense) Wait a moment.

GATE ATTENDANT (OVER RADIO)

This is the last call for Flight 9543 to Istanbul. Last call for boarding.

TIM

Shit—Gertrude, I’ve got to go. I’ll text you from Istanbul.

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

Wait—

TIM

Gotta go!

[PHONE DROPS CARELESSLY INTO THE CRADLE AND DOESN’T QUITE HANG UP]

[FOOTSTEPS HURRYING ACROSS THE AISLE]

GERTRUDE (ON PHONE)

(Faintly) Tim? Tim! They’re calling for a heavy fog in—Tim!

[CLICK]

—

[CLICK]

[FOOTSTEPS ECHOING THROUGH A TUNNEL]

JURGEN LEITNER

You’re certain this will work?

GERTRUDE

Yes, Jurgen, I’m certain.

JURGEN LEITNER

I just don’t understand why you’re so insistent on it being tomorrow. Why not right now?

GERTRUDE

In the first place, because…Elias will be paying attention tonight. I can keep him out of my head for the most part, but I can’t guard the whole Archives, and there’s too much of a chance of being observed. Tomorrow he’ll be distracted.

[A LONG PAUSE, PUNCTUATED ONLY BY THE ECHOING FOOTSTEPS]

JURGEN LEITNER

And in the second place?

GERTRUDE

Hmm?

JURGEN LEITNER

You said that “in the first place”, Elias would be distracted. That implies you had a second reason.

GERTRUDE

I do.

[ANOTHER LONG PAUSE]

JURGEN LEITNER

…I…assume you were going to let me know what that reason is?

GERTRUDE

You assume incorrectly.

JURGEN LEITNER

Gertrude.

GERTRUDE

(Obviously mimicking his tone of voice) Jurgen.

JURGEN LEITNER

…Very well, then. Keep your secrets. You always do.

I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason you can’t enact…whatever it is you’re planning to do beyond simply not wanting the head of the Magnus Institute to know what you’re up to. And it’s none of my business, I’m sure.

GERTRUDE

Thank you for being so reasonable and understanding.

[JURGEN LEITNER SIGHS IMPATIENTLY]

[FOOTSTEPS GRADUALLY SLOW, THEN STOP]

JURGEN LEITNER

Well. (Sighs again) I suppose we part ways here, then. Until tomorrow.

[FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO WALK AWAY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. ONE SET SLOWS TO A HALT]

GERTRUDE

You didn’t ask about the third reason.

[SOUNDS OF FEET SCREECHING TO A STOP]

JURGEN LEITNER

What?

GERTRUDE

I gave you my first reason. You asked if I had a second reason, and I said yes, but that it was none of your concern.

You never asked if there were more than two reasons.

JURGEN LEITNER

I had assumed that—

Ah.

GERTRUDE

You ought to know better by now.

JURGEN LEITNER

Yes. I suppose I ought to.

(Sighs a third time) Fine. What other reasons do you have for waiting?

GERTRUDE

The People’s Church of the Divine Host.

JURGEN LEITNER

Reyner’s cult? What about it?

GERTRUDE

Jurgen.

JURGEN LEITNER

(Attempting to match her tone) Gertrude.

…Wait. The Extinguished Sun? They’re—that’s tomorrow?

GERTRUDE

Yes.

It appears they plan for tomorrow’s sundown to be the final one.

JURGEN LEITNER

My God.

So why wait until then to destroy the Institute? However you plan to do that.

GERTRUDE

I told you, I will give you the details—

JURGEN LEITNER

—when they become relevant, yes. I know how you operate by now, Gertrude.

GERTRUDE

(Under her breath) Do you really?

JURGEN LEITNER

That does not answer my question. Why not take care of…this, and then worry about the Dark and its ritual tomorrow?

GERTRUDE

You mean, why is the fact that the ritual is yet to come one of my reasons for delaying?

JURGEN LEITNER

…I suppose that’s a more exact way of putting it.

After all, you did say Elias would be distracted…ah.

GERTRUDE

Precisely.

He’s interested in my methods of stopping the rituals. I suspect he has a good reason for that.

JURGEN LEITNER

Because if he becomes interested in a Beholding ritual, he wants to know how you might stop it so he can work around that.

GERTRUDE

…

Broadly, yes.

I intend to use that. Lay my groundwork, incite the Institute’s destruction, while he’s distracted. Hopefully he’ll go out with it.

JURGEN LEITNER

Will you have time to disrupt the Extinguished Sun afterwards?

GERTRUDE

I should have more than enough time to do what needs to be done.

[SEVERAL LONG BEATS OF SILENCE]

JURGEN LEITNER

…After all this time, I don’t know why I still expect more.

GERTRUDE

(Dryly) A mystery that may never be solved.

[CLICK]

—

[CLICK]

[RUMBLE OF AN AIRPLANE’S ENGINE, MURMUR OF VOICES, RATTLE OF A CART WITH SQUEAKY WHEEL]

FLIGHT ATTENDANT

What are you drinking, sir?

GERRY

Just water for me, thanks.

TIM

I’ll take a ginger ale, please.

[RATTLE OF ICE IN A CUP, POP AND FIZZ OF A SODA CAN OPENING, GURGLE OF LIQUID GOING INTO THE CUP]

FLIGHT ATTENDANT

Here you are, gentlemen. Enjoy.

TIM/GERRY

Thank you.

[SEVERAL LONG MOMENTS OF SILENCE, PUNCTUATED ONLY BY SIPPING]

GERRY

Stomach bothering you?

TIM

Nervous. The ginger’s helping the anxiety.

GERRY

(Dryly) First time?

TIM

No, I’ve been nervous before.

[GERRY GROANS]

GERRY

Walked right into that one, didn’t I?

TIM

I thought that was a deliberate setup.

GERRY

I’m not that clever.

Seriously. What’s bothering you?

TIM

Apart from the obvious?

GERRY

You mean the fact that we’re in a pressurized tube thirty-seven thousand miles above the planet’s surface held aloft by magic, fortune, and prayer that runs a distinct risk of drawing the attention of something that wants to keep us here forever?

TIM

I rather suspect you’re not fond of flying, Gerry.

GERRY

(Fervently) I can think of at least three dozen ways I’d rather die.

TIM

It’s not that dangerous. Comparatively.

No, actually, I’m just…worrying about whether we’re going to get back on time.

GERRY

If all goes well.

TIM

Yeah, that’s what I’m worrying about.

[SHORT PAUSE]

GERRY

You reckon we should have tried to find a flight out of Istanbul the first time we were there? Just dealt with the cancellation fees or whatever?

TIM

I mean, hell, we had a long enough layover. If there’d been a faster option, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat. There just…wasn’t one.

GERRY

Know that for a fact, do you?

TIM

Yeah, I looked the flights up.

[GERRY HUMS SKEPTICALLY]

Besides, when Gertrude called the airport in Prague, she specifically told me not to do that. She said it wasn’t that urgent.

I’m just not sure I believe her, that’s all.

GERRY

What did she say when you texted her about our flight back?

TIM

She didn’t answer. I know she saw it, but…

I suppose she’s busy. I mean, she’s probably getting all her ducks in a row, so to speak. But the fact that she ordered us home…

GERRY

…means she needs the backup.

TIM

…

You know? I don’t think that’s it.

I think she just wants to know where we are.

GERRY

What do you mean?

TIM

I mean that if she really needed us to help stop this thing, she’d have told us where to meet her specifically. As it is, I think she just wants us back in London so that she knows if this goes wrong, we aren’t caught out somewhere and unable to get back.

GERRY

Assuming there’s a “back” to get back to.

TIM

They’re remaking the world, not destroying it.

There would still be an England in a changed world. Still be a London. It would just be…plunged into eternal darkness, I guess? I dunno what a world that’s fitted for the Forever Blind would look like. But it’s got to exist.

GERRY

Sure of that, are you?

TIM

They exist on fear, right? What good is a world with nothing to feel fear in it?

And at this point, they’ve probably adapted so that they’re more satiated by human fear than animal. At least most of them have. I don’t know how much these things actually feel, or think or whatever, and I know damn well most of them aren’t big on foresight, but I can’t imagine they would create a world designed to let them starve.

GERRY

(Quietly) I just wish I knew more about what this ritual looks like, that’s all.

TIM

I’m hoping she’ll tell us when we get there. I—

[FAINT GRINDING NOISE]

GERRY

What was that?

TIM

It’s okay, Ger. If it were a problem, the captain would—

[CRACKLE OF THE OVERHEAD RADIO]

Ah.

CAPTAIN (ON RADIO)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing slight difficulties with our starboard engine.

GERRY

(High-pitched) What?!

TIM

Shh.

CAPTAIN (ON RADIO)

We will be making an emergency landing in Frankfurt. To that end, I am turning on the seatbelt sign.

[PLEASANT, LOW-TONED DING]

[SOUNDS OF SEVERAL SEATBELTS CLICKING INTO PLACE]

Please remain calm and remain seated, with your trays in an upright and closed position, and we will be at Frankfort Airport shortly.

[CLACK OF RADIO SHUTTING OFF]

[GERRY BEGINS BREATHING RAPIDLY]

TIM

Gerry. Gerry, shh, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.

Here, have some ginger ale.

GERRY

I fucking hate flying, Tim.

TIM

(Gently and calmly) I know. I know.

It’s okay. We’ll take the train home from Frankfurt.

GERRY

(Acidly) You’re not worried about it being too late?

TIM

I’ll call when we land and find out.

At this point, Gerry, I think that’s out of our hands.

[CLICK]

—

[CLICK]

[SOUNDS OF A BUSTLING TRAIN STATION—CROWDS MURMURING, WHISTLES BLOWING, WHEELS SCREECHING]

[FOOTSTEPS ON TILE]

GERRY

Hey. Sorry about that, the line for the restroom was insane. We must not be the only people with the same idea.

TIM

(A little distractedly) With the weather, it’s probably faster for a lot of people than flying.

GERRY

Yeah, maybe. Think we’ll be able to get on the next train?

TIM

Change of plans. I finally heard back from Gertrude.

GERRY

False alarm? She doesn’t need us after all?

TIM

I don’t think that’s it. She’s just changing where she wants us to meet her.

GERRY

Let me guess. Istanbul? If she want us to backtrack, I’m going to kill her.

TIM

No, the Faroe Islands.

GERRY

What? Why?

TIM

Apparently, it’s as far north as we can get without flying.

Or, you know, at all. There’s no passenger service to Svalbard.

GERRY

Do I want to know why she wants us to go that far north? In March?

TIM

Probably because it’s one of the only places the total solar eclipse will be visible.

GERRY

…Fuck. How did I miss there was going to be an eclipse?

TIM

I mean, we’ve been kind of busy.

GERRY

You think that’s…

TIM

A key part of their ritual? Almost certainly. What better time to bring on a world of eternal darkness than when things are literally as dark as they can get?

GERRY

And yet we still don’t know what this is going to look like?

TIM

Or not look like, as the case may be. Forever Blind, remember?

GERRY

Yeah, yeah, real funny.

[TIM CHUCKLES]

Did she say anything helpful, or just to go to the Faroe Islands?

TIM

(Reading aloud from his phone) “Head to the Faroe Islands. Get as far north as you can. Wait there for the eclipse. Watch and observe. I will be working in London. If I don’t meet you there, or otherwise contact you, once the eclipse ends, come back to the Institute.”

That’s all we’ve got.

GERRY

So when’s the eclipse?

TIM

Friday, which means we’ve got time. Lucky thing. We won’t get to Hirtshals until tomorrow morning, and from there it’s a thirty-seven hour ferry ride to the Faroe Islands, and probably another hour to Viðareiði.

GERRY

To where?

TIM

It’s the northernmost settlement in the Faroe Islands.

GERRY

Seriously, how do you know that?

TIM

I used to collect factoids about all kinds of extreme locations in Europe. Northernmost, southernmost, hottest, coldest, highest, lowest, you name it. I was going to visit them all someday.

GERRY

Well, we can scratch this one off your list, I guess. Did you already get our tickets?

TIM

No, my German is rubbish. I was waiting for you.

GERRY

Hmm. Glad to know there are limits to your vast knowledge.

[TIM LAUGHS]

Come on, then. Let’s go save the world.

[CLICK]

—

[CLICK]

[LONG, SLOW DRAGGING SOUND, LIKE SOMETHING INCREDIBLY HEAVY IS BEING PULLED ACROSS A STONE FLOOR]

[SOFT GRUNTING NOISE]

ELIAS

(Muttering) Perhaps I ought to have used a wheeled office chair for this. Or one of the library carts.

Although I suppose the steps would have been even more difficult.

[DEEP BREATH]

[LOOOOOOOOOOONG DRAG]

ELIAS

(Strained) You’re heavier than you look.

I think I understand the term dead weight now.

[SMALL GRUNT]

[CHAIR SCRAPES SLIGHTLY ACROSS A STONE FLOOR]

[HUFF OF RELIEF]

[SEVERAL MOMENTS OF SILENCE]

ELIAS

I’m sure you’re wondering why I bothered.

(Considers) Well, I’m not sure you’re aware of much, but…I rather hope you are.

At any rate. It certainly would have been easier to leave you where you were. Slumped across your desk, your heart’s blood seeping into the wood and the statements beneath…surrounded by petrol and a lighter. One could make a compelling argument that you surprised an intruder, who shot you, then ran in fear before starting the fire they so clearly intended to set.

But I’m afraid you don’t get easy answers like that.

No. I am going to leave you here, along with all of your tapes. I am going to clean up any traces of a trail I may have left. I am going to clean the petrol from the floor—oh, you’re surprised by that, aren’t you? Surprised I’m willing to do that much work? Well, I admit it’s not my preference, but I can hardly ask the cleaning staff to do it without revealing why it needs to be done. At any rate, I will clean up the mess.

I think I’ll leave the bloodstain on your desk, though. After all, we will need to have some sort of explanation for why I am forced to hire a new Archivist.

Oh, but why bother, I seem to hear you ask? Why go to all this trouble to conceal your death, if I am only going to replace you?

Well. It’s quite simple, Gertrude. And perhaps you know the answer already, but then again, you do sometimes miss the obvious. So, since there’s nothing you can do about it, I’m going to tell you.

I’m doing this for Tim.

[LOW, CRUEL, ECHOING LAUGHTER, GRADUALLY GROWING LOUDER AND LOUDER UNTIL IT FINALLY REACHES A FEVER PITCH]

[CLICK]

[bitchimasnake-sss]

I need a part 2 to ‘meddle about’😩 I loveee your writing

i was literally about to go sleep rn but made a conscious decision to ignore the needs of my body to write horny filth <3

☆ into you!

part 02 to meddle about! // in which the younger itoshi loses all inhibitions. //

synopsis: who knew being involved with itoshi rin would be such a headache? now, about 10,000 km away from home, you realize that you're stuck with him in barcelona. as distances between you two grow greater, the only thing that brings you closer is an... aphrodisiac?! pairing: afab!reader x itoshi rin [aged up.] wc: 5.5k cw: NOT PROOFREAD. WRITTEN CAUSE I LOVE DESPERATE MEN. MDNI. includes: A LOTTT OF PLOTTT!! dom-ish!reader x bottom!rin. one-room only trope (hehehehehhe), aphrodisiac, guided handjob, praise (m!receiving), overstimulation (m!receiving), rin cries so, i guess dacryphilia(?). they're both gonna piss you off and you're gonna love it. guess starring: rin's COMMUNICATION ISSUES ���️🔊 m.list

it took you exactly 45 mins sitting next to rin itoshi in a closed-off airplane to decide that either he was the dumbest man alive or he needed a guided lesson to understand social cues. or maybe, just maybe, he was such an entitled prick that he could just simply ignore a fuming woman next to him for forty-five minutes straight without as much as a worry-line on his pristine forehead.

you had huffed and huffed, and then huffed some more by the time rin finally asked you a question. the question? "are you cold or something?"

"no?" your eyebrows bunched at his question. could he not see the blanket you had draped over your lap as you had cozied in the seat he had paid for?

"then why are you making so much noise?"

"oh?" you scoffed, "if it is this hard to be seated next to me, then please get off on the next layover and catch a flight back home."

his answer came before you could even finish, "no, i'm good."

and then again, the cycle of silence repeated itself by dragging itself along it's sickening pattern. rin flipped through a magazine, locked in as if there was nothing more enticing to him than the history of airplanes and their mechanism, all while you fumed in your seat.

it's not like you wanted to talk to rin itoshi or something!

it's just the principle of the situation that pissed you off beyond belief! here you two were, sitting next to each-other in a metal contraception that was hovering several hundred feet above ground to land you in another continent — a process that was going to take several hours. there was absolute silence — most people dozing off, reading or watching a movie by themselves while enjoying the finer things in life like champagne and caviar.

if there was any place in earth to sort out miscommunications, then this was probably the top of that list! and yet, that raven-haired man lost himself in the world of airplane mechanics. like, what even?!

again, it's not like you wanted rin itoshi to apologize to you or something!

it's just shouldn't he atleast bother after trying so hard that day? i mean, it's not like you missed the way his hands felt or the expensive, well-curated fragrance of his car whenever he picked you up or dropped you, or whatever lopsided, half-baked smile he gave you every once in a while. no, it was the principle of the situation that was bothering you!

you sighed and rin gave you a side-eye without even turning an inch to face you. he cleared his throat, another question at the tip of his stupid — albeit, very skilled — tongue, "do you want to drink?"

"no." you spit out, almost impressed at how good he was at being wrong, "obviously not." actually, right now, with a headache next to you, some wine sounded delightful. "actually— i mean, wine sounds nice."

rin pushed the button to call the airstaff and you let go of any of your restraints. you turned towards him, body leaning into his physical space as if you needed to examine him up-close for brain damage, "do you really not know what's bothering me?"

"no." rin admitted seriously and your eyebrows furrowed at how sincere he sounded. you repeated, "you don't?"

he shrugged and you found yourself muttering, "seriously? you don't?"

"no," he turned his face to look at you and deadpanned, "either tell me what's wrong or shut up and go to sleep."

the audacity! here you were trying to communicate with him while he thought you should 'go to sleep'??? he should go to hell!

"fine." you clenched you jaw, turning around to wait for your wine in peace. under your breath, you muttered, "sae would probably never act like this."

"what was that?"

you turned to the pro-player, eyes narrowed and tongue venomous, "i cannot wait to see sae play in real life."

"thanks to me, yes." rin shrugged, "and his play isn't that impressive. the media just happens to make any lukewarm bullshit look good on tele."

"th-thanks to you?!" you spluttered, still not moving on from the first half of his statement, "i'm sorry but did i not refuse to come and you begged me—"

"—beg is a strong word."

"you begged me to come, rin itoshi." you bit back and rin turned to you with his own eyes narrowed, "i didn't beg you, i just didn't want you to think i took advantage of you."

"you literally, literally left me laying on the couch while you ran off to the bathroom for god-knows-what reasons!" you ranted, leaning in till your noses were inches apart and you two were all up in each other's business, "and then, next morning you left me all alone in your stupid penthouse—"

"i left you a text and food?" now it was rin's turn to act confuse. he inched forward daringly and the tips of your noses collided. eyes against yours in a heated dance, he hissed, "and i drew you a bath which you never even took."

"hah?" you scoffed, not pulling back lest he thinks he has won the competition against you, "that explains leaving me after we were done?"

"i rushed to the bathroom bec—" and then for the first time in his adult life, rin itoshi froze. because, tell me, how in god's name was he supposed to admit that just one look at your flushed, post-orgasm face had him spilling into his sweats as if puberty had hit him yesterday? just one split-second look away from your pretty pussy to your ruined face was enough for his to lose all physical restraint over his well-trained body? how could he let you see that, or even hear about it? it was embarrassing. worse, it was ego-threatening.

how was rin itoshi supposed to admit that he couldn't help but feel all types of things whenever you were around?

so, instead, he bit his tongue and made up an excuse — a bad one, but an excuse nonetheless, "i rushed because i remembered something."

"in the bathroom?" you repeated slowly and he nodded, hoping that the warmth of his cheeks wasn't on display.

"i— remembered that i needed to take a shower."

"immediately afterwards?"

"yes, sweat makes me feel gross." he nodded again, averting his gaze from you, "it's just one of those things."

"oh my god, you're such a fucking prick!" now, maybe those aren't the words you should be saying to the man who was paying for your flight to see your favourite player but he did just admit that he left you alone to take a stupid shower.

you two were only interrupted by the air-hostess bringing you a much-needed glass of wine. for the next nine hours till your next layover, you didn't even bother glancing at rin itoshi's stupid face.

but as you sat in silence, you realized that the upcoming days were going to be nice, atleast. you had planned an entire cozy itinerary without rin itoshi to meddle in your business, infact. the plan was simple: were going to land the next evening, and would probably stay-in that night to recover from the jet lag. the next morning you planned to visit some local areas, cafes, and such. and the third day was sae's match. then, you'd catch the flight home! fun!

so, you took in a deep breath, reminding yourself that it was only a matter of hours before you could get rid of rin. until then, all you had to do was ignore him. correct!

it was only after you had landed in barcelona that you interacted with rin — not too much though, only to thank him for the tickets and to avail you a taxi since he claimed he knew enough spanish to get around.

"what?" the pro-player cocked an eyebrow, dialing some number on his phone, "we're going to the hotel together, why do you need another taxi?"

"you paid for my hotel room?" your eyes widened, your grip on reality seemingly slipping as you realized that rin itoshi probably wouldn't book some cheap, 3rd-class hotel.

"yes?" he answered just as nonchalantly before answering the phone and sprouting out some spanish.

and there go your cozy vacation plans down the drain!

"you—" you were tongue-tied, so catastrophically shocked that you weren't even sure of what was happening and what wasn't, "why would you do that?!"

"well?" rin covered his phone half-heartedly, looking at you as if you were the one who had gone mad, "did you think i would just bring you here and leave you as it is?"

you stepped closer to him, voice hushed so as to not cause a scene at the airport, "i don't need more favours that you. i told you that."

"don't worry." rin muted the call with a quick swipe, "i am not gonna ask for any favours in return. this one's on me..." you almost missed the next few words, "cause i've been a prick lately."

you're not quite sure how it happened or why, but here you stood at the reception of a seven-star hotel while rin held a heated discussion with the staff in a foreign language.

many minutes passed by, following which the pro-player finally came walking back to you. his face fell, "they're saying they only have one room free."

"what?"

"i swear i booked two. i'm not playing around with you." you heard a mild panic in his otherwise cool tone and you held a palm up, "it's good — a sign from the universe! i should probably go, anyways. i'll find an accommadati—"

"no." rin was fierce. his face dipped lower, hot breath fanning across your face as he repeated, "you're not doing anything stupid like that. if anyone has to go, i will. you stay here."

"rin." you tried to argue but the receptionist called rin back for some reason. the next time rin came back to you, he was sickeningly pale.

"what did they say? someone has to go, right. i will—"

"—uh," the man looked at the polished marble underneath, his lower lashes so prominent as he closed his eyes, "they actually, kinda upgraded us to a honeymoon suite."

huh? honestly, this wasn't the weirdest thing that had happened to you this month. what's next? you're gonna go to the room and find a stack of condoms and a invitation for you two to fuc—

"—k me." you spoke aloud as soon as you entered the room. not only was it thrice the size of your studio apartment, and had a private pool in the balcony, but on the bed lay a stack of condoms, chocolates, cliche rose petals and an classy envelope with MR. AND MRS. ITOSHI printed on it.

rin picked the card up, opened it up and immediately went beet-red. you wouldn't be surprised if the card read "have a good time fucking!"

"i- i'll take the couch." rin stuffed the card deep into the pocket of his pants, ignoring the climbing warmth that painted his pale face uncharacteristically scarlet, "you take the bed."

"don't be ridiculous. i'm not taking the bed."

"there's no point arguing." he averted his gaze skillfully, hoping that the pink dusting his cheeks was not visible to you, "i... i'll take the couch. meanwhile, you can go wash up."

well, to be fair even the couches here looked better than your home couch but again, it was about the principle of the situation!

barcelona, day 01. evening.

truly, there was no point arguing with the rin itoshi because now, here you were ten minutes later, clearing the bed and throwing the chocolates and flavoured condoms in the side-drawer, never to be used by you two.

once done, you laid your clothes out and made your way to the shower. your footsteps were soft pitter-patters against the delicate rug and rin glanced back from the couch.

"shower?" he asked, and you nodded. at your curt answer, he pressed his lips into a thin line, "if you need something, call my name. i'll come."

you had slipped in the bathroom with nothing more than a soft nod to acknowledge him because... let's be real, why would you need him while showering? he could rest assured that there would no shenanigans happening on your end.

but now as the soft, luxurious soapsuds lapped against your skin so gently, the warm water of the tub slowly growing cold and leaving you devoid of any warmth in it's wake, you considered calling rin in.

closing your eyes, a dark, familiar curtain fell in front of your eyes and you tipped your head upwards. chewing on your bottom lip, you were divided whether the deal you and rin had once struck up still stood? and in that case, did you owe him something since he was responsible for your accommodation for the next three days here. but then again, he did act like a prick and maybe it was his way of making it up to you. but then again, he didn't act as much of a prick to repent by keeping you in a fucking seven-star residence.

you brought your hands over your face, the skin growing colder ever so slowly under the cruel stretch of time you were subjecting yourself to. then, some sort of peace washed over you. you dragged your hands down your skin, looking at the wooden door to the bathroom.

something clicked.

maybe, maybe this decision wasn't for you to take? maybe rin itoshi was the one who was supposed to decide if he wanted you or not?

"rin!" you called out, finally.

the doorknob turned almost immediately and you half-heartedly wondered if he had been standing at the edge, waiting for the echo of his name past your lips. of course not. but it was fun to imagine that rin itoshi wanted you so desperately.

on the other side, rin had been standing at the doorstep, listening to the soft cascades and waves of water as you took your sweet time in there. okay, maybe it was a bit pathetic for a pro-player like him to stand at the edge of a door waiting to be summoned but it's not like you'd ever know, right? right?

but as soon as he heard the shout of his name, his fingers found the cold metal and he stepped inside — and there you were. you had drawn up a flimsy towel to cover up your soaking body, soapsuds still clinging helplessly onto your legs as you stood at the edge of the humongous bathtub.

"ye-yeah?" rin commanded his attention to focus on the bathtub and not you. because if he looked at your soaked skin and hair, your perked buds against the soft fabric of the towel and the slightly rosy tint of your cheeks — rin was convinced he would either go insane from the idea or never having you again or do something that'll break the promise of being strangers.

"i, uh—" your gaze ran it's course from him to the vacant bathtub. a lone sweat droplet traveled down the ridge of your spine and you blamed the hotness of the enclosed bathroom for it. voice unsure, you asked, "i wanted to heat the water up. it got cold, so..."

"uhm," rin swallowed, brushing past you to look at the array of smaller buttons at the edge of the bathtub.

"this one." he pointed to a button which had hot written on it. "just press it till the temperature is to your liking."

"oh?" you leaned in, staring at the button next to him, "right." a nervous laugh rang out in that closed, hot room, "i don-don't know how in the world did i miss that."

rin turned around, avoiding to look at you, "s'okay."

you were so close that he could smell the fragrance of the expensive bath gel on your skin. the smell went straight to his head, intoxicating him and making him stutter in his usually confident demeanor. he wondered if he reached out and played with the wet strands of your hair, will you push his hand back or slap him?

but rin itoshi wasn't looking for the answer to that question, so he just asked, "anything else?"

you shook your head with a soft no.

"okay, then." rin took hurried step towards the door, never once looking back to you, "and hurry up, i- uh, i gotta wash up too."

"o-okay?"

he shut the door behind him with a surprisingly loud thud! and now, you stood in the previously occupied bathroom with a confirmed answer: rin itoshi did not want you. like... at all.

that's what his cold demeanor had told you, atleast. he had not even bothered to give you a look that lasted more than a spilt-second and then promptly left as soon as he felt it fitting. you sunk back into the cold water, half-annoyed at yourself for calling him and half-annoyed at him for being so fucking closed-off.

for the rest of the day, you both had minimal contact. he didn't bother you with questions, and you didn't annoy him with answers. rin was busy on his laptop, attending team meetings and answering sponsors about his sudden getaway to spain while you just sat on the bed, doomscrolling the rest of the evening away. somehow, within your silences, you both had found a comfortable pattern to just be.

that was until dinner.

"you're not going to bed?" you tried to ask, patting the pillows to fluff them up to your liking.

"no," rin didn't bother looking back from where he sat on the couch. a glass of wine pinched between his fingers, a monotonous expression on his pretty face, "i have some work to finish up. are you? going to sleep... i mean?"

"yeah." you nodded and a silence fell across the room. within the thick fog of silence, you could almost tell apart the strumming of your own heart. moments turned eternal and you held your bated breath for some kind of acknowledgement from him. when none came, you spoke up again, "are you sure you'd be okay on the couch?"

"mhm. don't worry."

"okay then," you pursed your lips, laying down on the godawfully soft mattress, "see you tomorrow... goodnight."

"g'night." he finally breathed out and you're not quite sure when exactly you fell asleep on the silken sheets, but you were awoken by the sound of someone showering once the sky was bright and clear.

barcelona, day 02.

rin didn't say anything to you as he walked out of the shower with his hair wet, nor did you say anything to him as you got ready for a day of tourist activities. he told you he was gonna stay in, said he had sponsor meetings and you bid him goodbye as you went out to see the place around. the day passed by in a blur of tourist activities and kind strangers, away from rin itoshi.

when you came back, he didn't ask you formal questions about how your day was, and you didn't tell him polite answers. you two stayed stuck in your cycle of silence. that was all.

that was all until it was far too late into the night, at least.

you stepped out of the shower, far gone to care about his presence in the room. it was clear that he held no desire for you, so you waltzing out of steaming shower with nothing but a robe was probably child's play to him.

hair wet, face flushed, you found your gaze drifting to the couch only to notice the absence of rin. eyebrows marrying, your gaze scanned the entire room carefully — from the empty couch to the dark balcony to finally, the least probable place: your bed.

and surprisingly, that's where you found him; face flushed, palms sweaty and limbs shaking as he met your eyes. what?

"rin?" instinct took ahold of you, steps rushing to reach the man who looked clearly unwell. you brought a steady palm up to his forehead, checking his temperature. your eyes locked against his dilated ones, words shivering under the intensity, "d-did something happen?"

"i—" rin almost gasped as you put your palm on his neck next to check for the temperature. voice growing gruff, he looked away, "'m fine. i jus' kinda feel— i feel weird."

"weird?" your brows bunched as you trailed a soft palm up to his cheek, and rin shivered under you. "weird how?"

"i dunno." his voice seemed to turn hoarser, as if it had gotten harder to speak with each wayward touch you planted across his scorching skin, "i- i ate their stupid chocolates and—"

"—what?"

"the ones you put in the..." he pointed to the side-table, "there."

you rushed to the side-table, clumsy fingers pulling out the heart-shaped chocolates only to turn them around to read if they said something. and oh boy, was there something they said. aphro—

"—odisiac." you breathed out the word, shaky vision travelling back to the pro-player who seemed to grow tenser and tenser with each passing second.

"rin," you called out carefully, taking a step towards him, "how many of these did you have?"

"th-ree, no, four."

"seriously?!" your voice squeaked, body turning towards him fully to take notice of the sweat beading at his forehead, the sheen plastered across the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheek, his labored breathing.

he pulled at the collar of his t-shirt, trying desperately to dissipate the heat that his body seemed to torture him with "i feel hot, and—" rubbing his palms down against his sweats, he looked up at you, utterly helpless. "—what's happening to me? i- don't—"

"it's okay, it's okay." you cut him off, "take off your shirt."

rin followed your command blindly. nimble fingers pinched the ends of his t-shirt only to pull it off himself as fast as he could. underneath the material, his chest was flushed red to match his face.

"d-does it feel any better?" and rin groaned at your stupid question, "no."

the man shifted his pelvis, trying to pull at the waistband of his sweats when your gaze finally traveled to the tent in his pants. he looked pained, eyes frenzied and breath stuttering as he tried to figure out a position where his aching dick didn't drive him insane.

you stepped closer, and closer, and closer till you were standing a mere inches away from him. a finger under his sharp jaw, you pulled his face upwards to meet yours. a slow breath, "rin."

and he almost whimpered at the way you held him still, "y-yeah?"

"let me help."

at his feverish nods, you sunk to your knees. practiced hands tugged at his waistband and he complied all-too-excitedly to lift his hips up and free his cock of this endless torture.

his muscles visibly relaxed at your slow breathing against his heated tip — reddened, it oozed pre out that cascaded down his shaft. rin threw his head back, wet hair sticking to his nape as you placed a carefully calculated kiss to the tip. your tongue carefully pressed against his slit as you sucked on the tip and rin all but combusted.

"a-ah," his deep voice pitched up, hips squirming as you toyed with him, "fuck, fuck fuuhck—"

your hand pulled his towards his cock and he looked down at you, confused, "what..?"

your eyes stayed locked against him as you placed his own hand on the bottom half of his erection, hollowed cheeks still sucking on the tip. your hand encompassing his own, you guided him to slowly stroke himself as you kept toying with his flushed tip.

"fuck-ing god." rin breathed and for once, he didn't avert his gaze from you. your heated hold over his hand prompted him to pump himself faster. and although, his own touch was familiar, the way you looked up at him — all doe-eyes and sinful kisses — made his thighs shake.

"god—" his voice choked, head thrown back and eyes clenching shut in an effort to not cry at the way your tongue played against his silt, how your hand squeezed his, urging him, begging him to go on.

you let go of his tip only to pull his face downwards to look at you, "look at me. stop fuckin' running away."

and this time, a whimper did escape him at your words. lips wobbling, eyebrows bunched and lashline heavy with unresolved tears — rin itoshi was fuckin' beautiful as he stared down at you.

you pressed another kiss to the tip and his hand sped up under your command until— splash! his toes curled, body leaning back as his voice shook with desperate moans, and thick, white ribbons of cum painted his hand and your lips in a wretched pearlish glow.

rin huffed, eyes blown wide at the view of his essence on your lips and the way you seemed to pursue his taste with your tongue— cleaning him up so carefully that it made him hard all over again. shit.

a sudden strong hold on your arms pulled you upto him and his jittery fingers pulled at the belt of your robe to have you all to himself. as he tried to undo the knot with his shaky fingers, you raked a hand through his wet hair, travelling backwards till your palm was cradling the back of his head ever-so-softly.

and then, you pulled at the base of his strands and rin whined in response. the lewd sounds accompanied the driveling of his hips into the cold air, and with each strained rut, more of his cum oozed down his abused cock.

"fuck, rin." it was your turn to whimper, now. eyes blown and face heated, you looked between the man and his erect, throbbing, filthy cock. who knew rin itoshi could be so fucking messy?

eyes clenched, lips agape and breath stolen — rin itoshi was rendered useless and you pushed him backwards into the bed before disrobing yourself.

your naked body climbing over his, you pumped his overstimulated cock with a languid pace, using his own essence as a lubricant for his own undoing.

"fuck." his eyes stayed clenched, forehead drawn into lines as his body responded to each one of your endlessly torturous acts. he gasped as you kissed his neck, his jawline and then, his shoulder.

"you're doin' so well, rin." your voice was soft against his heated skin, and you kissed his jaw again, sucking slow enough for him to lose his mind. then, you repeated, "so fucking well."

and that seemed to be rin itoshi's kryptonite.

words pitched, moans obscene and muscles spasming under your touch, rin came again. and again, and again, and fucking again as you kept toying with him.

now, you're weren't sure if it were only a few minutes since he first came or hours, but as you tugged at his sensitive cock with the sensual drags of your palm, rin actually cried out.

"n-no more." more tears welled up in his eyes, cheeks so deeply flushed as he begged you, "p-please, i can't. i can't."

"you can, baby." you cooed, pressing your thighs together as his desperate pleas went straight to your throbbing cunt. ignoring your own swiveling desire, you pushed the man who once stood so tall to his limits.

"no, no." his hips jerked as you continued to drag your hands along his cock. teeth biting down into his bottom lips, tears fell down the plane of his face. clammy palms clenched and unclenched the silken sheets below as rin barely tried to stop his steady decline into deliriousness, "ple-please. i really can't."

"fine." you purred, hands coming to a slow halt against his heated erection, "i'll stop."

and just as you pulled your hands back to yourself, rin's wet eyes widened. despite his aching bones and jelly-like muscles, the man lunged forward to catch your wrist in his fingers.

"no," he breathed, eyes watering at the sudden lack of skin-on-skin contact. he repeated, this time with a bit of force in his voice, "no."

leaning forward, you caught his kissbitten lips against yours. cutting the kiss short, your words were soft against his, "you want it?"

and he nodded again, tongue rendered useless with how heavy it felt in his mouth. you drew a careful hand up his heated thighs, and he trembled under your touch, "say it out loud for me."

"yes." rin shook his head.

your lips trailed down to his jaw, featherlike kisses across his heated skin as your hand sped up yet again in that cruel, familiar pattern. his orgasm built like a crescendo, peaking higher and higher till he was shooting blanks.

when he was all spent out, rin itoshi shuddered and slumped against your arms. breath uneven, hair matted, skin sweaty, fiery and dusted pink as it made contact against your skin.

he looked up at you, half-lidded gaze still haunted by remnants of tears that clung onto his lashes. as if on instinct, you pressed a kiss to his forehead, soothing the searing skin under with your soft act. rin closed his eyes at the closeness, a gasp at the tip of his tongue because all of it felt so foreign.

he wasn't in control of his body — his trusty muscles felt lead-like, head hammering as if his brain would break-though his cranium, and heart thumping out a rhythm that sounded awfully like chants of your name. it was clear, rin itoshi didn't quite feel like himself as you cradled him so softly in your arms.

"you okay?" you asked far too softly, half worried that the wind will catch your words before it reached him. but to your surprise, rin nodded.

"i'll clean you up." you muttered, peripheral vision dragging along the sheets to see what a mess you two had made. his thighs and abs were painted white similarly to your hand, the fluid dripped down to the expensive sheets and stained them. you nodded with resolve, "rest up, i'll be done soon. yeah?"

a heavy croak stopped you. rin looked up at you, voice heavy and eyes watery as if one misstep and he would find himself losing control, "don't go."

maybe it was the finality in his voice that confused you, or the fact that he wanted you around. eitherways, you refuted with a soft shake of your head, "i- i really should, we've made a mes—"

"—don't go."

and so, you didn't. you let your body slump against the bedframe, scorched back against the cool wood and rin rested his cheek against your stomach, his arms pressed against your waist in an innocent hug. you raked your fingers through his sweaty hair before trailing them downwards to massage his nape and weary shoulders. his breath slowed down under your delicate touches and soon enough, he was asleep.

your hands stayed kneading at his muscles, gaze locked in at the man and the shallow rise and fall of his chest. with each soft inhale, the deep blush slowly eased away from his face, leaving behind the same stoic man you had known for a few weeks.

in this silence, you were starkly aware of two routes this relationship arrangement may go: 1) the most probable one: once the pro-player came to his senses, he will regret this — all that came before this, all that may come after this, you — and go no-contact. 2) the least probable one: he'd sit down and have a conversation with you, and then you both could figure out where things would go from here.

knowing rin itoshi though, you mentally prepared yourself for never seeing him again once this trip was over. it wouldn't be hard, obviously. how long did you even know the man? a few weeks, give or take. why would you mourn his presence when you never even quite had him?

you closed your eyes, fingers still softly playing with his tresses. you knew what was to come, knew that this was probably the end of him and you (or whatever it was between him and you), knew that him and you were just a series of favours for favours. and yet, your heart sank as you stared at his face for a moment too long.

rin itoshi was driving you insane!!

but however perceptive you may be, or however properly you think you knew rin — you miscalculated.

because neither did the man take the route of leaving you, nor did he talk things out with you. instead, here you were pinned against the wall in the supply closet. the supply closet of the very same stadium sae itoshi was playing at while rin stared down at you.

"a favour for a favour." he husked, "let me pay you back for last night."

rin itoshi was driving you insane.

a/n: love how i make everything into a three-part series :/ anyways, hope this was a fun enough read. i love men who are so emotionally unwell that it is borderline hilarious. what does that say about me? idk, nor do i wanna find out :) tagging: @ionlyhearnct @mortallyshadysoul @mindfulsreposts @mikaru0 @slutforitoshi @keiitamaa @loonalockley @ouraniaslyre @froggie-zusya23 @levcn @mimi-in-heaven i hope this was satisfying <3

[khattikeri]

always fucks me up how every major male SVSSS character barring liu qingge (dead for all of PIDW) and shen yuan (literal transmigrator) have some variation of airplane bro's personality, insecurity, and shitty coping mechanisms. like.

shen jiu!qingqiu lashing out, letting people assume terrible shit about him because it's easier than trying to clarify his intentions only for his actions and words to be misinterpreted anyway?

yue qingyuan being politely vacant, aimless and self-deprecative, believing himself a failure who deserves to be hated?

og!shang qinghua being a cannon fodder "cowardly traitor", cut off from protection and money and killed by his former liege?

mobei-jun having deeper set issues with trust and loyalty, especially from family members and personal servants?

tianlang-jun's naivete and emotional attachment leading indirectly to his being sealed under a mountain miserable and alone for years?

zhuzhi-lang's excessive degree of loyalty to people who show him sincere kindness, since most people find him ugly and unapproachable?

PIDW!luo binghe's emotional apathy and detachment after all he suffered; him being rewritten into an overpowered, intelligent, revenge-driven, manipulative man so good in bed he can force anyone to join his harem?

SVSSS!luo binghe being similar to the above, but otherwise being clingy, deeply insecure, clumsy and inefficient in bed and in love?

SVSSS!luo binghe being desperate to maintain emotional connections and terrified of the perception that he's being abandoned by someone he loves and looks up to?

SVSSS!luo binghe being willing to go to concerning extremes to find out WHY that person changed their mind and chose to hurt him, abandon him, and what he can do to fix things?

SVSSS!luo binghe's most bitter anguish being the thought that they despise him and are throwing him away for unchangeable aspects of who he is, for being himself?

PIDW was originally a romanceless web novel driven by its unique fantasy setting and lore. it was stripped down of those elements to make way for cliche heterosexual porn tropes until it became an inconsistent male power fantasy harem novel that fickle readers-- whose money pay airplane's bills now that his parents both remarried and started new families, cutting off basically all money and contact with him-- would keep reading.

everything about PIDW (and SVSSS) reflects part of airplane. not only the characters' personalities and experiences, but the original story as a whole, considering how much of it (of himself) airplane ended up sacrificing and shuttering away to present a different image that would be more easily accepted.

[gorboble]

So, Meta Flowey. Encore Flowey. whatever you wanna call it. I wanna discuss it rq

I believe I have a pretty solid explanation for the specimens (intentional by the devs or not,) and I've come to one conclusion: They're based on childhood fears. Let me explain each one.

Clay

This one is a bit obvious, at least to me. I think it's based on how kids will see claymation and get scared of it, you know? Like Mabel in that one episode of Gravity Falls. Might have something to do with Uncanny Valley.

Polygonal

Another obvious one. This is based on late 90's games when 3d was becoming a thing. The kind that is mostly good fun until one moment when the scariest enemy known to man comes out and has you quit the game for 6 months. Like Majora's Mask! Every kid was scared of that game, weren't they?

Patchwork

Creepy dolls, and such. Maybe just the slight discomfort you feel when you go into a room in grandma's house, the one where she sews blankets and toys. I always had a slightly unnerving feeling when it came to stuff like that. This one might be a little more personal, but it's valid.

Now, these next ones weren't so obvious. I had to do a little reaching for them.

Mechanical

It just wasn't quite obvious to me at first. This one is based on how heavy machinery may scare children and make them nervous. It's unknown and foreign to them. They don't know anything about it, but they have a feeling that they'll get hurt if they aren't careful with it (and they're right! machinery will kill you if you're not careful!)

Also guns. Guns can be scary to kids. I hope.

Organic

Now, I would say this one is the fear of doctor visits. But... it's gotta be more than that. You hear the beeping and see blood cells and such. You probably won't see that at a check-up. I think it's a bit deeper than that.

I think this is the fear of going to hospitals in general. A bit more serious than the doctor's office. It could be for a serious, painful disease the child has contracted, or... it could be visiting a loved one while they're in medical care, maybe after a horrible accident, or a terminal illness. The song supports this sort of dread regarding the inevitable loss of family. And the beeping at the end... yeah. This one is pretty grim.

Paper

specimen paper was the hardest phase to think about. Mostly because... who the hell out there is afraid of paper? I know there's a phobia for it, but it's rare.

So, I looked further into it. Paper airplanes and paper balls are flying around as attacks. And in the music? Laughter and talking.

I think this is bullying. It doesn't play into the... paper flowey, but I couldn't find any other fitting explanation. At least for this theory. Because, again, paper isn't exactly a common childhood fear that people have. Neither is bullying... but it's a huge issue in schools and is a lot more scarring than something you might find scary as a 6-year-old.

Also, note how Flowey doesn't move in this phase. Along with the organic phase. They feel really empty compared to the others, in a good way. It paints the picture of darker memories than just a scary enemy you encountered in SM64. It could also bring up some questions about Clover's past..

remember this post was entirely theoretical and probably not intended by the devs. i just wanted to write this lol. anyways i think im done. i wanted to make this post for a while now but i just now got to it at like midnight on a Friday ok byeeeee

[1moreff-creator]

Theres this Youtuber called "Girl With The Dogs". She basically makes videos about grooming cats and dogs in a very comedic way. I just finished watching one of the cat videos and I thought to myself.. "If Nico (or really anyone capable of taking caring of animals) were to groom the cast as cats, how would it end up?" Like for example if Nico were to be cleaning Ace as a cat, he'd probably be a nightmare. He'd refuse to eat any tubes, hiss and swat when you try to brush him and would be howling up a storm in the bath. Someone like Rose for example on the other hand, she'd be the opposite. I can imagine her occasionally meowing and having airplane ears but other than that she's quiet and compliant. What's your take on this? Do you have any head canons of your own? I just REALLY love DRDT x Cats

Ooh cool youtuber! And this is a really cute idea, here's my thoughts!

As a disclaimer, though, I know nothing about grooming cats so everything I'm about to say is based on just skimming a few of Girl With the Dogs videos. In other words, I'm going to get things wrong :v

Teruko: Absolutely anything that can go wrong when grooming a cat, goes wrong. Brushes snap, dryers and the machines to cut hair break down, the water catches fire somehow... As a result, she's a mess, and the ridiculous amount of injuries she has doesn't make it easier. She's also very guarded and it takes a while for Nico to get her to trust them, but the Ultimate Pet Therapist comes through in the end! Eventually, Teruko is able to receive the groom she deserves :D

Xander: One eyed kitty who's the essence of energy! He's pretty uncooperative due to his hatred of authority, but eventually Nico is able to groom him. He's not particularly hard to make pretty... as long as he doesn't immediately mess himself up again on purpose.

Charles: Grumpy cat, but pretty chill. Stays pretty still most of the time, but gets feisty if Nico ever offends his pride somehow. The Ultimate Pet Therapist knows how to avoid that, though, so Nico can pull it off without issue. Deathly afraid of the blow dryer though.

Ace: As you said, nightmare cat. Scared of everything he can be scared of, ready to bite and attack anytime Nico comes near, and refuses any guidance. Nico would be more patient with cat Ace than human Ace, but it sure would take a while for them to complete the groom.

Arei: Pretty feisty in the beginning, but after a bit of Pet Therapist magic, she's actually pretty chill. Occasionally goes up to Nico and tries to get them to make her prettier, just 'cause. Nico always complies to the best of their ability.

Rose: As you said, easy... mostly because she'd be asleep the entire time. The hardest part is feeding her tubes and the like because Nico needs her awake for that. Really chill when awake, though, it's almost hard to notice when she is.

Hu: Nice cat that's known to hold grudges occasionally, but has a really deep affection for Nico. Easy to groom because Nico's her favorite person ever. Regularly brings them dead animals and the like.

Eden: Also very energetic, and more social than the other cats. A bit fussy on occasion, and pretty loud when she meows, but always pretty compliant and easy to groom. Her affection towards Nico is part of what eventually convinces cat Teruko to trust them more.

Levi: Extremely chill cat. Grooming him is almost mechanical; no problems, and barely any emotion shown from Levi beyond a bit of discomfort on some things. Also brings Nico dead animals. One time he brought in a dead alligator and no one has any idea how the hell that happened.

Arturo: This cat ran away from its home and specifically sought out Nico to look more beautiful. Nico gives him a better home, and complies. Arturo's actually pretty chill whenever Nico is doing anything to his appearance, since beauty is so important to the cat, but he gets more fussy around other stuff like the tubes.

Min: Well behaved most of the time, if a bit whiny. However, she is insistent on pushing hair in front of her eyes, and Nico has no idea how to stop it. Mostly because they just... don't understand how that works??? How is her hair doing that and how can she see? Impossible to know, but it works for Min. Nico has the pet theory (heh) that she's somehow been genetically modified by the shady ass corporation (XF-Ture Tech) that brought her to them, given how many contests she seems to win, and that's part of the reason her eye situation is strange.

David: Basically the opposite of most other cats. Well behaved at first, and his first grooms didn't require much, since he was always pretty put together. However, he got pretty feisty at one point, and his hair started becoming the cat equivalent of bed hair. Nico managed to get him out of that unruly behavior streak, though; poor thing had cat depression (I think that's a thing?), but the Ultimate Pet Therapist is clutch.

Veronika: Weirdest fucking cat you're ever gonna see in your life. Will do anything when she gets bored, including pretty dangerous stuff. As a result, she spends a lot of time around Nico, and they let her do that even when they're grooming other cats. Grooming her is hard if she's bored, so Nico always gives her a toy when possible.

J: Has a very particular style that she gets mad if Nico strays from, and is generally pretty feisty, but Nico can always get her to chill well enough. Used to be extremely unhappy as a result of being used for beauty pageants by her owner, Mariabella Rosales. Until she mysteriously disappeared one day. Nico denies knowing how that happened, but everyone knows they're responsible. After all, they still groom J in a secret bunker under their usual work station.

Whit: Absolute jokester ball of energy; anything that can fall off a high place, will be knocked off by this guy. Pretty affectionate, though, and always decently happy to be groomed. Even if sometimes he gets a look in his eyes like he's not thinking about the situation at all when he's uncomfortable.

MonoTV:

Nico: You're not a cat.

MonoTV: Yeah! I'm a dog!

Nico: No, I-I mean you're a machine. I don't know how to groom you.

MonoTV: Say what?!

Bonus, Nico: Pretty scaredy cat, very shy, and that makes them hard to groom by most people. Trust doesn't come easy to them, and they've been known to get into fights. Grooming them is difficult, but if they trust you, it's not that bad.

This was really fun! Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for the ask!

[thatsrightice]

F-14 TOMCAT ISSUES AND ACCIDENTS

The following is a compilation of issues with the F-14 Tomcat that have been encountered by pilots throughout its lifespan due to both mechanical and other reasons. Some are based on individual accidents and some cover epidemics in which many aircraft were lost to the issue *cough* compressor stalls *cough* basically it’s a bunch of ways you can hurt your fav characters in your fics so if you write something pls let me know cause I want to read it!!!

The issues range from minor hydraulic leaks to an explosion where pilots survive but the aircraft is literally in a million pieces.

LAST UPDATED 10/25/2023

Added some links to relavant FFFOTDs

Side note, the F-14 was a frickin massive tank of a fighter jet. She has taken damage to major components and still been able to land safely, so every situation is pretty unique.

Water Damage- Any type of water intrusion would cause issues with the electrical systems. It was a very common thing, so much so that they would have to duct tape anywhere water might be able to enter as a precaution when they knew it would rain.

Hydraulic Fluid Leaks - The F-14 did leak hydraulic fuel fairly often. There was a joke going around that if there isn't a bucket leaking hydraulic fluid underneath the plane then you are out of hydraulic fluid.

The Staple - On F-14 As and Bs, they would limit the jet to 4Gs maximum for three months and then they would install a metal staple to the bottom of the aircraft just forward of the tail hook. The point of the staple was to prevent severe bulkhead cracks and fuselage delamination by reducing the torquing moments caused by material fatigue. The staple is described as being a 1 foot-long and 1 inch wide solid steel part that looks exactly like a staple. As a part of their pre-flight checks, pilots would have to hang on it to ensure it wouldn’t fall out.

Airbags - Now and then, the airbags would rip and they would have to fix them.

Hydraulic Failures - Hydraulic failures happened somewhat often, but not often enough to be a prevalent issue. Generally speaking, it was common knowledge that if an F-14 wasn't leaking hydraulic fluid then it was out of hydraulic fluid. They would place buckets underneath to catch the liquid when the aircraft was not flying.

An incident from 1988 resulted from a complete hydraulic failure of both the main and the backup systems. They ruled the accident to be caused by the combination of failure of a relief valve and material failure. The Commander of the Pacific Fleet at the time believed that it could have possibly been the result of entrapped air that had been introduced into the hydraulic system through minor system maintenance.

AICS Programmers - They would have to start the airplane and then run the intake ramps aka would have to cycle the intake ramps otherwise they wouldn't be able to get off the ground.

Flap-Slat Lockout - If the flaps on either side of the jet didn't program at the same rate, it would cut it out and lock them up. They were then unable to move them as the lockout was a precaution to prevent asymmetry. This forced pilots to land without flaps, requiring an extra 22 knots during landing. It was difficult to land when they were locked out, and in many situations the end result would be pulling up next to the carrier and ejecting. Flap-Slat Lockout was a consistent issue throughout the Tomcat's life.

Unreliable Fire Warning Light - Sometimes the fire warning light would just barely start to flicker on and steadily become more prominent. Overall "just a bad system." You never actually know if there's a fire or not.

Wings Won’t Come Out - This happened at NAS Oceana. The airplane landed at a speed of 230 mph, so very close to the F-14’s stall speed. When the wings are stuck back, you can't hit the brakes during landing because there is no anti-skid and you would overheat them, if you pulled the stick back you would rotate, and with the wings back you have no spoilers so there is nothing to slow you down. In this particular incident, the pilot was able to take the long landing, but if this issue was encountered at sea it would require an ejection or divert to an airfield nearby if possible. No big explosions or fires though, it’d be a fairly calm procedure and the plane could fly into range of the ship for easy retrieval after ejection.

Low Fuel (Barricade Landing) - Bad weather at night combined with air traffic personnel being too occupied with diverting tons of airplanes, launching tankers, etc. can cause an aircraft to get low on fuel. There was a situation covered in the F-14 Tomcast episode called "F-14 Barricade" where they were unable to refuel using a tanker and were forced to do a barricade landing for their safety. They were almost forced to pull up alongside the carrier and eject. After the landing, one of the crew calculated based on the amount of fuel left that they only had about 90 seconds of flying left. This is literally the only night F-14 barricade landing ever I am pretty sure (in real life Maverick's doesn't count lol). I like it because the pilot and RIO had to tell the aircrew straight up "You have to take us now" because the pilot could no longer see the tape on the fuel gage. The crew tells their story really well and it’s really funny to listen to, especially considering the fact that they had to keep sending them around because they fucked up setting up the barrier.

Hitting the Canopy (During Ejection) - Goose's story is based on a real story in which a RIO hit the canopy during ejection and broke his spine. The reason the pilot does not also hit the canopy is because the ejection sends the RIO out first. The canopy is ejected after a couple of seconds after the handle is pulled, then the RIO is ejected after a second or two, and then the pilot another second later. The ejection seats also launch them in different trajectories so the pilot and the RIO do not collide in the air, meaning they may or may not end up in the same area. The solution would be to wait for the canopy to clear before ejecting but sometimes your don’t have that luxury.

Front Landing Gear Failure During Takeoff- While launching off of the catapult of the aircraft carrier, the nose gear attached to the shuttle broke. The landing gear and shuttle proceeded to the end of the runway without the jet, hitting the end of the ship at 305 knots and damaging the front of the carrier. The jet went off the ship with far less speed than necessary (at barely 60-70 knots) and began falling into the water as it was not enough to get the Tomcat in the air. They ejected to barely 50 feet high and were in serious danger of getting run over by the aircraft carrier. In the accident covered on the Fighter Pilot Podcast FPP004 - Ejection Seats, the RIO tells the story of his survival and the tragic loss of the pilot.

Radome (Nose Cone) Detachment - An F-14 Tomcat lost its radome during a flight due to the failure of the latching mechanism. The radome crashed into the canopy, shattering te glass of the windscreen. The pilot could only see out of a 3 inch hole in the windscreen due to the cracked windshield. He couldn't hear anything due to the noise of the wind in the cockpit, so he was unsure of the state of his RIO but assumed he was unconscious because he hadn't ejected them. The pilot flew over the carrier three times before successfully landing the plane, despite having glass in both eyes and a broken collarbone. It turns out that the RIO had been completely unharmed but with comms down he was unable to tell the pilot such. Upon landing the plane, the pilot was medevaced for eye surgery and then returned to the US.

Midair Collision - F-14A BUNo 159832 was a midair collision between two F-14 Tomcat. In this particular situation, one of the airplanes was able to divert to a nearby airport due to losing part of the right wing whereas the other crew was forced to eject. Obviously you could probably picture a situation where both jets went down.

Landng with Damage - Tomcats are a very sturdy aircraft, often described as being a tank both due to how much fuel they were able to carry and the sheer size of the aircraft. There has been an incident where an F-14 landed without one of its vertical stabilizers. In the Radome Deatchment section, the pilot was able to land the plane. The following video shows an aircraft, although not an F-14, landing aboard an aircraft carrier with significant damage on its right right side.

Single Engine Cat Shot- There was an incident where an aircraft had engine issues the moment it left the carrier. Immediately after the launch, they lost the left engine, and the first thing the pilot did was go through engine failure procedures, wingman at their side. They set up for an engine start using normal air before they attempted a cross-bleed air start using bleed air from the right engine to rotate the starter in the left engine, but neither worked. The pilot addressed the fuel distribution situation by feeding the right engine with fuel from the left to even them out and then they began dumping fuel to get to the "max trap" weight. Upon successfully landing, the Commanding Officer initially believed that the pilot had allowed the left engine throttle to roll back to idle during the acceleration of the catapult stroke, however, after maintenance personnel spun up the engine to troubleshoot, the engine spun well past its normal rpm immediately without the mechanical load it usually carried by the tower shaft meaning that something was very, very wrong. An image of the aircraft after launch can be seen below. Note the singular engine lit up.

F110 Afterburner Failure - The new engines installed were great, but they initially had a problem with the afterburner. In one recorded accident, the pilot lit the afterburner, damaging the afterburner can's lining and leading to an explosion. The Navy prohibited use of the afterburner below 10,000 ft on the F-14+/B/D until the problem could get solved but it took nearly a year to remedy.

"Thump Bang" - The easiest way to incorporate any sort of accident is to call it what the Naval Aviators call a "thump bang". A "thump bang" refers to a series of events that occur when an aircraft experiences some sort of issue they described as a "thump" and then an explosion. It's kind of hard to describe what is like in the cockpit during this sort of accident as it could have happened quickly or could have been a delayed explosion, and it could have been caused by any number of reasons. If they don't know what actually happened, they'll call it a "thump bang" and can only hypothesize what occurred. The likely scenario would have been an issue with the TF30 engines.

TF30 - The "Turd in the punch bowl, " the TF30s had two specific issues that were kind of intertwined.

Throwing Fan Blades - One of the largest issues with the TF30s was that they were with the fan blades. When the fan blades become eroded or damaged over time, they no longer compress the airflow efficiently, potentially leading to an engine stall (see Compressor Stall below). Additionally, the TF30 was known for "throwing" fan blades. This is when the fan blade becomes detached and is shot out to the side into the interior of the aircraft. Not good. Pretty bad actually. They didn't initially know they were throwing fan blades until after a couple of accidents. when they started to be more common they would retrieve the aircraft from the water (if in large enough pieces and then investigate the cause.

Compressor Stall - The actual biggest issue with the F-14 Tomcat and its TF30 engines is the compressor stalling. They literally happened all the time from a variety of different causes. Generally speaking, the compressor stalls were the result of disruption to the airflow into the compressor of the engine. The compressor has fan blades that require the airflow to be undisturbed for maximum efficiency. It was theorized to be the result of foreign object debris (FOD) ingestion into the engines. They check religiously for loose objects on the airplanes as a result, oftentimes having a crew member dive into the intake ducts to check for loose bolts. Additionally, compressor stalls could be caused by operating the aircraft outside of its limits, improper handling, etc.

The F-14 had a gated afterburner, meaning it had 5 “gates” inside of the afterburner and each one lit up a flame rack. There was no variable thrust, so it had to be either on or off. Each of the five racks was labeled as a zone. Zone 3 is what they were allowed to take off with. Coming in or out of afterburner with any angle or attack would cause the compressor to immediately stall. This was mostly due to poor design of the intake.

In general, approximately 30% of F-14A losses were attributed to high-altitude compressor stalls. When one engine stalls, more often than not it will induce the other engine to stall as well. There is a procedure to counteract the compressor stall, the specific protocol was to ease the amount of Gs, slow down, the T.I.T. would go crazy and you shut it down. Or in fighter pilot slang, “ease, slow cook it, shut it down.”

One incident in particular that was assumed to be caused by engine failure resulted in an explosion that looked so bad it was a miracle the pilot and RIO survived (see image below). The pilot escaped with minor burns to his hands, face, and neck and was able to fly within a couple of weeks. The RIO sustained more serious burns on his hands but was flying again after several weeks.

Not Touching Them For Two Days - True story; they flew best when they were used a lot.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

As the number of cancelled WestJet flights continues to climb over the Canada Day long weekend, the head of the union representing the airline's striking mechanics is pledging to continue the work stoppage until a new contract deal is reached. Bret Oestreich, president of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), told Reuters the two sides will reconvene with a mediator on Sunday, but the strike will continue during the talks. "All we want to do is to go back to the table," said Oestreich. "The strike will be in effect until we get an agreement." In an emailed update to CBC News Sunday afternoon, WestJet said 832 flights had been cancelled so far, including 78 flights scheduled for Monday, July 1, and three flights scheduled for Tuesday, July 2. [...] WestJet claims the deal would have made employees the best-paid airplane mechanics in the country, but the union says the final offer was more than 30 per cent below the prevailing rate of North American carriers — also citing outsourcing, scheduling and layoff protection as central issues in the bargaining process. Roughly 97 per cent of its members cast a ballot against the deal.

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Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[be-with-me-so-happily]

There At The Box

ONE SHOT

|| Prev - The Grammys ||

Summary: After reuniting at the Grammys, it is now time for the Brit awards, where Harry has been nominated for four. He has invited YN to join him, and she will do whatever it takes to be there for him, as long as she can make it.

A/N: Finally got this out, over a week later. But it's here. Legitimately didn't think there'd be a part 2, but how could I not when our boy won 4 for 4 Brits?!?!

Warnings: Some explicit language, airport troubles, alcohol consumption

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"I'm sorry Ms. YLN, but we had to delay the flight."

You pinch the bridge of your nose, doing your best to take deep breaths and not completely lose it on this innocent attendant.

"How long will it take?"

"I'm…not entirely sure. It could potentially take a couple of hours…"

"This isn't happening." You mumble, throwing your face down into your palms as you sit there, helpless, in your seat on the airplane. "Diana, Peter, can you do anything? Please tell me you can do something."

Your manager and assistant give each other worried looks and it makes your heart sink.

Unfortunately, you had a prior commitment earlier in the day in Edinburgh, but told him that you would fly out as soon as it was done. You planned to have your outfit, plus hair and makeup teams, there on board with you and head straight to the venue from the airport. Everything seemed to be scheduled out nicely and going accordingly. Until now, that is. Because the jet you had managed to rent seems to be having some sort of mechanical issue, and is keeping you from being exactly where you want to be. Right by Harry.

You just got back with Harry, practically six days ago. He somehow, through the magic that comes from him being Harry Styles, managed to get you a seat at his table for The Brits. You were so honored, and happy, and excited that he wanted you there with him, and there's nowhere else you'd rather be.

"We're working on it, YN."

"There's just not much-" Peter gets interrupted by a swift elbow to his side by Diana.

"We're working on it."

You're never a diva, at least you try your hardest not to be, but this is the one moment you wish you had the capacity to demand that everything gets fixed and figured out so that you can get what you want.

"I know you're trying." You sigh. "Just… let me down easy once you know for sure."

You stand as best you can on the airplane, while your stylist zips up your dress and your makeup artist applies things to your face during commercial breaks.

Everyone around you is already buzzing over Harry's first win of the night, for Best Pop Act, when Peter begins to hush them down and turn up the volume on the television. It's the second award Harry's nominated for, and you're already on the edge of your nerves.

"So the Brit Awards goes to…" Lucien Laviscourt begins, asking his co-star for a drumroll as he opens the envelope. "The man that just does not stop. Harry Styles."

The camera shows Harry's head drop and a wide grin immediately appear on his face. He yells a little 'lets go' as he stands up and makes his way to the stage. You can tell his emotions are already building as he looks down at his second award.

"Umm, thank you again. Umm… I wanna start by, umm, I wanna thank my family for being the most supportive, understanding, patient, loving, umm, family that I could've ever asked for."

He goes on to thank his mum, and the crowd goes wild when he mentions the other members of One Direction. As if you weren't already gutted to be missing out, that part pains you. To be there in that moment would be absolutely thrilling, and if it were not now safely carrying you and your team to the destination you so desperately want to be at, you'd be cursing the plane for making you late.

"I'm really, really grateful for this and I'm very aware of my privilege up here tonight, so this award is for Rina, Charley, Florence, Mabel, and Becky. Thank you so much."

Your eyes water as he mentions his 'privilege' and honors the women who were looked over for nominations in that category. If ever there were to be someone, other than one of them, to win, of course it should be him. He is such an ally, and supporter, and even though you don't feel as if he should apologize for winning, your heart is so warmed at how humble he is. How willing he is to give the spotlight to someone else.

The group cheers on for the next few awards, and you join in when Wet Leg wins their second. Shouts ring out when Harry wins this third Brit award for Song of the Year.

With each win, or even glimpse you get of Harry, your heart is torn further into two. You're so proud of him, and happy for him, but you are also simultaneously filling up with guilt that you can't be alongside him, or even just in the room, to support him. You know he won't be mad. You know it's not your fault, and he will understand. But you can't stop it.

The entire cabin of people laugh as Harry walks off stage to kiss Lewis Capaldi, and as the jet finally pulls into the hanger. But you can't help the sadness it's causing alongside the joy.

Finally in the car, and on your way from the airport, you huddle between Diana and Peter as Stanley Tucci presents the nominees for Album of the Year.

"And the winner is…" Stanley opens the envelope and takes a big breath, you holding your own as your hand squeezes the phone. "Harry Styles. Harry's House."

The three of you scream out, watching from behind the screen, as Harry heads back to the stage, for his fourth and final time.

Tears begin to form and Peter quickly hands you a tissue to not ruin the hard work your team put into your makeup look.

You watch on, as he hugs and laughs with Stanley, expressing how much he loves him as soon as he lifts the microphone. All the emotions, and probably a small amount of alcohol, fueling his bright smile.

"This, uh… this night has been really, really special to me and I will never forget it. Thank you so much for the welcome home, I appreciate it so much. There is no place like home. Thank you, thank you, thank you." He takes a breath for a moment as he looks down to the crowd of fans and peers, causing you to feel that even though his mind is most surely swirling around, that this moment is really sinking in. But what's sinking in more and more for you is the fact that you aren't there. "I’m so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world. I’m so proud to be here tonight celebrating British artists and British music. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m gonna hand it over to Tom and Tyler. Thank you so much for this, I’m so grateful. Thank you.”

You hand the phone to Diana, watery eyes and a smile displayed on your face. You missed it. In person, at least. But, as pained as it makes you, you are still going to show up for him. And you are going to celebrate with him the rest of the night.

"Well, to the after party it is."

You make a mental note to give your styling teams extra long vacations soon, because their magic has enabled your hair to stay in place and the usual stress-induced sweat to stay at bay.

You do what you can to catch your breath as you prepare to step out from the back seat of the car, and head into The Box.

A deep breath, followed by another, and as soon as the door swings open you are bombarded with bright flashes of light.

Your security guard guides you inside and it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, and your ears to adjust to all the new noise.

Instantly, and almost instinctively, your attention is drawn to that beautiful, loud laugh that you know so well, and you barely make out the figure of a very happy Harry Styles, beaming from the events of the night. All the sadness, guilt, and pain melt seeing him so joyful, and is replaced with pride. Pride, and the desperate need to be by him now.

You push your way through the crowd, and as you find yourself a few feet from Harry, who has yet to see you, your body is halted as Lizzo stands in front of you.

"Hey honey!" She exclaims, exuberantly. You attempt to glance past her for a moment, and when you look back you find her expression has quickly changed. "I thought you were gonna be at the award ceremony, what happened?"

"Don't even get me started…" You begin to scowl at how things unfolded earlier, but quickly wave it off, not wanting to slip back into that negativity. Especially since you're there now.

"Damn. Well, I missed you!" She states, wrapping her arms around you. Another glimpse of Harry sets your heart fluttering as you pull away from your friend's embrace. "Harry really missed you."

"I'm here now." You reply.

"YN… he's a little drunk…"

You let out a loud laugh, finding humor in the fact that it doesn't come as a shock to you.

"I figured as much."

"Yeah but, like… he was really bummed you weren't there." She replies, as solemnly as possible in such a loud, vibrant atmosphere. "And he had a few to drink…"

"Okay…"

You glance past her again and this time meet Harry's gaze. You give Lizzo a quick smile and maneuver around her, rushing up to him and wrapping your arms around his neck, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Hey there superstar! I'm so proud of you!" You exclaim, pulling back to meet his gorgeous, yet glazed over, green eyes.

"You didn't come." He states, a frown appearing between his brows.

Your eyes grow wide and your heart stops. That was not even close to a reaction you thought he would have. You smile though, hoping to ease the tension that you feel coming on.

"I'm sorry. The-"

"You didn't come!" He repeats suddenly, the furrow between his eyes becoming even more intense, causing a tightening in your chest.

"Harry… I was trying…"

"You coulda told me you weren't coming."

"I was trying! I texted you, Gemma, and Jeff!" You scoff, crossing your arms over your chest.

"I was a little busy…"

"I know, Harry." You reply through gritted teeth. You understand that alcohol is playing a role here, but his attitude is still not warranted. But this must be what Lizzo was trying to tell you. Or potentially warn you about.

Harry shakes his head and looks to the ground, the frown almost permanent on his face.

"This was supposed to be an amazing night." He sighs, swirling around the contents in the glass he has in his hand.

"What the hell? You just won four Brit awards! How is this not an amazing night?"

"You should've been there." He scowls, causing your jaw to clench and your entire body to tense.

"This isn't fair."

"No. It's not." He runs his free hand through his hair, annoying you in the way that it still manages to fall back into place perfectly. Especially at this moment.

"I think… I think you should walk away." You utter, your heart hurting and your eyes beginning to water.

"Fine." He quickly replies, turning around as fast as the words left his mouth, and walking in the complete opposite direction of where you stand.

You could fall over right there, feeling as if you were just punched in the gut. This is not how that moment was supposed to go. Or this night. It was not even a consideration that he would be upset. You thought he would understand, but he didn't even let you explain.

So, not only were you not able to be there to cheer him on when he won, but now you aren't even able to celebrate with him at the party. A sinking feeling enters your mind. One that causes your feet to instantly head in the direction of the exit.

The worry you had, before the breakup, comes creeping back in. What if he thinks this is too difficult to do with you?

Your plan for escape was foiled before you even made it to the front door. Rhian and Hester from Wet Leg managed to grab your attention, by grabbing your arm, and pulled you into their conversation with the rest of the band.

It's not that you really minded talking with them, especially since you wanted to extend your congratulations anyway, but your mind keeps wandering back to your conversation with Harry. The interaction has left you in a less than ideal mood for celebrations.

Your eyes wander around the room, and land on the man you always seem to want to find in a crowd. Your breath hitches when you see he is looking right back at you. The expression on his face is no longer of anger, or frustration, or whatever he was feeling that left you two needing some space. Now, his features have softened, but still don't display any positivity.

Rhian's laugh catches your attention again, and you turn back to focus on the conversation unfolding in front of you. At least the people close by are happy you're there.

You suddenly feel a presence appear next to you and turn to the side to see Harry's saddened expression meet yours.

"Hello friends! Congratulations again." He states, removing his arm and embracing each of them for a moment.

"Thank you Harry! For everything!" Rhian giggles, turning to Hester as they gush over how unbelievable their wins were. You remember that feeling. It really doesn't change, even when you win another award, and you love seeing how happy they are. They deserve a fun night. Truthfully, so does Harry. So you decide to return to your previous plan of getting out of there.

"I think I'm going to call it a night everyone." You state, keeping your gaze on the girls, but noticing Harry's shoot right over to you.

You give them all a hug, shooting a polite smile to the man next to you, and turn to head to the exit.

You feel an arm snake around your waist and squeeze your side, which makes you slow your speed dramatically.

"Can I have a moment with you…" Harry whispers, his lips close enough to your ear that you feel his breath on your neck and it makes you shudder. "Before you go? Please?"

You manage a nod and let him guide you to a corner that seems to be a lot less crowded, and a tiny bit more quiet.

He stands in front of you, leaning against the wall beside him, and drops his head.

"YN, I'm…" He sighs, rubbing one hand against the back of his neck. His eyes flicker up to yours, and you determine that the expression you saw earlier was one of sadness. "I'm… I'm really, really sorry."

Surprise fills you, because so does frustration.

"Harry, I don't think you know how much I wanted to be there for you tonight! My damn flight got delayed and we tried everything to get here on time!" You exclaim, your breathing labored due to your quick response.

"I know. Peter just told me." He replies quietly, dropping his head again to look down at the floor.

"But you should've listened to me. I thought we were going to talk about things when they bothered us, but you wouldn't even hear my simple explanation for why I wasn't there tonight! How is this even going to work between us if this happens not even a week after we get back together?" You blurt out.

Harry immediately straightens up and your chest tightens. You didn't mean to let that all out. Not there at least. But, you promised to communicate with him and if he isn't going to, then you will. Although, you never truly meant to question the reunion of your relationship.

"Fuck, YN, I'm so fucking sorry." He answers, a shakiness and hint of worry in his voice. "It was a crazy night. I was so grateful when I won, and genuinely happy that I did, but each time I got sad that you weren't there. And… maybe I got a little worried."

"About what?"

"That… it's so fucking stupid… that you changed your mind about coming because… maybe you changed your mind about me."

He pulls his lips inward and closes his eyes, giving you a moment to cover your mouth in an attempt to hide the unintentional laugh that threatens to come out. You don't mean to, but you find it funny that after your little confession at the Grammys, he would question whether you still want to be with him. And that you had the same worry about him.

"Harry…" Your palms cup his cheeks, holding his face in front of yours, waiting for him to open his eyes. "Hey…"

He pries them open slowly, and you can feel his body relax under your touch.

"There was, and is, nowhere else I'd rather be than by your side, cheering you on." You smile, swiftly being matched by his delicious, dimpled grin.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have… reacted that way. And I should've listened. I'm an idiot. I just missed you. So much." He states, moving his hands to grab your waist and drawing you closer to him. "So, so much."

"I missed you too." You bite your lower lip. "But we have got to be better about talking to each other."

"I know. I will. We will." He sighs with a small smile, and his nervousness makes you giggle.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too. This really is an amazing night."

"Good." You place your hands in his chest, tracing the outline of the tattoos peeking out from his top. "But you know… I am still a little upset with you about something…"

His eyes go wide with shock and maybe even a little guilt, which you quickly want to squash.

"I saw you kiss Lewis, and then Stanley Tucci!"

Harry's expression immediately changes as he lets out that loud laugh that you can only fall in love with more each time you hear it.

"Well, you weren't there…" He shrugs, taking a sip of his drink as his gaze flickers down to your lips.

"Hm. I think I need to take back what's mine." You immediately reply, feeling a heat and need for him quickly growing inside. "Let's leave."

"What?" He chuckles, staring into your eyes as if to gauge your sincerity. You give him as lustful a look as you can, without being too obvious, and another grin quickly appears across his face. "Let me finish my dri-"

"Take it with you…" You whisper, your fingers traveling up the nape of his neck into his curly locks. You lick your lips, leaning closer to his, and press them firmly together.

"Jeff?" Harry shouts, swiveling around to find his friend. "Call the car. We're heading out!"

Main Masterlist

•••

If you like what I post, and want to just send some extra support, I have a ko-fi account. Even the smallest amount is greatly appreciated. There is no obligation or expectation to donate, because I am honestly just so grateful that you're here! 💗 Bee xx

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If your name is blue, I couldn't tag you

[chlorinecake]

𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐬𝐚 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐 — a riki nishimura fanfic

𑁍 ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: things don’t exactly go as planned regarding your flight, leading to you crossing paths with the mysterious airport security agent once again

⚡︎ ᴄᴡ: swearing, mentions of food and anxiety, flirty behaviors (duh), mildly suggestive nuances, ft. HANNI from nwjns

♡ ᴡᴄ: 1.2k ~ read pt. 1, pt. 3, and pt. 4 here

You double checked your boarding ticket just to make sure you were headed in the right direction. “Gate 11A, boarding begins at 11:45am, seat number 34B,” you mumbled to yourself as if jotting down a mental reminder. It was currently 11:58am, and your anxiety was on the brink of explosion. You thought to control your breathing again, but that would only slow you down. After another minute of rushing around the airport had passed, you finally found your boarding gate. However, to both your luck and misfortune, the flight was announced “delayed.”

You sighed, returning to the airport lobby.

Looking around for an idle seating lane, you took a corner seat while you waited for the attendance speaker to call you up again. That’s when you spot the TSA agent from earlier as he makes his way over, helping himself to the empty seat beside you.

How wonderful.

“What? Did they finally fire you?” You asked sarcastically.

“Hello, to you, too. And no, I’m just on my lunch break.”

“So you decided to sit by me?”

“I decided to sit in a chair.” He flashed you a phony smile before digging into his lunch bag, pulling out a plastic container of gyoza and another container of fruit salad.

“Want some? I’m sure you’re hungry, and these are really good, too” he offered, bringing one of the saucy dumplings to your mouth with chopsticks.

“No, thanks,” you lied, crossing your legs.

Of course you were hungry, but that didn’t mean you wanted to take any of his food for yourself.

“No, seriously, I don’t mind,” he continued, as if reading your thoughts. “Just try it. For me. Please?” He pleaded, pouting with his puppy eyes.

Ugh, why did he have to be so cute?

You gave in, parting your lips as he airplane fed you one of his dumplings, taking about half of the filled treat into your mouth in one bite.

Flavors of savory pork and warm spices greeted your tastebuds, the soft slippery dough melting in your mouth.

You closed your eyes, saying a small prayer to yourself in hopes that he didn’t poison you, although it'd be totally worth it for the taste.

He must’ve did something similar, because you noticed him mutter a phrase to himself before taking the other half of the dumpling in his mouth.

You tried to ignore the fact that he just ate after you, a complete stranger.

“So.” He began in between a few bites. “Where’re you headed?”

“Paris, France.”

“For love?”

“Work, actually.”

“Perfect!”

“Why’s that?”

“They put extra melon on my salad! I love melons!” He smiled into the next fork full of colorful fruit, eyeing you playfully.

You moved to zip up your hoodie all the way, assuming that his apparent ‘love for melons’ was nothing more than a sly innuendo. “You’re so sus,” you remarked.

“Not at all. My parents raised me to be a gentleman. I wouldn’t dare disrespect a lady’s modesty.”

“Right, because you’d rather swipe her panties instead,” you retorted sharply.

Fuck, you’re being rude again.

A loud silence enveloped the space between you too, not that there was much space to begin with anyway considering the closely situated chairs. He looked down at his food, before meeting your eyes again.

“I didn’t take them, y’know?”

His deep, and serious tone startled you as a sincere expression wavered over his face. The feeling of butterflies crowded your stomach right before static from the loud speaker broke the moment:

“Attention all travelers. Due to aircraft related mechanical issues, all flights scheduled between the hours of 11am and 1pm are canceled. We are offering full ticket refunds or flight rescheduling options at the check-in office located at the front of the building. We apologize again for the inconvenience and ask for your patience and understanding as we return your belongings and work toward serving you better. Thank you and good day.”

The speaker voice cut out.

This can’t be happening right now.

Riki busied himself with putting away his lunch before getting up to leave.

Something in you wanted him to stay.

“Hey, where’re you going,” you stood up and asked, fighting the urge to follow him.

“Aww, miss me already, huh? That’s sweet,” he kept walking.

“I forgot your name!”

“It’s Riki.”

“Riki,” you said again quietly to yourself, making another mental note from this hectic day.

“The one and only!” He chimed gleefully.

His long legs carried him at wide strides, so he was already at the elevator by time he looked back to see your face just one last time.

“Oh, and by the way, check the lost and found,” he smirked before entering the elevator, the shiny metal doors closing swiftly behind him.

………………………………………………………………………………….

You notified your boss and told him that you wouldn’t be able to make it in time for the business meeting in Paris tomorrow. Surprisingly, he settled for you to attend the conference meeting virtually instead. After talking with your boss, you texted your friend Hanni to see if she was willing to pick you up from the airport. You weren’t fond of most Uber drivers except this one guy named Noah. His car always smelled like peaches, and he never made you feel uncomfortable during a ride. Though, the con about Noah was that he charged a lot for his services, so Hanni was your only hope.

1:06pm

Hanniiii

1:08pm

Hiya! How’s the flight?

1:08pm

Cancelled 🥲

read

1:11pm

Would you be willing to pick me up?¿?

1:12pm

Dunno, are u willing to pay me 🤑

1:13pm

AppleCash: ____ has sent you $50!!

For la gas :>

1:13pm

Love you lots! OMW!

You knew it would take a while before Hanni arrived, so in the meantime, you decided to check the lost and found bin like Riki had told you to. Or, more specifically, the TSA security checkpoint area, where ‘missing’ and ‘confiscated’ items are held. Though, you weren't expecting anything in particular, you hoped to find the light blue panties you left behind earlier.

A nearby staff member helped you find the area in question, where you were left to search for whatever it was Riki wanted you to find. It didn’t take long before you noticed the lace underwear neatly tucked away inside a clear plastic bag, folded the exact same way. A feeling of guilt rushed over you as you remembered how rudely you spoke to Riki. You felt silly for letting yourself get so upset about something so simple. You further inspected the bag, only to find a yellow handwritten note taped to the back. “_____,” it read, with a smiley face beside it.

He remembered your name.

You took a deep breath before reading the message.

Holy crap, he gave you his number—

Buzz. Buzz.

Your phone vibrated in your pocket. It was probably Hanni, letting you know that she was here.

Riki was proving to have a strong effect on you. It was all the little things he’d done in such a short time frame that made such an impact on everything around you.

You eventually exited the airport at 1:38pm, with your sage green suitcase, empty stomach, and love letter from the mysterious TSA agent accompanying you. Making your way to Hanni’s car, you tossed your belongings in her trunk and sat in the front seat. “Telepatía” by Kali Uchis played quietly from the stereo as she hummed along to the upbeat melody. “You never fail to amuse me, Hanni,” you proclaimed, buckling your seat belt. She drove around the parking lot, taking a short cut to avoid the traffic ridden afternoon highway, turning up the song.

“Saur,” she began with her warm Australian accent.

“Wanna get dumplings?”

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

Tag list: @microwvdstrawb3rri3s @ashgonedash @hachimarii @beomgyusonlywife @vixen-vivien @suganing @clxudysky3z

ᴀ/ɴ 𓂋 thanks for reading! as some of you may know, the first part of this story was intended to be a one shot, but when the people ask, i deliver!! anyways, i hope you all enjoyed this piece! ~ love always <3

[unhappycylinder]

My Lucky Charm (Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal x Reader)

Description: As an aircraft mechanic, it's your job to keep the planes in pristine condition, but Rosie makes your job difficult for more reasons than one

No warnings, just mutual pining and some kissing!

-

It wouldn’t work. No matter how hard you tried, the rudder just simply would not work. The German’s had shot the B-17 to shit just the day before, leaving Rosie and his crew limping home in a plane missing a critical flight control. 

As a flight mechanic, fixing up these planes as quickly and efficiently as possible was your sole responsibility. No matter what condition they were brought back to you in, you had to find a way. 

And boy did these pilots like to bring them back in less than ideal conditions.

It was one of his first missions though, so you had to cut him some slack for completely severing all connection between the rudder and the flight deck. What you would never forgive him for, however, was the endless climbing up, around, over, and through the B-17 that this repair necessitated.

At this particular moment, you found yourself perched on the tail of the plane, one leg on either side of the fuselage, as you were hunched over desperately trying to attach the rudder cable to its hook.

“Seems I left her in pretty bad shape,” the familiar Brooklyn accent chimed from behind you. 

You sighed, stretching your back as you unfurled yourself and turned around to meet Rosie’s gaze, smiling at the lieutenant who stood below you on the tarmac.

“You could say that again,” you joked, smiling down at him as you ran a hand through your hair.

“Need some help?” He asked, taking his hands out of his pockets, “what’s the trouble?”

You hummed, using your wrench to gesture to the tail of the plane, “rudder cable isn’t wanting to attach…and when it does, it won’t take inputs from the yoke”

“Hm,” Rosie squinted, moving to stand alongside the airplane, hands on his hips as his elbows threatened to graze your leg while you both stared at the exposed tail.

You turned back to the plane, fiddling with the cables as Rosie watched from below.

“Oh!” You exclaimed, feeling something snap into place, “oh my god,”

“Did you do it?” Rosie asked excitedly.

“You must be my lucky charm, Rosenthal,” you beamed at him, the relief of finally finishing your repairs for the day washing over you.

“Nah,” Rosie shook his head, blushing at the ground, “you’re just the best mechanic we got around here”

Sliding off the fuselage, you landed mere inches from him on the tarmac.

This proximity was foreign to you and Rosie. Sure, you had exchanged smiles, salutes, and handshakes in between missions and repairs, but you had never been this close to each other, mere inches separating you. Staring up at his blue eyes, you tried your best to keep the blush on your cheeks at bay, but that was a lost cause because Rosie definitely noticed your face turning a little more crimson than it was just a few seconds earlier.

He smiled, blue moons staring down at you with pride, “I think I owe you one after this, Y/N”

“I’ll hold you to that,” you smiled.

-

One day later and you were sat in the truck with Lemmons awaiting the return of the 100th bomb group. The summer sun was beating down on your exposed skin as you reclined in the truck bed, your coveralls tied around your waist, an army-issued tank top covering your chest.

“I hear them” Lemmons perked up, starting the truck engine and waking you up from whatever daze you were in. Shaking yourself awake, you jumped into the passenger seat as Lemmons drove the truck down the tarmac to the runway.

Quickly, smoke and the sound of sputtering engines filled the sky, but only one plane was headed for the runway. Flying a shaky final approach, smoke trailed from almost all of the engines, flak decorating every surface on the warbird.

A sense of panic settled over the entire base as the CO’s scanned the horizon for more planes and every available mechanic rushed to the badly damaged aircraft. As you and Lemmons got closer you recognize the craft, its Rosie, and as much as you hated to admit it, you felt nothing but relief for a brief second.

Cutting through the grass and parking in front of the plane, the mechanics and medics got to work immediately. You ran to the left wing, clamboring on top of it and purging the engines of any oil and fuel which might cause a fire. 

Beneath you, men with missing limbs and gushing wounds were being carried from the plane and carted off to the infirmary. You found yourself distracted from your work, glancing at each of the men and returning dutifully when you didn’t recognize any of them as Rosie. 

Then, hunched over from beneath the wing, he appeared. Rosie’s sweat-covered curls caught the sun as he glanced at the carnage happening around his beloved plane, his shoulders tense and his uniform covered in soot. 

“Rosie” you gasped, sliding off the wing and landing near him. His gaze remained transfixed on the world around him.

You reached up, gently placing a hand on his cheek and turning his face to look at you.

“Rosie,” you whispered, his eyes finally connecting with yours, “are you hurt?”

He shook his head, his normally concentrated and thoughtful eyes darkened with fury and confusion. Still cupping his cheek, you rubbed gentle circles with your thumb, attempting desperately to bring the pilot back down to earth.

“You made it Rosie, you’re okay, your crew is gonna be okay…and you brought her back to me in one piece,” you forced a chuckle, hoping to break him from this trance.

“Yeah,” he nodded frantically, moreso in an attempt to keep himself from breaking than in response to you.

 “Rosie I-” you began, reaching for him with your other hand. Just then, two medics came and swept him away. 

As they walked, his head snapped up and his blue eyes locked with yours. He seemed to send a soft smile your way, but he was tucked into a truck before you could read his expression. 

-

New pilots arrived the very next day, flooding the barracks with their freshly minted canvas bags, neatly pressed uniforms, and unwavering American confidence…and you hated it. 

For five days you had entertained the cockiness of the new blood, putting up with the cat-calls and demeaning comments that flooded your ears whenever they walked by a plane you were working on.

Its not like this wasn’t commonplace…it was how most of the men at Thorpe Abbotts treated you…it just wasn’t how Rosie treated you.

You’d be lying to yourself if you said you hadn’t noticed his absence. He had been sent to a recovery facility, affectionately called the Flak House by everyone on base, and had been AWOL from your life for five days. It was taking a toll on you that you never could have foreseen.

Rosie’s anger in his eyes when he crawled out from under that wing, the potential smile he directed to you as he got into the medic truck, and the proximity you shared when you were fixing his plane the other day all played through your head like scenes in a film that you couldn’t turn off. 

The worst part was, you had no idea when you’d see him again…if you’d see him again…but you just couldn’t get him off your mind. Not only was he the most handsome man on base, he was the only one who treated you with respect, and you’d be an idiot to not have feelings for him.

-

The company band tried their best to play Glen Miller in the dance hall, lively trumpet solos making up for the lack of a clarinet at the base. It was Saturday night, which meant it was alight with chipper airmen and poorly crafted wartime cocktails, and you found yourself at the heart of it.

Pilots, naviagators, bombardiers and the like swarmed the hall in droves, dancing and chatting with the handful of ladies who worked at the base. Seated at a table with one of the other female mechanics, you couldn’t help but laugh at the airmen as they failed to hold their alcohol. 

The new boys came up to your table one after another, seemingly failing to recognize you out of your coveralls, exchanging the cat-calls and insults for flirtations and compliments. Of course, you brushed them off, because even though you’d love to put one of those show-offs in their place and embarrass him on the dance floor, you couldn’t bring yourself to dance with any of the aviators except one. 

You let them buy you drinks and sit at the empty seat at your table, shooting knowing glances at your fellow mechanic each time they said something stupid. And before you knew it, the hall was starting to clear out. All that remained were a few couples on the dance floor, a handful of the new pilots swirling their whiskeys at the bar, and a group of beaten-up Thorpe veterans seated in leather armchairs in the corner. 

Sipping the last of your drink, your eyes drifted to the doorway where a very put together man in slacks and a dark leather jacket was walking in.

The man walked to the group in the leather chairs, squeezing each one on the shoulder as he passed them before making a beeline for your table.

“Y/N,” the other mechanic said, “Rosie’s back”

Her voice faded into the music as your eyes finally focused on the dark-haired man in front of you. His eyes were clear, his mutache neatly trimmed, and an uncontrollable smile stretched across his face, accentuating his smile lines.

You stared up at him, not caring about the deep blush you felt creeping onto your cheeks, or the smile you felt threatening your lips.

“I think I owed you one, Y/L/N,” his voice was music to your ears.

“I think you’re right, Rosenthal,” you smiled.

He offered his hand, helping you stand up before walking you to the bar, his hand moving to gently graze your back as you walked.

Ordering you both a drink, Rosie smiled at you as he leaned against the bar. He opened his mouth to speak when a new song started playing…it was Artie Shaw…and if anyone knows anything about Robert Rosenthal, its that he loves Artie Shaw.

“Dance with me, will ya?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing as he held out a hand.

You nodded, taking his hand once again and following him to the dancefloor. Keeping your hands together, his other hand snaked around your back and rested on your hip. You moved your free hand up his chest and onto his shoulder. 

Rosie blushed, that same smirk forming on his lips.

“Before I left…right after we landed and we were talking under the wing…what were you about to say?” He asked, blue eyes staring down at you.

“Oh…” you blushed, avoididng his gaze.

“Come on Y/N,” he smiled playfully, “tell me”

“I can’t, its embarrassing,” you laughed, afraid to tell him what you had been dying to confess for days.

He got closer to you, his breath tickling your neck as he whispered into your ear, “please, tell me what you were gonna say”

“Rosie,” you turned to look at him, his face mere inches from yours.

“I-” you began, deciding it was now or never, “I was gonna tell you that I was so relieved when you came home safe because…because I was so worried about you, and I didn’t want to lose you before I had the chance to tell you that I-”

Rosie’s eyes stayed transfixed on your lips as you spoke, a smirk returning to his face. 

You struggled to get the words out, completely overwhelmed by Rosie’s intoxicating presence.

“Y/N,” he whispered.

“Hm?” You hummed, staring into his eyes.

“I think you’re my lucky charm too,” he smiled as his hand left yours to cup your cheek.

You blushed, eyes closing as Rosie leaned down and caught your lips in his, capturing you in a gentle kiss that sent your mind reeling with emotion.

Pulling away, you beamed at each other as Rosie spoke, “I’ve been dying to do that”

“Rosie,” you raised your eyebrows, “you and me both”

Tucking your head into his chest, you and Rosie swayed until the band stopped playing and the hall closed down for the night. This was going to make work a lot more complicated.

-

[oldgayjew]

Attention parents of college students ...

... how many Trade School students are involved in these mindless showcases of outside agitators stirring up unrest and violence ... while they take your young mind-numbed party-goers and show them how great it is to waste Mom and Dad's tuition cash on '70's style protests that do nothing to change or solve any issue ... but the colleges still get paid so they don't really care ...

Get 'em outta college and teach 'em to be plumbers, welders, carpenters, electricians, auto mechanics, HVAC workers, airplane mechanics or any other trade that is needed in today's world ...

They don't really need a B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. to get an honest job ...

[wanderinginksplot]

Guys, The Whale was so good.

I already figured I would like it because I love the inspirational stuff in the background about Brendan Fraser's return and everything, but I wasn't ready.

I avoided this movie for so long, partially because I wasn't ready to see the inevitable mocking of a fat character, especially one whose mental health is so precarious.

(Slight spoilers for The Whale below)

But there was none of that. Brendan Fraser played a morbidly obese man with grace and kindness - something I've never seen before. Charlie is unfailingly optimistic, even in horrendous circumstances, and patient with literally every other character. It was stunning.

I think it's worth noting that the person who is the harshest to Charlie is himself. His daughter is an asshole, but her comments are nothing compared to the way Charlie talks about himself. When people see him for the first time, they often seem surprised, but they don't mock him. That felt so much more real and impactful.

The only character who truly says that Charlie is 'disgusting' is ambiguous about whether he's talking about Charlie's weight or his past relationship with a man.

Charlie's falls and struggles to get around are shown as the dangers they really are instead of being treated like a joke. He is shown binge-eating a few times, but it's never portrayed comedically, just as an unhealthy coping mechanism. (One could say the same thing about Liz's smoking.) He's even shown using a variety of accessibility tools to navigate life in his apartment!

And the reveal about the writer of the essay? Wow. Movies don't make me overly emotional, but the end had me crying on an airplane.

Anyway, I'm not sure that I have a point. I just really loved the movie and I loved the way obesity was treated as a serious issue without falling into victim-blaming or snide comments about Charlie's eating habits. I understand that the writer based it on his own experiences as a obese man with an eating disorder, and I think that made it feel so much more sincere.

Btw, the next line in the scene at the top of this post is, "People are amazing." This emotionally scarred, self-hating, deeply depressed man still sees the beauty in humanity. And that kills me every time.

The Whale was lovely and heartwarming and I am emotionally compromised.

You should watch it.

[pomrania]

If you don't already know, @prokopetz is hosting a thing this month, where people are making 200-word RPGs. Here's some I thought were cool, and my commentary on them; in order of how they showed up in daily compilations. Disclaimer that I'm finding these entirely based on the compilation posts, which only show the title and the creator, so there's a chance I'm missing something I'd thought was really cool, simply because I didn't remember what it was called.

Bun Chaos by @nyalaholic This one just seems delightful. I always love stuff where the literal premise is "you are little creatures, and causing problems on purpose"; and everyone loves "stats that rhyme" (or at least I do, and that's what's most important when we're looking at my opinion). A thing I particularly thought was cool, was using a d20 to put a "time limit" (really more of a "rounds limit") on the game. Also, how the points are for the group total, because what really matters is "how much chaos was caused" and not "who did what".

Crushing It by @writemeasandwich I would never play this game myself, because folding paper into any shape more complicated than a basic paper airplane, makes my eyes glaze over, and also I have slow reflexes. However, I am glad that it exists, and it seems like it would be tremendous fun to watch; probably also to play, for people who don't have my particular issues. I enjoy the bit about "more dots shown is better, unless it's the most dots shown, in which case you want to avoid it".

Knock Knock, Cthul-Who's There? by @bookoramaenderteeth This one goes on the list because I absolutely ADORE the premise, it's just so GOOD. And also I like the mental image of just calling up some unrelated person and having them listen to the stuff you came up with.

Raccoons and Goblins by @kaninchen-reblogs Honestly pretty much ANYTHING where you play as raccoons and goblins would prolly make it on here. The gameplay seems pretty generic, which, there's only so much you can put into a thing when you're limited to 200 words, but 'generic' also means 'functional' (absolutely not a given with these kinds of weird games). Within that though, I love how the "goblin" actions all start with G, and the "raccoon" actions all start with R; incredibly basic stuff that just makes my brain happy. I like the bit about most of the 'actions' you choose are from your own list, plus one from the other list.

VAMPIRE DANCE FLOOR (not sure if it's supposed to be all caps, or if that was just to emphasize the title) by @danacarajb First off I always love stuff where there's various 'traditional' monsters; that's like a cheat code for my brain. But aside from that, the STRUCTURE of this is fascinating, how each type of monster has a different win condition, and WHAT the win condition is for each of them; they're all things that make sense for that type of monster, AND work within the mechanics. I think this is my favourite of the games from the first day, but I genuinely can't say how much of that is from its own quality, and how much is because it aligns with my tastes.

And I think that's where I'll stop for now, to post it, because I don't want this to just stay forever in my "I'll finish it eventually", and also there's a nice clear cut-off point of "this is the stuff from the first day".

[thisisyourauthorspeaking]

How To Write A Plane Crash

So. Your blorbos are on a plane, and something horrible needs to happen during that flight for the plot to move forward. Let's talk about it first.

- Does it even need to be a crash?

TL;DR: Plane crashes are very rare, and most of the time, when something happens, the solution is to Just Land The Plane.

First things first, consider why exactly this plot calls for a plane crash. Are you killing off a character(s)? Does the cast get stuck in the wilderness? Is it a canon event?

If it isn't something to that tune, then some possibilities that may better suit the plot include:

Diversion, where the airplane lands at a different airport because it can't land at the originally planned airport for any number of reasons. There is no imminent danger to anyone on board. Think weather along the route, emergency at the airport, weather at the airport doesn't allow a safe landing, etc.

Precautionary landing, where the crew decides to land the plane at the nearest practical airport to avoid a risky situation from developing further. There is still no danger to anyone on board, but there's a situation which may cause problems, such as an unusual indication on one of the instruments, strange noise, or deteriorating weather.

Emergency landing, where there is an imminent danger and the plane needs to be on the ground as soon as possible, be it an airport or not. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of emergency landings are completed with no injuries or deaths to anyone on board. Situations which call for an emergency landing include malfunctioning equipment, power loss, engine failure, onboard fire, violent passengers, or any other dramatized, scary-sounding "plane problem". More on this later.

Still want it to be a big, fiery crash that kills people and traumatizes the survivors? Onward!

- Why is the plane crashing?

TL;DR: Unexpected situation + human error = plane crash.

Air travel is, statistically speaking, the single safest mode of transportation on the planet. You're more likely to die in a traffic accident during the drive to or from the airport.

The single most common cause of fatal airplane crashes, regardless of the type of airplane, is human error. The average airliner has tons of redundancies, safety systems, self-tests, and fail-safes that all have to go wring in order for a mechanical issue to be the sole cause of a plane crash.

The most common phase of flight where an airplane crashes is either just after takeoff, or just before scheduled landing. It's rare for a crash to happen during cruise.

Yes, Boeing has these safety systems too - the airplanes themselves are very well-designed; the reason they're falling apart is due to humans cutting corners during manufacturing.

Some fatal crashes determined by investigators to be caused primarily by human error:

Air France Flight 447, although initially caused by an issue with the airspeed sensor, became a fatal crash when the pilots grossly mishandled the situation and caused the airplane to enter an aerodynamic stall, where it then hit the ocean.

KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, where the captain of the KLM flight began takeoff under the mistaken belief that he was cleared to do so, and subsequently crashed into the Pan Am flight, which was cleared for takeoff from a crossing runway at that time.

N3590T, a twin-engine private plane, where the pilot attempted to fly around a thunderstorm without understanding the limitations of the airplane's weather information display, nor grasping the true severity of the weather.

Notice a common theme among the incidents I posted - the incident starts with a minor hiccup, such as a sensor icing over, fog being too dense to see the other plane, or weather popping up along the route of flight, but the true cause of the crash is the pilot's failure to properly handle the situation.

This is how almost every fatal crash happens, and this is why a huge part of flight training revolves around drilling emergency situations into your head. My instructors did it to me, and I am doing it to my students. Because of this training, so many minor issues are prevented from ending in tragedy, but humans are not infallible - that is when incidents like these happen.

- "But that sounds like a hand-wave! Are there any freak accidents that kinda work?"

TL:DR: The things that cause full-blown plane crashes usually don't make for a juicy, dramatic headline.

Okay, we can work with this. Freak accidents are fun to write, but also exceedingly rare.

First things first: For the love of whoever's up there, DON'T use any of these reasons for a plane crash (unless you pair it with human error, but this section is for if you think human error is boring):

Turbulence: No properly-designed and tested airplane can be brought down solely by turbulence; the engineers know that turbulence is a thing and build the airplanes to handle it unscathed.

Mid-air collision: If the airplane is flying under instrument navigation, and in controlled airspace, it is ATC's sole job to make sure this doesn't happen, and it's almost impossible for an airliner to be involved in one given all of the safeguards in place. Of the mid-air collisions that do happen, most of them are at low altitude, near airports, and between small propeller planes.

Engine failure: Airplanes are perfectly capable of flying with one engine out of commission, and even with both engines gone, it's still perfectly possible to glide down to a safe landing spot. (NOTE: This situation may work if it's a small propeller plane, like a Cessna or a biplane. Even then, it should still be combined with another risk factor such as nighttime, flying in/over clouds, over wilderness/open water, etc.)

Engine fire: Although this warrants an emergency landing, the airplane's systems are fully capable of containing and putting out the fire before it spreads to the rest of the airplane. Looks scary, but once the fuel is shut off and the fire suppression is doing its magic, it just becomes a game of limping to an airport.

Terrorism/Hijacking: No. There's a big fuck-off bulletproof door between the crew and the rest of the cabin, and it can only be unlocked from the cockpit. (I'll save my rant about the TSA for another post.)

Now, let's talk about some incidents that were not preventable by crew action:

Flight control failure: United Airlines Flight 232 is a flight in which a freak mechanical failure caused simultaneous failure of all three hydraulic systems, resulting in a complete loss of steering control. 2/3 of people onboard survived, but this was only due to emergency management far beyond what any pilot trains for, and the help of an off-duty pilot traveling as a passenger.

Explosive decompression: In an explosive decompression, the pressurization system has failed, and it's typically accompanied by a large hull breach. The part about this scenario that makes it especially dangerous is the fact that at the altitude commercial airliners cruise at, the pilots may have 8 to 10 seconds at most to don their oxygen masks. If they fail, then there is nobody flying the plane.

Inflight wing separation: N106ER, a single-engine trainer airplane, lost a wing during final approach to an airport when practicing landings. The investigation concluded that this happened due to repetitive stress on the airplane's hull, which progressively worsened and was not able to be detected during annual inspections or preflight safety checks. IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS CANNOT HAPPEN TO AN AIRLINER - THEY ARE DESIGNED TO MUCH HIGHER SAFETY STANDARDS

All of these incidents were freak accidents that are, by their nature, unpredictable and not preventable. Therefore, I emphatically advise you to either a) stick to the human error formula above, or b) send me an ask with as much detail as you can, requesting information as to if or how it can be made believable.

Happy writing!

[beardedmrbean]

“The founding fathers wouldn’t want this”

“The founding fathers meant something different”

The founding fathers thought women were sex toys and black people should be enslaved forever

Who gives a fuck about what the founding fathers want? They’re ll racists and rapers and are burning in hell for their crimes against god

But sure let’s let those horrible founding fathers guide us through our civilization because they sure know about machine guns/tanks/Facebook/phones/cars/anything at issue in the world

They gave us a framework, one they knew wasn't perfect so they also included a way to change it but made it so changing it would be difficult so it couldn't be done a whim.

As for firearms they likely saw repeating arms becoming a thing as well as many other things, consider some of their ages when they put pen to paper.

My grandfather was born before commercial radio was a thing, when he died he'd seen us go land on the moon and have Dick Tracy's watch radio become reality in the form of smartwatches.

His father saw the birth of the automobile and airplane, electricity put to wide use, served in both world wars, saw man land on the moon, and all kinds of other innovations. Mother much the same except the world wars bit.

I've been around since before the CD, home computers, and the internet and look where we are now with all of that.

Foolish to think they wouldn't anticipate improvements in all walks of life, also several of them were abolitionists just not enough of them sadly.

That sex toy bit is untrue as well, as a blanket statement at least Franklin was a manwhore, but women were partners back then, there was tons of sexism and sexist laws and all that (not so) good stuff, really though who wasn't.

Like I said they left us a mechanism for change and if you can convince enough people that your position is the good one that change can happen.

Good luck given that there's only been 17 after the initial 10 needed to get the states signed on post revolution and one of those was there to cancel out the other (prohibition was a dumb idea)

I see that crimes against God thing there too, got bad news for you about a lot of the people involved in the major world faiths from when they were formed.

Whew lads.

But hey, most of them have abandoned the majorly bad bits, don't stone children for cursing their parents anymore and such, slavery is strongly frowned upon by most of the 10 global religions with the most adherents.

Buck up buttercup, things get better, takes time is all.

[brandongamesall]

Okay, I hope I can rank the rest, because I feel like the rest are in deserving of their placements! Here we go!

6. King Dice - The man himself. He is just too easy. After all the Mini Bosses (some of them BS), It's like you get to him and it's so easy... OH WAIT! But you probably only ended up with 2 lives left like I did! And then you missed one parry and dashed the wrong way and died... 20 times reaching to this point. Yeah, not a big fan of this "patience game" then make it here just to die more and more. But, over time, I started to love this phase because parrying the cards became so much easier (if you're not Ms. Chalice). Overall, now knowing how to do the maneuvers, I actually love this fight and think it's a break from the BS.

5. The Devil - Kind of ironic to put him next, but he is the best final boss in the game. This is the longest lasting boss, his first phase and third phase will ALWAYS SUCK A**. But, you can get good RNG with the first phase... The hand claps can get to you if you don't have double jump or aren't careful enough. I have always died most on the first phase or resented because of the bubbles, the spinning fire, or the hand claps. The second phase is my favorite because the parries are easy, but if you miss, run the heck away. And the last phase... you mainly need round about or chaser IMO. Though, without a doubt, the most challenging and a good one to end on.

4. Cala Maria - um... never can get mad at this one because I love the attacks all around! First phase is the most annoying, but I love dodging mechanics, the parrying, and it's easy to get a super in the first phase in like 30 seconds. Second phase has to be my favorite and the third phase is a piece of cake. Talking about cake 🫣💗 jkjk Cala Maria, she can call me at anytime though... she herself probably brought her to be up here.

3. Werner Werman - it's like taking a break from the hard bosses to go into an easy boss. After dying 500 times into the game, you finally get a boss that helps you relax and experience new attacks. I love every phase and every aspect of this boss. The only two annoying things about this is, it's hard to get supers until the end of the fight though AND the second phases bottle caps can be very bad RNG. Other than that, I enjoy this boss almost to a tee!

2. Phantom Express - BEST BOSS LAYOUT THIS WHOLE GAME! 🤚✋️ No lie, I love going from the first phase with the roundabouts, to the second phase with lobber and roundabout switch ups on each head, the maneuvers for the third phase, and make it to the front of the train to unlock the heart in the cage. Overall, it's a nice experience. Sure you die a lot, but this one is always fun to always come back to! It's not like you're panicking every single second like so many others.

1. Beppi the Clown - Only recently I've had so many issues with this boss. Without Invisible Dash, first phase is hard. Second stage can suck so much with the yellow horse and roller coaster. But nothing compares to the last phase. OH MY GOD, RIP THOSE PENGUINS TO SHREDS! But... he's the easiest of the first three on isle two. I guess I love the aesthetic of the boss and the theme, not much the later phases. Plus, it's fun to die on that level because you can scream "Beppi the B**ch". LOL!

0. Cagney Carnation - I truly love and respect this boss! The reason why this is second to last is because his fight is just... in your control. Not once in any phase (non-S Rank) did I feel it was his fault I lost any lives. Do I think it gets overwhelming? YES! But, I know it's my own mistakes that make this boss harder. Especially the last phase when you get greedy for the pink flowers... made that mistake too many times. And this was the first boss I fought that made me feel like I earned my win. Not like airplane lady who had UFOs and was being a pansy about it. Or like the frog dudes who would spawn three tiger platforms in a row. No. I earned this win through plain strategy and mechanics. This is my ultimate favorite boss gameplay wise.

-1. Which brings me to my last boss, Chef Saltbaker - I ranked this boss the ultimate boss of Cuphead for one reason... Story. This boss literally tells you a story through each phase. And the fact you can tell he's just pure evil making the strawberries cry, makes me hate him more. But, towards the end, he breaks down showing he only cares for himself in the second to last phase. And as a soul floating around towars the end of the fight, his last resort was to give a weak attack, making us realize he's giving up, and this was our moment to set everyone and everything free. It is truly one of the best masterpieces of a boss. Not to include it takes a lot of skill and precision to go through each phase. But notice how each phase kind of gets easier? That's what I think makes it more beautiful in the end. Because it wasn't until the third phase that it actually got pretty easy. Though, many people, including myself just kept dying on the first phase, rage quitting a lot just because we couldn't handle the pain of the first phase or the beginning of the second phase. But perseverance and hope kept us fighting, and realizing the third and final stage was that easy made it the most challenging, relaxing, and rewarding boss of the whole game. The End.

There's my ranking of all characters. I hope you all enjoyed my explanations for them all 💜🙂