Prompting Post V

[cabinpres_fic]

Please see the most recent MOD NOTE and ADDENDUM

(updated 5 July)

Welcome everybody. How you got here I have no idea but thank you for coming and welcome again, nonetheless . As you may have gathered this is a Fic Prompting Meme dedicated solely to the hilarious and oh-so-addictive BBC Radio 4 sitcom - Cabin Pressure. I'm aiming for this to be pretty anything goes - but in order for everything to run smoothly, there are a few guidelines. Don't worry - they're not too restrictive.

FILLING GUIDELINES

As you probably all know - our meme now has it's very own database created and maintained by the great Enigel. It both catalogues each and every prompt that we post and provides links to fills. You can find it here: Google Spreadsheet

We also have a Pinboard archive which has been put in place by the lovely oxfordtweed in the place of our late Delicious Archive. This Archive contains a list of all the prompts this meme has to offer - you can find it here: Pinboard Archive

This is a great step forward in making our meme just a little more organised (but not too organised of course. This is Cabin Pressure) which is always a good thing.

So in order to make things easier to archive - Please nest your fills.

This can be done by either posting each part as a reply to that part's immediate predecessor, OR by replying each time to Part I OR - well you get the idea :D

It makes it simpler for Enigel and myself to link fills in a clean and clear manner. Following these guildelines will be very much appreciated guys :D

REPROMPTING

Reprompting is allowed but please include the URL of the original prompt when you do so. It will make it infinitely more easy to Archive which would make both Enigel and I very happy :)

As for everything else

1. Be respectful to one another. Disagreements are fine, but not everything disagreeable is trolling. If you suspect someone of trolling, just ignore it. If you cannot respond to a comment without attacking or trolling someone else, keep it to yourself.


2. No bashing prompts. It might not be your cup of tea - but obviously someone wants it enough to go to the effort of requesting it. So just scroll past it.


3. Prompt away as much as you like guys - seriously, go wild - but please try to fill as well.

NEW - If your fill includes a major element that veers from the original prompt (crossovers, established universes, kinks, et cetera), please take a few moments to check with the OP that such additions are welcome. This has caused problems in the past and it only takes a few moments of your time.

4. Please no RPF. I'm not trying to oppress you RPF writers and enthusiasts, I would just really like to avoid any legal problems.


5. When you post a fill (or post a new part of a WIP) please go over to the Filled Prompts Post (if it is complete) or the WIP Post (if there are still more parts to come) and, following each post's guideline's, post a link to this fill or new part.

REALLY IMPORTANT ADDENDUM

According to numerous Child Safety laws it is illegal to provide pornographic material to minors. Seeing that the majority of the stuff we have here is rather adult in nature, this Meme is consequently an 18+ zone. Failing to comply to this rule could result in the Meme getting shut down. So if you're here and you're under 18 please back button now.

+ Please do not post anything regarding minors in a sexual situation. It really doesn't matter how tasteful or crass it is, there are laws that classify that sort of thing as child pornography and as such, I'm afraid we're going to have to go with the attitude that safe is better than sorry.

It really is VERY important that these rules are upheld as the consequences are severe.

Other than that - go crazy guys. Any problems please just message me and I'll try my best to work it out.



Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Prompt Index

Current Prompt Post | Current Chatter Post | WIP Post | Filled Prompts Post | Searching Post | Orphan Post | Page-a-Mod Post | FAQ | Beta/Concrit Post
cabin_pressure @ LJ | Cabin Pressure @ AO3 | IRC Chat @ irc.ecnet.org #FittonATC

Comments

Re: Carolyn outs Arthur

[(Anonymous)]

Warning: Written in the middle of the night and completely un-beted.
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In nearly 30 years, there hadn't been one moment when Carolyn didn't have to keep a watchful eye on her son. From having stop him from walking in to traffic as a two-year-old, to making sure he didn't accidentally set the microwave in the galley on fire as a 27-year-old, and also stop him from walking into traffic. If there was one benefit from having to raise her dear, incompetent boy all by herself, it was that she almost always knew exactly what was going through his head. To be fair, Arthur’s thoughts didn’t really ever get very complicated.

It was a cold Wednesday morning. They would be flying to Toronto with a handful of (unfortunate) engineers later in the day, but for now, Carolyn was only to happy to seize a moment of peace, well, as peaceful as any moment with Arthur Shappey trying to prepare breakfast could be.

”Mum,” Arthur said as he tried to flip a increasingly burnt-smelling pancake for the forth time.

”Yes, dear,” Carolyn said, flipping the page of her newspaper.

”Do you ever…” He paused. ”Do you ever, you know, worry about Martin?”

”Oh, constantly. Not a day passes without me worrying about what sort of stupid mistake he’s going to make next.”

”No, I mean, he’s usually…” another pause. ”Not happy. I mean, he’s not sad, most of the time. He’s just not… happy.”

Carolyn put her paper down and eyed her son from her seat at the kitchen table. He had now seemingly forgotten about the pancake, which was now being slowly tortured into a sad, black husk. Arthur was staring down at it with unseeing eyes and a slight crease between his eyebrows.

Carolyn sighed. This was going to be one of those conversations. She already had a guess as to what this was all about, but she wasn’t entirely sure yet.

”Do you worry about him, Arthur?” she asked, weaving her fingers together on top of the closed newspaper.

”Well, yes, sometimes I guess. It’s just… He tries so hard. It’s not fair, is it? That someone who tries so hard should always end up with the short end of the straw.”

Carolyn decided to ignore the butchered idiom. ”Well, Martin suffers from a case of constant bad luck. It might not be fair, but it’s the way it is.”

Arthur let out a slight sigh. He dumped the sad pancake in the bin and brought the four he’d managed not to render uneatable to the table.

Carolyn started to get a bit concerned. Anything that could get Arthur into a mood other than relentless cheerfulness was a very serious matter indeed (at least to Arthur himself).

Arthur sat down in his chair and stared into the table. ”I just,” he said in a barely audible mumble. ”I just wish I knew how to help him. I don’t know, mum. He’s just so… Martiny. And I can’t… I don’t...”

”Arthur,” Carolyn said carefully, leaning in slightly to get a better look at her boy’s face. ”Are you in love with him?”

Instead of getting flustered and squeaky, as one would have expected, Arthur simply shrugged, sagging so much that he’s forehead almost touched the tabletop. ”I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, though, does it? I’ve tried, mum, to make him happy, but I can’t. I don’t know how.”

Carolyn sighed. ”Arthur, I don’t know what to tell you. This isn’t something I can solve for you, dear.”

Arthur sighed and closed the final gap between his forehead and the table. ”But, this isn’t about me. It’s about Martin. Well, and me being to stupid to figure out how to make him happy.”

Carolyn untangled her fingers and picked two of the pancakes onto her own plate, pushing the remaining two through ward her son. ”Well, if you want to know what I would’ve done if I where you – and by ‘you’ I mean a 30 year old boy who doesn’t know where bread comes from…”

”I do know where bread comes from,” Arthur interjected, his voice slightly nasal with his nose pressed against the wood of the table.

Carolyn continued as if she hand’t been interrupted. ”I would try to show him that I care. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t get happier by knowing someone cares about them.”

”That’s what I’ve been trying to do!” Arthur protested, changing the position of his head so that he was leaning his chin against the table and looking up at his mother with a miserable look on his face.

”Well, you’ll just have to try harder, then. After all, Martin’s the second thickest person in MJN-Air.”

Arthur smiled slightly at that. ”Thanks, mum.” He straightened, looking slightly less miserable, and started to eat his pancakes.

”That’s what I’m here for, dear.”
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Right, don't know if this is exactly what you wanted, but I did my best.