nia_kantorka | Got a Wonderful Present, But...

God, it's horrifying this plane crash in the French Alps. The flight was on its way from Barcelona to my hometown, which makes it worse for me- seeing all the pictures from an airport I really know.
Of course we all know that plane rides are a very safe means of transport, that's why something like this comes out of the blue, doesn't it?

And it had to happen today of all days. My sister-in-law would have turned 30 today. She died nearly five years ago from lung cancer. Thinking about her and all the people who lost a child, a relative, a loved one or a friend today, hurts and makes me feel hollow.

But my lovely friend, Mab, has some second sight powers. She is writing this wonderful ask-meme ficlet series and yesterday 'mine' was posted. As if she knew, I would need some cheering up today. *big hugs*

If you know a thing about the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, you should really check it out. If not, check it out nonetheless! Mab's writing is awesome as always. What do you need to know? Nico has a crush on Percy during parts of the series. Percy is happy in a relationship with Annabeth though. They are demi-gods and fighting monsters from Greek or Roman mythology most of the time. :p

Title So Close and Yet So Far
Author/Artist

mab
Fandom The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Pairing(s) Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Rating R
Word Count 2034
Summary Percy's trying his best to show Nico he wants to be friends, to accept him, but the way Percy does it feels a lot like flirting.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hearing about the plane crash has really shaken me up too. Like you, I know intellectually that plane travel is statistically very safe. But when a tragedy like this occurs, it's hard to keep that perspective. And I'm going to be flying to Barcelona in May. Not that there's any reason to think there would be another crash, but you just can't help worrying, you know?

And I'm very sorry you lost your sister-in-law. Losing anyone is terrible, but it's so much worse when they're young and in the prime of life. My deepest condolences. I'm glad you got a fic to help cheer you up a little.

Ah, I can relate. And I hope you're going to have a safe flight and a wonderful trip to Barcelone. Must be such a lovely city (I've been to a lot of places in Spain but never to Barcelona- such a shame).

Thank you. Most of the time I can live in peace with my losses, but there are those special days (b-days, death-days) that are harder to take. It's wonderful to get unexpected gifts and Mab's really cheered me up.

*hugs*
It's terrible the number of tragedies and people killed these days. :(((
But yay for fic! ♥

*hugs back*
Yes, it is. We should try to live every day as best as we can (though it's sometimes easier said than done). But one never knows how long life goes on.
The fic- it's lovely and sexy. :)

Again - Idike's sister:

The plane crash is a horrible thing, we got the information at lunch break and for the rest of the hours we talked about crashes, security and yes even death with our pupils. It's hard. It's terrible. :(((

I'm very sorry for your loss in the family. Please except my deepest condolences.

Oh, yes, I can see the need of pupils to talk about such a tragedy in a group. Others can be a great comfort, right?

Thank you very much!
Hope you sister is feeling better already.

OMG... I'm so sorry to hear about the tragedy. :(

You're very welcome for the fic and now I wish I would have given it a fluffier ending. Next one I will. Promise.

*hugs*

It's tragic, especially for the ones left behind.

Ah, don't worry about the ending. I do love those twists and I saw your message about the next one being fluffier. I'm sure Nico approves.

*hugs*

Yep, when you hear a news like this, it really seems the whole world is coming to a pot. I know I had to be in Madrid a few weeks after the terrorist attack on the Atocha train station happened and I had to travel from there by train to Cordoba. I will confess that I was nervous and I actually missed the train because the security was just ghastly after the attack and I had the worst luck ever that day. And a large portion of the station was closed off and in pieces, so it was anything but a nice experience.
It was even more terrible when my country was hit by a number of severe floods and I still worked as a journalist at that time - and just talking to people who spent their entire night waiting on the roof for the fire-department to save them, they'd lost everything - it was just a dreadful experience.
And is it me - or are the planes falling off the skies these last two years like peaches!? Is it really so hard to maintain them properly and take them on a safer route that doesn't lead over the war-infested territory, just because that's cheaper!? Just... damn. Poor people and their loved ones.
I guess the world had turned into such a global village, with travel so easy and cheaper, the information about what goes on in the world is faster and more graphic and journalism sometimes just feeds on bed news and it's piling up on people's collective consciousness, making everyone depressed. I don't know if there's actually more bad things going on than before, or we're just better informed about it, but it does make you feel like there's every day something going on that results in massive loss of life - it kinds of makes you depressed what kind of a scary world we're leaving to our kids.
I mean, I was in Tunisia a few years back, completely care-free - and now even there isn't safe any more. I find it even more devastating when the disaster is caused by fellow humans, that's just terrible and so unnecessary! I mean - natural disasters such as floods and accidents like this unfortunate plane happen, but I think more and more grief in this world is caused by humans - why do we have to be such a destructive species?! :P
I'm sorry this terrible accident coincided with your sister-in-law's premature passing - I guess it just aggravates the feeling of loss and sadness and that hole in your life that never quite goes away, doesn't it? Poor you, c'mon over here, a hug for you - and another, until you're better.
That is so cool about the present! :) Isn't it great to have friends like that? Sometimes that's all it takes for you to want to pull the wagon some more. Cause some people, some events and some feelings are just worth it! :)
Hugs, be better soon, OK?

I was in Madrid a year after the attack an there was still a lot of police presence on the Atocha train station.

Ah, yes that plane crash in war-infested Ukraine. That was in a way even more horrible because everybody- except the officials- know it must have been shot. As you said, destruction caused by humans is the worst.
It wouldn't change the losses or anything, but I really hope today's crash was not due to a cause that could have been easily avoided (they found the black box, so maybe we'll get to know more).

Yeah, with all the news always available it gets harder to avoid depressing ones. But there are so many things out there that make me smile or think 'there are good and kind people out there'. And when I find such things I'm glad to live here and now- otherwise I would have missed so many things. Just think about LJ. :)

I guess it just aggravates the feeling of loss and sadness and that hole in your life that never quite goes away, doesn't it? Ah, just that. And thank you so much for the hugs and everything.

I'm sure to be better tomorrow. Most times I'll get out of the pit in good time. *hugs you back*

Got a Wonderful Present, But...

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