On Saturday I said to my partner, as I have said for months, "A ten thousand dollar a year raise would solve so many of my problems."
As of this morning I was reluctantly looking for jobs because I love my job and don't want to leave it, but see: $10k raise problem solver.
As of noon today this was no longer an issue, because my boss called me with the news that I was getting a $10K merit raise.
I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. This is roughly $200 extra per paycheck. Enough to pay off debt faster, rebuild my savings, and spend a weekend a month in Milwaukee getting obscenely laid. The sex I'm going to have on $200 extra per paycheck. You can't even.
May all of you get the $10K raise your soul has yearned for. And whatever level of sex you can be satisfied with for $200.
@thepittmonth Week 3 (July 13-19): patients, cases, and healthcare
#Doctor As Patients Series: Patient Patterns
Langdon: Connections with Psych Patients
THE PITT 1x02 = 1x06 = 1x08 = 2x02 = 2x11 = 2x12
I CAN make gifsets without meta-yapping...but where's the fun in that!? So yappage/some expansion and explanation on each of these beats and maybe some talk around bits I didn't end up including (curse u 30-image limit!!) but that are still relevant. Bc this is another one of those 'if I had a nickel for every one...it's weird it's happened x number of times tho' situations.
So I'm not saying it's absolutely definitely for sure a solid 100% canon thing that Frank has some kind of connection to/experience with a close family member/friend with some sort of psych/neurological issue... But I AM saying I'm willing to put a reasonable little chunk of money on it at this point.
Esp when you factor in Joe Sachs saying that, "The secret of our success is we always start with the dramatic needs of our character, and then we go to the well [...] of hundreds of thousands of medical stories."
Which I always factor in bc 1)- it's a great quote/philosophy and 2)- it legitimises my inclination to seek out patterns in the kinds of patients/illnesses the characters treat multiple times and/or how they react to certain kinds of patients/illnesses. So we're gonna talk about both of those things!
We'll go patient-by-patient and in chronological order. Bc I'm a crazy motherfucker like that:
1x02 + 1x06: Beto
First and foremost: I never EVER as long as I LIVE E V E R want any of y'all to come at me and attempt to convince me that Frank Langdon (yes, even season 1 Frank Langdon!!) didn't care/had no compassion or empathy or genuine concern for people/that he had to "learn empathy" between seasons or whatever shit.
That man recognises Beto, an EVS worker who he hasn't seen IN YEARS (and who's implied to have worked night shift previously - so either my 'Frank used to work nights/Robby stole him from Abbot' headcanon may have some merit OR he's just got: that good a memory (his memory is p fucking great btw) REGARDLESS - he recognises him pretty much immediately, remembers him by name (and is HAPPY to see him!!!), remembers that he retired, and remembers him well enough to judge pretty much straight away that he's not himself/that there's something a little bit off here.
At which point he: immediately becomes protective/wants to make sure that he's okay and is being taken care of and goes to check-in with Dana. (That unimpressed/mildly disbelieving 'really?' at Beto's family not coming to collect him for a few hours is also v interesting - keep that in ur back pocket, we shall return to it later).
That and his lil check-in with Beto again in 1x06 is v sweet - and that line to Robby re "that'll be us one day" is....well it takes on a slightly different cast/tone if Frank DOES have any connection to/family history of psych/neurological issues. And Frank? Making jokes/light of a very real situation to #Cope?? Noooo!! He would N E V E R. /s
1x08 - Willie Alexander
I love Willie's case for a lot of reasons - Frank does some EXCELLENT teaching as part of it for a start, but it's also one of the patients we get to see him spend some time with and really get to know/bond with rather than ping-ponging from issue to issue as he's prone to. I also love the way he sits and very obviously eagerly learns from Willie and his history with the Freedom House ambulance service. I also really enjoy the little beat that I've giffed - which is relevant for the discussion of memory/forgetting things vs 'remembering what's important'. But also the fact Frank is obviously happy to see the joking between father and son re Willie's condition/that he Gets that joking and his reaction to it makes him feel included in it/part of it. He feels comfortable and familiar with this sort of thing.
He's also great with Willie re explaining to him the procedures that are going on, and talking back and forth with him re his medical knowledge and giving repeat reassurances - but he doesn't dismiss him or not explain things to him, or simply talk to Eli (his son), he makes sure Willie's kept in the loop and is aware of what's happening with him and why (which sounds hella basic/like it should be a given but it is: not. Esp not for older adults/those with problems like dementia or otherwise).
2x02 The Hansens
I got a lotta thoughts re this family and their gift that keeps on giving to the ED, keeping 'em ticking over through the hours. And I see a lot of parallels/things to yap about with regards to Frank's interactions with them. But for the purposes of this I'm honing in on Frank: dissociating to fuck/zoning the heck out and just doing his job in a v mechanical way until we start getting 'crazy' and 'psycho' thrown around - and he picks up the connection to the racing family, but he also definitely reacts to those terms/the idea of it running in the family. Those lines feel Deliberate/we could've said anything here to bring up the grandads names but instead we dropped more breadcrumbs.
2x11-2x12 Micah Azurmendi
Frank and Baran share many #SignificantLooks between these cases, but this is one where I think Frank's reactions are more telling than what's going on. But first off, the look between Frank and Baran re potential damage to Micah's brain is Interesting (Baran's connection to this case/to neurological complications is fairly obvious, given her seizures - Frank's less so). But both he and Baran are fairly firm in not judging Brenda or jumping to the conclusion that she harmed Micah deliberately (both are actually fairly firm on NOT making that judgement in how they speak about the case/react to others, which feels v interesting to me).
I will acknowledge here, too, that there are obviously some parallels/connections to be drawn between a parent accidentally (or otherwise) harming their child and being unable to see them with the potential for what might have happened to either Tanner or Penny had they ever found/taken any of Frank's benzos during his addiction/the fact that at some point over the 10 months, Abby apparently threatened divorce/Frank was afraid he might lose his kids. I'm sure there is definitely an element in there (esp with Micah being around Tanner's age) but I think there's more to this case, largely around how Frank behaves with regards to Micah's mum.
ESPECIALLY because of the difference in how he reacts with Brenda/her case here vs how he responds towards Tyler (pot-gummy boy from s1) and his parents. In that case he's a lot more cynical, after Mel expresses concern over seeing families torn apart, he assures her that they'll be fine, and she asks how he can be so sure, to which he replies, "They're white. Probably get off with a slap on the wrist. If they weren't, she'd probably lose her child and he'd end up going to jail, but–" - I've commented on this scene before and it's INTERESTING, because it's a side of Frank we don't see all that often (not so much the cynicism/snark) but there's....there's definitely a feeling of something like bitterness in him here. He knows the system prioritises/will let white families away with things others won't get away with and there's a feeling like he knows this to his cost/it's definitely not something he approves of.
For the purposes of this, tho, it's night and day vs how he reacts towards Brenda's case/circumstances.
2x11-2x12 Brenda Azurmendi
Frank is shown numerous times (which I giffed above for ur consumption and enjoyment!) to be very concerned about/protective towards Brenda. As stated he repeatedly avoids casting doubt/judgement on her for having intentionally harmed her son - he also advocates for her/asks after her multiple times.
-The very obvious concern he shows when Brenda has a 302 called/is placed on a hold and his first query is whether or not she's going to be able to see her son (which, interestingly (to me) he directs towards Baran, not Robby, even though Robby is his typical/instinctual go-to for answering questions/fixing things that have gone wrong in the world. Then the follow-up on what happens if Micah is ready to be discharged before Brenda is herself? - That second one is actually almost more interesting to me than the first; because it DOESN'T align (at all) with Frank's life/experience with HIS kiddos. Because even if/while he was in rehab and unable to see or look after them - he knew that they had Abby.
-Then the question (again to Baran) on if she thinks that Brenda will be okay. Frank... I don't think we've seen Frank question this about any of his patients before (most of them I think he KNOWS how they are/how they're going to be because he's worked on them and knows the next steps. Brenda's case is a bit more up in the air/uncertain - this isn't something with an easy fix or answer - but it also feels like he's seeking reassurance/this is a situation that he's worried about/that he's dwelling on a bit and wants to talk about, and he knows Baran cares as well and that she's spoken to Brenda at this point, so he's looking for a follow-up on the case, but it's obvious he's concerned/this is more than just a purely clinical 'what are the next steps' kind of a question - he's obviously worried.
-More #SignificantLooks exchanged between him and Baran when Brenda asks if she killed her son. I think, again, worried FOR her rather than worried at what she might have done (even after this he still doesn't cast judgement/in the next beat where they talk about her husband visiting he's still very clearly feeling protective towards Brenda/isn't seeing this as an admission of guilt but rather an indicator that she's not okay/needs help herself).
-Aaand yes there we go that brings us onto him obviously feeling Some Kinda Way about the fact her husband didn't come to see her or check-in at all about her but just went directly upstairs. And we get a reprisal of that disbelieving/judgemental 'really???'. Which, okay, the one word is a fun lil connection/parallel but not necessarily deliberate, however, the TONE/this being the second time Frank expresses fairly obvious judgement/disapproval (which - is actually NOT that typical for him at all, honestly, he doesn't tend to show particularly strong feelings/reactions towards any of his patients regardless, he just treats them).
But THIS? This is something that GETS him and that draws a notable response/judgement from him both times, and in both cases, it's a scenario involving a person with likely psychiatric issues and their family not coming to see them/get them straight-away/perhaps not showing enough concern for or acknowledgement of the seriousness of the issue? Uncertain. Either way, in both cases Frank is obviously Concerned/not a happy bunny, and there's definitely an instinct of care/protectiveness towards both of them.
I just. I Feel it, people, i Feel It, Frank's close with someone who's had additional care needs - maybe where those WEREN'T respected/he/they had to fight for that. I FEEL IT OKAY.
At this point I am begging the show to give me some: actual Frank backstory otherwise I'm just gonna keep manifesting my own based on vibes here, people, istg.
@kingdonmicrofic day twenty-one: lounge | 462/462 | rating: t
For nearly the first three decades of her life, Mel didn’t know what it was like to be lazy.
The nature of her life – the death of her mother and father, the caring for her sister – meant Mel had never had much time to think about herself, about her needs and desires. There were always meals to make, pills for someone to swallow, doctor’s appointments to attend.
She’d taken to pretending, sometimes. When she was in high school, she used to squeeze her eyes shut before getting out of bed on Saturday mornings, and imagine she was one of those teenagers who snoozed their alarms ten times and slept in until noon because they had nothing to do, nowhere to be. Then, after a moment, she would blink awake and start her day.
Mel had never been afforded the luxury of slowing down. It simply wasn’t in the cards for her.
Then, she met Frank.
The first Saturday morning they spent together, he made her breakfast in bed, walking into the room with two plates and silverware in hand. She smiled, but as he settled beside her, she couldn’t help but speak.
“You don’t have to take care of me,” she told him, staring down at her plate of pancakes and crispy bacon with tears in her eyes.
“I know,” he assured her gently. “But I really want to, if you’ll let me.”
“Really?” she breathed, awed.
“Melissa King, it would be an honor to take care of you.”
She pushed her plate aside and kissed him then, more ferociously than she ever had before.
This new act of her life involves much more lounging than the first ones did. It takes her awhile to catch on to the whole being taken care of thing, but once she does, it quickly becomes an addiction she has no desire to ever kick. Frank teaches her the art of sleeping in on their days off, of staying in bed while he makes her breakfast, of propping her feet up while he washes the dishes.
He shows her how to enjoy the process of things, instead of racing towards the ultimate end. With him, she learns that cooking can be fun, actually, instead of stressful, if you take your time. That it’s totally okay to stay in the shower until the water runs cold, if you need it. That slow, languid sex can be just as exhilarating as sex that is frenzied and desperate.
Sometimes, it makes her think back to those days as a teenager, when she longed to lounge in bed until the afternoon. And she knows she’d do it all again – the early mornings, the scheduling, the housework, all of it – if it meant she gets to be lazy, now, with Frank.
Imagine being Lamine Yamal and you’re 19 years old you’ve only been on this earth for like 228 months total you just wrapped up puberty like 2 maybe 3 years ago you watched Haalingham yaoi get shot on live tv so you lowkey gotta defend gay rights by murdering Lionel Messi most famous soccer player in the world FIFA’s little 39 year old baby boy and the man who coincidentally baptized you and thus began the prophecy of his own defeat by your hands or the whole world will burn
@kingdonmicrofic - july 20 - wc: 500 - cw: infidelity and explicit-ish
-
The trampoline was Abby’s idea.
Frank had been pissed—she'd bought it without consulting him, despite all the stories he'd told about kids ending up in the ER with trampoline injuries—but he hadn't been nearly as angry as he is now.
Because now Mel's lying on it, giggling, with his neighbor.
Abby introduced them at the party. The one that was supposed to reflect his one year of sobriety, but then quickly transformed into some fancy, overpriced event for her to flaunt her wealth to colleagues and family alike.
And neighbor, for some reason.
He’d been forced to watch as Leo made her laugh, and eventually the two were stargazing together in his fucking backyard.
“They’re so cute,” Abby says, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
“Our kids use that trampoline.”
Abby laughs. “Oh, please, they’re not gonna do anything risqué out there with everyone watching them.”
“Better not.”
“You’re always going on about how wonderful she is, and Leo’s been lonely for so long.” She swats him before she leaves the room.
But Mel’s never even been kissed, something she’d shared with him out in the ambulance bay during the first snowfall of the year. The cold had painted her cheeks and lips pink, and she’d just been gazing up at him, and he’d wondered ever since if she’d been indirectly asking him to fix the problem for her.
He should’ve cupped her jaw and kissed her properly, slipped his tongue between her lips to explore her mouth, and then over her neck, while she wrestled her fingers in his hair. He should’ve hitched one of her legs around his waist until he begged to be the first to take her home, and then he’d make love to her slowly and roll her beautiful, touch-starved body through her orgasm the way she deserves.
And now... now that could be stolen from him. At his fucking house.
He walks outside, interrupts them with some poorly executed excuse about Abby wanting everyone inside for a toast. To his credit, Leo doesn’t even look that disappointed when he heads inside.
But Mel stops just shy of the backyard’s screen door.
“I think he’s going to kiss me,” she tells him. “Any advice?”
She has the same look as that time in the ambulance bay. It sparks something inside of him, like a chance to redo the moment, and he pushes her towards the wall with his knee settling between her parted legs. Her gasp goes straight to his cock, and he presses against her more, swiping his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Let me be the first,” he says.
“We can’t,” she whimpers.
He scoffs. “Fine. If he fucks you, but he doesn’t make you come, call me?”
She blinks her big, innocent eyes up at him, and he’s almost apologetic for his crudeness until she nods.
Leo doesn’t make her come. He never actually kisses or fucks her either, but Mel figures that’s a secret for another day.
@kingdonmicrofic day 19: heels | 151/151 | rating: g
Growing up, everyone around Frank always knew when it was going to rain.
His mother would rub at her knees, grimacing as she ground her heels into the floorboards; his father would squint at the still-blue sky, hollering at him to pull the bikes inside; his brother would walk faster when the tree leaves rustled just right.
No one ever explained it to him — how they just knew. So he waited until he, too, gained this preternatural ability.
He never did figure out that secret skeletal sense. The best he could ever manage is figuring it out right before the skies opened up. Sensing the pressure drop in the silence before that first clap of thunder. Always a touch too late, always leaving him gasping and soaked to the bone.
But the first time he sees Mel King, he suddenly understands exactly how it feels to know a storm is coming.
"Two years ago, Mel King made a mistake she couldn't take back.
Now a snowstorm strands her in a cabin with the man she left behind, and it doesn't take long to realize that distance didn't fix anything."
I think something people fail to recognize with the whole fraternal/platonic thing is that if abby langdon herself saw her husband behaving that way with a woman he's known for two days, she would see it as emotional infidelity. because that's what it is.
@kingdonmicrofic day 18: parade | 347/347 | rating: e (college au academic rivals - sequel to feast, hate sex (kinda))
Mel keens loudly, her back arching up off the desk as Langdon pushes into her again.
She’s not worried about her volume, no one’s ever on the third floor of the science building. Not on a Sunday, not when most of campus is nursing hangovers.
Ever since that day in the library, the first time she kissed him and she realized just how cathartic sex with him was, it’s been like this. Invigorating and hot and always under the pretense of a study session. No dorms, no parties. If it happened anywhere else it would mean something, and this absolutely does not mean anything.
Her heels dig into the back of his thighs, wanting him closer. Deeper. She can’t help it.
“Someone’s impatient,” he teases, pulling his cock out of her to run it up and down her folds.
“Well, if you didn’t waste so much of Saturday in that stupid homecoming parade,” she grits out as he pushes back in harshly, breaking her words apart. “We really — fuck, just like that — really have to get this presentation done.”
He pauses, smirk spread wide on his face, and she hates that she finds it so attractive. “Uh huh.”
His eyes twinkle with something competitive she’s only ever seen in lecture halls or when they’re like this. It sends a thrill through her — a lingering, electric tingling underneath her skin. It’s just adrenaline or endorphins or any chemical composition she can blame other than what she really knows is happening. This can’t be anything. They’re supposed to hate each other.
“Oh, but I think you liked seeing me up on that float,” he leans over her, body covering hers. “You were blushing so pretty.” His lips press to her cheek, then move to the other, teeth nipping at the already flushed skin. “Pretty, pretty pink.”
“Just— just move,” Mel whines, urging her hips forward, chasing some friction. “Please Fr—”
“Come on sweetheart, just say it.” His eyes search hers, frantic and pleading. “It’s ok to say it.”
When she finally comes, his name sits heavy on her tongue.
"The sculpture in the image is “Das Schicksal” (Fate), created in 1905 by Hugo Lederer. The sculpture portrays fate as a ruthless woman dragging two vulnerable bodies by their hair.
The work is currently located in Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, Germany."
