Vision Board Brunch Invitation

Linda, a content moderator in San Francisco, is invited by her coworker Karina to a Vision Board Brunch (VBB), a ritual where women manifest their desires for the coming year. Linda, who harbors a secret obsession with planes—specifically, the fantasy of dying in a plane crash as a form of cosmic marriage—agonizes over how to present her true self at the brunch. She fears exposure but is also drawn to the possibility of accelerating her fate through the power of manifestation. The invitation marks a turning point, offering both the promise of friendship and the risk of being unmasked.

Linda's Secret Obsession

Linda's daily existence is shaped by her love for planes, which she experiences as both sexual and spiritual. She works as a content moderator, lives in a windowless garage, and maintains a strict budget to fund monthly flights, hoping each one will be her last. Her only friend is Karina, who is terrified of flying. Linda's obsession is rooted in childhood, crystallized during a turbulent flight at age thirteen. She keeps her desires hidden, believing her fate is to be chosen by a plane, and structures her life to avoid forming deep human attachments.

Manifesting with Pilots

As the VBB approaches, Linda struggles with how to represent her true wish—marriage to a plane—without alarming the other women. She decides to use images of pilots as a socially acceptable stand-in, reasoning that marrying a pilot could be a compromise. She meticulously assembles her board, including stock photos of pilots and the CEO of Airbus, hoping the universe will interpret her coded message. The act of crafting the board is both an act of hope and a negotiation with fate, as Linda tries to balance honesty with self-preservation.

Friendship and Flying

Linda's life is marked by isolation, punctuated by her cautious friendship with Karina. She excels at her job but avoids deeper connections, fearing her destiny will bring grief to anyone close to her. Her family is distant, and her father's death has left a void. Linda's monthly flights are her only source of joy, each one a potential date with destiny. She finds solace in the routines of work, the rituals of flight, and the small acts of kindness from Karina, all while keeping her true self hidden beneath layers of secrecy.

The Vision Board Unveiled

At the VBB, Linda is anxious about how her vision board will be received. The other women present boards focused on career, family, and self-care. When it's Linda's turn, she claims to want to marry a pilot, using her board as a shield for her real desire. To her surprise, the group is accepting, even amused, and she feels a fleeting sense of belonging. The experience is both liberating and bittersweet, as Linda realizes she can only ever reveal a sliver of her true self to others.

Dating, Disappointment, and Deceit

Encouraged by the VBB, Linda tries online dating, targeting pilots. She is quickly disillusioned by spam and catfishing, and her attempts to connect with real people leave her cold. A date with Simon, who pretends to be a pilot, ends in disappointment and awkwardness. Linda's inability to connect romantically with humans is underscored, and her longing for planes intensifies. The episode highlights her alienation and the futility of seeking fulfillment through conventional means.

The Club and the CEO

Karina invites Linda to a club, hoping to distract her from her obsessions. The night is chaotic, with Karina's relationship drama and Linda's discomfort in the social scene. Unexpectedly, Linda runs into Dave, a manager from her company, who is intoxicated and vulnerable. Their encounter leads to an impulsive decision to fly to Houston together, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The experience is both exhilarating and fraught, setting the stage for deeper entanglements.

Flights of Fantasy

The flight to Houston with Dave becomes a surreal, erotic experience, as Linda orchestrates a sexual encounter midair. The boundaries between her desire for planes and her interactions with people become increasingly blurred. Dave, struggling with his own midlife crisis, is drawn into Linda's world, and their relationship becomes a vehicle for both to escape their respective disappointments. The aftermath is messy, with guilt, confusion, and the looming threat of exposure at work.

Office Scandal and Fallout

The consequences of Linda's actions with Dave ripple through the office. A video of their in-flight encounter surfaces, leading to blackmail, resignations, and a reckoning with the toxic dynamics of their workplace. Linda is forced to confront the reality of her choices, the limits of her power, and the cost of her secrecy. The scandal exposes the fragility of her constructed life and the dangers of living on the margins of acceptability.

Karina's Crisis

As Linda's world unravels, Karina faces her own crisis. Her relationship with Anthony is strained, her career feels meaningless, and her fear of flying is both a metaphor and a barrier. The two women's friendship is tested by secrets, betrayals, and the weight of unspoken pain. Karina's vulnerability mirrors Linda's, and their parallel journeys highlight the complexities of female friendship, guilt, and the search for redemption.

The Second Vision Board

In the wake of scandal and loss, Linda creates a new vision board, this time focusing on professional success and material stability. She tries to suppress her obsession with planes, seeking normalcy and acceptance. The act is both a concession and a survival strategy, as Linda attempts to rebuild her life. The VBB group's dynamics shift, with Karina's role changing and Linda's place in the circle uncertain. The vision board becomes a symbol of both hope and resignation.

Dave's Descent

Dave, once a figure of authority, is undone by his involvement with Linda. His personal and professional lives collapse, and he becomes increasingly dependent on Linda for meaning. Their relationship, built on mutual need and avoidance, deteriorates as both struggle to find footing. The fallout from their affair forces Linda to confront the consequences of her actions and the impossibility of escaping her true nature.

Blackmail and Betrayal

Simon, a coworker, discovers the video of Linda and Dave and attempts to blackmail Dave for money. The scheme backfires, leading to firings and further chaos. Linda is caught between guilt and opportunity, ultimately leveraging the situation for a financial payout. The episode exposes the moral ambiguities of survival and the ways in which desperation can drive people to betray themselves and others.

The Final Confession

At the next VBB, Linda unveils her true vision board, openly declaring her desire to die in a plane crash and be united with her soulmate plane. The group is horrified, and Linda is both liberated and isolated by her confession. The act marks a point of no return, as she rejects the pretense of normalcy and embraces her fate. The moment is both a climax and a rupture, severing her last ties to conventional life.

Reunion and Redemption

After a period of self-imposed exile, living in airports and surviving on discarded food, Linda is found by Karina, who has overcome her own fears to rescue her friend. Their reunion is tender and redemptive, as both women confess their secrets and forgive each other. Karina's acceptance offers Linda a path back to humanity, and together they decide to return to San Francisco, leaving the sky—and its dangers—behind.

The Last Flight Home

Linda and Karina board a flight home, both changed by their experiences. The flight is fraught with tension and meaning, as Linda feels the familiar pull of her obsession but chooses to focus on her friendship with Karina. The journey becomes a metaphor for letting go, acceptance, and the possibility of a new beginning. The two women hold hands as the plane takes off, united in their vulnerability and hope.

Letting Go of the Sky

Back in San Francisco, Linda begins to rebuild her life, finding solace in small routines and the support of her friend. She lets go of her vision boards, her obsession with planes, and the fantasy of a perfect, transcendent death. The story ends with Linda choosing life, connection, and the messy, imperfect reality of being human. The sky remains, vast and indifferent, but Linda is grounded at last.

Characters

Linda

Linda is the protagonist, a woman whose life is defined by her secret obsession with planes and the fantasy of dying in a crash as a form of cosmic union. She is intelligent, self-aware, and deeply lonely, structuring her existence around monthly flights and the avoidance of deep human ties. Her relationship with Karina is her only real connection, and her journey is one of self-revelation, shame, and the search for acceptance. Psychologically, Linda is both self-protective and self-destructive, oscillating between hope and despair. Her development is marked by moments of courage—revealing her truth, seeking help, and ultimately choosing life over fantasy.

Karina

Karina is Linda's coworker and closest friend, a woman plagued by fear of flying and a sense of unworthiness. Outwardly successful and socially adept, Karina is haunted by guilt over past cruelty and the belief that she deserves punishment. Her relationship with Linda is complex—part mentorship, part codependency, part genuine affection. Karina's journey mirrors Linda's, as she confronts her own fears, confesses her secrets, and ultimately chooses forgiveness and connection. Her development is a testament to the power of vulnerability and the possibility of change.

Dave

Dave is a middle-aged manager whose life is unraveling. Drawn into Linda's world through a chance encounter, he becomes both her enabler and her victim. Dave is psychologically fragile, seeking validation and escape from his failures. His relationship with Linda is transactional, built on mutual need and avoidance of reality. As the story progresses, Dave's descent accelerates, culminating in scandal, resignation, and a final act of self-sacrifice. He is both a cautionary figure and a mirror for Linda's own struggles.

Simon

Simon is a coworker who becomes entangled in Linda and Dave's scandal through his discovery of the incriminating video. He attempts to leverage the situation for personal gain, embodying the moral ambiguities of survival in a precarious world. Simon's actions catalyze the story's climax, but he is ultimately outmaneuvered and discarded. Psychologically, Simon is both a predator and a victim, driven by envy and desperation.

Anthony

Anthony is Karina's fiancé, a stabilizing presence in her life. He is ambitious but often distracted, pursuing various business ventures with mixed success. Anthony's relationship with Karina is loving but strained by her anxieties and his own shortcomings. He serves as a foil to Linda, embodying the possibility of ordinary happiness and the challenges of commitment.

Judy

Judy is Karina's longtime friend and a member of the VBB group. She is supportive but not uncritical, offering perspective and stability amid the group's dramas. Judy's role is that of confidante and mediator, helping to bridge the gap between Karina and Linda. Psychologically, she is grounded and empathetic, providing a model of mature friendship.

Esme

Esme is a member of the VBB group, focused on career advancement and self-improvement. She is both supportive and competitive, often challenging Karina and Linda's choices. Esme's presence highlights the pressures of modern womanhood and the limits of performative positivity. Her development is subtle, marked by moments of vulnerability and self-doubt.

Morgan

Morgan is another VBB member, preoccupied with family and appearances. She is quick to judge deviations from the norm, serving as a voice of conventional morality. Morgan's interactions with Linda and Karina reveal the tensions between conformity and authenticity, and her own insecurities about motherhood and success.

Stacy

Stacy is the most unconventional member of the VBB group, running a dog rescue and embracing alternative lifestyles. She is quick to defend Linda's eccentricities and challenge the group's judgments. Stacy's presence offers a counterpoint to the group's conformity, embodying the value of acceptance and nonjudgment.

Mrs. Chen

Mrs. Chen is Linda's landlord, representing the boundaries and limitations of Linda's living situation. She is wary of Linda's presence but not unkind, offering small gestures of support. Mrs. Chen's role is minor but significant, highlighting Linda's outsider status and the fragility of her place in the world.

Plot Devices

Vision Boards and Manifestation

The vision board is the central plot device, serving as both a literal and symbolic tool for the characters' attempts to shape their destinies. It represents the tension between agency and surrender, the hope that one can will happiness into existence, and the fear that one's true desires are too dangerous to name. The boards are a site of both connection and conflict, exposing the gap between public performance and private longing. The device is used to foreshadow key events, reveal character psychology, and structure the narrative's emotional arc.

Airplanes as Lovers and Symbols

Planes function as both objects of desire and metaphors for escape, death, and the search for meaning. Linda's relationship with planes blurs the line between fantasy and reality, sexuality and spirituality. The recurring motif of flight—both literal and figurative—structures the narrative, with each journey marking a stage in Linda's psychological development. The planes' indifference mirrors the universe's, challenging Linda's belief in destiny and forcing her to confront the limits of her power.

Female Friendship and Confession

The evolving relationship between Linda and Karina is the emotional core of the story. Their friendship is tested by secrets, misunderstandings, and the weight of unspoken pain. The act of confession—whether at the VBB, in private, or through acts of vulnerability—serves as a catalyst for change, healing, and the possibility of forgiveness. The narrative structure alternates between moments of connection and rupture, mirroring the turbulence of flight and the unpredictability of human relationships.

Workplace Satire and Social Critique

The content moderation office is depicted as a microcosm of modern alienation, with its absurd rituals, toxic hierarchies, and constant threat of obsolescence. The workplace scandal serves as both a plot engine and a commentary on the commodification of labor, the erosion of boundaries, and the moral ambiguities of survival. The narrative uses satire and dark humor to expose the contradictions of contemporary life, from self-care culture to the gig economy.

Foreshadowing and Narrative Loops

The story is structured around cycles—of flights, vision boards, and failed attempts at connection. Foreshadowing is used to build tension, with Linda's obsession with plane crashes and her belief in destiny casting a shadow over every event. The narrative loops back on itself, with past traumas and desires resurfacing in new forms, challenging the characters to break free or accept their limitations.

Analysis

Sky Daddy is a darkly comic, psychologically rich exploration of obsession, alienation, and the longing for transcendence in a world that offers only fleeting connection. Through Linda's journey—from secret fantasy to public confession, from isolation to tentative redemption—the novel interrogates the limits of self-knowledge, the dangers of unchecked desire, and the possibility of forgiveness. The vision board, both a symbol of hope and a site of self-delusion, encapsulates the modern struggle to manifest happiness in the face of cosmic indifference. The story's satire of workplace culture, self-help rituals, and the commodification of intimacy is both biting and compassionate, revealing the absurdity and pathos of contemporary life. Ultimately, Sky Daddy suggests that meaning is found not in grand gestures or perfect unions, but in the messy, imperfect act of choosing life—and each other—again and again, even when the sky remains out of reach.

Last updated: September 18, 2025