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☆ the wrong way to hard launch (14) | OP81
summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au
pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc
a/n wait wait let him cook (imola)
masterlist | last part | part 14 | next part
INSTAGRAM
oscar piastri just posted to their story
TIKTOK
comments
FOLLOW UP QUESTION, WHICH RACE ????
something about a formula 1 driver and a rockstar having like the most normal story of meeting is hilarious
"took me a while to actually start dating her" i'm deadddd, u pulled her in the end tho bro
best relationship on the grid, i would die for them
didn't win the race but won her number, u have ur priorities straight
y'all gas her up too much it's not like she's that big a deal 💀 ↳ she's at least ten times more famous let's be fr for a sec, most of the world doesn't know what f1 is but they've probably heard one of lina's songs on the radio
REDDIT
r/EmptyBottles · Posted by u/luckyluna9364 1 mo. ago Lina x Oscar Timeline [read new comments]
fantstic013 · 12 hr. ago reviving this post bc of oscar's tiktok; they met at a race, which race??? when did lina attend a race?? whatthekermitdid · 11 hr. ago her f1 race debut (her words, not mine) was literally suzuka last month so i'm just as confused niaphilia283 · 11 hr. ago she might have done it behind the public's back. i think we all know that lina is only seen when she wants to be seen; we basically only saw her at scheduled events for the entirety of 2020-2023 like where was she even? what was she doing?
luckyluna9364 OP · 3 hr. ago ppl out there scrambling wondering which race but it has to at least be from the 2023 season bc i bet my whole life savings that their talking period was like 3 months so the new proposed meeting is like... abu dhabi grand prix (at the very least) which was back in december 2023
TWITTER
emme @flowersforcami · 4h still not over last night's show... the shit was phenomenal, it the cherry on top ↳ amie <3 @mieflrs · 4h i don't think we acknowledge how masochistic t*mmy must be to follow lina around europe and enduring those 2 hour shows where almost every song is the biggest middle finger to your existance; personally, if a song like aconite was written about me, i'd just never show my face again
kayla @luna_apocolypse · 5h oscar's story??? sir are you talking about the actual view or the stunning woman on the balcony?? it's important that i know
president linami @ linaminami · 6h 24 days since lina's posted on any of her socials... i can't believe i miss her unserious ass so much 🥲
oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 33m "oscar could do so much better" respectfully how do you get better than selina fucking bui? ↳ oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 33m "he should be with someone like him" she's australian, she's born in 2001, she's got cat energy, she loves sleeping and chocolate, she's slightly unhinged, she's known as a prodigy in her field, she keeps down low and most importantly, she's hot as shit, what more do you want
piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h he called her his lucky charm 🥺 i love them so much 😭 ↳ lila💚 @kasdanrights · 2h wait lina?? where's this from?? i have terrible signal and no videos are loading ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h it's from a video of them entering the paddock, someone asked him what's its like to have her at a race again and he grinned and said she's his lucky charm ↳ lila💚 @kasdanrights · 2h WAIT NO THEY'RE SO CUTE I CAN'T
MESSAGES
from the phone of oscar piastri
TWITTER
oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 4h WE'RE SO BACKKKKK
↳ piaa⁸¹ @papayaeightyone · 4h that lucky charm must be working 👀
pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 34m OSCAR PIASTRI P2 START YES YES YES
oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 21m oh he was not kidding when he said she was his lucky charm ↳ oscalina real ?! @emptyginbottles · 20m i'll have whatever he's having bc he was like a cat on steroids
jess @OPIXSTRI · 28m we were so close to a maiden pole why is it always a fucking haas ruining everything
Jonny @EB_jonno · 32m @ OscarPiastri Mega quali mate, way to absolutely send it (don't give Lina too much credit)
INSTAGRAM
oscarpiastri Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola
liked by cameliazzz and 218,496 others
oscarpiastri Well, it was fun while it lasted 😂
opeightyone Time to have better fun tomorrow then
cameliazzz i bet she found it hilarious ↳ oscarpiastri @ cameliazzz She found the timing hilarious, she was pretty upset it happened
TWITTER
pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 3h oscar piastri is now incredibly familiar with the rear wing of that ferrari it's just a shame it's the hideous hp logo
oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 3h LANDO??? LANDO OML U ARE SCARING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYONE
piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h i mourn the mclaren double podium we could've had... ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 2h what matters most is that oscar finished ahead of sainz, i'm a happy woman
ZG24 future WDC · @zhoupdates · 21m the most iconic cousins are having dinner together in imola after the race
tagged: 周冠宇 | Zhou Guanyu 🇨🇳 and lina !!! ↳ clara @ zgy24 · 5m oscar finally let lina out of his sight this weekend?
INSTAGRAM
oscarpiastri
liked by logansargeant and 264,586 others
oscarpiastri En route to Florence (got really sidetracked)
amelia_belrose who gave them the right to be so cute?
pi4str1 the anticipated road trip happened 🥺 ↳ linasgirl4 @pi4str1 from a mention in a rolling stones interview to reality, they did it guys 🫶
opeightyone Nice quick break before the double header
siera_mblanc he's never looked so boyfriend before this is insane, the girlfriend effect is slowly kicking in
TWITTER
pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h something real funny about oscar driving down to florence with lina to spend a day or two before having to helicopter over to monaco by wednesday for the mclaren senna tribute livery/monaco gp promotions like 😭 OSCAR, BREATHE A LITTLE ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h idk how u think this is lina hate, it's just me pointing out that oscar had found a gap in his schedule and immediately went: i'm spending as much time as physically possible with my girlfriend before they forcibly drag me to monaco
Oscar Piastri @ OscarPiastri · 4h Searching my family tree to find any trace of Monégasque roots ↳ Charles Leclerc @Charles_Leclerc · 1h I can adopt you if needed ↳ Jonny @EB_Jonny · 13m did we just become in-laws to the leclercs???
piaa⁸¹ @papayaeightyone · 1h oscar piastri-leclerc 😭
✧・゚: ✧・゚:✧・゚: ✧・゚:✧・゚: ✧・゚:
taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit @fionaschicken @namgification @cherry-piee @urfavsgf @eiaaasamantha @sp1rl @destinyg237 @iloveyou3000morgan
#f1#oscar piastri#oscar piastri x oc#oscar piastri x reader#oscar piastri fanfic#oscar piastri imagine#oscar piastri smau#formula 1 fanfic#formula 1 smau#f1 fic#f1 smau#f1 imagine#f1 social media au
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Chinese GL Webseries & Shorts for the Wuxia-Uninclined
Have you ever wanted to venture into the world of Chinese GL webseries and short films, only to find yourself at a loss about where to begin, or intimidated by the unfamiliar tropes and terms of the wuxia genre?
Well, worry no more! Here's a selection of non-wuxia webseries and short films curated by yours truly. Now you too can enjoy the lavish costumes and location shoots of these Chinese productions, so rarely seen in F/F works outside of feature films and the occasional TV series~
By the way, these are all translated and subbed by the inimitable Douqi (@douqi7s), whose immense contribution to the English-language baihe fandom is surely in breach of anti-monopoly laws. Offer up your thanks at her Tumblr and Twitter!
At-a-glance list
Webseries:
Ye-Mu Season 2 (1 hr 20m total, 2023) - standalone
The Vampires (41m total, 2022)
Ye-Mu Season 1 (27m total, 2022) - standalone
The Lost World (1hr 5m total, 2023)
Short films - order corresponding to the pictures above:
A Tale of Yearning (5 mins, 2022)
"She Brought Colour Into My World" (2.5 mins, 2023)
"I'm Her Weapon" (3 mins, 2022)
Miss Shen and the Woman Warlord (6 mins, 2023)
Women's Script (5 mins, 2023)
The Caged Canary (5 mins, 2023)
The Beauty of the Law (6 mins, 2023)
Flowers Bloom; Flowers Wither (9 mins, 2022)
Commentary under the cut!
FYI, I've opted to link directly to the subtitled versions since they're probably more difficult to find than regular anime, TV series, movies etc. If a link is broken, please refer to Douqi's blog directly.
Important note for the uninitiated:
It’s a bit difficult to talk about canonicity in relation to live-action works made in the PRC, as things which would normally be used as evidence of canonicity all fall under the censorship regulations— explicit references to romantic relationships or queerness, declarations of love, kissing etc. are all off the table. So while these may not look canon in the most traditional sense, they are intended to be read as such and should certainly not be dismissed as queerbaiting or yuribait. Also, the creators can get very imaginative, so this is less of a problem than you may think – see the entries on Ye-Mu Season 2 and The Lost World in particular!
1. Ye-Mu Season 2 / 叶穆 2 (32 episodes / 1hr 20m total, 2023, dir. Zhang Zhiwei) - MyDramaList
(Note: Despite the name, Ye-Mu Season 2 is completely unrelated to the first season; the only thing the two share is the cast, crew, and focus on Penthouse-style melodrama.)
Determined to take revenge for her mother's death, Xu Baiqing (Sheng Wei) marries a wealthy and much older businessman in the hope of finding evidence to put him behind bars. But first she must assuage the suspicions of his cheerily hostile second daughter, moody youngest son, and estranged eldest daughter (Ye-Mu Zhixia, played by Wang Laoji), the latter of whom Xu Baiqing dated in university and who is currently seething at the sight of her former girlfriend marrying her father...
If you want to get a sense of the potential breadth of Chinese GL webseries, this is a pretty good place to start. It does a decent job of matching the tone and presentation of a melodrama you might catch on TV (and in fact looks higher-budget than some I can think of), while committing to something that can’t be done on TV yet— namely, featuring an F/F exes-to-stepmother storyline and delivering on the drama inherent in such a premise. Of particular note is how the framing and behaviour of Ye-Mu Zhixia is very much consistent with that of a male romantic lead; thanks to some clever writing, it’s basically impossible to deny the nature of her relationship with the main character. They don’t even lean on the plausible deniability afforded by the label of “friendship”— in fact, in an early scene she is incensed when the protagonist refers to her as “[her] only friend”. There are a few caveats – the main character ends up in a lot of scrapes that her ex-girlfriend has to save her from, the reveals are often rather unsurprising, and the story shifts more to a mystery focus around halfway – but it’s still worth checking out if a Korean-style melodrama with an F/F take on a romantic storyline sounds appealing.
(CW: violence, murder, attempted sexual assault)
Note: See The Lost World (below), from the same creative team, for an even more impressive example of Chinese GL pushing the limits of censorship.
Links: MEGA / Internet Archive (compilation)
2. The Vampires / 吸血鬼鬼盲盒 (7 episodes / 41m total, 2022, dir. Zhang Zhiwei) - MyDramaList
(Note: Spoilers for the first 15 minutes or so, because otherwise the summary would be “They end up locked inside with the monsters on board”, which wouldn’t tell you much more than the title already does)
Every night, Tianyue (Ye Miao/夜喵) has been having dreams about the mysterious cruise ship docked at the pier. Convinced that there is treasure hidden inside, she and her exorcist-cultivator girlfriend Xiao Ling (Wei Miao/微渺) sneak on board only to find that they are trapped there until the sun comes up. Things don’t seem too bad at first: although they run into two vampires – the cute, cheeky Xingming (Yang Fuyu) and her elegant mistress Su Tanya (Sheng Wei) – they are able to call a truce, on the condition that the humans help search the ship for the latter’s beloved (Fu Cha, played by Wang Laoji). But when Fu Cha wakes up without her memories, it is clear that something is terribly wrong, and that the ship and its inhabitants harbour more secrets than expected.
For a webseries, The Vampires takes a while to get started— it’s a bit difficult to tell what kind of story or indeed what kind of tone it’s going for just based on the somewhat campy and comedic first section. But after that wobbly beginning, it manages to pull itself together to tell a compelling – and sometimes genuinely tense – tale about a motley band of humans and vampires, and the truths they have to face together. While the ending is no happily-ever-after, I found it satisfying and hopeful, and surprisingly affecting. Also, a bunch of the characters have real polyam energy, and this is reflected in the narrative beyond mere flirting!
(CW: abusive parents)
Links - MEGA / Internet Archive (compilation) / YouTube (compilation)
3. Ye-Mu Season 1 / 叶穆 (12 episodes / 27m total, 2022, dir. Zhang Zhiwei) - MyDramaList
(Note: Ye-Mu Seasons 1 and 2 are standalone stories; each season is entirely self-contained and the second season is not a continuation of the first.)
The head of the Ye-Mu family has died, leaving the next generation to squabble over the inheritance. It's a web of secrets, lies, and hidden resentments, as the characters dig out old grievances and fresh accusations in a desperate attempt to one-up each other. They're tangled up together to an almost incestuous degree, and indeed, the F/F subtext here is the ambiguous relationship between eldest daughter Ye-Mu Nanzhu (Sheng Wei) and second daughter Ye-Mu Nanmo (Wang Laoji) (rest assured that they are at least not biologically related).
Those who prefer darker stories and don't mind the pseudo-incest or other content warnings will find a melodrama which makes good use of its short runtime to deliver on twists, turns, and an explosive - if tragic - conclusion. That being said, the story is about the family drama in general, so do note that while the relationship between Nanzhu and Nanmo is narratively important, it is not fleshed out in great detail and certainly not the focus of the series.
(CW: suicide, ableist trope (spoiler – disabled character turns out to have been faking it), ableist language)
Links - MEGA / Internet Archive (compilation)
4. The Lost World / 夏夜知道风的甜 (1hr 5m total, 2023, dir. Zhang Zhiwei) - MyDramaList
(Note: Spoilers for the purpose of flagging triggering content, as it’s particularly easy to trip into for this show. Also, some vague spoilers for later episodes in order to highlight in order to highlight the themes etc.)
This webseries feels like two shows smushed into one: apart from the very beginning, the first half is a gritty, bullying-focused take on university life, while the second is a true-blue romantic comedy (aside from one blip – see the note below for details). But even if you’re wary of the bullying, I would still recommend watching the back half – which is basically standalone – as it’s a very funny and heartfelt story about two childhood friends finally getting their act together. Without further ado, here’s two blurbs!
From episode 1 onwards: After saving a classmate from the class bully, popular college student Xia Huaichu (Yang Fuyu) is subjected to a lengthy harassment campaign by the latter. She is suddenly faced with having to protect her reputation in the face of false allegations and fake nudes– despite the fact that all she wants to do is focus on reconciling with another classmate, a high school best friend whom she had previously lost touch with (Mu Qingfeng, played by Wang Laoji). From episode 14 onwards: Childhood friends Xia Huaichu (Yang Fuyu) and Mu Qingfeng (Wang Laoji) are caught in a weird gay purgatory where each has feelings for the other, and suspects that the other has feelings for them too. But both are exceedingly stubborn and want the other one to take the initiative in confessing, leading to ridiculous displays of I-don’t-care-isms and lots and lots of UST. (Does anybody use that term anymore??)
As you may have guessed, I’m not too keen on the first part of this show, nor the decidedly unnecessary attempted rape segment, though that’s partly on me for not checking the content warnings beforehand. And yet I’m very glad to have stuck with it, because the second half is not only hilarious, but also a masterclass in censorship-dodging that needs to be seen to be believed. Not just in terms of the suggestive scenes, of which there are many, either— the story is literally about two women starting a relationship and having to reckon with parental disapproval, homophobia, and other obstacles which platonic friends wouldn’t have to deal with. I honestly don’t know how this ever got approved, and can only applaud. Bravo.
Note: For those who want to avoid the triggering content, I’d recommend starting at episode 14, but make sure to skip episodes 19 and 20 as there is a foiled rape attempt.
(CW for entire series: bullying (incl. violence, fake nudes), sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, fatphobic language, homophobia
CW for episodes 14-24: attempted sexual assault in episodes 19-20, homophobia)
Links - MEGA / Dropbox
SHORT FILMS
Quick note: Click on the English titles for the subtitled versions, and the Chinese titles (which are really just the video titles) for the originals. And yes, although the majority of these are shampoo commercials, they really do hold up as short films in their own right. Give them a try, you might be surprised!
A Tale of Yearning / 一见误终生,不见终生误 (5 mins, 2022, dir. Liu Yun Rui/流云蕊) – A bittersweet story about a literature-minded young woman (Sheng Wei) and a Chinese opera performer (Ai Ye) who bond over their love of fiction, only to be torn apart by harsh reality. Tragic ending, but I liked the more literary turn of the dialogue. Shampoo ad. (CW: homophobia)
“She Brought Colour Into My World” / “她走后,我的世界又失去了颜色” (2.5 mins, 2023, dir. Zou Hui Qu Le/走回去了) – A very restrained short film (actually, more like a music video) set during the late Qing era, wherein a sheltered young woman (Xiao Yu Za/小宇咂) falls for her female neighbour, recently returned from studying abroad (Sheng Wei). Lovely use of music and visuals to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Tragic ending. Not a shampoo ad.
“I’m Her Weapon” / 我是你手里的一把刀 (3 mins, 2022, dir. Liu Yun Rui/流云蕊) – A moody, interior piece about an assassin (Ai Ye) who yearns for some sign of affection from her handler (Sheng Wei), only to be left devastated by her new assignment. Surprisingly not a shampoo ad.
Miss Shen and the Woman Warlord / 我们是孤独行走的钟,但也要做敲响希望的钟 (6 mins, 2023, dir. Liu Yun Rui/流云蕊) – I’d like to describe this as being inspired by the story of Mai Jia’s novel The Message and the aesthetics of Kawashima Yoshiko (1990), but most Tumblr users would probably find those references deeply unhelpful. Basically, a female spy (Sheng Wei) disguises herself as a male soldier and infiltrates the mansion of a Republican warlord. There, she meets the warlord’s daughter (Ai Ye), who quickly realises that there is more to the promising young officer than meets the eye. Shampoo ad.
Women’s Script / 纵使“科考”无女子,无碍红袖书香,星辰有光 (5 mins, 2023, dir. Liu Yun Rui/流云蕊) – While sailing down a river, a girl (Zhi Chun He/至春禾) catches sight of a woman writing poetry on the riverbank (Sheng Wei), and is fascinated by both her beauty and her flaunting of the rules against women’s literacy. Shampoo ad. (CW: domestic violence)
The Caged Canary / 如果这是一场骗局,那我也只愿意输给你 (5 mins, 2023, dir. Liu Yun Rui/流云蕊) – The protagonist (Ai Ye) is sent by her parents to beguile a wealthy young man into marriage, but ends up developing feelings for his modern-woman sister (Sheng Wei) instead. Shampoo ad. (CW: attempted sexual assault)
Flowers Bloom; Flowers Wither / 她们一个被铁链禁锢,一个被男装束缚,直到救赎彼此 (9 mins, 2022, dir. Qian Li Min/千里明) – Takes the romance between a cross-dressing noblewoman (Du Ruo/杜若) and her supposedly-mad stepmother (Rou Lian Cheng/肉脸橙) to tell a story about the restrictions placed on women in historical times, and how resistance, even when futile, can still have meaning. Tragic ending, obviously. Not a shampoo ad. (CW: domestic violence, misogyny, accidental misgendering, gender dysphoria)
#sapphic#lesbian#gay#wlw#baihe#chinese gl#yuri#gl series#wlw series#short films#wlw recommendations#ye mu#wicked wealthy women#the vampires 2022#the lost world 2023#xia ye zhi dao feng zhi tian#zhang zhiwei#liu yun rui#wang laoji#wang xuexi#sheng wei#yang fuyu#ai ye#list
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Timestamps from Niki's stream with summaries of the Tubbo-Herobrine lore!
2h 39m - Empanada and Niki wonder why Tubbo is on so late with a weird skin. They decide to go talk to him.
2h 40m - They find Tubbo dressed as Herobrine, spinning on his back on the ground to music. Bagi explains that he has a date with Fred and is probably nervous.
2h 46m - Bagi uses rainbow jelly on Tubbo, and he resumes standing upright. He seems to have a sort of weird power where, when he points at people, they disappear or reappear.
2h 53m - Tubbo makes all of the eggs disappear and reappear. Niki asks him if he’s evil, and he shakes his head. She gets blinded for a few seconds.
2h 55m - Tubbo flies into the air and logs off.
(interim)
3h 9m - Niki, Bad, Empanada, and Richas are working on Empanda’s egg carton room when they see Herobrine-Tubbo on the tablist again. Niki goes to see what’s going on.
3h 10m - Tubbo, in a different voice: We are not done yet. Take me to shells. Shells now. Small little shells.
Niki figures out that he means the eggs but refuses to take him to where they are. He calls her the “Keeper of the Shells” and continues to ask to be taken to them.
3h ?m - Niki: Do you know Tubbo? Are you Tubbo?
Tubbo-Herobrine: Unimportant.
3h 26m - Empanada arrives.
Tubbo-Herobrine: Shell, I must share news. Are you important?
Empanada: to my family and friends yes
Tubbo-Herobrine: In everything?
Empanada: oh I don’t know?
Tubbo-Herobrine: What is everything to you?
Empanada: my family and friends
Tubbo-Herobrine: So you are important.
3h 30m - Tubbo-Herobrine points at Empanada, and she disappears. He thanks Niki, but she asks him to bring Empanada back. He says “In 60 seconds.”
3h 31m - He asks Niki if she’s important. She says everyone is important. He brings Empanada back.
3h 33m - Tubbrine says he needs a home, and Niki says they can help.
3h 34m - They find out Tubbrine is a creation of Tubbo from the Tubchunk. He asks them not to tell Tubbo about it.
Tubbrine: Creator will not be mad. Just will have to start over. When start over, I end. I end forever.
3h 38m - Tubbrine now says he needs the “Jump keeper,” seemingly referring to Niki.
Tubbrine: I struggle with jump.
3h 41m - Tubbrine stands in the water and says that it hurts. Niki puts down scaffolding for him.
3h 48m - Niki figures out that there’s a conflict Tubbrine needs help with. It seems to have something to do with Tubbrine’s ranking of the eggs’ importance. Niki thinks he’s looking for Sunny.
3h 51m - Tubbrine says he wants the egg with the aggressive personality that “may be powerful.” Empanada guesses he wants Moon, Sunny’s alter ego.
Tubbrine: May be childish.
Niki: Sounds like Richas.
3h 53m - Tubbrine says he can’t say Empanada’s rank, but she’s high.
~ 3h 56m - Tubbrine disappears.
3h 57m - Tubbrine reappears while Niki is afk and insists that Empanada go with him. She leaves a sign for Niki explaining and does.
3h 59m - Niki returns and starts to panic, searching for them, but quickly finds them nearby. She continues trying to decipher what he wants.
4h 5m - Richas arrives with Bad, and it seems to be what Tubbrine was looking for! Tubbrine questions him in a similar fashion to Empanada about importance.
4h 14m - Tubbrine makes Richas disappear, saying he was dangerous.
Tubbrine: Shell is now safe.
Tubbrine: The rank dictates.
4h 15m - Tubbrine: What does shell want?
Niki: We want him back. Can you bring him back?
4h 17m - They ask his name, and he says “I am Creation.” He brings Richas back (about now? I might have missed it).
4h 20m - Creation says “Done” and leaves. Niki explains everything she knows to Bad, and they agree to respect his wishes and not tell Tubbo. They decide to go investigate the Tubchunk.
4h 26m - After not finding anything at Tubchunk, Bad and Niki plan to ask Tubbo questions without revealing exactly what happened.
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WIBTA for reporting my coworker friend to hr for harassing our other coworker friend?
(🥩🦎 to find later)
I (23nb) work at a food service place and always close with the same two people one day of the week, we'll call these people N (20m) and Red (19nb). We all met at work and being closest in age with each other compared to most of the other people there plus having similar-ish interests, we started hanging out with each other outside of work
Red is the kind of person who overshares with people right after meeting them, and N is the kind of person who rarely takes anything seriously and thinks its funny to pretend to be a jerk and bigot (hes the only cis white neurotypical guy at work while red and i are both trans and autistic and I'm black), so Red has shared a lot of their trauma and past with the both of us and N typically uses it to jokingly bully them
Now most of the time Red and I are okay with N's jokes, and we make it clear where our boundaries are and N usually respects this with the exception of a few times we've had to make it very clear where our boundaries are after he's crossed them. But lately N keeps poking at one particular thing of Red's that is especially triggering for them, and this has happened two weeks in a row now. I don't know what this thing is specifically because both times I've been just out of earshot when the topic has been brought up, Ive just been told by Red that it has to do with the worst thing that's ever happened to them.
Both times this has happened Red has, understandably, gotten really upset and angry at N, and N only apologized for it the first time it happened. This week when it happened apparently he only started to make a joke about it but then stopped before he finished it because he thought better of it, but it was still enough for Red to figure out what N was gonna say and be upset about it.
I've tried to explain to N why even if he didn't completely say the joke he was going to make it still hurt Red, but he just sort of threw a tantrum about not understanding why he was getting in trouble for something he didn't say and concluded that it would be better to say it outright if he's going to get in trouble just for thinking it anyways.
I've also tried to convince Red to either just stop joking around with N while at work or report him to our manager or hr themself, but they're standing firm on that it shouldn't even be an issue to begin with and that it wouldn't be if N could learn to think before he speaks.
I'm also convinced that Red would feel bad if they reported N because he's been reported by other coworkers in the past year and everyone we work with including our manager often pokes fun at him to varying degrees of intensity and they might feel bad if he lost his job because they reported him. (Red has a second job somewhere else while this is N's full time job)
My concern is that N is actively making Red feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and I also feel uncomfortable both in knowing that N would carelessly cross our boundaries for the bit and also because of the tense and awkward atmosphere in the workplace that has followed immediately after both times he's done it. I don't want to have to deal with that and I'm pretty sure Red doesn't want to either.
I told N right when I learned that he'd joked about Red's trauma again that he was on strike 2, and i plan on telling N and Red both that i plan to take action if it happens next time i work with both of them.
WIBTA for following through and reporting N? Am I overstepping into a situation I'm barely involved in?
What are these acronyms?
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8 years of befriending Flynn... Photos are all in chronological order - the 1st was taken in March 2015, just a few weeks after I’d brought him home & the last is from just a few days ago, Feb 2023.
Due to how severe Flynn’s fears about being touched/handled/restrained etc were & how fast he could switch from being alright, to extremely NOT alright with a situation, I decided early on, to give him as much choice & freedom as possible, when it came to our interactions together. Obviously, there are situations when handling, or restraining a dog is a unavoidable & we actively worked on increasing his ability to cope with that right from the start. However, when we were just “hanging out” on walks, I let Flynn make his own choices & come to me in his own time.
Initially, Flynn preferred to rest a good 15-20m (~50-65ft) away. Then over weeks & months, he began to close that gap. He started choosing to come near enough that he sometimes touched me. Even once he was offering physical contact, I never tried to pat or otherwise touch him because Flynn viewed my hands reaching for him with terror & any movement could spook him to the point he’d bite. Early on, he tended to settle down so that his back was turned to me & just lightly touching my foot, or lower leg (feet were scary but not so scary as hands), slowly Flynn started facing me more often & getting closer still.
A few years in, we were both much more confident & I began teaching Flynn to give his paw - we started on him touching objects - toys, my rucksack etc & worked up to him “patting” at me. Again, because Flynn is less scared of feet than hands - initially he was offering this behaviour by tapping at my feet & legs, while I sat still. I only began sticking my hand out once he was really comfortable. Flynn managing to voluntarily & very deliberately make physical contact with my outstretched hand was a big deal & since then, he’s continued to get more & more confident & like a “normal” friendly dog. He still wouldn’t particularly want me to pat him on top of his head but if I hold my hand out towards him at nose level, Flynn happily comes over & flops his chin down on my palm, leaning in & relaxing.
Life with Flynn was incredibly challenging (not to mention painful!) in the early years & not something I’d want to repeat but it’s also been an absolutely fascinating adventure. Flynn’s taught me so much about dog behaviour & the subtleties of their body language - about our own body language too. About how people & dogs communicate with each other, how easy it is to think you’re “saying” one thing, when actually you’re conveying something else! About finding ways to offer an animal choices, even in situations where something they don’t like has to be done. About learning to restore trust that has been broken - on both sides, Flynn needed to relearn to trust people he lived with, I needed to learn to trust him. Anyway, just my rambling thoughts on life with a “rescue dog” who turned out to be just a bit more troubled than I’d thought when I agreed to take him in... but who has also improved far, far beyond what I dreamed was possible.
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AITA for abandoning the guy (20M) that got me (16M) out of prison and gave me something to do with my life?
The opening sentence surely makes me sound like the asshole but listen, there's a lot that's happened in the past week. So I've always had a short fuse and when I snap I tend to lash out to those around me. It's not something I'm proud of, but I've grown to live with it and the consequences it brings.
One of those consequences was ending up in jail due to an altercation I'd had with one of my professors (I was advanced to a collegiate education at a young age but was forced to drop out due to the aforementioned violent acts). My family disowned me because of this and because of that there was nobody coming to free me from jail. Until I met him. He invited me to join him in working as a soldato, a mafia foot soldier. I agreed as it was clear there was no place for me in the normal man's world anymore.
All that's well and good, our team grows to five people, we get on fine, but then things start going south. See, our team is all very anti-drug, they only bring bad things, and we thought our Boss (???M) was too, but there's been evidence of a drug trade continuing to happen in our territory despite all routes it could come in from being closely monitored and none showing evidence of that stuff or anything out of the ordinary for that matter.
Now that's bad, but things continue to take a dive. Going to start referring to people by letters here to make things more concise than just saying "that guy", so the man who got me out of prison and leads our group (B), brings on in a new guy (calling him G, 15M). He passed our Capo's test so I can't complain, but this kid has something about him that puts me off, a confidence I don't think I've seen in anyone before.
Not long after he joins word gets out our Capo has apparently killed himself, and B gives us all a mission: Recover our fallen capo's fortune. Simple enough right? We get attacked on our way there, just some thugs after the treasure, nothing huge. Once we reach our destination, we receive more information, a mission straight from the Boss and B getting promoted to Capo.
The mission was to deliver the Boss's daughter to him, lay down our lives should we have to as long as it means she makes it to him in one piece. The girl's fine, whatever, she's a little snotty but we gotta follow Boss's orders, right?
So we begin our several day journey, following random clues left out for us, like a treasure hunt except there's an assassin squad out for the girl's head and we just keep managing to run into them at every turn. A few close calls with death later, we wind up at the final location. Only one of us was allowed to bring the girl to her dad, the rest of us were to stay in one spot, I assume for privacy reasons. G offered to go but B ended up being the one to go with her.
At this point I'd thought we were finally done with all this, it had been a very VERY long week and I was tired of having to deal with the threats lurking on every corner all for this girl we barely knew. So imagine my confusion and annoyance when B comes back to us, battered and beaten, with the girl unconscious by his side.
Something had clearly gone wrong, but when I learned it was B who had caused it to go south I was. God I don't even know. He's always been a smart man, always sure in his ways, it's why I went with him when we first met. It's why I stayed by his side for so long. But he betrayed the Boss. It was, still is, utterly unthinkable to me.
Apparently Boss wanted the girl delivered to him to kill her himself, something about someone with his image running around rubbed him the wrong way. B had decided to save her and rebel, going on his own mission to take down the Boss. He made it very clear how dangerous what he had just done was, and that should we continue to follow him we would be putting ourselves in the path of a warhead.
I tried, so hard, to reason with him, convince him to give the girl back and apologize, to see how foolish he was acting. One of the other members agreed that what he was doing was insane, but.. He followed it up by walking over to him and joining him in the boat we came in on. One by one the team all joined B in that boat that would take them on a path to fight one of the most powerful men of the modern day and surely die because of it.
They left me and one other member (17M) standing by the water. The kid had asked B if he should join, B had strictly advised against it for our own safety, but the kid went and joined them anyway, even after they left him in his moment of hesitation. I know I was right in my choice, I can't just betray the organization like that for someone I barely know, and B had said to not come, right? But I'm not sure what exactly to feel about it. I feel betrayed despite making that choice myself... So, AITA?
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AITA for possessing a game and kind of stealing the souls of whoever plays it and trapping them with me?
Okay okay I know this sounds bad but please hear me out!! I was murdered (pretty brutally might I mention!!) by a bunch of humans! (I'm apart of a species thats humanoid, But not exacltly human. They hate us.) I turned into a ghost, Which was surprising! Unluckily, Nobody could.. See me. I was basically just alone, Until I found this up and coming gaming company! I began to talk to the owner! They were small admittedly, The company I mean, And the owner was making a new game he was sure would be a hit! We'll call him John(24M). I left notes for John, And he eventually began to respond to them! I learned a lot from him, Coding wise, And I sort of.. Took over the game. I possessed the file and made some changes, Making it so that everyone who played wouldn't get their own game, But it'd connect them to a singular server for it, That way I could have everyone come to me!
At first, It was great! Only a few people would come, I could play with them and we'd play again the next day! Until it started to get.. Popular. Apparently, Everyone wants an AI that is fully conscious on their computer. It all started with this one kid, I'll call Pipe(20M). He lived in a secluded village in the forest, And we got along very well. Eventually he wanted to try something, Putting his hand to the screen and I learned I could.. Kind of pull people inside. It was fun and I put him back after! This is where it all started.. Too many people began to download the game. Around 3 million, Actually. I decided to play it smart. The screen would be black, And everyone had to put their hands on the screen. One by one I brought them all inside! Then people began to make creepypastas about it! They said I killed them all! And, To be fair, There were bodies... You see, By 'kind of' I meant I can take their souls, But because there were so many I had to put them SOMEWHERE, So for the meantime I put them on my cloak! It made it look like stars! But then the bodies began to die of thirst, Starvation, Sleep deprivation, The works. Some survived by getting taken to the hospital, But its not like their souls can find it. And when I put them into the game, You see, Uh... The soul can only survive for 3 days without the body, But I used some magic to keep them alive! When they're put away in my cloak at least.
So yeah... But I was so lonely before this. The only person I haven't done this to is Pipe, But they found out and are very concerned.
Again, AITA? :(
#aita#am i the asshole#original character#ask to tw#unreality tw#murder tw#violence tw#death tw#mod butterfly
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33 Update. March 27, 2024.
NOTE: 33 is my science fiction web novel that is currently under revision. No one can read it until I finish the rewrite.
...
I've made some changes to 33's outline. I think these changes will improve the novel. I've also added more major plot points to the outline.
33 will start being posted on Archive of Our Own after I finish the rewrite. I intended on crossposting the novel after I completed writing it, but now I plan on crossposting it much earlier than that.
I'm working on capitalizing the Invasion in the instances where it needs to be capitalize.
I've deleted some unnecessary epithets.
Currently proud of the changes I've made. 33 continues to be improved. But there are also changes I hate, ones that I have made, and there are some I will make. Which I will hate too. I'm not fond of the limited creative freedom. Regardless, I will make 33 be as great a novel as it can be.
33 is what I hope will become my magnum opus, my most important work. And it has a planned word count of five million words. Formerly twenty million. Eventually, I realized 20M was an unrealistic idea, so I changed it to 5M.
I've been putting in serious effort trying to improve 33. I just wish I were done with the rewrite, because I'm eager to write chapter 75 and then the remainder of the book.
33 is the novel I would want to read if I were not me. I have to finish writing it, for myself and everyone else who cares about it. I wish I had the discipline to spend all my free time writing it, though. It would get done a lot faster if I did that.
Have a great day.
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Happy Tu BShvat!
Just for Tu BShvat, the US will be seeing the first super blue blood moon since 1866. If you’re up to wake up at 5:50am!
And:
Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1
(1) The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof.
#starts in 20m but I want to get work done#and close tumblr#cool#tu bshvat countdown#tu bshvat#hug some trees friends
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WIP (oh shiz it's) Wednesday: 3/30/22
Me, yesterday: "Ok. Ch3's done. Get home tomorrow, make the bars for work Thursday, edit, and post!" My blood sugar 20m before leaving work: "...but what if we didn't?"
(I stupidly forgot my kit bc it's been that kind of week, so I can't say for certain how low it got, but I haven't had a reaction that bad in years. I'mma try and get this chapter up either tomorrow or Friday, but I'm still post-crash mush!brain, so it's not happening tonight. >< )
“Well, I know why I’m having a bad morning,” she said, slipping her backpack off as they neared her locker, “but what’s going on, Luka? You said you didn’t sleep well.”
“It’s…” he paused, the lie dying on his lips. It wasn’t nothing. Not really. Or at least it should be nothing, he supposed. “Rose was just giving me shit last night. She maybe got in my head a little. I’m fine, though.”
“Rose is mad at you?” she asked, pausing halfway through entering the combination on her lock. He leaned against the locker beside her, dropping his head back with a heavy thump as he stared at the ceiling. Traced the lines of the ceiling tiles. Watched a fluffy cloud crawl its way across the sky trough the skylight. She nudged his side, and he closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. “What did you do? Insult a puppy?”
“Never,” he chuckled, glancing down at her in time to see her smile as she turned back to her lock. With the locker open and her face hidden, it was a little easier to think. “Nah, she just…it’s stupid. It is so stupid, Mari. But she’s got it in her head that you’re mad at me, so she’s mad at me by proxy.”
“…I’m not mad at you,” she said. He huffed out another chuckle.
“That’s what I told her, but you know Rose,” he said. Marinette peeked at him around the door of her locker. There was…something in her eyes. A look he was having trouble placing that didn’t quite sit well with him.
“Why…why does she think I’m mad at you?” she asked.
“Because I’m not going to the dance,” he said. She quickly disappeared behind her door again. His eyebrows rose. “Something about how much work you’ve put into it. How you want me to go. But I told her –”
“I only want you to go if you want to go, Luka,” she said quickly, and he winced at how roughly she shoved her books into her locker. “Don’t go just because you think…if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go. Ignore Rose. She doesn’t…just ignore her.”
“I usually do,” he agreed, nodding. “Thing is, though…I think there’s a little more to it than that. It’s just…God, why is this so hard? Asking you out wasn’t this hard last time.”
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. Then another. She had stopped moving beside him, like she was waiting for him to continue. He kept his eyes closed. Somehow, not looking at her made this easier.
“I know Rose doesn’t know what she’s talking about and that I should just ignore her, but knowing that doesn’t change the fact that I’m starting to wonder if she was maybe just a little right? You’ve been working so hard on this dance, Mari, and you deserve to enjoy it. And I don’t know, maybe you would enjoy it more with…a date? If you want to. I could…God, I’m so bad at this. Do you want to go to the dance, Marinette? With me? Together?” he asked, forcing himself to speak slowly and clearly. His eyes were shut so tightly they pricked at the edges, and his hand was fisted in his pocket so bad his nails cut into his palm. He forced himself to relax, but she wasn’t answering and that wasn’t exactly helping his nerves. Had…had he completely misunderstood the situation? Had he been right all along and she really didn’t want the extra pressure of a date right now? He opened his eyes and looked down at her, but he couldn’t see her around the locker door. He moved it aside, frowning. “Marinette?”
…she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring at a notecard in her hands. She…he didn’t think she was even listening to him anymore.
“Marinette?” he called again, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Her lower lip was pulled between her teeth, and she was worrying it as she looked up at him like… “What’s…what’s wrong?”
“You…Luka, did you…” she started, but then she was looking at the card again. He frowned as she held it up to him. “Was this you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. He moved to stand beside her, to better read the card. His eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve seen my handwriting, Mari. That’s way too neat to be me.”
…except he kind of wished it had been him, especially with how her face fell as soon as he denied it. She looked back at the note, closing it before he could finish reading it – but he had seen enough. It was a love letter. From what looked like a secret admirer, as the card hadn’t been signed.
Who the hell was sending Marinette love letters?
“Right!” she squeaked, quickly shoving it back into a blue envelope and into her bag. He frowned as she grabbed two more books and stuffed them in on top of the note, hiding it from view, before throwing her backpack on so quickly it knocked him in the stomach. He stepped back as she slammed her locker shut and spun on her heel, grinning up at him with a too-wide, manic smile that didn’t sit well with him. He reached up to cup her cheek, but before he could touch her she was ducking past him and moving towards the door. “Of course it wasn’t you! Silly…silly me. Why would it be you? It’s never…anyway, let’s go – can’t be late, right? Already late enough today! C’mon!”
And then she was out the door, and Luka was left alone in an empty locker room with a good five, ten minutes before anyone else would wander in for the change of class. He blinked after her, wondering what exactly had just happened and not understanding any of it. That stupid, niggling voice that had been mocking him all night was louder than ever, though. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he was left with the sinking feeling that it was somehow his fault. He slumped back against her locker, thwunking his head against the cool metal as he replayed the scene in his head.
“…dammit.”
#miraculous ladybug#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#wip wednesday#princess heartmaker#rose is dumb ignore her#luka's dumb too#so is marinette#we deal in idiots round here
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Recipe #2: Teriyaki chicken adapted from Just One Cookbook
I kind of just feel this one out, but I've tried to codify it so it's replicable :)
There are three components to this: the chicken, the broccoli, and the rice. I'm gonna spell out how to do each:
You will need:
Rice - 2/3 cup of uncooked rice. Or just, like, whatever looks like you could eat it. Use a mug if you want. In university I used a mug and made one mug of rice at a time. The key is just to make sure you're putting two times as much water in as rice (for white rice).
2 chicken breasts (or 1 package tofu; substitute instructions are at the bottom)
2tbsp sake (substitute mirin if you can't get sake)
2tbsp mirin
2tbsp soy sauce
Garlic and ginger to taste (start with 1tsp ground/powdered to begin, or 1tbsp fresh)
1tbsp corn starch dissolved in 1/4c. water
Additional water for Making Sure The Sauce Is The Right Texture
Broccoli or your favorite other veggie (I will be telling you how I steam the broccoli)
Daikon radish if you like it (I am a slut for raw daikon radish)
Steps:
0. Put the rice on: put the rice and water in a pot and cover it until it boils. Reduce it to simmer and leave it covered for about 20m; it'll be done about then or when the water evaporates.
0.5. Cook the broccoli: put a colander full of broccoli above a pot of boiling water. Keep the water at a boil; cover the colander with the pot lid so it traps the steam. Steam until desired texture is reached.
1. Make sure the chicken breasts are no more than 1 thumb-knuckle thick- if they are, hit them with something heavy until they're not.
1.5. Make the sauce: mix sake, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic together.
2. Heat up a pan that's big enough to fit the chicken breasts on medium heat.
3. Put the chicken breasts in said pan. Let them start turning white.
4. Put the sauce in the pan with the chicken. You will now be cooking this until it's done. Tips:
*turn over the chicken once the white color starts creeping onto the top of the chicken breasts (I think this is usually about 5m)
*cook it until you are really, really sure it's done - I don't have a meat thermometer (it broke) although that's the safest way to go - I always cut one of the breasts open at its thickest when I think it's done to make absolutely sure
*if the pan runs dry, add more water; it should reduce and get glaze-y on the outside of the breasts but not lose all its moisture
5. When you're sure the chicken is done, add the cornstarch mixture and cook until it's a nice thick sauce. If it gets lumpy, add more water. It should adhere to the chicken.
6. Serve it up! I cut a little daikon radish to eat with it because like why not amirite 🤷♂️
To sub with tofu: press extra firm tofu for 15m - cut into cubes - coat in corn starch - fry in cooking oil until they're nice and golden brown, then add the sauce and resume from step 4. (Tofu is a lot easier, but I hate pressing tofu, so there's that.)
Worth noting: this serves two people, that is, me and my boyfriend. Adjust the batch size as you see fit.
Also: this is my favorite meal on the reheat. Cannot recommend this as a work/school lunch highly enough.
#recipes made of secret sauce#again I kind of feel this one out most of the time so there might be some adjustments necessary#long post#food
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I know you (even if you don't want me to) // a Batwoman fic, chapter 4
about: After finding out Batwoman’s identity, Sophie tries to trap Ryan with her newfound knowledge. If she’s going to be on the outside, she might as well have some fun – and maybe fall in love along the way. #Wildmoore
CHAPTER FOUR SUMMARY: Ryan’s on a mission to stop Sophie’s crush on Batwoman, but she is very unprepared for what a rejected Sophie is about to do. + read on ao3
previously: read chapter one, chapter two + chapter three
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Unknown to SM (21:37) Hostage situation at the Krell Warehouse. Could use an assist. No Crows.
SM to Unknown (21:42) ETA 20m
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Sophie crouches low at the rendezvous point. A few rusted shipping containers form a makeshift wall on the edge of the warehouse property. Ryan’s fully suited up with her favorite batons ready for the action. She turns them in her hands to try and get rid of her nervous energy.
Sophie nods her way. “Surprised you called for help.”
“Yeah, well….” Technically, Ryan hasn’t called for help. She needs to put space between Sophie and Batwoman, and doing this over text would be even more uncomfortable than doing it in person.
“What do we got?”
“Six people inside — mostly teens who thought cruising an old Wonderland haunt would be a fun way to spend their Friday night.” Ryan points to the second level of the building where a row of boarded up windows give them their best entry point. “One got out a distress call, but False Face is all over the lower level and all the reasonable exits.”
Sophie mulls that over. “Do they know they’ve got company?”
“They found one kid who split off solo. The others are hiding, waiting for us to get them out.” Ryan stands back up.
“How’d you hear about this before us?” Sophie asks.
In a word, Parker. The inherited back-up / hacker teen is a senior now, and she’d reached out to Mary for an assist. Mary caught Ryan up to speed, but there’s not really a quick way to clue Sophie in.
“A little doggy told me.”
Sophie side-eyes Ryan. “I didn’t know riddles were your thing.”
Ryan gets her baton ready. “Saving people’s my thing. Now, I’m going to break through the boards. Draw their attention to me. After that, you find the kids and get them out of here.”
“Aye, aye Captain.” Sophie salutes her.
Ryan hesitates. She could bring Sophie up with her. Get them both into the building the same way. “You want to take the shortcut with me?”
A slow smile curls onto Sophie’s lips. “Yeah?”
Ryan pulls Sophie to her with her left hand. “Hold onto me. Tight.”
Sophie doesn’t need to be told twice. She wraps her arms around Ryan from the left side. Ryan secures her arm around Sophie’s waist, then clicks the button on the baton, launching the zip wire and effectively sending them into the air.
Sophie clings to her tighter. She gives a little gasp that Ryan’s sure will live in her mind rent free. Ryan shifts her weight to push boots first into the wood boards. She kicks through, and the splintering will definitely be enough to get the False Face members’ attention.
She lands firm, and Sophie takes a moment to readjust. Ryan knows she shouldn’t, but she glances up at Sophie. There’s a breathless awe in her that Ryan can’t look away from. Sophie genuinely laughs.
“That was awesome!”
Ryan smiles back despite herself. “Go find the kids. Thank me later.”
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Ryan takes out three different False Face goons. The two remaining ones chase her through the building and out the front doors. It’s not the most effective strategy, but she catches sight of Sophie leading the kids out from the corner of her eye. Parker has the audacity to wave at Ryan, like they’re friends. The girl might’ve been Kate’s chosen teenager, but Ryan is not taking in any strays.
She focuses back on her two shadows. “Aren’t you guys sick of getting your asses kicked at this point?” She assumes her fighting stance while they split masked looks and probably choose who is charging at her first. “I knocked out three of your buddies back there. I broke into your boss's hideout. Gotham is mine.”
A car starts in the distance. The guy in the Seal Mask cheats a glance towards the shipping containers. Ryan takes the opportunity to launch a Batarang at his shoulder. It slices through his jacket like butter. The Monkey Mask runs at her.
She blocks three punches and a kick before getting a roundhouse one of her own straight to his side. Monkey Mask crumbles with the kick. Seal Mask storms right at her, but thankfully, Sophie shocks him with a taser from behind. As he writhes his way to the ground, Ryan chops Monkey Mask in the side of the head to knock him out too.
Sophie pockets her taser. She wipes her hands after. “Kids are gone. They say thank you.”
“Did you tell them this was a one time thing?” Ryan asks.
Sophie nods. “I promised I’d haul them in myself next time.”
Of course she did. Because that’s who Sophie is. How many times has she said those same words to Ryan? Her solution will always be to lock people up and maintain the status Crow. Ryan cannot be a part of that.
She bites the bullet and announces, “There won’t be a next time. Not for us.”
Sophie’s smile drops. “I’m sorry, what? If it’s the Crow thing again, it was a joke—”
“No,” it wasn’t a joke, but it’s now or never to put an end to this. “It’s the Kate thing.”
The mention of Kate works exactly the way Ryan thought it would. A wall builds around Sophie in an instant. Her voice drops to a warning.
“Watch yourself, Batwoman.”
She has to watch out for Gotham. Keep them safe by keeping Sophie out of the Batcave and back with her Crows where she belongs.
“You said it yourself: she was the love of your life. Isn't it a little weird that you’re asking me out for drinks?”
Sophie’s nostrils flare. She grinds out, “It’s a drink. Not a marriage proposal.”
“You’ve already done that part, right?”
Okay, Ryan may have gone too far with that one. But the point is to drive Sophie away. If Sophie thinks Batwoman is a bitch, then Ryan’s in the clear. No more crush, no more problems.
But Sophie spins Ryan around with a vice-like grip on her wrist. She glares down at Ryan, and Ryan’s thankful once again for how the cowl and the wig cast her eyes in shadow.
“And what have you done, besides try to push away the one person who’s repeatedly saved your life? I’m not your enemy, and I’m not going to stand here while you try to use my dead ex against me.”
Sophie’s whole body shakes. Her rage is clear and channeled straight at Ryan. She practically growls, “You want to work alone so badly? Be my guest.” Then storms off into the night.
After a beat, the crackle in the Comms gives way to Luke.
He sighs heavily into his microphone. “Not cool, Ryan.”
Ryan clears her throat. Tries to sound a bit less affected. “Hey, mission accomplished.”
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Screw Ryan. Sophie would normally go for more eloquence, but she’s a little sidetracked. She squares up her shot in the minimalist Crows shooting range. The small scale facility has a row of five shooting stations opposite the targets. On a Friday night, the other Crows are either working or relaxing, so the space is all hers. And Mary’s, who presses a pair of earmuffs tighter onto her ears and squeaks as Sophie takes another shot.
Mary practically screams, “Are you sure that this is how you want to spend Girls’ Night?”
Girls’ Night meaning yet another last minute outing to distract Sophie from how shitty Ryan is acting. At least the last time, Sophie could have a bit of fun. This time, her blood’s boiling, and she grinds her teeth so hard that she might upset a filling.
“Any better ideas?”
Mary gives an incredulous look to Sophie. “There are so many clubs in Gotham. You can take shots instead of shooting them. And… didn’t you used to go shooting with Kate?”
Sophie sets her gun down. “It’s great stress relief.”
“Yeah, so’s dancing. And it’s a lot more fun.” Mary pushes her ear muffs down onto her neck. “I don’t need to know what’s got you so…” She waves a hand at Sophie’s generally tense demeanor. “But you can find plenty of ladies who would love to help you forget about it.”
And forget about Ryan slut-shaming her for even looking like she was moving on. “Look, I can live my life however I want. It’s not disrespecting anyone to do that.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.” Mary turns knowing eyes up at Sophie. “I also feel like there’s someone else that you want to be saying that to, and it’s not me. So, you work on your speech, and I will cement our spot on the guest list, okay?”
Mary squeezes Sophie’s arm and then excuses herself from the room. She stays right outside, where the pop of Sophie’s next shot is on the other side of the glass. Her phone’s ringing before she really thinks about it.
Ryan groans into the phone upon answering. Then she must hear the muffled shots in the background. “Are you getting shot at?”
“Thankfully, no. Sophie’s got me at the Crows shooting range because someone pissed her off tonight.” Mary rolls her head in a circle and wills some of the tension out of her body. “An hour ago, you two were fine, so want to clue me in how you royally screwed things up?”
Ryan scoffs, and her voice pitches higher in indignation. “She’ll be fine. This is Crowphie we’re talking about.”
Mary watches as Sophie fires off three rounds before her arms drop. Sophie lays the gun down and plants her hands on the wood of the stall in front of her. Her shoulders shake with what may actually be a sob.
“She’s not invincible, Ryan. And you can’t hurt her just to push her away. It’s not fair.”
“When has any of this been fair, Mary?” There’s a thud on the other end, like Ryan’s slamming their fridge. Is she home right now? “I’m doing the best I can.”
“Well, do better. I’m taking her out to hopefully dance through some of this intensity. Maybe tomorrow you can try to fix this. Okay?”
A bottle cap pops on Ryan’s side. She’s definitely got a beer from the fridge. This won’t end well for any of them, will it? Ryan takes a swig that’s loud enough for Mary to hear through the phone.
“Which club?”
Mary sighs.
.
.
Leave it to Mary to pick the one club playing decent music tonight. Ryan half expected Mary to have picked Curse, but Sophie’s not really an EDM kind of girl. Before tonight, Ryan would’ve assumed Sophie’s never been to a club at all. She’s the tight lipped, straight backed type. The type to think of a few drinks at a bar as a wild night.
Tonight, though, Sophie’s hotter than ever. In a tight dress that stops above the knee and heels that make her tower over half the patrons, Sophie’s got the attention of at least half the club. Ryan watches from beside Mary at their table. Sophie had taken one look at Ryan, downed her drink, and gone onto the dance floor.
“She’s not even a good dancer,” Ryan mumbles. Sophie’s a bit too stiff to really be good out there. She does have a natural rhythm though. Everyone around her bends to match it. One particular person with a mullet slips up behind Sophie. Their hand finds Sophie’s hip, and Sophie only misses a beat before dancing again.
Mary twirls the ice around in her drink. “She’s fine.”
She’s vengeful. Sophie gets told one time that she’s moving on too fast, and now she’s grinding with a stranger at a club. If anything, she’s proving Ryan’s point.
Mullet takes Sophie’s hand in their free one and spins Sophie around to face them. The move gets a laugh out of Sophie. The laugh gets a kiss from Mullet. Ryan groans.
She leans across the table to Mary. “I thought this was Girls’ Night.”
Mary shrugs. “Mullet's a girl. Maybe. I'm trying not to assume anyone's gender based on expression. Look, you rejected her, so she’s going to rebound.”
Ryan pulls a disgusted face. It’s not about Mullet in particular. Just, if Sophie’s going to rebound off of Batwoman, couldn’t she do it with somebody interesting? Somebody who will do more than kiss along her neck in a sweaty club surrounded by strangers. Now both of Mullet’s hands are on Sophie’s hips, and Sophie’s head is tilted back like she’s actually enjoying this. Like Mullet has found just the right spot and —
Ryan turns to put her back to the dance floor. “I’m not watching this.”
“You don’t have to. You also… didn’t have to come?” Mary’s voice lilts up at the end. Her face is that mix of carefully constructed curiosity that usually means Mary’s leading Ryan into a trap. “I get that you wanted to see how bad she’s taking it, but I could have just texted you. Imani would’ve loved an impromptu date night.”
Things with Imani aren’t as great as they were before. Imani’s still amazing, but she gets quieter and stares at Ryan like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. The last time Ryan bailed for Bat business, Imani looked absolutely betrayed.
Ryan could keep it to herself, but she blurts out, “Imani doesn’t trust me. I have to bail on half of our dates because of work and after meeting Sophie—”
“Why would she be jealous of Sophie?”
Ryan scratches at the back of her neck. “We may have gotten caught up in an argument in front of Imani.”
Mary hums. “And the two of you forgot anyone else even existed.” She says it like this is something that they do.
“I didn’t forget.” Sophie infuriates Ryan. She’s so sure that she’s right about every little thing, and if Ryan doesn’t correct her, then who will?
“But you didn’t care. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t the woman that you’re sleeping with have your full attention? Not your ‘coworker.’”
Ryan gives her a tight smile. “You’re forgiven.”
Mary turns her eyes back to the crowd. Ryan glances back, and of course, Sophie’s still with Mullet. But as Mullet kisses Sophie’s neck again, Sophie stares across the dance floor straight at Ryan.
Mary claps her hands together. “Alright. You two might want to talk about whatever this is. Preferably before I become an unwilling third and Imani ends up heartbroken.”
Ryan’s halfway out of her chair before she remembers to deny it. “There’s nothing to talk about.” Mary’s sarcastic mhm follows Ryan as she cuts her way through the crowd towards Sophie.
The heat of the bodies engulfs her. Somebody familiar tugs at Ryan, but she shirks out of the touch without so much as a look. Her eyes catch Sophie’s again, and she holds the stare as she slips around the last few people between them.
Mullet’s behind Sophie again. They possessively wrap an arm around Sophie’s stomach. “We’re good,” Mullet says.
Ryan ignores them to talk to Sophie. “Mary’s worried about you.”
Sophie’s dismissive. “Then Mary can come talk to me herself.” She turns her nose up at Ryan, and honestly, it’s enough to make Ryan see red.
Ryan’s here because Mary said Sophie was hurting. Ryan could be anywhere else. She could be at home, drinking a beer, in her bed. She could be patrolling the city. She could be with Imani, but she’s here because Mary had the misguided idea that Sophie was actually sad about being rejected. Mary was wrong.
Ryan huffs. “Whatever.” She starts walking back through the crowd.
Sophie calls out, “Hey, don’t walk away from me!”
Ryan glances over her shoulder to see Sophie push Mullet away. Sophie storms after Ryan, cutting through couples and dancers to get to her. Ryan speeds up. She makes a sharp turn in the crowd. No need to head back towards Mary and her leading comments.
The bathrooms are packed, as always, but there’s an exit door a bit further down the hall that’s normally unlocked. Ryan wiggles along the hall to get there and slips out into the night air.
A wave of humidity lingers outside the door. The stoop can barely fit Ryan. She pauses, which is just enough time for Sophie to push her way outside too. Ryan has to step down off the stoop. So she takes the remaining two steps to be firmly on the ground.
“Ryan, stop!” Sophie stomps down the steps. Ryan can’t move quick enough, so she ends up with Sophie standing over her. Sophie’s breathing hard. Her cheeks and neck are flushed from the club. Her lipstick’s in tact, but there’s a well kissed swell to them too.
Ryan can’t explain the fire in her veins. She shouldn’t have the power to get to Sophie like this. And maybe Ryan doesn’t. Maybe only Batwoman means something to Sophie.
“I have never seen you like that.” Ryan throws a hand towards the club. “Who was that in there?”
“You’re the one who said we didn’t know each other,” Sophie snaps.
“Maybe with good reason!”
Sophie quickly shakes her head. She stabs a finger into Ryan’s shoulder. “You do not get to judge me, Ryan. I am not interested in hearing some speech about how I should be acting. I decide what I want to do. I spent twenty-nine years denying myself that. And I am tired of letting other people tell me what team to be on.”
“You picked a clear one in there,” Ryan retorts. She should have worn her heels. Sophie’s a fucking Amazon woman right now, and it makes Ryan flare up. Makes her puff her chest out more than she needs to.
Sophie says, “I didn’t have a choice!” She catches herself. Her eyes cut to the wall before coming back to Ryan. “Did you know that I worked with the last Batwoman?”
Of course Ryan knows that. Everybody knows Sophie and Kate worked together. It’s why Sophie got suspended last year. Even low level non-criminals like Ryan heard about that. The Crows number two getting the deuces.
Sophie knows too. She keeps going, “For months, we worked together, and she never told me who she was. She never even gave me the chance to keep her secret. And you could say that she was protecting me, but really — ” Sophie’s anger fractures. Her lip trembles, and she sniffles before setting her jaw again. ”She was protecting herself.”
Luke always talks about Kate like she was perfect. Kate stood up for the people of Gotham. Kate had a code. Kate loved Sophie and established a legacy that Ryan’s supposed to carry on. Is hurting Sophie a part of that?
Sophie pushes her hair back out of her face. “I’m sick of playing games, Ryan.”
Ryan’s blood runs cold. “Meaning…?” Does Sophie know?
“Meaning I am going where I’m wanted.”
Ryan sighs in relief. A stressed laugh slips from her lips. It’s not about her. It’s still about the rejection.
Ryan lightens her tone. “You didn’t have to come to the club for that. There’s a line out the door at The Hold Up.” Sophie shakes her head, and the tension’s still tight between her eyebrows. Ryan needs this out. She takes Sophie’s hand in hers to swing it playfully between them. “I’m serious! Much hotter than Mullet. You should see the number of women checking you out every time you’re there. They are waiting for you to give them a chance.”
Sophie’s shoulders drop, like the fight’s slipping out of her. “You’re being nice.”
Ryan runs her thumb along Sophie’s knuckles to undercut her words.
“When have I ever been nice to you, Sophie?”
Sophie gazes down at Ryan in such a tender way that Ryan forgets how to breathe for a second. Forgets that they shouldn’t be toe to toe in an alleyway underneath the moonlight.
Sophie’s natural rasp pokes through. “You tell me.”
The quick hits: saving Sophie from Black Mask, cracking jokes with her and Jordan, the free margaritas. Sophie’s the nicer of the two of them. She stayed with Ryan on the island. She didn’t even look under the mask when she could’ve. She got Ryan back to Mary’s clinic with no questions asked.
She always plays along when Ryan wants a fight. She comes running for every text, every call, and she flips the Bat-signal to see Ryan. Not for some ghost of who used to be.
Sometimes Sophie smiles at Ryan like they’re the only two people in the world. Like now. Ryan gets lost in the warmth of it. The hopeful glow in Sophie’s eyes. Maybe Ryan should’ve been in heels. Sophie wouldn’t have to lean so far down to kiss her. Would it be so bad if Sophie did have a crush? If Ryan maybe —
“OW! What the —” The back door snags on the sleeve of Mary’s dress. She stumbles on the stoop, and her eyes jump up in time to spot them. Ryan and Sophie freeze, hands still together, faces angled towards each other but no closer to bridging the distance between them.
Ryan’s whole body feels like it’s on fire. Like she’s been caught in front of the whole of Gotham with her mask off.
Mary stares down at their hands. Ryan finally remembers to drop it. Sophie just licks her lips and steps back to turn to Mary.
The medical student points back into the club. “I… I could go back inside.”
Sophie walks back up the steps. “I’m calling it a night. Thanks, Mary. This was….” She glances over her shoulder at Ryan, who can’t bring herself to move yet. “Yeah.” Sophie slips into the club.
Mary lightly closes the door behind Sophie. She takes a deep breath in. “WHAT WAS THAT!?” She shrieks. Her eyebrows have practically left her face when she turns to Ryan. “You were supposed to be apologizing, not making out in the alley!”
Ryan snaps back to the moment. She readjusts her top, which she doesn’t have to do since it’s not like Sophie touched her. It’s not like they actually did anything. They just… stared? Looked? Saw each other, maybe.
“We weren’t making out.”
“Oh really?” Mary doesn’t believe her.
“We didn’t even kiss,” Ryan snaps.
Mary snorts. “Don’t sound so disappointed.” Ryan crosses her arms defensively. Mary’s eyes quadruple in size. “Oh my God, are you disappointed!?”
Ryan stomps up the steps to the door. Mary figuratively dissects Ryan with her eyes. Maybe Ryan could sprint through the club. If she starts running, the other Black people at least should run. It’s code. A little stampede, and she can ditch her roommate and this awful line of questioning.
Mary keeps up with Ryan as she speeds up though. Mary fast-walks beside her down the narrow hallway.
She says, “You can’t ignore me. You know that, right? We’re going home together. We need to talk about this.”
“Talk about what?”
Mary jogs to get around Ryan and stand in front of her. Ryan nearly crashes into her. Mary grabs both of Ryan’s shoulders so Ryan has no choice but to look at her. It’s almost not fair that Mary and Ryan are nearly the same height. It gives Mary an advantage when it comes to reading Ryan directly. Plus, Ryan can’t escape the soft concern in Mary’s eyes.
She asks it softly but like she already knows the answer. “Do you like Sophie?”
Ryan scoffs and laughs and shakes her head and does everything she can to look like that’s not true. Because it can’t be true. It shouldn’t be true. “No, I do not like Sophie.” So why does that sound like a lie?
.
.
Sophie shouldn’t be up here. She should be back home, like she said, not waiting under the Bat-signal. But she can’t exactly go to Ryan’s loft and ask Ryan what the fuck that was back at the club. At first, it just seemed like judgement. Ryan’s never been subtle about her discontent. She tells Sophie everything she dislikes from the way Sophie’s done her hair to the fact that Sophie’s committed her life to a police state that may never be capable of getting better.
Judgement doesn’t pinch Ryan’s lips though. Judgement is a self-assured raise of the brow. Judgement is that all-knowing smirk and a dimmer switch on Ryan’s normally bright eyes.
At the club, that was something else. That was heat. That was anger. That was jealousy. Ryan might’ve spun it into jokes about The Hold Up, but it started from there. They were so close in that alley. So close as themselves, and that should be the goal of all this, right? Sophie started messing with Ryan to get Ryan to be honest with her. Sophie could take the first step. Drop the charade and tell Ryan that she knows. Ask her to let Sophie in.
Ryan lands on the roof with a whoosh and a soft thud. The wind runs through the wig. What would it feel like through Ryan’s hair? What would Sophie’s fingers feel like?
Ryan shifts her weight from one side to the other. She gives a little “Hi” that sounds nervous even under the voice regulator.
If Sophie speaks, then those nerves will go away. This charade makes it easier. It gives them an excuse and an out. Because if Sophie and Ryan kiss, then Sophie has to change her life. Sophie has to quit her job, and Ryan has to bend her beliefs, and neither of them can ever go back to who they were before. But if it’s Batwoman….
Sophie summons all her strength. “You owe me an apology.”
Ryan glances down at the roof. “Kate was a low blow.”
“And Tyler,” Sophie reminds her. It’s probably a good thing Ryan doesn’t know enough about Julia to bring her up too.
“I’m sorry. I….” She licks her lips and steps closer to Sophie. “I panicked. You’re out here telling people that you have my phone number. What am I supposed to do with that?”
Sophie fakes a thought as she steps towards Ryan. “You could try talking about it, like an actual adult. You are an adult, right?”
Ryan takes another step. They’re only an arms length apart. “Yeah, I’m an adult.”
Sophie’s turn. “Good. And you want me?”
“I….”
Sophie stops. They’re almost toe to toe again. “Yes or no. Do you want me?”
A few agonizing seconds creep in. Ryan doesn’t move, or speak. Dread sinks in. She read this wrong. Ryan really was being nice in the alley, and now Sophie’s pushed too far. She’s gone back on her word, and it’s only going to give Ryan more ammunition against her. She’s going to kill Mary for bringing her out tonight.
“Yes,” Ryan whispers. Sophie jumps forward at the word. “I think…. Yes.”
Sophie drapes her arms around Ryan’s neck. The wig tickles against her bare skin. Ryan’s breath catches in her throat. Tentatively, her hands come up to Sophie’s waist. The gloves bunch her dress. Sophie’s eyes drop from Ryan’s down to Ryan’s lips, then back again. Sophie leans in, so close that their lips almost brush.
“Do you trust me?”
Ryan tenses around her. She says, “I want to. I just… can’t.”
Sophie nods and swallows around the immediate lump in her throat. “Then I can’t do this.”
Sophie detangles herself from Ryan and heads for the doors. She only gets a few steps away before Ryan grabs her hand. Ryan runs her thumb over Sophie’s knuckles the same way she did in the alley.
“We can work on it. It’s not just me, you know,” Ryan says. “I don’t have to work alone.”
Right, there’s Luke and Mary, who lie to Sophie every single time she sees them. There was Julia. Even Alice gets to be in on the action sometimes.
Sophie asks her, “So what’s wrong with me?” Why keep pushing her away? She’s done everything she can think of to prove she’s trustworthy. The last few weeks of jokes and games aren’t the problem. Ryan doesn’t care about kids thinking Sophie’s friends with Batwoman. She doesn’t care about drinks. There's something else at play here. Something Ryan won't admit.
“Soph….” Ryan starts, but no explanation follows. Sophie can’t set herself up like this. Not again.
Sophie pulls her hand back. “Figure that out, and get back to me. Until you do, I’m done.”
.
.
a/n: So many fun things in this chapter! Let me know what's working for you and how you felt about our near kisses (one of which was almost a full one -- can you guess which one?)
END OF CHAPTER UPDATED, MONDAY JUNE 21ST AT 10AM.
it's going to be a busy week for me. give me some fun comments and reblogs to keep my energy up?
#batwoman#batwoman fic#wildmoore#ryan x sophie#sophie moore#ryan wilder#mine#batwoman: s2#fic: i know you even if you don't want me to#mary hamilton
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hey ik this is random but I was scrolling thru the leaving cert tag and saw your post abt your results. Firstly congrats (even if it is 3 years late haha), secondly I’m currently in 6th year and was wondering if I could ask for some English advice? I’m looking to go up a grade (h3->h2) and was wondering if you have any particular tips for studying english, the exam, technique, or for literally anything relevant to the subject. There’s no pressure to answer this, ty either way :)))
Hey! Thank you so much for the ask and i am so sorry i’ve only gotten round to it now XD
LC English tips below!
Okay so it’s been a while since I did the LC but if things are more or less the same, then you’ve got your three texts to answer a question on.
Tip #1: Even though there is an awful lot to learn, you just need to remember key words, and you’ll sail through!
In the comparative, you need to compare your texts in every. single. paragraph. You could write a fantastic essay, but if you don’t say “In comparison to this…” “Text 2 however differs from this…” “Similarly…” “The two texts are different in the sense that…” etc. you will get zero marks at all.
When answering your poetry question, you need to keep referring to the style of the poet. Every past poetry question can be broken down into two simple questions: What did the poet write about? and how did they say it? If you can answer both these questions on every poem you learn, you’ll do great!
Also, do not learn any more than 5 poems per poet and don’t learn any more than 5 poets to begin with. This covers you completely no matter who appears on the day!
Tip #2: Please please pleaseee remember that for the comphrehension section, you must answer one question A and one question B from two different texts! If you answer from the same text you will get 0 and worse than that, this section is worth 12.5% of your total paper which means you will be down an entire grade immediately.
The length of your answer needs to correspond to the marks going for that question. In question A you usually have three parts, worth 15m, 15m, and 20m. Your 20 mark answer must be longer than your 15 mark questions.
For every 5 marks a question is worth, you need 1 A4-page pararaph. Unless you’ve got tiny writing, this is usually 5 to 7 lines of the page.
Your teacher has undoubtedly told you all about timing and “don’t spend any longer than 40 minutes on your question A” and yea they have a point, to an extent. I spent about an hour answering my question A and then sailed through question B because for me, I found the second question a lot easier to answer. Don’t panic if you don’t stick to the “recommended time” because every single person is different and what you find easy might be difficult for someone else.
In saying that, if you are spending loadsss of time on one particular section and you can feel the clock ticking, then move the heck on. Take a deep breath, leave a blank page for yourself to come back to that question later, and start your next part. Every question has a finite amount of marks, so no matter how brilliant your 20 mark answer is, you can only ever get 20 marks for it, and if that answer came at the expense of not getting question B done at all, then you’re down a grade already.
Tip #3: They want your opinion. Let me repeat that. They want your opinion. No matter what the heck they ask you, whether it’s about poetry or your novel or a Shakespearean text, the examiner will be checking to see what you thought of the text. I know firsthand how weird writing things like “In my opion...” or “I believe that...” but this is how you get the marks. Don’t lose the H2 you’re aiming for cause you’re feeling a bit awkward. After the exam, that feeling will never matter again, but your grade will!
Link every single paragraph in every single answer. This doesn’t have to be complicated, you don’t even need to write an entire sentence. Just start every new paragraph with phrases like “However...” or “Therefore...” or “In contrast to this...”. If you don’t link your paragraphs, the examiner will think that you don’t know what you’re talking about and that you have no opinion of your own (see Tip #3) so use those joining phrases!
Tip #4: For that letter/article/diary entry question B, make sure that whatever part of it you answer, you know the layout for that style. Reports must have a title, introduction, work carried out, findings, suggestions, recommendations, and conclusion sections. Essays need to have a clear introduction, 5+ paragraphs, and closing. Even diary entries should begin with ‘Dear Diary’ which physically causes me pain to write, but it’s what gets you the marks!
Letters are the most asked question B but the most diffuclt to get good marks in. First things first: Figure out if it’s formal or informal. Formal will be editors, principals, government, or anyone that you would address as “sir” or “ma’am” in real life. Informal will be your friends, close family members, penpals, or anyone you’d hug goodbye and laugh with in real life.
Formal letters begin with your own name in the right hand corner of the page, with your own address directly below it. Skip a line, and then write the date below it, always in the format of “01 January 2020″ and be sure to check the question for any hint about what this date should be. If you’re writing a letter to your boss asking about organising a staff barbarcue for staff morale, then you wouldn’t date it in the middle of December, right? Sign off with something professional like “Kind regards” or “Thank you for your time”
Informal letters begin with your own address on the top right-hand corner of the page but do not write your name! It’s an informal letter to your friend; they know who you are. Skip a line, and then write the date below it, always in the format of “01 January 2020″ and pay attention to the time of year again. Sign off with something casual like “see you later!” or “talk soon!”
Tip #5: Section 2′s composing section is worth an entire 25% of your paper. If you want to get a good grade, you need to get a good grade in this. If you’re aiming for a H2, then you need to get a H2 in this section minimum.
Your essay should be between 4 to 6 pages, or 1000 to 1250 words. At least.
Always open with a quote, a rhetorical question, or a shocking statistic. I went online the night before my Paper One exam, and wrote down 10 quotes from well-known people about the most popular topics in life, eg. Education, Love, Money, Travelling, Death, Youth & Aging, etc. and just learnt them off in half an hour. I ended up using three of them on the day, and you have no idea the relief you feel when you’re guaranteed that at least one thing in your composition will get you marks!
Take an entire A4 page and plan your essay before you start. Not only is it just common sense and super helpful to get all your ideas down before you forget them, but if you run out of time for whatever reason, then the examiner will be able to see what you were planning to write, and will give you an extra mark or two. Your plan doens’t have to be complicated and you definitely shouldn’t spend any longer than 5 minutes on it. Just throw down a few words, organise them based on paragraph, and then start writing.
And finally (i’m so sorry that you had to read all that) remain calm! No matter what happens, whether you get a H1 or a H7, as long as you do your best then no one can say anything to you! You are more than your grade and you are more than some English exam that won’t matter in ten years anyway. Stay calm, always put your mental and physical health first, and remember that this paper is not the end all be all of anything. You’ve got this.
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WIBTA if I made my housemates sign a cleaning chart/rota/contract thing?
So I (20F) am a student and while it's currently the summer, I am going to be living with most of the same people I lived with last year when school starts again in Sept. These are friend A (20M), friend B (20M) and friend C (23M). Friend B's girlfriend (21F) lived with us last year, but in the coming year she will be living in the same building as us but not the same flat. She will probably be an unofficial 5th housemate.
Last year there were some issues, particularly in the cleaning department. The only two people who actually clean with any kind of regularity and competency are me and A. I've been a paid cleaner before and A works in a kitchen. The problem has been that B and C will be like "I'll do it later" then forget about it. I'm not a neat freak, I'm not bothered about carpets being hoovered at a particular time or dusting being done at a particular time. I do care about having kitchens and bathrooms that aren't biohazards. B and C will leave the kitchen and bathrooms until they start growing their own microbiomes before they'll do anything without prompting. I don't want to be some helicopter housemate standing over adult men being like "time to wash the dishes" but I am running out of options.
A and I both didn't stay in our uni town over the Easter break, and when we returned there was a sink full of orange mould waiting for us. This pissed me off more than usual because I had given the kitchen a very deep clean before I left and they just let it get to that state again, and their excuse was "Well we didn't really use the kitchen we had takeaways" but the evidence spoke for itself. I ended up deep cleaning the kitchen again, and A ended up deep cleaning the bathroom.
We tried a normal rota last year, but B and C half assed their stuff. Bins (in a house that had 7 people in it, so filled very quickly) would be left to pile out of the bin into some leaning tower of trash before they would take them out, but it was "in the deadline" so we couldnt complain without looking unreasonable. Neither of them seem to understand that you need to pick things up and clean under them too to have a clean space (wiping around cups left in the kitchen instead of like...washing them), and B's girlfriend tried to argue we didn't need to replace our broken hoover because we "didn't need one" and like I'm not that particular about carpets but come on? (This also wasn't a money thing, she's got rich parents who she has a good relationship with). A and I ended up having to do the same chore after them so that it was done to a competent standard where we wouldn't get ill.
A thinks they've both never had to clean up after themselves before and genuinely don't understand what it takes to live in a hygienic environment. I think it's weaponised incompetence. B's girlfriend had the nerve to say last term "going home really puts into perspective how gross this house is in comparison" and it took all my strength not to snap that if certain people got of their arses and did something we might actually have a sanitary house.
Anyway, my idea I might be the asshole about it that I think a good motivating factor might be money. My idea is if you dont do your chore/do it poorly, and someone else has to do it again after you, you have to pay them national minimum wage for their time you wasted. Currently NMW is £10.42 an hour. I don't actually want them to pay me and A, I want them to be motivated enough in not wanting to spend that money to be a competent housemate and clean the fucking kitchen. I sense though, that it might be too aggressive an action to take with people I'm going to be living with till next July.
Would that make me an asshole?
What are these acronyms?
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Screw me? Screw you; I want my money.
This is a revenge in multiple parts and apologies up front for the length.
About 30years or so ago I was 17 and about to head to University. An acquaintance through my parents church offered me a job working with him learning to be a pizza chef. Awesome, I'd need money for Uni and I'd already had a stack of jobs, so working hard was nothing new for me, but being a cook certainly was. My experience with Italian was limited to Pizza Hut. So I accepted that at the start I was a liability, not a help.
I started work, and to start with I worked free. Cool, but when it got to the point about 3 months later that I was opening by myself & taking whole shifts by myself, well, I should be paid. I screwed up all of my 17yr old courage and confronted the owner, let's call him Nick (because that was his name). He huffed and puffed and tried to tell me how terrible I was, but I stood my ground and now I'm on minimum wage. Not bad in my eyes at the time.
I worked there for another 3years, through most of my Uni degree, often putting in 30hrs contact at Uni, 30 hours at the restaurant and 30 hours of study, it was hectic, but just became the norm.
Towards the end I became a lot more savvy, and started researching labour laws, keeping records of my pay packets and end of year tax receipts and realised Nick (& other co-owners) were screwing me. I wasn't on the correct rate, they weren't deducting tax correctly and a couple of other accounting "oversights".
By then I was working with my (at the time) mate, let's call him Girlfriend Creeping Dickhead (GCD).
It was Sunday night - the place was packed I had tickets all the way down my line and GCD and I were pumped. We had a new boss (NB) who'd just bought into the business who thought he was the King Of the World because he was now a "restauranteur", a right wanker, but after years of having to stay back to cook pizzas on world cup nights for the bosses friends, or Chirstmas, NYE, etc I was sorta used to the grandstanding chest puffing behaviour.
The night in question the new boss would *not* let me start the second pizza oven (think a two tier oven - I was only allowed the top tier on) because it "cost too much". So here I am, oven FULL, two pizza chefs running full speed and we're only falling behind, because one oven wasn't enough and it was starting to cool down from being so full and opened so frequently.
NB gets a couple of tables of mates in. Instead of just asking us to cook some comp garlic bread or whatever, he starts loading up trays himself and putting them in the oven, not the worst crime, but because he had NO idea what he was doing, every 30s he'd open the oven to check them, cooling the oven down even further, potentially ruining the food we had in there and slowing us down measurably. I had the Head Chef chewing my ass out as his food was ready to go but my food on teh same tickets wasn't. It was hectic and not fun.
This Garlic Bread Bandit shit had to stop.
me: NB - Stop fucking with my oven. If you want garlic bread - just ask - I'll get it done immediately for you. NB: What? Huh? me: You're messing with my oven - you're cooling it down and we're too busy for this shit - just tell me and I'll make it. NB: Ok.
Did he do it? Nope, he kept on. Queue the same conversation another 2 times, the last time I told him I'd blow my stack if he did it again. You see where this is going. He did it again.
Now - after being consistently ripped off and abused (so many kooky stories from that place) for 3 years, my time was up there anyway, and this was the time to do it.
I looked at GCD and said "Yo. We out of here?" he looked back and simply said "Yup". We stripped our aprons and in front of the entire restaurant (pizza kitchen was in full view of the entire restaurant) threw them on the bench and told NB "We quit - All this, all these tickets, all the food in the oven you've fucked up, and your mates shitty garlic bread - this is all yours now - good luck"
Then we walked out - got some coffees from the baristas, sat in front of the Pizza area and watched him absolutely FLOUNDER. He had *no* idea what he was doing and there was literally no one else there that could help him. We could see food coming out from the kitchen, but the pizza on the same ticket was taking 20m or more longer to come out, tables were hopping mad - we could hear the grumblings all around us. I'll admit it was dickish, but undeniably satisfying to behold.
That's not the pro revenge though. The Pro revenge was that I'd been stealing my timesheet every Sunday night, photocopying it and then replacing it Monday mornings. I'd been doing that for over a year. I'd also told GCD to do it.
Monday I walk in and Nick was there and was *FURIOUS* at me, as I walking in you could see his chubby face turn bright red as he bellowed across the restaurant floor "What the FUCK do you think you're doing here? Get the FUCK out and never come back".
me: Nick - we've gotta talk. We can do it here or we can do it in your office, but trust me, you want to have this conversation privately. Nick: Fine - You come with me then (desperately trying to gain the upper hand back) and he storms to his shitty little office out the back Nick: about how he's going to withhold pay and a whole heap of other illegal hot air. Me: You done? Good... Here - read this:
I hand him a print out of an excel spreadsheet, a stack of photocopied timesheets, a stack of photocopied payslips, printed copied of the wage awards, all of which detail the amount he's ripped me off for.
Me: You owe me 6 grand. I'll take cash or a cheque now.
Did I mention he and the other bosses had *just* been simultaneously raided by the tax office and that they and the business were all on thin fucking ice? Yeah, bad timing for Nick the Dick.
Nick: Spluttering, wringing his hands "But, but, I can't afford it! Look I'll show you my bank accounts" as he physically starts scrambling to find his bank statements. Me: Nick I literally don't give a shit about you, your bank accounts or your situation, you owe me 6 grand *TODAY* or I take all of this to the Tax office and all of the other relevant government departments that will be *very* interested in this, because Nick... I have a feeling if you're doing this to me, you're doing it to other staff here as well huh? As for not having the money, well, again, not my problem, but you just bought a new $60,000 Pajero, so if you have to run that down to the car yard and sell it, again I don't give a shit but I get 6 grand TODAY.
He literally teared up a little, I'm not sure why, maybe through frustration, rage or just being screwed by someone he though waaaaay beneath him. But seeing a grown man who's abused you for many years cry at your hands is a pretty beautiful thing to behold as a 20yr old kid.
I got a cheque that day for my whole 6 grand (and yes, it cashed), but the best was walking out of his office with GCD standing there who deadpan just looked him in the eyes and said "Nick, we need to talk..." and in they walked in to do the same thing. $10k he "lost" that day.
The best part? A few of my friends at the restaurant caught wind of the fact that I had *enraged* him and asked what it was all about - I let them know how they were being screwed, how to take copies of all of their timesheets, and where to find the relevant laws. I know of several other people who did the same thing to him.
And that was how I left the hospitality industry and started working in my field of study, never to look back.
Hope you enjoyed my cake day present to y'all!
(source) story by (/u/faidel)
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AITA for not telling my friend that my adopted siblings killed her adopted mother?
I (20M) am one of nine current incarnations of dead gods. All of us are reborn every 500 years, and my adopted (for want of a better term) mother (83F, let’s call her N) figured she could gain a lot of power if she got her talons on all of us before we hatched. Her plan didn’t quite work out, and she only managed to get me, plus S (20F) and M (20NB, they/them).
Because of my specific power set, N has raised me to be her assassin, and a couple months ago, she sent me to kill a princess. I tried twice and got my tail kicked both times, and then N showed up to berate me and compare me to S. I’d had enough by now and decided to run away, which I’d how I met my friend, A (20NB, she/they).
A was nice to me right off the bat, which was a first for me, so I decided to stick around and get to know her better. I pretty quickly figured out that they’re also an incarnation, so we started training our powers together. We both had a blast, and for the first time I felt like someone genuinely cared about me.
One night we stayed out late, and when we got back to A’s home we discovered it had been set on fire and her adopted mother was dead. When I looked up I spotted S and M in the trees and I knew, right away, that they had done this. I told A that we should leave, and they, distraught, agreed.
We’ve been traveling together for a couple weeks now. Neither of us has anyone we want to go back to, so it kind of feels like it’s us against the world. The thing is, I haven’t told her that I know who killed her mother—part of me feels like I should, but I’m scared they’ll hate me for my connection to S and M, and more than anything I don’t want to lose their friendship. And the longer I go without saying anything, the more scared I am that she’ll hate me even more for not telling them sooner.
AITA?
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