#the minimum for this paper is 5 pages and 5 sources

[the-cookie-of-doom]

some day my teachers will learn to stop giving me unlimited freedom when it comes to research papers. If you don't give me a maximum on pages and sources, I will make you regret it

[spacetrashpile]

professors should never let me get autistic in my papers. never ever.

[livingthewritelife-things]

New rule, before someone can come in and make an adaption of an existing media, they have to write a 5 page minimum paper explaining the characters and themes to make sure they understand the source material

[boomerang109]

my academic to do list:

thesis draft (minimum 25 pages) due Friday

literature review and intro to comm paper (4-6 pages) due by tuesday night

overdue religion essay (need to read 2-3 books and write 7-8 pages)

choose topic and find ¿5? sources for spanish final paper

download sounds and work on soundscape

interview professor and script 8-12 minute podcast (pulled from 1 hour worth of interview content) (due??)

continue group project podcast due friday

write about 8 primary sources for comm class

this week’s readings for comm and religion

oh and tech week starts on friday

[cosmos-of-cows]

Did I leave my entire 5 page research paper for the fours hours before it was due? Yes. Did I once touch chatgpt while frantically drafting, researching, and writing a minimum of 2000 words with 5 sources dated after 2010? No. Absolutely not. It was maybe the worst experience I’ve ever put myself in but I learned a lot about infrared imaging and planetary nebulae in a very short timespan and I genuinely enjoyed what I learned. No matter how much I hate what I’m writing, I will never use chatgpt

chatgpt is the coward's way out. if you have a paper due in 40 minutes you should be chugging six energy drinks, blasting frantic circus music so loud you shatter an eardrum, and typing the most dogshit essay mankind has ever seen with your own carpel tunnel laden hands

[howzitsa]

Canon Pixma G3411 3 In 1 Printer General Specifications Functions: Wi-Fi, Print, Copy, Scan, Cloud Link Printer Specifications Print Resolution: Up to 48001 x 1200 dpi Print Technology: 2 FINE Cartridges (Black and Colour) Refillable ink tank printer Mono Print Speed: Approx. 8.8 ipm2 Colour Print Speed: Approx. 5.0 ipm3 Photo Print Speed: Borderless 10x15cm : Approx. 60 seconds4 Borderless Printing: Yes (A4, Letter, 20x25cm, 13x18cm, 13x13cm, 10x15cm) Cartridges And Yields Standard Ink Cartridges: GI-490 GI-490 GI-490 GI-490 Cartridge Yield (Plain paper): A4 colour documents printing5 Black: 6,000 pages per ink bottle* (G3411 models all come with 2 x BK ink bottles (Yield of 6 000* per bottle so total of 12 000* pages) 1 x C/M/Y ink bottle (Yield of 7 000*) Colour: 7000 pages* * Estimated supplemental yield Cartridge Yield (Photo print): 10x15cm colour photo printing6 Colour: 2000 Photos* * Estimated supplemental yield Paper Support Paper Types Plain Paper High Resolution Paper (HR-101N) Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (PP-201) Photo Paper Pro Luster (LU-101) Photo Paper Plus Semi-gloss (SG-201) Glossy Photo Paper "Everyday Use" (GP-501) Matte Photo Paper (MP-101) Envelope Maximum Paper Input: Rear tray: Max. 100 sheets (plain paper) Paper Sizes: A4, A5, B5, 10x15cm, 13x18cm, 20x25cm, Envelopes (DL, COM10), Letter, Legal Paper Weight: Plain paper: 64 - 105 g/m² Canon photo paper: up to 275 g/m² Scanner Specifications Scanner Type: CIS flatbed photo and document scanner Scanner Resolution (Optical): 600 x 1200 dpi7 A4 Scan Speed: Approx. approx. 19 sec8 Scanning Depth (Input / Output): Colour: 48 bit / 24 bit Greyscale: 16 bit / 8 bit Maximum Document Size: 216 x 297 mm Copier Specifications Copy Speed: sFCOT: Approx. 24 sec9sES AT: Approx. 3.5 ipm10 Multiple Copy: 20 copies (max.) Copy Functions: Document copying (plain paper) Copy Zoom: Fit to page Interface Display Type & Size: LCD (1.2 inch segment mono) Interface Type - PC / Mac: Hi-Speed USB (B Port) Wi-Fi: IEEE802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Security: WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WEP, Administration password Interface Type - Other: PIXMA Cloud Link (from smartphone or tablet) Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app Mopria (Android) Google Cloud Print Access Point Mode Software Supported Operating Systems: Windows 10 , Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1 .NET Framework 4.5.2 or 4.6 is required Supported Mobile Systems: iOS, Android, Windows 10 Mobile Minimum System Requirements: Windows: 3.1GB disk space, Internet Explorer 8 Display: 1024 x 768 XGA Software Included: MP Driver including Scanning Utility My Image Garden with Full HD Movie Print11 Quick Menu Easy-WebPrint EX (download)12 Physical Features Weight: approx. 6.3kg Dimensions (W x D x H): approx. 445 x 330 x 163 mm Acoustic Noise Levels: approx. 53.5dB(A)13 Operating Temperature: 5-35°C Operating Humidity: 10-90%RH (no dew condensation) Power Source: AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz Power Consumption: Off: Approx. 0.2W Standby (connected to PC via Wi-Fi): Approx. 1.2W (scanning lamp off) Standby (all ports connected): Approx. 1.2W (scanning lamp is off) Time to enter Standby mode: 10minutes 50sec Copying: Approx. 11W14

[punjabassignmenthelpaus]

https://www.punjabassignmenthelp.com/blogs/hi5031-professional-issues-in-is-ethics-and-practice-assignments-help

HI5031 Professional Issues in IS Ethics and Practice T3 2024 Assessment

Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines Trimester T3 2024 Unit Code HI5031 Unit Title Professional Issues in IS Ethics and Practice Assessment Type Individual Assignment Due Date + time:

24 January 2025

11.59 pm (Melb/ Sydney time)

Purpose of the assessment

(with ULO Mapping)

Critically discuss the issues and challenges (ethical, legal, technological, social, political etc) that impact upon the administration and leadership of contemporary organizations ;

Critically evaluate the role and application of standards, codes of conduct and legislative/regulatory obligations on the level of professionalism of the ICT industry;

Critically review the roles and responsibilities of Information Systems professionals in organizations and society from a range of perspectives such as work-life balance, mentoring, obligations and lifelong

learning;

4. Develop an awareness and skills relating to written and oral communication vital for professional Information Systems practitioners;

5. Develop and apply appropriate information gathering, evaluation and problem- solving skills in regards to Information Systems ethical issues.

Weight50 %Total Marks Assignment (50 marks)Word limit 2500 words Submission Guidelines

All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date along with a completed Assignment Cover Page.

The assignment must be in MS Word format unless otherwise specified.

Academic Integrity Information Holmes Institute is committed to ensuring and upholding academic integrity. All assessments must comply with academic integrity guidelines. Please learn about academic integrity and consult your teachers with any questions. Violating academic integrity is serious and punishable by penalties that range from deduction of marks, failure of the assessment task or unit involved, suspension of course enrollment, or cancellation of course enrollment.lPenalties

All work must be submitted on Blackboard by the due date and time,along with a completed Assessment Cover Page. Late penalties apply.

Your answers must be based on Holmes Institute syllabus of this unit. Outside sources may not amount to more than 10% of any answer and must be correctly referenced in full. Over-reliance on outside sources will be penalized.

Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report and listed appropriately at the end in a reference list using Holmes Institute Adapted Harvard

Referencing. Penalties are associated with in correct citation and referencing.

Assignment Description:

Using the case study: B. C. Stahl and D. Eke, “The ethics of Chat GPT — Exploring the ethical issues of an emerging technology,” International Journal of Information Management, vol. 74, p. 102700, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102700. A copy of this case study is available on the Blackboard site.

Students are required to review the case study provided and critically analyze the ethical challenges associated with ChatGPT, an emerging technology. The analysis should focus on key issues

highlighted in the case study, including authorship attribution, misinformation risks, algorithmic bias, privacy, and transparency.

Students must also search for and review a minimum of ten (10) academic research papers that expand on these ethical challenges.

Additionally, students should assess OpenAI’s actions in addressing these concerns by applying a chosen professional code of conduct (e.g., ACS, ACM, or IEEE).

Finally, students are required to propose some recommendations to mitigate risks and promote

ethical practices in deploying ChatGPT. These recommendations should focus on transparency, bias mitigation, user privacy, and inclusive access, balancing the ethical considerations with the benefits of innovation.

Instructions:

Read the Case Study (Stahl and Eke, 2024), and then complete the following tasks:

Identify Ethical Issues

Discuss the main ethical issues raised by ChatGPT as outlined in the case study. Undertake additional research to expand on these concerns. Topics to address include:

Authorship and attribution challenges.

Misinformation risks and manipulation potential.

Privacy risks, transparency, and algorithmic bias.

Analyse Ethical Issues

Evaluate OpenAI’s actions in addressing these ethical concerns through a chosen professional code of conduct (ACS, ACM, or IEEE). Include the following analyses:

Professional Responsibilities: How developers and organizations adhere to or deviate from ethical practices in deploying ChatGPT.

Classical Ethical Theories:

− Utilitarianism: Assess the balance between ChatGPT’s societal benefits and harms.

− Deontology: Analyse OpenAI’s intentions and obligations in addressing ethical challenges.

− Virtue Ethics: Evaluate the role of responsible innovation and the character of organizations involved in ChatGPT’s development.

− Contract Theory: Discuss the implicit agreements with users and stakeholders regarding transparency, safety, and fairness.

3. Develop Recommendations

Provide actionable recommendations for OpenAI to address ethical risks effectively. Focus on:

Ensuring algorithmic transparency and explain ability.

Strategies for mitigating bias and enhancing fairness.

Improving user privacy protections.

Establishing inclusive access models for underserved communities.

4. Conclusion

Summarize the key findings of your analysis and emphasize the importance of balancing ethical considerations with technological innovation.

5. References

Use at least 10 academic sources to support your analysis and recommendations. All references must adhere to the Holmes Institute Adapted Harvard Referencing style.

The report format must contain the following sections:

Introduction (~150 words)

Identification of Ethical Issues (~250 words)

Analysis of Ethical Issues (~1700 words)

Recommendations (~250 words)

Conclusion (~150 words)

References

CriteriaFailPassCreditDistinctionHigh DistinctionPresentation (4 marks)

Poor

presentation, lacks clarity and

coherence.

Adequate presentation, some

inconsistencies.

Clear and professional writing with logical

structure.

Very good writing,

formatting, and structure.

Excellent writing, formatting, and professional

presentation.

Introduction

(4 marks)

Unclear or vague

introduction; objectives are missing.

Objectives stated but lack detail.

Clear

introduction with outlined objectives.

Well-defined objectives with relevant context.Thorough, precise objectives and strong arguments.

Identification of Ethical Issues

(9 marks)

Ethical issues poorly identified or lack

relevance.

Issues identified but lack depth.Issues identified and supported by research.Thorough identification with insightful connections.Comprehensive identification with critical analysis and deep insight.Analysis of Ethical Issues (20 marks)Lacks depth; minimal use of ethical theories or professional codes.

Basic analysis with limited

critical insight.

Detailed and critical discussion with good reasoning.

Thorough, critical

discussion with strong reasoning.

Exceptional analysis with deep critical

engagement and nuanced insights.

Recommendations

(4 marks)

Recommendations are

unclear or

impractical.

Basic

recommendations with limited justification.

Clear, practical recommendations with adequate

justification.

Well-thought- out

recommendations with strong support.

Exceptional

recommendations that are actionable and innovative.

Conclusion (4 marks)

Unclear or lacks

coherence.

Basic but logical summary.Clear and logical conclusion that reflects the analysis.Strong conclusion supported by the analysis.

Insightful conclusion emphasizing key findings and

implications.

Referencing

(5 marks)

Lacks

consistency with many errors.

Generally good referencing

style.

Clear styles with excellent source of

references.

Very good sources of references.

Correct format followed.

Excellent sources of references. The

correct format followed.

Adapted Harvard Referencing Rules

Holmes Institute has implemented a revised Harvard approach to referencing. The following rules apply:

Reference sources in assignments are limited to sources that provide full-text access to the source’s content for lecturers and markers.

The reference list must be located on a separate page at the end of the essay and titled: “References”.

The reference list must include the details of all the in-text citations, arranged A-Z alphabetically by author surname with each reference numbered (1 to 10, etc.) and each reference MUST include a hyperlink to the full text of the cited reference source. For example:

All assignments must include in-text citations to the listed references. These must include the surname of the author/s or name of the authoring body, year of publication, page number of the content, and paragraph where the content can be found. For example, “The company decided to implement an enterprise-wide data warehouse business intelligence strategies (Hawking et al., 2004, p3(4)).”

Non-Adherence to Referencing Rules

Where students do not follow the above rules:

For students who submit assignments that do not comply with the rules, a 10% penalty will be applied.

As per the Student Handbook, late penalties will apply each day after the student/s has been notified of the due date.

Students who comply with rules and the citations are “fake” may be reported for academic misconduct.

Your document should be a single MS Word or Open Office document containing your report. Do not use PDF as a submission format.

All submissions will be submitted through the Safe Assign facility in Blackboard. Submission boxes

linked to Safe Assign will be set up in the Units Blackboard Shell. Assignments not submitted through these submission links will not be considered.

Submissions must be made by the due date and time (which will be in the session detailed above) and determined by your Unit coordinator. Submissions made after the due date and time will be penalized per day late (including weekend days) according to Holmes Institute policies.

The Safe Assign similarity score will be used in determining the level, if any, of plagiarism. Safe Assign will check conference web-sites, Journal articles, the Web and your own class members

submissions for plagiarism. You can see your Safe Assign similarity score (or match) when you submit your assignment to the appropriate drop-box. If this is a concern you will have a chance to change your assignment and resubmit. However, re-submission is only allowed prior to the submission due date and time. After the due date and time have elapsed your assignment will be graded as late.

Submitted assignments that indicate a high level of plagiarism will be penalized according to the Holmes Academic Misconduct policy, there will be no exceptions. Thus, plan early and submit early to take advantage of the re-submission feature. You can make multiple submissions, but please remember we grade only the last submission, and the date and time you submitted will be taken from that submission.

“Get top-notch academic assistance and ensure your success with Punjab Assignment Help your trusted partner for high-quality, plagiarism-free assignments delivered on time!”

[thxnews]

Claim Now or Miss Out: Pension Credit and £299 Boost

Final Call for UK Pensioners

With the clock ticking down, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is making a final appeal to retirees to check their eligibility for Pension Credit. With only 10 days left to claim, eligible pensioners stand to gain not only a significant yearly benefit but also a £299 Cost of Living boost. This comes as part of the government's effort to provide additional financial support amidst rising living costs.   Understanding Pension Credit Pension Credit is more than just a benefit; it's a lifeline for those of State Pension age living on a lower income. Averaging over £3,900 annually, this benefit is designed to help cover daily expenses and ensure a more comfortable living standard for our elders. Minister for Pensions Paul Maynard emphasizes the importance of this support, urging pensioners and their families to use the DWP's online calculator to quickly ascertain their eligibility.  

A Gateway to Greater Support

Claiming Pension Credit by the March 5 deadline does more than just secure an immediate financial uplift. It also unlocks additional aids such as help with housing costs, council tax relief, and contributions towards heating bills. Notably, eligible pensioners can receive the £299 Cost of Living payment, further easing the financial burden in these challenging times.   Bridging the Gap Despite the clear benefits, a staggering 880,000 households that are eligible for Pension Credit have not yet claimed. For single pensioners, the guarantee is a minimum weekly income of £201.05, and for couples, it's £306.85. This benefit can be especially crucial for those with disabilities or caring responsibilities, offering them the extra support they need.   How to Claim Applying for Pension Credit is straightforward and can be done over the phone, online, or by post. The DWP has made it easier than ever to check eligibility and potential benefit amounts with their online Pension Credit calculator. This tool is invaluable for anyone uncertain about their entitlement or how much they might receive. Applications for Pension Credit can be made: - On the How to Claim page - Over the phone by calling 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday 8 am to 6 pm) - By printing out and filling in a paper application form - For more information visit the Pension Credit GOV.UK page. For extra resources for stakeholders and businesses, the department has also produced a Stakeholder Toolkit.   What's Next? With the State Pension set to increase by 8.5% in April 2024, bringing the new full State Pension to £221.20 per week, the importance of claiming Pension Credit becomes even more pronounced. This benefit not only provides immediate financial relief but also ensures pensioners can access broader support, helping them navigate the cost of living crisis with dignity. Sources: THX News & Department for Work and Pensions. Read the full article

[theborderupdates]

UK Immigration Rule Changes to Take Effect on 12 April

The minimum salaries that can be paid to foreign workers employed under sponsorship in the UK are to rise from 12 April.

Confirmation of the new salary thresholds for sponsored workers was set out by the Home Office in a statement of changes (185-page / 1.33MB PDF) to UK immigration rules published on Thursday.

Other notable changes announced in the policy paper, which also take effect on 12 April, include new rules that will make it easier for employers to sponsor workers under non-regular working patterns, and those that should reduce the need for formal sponsored visas to be obtained for seafarers. Further changes will enable more employers to bring young people from New Zealand, Australia and Canada into work in the UK, and the government has also confirmed that Qataris will be the first to benefit from the UK’s new electronic visa waiver scheme.

Immigration law expert Shara Pledger of Pinsent Masons said the changes in respect of salaries required for sponsored workers apply across a variety of immigration schemes – including the ‘skilled worker’ scheme, several ‘global business mobility’ schemes, and the less popular ‘scale-up’ scheme.

Pledger said: “The general salary threshold for ‘skilled workers’ will increase from £25,600 to £26,200 – up to £20,960 for new entrants – and the hourly rate rises to £10.75 per hour. Going-rate salaries for individual roles will also be changing – some up, some down. There is a similar story in respect of the ‘global business mobility’ scheme: the ‘senior’ and ‘specialist’ worker thresholds will increase to £45,800 and £24,220 respectively. The threshold under the scale-up scheme will also rise to £34,600.”

“We'll also see a change in the calculation of example annual salaries, basing these on a 37.5-hour week rather than the less likely 39 hours. None of these changes is retrospective, so something to focus on moving forward,” she said.

Pledger said the new rules announced will help employers sponsoring workers on irregular work patterns.

She said: “Post-Brexit, the UK has a wider breadth of roles suitable for sponsorship, and with it has come a mix of workers who do not work a standard ‘9-to-5’ day. This has proved problematic due to the strict prohibition on salary calculations for work exceeding 48 hours per week. New rules from 12 April will allow greater flexibility for this, allowing work rotation patterns to be aggregated to reach a more representative salary figure. While this has been permissible under guidance in the past, it is welcome to see clarity within the rules.”

Extensions to the ‘youth mobility’ temporary visa scheme, also outlined in the new rules, reflect the outcome of recent international trade agreements the UK has reached with other countries in the Commonwealth, Pledger said.

“Hot on the heels of India's new ballot for allocated scheme places, New Zealand nationals will now be eligible up to the age of 35 and they will be entitled to extend the usual two years in this route by a final third year in-country,” Pledger said. “In addition, 2023 will see Australia allotted 5,000 extra places within the scheme, and Canada an extra 2,000 places.”

Further new rules that will take effect on 12 April offer clarity on the application of immigration controls to seafarers, and extend the permissions they benefit from, Pledger said.

“The new rules clarify that workers within the UK's territorial waters are subject to immigration control; something that has been a source of some confusion post-Brexit,” Pledger said. “In addition, seafarers will now have specific permitted paid activities under visitor rules, allowing for delivery or collection of goods or passengers from a port outside the UK, and limited permissions to visit UK ports. This is useful, and hopefully will restrict the regularity with which seafarers will need a formal sponsored visa.”

Pledger also highlighted that workers from countries in the Middle East will be among those to benefit first from the UK’s new electronic visa waiver (EVW).

“The UK continues its move towards EVW for all nationals without a visit visa with the introduction of the new scheme from 25 October,” Pledger said. “This will initially only apply to Qatari nationals, with the scheme then extending to those from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia from 2 February 2024. We expect news on how the EVW will spread to other travellers in due course.”

Further immigration rule changes could follow aimed at addressing the skills shortage in the construction sector, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Pledger said: “Construction, like other shortage sectors such as hospital and social care, has been disadvantaged by the categorisation of many of its roles as ‘low skilled’, excluding them from sponsorship. Social care saw a slight reprieve through the addition of care workers to the shortage occupation list (SOL), allowing them to be sponsored regardless of assessed skill. There are now reports that construction roles will be added to the SOL, but it is not clear if this will have the same effect of opening up sponsorship opportunities.”

“The roles referenced in the article, for example bricklayers and plasterers, are already suitable for sponsorship, so the only benefit of addition to the SOL will be a slight reduction in visa application costs, though not sponsorship fees. It would nonetheless be interesting to see formal recognition of recruitment difficulties in another sector, and how the Home Office reacts,” she said.

Source: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/uk-immigration-rule-changes-take-effect--12-april

[lonestatus]

what do you girls think. 8 pages and 15 sources for a minimum 5 page/5 source paper? for an community college comp 2 class?

it took me the entirety of the black parade (album) to source that. maybe i went a little overboard

[rosymiel]

just now realizing my 10-12 page paper for my gender psych class includes both the title page as well as the references pages…. i can now be at peace

[q-gorgeous]

wish i had the brain to focus on more than one thing a day

[ms-demeanor]

Hi Ms Demeanor. I read your recent news post and was wondering if you knew any websites/newspapers that have generally reliable stories, but aren't super overwhelming? I know I should be better informed on what's going on in the world and my own country (I'm American) in ways that aren't looking at what people on social media are mad about, but a lot of news outlets I've heard about have just so much stuff. Hopefully this source would be a stepping stone to later feel less lost. Thanks a lot

1 - Whatever your local basically unaffiliated news provider is. This might be a local paper, it might be a local radio station, it might be a local TV station, but it is NOT the local alternative weekly or the local talk radio station.

This is difficult because a lot of local media is actually owned by bigger, biased distributors (in the US this is Sinclair Media with broadcast TV, for example).

Start super local, as local as possible - there is probably a weekly local newspaper that prints three thousand copies that get distributed at grocery stores and your closest library. Start with that, whatever that is. That is going to be the place where you actually learn about what's going on with your specific city council.

From there, branch out to whatever free, good-ish quality websites are local. I'm in LA so look at KTLA5. I'll also read the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the San Jose Mercury News. Generally you're looking for something that isn't screamingly biased, full of talking heads, 24-hours, or paywalled.

2 - READ. Even if I'm looking at KTLA, which is a TV station, I do not watch the stories I read the headlines, click the links to the stories, and will investigate further. Usually TV stories are sourced from newspapers or stringers so sometimes this means clicking over the AP to read 500 words of a story that only got 200 words on the broadcast. But READ. Broadcast news, ALL BROADCAST NEWS, has a time limit. These days there is less of a restriction on story length in print because it's all online, so you will get more news by reading it.

3 - Go regional. Look at the big regional paper's headlines or maybe even get a subscription. For me this is the LA Times, for you it might be the Chicago Tribune or the New York Times.

4 - Go national. READ (do not watch) the headlines on a national news station. CNN or Fox is actually better than the New York Times for this. You just wanna see if there's anything huge that you're missing that's being reported on by a national outlet. Read the World headlines and the US headlines, and hopefully everything big has been covered by another one of the things you've looked at.

5 - Go international. Go to a news source from in a language you speak that is not specifically produced in your country and look at the "US News" section. I like BBC, Al Jazeera, ABC.Net.AU, SCMP, and AP News for this. It is fucking BONKERS how isolated the US is in our news when it comes to looking at things from an international perspective. Go look up some of the coverage of the 2020 election from the BBC. It's so incredibly useful to see how other countries are describing your country AND it's also useful to see how other countries prioritize and organize world news.

6 - Find someplace that publishes in-depth investigative pieces and read at least a couple of them a month. I'm talking LONG investigative pieces. Five thousand words minimum. Buzzfeed on FinCen or Mother Jones reporting on prisons or the DailyBeast covering Qanon kind of long. DEEP investigations. Read OLD investigations. Read new investigations. Read about people who went undercover at Amazon.

Break this up into little chunks. If you get overwhelmed by the news in general (i can relate!) just look at the headlines and a couple stories in your local area and then check out US headlines on the BBC.

You don't have to read everything, it's impossible for everyone to be informed about everything, but start by at least checking local headlines and then check US headlines from a source outside the US.

Honestly, really, seriously, Buzzfeed News is a pretty okay way to get started looking at the news. They have a good mix of very short, superficial stories and in-depth coverage and they usually don't have so many stories in a day that you'll get buried just refreshing the page.

I'm hesitant to endorse all of their coverage because a lot of it is inane celebrity shit, even on their news page, and they do some stuff that I cannot fucking stand (the editorial decision to perpetually refer to Qanon as "the quanon mass delusion" makes me want to tear my hair out) but overall they aren't bad. Maybe check headlines on Buzzfeed and then search the headlines that you're interested in from Buzzfeed on the AP site.

Anyway, I don't do this all every single day. I will usually read headlines on one or two sites every day and probably find three long-ish stories to dig into, but I try to rotate through a lot of sources and if something from one source sounds weird I will check it against at least three other sources with different perspectives. It is actually, genuinely extremely useful to see how Fox-the-news-channel is reporting on immigration compared to how Fox-the-entertainment-channel is reporting on it compared to how Al Jazeera is reporting on it compared to how the LA Weekly is reporting on it.

But yeah, if at all possible you should be reading news from a variety of local, regional, national, and international sources. Once you get into the habit of reading news it is actually pretty easy to stick with, and the more news you read from a wide variety of sources the better you'll get at spotting inconsistencies, editorializing, and the absolute fucking crime that is headline writing.

(I have been a person who writes headlines, but not in this utterly toxic online media environment and I do not envy modern headline writers but I also cannot forgive them; knock that shit off dudes that shit is an ethics violation)

Anyway, that's probably a lot. Good luck.

[mistermaxwellboucherdieasilived]

I keep freaking out abt this one paper I have to write but then I remember that its only 5 pages and minimum 4 sources and I dont care so much anymore

[howzitsa]

Canon Pixma MG2545S All In One Colour Printer GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Model Numbers: MG2540S MG2545S¹ Functions: Print, Copy, Scan PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS Print Resolution: Up to 4800¹ x 600 dpi Print Technology: 2 FINE Cartridges (Black and Colour) Mono Print Speed: Approx. 8.0 ipm¹ Colour Print Speed: Approx. 4.0 ipm¹ Borderless Printing: Not available Two Sided Printing: Manual operation CARTRIDGES AND YIELDS Standard Ink Cartridges: PG-445 (Black) CL-446 (Colour) Optional XL Ink Cartridges: PG-445XL (Black) CL-446XL (Colour) Cartridge Yield (Plain paper): A4 colour documents printing¹ Black: 180 pages Black XL: 400 pages Colour: 180 pages Colour XL: 300 pages PAPER SUPPORT Paper Types: Plain Paper Envelopes Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (PP-201) Photo Paper Glossy "Everyday Use" (GP-501) Maximum Paper Input: Rear tray: Max. 60 sheets (plain paper) Paper Sizes: Plain paper: A4, A5, B5, Letter, Legal Photo paper: 10x15cm, 13x18cm Envelopes: DL, COM10 Paper Weight: Plain paper: 64 - 105 g/m² Canon photo paper: up to 275 g/m² SCANNER SPECIFICATIONS Scanner Type: CIS flatbed photo and document scanner Scanner Resolution (Optical): 600 x 1200 dpi¹ A4 Scan Speed: Approx. 14 seconds¹ Scanning Depth (Input / Output): Colour: 48 bit / 24 bit Greyscale: 16 bit / 8 bit Maximum Document Size: 216 x 297 mm COPIER SPECIFICATIONS Copy Speed: sFCOT: Approx. 31 seconds¹ sESAT: Approx. 1.6 ipm¹ Multiple Copy: 21 copies (max.) Copy Functions: Document copying (plain paper) INTERFACE Display Type & Size: No display Interface Type - PC / Mac: Hi-Speed USB (B Port) SOFTWARE Supported Operating Systems: Windows 10 Windows 8.1 (including Windows 8.1 Update), Windows 8 Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1 Windows Vista SP2 Windows XP SP3 (32 bit only) Note: For Windows, .NET Framework 4 or .NET Framework 4.5 is required. For Windows XP, XPS Essentials Pack is required. Mac OS X v10.7.5 to Mac OS X v10.11 Minimum System Requirements: Windows: 3.1GB disk space, Internet Explorer 8 Mac: Internet connection, 1.5GB disk space, Safari 5 Display: 1024 x 768 XGA Software Included: MP Driver including Scanning Utility My Image Garden with Full HD Movie Print¹ Quick Menu Easy-WebPrint EX (download)² PHYSICAL FEATURES Weight: Approx. 3.5 kg Dimensions (W x D x H): 426 x 306 x 145mm Operating Temperature: 5-35°C Operating Humidity: 10-90%RH (no dew condensation) Power Source: AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz Power Consumption: Off: Approx. 0.4 W Standby (connected to PC via USB): Approx. 1.0 W (scanning lamp off) Standby (all ports connected): Approx. 1.0 W (scanning lamp off) Time to enter Standby mode: 7 minutes Copying: Approx. 9 W¹

[simpsiren]

sticky notes: the story

mark lee x reader

introduction 

main masterlist

description. you use sticky notes to get into contact with your soulmate.

genre. soulmate au, high school au, strangers to lovers au

warnings. nonee

a/n. so some people requested for a full story of this so here it is! i really liked making this because the concept is just so cute cudndn oh and i did include the same idea as what i did in my previous post but i had to change it a little so that it would fit the plot. this is a really really long ff since its a slow burn typa thing so please try to stick with me on this one HAHA anyways enjoyy! :D

“you actually believe that?”

you lift your head up from your notes to look at soyoung. she nods her head and hum eagerly. you rub your temples from seeing her respond. “i do believe soulmates exist. but sticky notes to talk to them? what’s social media for then? and how is it even scientifically possible?” you question soyoung, bringing your eyes down as you continue to do your homework.

“that’s the beauty of soulmates, ray!” soyoung whines. you shake your head. “you’re dumb to believe it without confirming the information with other relevant sources.” you mutter out bluntly. you hear soyoung letting out a ‘tsk’. “here you go again being a history student. i swear im glad i never took it.” you scoff and slam your pen on the table gently.

“excuse me, woman! at least i dont have to memorise the whole textbook and only having 5 pages of content coming out in the exam.” you stick your tongue out playfully to tease soyoung. “i cant get over the fact that valcanos didn’t come out eventhough i memorised so much for it.”

the both of you laugh, knowing that the two of you can never stop debating on whether history or geography is the better subject.

“ray complete your homework at home. we cant stay in the classroom for long you know?” soyoung stands up to get to her seat, which is 2 rows down yours since you were sitting right at the back. you liked sitting at the back. it allowed you to always be able to use your phone in case you get bored in class. you still cant believe that your teachers think you’re a good and obedient student. you figured they only assumed that due to your high grades.

you sigh “that’s true.” you turn around to grab your back that was hanging in your chair and start packing your materials. once you were done, you grab the class key and walk over to soyoung’s seat, waiting for her to finish packing. you notice soyoung has finish packing and went to switch off the lights. you allow soyoung to step out first before you close the door behind you and lock the classroom door.

you and soyoung walked down the hallway silently, you were looking out the window to watch the sunset while soyoung had her eyes on her feet. only your footsteps could be heard as almost everyone has left the school grounds except for some teachers who were working late. the school normally closes at 7pm and you’re walking out at 6:50. to break the silence, soyoung opens her mouth to start a conversation.

“okay if you dont believe me why dont you try it yourself? like write a simple introduction to your soulmate.” you raise an eyebrow as you shove your hands into the front pockets of your mom jeans. “why dont you do it?” you fought back as you huff. soyoung bites the inside of her cheek as a moment of silence passes for her to think of an answer.

“because i believe it. and you do not. so you should try it.” you smacked soyoung’s arm, making her flinch back and shouting a loud ‘ouch’. you roll your eyes, knowing you didn’t hit her hard and she was just overreacting. “brilliant excuse,so. but if its going to make you stop talking about it, i might as well.” soyoung face lit up as she jumps happily and starts skipping ahead of you. you laugh and pull the handle at back of her bag to keep her explosion of excitement to the minimum.

“you owe me brown sugar milk tea. large.” you taunted. soyoung waves her hand lazily. “i’ll buy you one after school tomorrow. but you better update me during math.”

you wanted to say how you could just text soyoung to update her, but you remembered the fact that soyoung’s mother took away her phone since she didn’t do well for this year’s midterms. although to you, soyoung’s grades were decent. unfortunately for her, soyoung has to live up to her asian mom’s high expectations. the thought of this made you want to frown, but you showed a bright smile regardless as the two of you finally made it to the school gate, waving to each other and bidding farewell before walking down opposite paths.

once you arrived at home, you took out your phone from your back pocket. you saw a notification from your mother saying that your parents would be home late. you shrug your shoulders as you walk to your room. “as always.” you breathed out.

you did your normal routine of showering and eating leftover dinner that you needed to heat up at the couch while you completed one episode of the anime series you were so hooked on. you continue watching but with the amount of homework you have, you might finish them all by midnight if you dont slack.

you turned off the tv and washed your plate before heading into your room. as you close the door behind you, your eyes immediately went to your desk, which was pretty messed up since you had a test to study for yesterday that you completely weren’t prepared for and had to squeeze in as much information as you can. hence, the scattering of notes and textbooks.

you stroll over to your desk and sat down. you take out your homework from your back which was beside the desk. looking at the stack of homework, you groan in despair as shove it to the back of the desk till it hit the wall. “ah fuck it! im just going to ask kun for help.” you admitted your defeat depsite thinking you would be able to gain some energy from your dinner. you also thought about how you’ve done your homework in the morning plenty of time so i shouldnt be a problem unless kun doesn’t offer his help.

you jump to your bed and lay down, bringing your phone out and immediately start scrolling through instagram. as you swiped your finger up to look at the posts of the people you follow, you stop at one. a picture of a couple who met through the sticky note theory. or so they claim. your thumbs hover over the screen as your eyes look up to the ceiling, starting to remember what soyoung asked to do to get your bubble tea.

yoy tap your index finger on the side of your phone as you constantly started to think whether you should do it or not. you’ve heard the rumours. but are they even true? the more you thought about it, the more intriguing the idea got. but at the same time, you also thought of how stupid it sounded and was probably made to fool people.

after contemplating and having in a debate in your head that felt like forever, you finally place your phone down beside you and take a deep breath. “ill do it.” you groan to yourself, letting curiosity take over your other feelings.

you gather up your strength to stand up from your bed and walk over to your desk. you push all the papers and textbooks aside, grabbing a yellow sticky notepad from your stationery organiser. you had other colours too like pink and purple, but you figured that you should go with the classic.

pulling out a random pen that was laying in between the pages of one of your textbooks, you tilt your head to the side as you start thinking of what to write, unconsciously biting the end of your pen in the process.

you bite the side of your cheek and shrug, deciding to go with the plan of writing whatever that comes to your mind.

um hi? i dont even know if you’re going to see this. its funny, really. i heard a rumour that you can communicate with your soulmate through sticky notes. it’s probably just fake news and im writing to a nobody. that would honestly be embarrassing but it’ll be like love letters.. to myself(?) or my soulmate. write back? haha

you read over what you wrote an endless amount of times, thinking if you should make changes. you groan and immediately stick the sticky note onto your wall, giving up on giving second thoughts about what you call this ridiculousness.

you went about your night, forgetting you have left the sticky note on the wall. as you were on you bed scrolling through tumblr at 2 in the morning, you hear something. it sounded like a piece of paper had fallen from your desk.

unable to see in complete darkness, you turn on the flashlight from your phone and walk around your room, trying to find whatever it is that fell. it didn’t take you long to find a small yellow sticky note that you accidentally stepped on.

you pick it up, remembering that you wrote on the sticky note and thought that it was yours. however, once you were able to get a closer look, you noticed that the words on the sticky note have changed. so has the handwriting.

holy shit. i dont know what is this. but apparently a sticky note appeared on my wall saying i have a soulmate. my friends told me i should write back because of some rumour. so here i am trying. hi im mark. i dont know your name, but hope you’ll tell me once you recieve this. you’re in luck because apparently the rumour is true. im just as crepped out as you are.

you froze in your spot. your fingers shaking as you read the note again. you scratch your head. being too tired and unable to think straight at 2 in the morning, you place the sticky note on your desk and went back to bed to play with your phone. you soon forget about the fact that your soulmate has replied to your message that you have written on your sticky note.

as you got ready for the next period which was math, soyoung immediately runs over to you, dragging the chair from the desk beside you and taking a seat. you flinch a little when you suddenly see her close to you. 

“so did you try it?!” soyoung asks, her voice filled with enthusiasm . you brushed a few pieces of hair behind your ear, nodding your head as you take out your textbook from under the desk. “did you get a reply then?” 

your mind started to take you back to the mysterious encounter that you had last night. “mhm.” you reply simply. “though the only thing i remember because it seems to be the only relevant information is that the person’s name is mark.” soyoung gasped loudly, making you crease your forehead as you watch her overreacting again. 

“your soulmate’s name is mark then.” soyoung concludes, folding her arms confidently as if she made a great discovery. you laugh, rolling your eyes sarcastically. “isnt it obvious?” soyoung frowns fakely. 

your mouth gapes open as you hit soyoung’s arm lightly. “buy me my milk tea!” you demanded with a wide smile. soyoung places her notebook on your table and nods constantly. “i will you addict.” she groans. you happily say thank you as your teacher comes into the classroom and class began. 

“what are you going to do about it now though?” as you recieved the question from soyoung, you kept silent for a moment, giving time to think of an answer.

 “ill write something back? i dont know.. ill have to read the letter again when i get back home.” you whispe to soyoung. she nods in reply as the two of you payed your attention to the front again. it surprised you that soyoung was paying attention but you only assumed that she wanted to do better in class and shrug your shouders, writing down the notes youve missed while talking to soyoung.

as for you, your concentration in class dipped slightly because now, the thing that is occupying your head the most is the thought that the sticky notes theory might actually be real and you cant say its not possible anymore, making you even more shocked than you did last night.

lucky for you, today is the only day of the week where your class ends the earliest, along with two other lower ranked classes. you and soyoung quickly pack up to go to the mall to get your reward. after soyoung buys you your drink, you and soyoung went your separate ways.

after about 30 minutes of taking the bus and walking, you finally arrived at home. you place your drink on the living room table and proceed to place your bag in the room and head for the showers.

once you were done showering, you walk out of the bathroom to head to your room while drying your hair with a small towel. opening the door, you enter and went straight to your clothing rack. just when you were about to grab a shirt from the hanger, you heard the same noise last night. another piece of paper has fallen on the floor.

you turn your head and look down. this time, you found another sticky note right in front of your feet. the colour of the sticky note changed from yellow to a light blue. you tilt your head as you pick up the stick note from the floor, finding it odd as you wonder how the colour of the sticky note changed.

you take a deep breath before reading it, noticing that the handwriting was similar to the one you read last night. a little messier, but still readable.

hi again.. im not sure if you’ll recieve this since its the afternoon and i know people are busy with work or school. i skipped school today so haha. um i just wanted to write to you, despite me not knowing a single thing about you. its odd really. its like i feel the need to write something to an unknown identity that people assume to be my soulmate. i still dont know your name, so i hope youll reply soon. take your time and take care :)

- mark

“skip school? what is he, a bad boy?” you scoff to yourself. you try to take in whatever’s on the note, but another thought comes to mind. you walk over to your desk and saw that the yellow sticky note with mark’s reply was still there. you find everything about this weird and just odd in general. a lot of questions sprouted, but you didn’t want to think of it since you were afraid you would complicate your thoughts and just throw yourself into a stress hole.

you continue to dry your hair with one hand while the other held onto the light blue sticky note. you bit your lip and gulp. after letting out a long sigh, you place the sticky note next to the other one and changed into your clothes, as well as bringing your drink from the living room table to your room, placing it on the desk as you sat down.

you take out your pencilcase from your bag and brought out your fresh new black pen that you just bought at the school’s stationery store. the previous pen you had was full of ink till soyoung was dumb enough to drop it, spoiling the pen and was unable to be used again.

peeling off another yellow stick note from the stack at the edge of your desk, you were about to put your pen on paper when you realise you dont even know what to write. what do you say to this person you barely know about? you continuously tap the edge of the pen against your desk as you take a sip of your drink. you look over to the two sticky notes with the messages that the person has left. its funny how you have to think so hard just to write a short message.

hey again. i actually ended school early today. my name’s raven. but my friends call me ray. i honestly don’t know what to say to you. im still dumbfounded over the fact that you’re my soulmate and we’re here communicating over sticky notes. the world really does work in a strange way. if you dont mind, i guess i want to know how old you are and you’re education status?

you held out the sticky note in front of you and sigh in satisfaction. why? it’s because of your neat handwriting. it was always a trait of yours that you deeply appreciate. you place the sticky note on the wall and advert your attention to the other sticky notes, placing them on the wall beside the new one you have just written.

“will this drive me insane? i might end up with a whole wall of this.” you say to yourself, rubbing your face with your palm before going to your bed and laying down, wanting to have your evening nap.

“this is awesome!”

“no its scary.”

mark and his group of friends stared at the sticky note that has a message written with beautiful handwriting. mark flinched when he felt an arm on his shoulder, turning around to notice it was chenle’s. “when did you write your previous sticky note?” renjun suddenly asked. mark tilts his head as he tried to find an answer.

“less than an hour before you guys came i guess?” mark shrugs, standing up from his desk and taking a seat at the edge of the bed beside jaemin and haechan. “this raven girl is your soulmate then.” chenle walks towards mark and stands in front of him. mark nods slowly. the room grew silent again with everyone having the similar thoughts.

“you know what would be funny?” haechan smacks mark’s thigh, the sound making everyone turn their attention to mark and haechan. “what?” mark asked with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

“why dont we prank her and say you’re a sugar daddy and live in a mansion?!” everyone gave yuta weird looks, making haechan laugh hysterically. “are you crazy? do you think i want to chase my soulmate away?” mark scolded haechan, smacking him hard on the chest, resulting in haechan’s back falling onto the bed.

“you’re always asking for a beating i swear.” renjun comments, walking towards haechan and balling his hand into a fist and acting as if he was about to attack. jaemin laughs to try and calm them down. “kids let’s not fight.” jaemin announced, looking over to jeno only to find him standing there watching quietly.

“go ahead, mark. you should write something. we cant keep her waiting.” jeno finally spoke up, grabbing the sticky notepad and a random pen from mark’s table and passing it over to him.

mark stared at the blank paper while the others were talking about what to have for dinner. it didn’t take him long to decide what to write. when mark starts writing and began to be in full concentration, everyone crowds around him to see what he’s writing.

sup raven! i wont call you ray since we aren’t friends yet. im still shocked. like the possibility of things like this being possible is just another possibility that can possibly happen. but anyways, to answer you question, im a high schooler from dream high. im in my third year. its kind of awkward for me while im writing this since my friends are reading every word im taking down. i guess i should ask you the same question back then. hope to hear from you soon.

“will you guys stop being nosy?” mark groans, standing up and pasting the sticky note on his wall, along with the other sticky notes he received from you. “you didn’t have to say that we’re here.” haechan retorts. mark rolls his eyes. “jesus..” mark mutters under his breathe. “anyways, yall are paying for dinner since you guys bribed me to write back.” mark sticks his tongue out playfully and runs out to the living room. everyone follows suit.. except for jeno.

jeno slowly walks towards the wall and leans forward to get a closer look of the sticky notes, specifically the two others beside the new one that mark just wrote. “raven? why does that sound so familiar? the handwriting...” jeno brings his finger up and lightly hovers them over the uniquely written words. it looked like calligraphy, and retro looking. jeno felt as though he had seen it before somewhere, or knew someone who wrote like that.

jeno snapped out of his deep thoughts when jaemin called out to him, making him walk towards the door and glancing at the sticky notes once more before joining the others in the living room.

you were currently video calling your friends when you heard the crackling of a piece of paper. of course you knew what that meant. you peered down the the floor from your bed and reached your hand out to pick up the sticky note. “ray?” doyoung called out to you when he noticed your face wasnt on screen. you lay back down on the floor and brought your phone up to show your face.

“what was that sound earlier?” lucas asked, currently sounding hyper. “the mysterious mark sent me another sticky note.” you reply sarcastically, waving the sticky note to the camera to let everyone look at it. everyone nodded their heads at the some time, some letting out a long ‘ah’ as well. “read it out loud!” yuta shouted.

“the fuck no!” you shouted back. you stared at the sticky note, but didn’t bother to read it. you thought of doing that once you’re done video calling them.

“how was today for you guys?” you asked, wanting to know how they’re doing.

“its tiring! we had dance practice, then we have to do recordings for our new albums. we barely get any sleep.” ten whines, his tone filled with stress. you laugh loudly. it made everyone frown and pout. you sigh. “pursuing your NCT world domination is never easy.” you commented, highlighting the word ‘world domination’ with a change of tone.

everyone lets out a long sigh and started to complain one by one, making the whole video call chaotic for almost 10 minutes. you could only smile and shake your head.

after about an hour or so of talking about basically everything and catching up with each other, everyone decided that they should end the call here since it was beginning to get dark and they needed to start practice soon. you bid your goodbye to them once more and ended the call.

you now adverted your attention to the sticky note. reading the letter, you raise both eyebrows. “dream high? that’s not far from here..” you mumbled to yourself. you started to think about everything you know about dream high. you know it’s was about an hour’s journey from where you live. it wasnt really well known either. the overall vibe of the school was mediocre.

however, you felt like you were missing something. something about that school is somehow related to you. you just couldn’t think of an answer despite squeezing all thoughts that you have in your brain. you groan and stood up from your bed and to your desk, proceeding to wanting to write a reply to mark.

hey. sorry if you get this quite late. i was busy video calling my friends. to answer your question, im a third year as well from jookin high. i would ask for your number so we dont have to do this all the time but my friend would scold me saying “but you’re removing the fun out of it.” but anyways, mark aka my soulmate, tell me about yourself, to start off.

you stick the note onto the wall, looking at the row of messages you’ve had recieved so far. you found it weird how the first time you’ve sent the note and got a reply back, it was on the same sticky note, just different handwriting. but you had to write on a new sticky note to send a new message only to get the same sticky note with a different message in return.

you only see his answers lined up on your wall. you started to wonder how this mark guy looked like. is he good looking? what are his hobbies? his attitude towards school? you really wished you could just text him through instagram and not have to go through all this trouble. but that option would earn you a large smack on the back by soyoung and your really didn’t want that.

“do we really need to be here now? like now?!”soyoung whined, while pushing the cart and following behind you while you tossed some packets of frozen bacon. you stopped walking and turn around, nodding your head intensely. soyoung groans and took out her phone, proceeding to use it while still pushing the cart.

you walk around the supermarket, trying to find the ingredients listed on your notes in your phone. it was the weekends and you’re parents were going to be away for a business trip for a week so you thought of inviting soyoung over and making home cooked meals as a bonding session for you two.

after about 30 minutes of gathering the ingredients and having soyoung constantly screaming and fangirling over tiktok edits of jaehyun from NCT. one note: she has yet to know that you know them and that they’re your friends. you figured that it would be best to not let anyone know so as to avoid any situation that would put your friends in a tight spot, since well they’re idols, you were looking for one last item that you had trouble finding.

“soyoung help me! stop watching tiktoks!” you groan, snatching soyoung’s phone away and shoving it in her back pocket. soyoung rolls her eyes lazily and the two of you proceeded to scan the different isles and shelves, looking over every item.

while you were too concentrated looking at the bottom shelves, you felt that you have bumped into someone. you squat down, letting out a soft ‘ouch’ before standing up and looking to see who you bumped into.

“wait. jaemin?” you furrow your eyebrows as you tilt your head, pointing your finger at the guy in front of you. “raven!” you noticed that it was jaemin after all, and both your faces lit up and the same time, grinning widely at each other.

“uhhh..” soyoung says out loud, you and jaemin turn your heads to face soyoung who was behind you. “oh! this is jaemin. we used to be neighbourhood friends before he moved out 4 years ago.” you introduced jaemin to soyoung. jaemin nodded and gave her a bright smile. soyoung only shrugged her shoulders and took out her phone. you turn your attention back to jaemin.

“why are you even here? dont you live quite far?” you ask, your fingers interlocked behind your back. jaemin nods, running a hand through his hair.

“well yes. but we came here to find something that only this supermarket sells.” jaemin replied back, his warm smile never leaving his lips. you smile, reached your hand out to ruffle his hair, laughing softly afterwards. “we? who’re you with?” you stared at jaemin with eyes of suspicion. jaemin started pinching your cheeks, making you whine and begging him to let go.

“with my friend, ray chill. im still single.” jaemin pulled away and folded his arms, pouting. “im sure you’ll find one soon.” you reached out to ruffle his hair and give off a wide smile.

while you and jaemin were catching up and being in your own world, soyoung got too bored of watching the two of you and decided to walk around the supermarket, leaving the cart behind you.

just as she was looking at the drinks isle to get her favourite sweet drink, she sees someone picking up a bunch of bottles one by one and placing them back on the shelve. out of kindness, she decided to help, picking up a bottle and placing it on fhe shelve before looking up to face the guy, who had a straight face while looking at her.

“i was just trying to help. im soyoung.” soyoung smiled, reaching her hand out and waiting for thr guy to greet back. he looked at her but doesn’t respond, proceeding to pick up the last bottle that was seen on the floor. “im jeno.” jeno stands up and nods his head to greet soyoung. soyoung nods back, walking down the isle to grab her drink from the shelve. “have a nice day.” soyoung says before leaving the isle and disappearing out of jeno’s sight. he only shrugged in response and went to do his own thing.

“you met who?!” haechan asks as he takes a sip of his ice cold water. everyone had their heads turned to jaemin, who raised an eyebrow at everyone’s weird expression. “i met my old friend raven. what’s so shocking?” jaemin asks back casually, picking up a few pieces of fries and dipping it into the sauce before shoving it in his mouth.

“dude that’s the name of mark’s soulmate!” haechan screams, making everyone flinch due to the loud noise. “i highly doubt it. there’s plenty of girls in the world with the name raven.” jaemin protests with his mouth full and chugging down gulps of coca cola.

“i mean that’s true. jeno you were with jaemin, right? dont you suspect anything?” renjun starts to question jeno, who was silently playing with his phone. looking up at the others, he gulps.

“i didn’t know he met his friend. i was picking out drinks. i just met a girl named soyoung.” jeno shrugs, taking a bite of his burger. mark scratches the back of his head, now starting to think of the fact that jaemin might have met his soulmate. though he also thought about how that could not be totally possible.

“nah i dont think its her. like really ‘raven’ could be anyone.” mark says, siding with jaemin. haechan tilts his head in awe. “jaemin do you know what school she’s going to?” jaemin only shakes his head.

“i lost all contact with her when i left her neighbourhood. plus we were young. i barely knew her honestly.” the living room falls silent, everyone trying to think of a conclusion to this.

chenle groans, standing up from his seat and slamming his hands on the table, gathering everyone’s attention as their heads shot up. “instead of pondering as if yall are solving some crime, why dont mark just ask her through the sticky note god dammit?” chenle pinches the bridge of his nose.

everyone’s mouths gape open as the room was suddenly filled with ‘ah’s all over. chenle shakes his head. everyone was now looking intensively at mark. mark furrows his eyebrows. “okay guys hold up ill grab the stick note.” mark stands up and takes one bite of his burger before going into his room for awhile and coming out with a sticky note and a pen.

jaemin noticed jeno being silent the whole way. and althought thats normal since its jeno’s nature and personality to not be so outspoken like the others, jaemin could sense that jeno was off and seem to be in deep thoughts.

and jaemin was right. jeno couldnt stop thinking about jaemin’s encounter with ‘raven’. the name sounded so familiar. he tried to recall every girl he has came into contact with during his life. why did he feel like the name was tied to the handwriting he saw on the sticky notes?

“jeno.” jaemin nudged him in the shoulder. jeno mumbled a soft ‘oh’ before turning his attention to mark just like the others. “she didn’t send me a reply after my last one though.” mark says, looking up.

“its fine. she probably didn’t see it. just write already.” chenle says in anticipation. mark shakes his head. “calm the heck down its not like we can get an answer immediately.” mark rolls his eyes and began to write.

hey raven. um i know this may sound weird. but have you gone to a supermarket and met a guy names jaemin? im not a stalker i swear. its just that he’s my friend and apparently you know him. though i dont think that such a coincidence and come by just like that. hope you hear from you soon.

jeno stared at the sticky note that mark proceeded to place at a random wall of the living room while everyone continued to eat and chat. his thoughts finally linked and a imaginary lightbulb appeared on above his head when he finally realises why he was so drawn to mark’s soulmate.

you were focused on wanting to solve a math question when the sticky note above your desk’s wall had fallen in front of you, revealing a new message. you place your pen down and let out a sigh, remembering that you hsve forgotten to write a reply and that mark probably sent you another one.

you tied your hair in a messy low bun before picking up the sticky note to get a closer view. you blink your eyes rapidly as your eyes furrow in awe. what the note said really shocked you and made you freeze in your spot. jaemin is friends with your soulmate? there’s no way.

you sat there for awhile as you constantly read over the words, still in shock with your moutb hanging open. you just couldn’t believe it. was it really what it seemed to be? another thought came to your mind as well. the thought of just who is this friend of jaemin’s? could it be mark? was your soulmate literally in the same place as you yet you never knew?

you grab a fresh new piece of sticky note and proceeded to write a reply after staring at it for so long and thought that it was finally time that you do something.

okay what you wrote really was weird. jaemin’s my old neighbourhood friend. its such a coincidence how you know him. i guess the connections are there. so haha yeah. damn. im very mind blown right now.

you take a look at your handwriting again, smiling to yourself. “i really do love my handwriting.” you mumble under your breath. you stuck the sticky note on the wall and resumed doing your homework, hoping that mark would reply soon.

while the boys were immersed in the horror movie they were watching on friday night, everyone turned their heads to each other when they heard the noise of a piece of paper falling onto the floor. in unison, everyone turned their head to where the noise came from and seeing the sticky note that fell.

jisung grabs the controller and pauses the movie. “we’re watching a scary movie and creepy stuff like that happens?!” jisung asks, stuttering out of complete fear.

mark decided to be the brave one after seeing everyone’s terrified face and stands up to pick up the sticky note, going back to take his seat on the couch soon after. “d-does that always happen?” mark shrugs. “well duh. that’s how i know she sent a reply. it wouldn’t be this scary if we weren’t watching a horror movie.”

everyone’s heads once again gather around mark as he read the note out loud. everyone gapes their mouth open, some covered their mouths while jeno could only stare at it in disbelief. “i guess we’ve confirmed its her.” mark breathes out, placing the sticky note on the table.

jeno reaches out to grab the sticky note to have a look. the unique handwriting that he suspected would belong to you really was yours. out of anger, he tears the sticky notes into two. everyone had their eyes widened at jeno’s sudden shocking action. mark snatches the now torn note back, looking down at them before facing jeno.

“what the heck was that for?!”

“dont talk to her anymore. she’s trouble.”

everyone lets out a sigh in unison except for mark, looking at everyone’s weird reaction. “what do you mean trouble? and why does it look like you all know something except me?” mark furrows his eyes as everyone exchanged glances continuously for a moment.

“she’s just not someone you should be with. that’s all.” jeno stands up and walks to his room, slamming the door shut and produring a piercing noise. the room was silent for awhile until mark speaks up.

“what am i missing here you guys?”

no one replies.

“we’ve been friends for a year and you guys are all keeping secrets for me?” mark scoffs in disbelief, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“we arent in the position to tell you. its jeno.” jaemin murmurs under his breath, looking down on the ground just like the others.

marks keeps silent and stands up from the couch, the palm the torn note was in is balled into a fist as he goes into his room as well.

haechan sighs. “jeno has to tell the truth. he’s been holding onto that grudge almost forever now.”

everyone nods their heads in agreement. “if not, he’s going to live in despair now that he knows she’s his best friend’s soulmate..” jisung adds on. 

everyone could only silently hope that things could go well. 

after that day you’ve sent a reply, you havent heard from mark since. you dont know why. due to your lack of information on him, it felt as if he disappeared into thin air. although only a week has past by, you felt concerned and somewhat worried for him. did something happen to him? what made him cut off his connection with you? its not like you did anything wrong. 

out of pure desperation, you decided to skip school today. youve never skipped school before, and you felt so rebellious and bad. why did you do this? so you could go to dream high and meet mark in person. youve had enough of the sticky notes. you just wanted to see how he was like in real life, not having to think about it through notes. 

with a little help from jaemin by texting him on instagram, you knew that mark’s class should be ending by 4pm, and you were there at 3:50 in the canteen where jaemin told you to wait. funny how the security guard lets a student from another school come in with a pass or anything.

you slowly start seeing groups of students going down the flight of stairs that lead to the canteen which had a path leading to the front gates. some eyes glanced at you as they notice someone who doesnt belong at their school, you couldnt care less though. your thoughts were only filled with mark. how he looked like, how he would carry himself. your anticipation was the only thing you felt.

you wore your headphones yet you could suddenly hear a lot of squealing and shouting. you look up, turning you attention to the stairs. a large group of girls crowding around another group of people, who you assumed to be guys. you scoffed, thinking about how there’s always that one group of good looking guys all girls seem to go crazy for. you watch as the group of guys push through the large crowd.

once you got a closer look, you tilt your head to the side. you slowly bring your headphone down from your ears and let them rest on your neck, getting intrigued by how the girls were getting so crazy, even more crazy than the ones from your school.

“its mark! he’s so cute!” 

you widen your eyes as you heard the word ‘mark’. you stood up from your seat, peering your head up to find which one is the girl referring to. you only see two guys walking. one smiling sheepishly while the other kept a straight and cold face. just which one is mark?

suddenly, you felt an arm grabbing yours and pulling you back. you jump out of fear and turn around noticing it was jaemin. you calmed your breathing as you look at jaemin. 

“meet mark under the block nearby. its too hectic here for you to talk to him.”

jaemin dragged you out of the school grounds and to a secluded block where only a few students where walking past and left you there. you were lost in confusion but decided to trust whatever jaemin was doing, sitting down at a random bench.

“jaemin told us to meet him here where is-” 

“raven.”

“what?”

you immediately stood in front of the two guys you saw at the canteen as you notice a familiar face. you werent able to get a clear look at them before, but now you realise that you knew one of them. “jeno..” you look at a different direction a you tried avoiding his gaze, though you knew you couldnt, forcing yourself to meet his eyes.

mark looks at the both of you, utterly confused as his attention shifts from you to jeno constantly. “this raven?” mark points at you, tilting his head. you nod slowly as your turn your head to face mark. you observed his body up and down. he was good looking, just like jeno.. yet his aura told you that he was way more outgoing and open than jeno. 

“you look...”

everyone was silent.

you gulp in nervousness. “im busy. bye mark.” before jeno could go, mark pulled on his arm to bring him back to stand beside him, earning a glare from jeno. the one you could never forget. “stay. i know something happened. you were always quiet whenever we talked about this girl. and i also know you all kept something from me.”

you slowly turned to jeno. you could he was annoyed whenever he looked at you. you felt it through his eyes, and it was terrifying. jeno took a deep breath in, folding his arms and placing his weight on one leg. 

“if you remember clearly, chenle told you that before we became friends with you, we had a fight and didnt talk to each other for a long time. we didnt tell you this, but it was her who caused it. she brought chaos into our group. everyone forgotten about it clearly, but i cant. after what she did.. i cant forgive her.”

you opened your mouth, wanting to reply but your words were somehow stuck in your throat. you didnt exactly know what to say or do in this awkward situation.

“it.. it was a long time ago jeno, please. my feelings for you were real, even if we werent meant to be. i dont know how many times you need me to say sorry.” you pleaded, biting your lip as you waited for jeno’s reaction.

jeno sighs and runs a hand through his hair as he lets out a huff of rustration. “then why did you leave? you left me stranded, and because of you, i almost left my friends becaused i lived in agony since i missed you so much. i almost pushed everyone away.” you shivered as jeno’s voice started to raise. 

 you also glanced at mark, who still kept his confused expression on his face. through his gaze never left you as you felt his eyes scanning you body up and down. 

“you two used date?” mark asks. you nod in reply.

“we were kids. we didnt know about all this soulmate stuff. but now..” 

“you know what? be together. im not going to leave my friends just because of my pent up grudge and feelings. i cant control fate either.” 

years had now past since you met mark. it really was fate. the two of you became close in no time and now.. you were fianally married. you couldnt be more happy to be with mark. who you were destined to be really was made for you, and you only. and to think this all escalated due to a note you sent out in pure curiosity.

you still remember what happened with jeno after that day, despite the lack of interaction between you two, jeno was open enough to accept you as his friend again. you are now living a happy life with mark, and always being able to hang out with his group of friends. today was no different. 

“haechan get the chilli sauce!” you hear mark shout as you smile widely, feeling his arm snaking around your waist to pull you close. having a barbeque was a great idea to celebrate jisung’s birthday. 

you soon see haechan with the bottle of chilli sause, placing it on the table where everyone gathered around the table which had jisung’s birthday cake. “before we do anything with the cake, let me announce my wish.” jisung announces proudly. you raise an eyebrow. “you cant say you birthday wish out loud!” you scolded jisung, but everyone laughs.

“his wish is something we all know.” jeno says, winking playfully at you. you tilt your head in confusion when you suddenly feel mark’s arm leaving you waist. you look over to mark who was shoving his hand into his pocket as if to find something.

you were completely clueless when mark nods towards jisung, to show some kind of signal. “i wish for mark and raven to get married!” jisung shouts. 

you gaped your mouth open in shock when mark pulls out a small box, opening it in front of you to show a ring. you cover your mouth in disbelief. “did you guys really-”

“please marry me, raven. my sticky note soulmate.” you hear everyone clapping s a tear of happiness drips from your cheek. you quickly wipe it away as you heard the nickname that mark gave you. “we wouldnt normally do this but it was jeno that suggested this.”

you look over to jeno who had a soft smile on his face as he nod his head. looking back at mark, you grin widely as more tears started flowing out. “of course ill marry you, you dork.”