#uber story

[mikaikaika]

The ending of the infamous Uber Story as Quackity and Etoiles stare in disbelief

[bookishtck]

Uber conversations

In jr. year undergrad, I had to use Uber for my education practicum as the school I was placed in was far from campus and I didn't have a license. (Needless to say I am still recovering financially, but the drivers were cool.) Here are some of the conversations I remember...

A 40-something Korean American man who had bought land in Costa Rica from his college roommate's family to make a coffee business, but was now back in the suburbs to take care of his parents. He was the self-proclaimed black sheep middle child with no kids, so the responsibility fell on him.

A brusque, corporate-sounding, well-dressed Tesla driver who told me that he bought two or three other Teslas at the same time he had bought this one. I asked why he was doing Uber if he had money for 3 Teslas and he said "In life, you find that the only money you really have is the cash inside your hand. I've gained millions and lost millions overnight." He was a car dealership owner and we talked about how the invention of the lightbulb changed our society to be pervaded by capitalism. Obviously, he assumed I didn't know how to open the door.

A borderline drunk man in a wifebeater who kept trying to find out my age. I was going to a gyno appointment and he overheard me telling my birthday to the check-in worker over the phone. He made a "pheeeeewwww" sound and seemed genuinely concerned for me (I think he thought I was getting an abortion.)

A former racehorse trainer who was not so much angry at the world as he was confused about why things are so messed up. Because of how Covid changed the entertainment industry, he had lost his job. I offhandedly mentioned my beliefs as a Christian. He said he believes in God and grew up in church but still doesn't get why people are so selfish.

A Ghanian man who after hearing that my grandparents immigrated from Korea, went on a passionate tirade on how lazy Americans are. "You've got to TOIL," he kept saying. He seemed okay hearing that I'm studying to be a teacher.

The car pulls up and there is a giant poster saying I STAND WITH IMRAM KAHN with Kahn's face on the door. I ask the driver about the poster and it turns out he ran away from Pakistan because he's in trouble with govt for speaking out against their actions. I think his family is still there. Naturally, I related his political situation to the only one I have extensive knowledge on: North Korea. We emphatically bashed world dictators together while agreeing on the necessity of free speech.

Similar to the Pakistani gentleman, an older Turkish man who taught me how to say thank you in Turkish, and also was in trouble with their govt. He kept saying "If I go Turkey, I go jail. They are very bad." But I think he has family here, which is good. He was quite cautious and even asked me if he could take a call from his wife. I wonder if previous customers gave him a hard time.

An extremely relaxed-sounding Romanian man who asked every Korean American's most dreaded question ("North or South?"), then said it was just a joke when I told him, laughingly: "Every driver asks me that." He talked about his upcoming travels to Europe, and I asked him what it's like living in the US. He sped through a railroad crossing as the bar was coming down and we kind of just laughed it off.

The worst by far: a guy who asked "You Chinese? Oh, Korean? You doctor?" and then "You so beautiful." It was scary because it was still dark outside and no one else was on the road. I stayed as quiet as I could. He was the only Egyptian I've met that I didn't like.

A man who gave me the inside info on how Uber exploits its workers. He asked how much I paid for the ride and said he gets about $3 less than that. Also, the Uber app is skewed in favor of the customers and the company, not the drivers: they have a harsh penalty for cancelling rides, even if they are in danger because of the customer. I had never thought of that. This driver also talked about how he dodged bullets because he once drove a distraught young girl to her mother's house out of state while her crazed abuser chased her out of the airport. Apparently she was holding a pillowcase as a backpack and was crying. Upon arrival, her mother gave him a massive tip, so he said that in hindsight he probably saved her life.

A cheery Puerto Rican lady who practiced Spanish with me and was impressed with my accent, laughing the whole time. When she turned around to say goodbye, she happy-freaked-out at my eyes (monolids) and pulled her own eyes in a slant. Weirdly, this has happened before from another Latina lady. I took it as a compliment both times.

I don't remember his name, but he was a younger guy from an African country, maybe Kenya, and he asked for help to he could take an English competency class at my college. I gave him the info, but now I feel like I should have directed him to a college nearby my own, which would be more practical. I wonder if it worked out for him; he's probably very busy.

[bamsara]

If you're stressing out about a part of the writing process for fanfic to the point where it's not fun anymore, just don't do that part

Post that fanfic with 1000 grammar and spelling errors. Make your characters OOC and give it a Mary Sue. It is a hobby you're sharing not a literature assignment you have to turn in by midnight

[tadc-incorrectquotes]

Ragatha: How are you?

Pomni: Okay.

Ragatha: Are you sure? You look upset.

Pomni: Oh... I am. I just didn't know if you wanted to get into all that.

[fredmcsm]

Admins refs!

Finally done… only took me all week… feel free to ask questions about them! (please)

Funfacts:

- Xara is based off: the End, dragons, lizards, reptiles etc., bats. The people of the Oasis are fancy but still need to wear outfits suitable for living in a Mesa so it comes around to something like Xara wears.

- Fred is based off: the Overworld, birds, deer, bears, angels. People in Fred’s Keep are all farmers/builders/creatives and from what you see in-game of what they wear, it’s similar to what Fred likes to wear. He likes to be comfy ^_^

- Romeo is based off: the Nether, cats, goats, demons/imps. Romeoburg citizens which are of COURSE called Burgers, they all wear thicker clothing for the colder environment tucked away at the mountains & fjords. There’s a lot of leather and furs, and long hair.

Armour refs

I don’t really like these but the idea is there. I needed their armours to suit their fighting styles and their general aesthetics including the ones of their towns.

Quick weapon refs

- Ending Eye is a longbow and its arrows are the sharpest hit you’ll ever get from a bow, owie

- Hoemeo is Fred’s diamond hoe, named this as a joke and it stuck, Fred couldn’t think of another name. He thought it wasn’t going to ever need to be used as a weapon so it didn’t matter. All I can say is that Romeo is lucky he wasn’t the one who died because that would have been an embarrassing death message.

- Ruby is like minecraft zenith and is very good at killing Freds

The pets

- Bonbon is a smaller-than-average creeper that is diffused and acts like a therapy cat to Romeo. He didn’t get a normal cat because he’s Romeo.

- Jean is THE Ender Dragon and was raised from a baby dragon into fully-grown Jean. She is often badly behaved and will only listen to Xara, if anyone.

- Waffles is Waffles… ya. Silly immortal chicken who also has an immortal need to peck Romeo to death

- Nugget, the old Clydesdale horse who is just happy to be there, happy lad ^_^

OK thats all I think. PLZ ask me questions. I will be joyous OK BYE

[nobigneil]

[lifeisstrange-incorrectquotes]

Victoria: *in the front seat* Yo, I'm so fucking glad Chloe went home.

Chloe: *in the back seat* I'm back here, you dumbass.

[kittybobitty]

Modern BingQiu/BingYuan AU thats arguably not AU but post canon where Shen Yuan wakes up in a hospital because he never actually died and was in a coma the whole time.

There had been signs he would wake up he hadn't recognized. He had heard modern Mandarin dialect around him, which no one else on the peak could hear. He had seen blurry faces of nurses in his sleep. But by the time he had realized what it all meant, his consciousness was already being stripped away.

He awakens in a cold hospital bed, and he's told he's been asleep for over 5 years. It's a modern miracle he's alive. He doesn't want to be. He's terrified. Was Binghe left with a cold, lifeless corpse, or the soul of his loveless original flavor of shizun? Or were the nurses right, and the last 5 years of his life just a dream.

He feels cold all the way through. It takes weeks for his body to recover but there's no recovering for his heart. There's no one for him to call to bring him home. He's released from the hospital and takes a taxi to his apartment. But when he gets there, his keys don't work. Of course not, it's been five years. Someone else has moved in.

He's at a complete loss. By gaining his life back, he's lost everything: his husband, his home, every friend he ever had. He's at his wits end when he checks the balance in his bank. His checking account barely has anything left in it after automatic payments that were never stopped bled it dry.

He plugs in his phone in an internet café, obsolete and uncharged after 5 years, hoping maybe the phone company would refund the years he was legally dead.

However, it's already midnight, and no one would answer even if he called, so he lays down on the floor of the cubicle he's rented with his last few hundred yuan. It's cold and lonely. Any lie he could tell himself to soften the pain feels cruel.

"Finally rid of that whimpering child of a husband."

"Good riddance."

"No more worries of breaking the bed."

No. Every lie burns. He wants nothing more to curl into the warmth of his husband; to hear his soft snoring, and the way he would mutter in his sleep. His empty stomach yearns for the perfect congee he ate every morning with Luo Binghe gazing at him like he was the only light in his dark world.

Part of him thinks, if he died again, for real this time, would be go back? Even if he didn't, maybe it would be better than staying in a world without Luo Binghe. But then again, what if that ruined any chance of him ever seeing Luo Binghe again, even in the afterlife.

Shen Yuan sobs himself to sleep.

An employee shakes him awake at 6 am sharp. His rental has ended and his card declined the renewal. Shen Yuan quietly nods and takes his phone off the charger, turns it on as he leaves with nothing else in his possession but an empty wallet and the clothes on his back.

But his phone rings to life. Hundreds of notifications fill the screen. Though there are bill reminders and missed calls from his landlord that date back through the years, at the forefront are recent messages from "Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky."

[✈️ YOU BETTER HAVE WOKEN UP TOO]

[✈️ Oh my GOD this is literally worse than being dead for real]

[✈️ Bitch ANSWER THESE MESSAGES]

[✈️ COME GET YO DOG!!!]

The picture that follows is blurry but more than enough. Dark curly hair, tanned skin, and a red blur on the forehead of a red eyed figure. Shen Yuan is running aimlessly as fast as he can, his heart thundering in his chest.

[Wheerte arr you_/_?]

His messages are nearly intelligible. He can barely see the keyboard on his phone through the tears wellings in his eyes.

Airplane(? Shang Qinghua? He never knew his real name) sends him his address with some less than patient words and he punches it into his GPS.

[🥒 It will take me a while to walk there, but I'll be there]

[🥒 TELL HIM IM COMING]

He's ready to jet off running again, but he gets another message.

[✈️ WALK HERE? BRO]

[✈️ Did you not just wake up after being a REAL vegetable for 5 years? Take the train!]

[🥒 can't. I'm broke.]

After one money transfer and a 2 hour train ride later, Shen Yuan is trembling outside the door of an unfamiliar house. He's horrified that everything has been a lie. That he's still dreaming on the floor of the net café. He reaches to knock on the door but hesitates.

Before his knuckles can meet the wood, he hears Binghe's voice clear as day.

"SHIZUN! I can smell him! He's here!" There's the sound of a struggle, "Let me go, WORM! I need to see him!"

"NO! You'll rip my door off it's hinges!"

Shen Yuan grabs the doorknob and yanks it open without another thought.

Red eyes suddenly meet his. Luo Binghe has frozen mid struggle with Shang Qinghua on the floor, trying to hold him back with his arms around his leg.

For a moment, Shen Yuan is self conscious. He looks so different, his frame and hair are shorter, his face rounder and eyes not nearly as sharp. He doesn't even carry himself the same, with that aloof and all knowing facade he wore in the cultivation world.

But his worries are immediately put to rest as Luo Binghe's long arms wrap tightly around him and tether him to reality. This is his reality now, and he's okay with that. As long as his Binghe is with him.

[mathematical-apprentice]

Barou has always been a star boy, at first I thought it was just because of his killer goal scoring ability (clinical finishing) but now, now I've been schooled. Barou presented a masterclass in goal scoring.

Getting past Isagi easily with his technical skill, a heel lift while the poor MC could only stand by and watch.

A killer double nutmeg to get past Kuon and this other guy (it seems what he did to Kaiser and Isagi is actually an old habit)

Look at where the line is when he's taking this shot.

Here's a picture of the penalty area from Wikipedia for context. You can clearly see the line marking both the penalty area and the goal area in the frame of Barou's shot

Meaning, not only did he take the ball from his half (since Isagi ran forward after kickoff it's safe to assume he didn't stay in team Z's half), heel lift past Isagi, deliver a deadly accurate double nutmeg, and score, he scored from outside the box. Do you know how crazy that is?

Given, at this point the teams aren't very organised and were easily exploited by him, but it doesn't take away from the impressiveness of the goal.

@miyamiwu

[sam-loves-seb]

pls give me your best s9/10 gallavich prison months fic recs, i am in desperate need of some good reads

[luc1ferian]

Hi I'm thinking about writing a h2g2 and gravity falls crossover fic. I saw your post awhile ago and I was wondering if you had any idea on how the two fords would interact.

Oooh this is a really good idea!

Hm, I haven't properly watched Gravity Falls in a while (I KNOW IM SORRY), but comparing their personalities from what i know they have a couple similarities and differences.

For first interactions I'm not entirely sure how or where, neither of them are naturally social but if someone were to start a conversation it would be Prefect, and once they realize they're both named Ford P. they'd hit off perfectly.

I think they'd love to go out for a small drink and talk about their outlooks on life, about space, their own traumas and relationships, about their research and studies with their respective books (Pines to the Journals, and Prefect to the Guide), and about their plans for future. This interaction could also be a lot funnier depending on the tone you wanted to take.

Ooooh they could also rant about their annoying family members (Zaphod and Stan)

They would also engage in an epic game of Dungeons & More Dungeons no doubt

[killachuckychuck]

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

KARKAT: Is the price negotiable?

KARKAT: I DID NOT WRITE THE ABOVE STATEMENT. I CANT EVEN SPELL NEGOABLE. I VE BEEN HACKED. I WISH WHOEVER IS DOING THIS WOULD GET A LIFE.

KARKAT: Is this still available?

KARKAT: HACKER GET A LIFE. SCUM BAG.

ROSE: Karkat, it’s not a hacker. When you click on the comment section, prewritten comments pop up. I accidentally hit them all the time.

KARKAT: Do you have more photos?

KARKAT: IM 29.08. BUT IM BETTING I CAN STILL WHIP YOUR ASS. IF YOU HAD THE GUTS TO SHOW WHO YOU ARE. SCUM BAG HACKER.

[tadc-incorrectquotes]

Gangle: Please put your seatbelt on before I start driving.

Kinger: Oh, of course. Ugh. I hope there's no turbulence.

Gangle: ...This is a truck.

[skylertheminish]

Sooo... I bought mhs1 on the switch, hate how I couldn't find a physical version here in the UK and I don't have space for it on my sd card that has my other MH games (I just want to keep them together). Anyway this artwork though! Cheval is so pissed off!

I hope the zelda dlc is in this version but I suspect that's not the case. Least I can still beat Deviljho with Epona on the 3ds original.

I'm an idiot. I've just noticed the other characters from the anime Monster Hunter Stories Ride on! I'm blanking on their names but I recognise their monsters from the anime! The hooded lad has the White Monoblos in the anime and his brother, who's a jerk admittedly, has the standard Monoblos.

[nenekobasu]

reo's backstory: 3rd person narration

hiori's backstory: 1st person

ness' backstory: 1st person

kaiser's backstory: 3rd person (mostly)