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#i will add more organization if anyone asks for it
jellybeanium124 · 3 days
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Helpful lists of questions for goyim when it comes to engaging with the Israel-Hamas war 🙂
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN A POST ABOUT THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR CROSSES YOUR DASH AND YOU WANT TO REBLOG IT:
Does this post link to a source?
If the post does link to a source, is it a credible one?
If the post does not link to a source, is there one screenshotted in the post that you can find? If so, please search out that source and read the entire thing in context. And make sure the source is credible. Ideally, if you decide to reblog it, add a link to the source.
Is the post just screenshots of tweets? If so, you probably should not reblog this. Posts that are just screenshots of tweets are a massive red flag. Do not believe something because it's a twitter screenshot. Frankly this rule is for everyone about everything all the time.
What is the tone of the post? Does it make you angry? If yes, this is a red flag. Exercise caution reblogging.
Does the post frame Israel as a uniquely evil country in need of destruction? Does the post treat Israel with different standards than those that are applied to every other country that has done horrible, horrible things, such as Russia, the UK, or United States? This is a red flag. If the government of Israel falls without some sort of transition plan, there will be Jewish genocide. Anyone advocating for a one-state solution either way is advocating for one group to get genocided. A two-state solution is the only possible peaceful end to this conflict (technically my opinion but I feel comfy stating it as fact).
Does the post treat Hamas as anything other than a terrorist organization? Do not reblog.
Is the post promoting Jewish Voice for Peace/JVP? Do not reblog. That organization is not Jewish and is antisemitic.
What is the focus of the content of the post? Is the post discussing reasonable paths to a ceasefire/peace? Is the post criticizing Israel's actions without using antisemitic stereotypes? Netanyahu is a disgusting fascist who I hate, but even though he is a terrible person you are not allowed to portray him as an antisemitic caricature. Similar to how you don't get to misgender shitty trans people, you don't get to be antisemitic towards shitty Jewish people (even if he's really, really shitty).
How does the post use the word "zionist?" Does the word have any coherent meaning in the post besides "person (often Jew) that I hate?" Does it treat zionists as a group of people who are disgusting and deserve to be murdered and/or raped? Does the use of the word "zionist" completely dehumanize the person/people the label is applied to into nothing more than evil that the Earth must be rid of? This is antisemitic. Do not reblog.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE AT A PRO-PALESTINE PROTEST:
Are people chanting antisemitic slogans such as "globalize the intifada" and/or "from the river to the sea" (these are both antisemitic you cannot remove the antisemitic meaning from them, they are both advocating for the murder of Jewish people, sorry, stop using them.)?
Are people comparing themselves to Palestinians in Gaza? (this is not a joke, I saw a video of a Columbia student who compared Columbia sending out fliers to leave or be suspended to the IDF dropping flyers in Gaza saying "the army is coming in 24 hours.") If so, they care more about fetishizing Palestinian pain and making themselves feel like noble victims than the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Are people harassing Jews? This includes: preventing them from getting to class, yelling things at them like "go back to Poland," and/or physically assaulting them.
Are people defacing Jewish property/monuments? Are people defacing synagogues? Businesses with known Jewish owners? Statues and/or memorials of/for Jews?
What is the purpose of this protest? Would you feel comfortable sharing opinions that differ from the majority? Would you feel comfortable engaging in a conversation about this issue with fellow protesters? Are any of you actually educated on the complicated and lengthy history of the Israel-Palestine conflict? Is the protest about a peaceful solution, or is it just making you angrier and/or more upset? Does the protest/your fellow protestors care more about freeing Palestine so that Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace, or about hating Israel and treating it like a uniquely evil country?
If people are chanting antisemitic slogans, harassing Jews, and/or defacing Jewish things, then this is an antisemitic protest. Do you want to be associated with these people and this protest? If your answer is yes, you are an antisemite-sympathizer, which is basically an antisemite.
MORAL OF THE STORY: antisemitism is all over this issue and it's easy to get more antisemitic and spread antisemitism because bad actors use this issue to indoctrinate people who start off just genuinely caring about the issue but are not educated at all about it or what antisemitism actually looks like. BE CAREFUL. All Jews want, all we've ever wanted, is to be left alone to do our thing. Random Jews are not at fault for the horrific actions taken by the Israeli government since the terrorist attack on October 7th. We support the existence of Israel, but we do not support all of the current government's actions. We are just trying to live. We want there to be a ceasefire now. If you actually read this whole thing, thank you. It means a lot to be listened to.
For those of you that made it to the end, I'll offer one last reminder and one last gentle suggestion.
My last reminder is: "it is not your job to finish the work by neither are you free to ignore it" is a Jewish passage I really like. I think in times like these, it is important to focus on the first half. It is not your job to finish the work. The fate of Palestine does not rest on your shoulders. It's ok. Take time to decompress and log off.
My last suggestion is: one of the biggest Jewish values is "tikkun olam," which means "repairing the world." I think all action when it comes to this conflict (and life in general) should be done with tikkun olam in mind. It doesn't hurt to ask yourself "is this action repairing the world, or further tearing it apart?" no matter what you're doing. Thank you for reading.
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kidfur · 11 months
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2 everyone who followes me for my art: SORRY i use this blog for Everything.. but i do keep organizational tags, i dont have a reblogs tag specifically but id like to think a lot of my reblogs would be appreciated by ppl who enjoy the colors and theming of my art :]
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fairuzfan · 7 months
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Is there anything I can do to help Palestinians besides call my representatives and beg them to stop killing people?
This is a great question. There are a few things you can do—just off the top of my head:
BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) https://bdsmovement.net/
Direct Action https://www.palestineaction.org/
Urge your University/School/Organization to put out a statement denouncing Israel
Organize a Protest/Participate in a local one
You might already be doing this but while calling your reps, tell them that as a voter, you're unwilling to support them in the upcoming election unless they urge the White House to take a stand against Israel and stop funding them
Share art/writing/films around Palestinian culture
If you're part of a union, ask them what they're doing to urge their industry leaders to take a stand against Israel + pressure the White House OR urge them to start a strike/walkout/etc if they're not doing anything already
Talk with your friends IRL about Palestine, whether in an activist capacity or watching a movie or literally anything
Reach out to a mosque to see if you can help them with anything
See if your city/state council has put out a statement in support of Gazans. If not, try to push them to do so.
Donate to Palestine Legal or Direct Action if you have some money to spare
KEEP TALKING ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know some of these don't feel like they have as big of an impact on helping Palestinians, but we do need to make an effort not to forget their humanity in the face of continued erasure and the media's sensationalist rhetoric.
Talking on social media and posting—while not seeming like a lot—does SO much. I know in USAmerica, it's like yelling into a void, but political analysts are saying that most of the "Global South" has completely lost any amount of goodwill it may have had the past few years. Hopefully, countries will start to put sanctions and embargoes en masse on the US and Israel soon.
Our goals here are BOTH short-term and long-term. We hope for the life and liberation of the Palestinian people, so anything that you can think of might help at some point in the future is encouraged to at least try.
If anyone else has any more ideas, feel free to reblog and add on. Thank you for asking, and here is to a liberated Palestine where Palestinians can live and thrive without fear.
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rolanpilled · 7 months
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Facts about Rolan you might have missed, while you were busy saving the world
Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 below!
Here’s a collection of some Rolan facts you may have missed during your playthrough. (These are all from memory, so I will edit this later with sources and exact quotes.)
He is not related by blood to Cal and Lia - You can find this information by speaking with his corpse. All three of them consider each other family, but Rolan seems to hold some insecurities about his position with his siblings. In the same conversation, he mentions having “no one” when asked if he has family and that he identifies as “Rolan, just Rolan” - potentially implying that he’s been abandoned or rejected by his blood family, if they’re alive.
Cal considers Rolan an older brother - If Rolan dies during his rescue attempt in Act 2, Cal confesses that Rolan is his “older brother” and “the person he looks up to the most”.
Rolan loves organizing things - He has overhead dialogue with his siblings where he jokes about wanting an organized, color-coded sock drawer.
You can try to convince Rolan to leave his siblings behind at the grove - Try to convince him to leave Lia behind, and he will admit she’s a pain sometimes, but he could never leave her, not even for his prestigious apprenticeship.
Rolan’s diary changes depending on if his siblings live or die - Self-explanatory. He obviously becomes much more depressed and angry if you fail to save his siblings.
Rolan and his siblings have known each other since Cal was at least eight - They have overhead dialogue where Cal mentions that, when he was eight, Rolan once conjured a cat for him, only for him to find out it was made of fire.
It’s implied that Rolan, Cal, and Lia share a mother figure - If Lia dies, Cal has dialogue with Rolan about throwing a party in memorial for her, “like [they] did for mum”.
Rolan, Cal, and Lia have unique dialogue depending on which of them die - This is self-explanatory, but you can see most of the scenes here. He also appears to have unique dialogue coded in act 3 depending on if he’s angry with you or not (if you disrespected Cal and Lia’s memories by calling them Carl and Liam), but I haven’t been able to trigger it yet.
https://twitter.com/gimblebock/status/1705080072489574619?s=46&t=ZnMav_9KejiNOZkZPad0Mg
Lorroakan hates to admit it, but Rolan is more powerful than him - Speak with Lorroakan’s corpse after killing him and having Rolan side with you. He will begrudgingly admit that his apprentice is more powerful than him. Side note, it can be implied that Lorroakan never calls Rolan by his name, as he defaults to “tiefling” or “boy” in their few interactions.
If Rolan has a high enough initiative in the Lorroakan fight, he will use Thunderwave to shove Lorroakan off the tower. Peak revenge.
Some of Rolan’s spells have his name in front of them (Rolan’s Thunderwave, Rolan’s Mage Armor) - Some people have headcannoned this as meaning he had to learn magic by himself, therefore being a Sorcerer. Considering his clothes are a unique color combination for the Sorcerer robes, it raises more than a few questions
Rolan always carries Lorroakan’s letter on him - This one always makes me so sad, pointed out by @sadwizardlover. Throughout the game, the one thing Rolan always carries on his person is the written response from Lorroakan to his letter, posted below.
Lorroakan also beats Rolan up😭 He'll only admit this if Lorroakan's dead though
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That’s all! If anyone has any more to add to this list, shoot me an ask✨💞
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orionsces · 4 months
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From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free 🇵🇸 🍉 Free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Tigray, Syria, Haiti, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, Tibet. I've made a list for some donation and free resources for those who need them. Donation Pages and other resources you can help support (Donation Page for Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and other refugee camps) (The Palestine Children's Relief Fund) (Donations go towards Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan) (Purchasing eSims allows people within Gaza to connect to the outside to communicate with their families and also to show what’s happening within Gaza) (A donation site which provides urgently needed humanitarian aid in moments of crisis and conflict in 70 different countries.) (A donation page for Sudan Relief) (A donation page to send water, food and aid to those who are living in Yemen.) Other ways you're able to help for free, contact your local senators, boycott, inform yourself and others! Anything you are able to do is able to help. Inform yourself about Sudan, South Sudan, Palestine, Somalia, Uyghurs, Congo, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Morocco Inform yourself about Haiti, Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, Tigray, Tibet, Uighurs, West Papau: (A collection of resources for organizers and anyone who wants to learn more about Palestine.) (A free daily button you can click to help the people of Palestine and other areas of crisis.) (A comprehensive list of brands to boycott and reasons why.) (Another list of brands to boycott.) (Contact your local US senator.) (Contact your local Canadian parliament) (Contact your local UK parliament)
You can use this call script if you call your local US government.
Call Script: My name is {Your Name}. I am a constituent of {Representative's Name}. I am calling to ask that the Representative add their name to the Ceasefire Now resolution led by Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, regarding the unfolding crisis in Gaza. It is absolutely urgent that the Representative demand a ceasefire, and that they call on Israel to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The only way forward is addressing the root causes of violence: Israeli military occupation and apartheid, and ending U.S. complicity in this oppression.
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rogueddie · 8 months
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Eddie slams his pile of books down on the counter, grinning at how hard Steve startles.
"Jesus, fuck," Steve holds a hand to his chest, glaring. "Man, come on, I'm too young to die of a heart attack."
"Are you sure about that?" Eddie reaches over, to tug at his hair- Steve bats his hand away before he can get near. "What are you now, seventy?"
"I'll have you know that the silver only adds to my charm."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that." He pats the pile of books. "I need to check all of these out."
"You know the limit."
"Please? Pretty please? I'll never insult you for going grey early ever again! Promise!"
"You've made that promise before," Steve grumbles, but starts to check the books out anyway. "What's all of this for anyway? New campaign or something?"
"Nah. Robin mentioned something about the cold war and nuclear shit. Got me curious."
Steve pointedly looks at the books, snorting. "Curious."
"What, you've never wanted to learn some new thing or something?"
"Not this much."
"What about all those sports you played?"
"That was more to do with my parents than me actually wanting to do it."
Eddies eyes narrow because... yeah. Outside of his old King Steve days, Eddie doesn't think Steve has ever wanted something. Not even for his birthday, or Christmas.
All he asks is for them to come to his and Robins flat. All he seems to want is confirmation that they're ok and alive.
"You always say you want kids though, right?"
"I mean, kind of. Though, I'm starting to think the brats we babysat might be more than enough for me."
"Chocolate?"
"Oh no..."
"What?"
"You're planning something, aren't you?"
"No! No, no, no... but there has to be something, right?"
"Something?"
"That you really want."
"There's nothing I need."
"That's not what I'm asking."
"That's all the answer you're getting." Steve shoves the pile of books towards him. "Get lost, I'm supposed to be working."
"Ugh, fine, you're no fun."
But he can't stop thinking about it. He ends up returning the pile of books, despite the fact that he barely read one page. When he tries to use it to question Steve, he dodges the question again.
He very quickly gives up, deciding to pester Robin until she tells him. That takes three weeks of constant, daily efforts. And, in the end, the answer is obvious.
Steve just wants to spend more time with people he cares about.
It's not easy to gather anyone in the party, given that there's no holiday or significant occasion- he manages it, though. All the kids, now young adults, organize transportation. Nancy and Jonathan, over the phone, help Eddie and Robin plan out where everyone will sleep with their small apartments.
The effort, and pain of organizing it all, is worth it for the look on Steves face when he comes home to find them all waiting for him.
When Dustin almost knocks him over with how harm he hugs him, for a second, Eddie is worried that he's going to start crying. But he holds it together, greets them all with so much enthusiasm...
"I forgot that he used to be like this," Robin comments, late into the night. They're sat a little away from the group, watching them argue over their games. "The kids mean a lot to him."
"He means a lot to them."
"I know. I think he forgets though, so... thank you."
Steve doesn't corner him until they've got the kids asleep- half of them going with Nancy, Jonathan and Argyle to Eddies appartment, the rest of them fighting over the little space in Steve and Robins.
"You could've got me chocolate," Steve says, nudging him.
"This is what you really wanted though, isn't it? That was the whole point, big boy."
"Right. Sorry, it... I wanted to say thank you. I know this must have taken a lot to organize and-"
"Steve. You don't need to thank me. Besides, I could never have done this on my own."
"Still... thank you." Steve is quiet for a moment, looking out to the busy city street. "What do you want?"
"This."
"No, what do you really want?"
"Yeah, this. Everyones together, having so much fun. We're gonna do a one-shot when you go to work tomorrow. And, uh... you're happy. I don't need anything more than that."
"Right," Steve clears his throat. He shuffles a little closer, so their sides are almost flush together, tentatively reaching out to hold Eddies hand. "You don't need anything else. What about what you want?"
"You know what I want."
"I want you to say it."
Steve leans over, bumping their shoulders together when he hesitates. He smiles, reassuring, and gives Eddies hand a squeeze.
"What do you want, Eddie?"
"You. I- I want you."
It's terrifying to admit, a horrifying leap... but the smile Steve gives him, so soft and happy, is more than worth it.
"As you wish."
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north-noire · 16 days
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Check out the Hidden Hands AU fic here, if you want to see the actual narrative/output of the AU!
It's a Henry-Charlie centric AU, but the major characters are just as important :] (this is for anyone who's first time stumbling on this post)
Anyway, here's the Hidden Hands AU reference sheet masterpost I've been alluding to for months, kinda! These are mostly 1983-1985 (1985 is where my AU starts, but I think it's important to show the respective differences/timeskip since 1983.)
Here's a post describing how the Afton and Emily family generally are around 1985 (before Charlie dies), in an ask I answered.
The general story beats in terms of who dies first: Evan dies in 1983, then Charlie dies in 1985. Both Elizabeth and MCI kids die in 1987.
That's all I can say for the major story beats! I don't wanna share/spoil too much here, since it'll all be explored in the fic anyway.
Added my Michael timeline sheet here so it's a lot more organized, but there's more information about that and Michael's overall personality and timeline shift in this post.
Wanted to also add my Cassidy's reference/her family here, since she will be important in the story as well, albeit much later.
I hope everything makes sense here! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments/send asks about it, just know that I'm really slow with asks right now.
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junipers-archive · 1 year
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Water
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Word Count: 550 Includes: fluff,fluff, fluff! spencer and reader are not together but...well yk. Spencer is concerned reader isnt drinking enough water and reader is not taking the critisism (light-hearted)
You were sitting on the jet with the team, having gone over the case files you had all split up to your preferred parts of the plane in peace.
You and Spencer had taken the two chairs sitting across from one another silently reading your books.
Well, that was until you asked a simple question,
"Does-uh sorry but does anyone have any lotion?" Emily was the first to respond as she started to rummage through her numerous bags,
"yea I think i have some in my go-bag"
That was simple wasn't it?, You had been feeling patricularly dry that week, with patches of dry-spots on you face which sadly you hadn't found the permenant cure for.
Spencer had been noticing but didn't want to add anything as not to offend, but this was getting hard to watch.
"You know, dryness occurs on the face typically when a person isn't consuming enough liquids or in a more common case water throughout the day, to ease this, lotion can be found to help, especially organic lotions containing oats, soothing emollients and no fragrance as to not further agitate the area, but if you're looking for a more permanent solution...drink some water y/n."
You were...preturbed by this comment to say the least, I mean did he really think it was okay to be talking about your water-drinking habits (or lack thereof) on the jet right now?
"I drink plenty of water thank you very much Spence."
He smirked at this remark, "What's in your tumbler right now?"
"What?"
"The tumbler you always carry around. Whats in it right now?"
Was he smiling?
"Thats really none of your business."
"Come on share with the class." he was relentless and snarky.
"Coffee." to your ego's ailment it came out in a whisper.
"And thats what, your third one today?"
Was he really doing this, "Again none of your business..." but even you knew you might have a problem.
And Apparently having everyone stare at you wasn't enough he had to go and make it worse as he stole your favorite tumbler, holding it just out of your reach.
"Give it back Spencer!" You were leaning over the table, causing a spectacle, but you didn't care, you paid good money for that cup.
"Not until you drink some water." He nodded to his own glass, which conveinently for him was filled with water and right between the two of you.
And yea maybe it was childish, this game you two played all the time, but were going to win.
"No."
"Y/n just drink the water." Really now Rossi was involved?
"No! This is ridiculous, ludicrous, overstepping" Now you were sounding like Spencer "absurd, ridiculous and not to mention-"
"Drink The Water!" this came out less clearly but audible enough for you to get the message as the rest of the team, including Spencer essentially yelled at you to drink some water.
In a last attempt to redeem your pride from the pits of Tartarus, you stuck your tounge out at Spencer before downing the glass of water and then making a show the empty glass by turning it upside down.
He then returned your tumbler and grinned.
"See, now was that so hard?"
As you were about to make a quip back, once more Rossi beat you to it having the entire jet in giggles besides you and Spencer,
"Oh make out already!"
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queenofcoquette · 7 months
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school advice: academic excellence
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introduction:
there's lots of people who don't have a lot of time to study- some people work jobs to help support their family, or have to take care of their siblings becuz their parents work long shifts. if you're in this situations i don't think i can help, since i've never had to face it. all i can say is pick the tips you know you can use, and adjust them however you can to your circumstances. i tried to make this as inclusive as possible to anyone who's short on free-time or doesn't have money to spend.
motivation:
set your goals. think about college, where you want to go and how to do it. this is what i do a lot- i think about my dream college and i think about the work ethic i need for it.
gratitude. another thing you can think about is how lucky you are to get an education, because a lot of people can't go to school, especially women.
also i like to think about my mom becuz when she was 18 she came to america and had to learn english while studying pharmacology and working a part-time job. she did it all and graduated the top of her class, got accepted into nyu (she didnt go becuz her family couldnt afford it) and when i think about how well she did with everything going against her ik that i can do great academically.
while in school:
make sure your notes are CLEAR. write brief things- formulas, bullet points, etc. only highlight formulas, key points and vocab
make to-do lists (write down what hw you have to do, what you have to study for and when things are due)
ALWAYS ask questions about things you're not clear on (ask the teacher or classmates, whatever works better for u!)
if your teacher allows it, go in early or after school if you have more questions/need more help
do extra credit assignments!! even if your grade is good it's always good to get extra practice and more points.
study habits:
set up an environment to study in. go to a quiet place where you can set up what you need. make sure that it's clean, quiet and free of distractions.
get a drink and/or healthy snacks.
imagine you're teaching someone the lesson. one technique my mom taught me (who studied pharmacology in america while learning english and got straight a's) was to imagine that you're teaching the material to another person. she had a whiteboard to write equations/formulas and would explain them like she was the teacher.
utilize online resources.use things like quizizz, blooket, kahoot, khan academy- free online resources that can help you study.
watch videos. especially for math & science- find videos on youtube that explain concepts and just pay attention.
blurting technique:
pick a certain topic and write down EVERYTHING you can think of- all sorts of notes, key points, questions, everything that comes into your head for about 10 minutes.
afterwards, go back in and add what you missed. structure and organize your final version. this gives you a stronger understanding of the topic.
pomodoro technique:
take about 25 minutes (set a timer) and spend that time competely invested in what you're doing. it's a challenge to stay concentrated, but eventually you'll get the hang of it. after the timer goes off take a 5 minute break & repeat. each time you do it the break gets longer.
when you get a bad grade:
having a good mindset. i know it's easy to get so upset about bad grades take this as a wake-up call and think "how can i do better?" instead of degrading yourself just think about what you could've done differently and what you can do to stop it from ever happening again.
go in for extra help. if your teacher is available before or after school get extra help, or if you have a friend that can help then utilize that! ask all your questions and have it explained one on one.
finally i want to give credit to @mawena_tafa on instagram who made a video about the blurting and pomodoro technique :)
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adourly · 4 days
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𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: office activities with alhaitham, zhongli, and diluc. 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: a little ooc with zhongli's part, reader is afab, semi public sex, adultery in zhongli's part, nothing too explicit, semi food play with diluc, no actual sex, let me know if there's more to add ! 𝐚/𝐧: hiyaa ! my requests are open for thirsts, fic ideas etc. ‹𝟹 also play miniskirt by aoa [] this was so bad im sorry
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⋆ 𝓐lhaitham — 512 words.
you walked to alhaitham's office, holding a stack of blank contracts regarding his work. as you approached his door, you were delighted by some of your coworkers, waving and greeting you with good mornings. your black heels stopped at the front of his wooden door, as you took a moment to pull up your miniskirt, showing a little peek of your thighs with the black tights you were wearing.
you knocked on his door, a slight twinge of nervousness making your palms sweat. boss haitham wasn't up for small talk and wasn't a fan of long conversations either. as usual, he spends his days in his office and comes out occasionally for a cup of coffee.
''come in.'' he said, your hands twisted the doorknob to finally reveal the state he was in. his hair was messy, empty cups here and there, but all organized in one spot. he glanced up at you while you turned around to close the door, noticing how you swayed your hips.
''did you miss me?'' you asked him, walking up to his sad desk, and placing another pile of papers. you walk to the side of his table, taking all of the empty paper cups and stacking them on each other. ''do you ever come out of your office?'' ''when did you learn how to behave like that?'' he rebutted, staring at the loose button on your dress shirt, revealing a small sight of your cleavage.
''what do you mean?'' you ask, leaning on the desk, giving him a better view. he sighed and looked away, sorting the freshly printed stack of contracts you placed on his table. ''you know what i mean,'' he said, taking the cap off of his pen to start signing away again.
he was gone for 5 days, away on a trip to somewhere he didn't mention to anyone for a meeting with an important client. even though he treats everyone in his building like total crap.
it would be an understatement if you said you missed him. after all, you were his favorite. ''i just wanted to check up on you as your loyal operative,'' you said, going behind his chair and turning it around to face you. ''i'm busy.'' he warned, as your finger hooked his tie, pulling him towards you, straddling him.
''aw, i thought we could have some fun.'' you said, playing with his navy tie and silver buttons. his hands moved on instinct, placing both hands on your waist. he lifted you up and placed you on his desk, your miniskirt lifting up to give a view of your inner thigh.
''how does it feel?'' he mutters, unbuttoning the buttons left on your dress shirt. three of your colleagues walked past his office, thankfully his blinds were closed. you heard them laughing, probably talking about some random stuff that occurred to them in their day. ''acting like a slut to your coworkers frequent?''
he slips a hand under your shirt and fondled your boob. ''then, i'll make sure they know how needy you are for me.''
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⋆ 𝓩hongli — 440 words.
zhongli was also a prolific worker, never seen tired or with eyebags coming out of his office. some would say he wasn't the one doing all of his work and had someone that does it for him.
it wouldn't be that surprising, considering his building looks like it came out of marvel. he would visit your little corner sometimes and would claim it was just for ''inspection''.
''how's that paper going?'' he asked, watching you from behind eagerly. you jump at his sudden approach, but you continue working. ''it's going great.'' you reply, your hand evidently shaking on your mouse. zhongli sighs, setting his cup of tea on your desk and leans in from behind.
your boss only had eyes on you. whenever you came to deliver papers to him in his office, purposely making you come back and forth to his space every so often.
some of your coworkers joke that you were hired as his maid, not his employee. but, that didn't sound half bad. you didn't mind being at his beck and call whenever he wanted, as long as he promised to hide it from everyone else.
thankfully, zhongli was good at it. small pecks here and there, light squeezes on your ass, his eyes were anchored to you and you only. you didn't know what you two were. you heard of these before, friends with benefits? no, you two have never even fucked yet.
you could feel him breathing as his hand landed on top of yours on the mouse. ''it's ctrl+d, darling.'' he spoke, doing the command flawlessly on your keyboard. his neck was close enough to your face, his strong versace eros making you clench your thighs. ''ah.. i forgot...'' you mutter, instantly distracted by scent.
his authority over you only made you wetter and crumble under him. this is wrong, you thought. a lot more because his wife talked to his employees in the other room, sharing laughter and smiles. a part of you was filled with regret, all of these moments you two share were forbidden;
but it only made your head spin more.
he hummed, his hand tightening around yours. ''be quiet for me.'' for a split second you were wondering what he was talking about. suddenly, you felt his warm breath on your neck. ''w-what?'' you ask, your breathing becoming rigid. ''try not to make noises, alright?'' he nips at your skin, occasionally licking and kissing here and there.
your hand landed on his head, gripping his hair, your mouth letting out a small moan that only he could hear. he whispered on your skin, ''good fucking girl.''
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⋆ 𝓓iluc— 699 words.
ragnvindr was intimidating. he never spoke to anyone, and never needed anyone's help, he was a lone wolf when he worked. he's always the first one to arrive, the last to leave.
he was never interested in any celebration his employees would have, even if it would be his birthday. he prioritizes his work, but you knew a side of him no one else does. behind closed doors, his headstrong and fierce attitude was contrasted with his caring and subtle side.
he called your number and asked you to bring his delivered food from the lobby to his office. it wasn't out of the ordinary that your boss only eats once a day, many of his employees would bring him food but offer it to someone else instead.
''understood,'' you reply, leaving your chair and taking the elevator. his building was big and modern, a big sign with his brand tattooed on the front of it. you head down to the lobby and see the delivery guy.
''for y/n?'' your eyebrows knit together in confusion, but you take the food anyway. you could smell the scent of it from miles away. you walk up to the elevator and press floor 5, pondering why your boss would name it to you.
nonetheless, you make your way to his office, but a few of your coworkers are interested. ''hey n/n! is that for us?'' your friend jokes, as he waves to you. ''nope, you've already eaten all of the snacks sir ragnvindr provided.'' your friend scoffs at your joke, then giving you a smile as you smile back.
you finally reach his doorstep, knocking subtly. ''it's open.'' the man says from his desk, giving you permission lazily. you open the door. ''good afternoon, i have brought your food.'' you voice, walking up to his table to set the paper bag down.
''have you eaten yet?'' he asked, but you smiled. ''i'm full at the moment, but i appreciate your concern-'' ''sit,'' he demanded, you pulled the chair out of the table and sat across him. you were confused, first, he named the food after you, which isn't normal. usually, the name would be the company's name or his, but this time it was yours.
you were eager to know, but you kept silent in the meantime. he took out the sticky honey roast from the paper bag and took the plastic knife, slicing it in halves. your mouth waters at the sight, of your favorite food ever.
''eat with me.'' he asked, he grabbed the two places he must've requested from the restaurant and placed one in front of you. ''sir, i have work to do. i cannot take breaks in your office while my coworkers are out there working-'' diluc sighed, putting two slices of the roast on your plate.
''i heard this was your favorite,'' he said, completely disregarding what you said, as you smiled in defeat. diluc didn't waste time to take a bite out of it before you, a sparkle in his eye appearing from the taste. you cut out a piece and ate it, not noticing the honey spread on the corner of your lips.
diluc had noticed, ''come here.'' he asked. you tilt your head in confusion, ''why?'' ''just come here.'' you leaned on the table and faced him, your faces inching close to each other. his hand trailed on your cheek, rubbing his thumb on it, as it wandered down to your lip.
he scooped up the honey off the corner and licked it off clean. ''tastes sweet,'' he remarked, while his hand placed itself behind your neck, pulling your face in for a kiss. it was nice, slow, and passionate. you tasted the honey in his mouth, and you were sure he tasted it in yours too.
your hands landed on his shoulders, latching onto him as the kiss deepened further. you can see from the window the view of the paparazzi outside of the building and many people scattered around to take pictures beside it.
he then pulled away, licking his lips once more to savor your taste. ''but, you are sweeter. come here and let me feast on you.''
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©adourly 5/11/2024 - do not copy, translate, modify my works.
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aeriona · 9 months
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HI HELLO! Welcome to my completely unnecessarily detailed analysis on how I think Inkfish languages could work! + with art! yay! This is all pretty rough and not fully fleshed out (I don't have the time or patience for that lmao). THIS IS A LONG POST.
Okay, so there's dozens of languages spoken by cephalopods in the Mollusc Era but the main two I'll talk about are Inkling (or Inklish) and Octarian, spoken mostly by Inklings and Octolings respectively. 
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In cephalopods, speech is formed using the syrinx and larynx, two fancy vocal organs that most other species don't have together. The larynx makes sounds using the radula (tongue) and vocal folds in the throat, it's clear and pretty easy to understand as the sound itself resembles human speech, albeit warbled. The syrinx makes noise by vibrating air at the base of the trachea, it's often trickier to follow as it can sound more like droning background noise than words sometimes.
An inkfish can use both of them at once, resulting in an EXTREMELY complicated language system where words can be made up of multiple layered syllables, and several words and sentences can even be said at the same time.
As you can probably imagine, all of this is LITERAL HELL to learn for species who don’t have both a syrinx and a larynx (so basically anyone who isn't a cephalopod). But fear not! There are many simple and more inclusive alternatives, dialects and other cool stuff like sign language and instant TTS technology for people who physically can't pronounce Inkling/Octarian or even vocalise at all (eg. jellyfish).
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Both main Inkfish languages can be broken down into laryngeal words (made with the larynx), syringeal/drone words (made with the syrinx) or a combination of both, called dual-toned/layered words.
Keep in mind that both word-types can be spoken at the same time. Layering can be used to add additional connotations to a word, or to even make a new one entirely. For example, the laryngeal noun ‘bird’ combined with the syringeal noun ‘metal’ spoken together will create the layered Inkling word ‘aeroplane’, like a compound word in English.
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Dual-toned stuff is more common in Inkling than in Octarian, as the language is older and has more loanwords. Inklish's dependence on the larynx gives it a higher-pitched, clearer sound whereas  Octarian's more monotone syrinx-based structure results in a deep, almost guttural sound.
Both cephalopod languages are heavy on tone and pronunciation, resulting in a plenty of accent indicators in written scripts. I used the in-game fonts for the art but if I were to rework it, each letter would probably be more complicated than traditional Mandarin on steroids. So hell on earth, basically.
On a side note, all of these language features open possibilities for some very cool poetry and literature. An inkfish author could write a poem with two lines of thought occurring at once, or a book with vivid emotional undertones written inside the prose. Pretty cool.
OKAY that's all I have to say thank you for reading! Hopefully this makes sense, feel free to send asks or whatever if it's confusing and I'll do my best to explain it better!
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lovelybrooke · 3 months
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I think everyone is thinking this but I wanna send an entire ask just Incase anyone wants to add on. So I know we don’t typically give the reader too much personality to they can be interpreted as whatever. But me personally I see the reader as someone who’s never done wrong.
Like they have helped people out such as working in homeless shelters, helping peers out with homework, donating to causes, opening the door for people, giving up their seat in public transit, and so on.
But also how helpful they’ll be once they feel comfortable in the hotel, they’ll help nifty disinfect the cockroaches, and even help her tidy and clean the hotel. Maybe help Husker with keeping the bar clean and organizing the alcohol, lending an ear to about anyone who needs it, grounding Charlie whenever she’s overwhelmed about the extermination, maybe preparing tea or snacks whenever there are lunch dates with Alastor and Rosie, helping Angel dust with any bruises he gets because of Val, also taking care of him and husker when they’re not sober, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also believe in redemption and go out of their way to pitch ideas to get more sinners.
I think this is your original ask, it just got buried under a lot of other asks. Sorry.
I do see the reader being very kind and helpful naturally. Like they are naturally closer to children because they just like taking care of them, so maybe the reader works at a daycare or tutor, just because they like being able to help children.
I touched on this a bit, but reader does help around the hotel a bit. Husk will give reader chores when he doesn't want reader being around Alastor. Like Husk just gives them busy work because he's so afraid of what Alastor might do to them, even though Alastor would never hurt a hair on their head.
But voluntarily, I could see reader helping around a lot. Like you mentioned with Niffty, reader would just start randomly cleaning up because they want to repay Charlie for letting them stay at the Hotel. I could see reader preparing "regular" treats for a lunch date with Alastor and Rosie and them just being so proud of you, even if it's something small. Readers also a great listener and is always reader to listen to Angel about a bad day at work.
Reader just want to be useful, so I think once they get used to hell, they're just constantly doing something to help so they don't feel like a burden.
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ao3commentoftheday · 1 year
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Adding fics to AO3 collections as a reader
Depending on what other sites you read on, you might think of a Collection as a kind of bookshelf for stories you like. And it can be that, but that's not the only thing collections were intended for.
According to the FAQ, "A collection is a group of works and/or bookmarks compiled together under one theme." They can be used for a fandom fest or challenge. They can be used by an author to organize their works. And they can also be used by readers to organize the stories they've read.
The important thing to keep in mind when adding something to a collection is: are you adding the fic or are you adding a bookmark of the fic?
If you, as a reader, try to add an author's fic to your collection, that author will get an email asking them if they want to let you do that. A lot of authors will say no. This is because the owner of the collection can hide all of the works in a collection, making them invisible to anyone else on the Archive. This feature exists to support fandom exchanges, challenges, and fests where all of the works get revealed on the same day.
If you, as a reader, want to create a collection then I recommend bookmarking the fic and checking off the box in the bookmark form that says "Add to collection." This will add just your bookmark to your collection, not the fic itself. You will not need the author's permission, and nothing you do will affect the fic itself or hide it from the rest of the Archive.
Collections of bookmarks can be a great way to organize your favourite fics, and you can add a bookmark to more than one collection at a time. You have a fic that is about your favourite character AND it's fluff AND it's canon compliant? You can add it to a Character Collection, a Fluff Collection, and a Canon Compliant collection and then no matter which of those moods you're in, you'll still have it right there waiting for you to read it.
You need to create your collection first, and it will take a couple hours for the collection to appear for you to add bookmarks to it, but once you've got your collections set up, you can just keep adding bookmarks to them pretty much forever.
tl;dr collect bookmarks, not fics and organize your bookmarks in a whole new way
addendum: if you are an author and you have allowed your work to be added to a collection, you can remove it at any time
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scoonsalicious · 26 days
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Unwanted: Chapter 23, Undressed - Pt. 1
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader
Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.
Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, mentions: of drug use, drug dealing, stripping, prostitution, drug overdose, seizures, organized crime.
Word Count: 1.6k
Previously On...: After using your quick wit and computer skills to get you both out of a sticky situation, Tony offered you a job, and a beautiful friendship was born.
A/N: And we are ON THE MISSION! Welcome to Atlantic City, besties!
NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates
Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!
Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!
Taglist: (Sadly, tag list is closed; Tumblr will not let me add anyone new. If you want to be notified when I update, please Follow me for Notifications!) @jmeelee @cazellen @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @blackhawkfanatic @buckybarnessimpp @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @vicmc624 @j23r23 @wintercrows @crist1216 @cjand10 @pattiemac1@les-sel @dottirose @winterslove1917 @harperkenobi @ivet4 @casey1-2007 @mrsevans90 @steeph-aniie @bean-bean2000 @beanbagbitch @peachiestevie @wintrsoldrluvr @shadowzena43
Tumblr will not let me directly tag the following: @marcswife21 @erelierraceala @jupiter-107 @doublejeon @hiqhkey @unaxv @brookeleclerc
The Wiggle Room was nothing like Beantown Burlesque, of that you were certain. For a stripclub, Beantown had still managed to cater to a relatively upscale clientele, demanding exorbitant cover charges, selling overpriced drinks, and charging a premium for lap and private dances– hell, Tony Stark had gone there. And they never, ever, encouraged you to take on any ‘extra’ services for customers. Sure, clients asked, but girls were fired for accepting, and if a client wouldn’t take your ‘no’ for an answer, Beantown’s bouncers were more than happy to send them flying out the door on their asses.
You quickly learned that The Wiggle Room played by an entirely different set of rules when a customer asked if he could snort a line of coke off of your ass during your first shift. Everyone, it seemed, was high on some kind of drug, customers and coquettes alike. It made it surprisingly easy to get information out of people without rousing too much suspicion onto yourself.
Within the first two weeks, you and Sam were able to uncover that most, if not all, of the missing women you were investigating had either been, or tried out to be, dancers, bought drugs, or prostituted themselves out of the club. You were definitely in the epicenter of the disappearances. You positively had the where, but you were still far from discovering the why and the who.
You and Sam had set up a temporary caseboard in the dining nook of the apartment you were using as your safehouse. The two of you had already been good friends, but playing a couple at the club and sharing tight accommodations had intensified the power of your bond, and as you sat in front of the caseboard eating your Chinese takeout together, you couldn’t help but rib one another.
“Lavender definitely has a thing for you,” you pointed your chopsticks at him, referring to one of the club’s older dancers, who, at 45, had taken a shine to the Falcon from the moment he’d taken his position as member of the club’s security team.
“Well, can you blame her?” Sam said, slurping up the noodles of his lo mein. “Hard to resist a good piece of dark chocolate, and Ole Sammy’s a fine box of Godiva.”
You wrinkled up your face. “Okkkay,” you said, “ignoring the fact that there’s so much gross in that statement that I don’t even know where to begin, should I give her your number, then?”
Sam nearly choked on his food. “Absolutely not!” he coughed. “She’s got six kids!”
“Wow, Samuel,” you said, pretending to be offended on Lavender’s behalf, “I didn’t realize you were prejudiced against single moms. Does Sarah, know that fascinating tidbit about you?”
“Nuh-uh, Baby Girl. Don’t you go tryin’ to put words in my mouth. I got nothin’ against single moms– they’re the backbone of this country– but Lavender’s also got six baby daddies she doesn’t know how to quit. I ain’t lookin’ for that kinda drama in my love life, thank you very much.”
You took a bite of your chicken & broccoli. “Fair point,” you conceded. “I’ll allow it.” Sam tipped his head to you in his thanks. 
You let your attention drift back to the board. In addition to photos of the missing women, you’d also managed to populate it with a combination of ID photos and mugshots of the club’s employees and management. As you’d learned the identities of your coworkers, you’d been able to piece the hierarchy of the organization together, but you only got as far as the club’s owner, Vladimir Kozlov. When you’d sent his name and some covert photos back to the Tower, you hadn’t been surprised to receive word back from Natasha that Kozlov had, at one point, been a low-level thug in the Russian mob. What you hadn’t yet been able to decipher, however, was how he kept the club afloat. According to your research, the Wiggle Room was hemorrhaging money, its expenses far surpassing its recorded income, yet Kozlov dressed himself in the finest European suits and drove a seemingly never-ending rotation of sports cars that would rival Tony’s. 
You and Sam had both come to the shared conclusion that Kozlov didn’t have the brain cells to run a successful, let alone lucrative, criminal operation on his own, and therefore, there must be silent partners involved in the club that you’d not yet been able to identify. The drugs that were sold out of the club could account for some of its income, but not nearly enough. 
“I’ve got an idea,” you said, turning back to Sam.
“Why do I feel like someone just walked over my grave when you said that?” he asked you with an exaggerated shiver.
You cocked your head. “Probably because it’s a terrible one.” Nibbling on your lower lip, you debated whether or not to tell him. He was going to hate it, but you couldn’t think of a better way to get closer to Kozlov’s inner circle. “I think I should start buying drugs from Kozlov’s men.”
The look Sam gave you was withering. “Pocket,” he warned, “that’s an actual crime.”
“I’m not going to do them, Sam!” You put down your carton of rice. “I just need to make them think I am. Kozlov keeps the girls that buy from him close– he likes how they come to rely on him. I think it gets his rocks off to have them be dependent on him. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he lets things slip in front of them because they’re too strung out to pay attention.”
Sam seemed to consider your proposal. “I don’t like it, Baby Girl,” he said. “It sounds dangerous. What if he tries to take advantage of you?”
You held up the silver bangle that served as your distress signal. “Then I call for the calvary,” you said. “I won’t actually be high, so I’ll still have my wits about me.”
“So, you think you know enough about gettin’ high to fake it in front of a bunch of drug dealers?” Sam asked, clearly thinking you were overestimating your acting abilities. 
You puffed a breath out of the corner of your mouth. “Yeeeeah. So, here’s the thing… I might have spent a good chunk of my teen years on a variety of illegal substances.”
Sam’s eyebrows went comically high. “Come again for Dark Chocolate?”
How to be truthful yet maintain your sense of dignity here? “Everyone at the Tower knows how my childhood was rough, yeah? That my parents were shit? And that’s the reason I don’t have anything to do with them?” Sam nodded. This much of your past, at least, was common knowledge, and you were more or less keen to leave it that way. “Alright, so, part of that shit was that my mom and her boyfriend were drug addicts. Mom preferred meth and booze, but the boyfriend was less discriminate. He’d do anything if it got him high enough. When he needed me to… let’s say ‘behave,’ he’d give me something, whatever he had on hand. Weed, MDMA, coke, benzos, Special K, opiates. Really didn’t matter to him. The drugs made me easier to control. So, I know how to act like I’m high, because I’ve been high. A lot.”
The look in Sam’s eyes morphed from disappointment at your idea to horror at your revelation. “Fuck. Baby Girl, I had no idea.” You couldn’t meet his gaze; unlike your past as a stripper, this was something you were deeply ashamed of.
“It’s fine, Sam,” you told him, picking your food carton up again just to give you something to focus on. “It was a long time ago.
“What made you stop?” he asked, no judgment, just genuine sincerity in his question.
“Same thing that saved the rest of my sorry ass,” you shrugged, playing with the flaps of the paper carton. “Tony. By that point, though, it was mostly just Adderall to focus on school work and so I could stay awake to take more shifts at the club, and weed for when the Adderall wouldn’t let me sleep.”
“One time, I took too much Adderall to cram for a final, and I had a seizure. Tony had to take me to the hospital, and he was furious– I’ve honestly never seen him so mad. Trust me when I say it made his fight with Cap look like a playground spat. I thought for sure he was going to wash his hands of me. I wouldn't have blamed him.”
The memory of it played through your mind, the sheer disappointment in Tony’s eyes as the doctors told him what they’d found in your system. 
“But, the thing was, Tony blamed himself, said he’d put too much pressure on me. Kept saying he was turning into his father, and he couldn’t have that. So, instead of tossing me out on my ass like he should have, he got me help.”
Sam’s mouth hung open. “I’m sorry, but I think we know two different Tony Starks. This altruism does not jive with the man I work with.”
You smiled and shrugged your shoulders again. “Not my fault he likes me better than you, Samuel. I am a lot cuter.”
“Debatable,” Sam replied before taking a swig of his beer. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “If you don’t think it’s gonna be too much of a temptation for you,” he said after a pause, “I think the drug-buying might work. We can give it a shot, at least.”
You sipped your iced tea. “Won’t be a problem, Sammy. The girl who constantly did that stuff is gone, and she’s not coming back.”
<- Previous Part / Next Part ->
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stellar-skyy · 1 month
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Could I order a hot white tea for Aventurine? If you can also add angst to confort please 👀
“order up! i have a white tea for aventurine, fresh and hot!”
☆ — if you're craving a drink, make sure to stop by the teashop!
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i. SUMMARY: At a work event, your coworker offers you a dance. ii. CWS & NOTES: no warnings applicable. aventurine x gn!reader. reader & aven are coworkers. mild angst & fluff. 1.6k words. iii. A/N: thank you for the order! i hope you enjoy!
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It wasn’t their plan to hide in the corner all night, but it was where they ended up; drink clutched in both hands, shoulders hunched tightly, and eyes cast to the floor. All around them, their colleagues and fellow members of the Interastral Peace Corporation mingled and danced, filling the night with a dull drone of chatter and laughter. Around the groups and pairs scattered across the hall, were those few idly loitering on the outskirts like shadows, themself included.
They could busy themself for a while pretending to survey the hors d'oeuvres arranged on the table, but soon enough they would catch someone’s attention. Then would come the questions of why they were avoiding people, and the feeble attempts to drag them into a conversation they had far too little energy to engage in.
A charity ball, organized by their colleagues and funded by the ICP themselves. It seemed like a perfect idea when it was pitched, all up until they were standing alone in a crowded room, trapped in layers of formalwear the dug into their sides. The festivities grew all too much after a while, leaving them exhausted and weary of every greeting and smile.
It was much easier to turn their back on the other guests and ignore them for however long they could manage. That way, they weren’t forced into mindless small talk, or dragged into a half-hearted dance with any of their coworkers. They were fully content on spending the rest of their evening on the sidelines alone, without anyone to disturb their—
“Ahem.”
Peace.
The voice tore straight through their attempt to sink into the background, silky smooth and laced with the slightest trace of amusement. They lifted their head up, hands tightening around the drink in their hands and lips forming his name before they even had to look at him.
“Aventurine.”
The man smiled. He was dressed much more formal than usual, decked out in a three-piece suit with a deep green tie. It was tailored, cut and shaped around each part of his body to fit him perfectly. The outfit was simple, but it suited him well; even in a room of people dressed in their finest, he managed to outshine every one of them.
“You’re certainly hidden well, aren’t you?” Aventurine remarked, plucking a canapé off the table beside them and popping it into his mouth. “How long have you been here? An hour? Two?”
“I wasn’t hiding—” They tried to say, before they were cut off with a laugh.
“You can lie, but not well enough to fool me.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t make excuses. I really don’t care that much.”
The music changed suddenly, turning from a light jazz to a slower tune, complete with sweeping violins and deep echoes of a cello. Like clockwork, the few folks dancing in the centre paired up—both actual couples who had attended together, and coworkers who hurriedly joined together in time for the song to start.
Aventurine cleared his throat again. When they turned to him, there was a look in his eye that told them he was planning something.
“I did have something I wanted to ask, however. May I have this dance?” he asked with a small smile, hand outstretched.
They bit back any retort that might have been on their tongue, as he stood waiting their response with a glint in his eye. It was a challenge, like everything was with him; a bet to whether their pride outweighed their self-consciousness. They could almost see the dice rolling behind his eyes, breath held in anticipation.
If it was a game he was playing, they would be happy to indulge him, if only for an evening. It wasn’t as though they had anything else to do, other than waiting idly in the corner for the music to die down and the guests to leave. They could spare whatever was left of their energy for a few minutes of dancing.
“Of course,” they said, taking his hand. A look of surprise crossed his face for only a moment before it was replaced with a wider grin.
“Ah, I knew I came over here to a reason,” Aventurine smiled, leading them away from the corner and into the lights.
They were uncomfortably aware of each eye fixed on their back, but Aventurine was unfazed; his hand was firm in holding onto theirs in a surprisingly gentle grip. His gloved thumb softly stroked the side of their hand, a move that was much too close to romantic for their liking.
“Are you ready?” he asked, when they reached the floor.
“Yes,” they said instantly, and hoped it wasn’t a lie.
He laced his fingers through their hand, sliding his other over their hips. A heat flushed across their face—the result of the stuffiness inside the venue, no doubt—and they fumbled to place their hand on his shoulder.
“You act like you’ve never danced before,” he laughed.
The music swelled, and Aventurine began to lead their dance. One step, then two and three. He was surprisingly adept at sweeping them across the floor, out of the way of the rest of the dancers, while keeping up their pace.
Together they twirled and spun, in time as the music sung a chorus for them and them only. The rest of the guests faded away, until the two of them were alone on the dancefloor, held tightly in each other’s arms. It crossed their mind, for a moment, that the scene was something more suited to a couple than a pair like them. They wondered if he was thinking the same, whether he thought it odd that they were so close. Was he regretting his choice of dance partner, or feeling thankful he asked them?
They found themself glancing around them throughout, but oddly enough Aventurine’s eyes never left them. He seemed transfixed, watching them carefully as they seemed to melt into the dance.
“Are you ready?” He asked abruptly, just as the music reached a crescendo.
“What?”
“Are you ready?” He repeated in lieu of an explanation.
“Ready for wh—” they tried to ask, but were suddenly pulled into a spin. He let go of their waist, long enough to twirl them around as they squeaked in surprise. Their head was reeling by the time he pulled them back, holding them even tighter so they didn’t fall over.
“Ready to be spun,” he clarified, a moment too late.
“Yeah,” they breathed, hand clinging tightly to his shoulder to balance themself. “Yeah… I got that, now.”
The two of them whirled and spun for some time more—was it minutes? Hours? It was long enough for the music to change again, into an equally slow but slightly more melancholy song—before he spoke up again.
“You’re not a fan of dancing?” Aventurine asked, an eyebrow raised. The question was posed in his usual lilting voice, but there was a note of concern in his tone that wasn’t present in the moments before.
“Why do you ask?”
Aventurine paused to spin them past another dancing couple—a woman who was giggling far too loudly, and a man who seemed like he would rather be anywhere else—before continuing. “Well, for starters you haven’t made eye contact with me for more than a few seconds this entire time. You keep looking down at your feet.”
The music swelled. Aventurine abruptly pulled them into a low dip, leaning down so their faces were close enough that they could taste his breath. Their heartrate spiked, loud enough to drown out the music, but not enough to mask Aventurine’s voice.
“Is something wrong, [Name]?” He whispered into their lips, and all of a sudden they couldn’t breathe.
Not while you’re here was their first thought, but it was something far too raw to speak out loud, and only a half-truth. Aventurine’s presence had managed to quell some of the discomfort eating away at their stomach, but he was only a pretty distraction to the uneasiness that threatened to sweep them off their feet in the worst way. It whittled away at their already cracked mask of indifference, leaving them desperately holding the pieces together.
The eyes were still there, watching. They tracked their every move, noting each way they tilted further into his body to shield themself from their sight. He noticed too, pulling them up and out of the dip and turning them away from the people staring.
“Can we just go?” They whispered hollowly. He blinked, seeming to be caught off guard by the defeat in their voice. The shift in his demeanour was immediate, like a switch had been flipped.
“Of course, let’s—” Aventurine cleared his throat, standing straighter. “Let’s go.”
His hand rested on their lower back, guiding them out of the ballroom. The eyes never left, but Aventurine met them with a glare, and slowly they turned their gaze.
 “After you,” he said, opening the wide doors and beckoning them through. And in the open air, they remembered to breathe. “Now, is something the matter?”
They shifted in their steps, tugging on the edge of their sleeves. Was something the matter? It was a perfectly reasonable question, especially since they dragged him out of the event so suddenly, but they were at a loss for an answer.
“I don’t know. I just—” They let out a shuddering breath. “I just wanted to leave.”
Aventurine hummed. “I suppose that’s something enough.”
“I’m sorry,” they whispered.
“No apologising,” he chided, flicking them lightly on their arm. “You can’t be expected to want to be social at every moment. It’s not like I was inclined to spend my entire evening talking to my coworkers.” He shook his head. “Let yourself breathe once in a while, okay?”
“…I guess.”
“Come on. Let me walk you home.”
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reblogs and comments are appreciated! ♡
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qqueenofhades · 6 months
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Hello! This is kind of a weird ask, I'm sorry to bother you, but seeing as you're a very intelligent studied historian that I deeply respect, I was hoping you could offer some advice? Or like, things i could read? Lately, i feel like my critical thinking skills are emaciated and its scaring the shit out of me. I feel very slow and like I'm constantly missing important info in relation to news/history/social activism stuff. Thats so vague, sorry, but like any tips on how i can do better?
Aha, thank you. There was recently a good critical-thinking infograph on my dash, so obviously I thought I remembered who reblogged it and checked their blog, it wasn't them, thought it was someone else, checked their blog, it also wasn't them, and now I can't find it to link to. Alas. But I will try to sum up its main points and add a few of my own. I'm glad you're taking the initiative to work on this for yourself, and I will add that while it can seem difficult and overwhelming to sort through the mass of information, especially often-false, deliberately misleading, or otherwise bad information, there are a few tips to help you make some headway, and it's a skill that like any other skill, gets easier with practice. So yes.
The first and most general rule of thumb I would advise is the same thing that IT/computer people tell you about scam emails. If something is written in a way that induces urgency, panic, the feeling that you need to do something RIGHT NOW, or other guilt-tripping or anxiety-inducing language, it is -- to say the least -- questionable. This goes double if it's from anonymous unsourced accounts on social media, is topically or thematically related to a major crisis, or anything else. The intent is to create a panic response in you that overrides your critical faculties, your desire to do some basic Googling or double-checking or independent verification of its claims, and makes you think that you have to SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE NOW or you are personally and morally a bad person. Unfortunately, the world is complicated, issues and responses are complicated, and anyone insisting that there is Only One Solution and it's conveniently the one they're peddling should not be trusted. We used to laugh at parents and grandparents for naively forwarding or responding to obviously scam emails, but now young people are doing the exact same thing by blasting people with completely sourceless social media tweets, clips, and other manipulative BS that is intended to appeal to an emotional gut rather than an intellectual response. When you panic or feel negative emotions (anger, fear, grief, etc) you're more likely to act on something or share questionable information without thinking.
Likewise, you do have basic Internet literacy tools at your disposal. You can just throw a few keywords into Google or Wikipedia and see what comes up. Is any major news organization reporting on this? Is it obviously verifiable as a fake (see the disaster pictures of sharks swimming on highways that get shared after every hurricane)? Can you right-click, perform a reverse image search, and see if this is, for example, a picture from an unrelated war ten years ago instead of an up-to-date image of the current conflict? Especially with the ongoing Israel/Palestine imbroglio, we have people sharing propaganda (particularly Hamas propaganda) BY THE BUCKETLOAD and masquerading it as legitimate news organizations (tip: Quds News Network is literally the Hamas channel). This includes other scuzzy dirtbag-left websites like Grayzone and The Intercept, which often have implicit or explicit links to Russian-funded disinformation campaigns and other demoralizing or disrupting fake news that is deliberately designed to turn young left-leaning Westerners against the Democrats and other liberal political parties, which enables the electoral victory of the fascist far-right and feeds Putin's geopolitical and military aims. Likewise, half of our problems would be solved if tankies weren't so eager to gulp down and propagate anything "anti-Western" and thus amplify the Russian disinformation machine in a way even the Russians themselves sometimes struggle to do, but yeah. That relates to both Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine.
Basically: TikTok, Twitter/X, Tumblr itself, and other platforms are absolutely RIFE with misinformation, and this is due partly to ownership (the Chinese government and Elon Fucking Musk have literally no goddamn reason whatsoever to build an unbiased algorithm, and have been repeatedly proven to be boosting bullshit that supports their particular worldviews) and partly due to the way in which the young Western left has paralyzed itself into hypocritical moral absolutes and pseudo-revolutionary ideology (which is only against the West itself and doesn't think that the rest of the world has agency to act or think for itself outside the West's influence, They Are Very Smart and Anti-Colonialist!) A lot of "information" in left-leaning social media spaces is therefore tainted by this perspective and often relies on flat-out, brazen, easily disprovable lies (like the popular Twitter account insisting that Biden could literally just overturn the Supreme Court if he really wanted to). Not all misinformation is that easy to spot, but with a severe lack of political, historical, civic, or social education (since it's become so polarized and school districts generally steer away from it or teach the watered-down version for fear of being attacked by Moms for Liberty or similar), it is quickly and easily passed along by people wanting trite and simplistic solutions for complex problems or who think the extent of social justice is posting the Right Opinions on social media.
As I said above, everything in the world is complicated and has multiple factors, different influences, possible solutions, involved actors, and external and internal causes. For the most part, if you're encountering anything that insists there's only one shiningly righteous answer (which conveniently is the one All Good and Moral People support!) and the other side is utterly and even demonically in the wrong, that is something that immediately needs a closer look and healthy skepticism. How was this situation created? Who has an interest in either maintaining the status quo, discouraging any change, or insisting that there's only one way to engage with/think about this issue? Who is being harmed and who is being helped by this rhetoric, including and especially when you yourself are encouraged to immediately spread it without criticism or cross-checking? Does it rely on obvious lies, ideological misinformation, or something designed to make you feel the aforementioned negative emotions? Is it independently corroborated? Where is it sourced from? When you put the author's name into Google, what comes up?
Also, I think it's important to add that as a result, it's simply not possible to distill complicated information into a few bite-sized and easily digestible social media chunks. If something is difficult to understand, that means you probably need to spend more time reading about it and encountering diverse perspectives, and that is research and work that has to take place primarily not on social media. You can ask for help and resources (such as you're doing right now, which I think is great!), but you can't use it as your chief or only source of information. You can and should obviously be aware of the limitations and biases of traditional media, but often that has turned into the conspiracy-theory "they never report on what's REALLY GOING ON, the only information you can trust is random anonymous social media accounts managed by God knows who." Traditional media, for better or worse, does have certain evidentiary standards, photographing, sourcing, and verifying requirements, and other ways to confirm that what they're writing about actually has some correspondence with reality. Yes, you need to be skeptical, but you can also trust that some of the initial legwork of verification has been done for you, and you can then move to more nuanced review, such as wording, presentation of perspective, who they're interviewing, any journalistic assumptions, any organizational shortcomings, etc.
Once again: there is a shit-ton of stuff out there, it is hard to instinctively know or understand how to engage with it, and it's okay if you don't automatically "get" everything you read. That's where the principle of actually taking the time to be informed comes in, and why you have to firmly divorce yourself from the notion that being socially aware or informed means just instantly posting or sharing on social media about the crisis of the week, especially if you didn't know anything about it beforehand and are just relying on the Leftist Groupthink to tell you how you should be reacting. Because things are complicated and dangerous, they take more effort to unpick than just instantly sharing a meme or random Twitter video or whatever. If you do in fact want to talk about these things constructively, and not just because you feel like you're peer-pressured into doing so and performing the Correct Opinions, then you will in fact need to spend non-social-media time and effort in learning about them.
If you're at a university, there are often subject catalogues, reference librarians, and other built-in tools that are there for you to use and which you SHOULD use (that's your tuition money, after all). That can help you identify trustworthy information sources and research best practices, and as you do that more often, it will help you have more of a feel for things when you encounter them in the wild. It's not easy at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes more so, and will make you more confident in your own judgments, beliefs, and values. That way when you encounter something that you KNOW is wrong, you won't be automatically pressured to share it just to fit in, because you will be able to tell yourself what the problems are.
Good luck!
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