Excerpt of my current project: "Marie-Sophie’s Encounter with Aunt Berthold"
2025.01.19 20:40 Safe-Elephant-501 Excerpt of my current project: "Marie-Sophie’s Encounter with Aunt Berthold"
this is only a tiny bit I'm working on - feel free to comment.
Marie-Sophie was out on the street one evening. The night was still young, and the evening commuter trains hadn’t yet arrived in Müssen. These usually brought the first wave of potential clients. The solitary men in cars who cruised the street up and down, occasionally parking outside the Engelsburg to be “served” by Marie-Sophie’s mother or one of her “employees,” wouldn’t start showing up until around 11 PM.
But for now, the street was deserted. She’d already approached a single middle-aged man, but he seemed to have neither the time nor the interest. “Aren’t you Marie-Sophie?” a voice called from behind her. It was a woman’s voice. She turned around, and a figure stepped out of the semi-darkness. Marie-Sophie sighed in annoyance as she recognised the woman: Aunt Berthold.
At this point in time, Aunt Berthold was of an “indeterminate age” (probably in her mid-50s). Rumour had it that she’d once been a “battle-dyke,” but as far as anyone could remember, she’d been a Catholic nun and streetworker “forever.” Even as a secular nun, however, her outfit was unique: she wore a denim vest, sported tattoos, and had a mohawk hairstyle. Broadly built and imposing, Aunt Berthold wasn’t afraid to “lay down the law” when necessary. She always carried a flick knife and a pair of brass knuckles—and occasionally a baseball bat.
She was part of the Milieu in Müssen, caring for the “fallen” and the “strayed”: prostitutes, drug addicts, and the homeless. She even acted as a mediator between the criminal underworld and the police, stepping in when peace in the Milieu needed preserving. But Aunt Berthold wasn’t just the “guardian spirit of the streets.” She shared a special bond with Amalie and Marie-Sophie.
When Marie-Sophie was little, Aunt Berthold had been a kind of “surrogate mother” to Amalie—and, by extension, a sort of “surrogate grandmother” to Marie-Sophie. She had tried to steer Amalie off the wrong path or at least supported her where she could. She had often babysat Marie-Sophie when her mother, who had just started prostituting herself, would disappear for days on end, tangled in all sorts of trouble.
At one point, Aunt Berthold had even been Amalie’s probation officer. Marie-Sophie remembered a time when she’d spent a whole week in Aunt Berthold’s care, drinking hot cocoa every evening and falling asleep with her teddy bear and blanket on Aunt Berthold’s lap. Each night, they’d waited for Amalie to come home. But it had taken a week. Marie-Sophie still recalled how Aunt Berthold had scolded her mother—a stark contrast to the lessons in folding hands and praying to God that she’d taught her.
Eventually, Amalie didn’t exactly “get her act together,” but she did start taking responsibility for herself and her child. Aunt Berthold’s visits became less frequent and then stopped altogether. Since Amalie had “bought” the Engelsburg four years ago, she and Aunt Berthold hadn’t seen each other. Marie-Sophie didn’t know how her mother had managed that, whether Aunt Berthold had been involved or not—and she had no idea what Aunt Berthold’s real name was. After all, Berthold was a man’s name. But everyone knew and called her “Aunt Berthold.”
“You’re the little deWinter, Amalie’s daughter, aren’t you?” Marie-Sophie felt annoyed. Now that Aunt Berthold had clearly recognised her, it was highly likely she’d snitch to her mother. “You’re not eighteen yet, are you? What are you doing here on the street?” “Aunt Berthold, please, that’s none of your business!” “Oh, it most certainly is my business! How old are you now?” “I’m no younger than my mother was when she started!” Marie-Sophie replied evasively. “Sixteen” was always a good age to lure clients, but with Aunt Berthold, it would only bring trouble.
“Your mother was driven to the streets by circumstances. But why are you here? Don’t you live with her anymore? Do you need money? Drugs?” “Ugh, Aunt Berthold, no, I don’t need anything, thanks!” Marie-Sophie retorted, exasperated. “I live at home and go to school. I’m a good girl!” “Then what are you doing here on the street? This is no place for you! Get out of here right now, or I’ll have to talk to your mother!” “My mother’s busy right now—Saturday nights are peak hours at the Engelsburg. And my age is none of your business. Mum wasn’t any older than me.” “Girl, those were different times!”
Marie-Sophie didn’t feel like arguing with Aunt Berthold or explaining herself. She vaguely remembered how, during her childhood, Aunt Berthold had taught her mother and her a prayer. So, she changed her expression from annoyed to pious and innocent, folded her hands theatrically, and began to “pray”: “I am a free woman, nobody’s slave, and Saint Mary Magdalene stands by me. I am a provider of entertainment services. I know the dangers, the shadows, and the abysses, and the Holy Virgin Mary will protect me. In the name of the Mother, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirit—Amen!”
When she finished, her expression instantly reverted to annoyed. Aunt Berthold looked flustered and irritated. “Amen!” she muttered, adding with a sigh and a shake of her head, “You deWinters… Not just Protestants—you’re Protest-anties! You really take after your mother.”
“Aunt Berthold… I said my piece, and you’ve said yours. Now, could you please leave? I’ve got work to do!” Aunt Berthold stared deep into her eyes. “I’ll be back, young lady! And I hope you won’t be here when I do!” She turned to leave. Disappearing into the semi-darkness, she called back, “I’m keeping an eye on you, Marie-Sophie deWinter!” “Just piss off, you old prayer-sister!” Marie-Sophie muttered to herself. Aunt Berthold might have been “good for the streets,” but wherever she showed up directly, she was bad for business, as she scared off the clients.
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2025.01.19 20:40 Virtual-Cieling-Fan angone want it?
max stam and health traits, glimmer too but you can take that off
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2025.01.19 20:40 ajbeire 32M Europe/online - Irish guy here to make friends
Hi,
I'm posting this in hope of finding new friends to chat with.
A little bit about me. I'm a software engineer by day. Outside of that, I like to game online with friends, work on some electronics projects, read about planes, play board games and just chill with friends. I'm married, have a one year old son and a miniature Yorkshire Terrier. We just announced to family and friends that baby number two is due in the summer, so it's been an exciting new year.
I'd like to chat about random topics, share life stories and get to know you in general.
If this matches what you're looking for, drop me a message and let's chat.
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2025.01.19 20:40 S3M750 What is the problem with people in guilds
Im in chapter 7 and ive been trying to join a guild I get kicked instantly every time and i dont understand why , I donate when i join and the leaders strength level or whatever its called was 3k more than mine in the last guild I joined , am I missing anything or am I doing anything wrong ?
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2025.01.19 20:40 Careless_Mango_7948 Jfc do not tell me the top comment is true
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2025.01.19 20:40 LolaTulu SQL and python self learning projects
From my recent personal experience job hunting the UK and fully remote market, it seems I cannot escape hiring manager's needs for SQL and/or python.
I have Tableau, Alteryx and Google Apps Script skills. My SQL skills is currently limited to the QUERY() function in Google Sheets. My previous and current work experience never needed me to use SQL as I always ended up being parked into data viz focused tasks. I have asked for more SQL/python projects but they keep pushing the goal post.
I want to upskill to be more employable. I struggle with learning on my own without real life projects at work, but I need to buckle up and do it now.
Does anyone have good recommendations on how I can upskill on SQL and/or python, and what I can do that I can talk about with prospective hiring managers?
Thanks in advance!
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2025.01.19 20:40 RobertF50 Gtr shock problem.
Hey everyone I recently went to my LHS I was there to pick up some big bore shocks. When I was there I told them what I needed for my Bigfoot bl2s hd 2wd and they recommended the gtr shocks. I told them they were not on traxxas websites parts filter they said it does not matter it should fit. So I bought them and lo and behold the rear ones fit but the fronts do not cause of the steel hollow ball. Is there a diffrent way I could mount them? Or how would i swap the old hallo balls with the new. I need help. (My LHS is an hour away).
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2025.01.19 20:40 MuffinsTLW 2 new slabs to my collection Mew 151 Promo and Starmie V
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I want it back
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2025.01.19 20:40 Temporary-Might2853 Is this cable bend too tight?
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2025.01.19 20:40 readalot2 “Ginger”wig
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2025.01.19 20:40 theneuroman Failed Solana Crypto Transfer
Hi all,
I cannot transfer out my Solana crypto to an external wallet (Jupiter).
I am getting the following error message: "We couldn't complete your transfer. Unfortunately we’re unable to complete your transfer. A transfer has failed when it’s rejected by the network, when it cannot be completed by our third-party service, or if it’s cancelled due to reasons out of our control.
Try submitting your transfer again or reach out to our Client Services team if you’re still having troubles."
Does anyone know how to fix this?
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2025.01.19 20:40 scarletite99 27F thoughts & how to improve?
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2025.01.19 20:40 RayOfMFingMoonshine New / Odd clicking
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2025.01.19 20:40 llovingllife I don’t think my bf (M19) has been loyal to me (F16) for our relationship.
Do I address the situation? I’m F16, and yes I know i’m young. That’s why i’m asking for help. This is my first genuine relationship, and i’ve recently connected some dots that lead me to believe he hasn’t been loyal. Me and my boyfriend, Andy, have been together for 6 months, and we are long distance. I know it’s not a super long time, but we have a genuine connection, and have made it clear that we are in a serious relationship.
I’d say about 2 months into our relationship, I discovered an account with his exact name, just a few letters off. The account followed one person, and that person followed him back. Let’s call her lora. Obviously nobody wants to run across an account like that, but i just assumed it was from a while ago. I can’t lie, im an avid repost stalker, so frequently I would log into a burner account to view Andy’s repost. A while after finding the Lora account, Andy reposted a video stating, “When you need to update your homies on the ex lore.” I was very upset, so i texted him asking about it. He said a friend of his ex reached out in efforts for them to get back together. He told me he said no because he was loyal to our relationship, so I believed him. That was until a few days later that I saw him and Lora following eachother on his main. I never said anything because for some reason I never connected the dots, but it’s been weighing on me recently. I don’t want to say anything and jeopardize us because it was a while ago, but it really upsets me. They unfollowed eachother shortly after, and they haven’t to this day, but it makes me wonder what happened?
How do I even bring it up? I can’t say I stalked his account and came to the conclusion of unfaithfulness, but it genuinely upsets me.
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2025.01.19 20:40 ExcellentRegret888 I'm thinking it is a Variegated Alocasia Frydek but any thoughts?
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2025.01.19 20:40 Cutesquirrel29 Shadow Ho-Oh weather boosted w/party power and 3 in person! Add me 092327798264
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2025.01.19 20:40 arsenik-han Building my Keqing on the side account - fun/good teams? I also wanna build Yaoyao, Xilonen, Ororon and Lynette.
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2025.01.19 20:40 Valuable-Fly5262 What are some good psychology certificate programs in order to make a career shift into psychotherapy?
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2025.01.19 20:40 wrynarwhal Places to buy blind box collectibles that *aren’t* Barnes & Noble??
What the heading says… I’m new to collecting (mainly Smiskis and Smoko’s Tayto Potato figures) and really prefer buying in person to buying off of Amazon.
Anyone know of any comic/game stores that carry these??
I’ve been to Miso’s and didn’t see any, though I know they’ve remodeled recently. I also thought about trying Kawaii Candy and Karaoke but it seems like their overall stock rotates regularly. I’d also appreciate recs for any places that carry Nendoroids and other anime figures. Help a girl out!!
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