u/signedupfortau

I recently started my rewatch before the finale and decided to write down some of my favourite lines.

Here are some S1 gems. Am I missing any of your faves?

Charlie: So you are saying I am small and weak?

Isaac (backing up Tao up on Nick being straight): Ginormous heterosexual. 

Mr Ajayi: I’m afraid you’re just gonna have to suffer then. 

Elle: Can’t we watch something funny?
Tao: I thought we were having a film night.

Nick: You’re just gonna assume they’re a she 😒

Charlie: He’s on the rugby team… I joined the rugby team.
Mr. Ajayi: Hmmm.. Of course you did. 

Imogen: I’m not, like, homophobic. I’m an ally. 
Tara: Congratulations.
Darcy: We thank you for your service.

Darcy: Charlie! My guy! I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m mainly here to get acquainted with the local gays. 

Charlie: Quick question. Why are the other team literal adult men?

Isaac (kicks off the Monopoly board because he’s bored): Oh, whoops…

Tao: Can’t believe this whole conversation was a ploy for you to witness my incredibly erotic dance moves. 

Sarah: What’s up?
Nick: I said I’d go on a date with this girl, but I kind of also agreed to go to Charlie’s birthday party on the same day. 
Sarah: Oh, do you like this girl?
Nick: Well, um, her dog died. 
Sarah: Uh not following. 

Nick: I thought you liked my arms 😏

“I wish I’d met you when I was younger.” -Nick Nelson, age 16. 

Darcy (after realising Nick isn’t straight): OMG we found another one!

Harry: Not having lunch with your bf today?
Tao: No, I’m waiting for your mum actually.

Nick: I’ve been researching about being bisexual.

Darcy (locked in the music room with Tara and hears people looking for them): Homophobia!

Charlie: They all probably think that I’m this, like, gay nerd. 
Nick: … well, you kind of are a gay nerd. 

Tao (to Harry, when Harry’s trying to pick a fight): You clearly didn’t get hugged much as a child, but if you’re craving human contact that badly, you could just say so. 

Tao’s mum: 👀 Uhm.. make sure you leave the bedroom door open a tad, okay?

Tao: I’m gonna stay pissed off with him a bit longer. 

Headmaster: If you haven’t signed up for an event, Ms Singh will hunt you down and murder you… Okay, she’s just informed me that she won’t murder you. 

Tao: But miss! I can’t run!
Elle: He really can’t. 

Headmaster: It’s finally time for you to sit back and watch as some teenagers crash into each other and fall over repeatedly. 

Nick: I don’t wanna break up 🥺

Nick: Okay. I think we’re wet enough now. 

I know this is the Upwork sub, but I couldn’t find one for Contra. I’ve seen previous posts about Contra here, so I hope it’s okay to ask.

Over the past 8 months, on and off, I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Contra trying to get my first gig on the platform. When I first joined, I put a lot of effort into my profile, then started posting and engaging with other freelancers because it seemed like the main way to increase visibility. After a couple of months of doing this consistently, I realised I was spending a lot of time with no return. I actually enjoyed the community side of it. I’ve been freelancing for 8 years and working from home, so it was nice to connect with other freelancers. But at the end of the day, I couldn’t justify spending work hours on what felt like social media, hoping it would eventually lead to work.

I was on the free tier at the time and didn’t want to pay for Pro until I saw some traction. Since the free tier doesn’t give access to the job board, I mostly relied on clients finding my profile, which didn’t really happen. So I moved on and focused on other work.

A few months ago, I decided to give Contra another try. I updated my profile, added new case studies, and eventually decided to try Pro. My thinking was that I’d give it a month or two. If I got a project, it would easily cover the cost. If not, I’d move on. I’m now 2.5 months into Pro. I’ve been applying to relevant jobs, but the response has been almost non-existent. I only realised recently that you get notified when someone opens your application because I’d never received one.

Out of all the applications I’ve sent, I think only two have been opened. One person did message me and seemed interested, but then realised the project currency was set to USD instead of AUD (they were based in Australia). They asked if I’d accept the USD conversion of the amount we had originally discussed in AUD. The original amount was already much lower than I’d normally quote for that type of project, as I was trying to get started on the platform. I suggested meeting somewhere in the middle, but they didn’t accept. That interaction gave me enough hope to keep the subscription for another month, but since then I haven’t had any more interest. I now have 10 days left on my third month.

The reason I wanted Contra to work so badly was seeing all the “$50K earned”, “$100K earned”, “$150K earned” profiles. I looked at other freelancers in my field and saw people earning well and charging fair rates. After using other freelancer platforms where clients often prioritise the cheapest option, I thought Contra might be different. Instead, I feel like I’ve invested a lot of time and now money into something that hasn’t gone anywhere. I know cutting my losses probably makes the most sense at this point, but after investing this much I'm so frustrated that I couldn't make it work.

Is there anything I can realistically do in these last 10 days to improve my chances of getting a project? I don’t have any earnings or reviews on Contra. I do have reviews elsewhere, but I haven’t asked my existing long-term clients to leave reviews because I don’t want to ask them to sign up to a platform they don’t use or put pressure on those relationships, which I heavily rely on for my income.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Especially from anyone who has actually found success on Contra. What worked for you?

Hello everyone,

I’m feeling a bit conflicted about seeing Afterthoughts live, and I wanted to ask if anyone else is feeling the same way.

I’ve been a massive fan of Richard Ayoade and his work for a long time. But I have to admit that his review of Graham Linehan’s book a couple years ago, and some of his comments afterwards, left a sour taste in my mouth. Now I'm having an internal conflict about whether I want to go and see the Afterthoughts show.

There’s no doubt that Graham Linehan was a brilliant writer, just as there’s no doubt that he’s a massive bigot who willingly ruined his legacy, career, and personal life. While he created some of my favourite TV shows, knowing what I know about him now, I find it impossible to enjoy his work, even in private, even if it’s through a DVD I already own (i.e. no profit goes to Linehan).

But when it comes to someone like Richard Ayoade, I don’t know what to do. My impression was that his comments following the backlash were, in a way, an attempt to separate the art from the artist, so Linehan’s writing from his personal views. While I doubt that he actually agrees with Linehan’s opinions, or with the hatred he directs at trans people, it still hurts to know that, one way or another, he chose to show him support.

And yet, as someone who has found a great deal of comfort in Richard Ayoade’s work, I still find myself wanting to go and see Afterthoughts.

I’d really love to know what you all think, especially from anyone who has felt conflicted about this in the same way I do.