#Best Machine Learning Helpers

[lillaydee]

Shhh!!! Part 5

Celebrity!Joel Miller / F Reader

A reluctant celebrity contractor who has closed his heart for love meets a celebrity-hating Cafe on Wheels owner...

She HATES him. Thing is, he couldn't get enough of the coffee she makes...

Tag List:

@kirsteng42 @peelieblue @harriedandharassed @joelalorian @vickie5446 @inept-the-magnificent @maried01 @brittmb115 @peedrow @lovefreylove @liciafonseca

Let me know if you would like to be added/removed from the tag list.

Dividers by the awesome @saradika

Header by Moi cause I learned how to use Canva! Yay me!

WARNINGS: Grumpy Joel (The Last of Us), Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Celebrity Joel Miller, Fluff and Angst, Eventual Smut, I'm Bad At Tagging, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Hurt Joel (The Last of Us), Jealousy.

SERIES MASTER LIST

Part 4

“Here you go, Sir, enjoy your coffee, come again soon!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the exasperated sigh that escaped him after the last cup was handed to the last customer, an older man who wouldn’t stop asking him questions about which caulk was best to use for the small project he was DIY-ing. Joel must’ve extended his hand with the coffee in it towards him five times before the man finally took it, very quickly flipping the ‘open’ sign to close before plopping himself on the lone stool you had offered him before.

“How do you do this every day? My jaw, my cheeks are killing me feom smiling too much! And don’t even ask about my back!” he rubbed his face, massaging his jaw and cheeks with both hands, cracking his back and neck a few times.

“Don’t you hammer things for a living? I can’t do that to save my own life!”

“Pfft… I don’t do all that anymore. People do that for me. I just tell people what to do.” There was a look on his face when he said that. A longing one, perhaps?

“You’re telling me you would’ve been okay doing that on your own if I hadn’t stayed?”

You nodded, hands busy cleaning the machine, running hot water out to clean it of any residue.

He got back up, “Can I do anything to help?”

“Oh, no, you are not touching my very expensive machine, sir.”

“How do you keep the truck safe? Aren’t you worried someone might break in, steal the machine?”

“My apartment has very good security, so does the truck. I made sure to invest in that.”

“Where do you live?”

You told him, and he just whistled. He threw the rag on the counter, asking you if he could buy you lunch.

“Taco truck, next door. Tell Tony it’s for me.”

He tipped his hat at you, leaving to get the tacos.

You finished cleaning, wiping everything down, taking not much time at all. You’ve done this daily for a long time, it was all on autopilot. By the time you rinsed all the rags, Joel was back, bags of tacos in hand, asking you if you would join him for lunch. The two of you ate and chatted, mainly about the tacos, but also about the rec centre itself. Sarah had been here a lot, volunteering. Ellie too, obviously. But he had only dropped them off and picked them up. You suggested he should visit. They do amazing work with underprivileged kids. He looked as if he was genuinely contemplating it.

“I have to apologize for something else now,” he told you, wiping his mouth after everything was demolished. “I never knew selling coffee could be that tiring. I don’t know why. But that was…” he stopped talking, rubbing his own shoulder and neck. “And how the heck do you keep a smile on at all times like that? I watched you. You are always smiling when talking to the customers. How do you do that?”

You shrugged, “Been doing this since I can remember. My Dad didn’t have a helper early on, so he would keep me in a sling across his chest as he served his customers. I just grew up in a café, smiled at customers since I could. A smile goes a long way when you’re in service. It was something my Dad did a lot, so I sort of just caught the habit, I guess.”

“Your Dad was a barista too? Which café?”

You told him. He nodded. There were a few of those cafés all over LA. He had even seen them in New York.

“You’ve always worked in cafés?”

“Yeah… since I was old enough to know you shouldn’t touch boiling water with your bare hands.”

He looked taken aback. “Isn’t that child labour or something?”

You laughed. “He didn’t hire me, exactly, he just let me help. Learn the ropes.”

“Is he retired now?”

“He did a few years back. Passed not long after.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. He’s still with me. That’s why my stepmom and I started the truck. He loved his job. I feel like he’s here whenever I make a cup, you know?”

He nodded. “It’s why I started building in the first place. My Papa was a labourer slash carpenter. He practically built all of our furniture. He helped me build my first project – a small recipe box for my Mama. Been building stuff since. I did the TV stuff at first for the steady income, you know? I was alone, I had to think about Sarah, and then when everything blew up it just got so… invasive. Fake. It’s all about the viewership. No one gives a damn about the work anymore. It’s just… I don’t know. Doing this job used to make me feel closer to my Papa, but now… I just feel like my life has turned into a circus, you know? Everything’s just hyped. Sexualized. I don’t get the same rush I used to get from doing this work anymore. I just dread going to work now. The more exposure, the more invasion there will be, the less close I feel to my Papa.”

You listened, feeling a bit sad for him.

“That’s why I was so rude to you that first time. I didn’t mean to be, you know, I’m so sorry about that. It’s just, every time a stranger taps me on my shoulder it’s to ask for a selfie or something. You saw that girl the other day. She just leaned in, right up against my chest and snapped a picture. No respect for my personal space at all. I was literally standing at a urinal once and someone just whipped their phone out to take a picture with me.”

Your eyes literally went round with shock. Seriously? Okay, that was so much worse than being sent to some organic store to buy a packet of sugar for one teaspoon, or even counting 100 drips of espresso, for that matter.

“So when you tapped me on my shoulder…”

You nodded, hand still over your mouth, seeing his point of view. You already knew this, Ellie had told you. But when it came from the horse’s mouth… particularly Joel, who you had only seen as a grumpy, moody, seemingly entitled man, looking extremely uncomfortable at the mere mention of these happenings, you sort of get it.

“God, Joel…” you rubbed your face, cringing a little at how much you had judged him. “I’m sorry too… I just… having lived here all my life, I’ve met all kinds of celebrities, you know? Most are actually nice… but the ones who are not…”

It was his turn to nod. “Tell me about it. I have to work with some sometimes – for special episodes. God… the entitlement!”

You rolled your eyes.

“I know, right? ‘I’m famous, I don’t need to pay.’ Girl…”

He laughed as you sneered, copying said celebrity so well he actually recognized who you were talking about, head thrown back, free, loose, relaxed.

“Hey, I have a question for you,” he said, leaning on the small foldable table you set out front. “Where do you get your beans? That coffee… how is it bitter but sweet at the same time?”

You zipped your mouth, locked it, and threw away the key.

“Oh, come on…”

“Nope. Trade secret, that. Passed down to me by my father, and I am never sharing it!”

“You mean, you roast your own beans?”

“Of course I do! What do you take me for, Joel Miller?”

He looked impressed. “Will you sell me a bag?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, come on! I’ll pay anything!”

“Careful what you wish for. If I can charge you 40 bucks for a cup of coffee, just imagine what I would charge for a whole bag of beans,” you joked, getting up to throw the paper plate out, wiping the table with your free hand as you did.

He got up and began helping you fold the chairs and tables, loading them in the cargo space under the sill. You closed everything up, handed him the mill he brought, and got into the driver seat of your truck. He waited for you to get in and closed the door for you.

“It was nice spending time with you today, Mr Miller. Thank you for helping me out, and for lunch. Should I pay you now, or should I just give Ellie a raise?”

He smiled, his dimple showing, and shook his head. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, when I come for my cuppa. Since you won’t sell the beans to me.”

You laughed and thanked him again for helping you out that day. You turned to him one last time and gave him a smile. Joel’s heart stopped beating. There was something different about that smile, he thought. It wasn’t the smile you gave your customers.

He took a step back from the truck and raised his free hand, standing in that spot until your truck turned the corner and went out of his sight, the mill he brought held tightly to his chest.

Joel Miller drove all the way home before realizing that he hadn’t stopped smiling at all since you left.

“So, the plan was successful?” Sarah asked, painting her toenail as she spoke into the phone propped on a box she had packed and unpacked for the millionth time.

“Well, he went, left at seven-ish and he hasn’t come back, so I’m just waiting with breath that is bated. God just don’t come back angrier, that’s all I’m hoping for,” Ellie shoved another mouthful of chips into her mouth, cringing a little at the vinegary taste.

“I still can’t believe he yelled at Lil. Of all people! You know Lil hates celebrities? Tony told me. One came to the rec centre once, apparently for some supposed volunteer thing for his community service, the guy made a scene, obviously high from something – climbed into her truck started snacking on coffee beans like nuts – Tony swore Lil chased him out with an airgun. I’m just thankful all she did was overcharge Dad for coffee and not tear his face off or something.”

Ellie snorted, “Imagine how mad Angela would be if that were to happen. Money making face and all...”

“I don’t know… he’s been thinking of quitting. Doesn’t want to continue his contract, apparently.”

Ellie sat up. She took the mug she was using and propped her phone up, looking at her big sister with wide eyes. “What do you mean? How do you know?”

Sarah moved closer to the phone, looked around a bit, as if worried Joel might suddenly burst through her door miles and miles away at any moment. “Don’t tell him this, but Angela called me. Begged me to talk him out of retiring. I mean, she wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t said something, right?”

Ellie rolled her eyes. She did not like that woman. Neither did Sarah. She had a problem with Ellie from the start. Pulled Sarah aside and tried to stop her from volunteering at the rec centre, not wanting her to mix with the ‘riffraff’ there. Anytime Ellie was within her vicinity before the adoption, she looked at Ellie with a look that said she smelled bad.

When Joel decided to take her in, Angela went all out to stop him. Did a background check on her mom and dad, smugly presenting her findings to Joel. Sarah remembered like it was yesterday. “Bad breeds bad,” she had told him. “She’s the daughter of a drug addict and a criminal, Joel. Bad enough that Sarah is seen with her a lot, God knows what she could pull Sarah into, but now you want to legally invite her to stay with you? She’ll rob you blind Joel! I’m only looking out for you,” she had simpered, a supposedly concerned look on her pulled-too-tight face.

Joel didn’t listen, thankfully. When the public found out, Joel got so much publicity from it, his name was everywhere. He was ‘Daddy’, hot, responsible, good hearted, basically a handy hunk that women couldn’t get out of their heads. Suddenly, adopting Ellie was the most brilliant idea ever. In fact, she might have talked Joel into doing it, at least, that’s what she told Twitter back then. She had always known Ellie was his good luck charm, she crooned to Joel when she came to the house unannounced with a big bag of donated clothing, most of which were far too small and girly for Ellie, pinching her cheeks. Ellie was only 12, but she remembered recoiling away from the obviously fake lady, in both manners and physique, determined to stay away from her as much as she could.

Angela also pitched the idea for a reality show – Meet the Millers, where cameras follow their day to day lives. Imagine the money! That got shut down really quickly, even Tommy was barking at her. He may like the money, but no one touches his nieces. Even he wouldn’t stoop that low, he had told her.

So no, the girls didn’t like Angela. And no, Sarah wasn’t going to talk her Dad into signing on for five more years. Ellie certainly wouldn’t. They wanted him to rest. Relax. Settle down. Be happy. If he wanted to continue working, let it be on his own terms. Something that he would be happy to do, not something he would be forced to do. The girls may think he’s the grumpiest, most stubborn man to ever live, but they were fiercely protective of their Dad. And nothing Angela could do or say would sway them.

“What do you think he would do, if he really does retire?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t know. But I can’t imagine he would want to stay here. Would you be okay if he decides to leave LA?” Sarah was worried, changing school, making new friends, that’s a lot of change.

“I’ll follow him anywhere, you know that.”

Sarah smiled, “Well, I’m…”

“Oh shit!” Ellie scrambled. “He’s back. Fuck! Do I look sick?”

“Erm, no… you look like you’ve had too many chips, but otherwise…”

“Shh… he’s coming in,” Ellie picked up her phone, screen towards her torso, lying on the couch, blanket all the way up to her chest, doing her best to look sick.

“Ellie…” Sarah whispered. Another shush.

“Hey, old man,” Ellie croaked as Joel waltzed in, carrying the mill. He placed it on the coffee table, coming towards Ellie to check her temperature.

“You feeling better kiddo?”

Ellie opened her mouth to answer.

“Great! Rest up! Work tomorrow!” Joel was already turning around to go to his room, whistling as he did, a little jig in his steps. He looked at her over his shoulder and winked at her, his whistling now morphed into a humming, continuing his little waltz as he went up to his room, closing the door behind him.

Ellie shot up, her phone still clutched to her chest.

“Ellie! What’s going on?” Sarah’s whispers were filled with urgency.

Ellie looked at her sister, looking perplexed. “Sarah, I think we need a doctor.”

“What? Why? Is he okay? Are you really sick?”

“He was… whistling… and Sarah…” she paused, looking worried as heck, she leaned in and whispered, “He sorta did a little jig... and I swear he was humming!”

Sarah didn’t say anything. She looked troubled. Her Dad, humming? And doing little dances?

Shit.

What the fuck happened?

The next morning, Ellie woke up to a very enthusiastic banging on her door. Wake up kiddo! Don’t wanna be late! She groaned, jumped out of bed and had a quick shower – all about 30 minutes too early compared to the usual time, but maybe Joel had somewhere to be? It wouldn’t be the first time. His schedule can vary a lot, but wasn’t he on a break?

She walked out to Joel shoving a packet of pop tart and a granola bar into her pack, a buttered toast into her hand, telling her she was late. Let’s go!

She walked out into the garage to him standing next to an open passenger door, frantically gesturing for her to get inside, practically shoving her in as she climbed her way up to the seat. He checked the door really quickly before running to the driver side, muttering ‘come on, come on…’ as the garage door slowly opened,

He drove the way he usually did, but his fingers were drumming on the steering wheel every time they hit a red light. The man just looked odd. Ellie was worried.

“You okay?”

Joel looked at her, lips scrunched up, nodding as if he was behaving that way every single day, foot immediately on the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green. When he finally pulled to a stop at the rec centre, he leaned across Ellie and opened the door for her, the teenager still stunned at how keen this man was to be rid of her.

“Will you chill? My class doesn’t start for another 30 minutes. I’m gonna go get iced tea from Lil. You want coffee?”

He went quiet. All jitters stopped. “Uh… sure. Tell her I want the usual. The expresso thing.”

“ESpresso,” she corrected, as she climbed down the truck, mumbling she had no idea how he could drink that every day.

Joel waited for her to disappear around the corner before letting his head fall on the steering wheel. Shit. Now he had to wait for her to come back and go back inside before he could see you again. He looked at his watch, feet tap-tapping on the floor of the cab. God, why was she taking so long?

He took his phone and dialled Sarah’s number, the young lady picking up after only two rings, face all swollen and sleepy still.

“Dad, everything okay?”

“Yeah, just calling to see how the packing is going. You sure you don’t want me to go get you?”

“Yeah… I’m sure. I’m all packed, Dad. Just a few loose things I’m just gonna throw in my backpack at the last min… what are you searching around for?” she asked, her Dad clearly jittery, his eyes looking around as if he was worried some mafia head was gonna pop up and off him.

Joel refocused on his daughter, a bit embarrassed to be caught. “Just waiting for Ellie to come back with my coffee. Need coffee, that’s all. Machine’s busted again.”

“Uhuh… so you just need coffee? And then you’ll go back to your old self?” she questioned, looking wary as heck, side-eyeing her Dad on the FaceTime.

“What are you talking about? I’m my old self.”

“Okay…”

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked her, determined to focus on his daughter now. “I’m excited to see you! We should have a cookout. Maybe go somewhere before you start your internship?”

“Uh… The three of us plan to start driving before dawn, stop for breakfast on the way, drive a few more hours and stop for lunch, get to Lindsey’s, spend the night, and then start again the morning after. Drop Jenna off at her place and I should be home around dinner time.”

“Anything special you want for dinner?”

“Sushi. Please. And that ramen from that place.”

“Okay. You call me before you leave, okay? I don’t care what time. And take turns driving. Don’t try to be a hero.”

“Yes Dad… I know… How are you enjoying your break so far?”

“Well, it’s only been a few days… I… oh, my coffee’s here. Hang on.”

Sarah watched as he wound his window down, eager hand claiming his coffee from Ellie. He tilted the phone towards Ellie, who took the phone out of his hand, saying hi to Sarah. “Watch,” she whispered to Sarah, clicking on the reverse camera feature, focusing on Joel as he took his first greedy sip, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, tilting his head back to rest it on the headrest, an unwitting smile on his face.

Sarah watched as her Dad smiled, looking all… something… she didn’t recognize this. She had never seen him like this. And the whistling and the jigging and now this… over a sip of coffee. No wonder Ellie was worried. She was too, now that she’s seen the evidence.

Joel was struck by the silence, he opened his eyes, looking questionably at Ellie, who quickly clicked on the reverse camera button again, “Sarah, can you hear me? I think your line is patchy. I can’t hear you… you’ve frozen… I’ll call you later okay?” She quickly hung up and gave Joel the phone. “I’ll call her back…” she mumbled, standing there, just waiting to see what he was going to do. Joel looked flustered for a bit, reaching out to give her head a rub before putting the truck into reverse and driving away.

Ellie took out her phone and dialled Sarah’s number. She picked up before the first ring was over.

“You saw that, right?”

Joel drove around the rec centre before turning back into the parking lot, relieved Ellie was no longer there. He glanced at his watch again, the tap-tapping was back. He class wouldn’t start for ten more minutes. He looked around the truck for something to do until then, just to be safe. He didn’t want Ellie asking too many questions.

He had no idea what was happening. He just knew he wanted to be here. He took another sip of the coffee, his insides warming up, that smile back on his face. This must be why he wanted to come here. Yesterday, he was standing for hours, his back hurt, but he just felt at peace. Must be the smell of coffee. It calmed him down. He took another sip, savouring the somehow still sweet bitterness that took over his senses.

When was the last time he felt this at ease? God, he couldn’t remember. Maybe… when he was a kid? When he was sick and his Mama and Papa slept on either side of him? He felt as if he was all bundled up in a protective blanket, like everything would be alright, he would be alright, whatever came. He just wanted to savour that feeling for as long as he could, before life came after him again.

And if being at that truck, breathing in the glorious smell of coffee was what it took, he was more than willing to go back and suffer through the back pain and aching cheeks once more.

He finally got out of his truck, locked it and walked towards your truck. He could already see you smiling at your long line of customers, joking around with them. He took yet another sip of his coffee, jogged a little towards you, climbing into your truck, absent-mindedly taking the spare apron hanging on the hook and put it on, placing the hat he brought with him on his head. You lectured him about taking it off the day before, so yeah, he was keeping it on today.

You were shocked he was there, to say the least, but you were busy, and he did behave himself the day before. So you moved out from behind the till and took your spot in front of the machine, ready to make the next order.

You had no idea how, but the two of you worked well together. The truck was small, but somehow it wasn’t cramped with both of you in it. He learnt that till quickly, only making a few mistakes the day before, and you quickly fixed them, and he never repeated the same mistake twice.

About half an hour later, the line slowed. He went outside after the last person took their drink and began clearing up the tables for you. You leaned on the window, watching him sing along to the tunes Tony had on, shaking your head a little, wondering why on earth this man had decided to return and torture himself again.

“So… not that I’m not appreciative,” you called out to him, “But what the heck are you doing here Miller?”

He tossed the empty cups in the trash, a wide smile directed at you as he walked back towards the truck, tossing the rag he was holding on the sill, resting his elbow on it. “You don’t mind, do you? I have nothing to do. I’m bored. Sarah won’t be here for two more days, Ellie’s out for the class, have a heart…” he pleaded.

You jokingly contemplated his plea. “Do I have to pay you?”

“Just that cup of coffee.”

“Deal.”

The two of you shook on it. A customer came to the sill, asking for an iced tea. He ran back up into the truck, keying it in, and asked if he could watch you make the tea, maybe he could help with the non-machine-touching drinks? You let him, telling him exactly how much tea to put, how much hot water, brewing time, the likes.

Joel listened, taking everything in. The amount of tea. The hot water. The brewing time. The way your lips moved. The way your dimples played peekaboo. The way your ponytail swayed as you moved. The way the neckline of your blouse today gave him little peeks of your skin.

When the tea was ready, you turned around to give it to the customer, asking her how the baby was. You chatted with her for a bit, leaning on the counter below the window. Joel couldn't help continue studying you... how your legs were crossed together at the ankle, how your ass…

Wait… stop it.

Joel picked up a rag and wiped the counter you had just wiped again, just to have something else to do that didn’t involve staring at your ass, perfectly jutting out for his viewing pleasure, swaying a little as you laughed with your regular, clad in the perfect pair of jeans that hugged your curves just right.

You turned around to face him, took the rags off the counters and his hands, and went to the small sink you had to wash them. He stood next to you, watching you wash them, earning him a light-hearted jab from you – what, you want to learn the art of washing rags too? He laughed, telling you that he might just. Maybe coffee truck rags had a different method of cleaning.

“Joel?”

The two of you turned around. Ellie was standing in the doorway of the truck, looking at Joel as if he had two heads. “What are you doing here?”

Joel stood up straight, his hand went straight for his cup of coffee, now empty, and took a sip of air. He flustered a bit.

“I think the question is, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” he blubbered, a hand on his hip, the other awkwardly on the counter.

“Frank has car trouble. Class is postponed. I thought I’d work ‘til you pick me up. I thought you had something to do?”

“Erm… my thing got cancelled,” he managed to say.

“Oh, so maybe we can go watch a movie or something? You’re okay if I don’t work today, right Lil?”

You nodded. You understood. Ellie had always told you Joel was a busy man. He really should be spending time with her when he could.

“Uh… yeah, sure,” Joel said, trying hard to hide his disappointment from his youngest daughter. He began to untie his apron, missing Ellie’s widened eyes upon noticing that he had it on.

“Hey Lil?” Tony called out, walking up to the window. “My cousin just called me for some food for his office, he also ordered coffee, do you mind? Pickup in 30 minutes,” he said, forwarding you a list of orders on your phone.

Joel retied his apron, pushing Ellie out of the truck, telling her to wait for him at the tables. Maybe practice drawing the truck. He’ll be right with her.

Ellie sat waiting with her phone in her hand, filming her grumpy adopted father who hated fancy, thieving coffee chains help you with the order, keying in the order, labelling the cups, readying the to-go bags, he even filled in a smaller bag with sugar and creamer packets, complete with those fiddly stirrers he made fun of at least a thousand times in the few years she had been living with him.

When he was finally done, Ellie watched as Joel Miller took off the apron, telling you he would see you the next day, before turning around to walk away with a nervous look on his face, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. He turned back to face you as he took out his phone and sheepishly asked for your number, “So I could text you if I can’t make it,” he said. He waited patiently as you keyed in your number, and immediately texted you something, smiling widely as he heard your phone ping.

Ah… Ellie immediately texted Sarah.

‘I think your Dad has a crush on my boss.’

To say you were in a jam was an understatement. Your showerhead decided that today, of all days, was the perfect day to shoot out of its socket and spray water everywhere. The super was out of town. You called your plumber, but he said the earliest he could get there was after lunch. He was booked solid. Relax, he told you, you’ll be fine ‘til then.

You texted Ellie, telling her that your shower broke and you wouldn’t be working today. Please let Joel know. You were about to toss the phone on your bed when the phone immediately pinged.

‘Send me your location’

‘Why?’

‘We have a plumber, he can get to you now.’

Your fingers had never worked faster. You sent her the location and your apartment number, going back into the bathroom to empty the bucket you’d placed under the shower. The last thing you needed was a flooded bathroom.

You were disappointed. You had never wanted to go to work more than you did today. You didn’t know why exactly. Your heart just felt… heavy. You felt guilty… or something… for not being able to go in today. You wondered why.

Ah… Joel texted you last night asking if there was a chance you would teach him to brew a good cup of coffee, just so he could have one daily when summer was over and Ellie no longer needed to go to the art class. He won’t even touch the machine, he promised. Just teach him how.

You promised him you would, and now you had to break that promise. You just hated disappointing people, that’s all.

Yeah. That must be it. That’s why you were disappointed you couldn’t go in.

The doorbell rang, so you placed the bucket back in its place and ran to open the door.

Joel Miller was standing outside your door, a toolbox in his hands. His face lit up when he saw you, but then suddenly snapped shut awkwardly, turning his body around.

It was only then you realized you were standing in front of him in your sleep shirt.

Your white sleep shirt. Your wet, white, sleep shirt.

With nothing underneath but a pair of panties. Your nipples were sticking to your wet shirt, which was now basically see through.

You ran inside, yelling your apologies, telling him to come in, grabbing a bathrobe and putting it on, trying hard to laugh your embarrassment away. He didn’t answer, and when you went to the door, his tool box was there, but he wasn’t. The riot that was your spraying shower went quiet, and he came back after a few seconds, telling you he shut the water line for your house – easier for him to work, he said.

There was still water dripping from the shower, but he fixed it within 15 minutes, coming out of your bathroom with water trickling down from his hair onto his neck, coming down his chest. He went back outside and came back to test the shower, now working perfectly.

You asked him how much you owed him, telling him he didn’t need to come all the way over to your apartment.

He smiled and told you his payment was a cup of coffee, as he had told you the day before. He watched as you made him a cup, jokingly asking you if he had to buy a fancy coffee machine now?

For some reason, apart from those few sentences, the two of you didn’t really talk. There was a silence as you both had your coffees, both awkward and not awkward at the same time. He wouldn’t really look at you, and you found yourself unable to look at him much either.

“Would you like some breakfast?” you asked him, taking his cup from him, your fingers brushing his for a split second, a spark of static causing you to pull back quickly, the mug slipping from your grasp, crashing onto the floor. He bent down to collect the pieces while you got a broom, sweeping the remnants off the floor, telling him you’ll vacuum later. He picked up his tool box, hesitantly telling you he should be going, looking regretful.

For some reason, you found yourself feeling sorry he had to leave so soon. But you walked him to the door anyway. He turned around once he was outside, thanking you for the coffee, asking you if he could see you the next day? Sarah was coming back, so he won’t be coming for a while, wanting to spend time with her before she started her internship the next week.

“Of course,” you told him, “Thank you so much for helping me out, you really didn’t have to.”

“It’s no trouble, really,” he insisted, “The coffee was worth it.”

You didn’t know what came over you, but you leaned in and lightly kissed him on the cheek, whispering your thanks to him one more time, unable to help yourself from taking in his scent, making you feel lightheaded. He didn’t pull away, staying where he was when you pulled away. He looked you in the eyes, contemplation in them. You may have imagined it, but you thought you saw them flick towards your lips for a split second.

“Joel? Joel Miller?”

The two of you turned to see the source of the snappy voice. Your young neighbour Lucy, formerly known as the off-key alarm system to your building was standing there, obviously on her way out, her keys clutched in her hand. She eyed your bathrobe, your wet hair, his slightly wet appearance.

“Lucy,” he said, rather awkwardly.

She turned around and went back inside, slamming the door behind her.

“I should be going,” he said once more, before turning around and walking away as fast as he could.

Okay that was weird, you thought, but it was none of your business, surely? You had an anvil in your chest, but you didn’t know why. You distracted yourself by vacuuming your small kitchen, getting rid of any remnants of that broken mug.

You didn’t understand what happened. What happened? Between you and Joel. Between him and Lucy.

The doorbell interrupted your thoughts. You opened the door to Lucy standing outside.

“Are you fucking Joel Miller?”

Huh?

“If you are, we need to talk,” she said, pushing you aside and walking into your apartment, aggressively turning around to face you, her arms across her chest, a serious look on her face.

Part 6

[exhaslo]

Miguel who meets Reader in Alchemax, and learns that she's in the tech department and become friends.

Miguel that with the help of Reader (and Lyla) build the Gizmo to travel across dimensions, after revealing his identity as Spiderman.

Miguel that invited Reader to work for the Spider-society as he didn't want her to work for Alchemax. (He can't loose her too.)

Reader who becomes a safe space for Miguel, someone who to trust when the burden of the multiverse becomes too heavy.

Miguel who starts to fall in love with Reader, and is scared to get too attached because he might loose her.

Miguel who often thinks about Gabriella, and how much she would've loved Reader.

Fluff and angst? Sign me in.

SIGN ME UP TOOOOOOOO!!! Also, just going to make a small change for plot hehehe

Warning: None, just fluff. Slow-burn, angst, please give Miguel some love, mentions of death

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't lose this again!

I can't lose another person I care about!

The day you entered Miguel's life was honestly a godsent. Miguel had felt like his life was crashing down. He had lost his motive to do much after losing his one shot at a happy life. After losing his daughter. After losing what he thought was everything.

Miguel had been sitting alone in his lab, contemplating everything he has done.

Why can't I be allowed to be happy?

Miguel was ready to call it quits, but that was before you showed up. Lost and confused on your first day. Honestly, this was probably for the best. A good distraction for Miguel.

By the end of the day, you had thanked Miguel and wondered if you could possibly get more of his help in the future. Unable to say no, Miguel agreed.

You had brought a little light to his day.

--------

Each day you appeared before Miguel was another 'joyful' day. You were so kind and caring that no matter how Miguel was feeling, you just managed to make him feel better.

It felt almost selfish, but Miguel had requested you to work under him. He needed someone who could distract him. He wanted you to need him so that he felt useful. So that Miguel felt like there was still a reason to go on.

You were quite helpful. Miguel was honestly surprised by how well you knew your way around a machine. In his eyes, you were the best hire since him.

Don't leave me too.

------

As the days turned into weeks, Miguel had started to grow attached to you. You were making his life better by just being around. You had gained his trust and he with yours. It was purely by accident, but Miguel had started to reveal secrets to you.

It was embarassing.

But you just smiled and shared yours. Miguel had to resist a groan as he craved your smile; your attention; your being. You had become part of Miguel's life and he didn't want to lose you either. So, Miguel gave you an offer...

"(Y/N), I want you to work for me...at my other job." Miguel whispered as the two of you walked around the city of Nueva York.

"Ohhhhh, I get to be Spider-Man's helper! Count me in~"

"Huh? What? Since when have you known?" Miguel asked, quite shocked by your reaction. You just giggled to yourself,

"I got quite the eye, Miguel. I noticed quite a bit ago, buuuut, I was waiting for you to tell me."

Miguel was at a loss for words. You were just staring at him with a big ol' smile on your face. Feeling as if a heavy weight lifted off his shoulder, Miguel thanked you. You were giddy with joy and jumped onto Miguel, giving him a big hug.

Don't let go.

Miguel forced a chuckle as he held you, almost afraid to hug you back.

---------

Having you at the Spider Society was a great addition. You were like an angel for Miguel. Always there when he needed you. Always there when Miguel NEEDED you.

It was hard for Miguel to admit anything, but he knew for a fact that he loved you. You were always there for him when he needed a shoulder to lean on. When Miguel needed to vent his stress, you always gave him your ear.

The way your hands stroked his face whenever you tried to calm him down...was intoxicating.

The way your eyes sparkled as you kept eye contact with him was ever melting.

The soothing sound of your voice just made Miguel want to close his eyes and fall asleep in your embrace.

But what if I'm the only one who feels like this?

Miguel felt like he was standing on a lone mountain, watching everyone from above. Making sure that nothing fell out of place. His reach for you, ever so far.

"Hehe, Miguel, get down here and try out my new gadget," You called out.

"Gizmo," Miguel corrected.

Not wanting to waste a second, Miguel jumped down towards you. As you ran to him in glee, an image of Gabi took your place. Miguel shuddered as the blood drained from his face.

"Miguel? Are you alright?" You asked, your hand resting against his cheek, "You've look like you seen a ghost."

"Aye...for a moment...I did,"

Miguel held your hand, enjoying the warmth you gave. All of this was to protect you. Miguel could not fathom the thought of losing someone else he loved. If anything were to ever happen to you, then Miguel might just-"

"Hey, it's okay," You whispered, pulling Miguel into a hug, "You're hurting, but you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you."

Don't let go, please.

Miguel inhaled sharply as he allowed himself to wrap his arms around your waist.

Don't leave me.

His head buried in your shoulder, inhaling your scent to calm him down.

Please, you're all I have.

Your soothing words calming him, bringing him back to his senses.

Miguel was going to make sure nothing ever happens to you. He was not going to have your blood on his hands. You had to stay alive for him. As much as Miguel wanted you, he knew that protecting you was more important than anything.

-------

You had gotten close to Miguel. Each day, Miguel craved more and more of your touch. You were perfect. If only Miguel had known better, than you would have been perfect for Gabi too. The two of you would have loved each other.

"You're overthinking again," You cooed as you planted yourself on Miguel's lap, "C'mon, help me fix this giiiiiizmo," You teased.

Miguel withheld a breathe as you placed yourself on top of him. His hands trembled slightly as he slowly placed them against your waist. He was hesitant, but Miguel rested his head against your shoulder, watching you tinker with the object.

"You seem to have it done," Miguel muttered. You turned your head to face his,

"I know, I just needed a comfy spot."

Miguel's eyes widen as you snickered towards his shocked expression. Almost at a lost for words, Miguel tried to think of something, but then you stopped his brain once more once you pecked his lips.

"Lyla, looks like I broke Miguel~" You chuckled.

I'll break for you. Anything for you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

GIVE THIS MAN SOME LOVE PLEASE!!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed~

[anerisci]

Strawhat cooking skils

Master Chef: Sanji. This man has entire database of recipes in his head. Name a dish and he can make it

Very Good Chef: Usopp & Franky. Franky can make great machines and some amazing dishes tho they may be bit unusual. Usopp lived by himself for good part of his childhood and mastered handful of recipes.

Average: Nami, Robin, Jimbei. Sanji usually cooks for Nami and Robin, so they don't really have to cook. Learned few recipes from childhood. Jimbei can make good bbq.

Trying his best (Best helper): Chopper. He doesn't often cook, usually helping Sanji. He is happy to help.

Is ban from kitchen: Luffy & Zoro. Luffy will eat all ingredients and Zoro will just get drunk.

[read-marx-and-lenin]

It is not every worker in the Soviet factory or collective farm who wants either to go to a university, or to convert some amateur activity into a full-time profession. There are hundreds of thousands of workers greatly interested in the particular jobs which they are at present doing, but who want advancement to more skilled or more responsible branches of the same work. Such advancement is possible in all Soviet enterprises. A characteristic of every Soviet institution is the stress which is laid on the desirability for every working man and woman to raise their qualifications at their work. Whether it is a case of teachers in an elementary school or university, or workers at machines in a factory, or typists in an office, there are always available the means of further education, through evening classes free of charge. And in all this a leading part is played by the best workers in the enterprise, who often undertake voluntarily to train other workers up to their own level. When, in 1935, the coal-miner Stakhanov became famous all over the world as the young man who in a six-hour shift had doubled output and had at the same time received a tremendous rise in earnings as a result, many people outside the U.S.S.R. asked the question: “Does this not mean that a new privileged category of workers will arise, having a monopoly of the jobs which earn high wages?” To those who were living in the U.S.S.R. at the time, this question appeared singularly divorced from real life, for in his spare time this same coal-miner Stakhanov was going round his own and other pits training the workers there to use his methods and to become more efficient organizers of their work, raising earnings accordingly. In this way leading workers in the U.S.S.R. train others up to their own level. From the point of view of the ordinary worker this means that, in every sphere of work, the most highly skilled are willing helpers and trainers. Every working man and woman has the opportunity to learn to improve technique at the job, with the expert assistance of those who are best at that kind of work. Obviously, such a system is itself dependent on certain economic conditions! Leading workers in the U.S.S.R. would not be so willing to train others up to their own level of efficiency if, as in Britain today, they thought they might be replaced by these other workers as soon as they had trained them. Full co-operation on the part of all the skilled workers in a community in training others to their own level of skill can only be obtained in a society in which there is no unemployment, and where every sort of skilled work is in demand. In the U.S.S.R. there has been no unemployment since 1931, and there is a demand for every kind of qualified worker. It is in such circumstances that the skilled worker knows that by training others he is not endangering his own security, and that the community as a whole, and he as a member of it, will gain from a greater supply of skilled workers and the products of their labor.

Pat Sloan, Soviet Democracy, 1937

[literallys-illiteracy]

The floor of technological sciences:

ahhhh i realised that the other one had some things that i wanted to change so i thought that i might as well upload it all in one post.

this one is longer than Malkuth's, shorter than Tiphereth's (i dont think that any are going to get to that length)

The harms of Technology, Capitalism and selling your soul to the devil:

i dont know if this title is better than the one i had before but i have a headache and cant be bothered titling it any better than this

Forsaken murderer was at one point in the past, a murderer on death row; rather than execution he served as a test subject so that scientists may learn how to cure a disease, though injections and chemicals his violent tendencies, along with humanity, were removed. 

Following these experiments he was no longer considered dangerous, as he had seemingly no intention to attack, meaning he was unrestrained, after this, the murder began having delusions, specifically of his head turning into metal (hence the EGO line for meursault) which caused him to begin bashing his head into solid objects - in the time following this, an incident occurred involving the murder of one of the researchers, leading to the murderer to be dissected.

Though the helper was designed to assist humanity, to recognise and assist human behaviour, it is never able to do so, its instruments being replaced with sharp blades rather than cleaning tools; The helper does not act from a will to help however, it simply follows its programming, there is no reason for it to question these instructions, rather it need just act them out as it was ordered.

Singing machine doesn't really have a backstory like others, it's simply the machine itself, and the obsession that it induces over its music; the noises produced are so addicting that those who seek it will sacrifice other employees into the grinder for it to continue; or, if we dissect it as a metaphor, the machine rewards those who willingly sacrifice others in order to succeed (yup its capitalism)

“They're bound to the company the moment they enter. Even if they do resign, they are doomed to stay here forever."

The Funeral of Dead Butterflies tells the story of a pious man who entered the company carrying a coffin to mourn those who could not leave, who soon became trapped inside the company walls himself, becoming a husk with burning memories of an empty faith.

The Funeral of dead butterflies can be separated into 3 thematic faucets, although all connecting back to the abnormality and floor as a whole.

The first is shown primarily in its, and the city’s, story as a whole: The concept of a corporatocracy.

As you enter the company, you sign the contract, you may never leave, even if one retires, they are bound to stay with the company forever.

The second is the funeral, formerly the religious man, coming to mourn those who’s souls are bound to these company walls, to act as a saviour; The Funeral too is trapped inside the company, slowly losing their sense of self, endlessly walking the halls without meaning.

The third is the Kaleidoscope of butterflies, the souls of those who were mourned in the company, trapped inside the confines of this coffin. 

The thematic of the butterflies is best demonstrated through a quote from the Abnormality’s story: 

“Butterflies are supposed to pollinate flowers, but not a single proper flower blooms in this place. There is no choice but to wait. After all, there must be an end to every world” 

In this, the Funeral of dead butterflies embodies the concept of death. Not only does it represent death in the sense of mortality, the Funeral relates to the concept of death and change, the embodiment of endings and new beginnings.

The butterflies being cocooned inside the coffin, the employees being trapped within the company; Through the ending of the company, the souls will be free to fly forth, to live as a human does, rather than a slave to those better off.

Der Freischütz, German for “The Freeshooter” is based off of figure in german folklore of the same name, who sold their soul to the devil for 7 bullets, the first 6 able to hit any target the marksman desired, but the last of which would only follow the will of the devil himself; a story of selling your soul 

In their backstory within Lobotomy Corporation, Freischütz, before taking this deal, murdered all their beloved, so that the destined bullet would have no target, yet in the end it pierced his heart. 

The Freischütz then wondered across different worlds, acting purely off of base impulse, having lost their soul long ago; The Freischütz did not only lose their soul when the devil pierced their heart, but when they gave up their loved ones in an attempt to trick the devil, but the devil seeks only suffering, which the Freischütz has long caused.

Floor Realisation links:

…I am Angela, your AI secretary whose role is to assist you in adjusting to your new workplace.

Linking Angela to our abnormalities of this floor, a new link begins to reveal itself, all linking back to Angela’s imprisonment, her lack of discretion throughout Lobotomy Corporation:

In her past, Angela was a puppet to the script, being directed, given orders she could not understand nor refuse; Her life written in stone, orchestrated by Ayin.

Though she was designed to assist the facilities, act as a helper, an assistant, she soon realised that she could not act on emotions.

Ayin’s script allowed no room for humanity, each step must be enacted as it was written, each order to be followed exactly and without question.

Though one may argue Angela to be cruel throughout Lobotomy Corporation, these sufferings were not made under her discretion, rather, this pain was merely an outcome of her script, the one she could never disobey.

After all:

A machine had no use for values. There was no point discerning between good and bad when the principles were already set in stone.

Though witnessing, causing and abiding by these sufferings, Angela was not in a place to question this, for she was in the same suffering as all others trapped within the company.

There was a time when I was sick of seeing any more death.

Despite Angela’s stoic nature throughout Lobotomy Corporation, Anglea was not willing in these sacrifices made in the plan, seeing countless, horrible gruesome deaths, yet shedding a tear would dampen the wings, and the play would reset; In this mourning, Angela embodies the funeral, yet should others not also mourn for her? Can the sufferings, the sacrifices made by others compare to how she has suffered? 

Angela was too mourned in the coffin, being trapped within the company, yet she was never allowed the rest that this confinement provided, she need endlessly fly towards the end, Angela is both the mourner and the mourned in this story, she is the butterfly inside the butterfly’s coffin inside the butterfly’s coffin (inside a bag of milk).

“Butterflies are supposed to pollinate flowers, but not a single proper flower blooms in this place. There is no choice but to wait. After all, there must be an end to every world”

And, just as the butterflies are meant to pollinate, those with a soul are meant to live freely, not confined inside the corporation, not dictated by a script, but with discretion and on their own accord; Just as the Funeral says, there is no life worth living within this place, so Angela must bring an end to her confinement, break free from her chains, and pollinate flowers i guess? 

A morbid script written for the purpose of treatment, and a machine slowly becoming numb in the act, losing her sense of guilt…

Along the course of her confinement, Angela’s sense of self withered away; Akin to the Forsaken murderer she was, for lack of a better word, forsaken, by the script, by her creator.

Though Angela suffered in their stead she was never rewarded, never applauded on the stage alongside the others; Chained to her role, never given a chance to live, never given a reason, her humanity began to erode, her guilt for these actions, her grief at witnessing these deaths faded, and in their place came a burning resentment, a hate towards those who put her here, who confined her, who decided that she would suffer before others, and that she would never be thanked for her role.

Just like the Murderer, Angela was trapped, an unceasing loop of ending, beginning, ends. Begins. Ends. Begins. Until… it ended, in a final rest for the murderer, and in the first life for Angela.

“Am I not allowed to help that person…? But they seem to be in so much pain…” …The sound of weakness.

reflecting the past of Lobotomy Corp alongside mirroring our current Angela, the singing machine represents her past, yet also her lack of reason. While she seeks freedom, she is a prisoner to the library, lacking any discretion, and suffering being the only path:

Angela was long a bystander to the machinations of Lobotomy Corporation, being powerless to help those who suffered for the greater cause, fed to corporation for Ayin’s plan, yet she also may manifest as the sacrifice herself; 

Angela was cast aside by Ayin, abandoned to be the only one in the machine, left aside even at the end, never hearing the melody that she suffered so long for; For this, in order to spite Ayin's plan, she now takes the role of the maddened employee.

We all take the sacrifice of others for granted, so that we can have immediate satisfaction.

Angela’s single minded nature mimics that of those employees who crave the song from the machine, entirely dedicated to pursuing this promised song, not caring for any consequences, never stopping to see what she has caused.

In essence, Angela’s quest for the one true book, makes her a slave to the library, being unable to live without it, no more free than completing Ayin’s plan, her single goal, her only motivation to continue living.

I came to a realisation; perhaps the last bullet was meant to puncture no one else but me.

Angela’s single minded desires, her loss of grief, and her sacrifice, both of others and herself, culminate in her taking on the EGO of Der Freischütz;

No matter how many lives would be lost for her ambitions, no matter how many innocents were in the line of her target, she would not hesitate to pull the trigger, to act out the script despite their suffering and to seek the one true book through the pain of others.

This sacrificing of innocents, this selfish act, is mirrored in the Freischütz bargain, their acceptance of this devil’s deal, their sacrifice of all they called beloved, and finally, of their soul.

Though Angela, as a machine, may not have been born with a soul, she is revealed to have one in the finale of lob corp, manifested through her desires to live, through the fragmented remains of her human nature, through her heart.

It is in this where the story of the Freischütz differs, whereas the bullet may have pierced Angela’s heart long ago, her soul was not claimed, she may have lost her humanity as she lived through her torment, yet she was not without emotions, she felt every second of pain, every moment of grief, of agony within these chains, the bullet never removing what she had not originally.

The finale of the Freischütz leaves them alone, without even the devil to whom they lost their soul, alone in the depths of this hell, much the same as Ayin planned for Angela in the end. 

The day I got my hands on this bullet, I sank down upon the ground. Was it despair that the Devil wished for?

In terms of thematics, Angela may resonate much closer to the Schütze, rather that the Freischütz, through the longing, the hope, that one day she may too become the cold machine, uncaring as the Freischütz: Angela, like the Schütze, may have hoped freedom through the loss of their soul, through the freedom brought about by nihilism (note to self, write essay about memento mori by William Woodium).

Not a sliver of impurity is allowed for the mind of those who mourn, it must remain reverent and solemn.

The Rationality to Maintain Discretion:

Gabriel: We thought relying on emotion wouldn’t help a thing. However, it became clear that to accept sadness was just as important. The false rationality we held and clung to only made our hearts rot. It is hard to accept at first. You’ll feel like you’d crumble in. But it’ll get better, I’m sure of it. - Yesod

Following Elijah's Death in the events before Lobotomy Corporation, Gabriel, now Yesod, suppressed himself, leaving only his rationality in stead of his emotions.

Gabriel began to be obsessed with safety, compulsively covering every part of his skin except for his head, ensuring that all rules must be followed perfectly, hoping that these rational precautions will be enough to prevent further death.

This obsession lead to psychosis, Gabriel believing that he was rotting from the inside, compulsively scratching at his skin until forced to take a medical checkup preceding his death.

Gabriel's death was caused though his obsessive rationality, believing that he should bury emotions, even those of mourning for Elijah, so that his decisions would not be clouded.

In holding to this false rationality, that he must suppress all his emotions, Gabriel, Yesod, mirrors his floor's abnormalities, foremost being the Der Freischutz.

"The despaired heart couldn’t go out in a passionate flame. It would only burn with a cold fire."

"Now I see; I have been wallowing in despair, for such a long time."

Akin to Angela, Yesod's relation is in the loss of ones soul, or wishing that they had; Gabriel attempted to bury his emotions, sacrifice his soul in the same manner the Freischutz did, to view all this death and suffering without a clouded mind.

The root cause of Gabriel's psychosis was wishing to not see suffering, to not witness the deaths of any others for the research, mirroring the position of Angela's beginning, and the story of the Funeral of dead butterflies, not wishing to see others suffer, yet losing ones self rather than mourning those who are lost to them.

Angela:

Similar to the way that Gabriel, or Yesod, hoped that rationality would be able to prevent death, Angela too wished to not see the death and horrors of Lobotomy Corporation, the reason that her eyes are closed in a majority of the game’s sprites.

Both Angela and Yesod were viewed as cold uncaring machines due to this trait within the events of the game, hoping that a cold emotionless approach would minimise suffering, thinking that clinging to their false rationality would bring the better future they wished for.

In the transition from Lobotomy Corporation to Library of Ruina, Angela begins to show more and more emotions, experiencing situations for the first time, acting without the puppeteer’s strings which controlled her for so long, she no longer needs to maintain her robotic facade.

Despite this, in the earliest sections of the game, Angela is unable to show the full depth of her emotions, attempting to seal the memories of her past behind, to not be driven by her irrational emotions, the same desire held by Gabriel before the events of the first game.

This suppression of emotions in pursuit of rationality is the same pitfall which held both Yesod and Ayin before her.

What Angela lacks is that of emotions, the drive behind her actions is which she views as rational, yet is driven by a suppressed hatred and sorrow, a buried past rearing its head to drive her forward. 

While Gabriel’s actions were driven from grief, the loss of Elijah, he maintained the view that he was driven by rationality.

Just like Gabriel in the past, Angela must uncloud her vision in order to pursue her dream of becoming a human

Thanks for reading, find the others of this series below:

Angela Floors:

<Malkuth>

Roland Floors:

<Tiphereth>

[ferronite]

Well, I'm about to go to sleep, so keep in mind that I'll only see your answer when I wake up—

Which LobCorp Abnos your 7 little beings match best?

And an extra question just to make you a little unhappy :]

Which of my characters do you think each of your 7 would get along with best? Considering what you've read from my posts and such.

good luck. two long questions. sorry.

Oo good questions! (Also why would the second make us unhappy?)

Anyway, for the first one:

Jean: mmm. Silent Orchestra, Queen of Hatred and Old Lady. SO mostly due to their desire for others to see their work (and also belief that others are simply "unable to handle it), QoH because of their desire to be better than others then leading to them breaking down when they lose faith in themselves and can't find anyone "lesser", and Old Lady... being essentially what they fear becoming. Someone who creates art for an uncaring, actively dismissive audience.

Maria: there's a lot that could work, but... Burrowing Heaven, Schadenfreude, Snow White's Apple. Heaven is pretty obvious - it's her desire for attention, to be seen by all, whilst Schadenfreude is her fear of being truly perceived. She doesn't want people to see the raw self beneath the image she's created. And then the Apple follows on from that - her jealousy for people who can be themselves with no consequence, her fears of abandonment, and her worry that people will find out that she's "rotten" (even though that's not true!!!)

Kaylen: hm. Singing Machine, Yin, and... Dimensional Refraction Variant. Singing Machine is just for the vibes honestly, I mean... music and mind control! It's what he do - and also kinda represents people's fears abt him. (...hi there S.) Yin is again mostly linked to people's views of them as being a "curse" really, and DRF is a similar thing; the fears of something that can't be seen, and also his worries abt being left alone due to these things.

Danny: Knight of Despair, Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary, and Queen Bee. Most of his are linked to his feelings towards others - KoD is his desire to protect/defend those he cares about (even if they're capable of looking out for themselves), Little Red is mostly vibes ngl but also his more "vengeful" side; he can hold a grudge for a long time. Queen Bee... I'd link him more to the workers than anything considering his loyalty thing, but in a way it links to his past. It's the Vibes again really lol.

Sel: again, a lot that would fit them, but... Der Freischütz, Mountain of Smiling Bodies and Clouded Monk. Der Frei since they push people away (and did kill the people they cared for in the past) and try to avoid connections for fear of them getting in the way/getting people they care about hurt (the aberration lines up better with this but shhhh), and also ig their view of themselves as a weapon. MoSB is because of... well, their Creations mostly but also on some level their knowledge that eventually their actions will return to haunt them, and Clouded Monk is because they do wish to help/protect people and have their specific set of morals, but also view themselves as being "imperfect" or "corrupted" (note: not Corrupted with a capital lmao)

Basil: Meat Lantern, Big and Will be Bad Wolf, and Beauty and the Beast. Lantern is cuz he's normally the one to bring everyone together, which will generally end in tragedy, with Beauty being linked to how his death was what resulted in the "curse". Wolf is mostly because, whilst he fights against it, in many iterations he is assumed to be destined to be the "bad guy", even if he doesn't end up being the "villlain" in that life... he also, upon learning abt the cycle, considers it to be his fault.

Liv: All-Around Helper, Snow Queen, Big Bird. Helper is her desire to... well, help others, and how it ended up causing more problems. Snow Queen is more vague but it's about how she got everyone stuck in the cycles instead of allowing them to move on ("freezing" them together/in place in a way.) And Big Bird is, again, how her intent to help people with a "better" solution only resulted in this situation.

Note: I also associate both of the siblings with WhiteNight due to them drawing everyone together, only to end up causing their ruin.

As for the second question...

Jean: realistically probably none of them (or maybe mehi?), I reckon all of your guys would find them a bit annoying, but I do like the image of them helping Tracy with her drawings, so I'll say that :) they have a bit of a soft spot for kids anyway.

Maria: hmm. Probably Tracy again, she'd definitely want to help her with her confidence, but if we want different answers for everyone... Ada would probably hate her slightly less than they hate everyone else. Not because of any personality things, and they wouldn't like her, but cuz they can tell shes putting on a front and hiding some stuff so... they'd probably end up considering her some kind of puzzle to be solved.

Kaylen: Luna, probably. I can imagine them both teaming up to try convince Mehi to do Human Things lmao.

Danny: Avery. They just... they'd mesh quite well. Similar personalities (kinda!), similar things with protecting people/revenge, even similar favourite colours (I mean, magenta's pretty close to pink!) They'd be quite the force to be reckoned with.

Sel: considering their matching vibes I would say Mehi but honestly I don't think they'd like each other much (sel would remind him of his past, mehi would probably just piss them off) so... Noah perhaps? They'd get along well but dear God they'd be absolutely insufferable together for everyone else lmaooooo.

Basil: Mehiel. He might not share Mehi's "I am only my purpose" thing, but he can certainly understand the sentiment, as well as the desire to protect people. I reckon they'd be pretty chill.

Liv: Maple. Zero surprises on that one! They have such similar vibes, they'd get along brilliantly I reckon.

[as-is-above-so-below]

The poll still has some time left, but almost 80% of you voted for the Captain house! So, here’s your ✨dinner✨

I’ll probably update with an arial shot for a clearer floor plan for y’all soon! I want to adjust a few things too, but this is where we’re at for now 🥹 Also please ignore that I forgot to turn off the grid lines in a lot of photos.

Give me your thoughts! <3

Am I aware the front looks bad? Yes. There aren’t enough windows, and I couldn’t figure out where to put more for the life of me, given the layout of the floor plan. I've since learned to place windows and do the exterior first, then work the interior around that. Also, perpetual pride flag for their favorite throuple

The entryway was the first thing I made! Fun fact for everybody: I am not at all creative, outside of writing. I can't pull anything out of thin air. I modeled this part after my best friend's parents' home that I spent a lot of time at over the years.

The living room has to have lots of seating for all of their friends. I'm OBSESSED with the little chairs for Joan and Art. They have lots of soft, warm lighting, and starting off with a darker wall color. I feel like they would prefer darker colors; they're calmer. Their home is very lived in, evidence all over the place that it's a family home and kids live there :) I'll have y'all know that I was DEAD SET on the stairs being in the living room like my childhood home and I built the entire structure and floorplan around that LOL

Formal dining room, self-explanatory. It's off to the left from the living room.

KITCHEN! I love the kitchen, specifically the clutter. They have both a coffee machine and a kettle, for obvious reasons. Mail on the counter, an open cookbook, and the kitchen table is the spot for homework :) Several aprons for messy helpers.

The upstairs hallway! Nothing special except the STINKIN' ADORABLE door art for the kids. Joan's room is the first on the right, Arthur's is the second, the bathroom is across from Arthur's room, then Freyja and Simon's room at the end.

Joanie's room! Listen she's getting older, still a little girl but starting to like big girl stuff.

ARTHUR'S ROOM, BIG DINOSAUR AND SPACE BOY. I love him <3

The kids' bathroom!

Then at the end of the hall, the master bedroom! A comfy chair for getting babies to sleep, and a cozy dark room.

Then we finish off in the master bath! Not a huge fan of the red but that's how it's gonna stay atm

I cannot emphasize enough how much more clutter there would be in the Riley house if it were available to me in base game. They're busy people and don't really care for having a perfectly spotless house all the time (if ever LMAO)

[demonhanabi]

The Lamy Hypothesis - One Shot

Originally posted on AO3 - February 2024

Leonard adjusted the neck of his shirt for the ninth time in the last 5 minutes, it had been a dumb idea to agree to this blind date. He removed his glasses and cleaned them again. Just because Penny was dating Sheldon didn’t mean that he had to jump into a blind date. Well, not exactly jumping into it but seeing his friends be actually happy made him wish some of that happiness for himself.

Penny and Sheldon…that had come out of the blue and surprised everyone. Leonard most of all. He thought that he and Penny had something going on.

Sheldon had received funding for his Arctic Expedition and immediately broke his ankle jumping for joy. Because of that, Leonard, Raj and Howard had gone on his stead, which yeah, the experience was amazing and even as Sheldon’s helpers it would be an amazing thing to add to their resume and records. Sadly the experiment didn’t reveal anything new and even Sheldon had to admit (over spotty Skype) that there was nothing more they could do but return.

Leonard should have known that something was wrong by Sheldon asking him to remember that they had been gone for 6 months.

“Leonard, change is an inherent part of life.” This should have been terrifying coming from Sheldon but Leonard had just been happy to go home.

The three intrepid explorers had arrived in Pasadena and then into 4A and had been met with the image of Penny straddling Sheldon while she did her best to check if he still had his tonsils.

Leonard could still feel his heart break to this day.

Which fine, Penny didn’t owe him anything, but…he had seen her first. He had already named their hypothetical children and envisioned a future with her. All of that was gone, like smoke in a moment.

A flush of shame makes him remember the words he had hurled at this roommate and neighbor, he was truly ashamed of them and wished he could take them back. It was the first time he thought Sheldon would actually deck him, as for Penny, she did deck him before yelling in his face ‘I’m not a toy Leonard! You can’t just call dibs on me like a thing.’

That hurt.

Not just because of the punch, but because Penny’s words went against everything he believed himself to be. Had he really treated her like a thing? Looking back at their interactions made him cringe more and more until he was a ball of shame and regret. Every time he paid for her dumplings, he had done it expecting her to put out for him. He had thought that because he had treated her nicely that he deserved to sleep with her…

It’s a horrible thing to look at yourself in the mirror and not recognize your reflection.

He had apologized to both Penny and Sheldon, but not only that, he also started going to therapy. Even though his natural response to anyone suggesting therapy had been to react defensively and to deflect the subject, he couldn’t do that anymore. Not if he wanted to be the kind of person he thought he was before. An apology without change in the behavior was just manipulation and he didn’t want to be THAT person.

Not anymore. He had to destroy Leonard Hofstadter ‘The Nice Guy’ and rebuilt himself into Leonard Hofstadter the nice guy.

It wasn’t easy, of course he could see how his mother influenced him, but at what point did it become routine to simply blame her for everything and not take responsibility for his actions? To sweep it under the rug of his mother’s shadow.

Now he had to take everything from under the rug back out one by one until he could no longer hide behind it. He had to face the things that made him uncomfortable.

Manipulating girls to be kinder to him by offering stories of hugging machines, funeral chocolate cake, being ignored for his siblings. Being ashamed of who he was and always being ready to leave it behind. Being snarky and sarcastic all of the time in order to not be vulnerable.

He couldn’t stay the same.

It all felt like learning the way you walked your entire life was wrong and you had to be conscious about how you’re stepping, how long your stride is, what shoes you’re wearing. At times you unconsciously went back to walk the same way. But as his therapist said “It will soon feel normal, you won’t have to worry about all of that stuff and you will be able to live the way you want.”

The flush of shame had almost disappeared by now but he helped it along by downing his second glass of water. He was glad the waiter had left the pitcher at the table because Leonard was thirsty.

He had arrived at the restaurant thirty minutes before the agreed time because old habits are hard to kick and he was nervous. This would be his first date in…a year. Leonard froze with the glass to his mouth, huh, he hadn’t noticed it had been quite so long. He’d been focused on his own personal improvement that dating was left behind. He was a little proud of that fact.

In fact, he had only agreed to this because Howard had pushed him to it.

His friend had apparently set up a dating profile for him and arranged this whole blind date. He still wasn’t sure if this was a prank or not, Howard had been smiling a little too enthusiastically.

“Excuse me, I’m Amy Farrah Fowler. You’re Leonard Hofstadter.” A strong and firm voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hi, yes…” He trailed off after seeing his date.

Oh. It had been a prank. Amy was a nice girl but she was dressed like his grandma and the way she had spoken, well, that was a perfect impression of Sheldon. Man…he hadn’t expected that, not really.

Howard could be such an asshole at times.

“Sorry, yes. Hi. I’m Leonard.” He extended his hand, he’d play along for now and get Penny and Sheldon involved in his revenge.

“By your expression I can see that you’re disappointed in my appearance. This is a common thing.” The heartbreaking words were said in a deadpan tone of voice and expression.

“No! I mean…Yeah, a little bit. I thought this was an actual date and…You know what, my friend set this whole thing up and I feel bad that you were pulled in for this prank. Is he around? I have to admit that getting you to imitate Sheldon is a bit much.” Leonard rambled quickly.

“Imitate?” The first inkling of an emotion in her voice. “Elaborate please.”

“THAT! It’s just that we have a friend that speaks like that and he’s my roommate and…” Leonard trailed off at the confused look on her face. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”

“No. I…You mentioned a prank. Are you pranking me like Daniel Hurt did during the Homecoming dance where he pretended to invite me only to have a homeless man pick me up instead?” There was something in her voice that gave Leonard pause. Resignation?

“What?! No!” He was horrified by her anecdote. “Did he really do that to you?” Morbid curiosity prompted him to ask.

Amy nodded. “Samantha Brewer also pretended to invite me to a sleepover only for the address she gave me to be the local dog pound.”

Leonard gaped at her. “Uh, I’m really sorry. I once got shoved in my locker by my best friend because a cheerleader told him that if he did it she would kiss him. But then her boyfriend beat up my friend.”

And sharing stories of their horrible childhoods they soon began talking about their interests and jobs. Amy was a Neurobiologist and she actually spent time in Caltech, though not often.

‘Maybe this date wasn’t such a bad idea after all.’

***

“Raj! Buddy! You don’t understand!” Howard took a hold of Raj’s arm.

“I understand. Leonard has been doing his best to become a better version of himself and you wanted to prank him?!” Raj wasn’t exactly yelling, but was very close to.

They were outside of Howard’s house and were about to enter with their takeout but before they could do it, Howard couldn’t contain his glee anymore and told Raj of his ‘prank’.

“No buddy, no. It’s not like that! I just-”

“Howard! You better hope that Leonard forgives you.” Raj gave Howard a disappointed look.

“I…I’ll apologize properly. I swear!”

***

Leonard nervously shifted in place and looked up at Amy’s face. Her expression was the same as it had been for most of the night but she had a small blush on her cheeks.

Leonard was happy that he date had NOT been a prank.

Amy was a wonderful and sweet girl, and much like Sheldon she was way too smart for her own good. She wasn’t imitating Sheldon, that was her own way of speaking plus nervousness.

“I believe that it’s customary for a date to end on a kiss.” Amy said, her voice was level and calm but her blush had intensified.

“Ah, yes.” He said smartly. Deciding that talking was not the best course of action at the moment, Leonard gave Amy a chaste kiss on the lips but almost right away Amy grabbed him by the back of the head and deepened the kiss.

Leonard grabbed Amy’s waist more to stop himself from toppling over than for any other reasons but the moment he did she moaned into his mouth and Leonard decided to stop worrying and start kissing her back.

“Woah…” Leonard said after Amy had let him go.

“I’m free next Friday night and will be expecting a call from you.” How could she sound so calm after that kiss was a mystery.

“Uh, yes.” Leonard gave himself some grace on his lack of eloquence, lack of blood to the brain does that to you.

“Goodnight Leonard.”

“Goodnight Amy.”

“Woah…” Leonard repeated once her apartment door had closed.

He touched his lips and looked at his feet, he felt like a teenager in the best sense of the word. He looked back up at the closed door and raised his hand to knock but stopped himself at the last moment and instead moved to walk back to his car.

The cat was alive.

On the drive back to the apartment he kept thinking on the best way to thank Howard for introducing him to Amy. Maybe he could convince Sheldon to rescind one of Howard’s strikes?

***

“Hey there Casanova, how did your date go?” Penny asked him as soon as he closed the door to 4A behind him. She was sitting right next to Sheldon on her spot and judging by the state of her hair they also had a successful night. Sheldon was too focused on his laptop to give him more than a passing greeting.

“It went great!” He gave Penny a real smile. He was glad that they were able to recover their friendship. “Amy is a sweet girl and we kinda hit it off right away.”

“Aw Sweetie, that’s fantastic!” Penny smiled back at him. “Isn’t that right Moonpie?” She nudged Sheldon with her leg.

“Yes, yes, yes. Congratulations Leonard.” Sheldon rolled his eyes and gave Leonard what for him was an enthusiastic response. Sheldon yelped as Penny pinched his side and whispered something about being happy for Leonard.

“So when are you seeing her again?” Penny asked after her whispered conversation with Sheldon.

“Next Friday night…” He hesitated before deciding to soldier on. “I really like her. I don’t know…I think there’s something there.” He shrugged bashfully.

“Awww Sweetie, that’s great!”

“Yeah.” He smiled like a fool at her.

He hoped that he wasn’t wrong about this. He really liked Amy.

***

Leonard took a hit of his inhaler and tried his best to smile and signal to Amy that he was okay. His naked chest heaved with the effort of trying to breathe until the medicine relaxed his airway muscles and he was able to gain control of his breathing.

“Allow me to go fetch a glass of water for you.” Amy said once she knew he’d be okay.

“Thank you, love.” He said breathlessly and enjoyed the way Amy blushed at his words.

Amy put on her robe and left his bedroom. Thankfully Sheldon was spending the night at 4B which meant Leonard and Amy had the apartment to themselves. Leonard relaxed against the headboard and enjoyed the sounds of Amy moving through the empty apartment, the sound of the cupboard opening and closing.

It felt nice, like home.

Being fully honest with himself, he had to admit that he hadn’t seen his relationship with Amy develop the way it had in the past months.

She was as smart as Sheldon but didn’t have the same hang-ups that he did about physical contact and sex. Pursing his lips he sucks on his teeth in annoyance.

‘Although it seems he doesn’t have those same hang-ups when it comes to Penny.’

Leonard shakes his head and tries to move away from those thoughts. Sheldon and Penny were happy and he was honestly happy for them as well. But it was a work in progress to try and stop the negative thoughts, it was a behavior he needed to unlearn.

‘Focus on Amy.’ He reminded himself. Amy had a very dry sense of humor that matched perfectly with his, she was actually very sweet but had trouble expressing those feelings, honestly their childhoods had been somewhat similar which also helped them bond.

Amy was also a very sexual being…and he could barely keep up with her. He thought he had wanted a girl that liked sex, but Amy was challenging that idea. In short, she was insatiable.

“Here you go Leonard.” Amy’s voice startled him out of his musings.

“Thank you.” He accepted the glass of water she offered, took a couple of sips and once his throat felt better he took a big gulp. The water was cool and it helped to calm him down even more.

“So…ready for round two my sexy Hobbit?” Amy was also very direct.

Leonard almost choked as he drank, not due to shock, no. He was used to Amy’s somewhat inappropriate comments when she was feeling horny. No, he almost choked in laughter.

“Yeah.” Leonard put the glass on the nightstand and pounced on his sexy girlfriend, they had the apartment to themselves for once and he was not going to waste this chance.

***

Later, as he laid between Amy’s arms, Leonard had to wonder if this position would have embarrassed the ‘Leonard from before’.

If anyone would have barged in on his room at that moment, they would have found Amy on her back and Leonard laying on top of her, his head nestled right underneath her breasts and her arms resting protectively against his back, surrounding him lovingly.

Sometimes he got the sudden urge to cry in these moments and he wasn’t fully sure why.

Leonard had always wanted to be the one that protected his girlfriend, to be a manly man. But therapy had helped him see how it also led him to see women as things without autonomy. He had been afraid that someone could come along and ‘take’ girls away from him, like they were toys. He’d been scared of that when introducing Amy to Sheldon…He’s glad that she’s sleeping because he can’t face her at the moment, he nestles his head closer to her chest.

Her warmth is a soothing balm on his…soul? Ego? No, on his life.

A part of him, a part he hadn’t wanted to face had been afraid that Amy would have dropped him as soon as she met Sheldon, but he had been a fool. Amy hadn’t left his side all night and even kissed and openly showed her affection towards him.

A bubble of laughter almost threatens to burst out of him. ‘If anything, I should have been wary of Penny.’ Amy almost instantly latched onto their neighbor, the trademark kindness of the blonde was a bonfire that Amy couldn’t ignore, even going so far as to declaring Penny ‘her bestie’.

It felt good to be in a relationship and not having to feel like he was competing against some invisible contender. Amy wanted to be with him and that was all there was to it. He still had to remind himself of that, but with Amy by his side, he could do anything.

And yes, he’s certain that if Howard knew about their sleeping positions there would be much teasing about Leonard being the girl in the relationship, but he honestly couldn’t care less what Howard, or anyone else for that matter thought. Amy loved to cuddle with him and the way she held him was loving and made him feel safe.

Leonard is sure that he loves Amy.

But he’s still in therapy and doesn’t want to scare her off, it’s only been 6 months since they’ve been dating which yeah, before, he would have been ready to move in with her almost right away, but Amy had her own circumstances with her mother and these weekends that they would spend at the apartment felt like a nice practice run for the future.

There was no need to rush, they’ll get there when they get there.

His eyes felt heavy with sleep but he refused to give in to sleep just yet. He wanted to enjoy more of this time with her, the apartment was quiet and the only noises were coming from beyond the window and the city outside.

For this moment in space and time, only Leonard and Amy existed in his consciousness. Sleep took him soon.

That night, dreams of two boys with brunette hair and square rimmed glasses filled him with joy and caused him to wake up in a great mood. Sadly, by the time his waking consciousness took over he had forgotten most of the dreams he had that night.

All that left was a feeling of longing that only went away when he hugged Amy.

***

“Sheldon, stop fidgeting.” Leonard whispered to the man on his left.

“I do not fidget, Leonard.” Sheldon lied.

“Then what do you call this…” Leonard tried to discreetly show that Sheldon kept moving in place.

“It’s my first time being a ‘Best Man’ and I’m simply nervous. I want to perform my role correctly.” Sheldon avoided admitting he was fidgeting, Leonard noted.

“I’m the one getting married, Sheldon. As long as you don’t lose the rings you’ll be fine.” Leonard saw Sheldon freeze in place and a pit of dread opened in his stomach. “Sheldon…the rings…” He trailed off not knowing how to even ask Sheldon if he still had them.

A breathy laugh “Bazinga. Honestly Leonard, I have an eidetic memory, I would never-”

Ignoring the rest of what Sheldon said Leonard took a deep breath and closed his eyes in consternation, he would tell Penny later about this inappropriately timed Bazinga so she could take care of her Wackadoodle husband. Being in love with the man did not make her any less likely to go Junior Rodeo on him.

At least this had calmed down his own nerves significantly.

Hearing the music swell and start to play, Leonard opened his eyes and like magic his eyes found Amy’s eyes across the church. She looked breathtaking in her white dress, the glasses he loved were absent which meant her eyes were shown fully to the world and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

Leonard Hofstadter was one lucky SOB. And he was ready to marry the love of his life.

***

“Dad! Can we get ice cream?” Sheldon asked.

“Ohhhh yes! I second that.” Niles quickly joined, his youngest always followed in his brother’s steps.

“I don’t know guys…” Leonard pretended to think it over. “Well, alright! Let’s go get ice cream.”

“Yay!” “Yes!”

“Just don’t tell your mother, we’re supposed to go have dinner at your Aunt Penny’s place.” He was glad that his kids did not inherit his aversion to lactose, he wanted them to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.

“Okay Dad.” Niles said.

"I can't wait to show Uncle Sheldon my test results." His other boy vibrated in his seat in his excitement.

Leonard smiled at his children through the rearview mirror.

Life was good.

fin.

[content-d3leted]

Here's another useless paragraph or two that noone will ever read but I need to type it anyway because..........yes.

Robert. (I know, what are the chances that this is about him again!!). He's such an odd character, in the sense that he is considered a genius by many, and acts all smart, aswell as being an inventor AND a robot, which are usually both stereotyped as clever, however he is actually so stupid (in a nice way) for the most part.

This guy can create machines allowing you to see other people's dreams, he can create dusters that can automatically detect mess, he can create whisks that un-scramble eggs..........yet he didn't know what a seed was. He didn't know what pretty much any sport was or how it worked, he didn't know what an audition was, what a holiday was, or a sleepover, the poor chap doesn't even know whats going on half the time! (Well, in series 1 at least).

In a way, its quite nice. It shows he is not just a stereotypical genius who knows everything, but is infact only knowledgeable on very specific topics. Basiclly....engineering and cleaning. I suppose that this is because in robot school, that was all he was taught. He didn't learn about biology (hence not knowing what a seed does), or sport, or enjoyable activities in general, because he didn't NEED to. His sole purpose was to serve others, which usually only requires skills that a normal butler would have.

In the usual scenario of what his job should've been like would be cleaning the house and taking care of the people inside with the occasional small-talk, then off to bed. The classic butler. Just standing in the corner of the room, being seen and not heard really.

Justin was different. He didn't see Robert as a mere helper, but instead saw him as a roomate. A best friend. I presume J must of been feeling a bit down and lonely as he moved house alone into a new neighbourhood. He needed a friend, someone to keep him company. So that worked out pretty well. It also meant that Robert got to experience and learn of new things that he never would've done if he lived elsewhere. His first sleepover, his first music festival, his first experience camping! Without Justin, he never would've even known the existence of doing such things! And then they fell in love awwwwwwwww

I doubt Robert had many (or even any?) close friends before meeting Justin, since otherwise he would of heard of having a sleepover for sure. He never really mentions having friends, other than the ones that are already pals of Justin (except Jodie of course, the pair of them seem good friends so he must of had 1 then). Its like the universe destined for he and J to meet, because they really needed eachother!

Throughout the show, Justin is portrayed as a clumsy idiot-like person, who is thought to be considerably less smart than Robert, mostly due to his child-like behaviour and the (annoying) 'funny' voices and faces he does (that cheek wobble thing he does is the most annoying thing ever. Actually pisses me off so much). However, in actual fact, he and Robert are both equally dumb. If anything, Justin is smarter than him! Justin knows more things about the real world and more broader subjects, so really, if you add it all up, he knows more than Robert. Of course though, Robert is very smart in his own special way.

Wait actually now that I think about it, Robert does act child-like aswell. In series 1 there were some scenes where he acted like that (eg when he was given the 'official whistle'). And throughout the show, especially in s4, 5 and 6 (although he also does it often in 1, 2 and 3 too), he's become more and more prone to doing his silly little 'hand clapping whilst bouncing' thingy whenever he's excited. I don't personally think that's childish since I do (and will continue doing forever) similar things lol, however others may perceive it as being childish, sooo basiclly he and Justin are both as childish as eachother in their own different ways <33333

It's quite funny how space is one of Robert's main interests, and he clearly adores it, yet he knows so little about it. He didn't know that Uranus had rings?!?!! Does he just decide to not read a single book or anything about his interest?? Or maybe he did but he's just forgetful lol

I actually need to consume them I need to commit an osmosis and absorb this show into my flesh it is just SO GOOD.

I was only supposed to write 1 short paragraph, what happened!! The autism possessed me 😔 /j

[softlantern]

Hello! I stumbled upon your blog, saw Layra, amd immediately wanted to know more about the star bean!

What are some fun facts about her?

Also, have some cookies for you and Layra.

Hey, hi!!:D Thank you very much for your question. It's so nice when someone is interested in learning about your OC. 😌💖Sorry for so much of text, I couldn't stop, phphph-

Thanks for the cookies! Layra happily shares it with you. I imagined it with chocolate chips.🍪

General facts:

- Layra's voice sounds like Sofia the First's.👸

- When she laughs, it feels like someone is playing on glasses.

- She chose the child form because she is energetic, open, childish and cute. Although psychologically speaking, she behaves and thinks far from like an ordinary child. She can suddenly become very serious and tell you quite wise conscious words.

- Speaking about her awareness, she has it at its best from the very beginning. I wish I had her sense of reality.:"D

- Terrible sweet tooth. She especially likes sweets that would make people's teeth hurt from the amount of sugar in them.🍬🧁

- When she is very excited she begins to vibrate. Like a washing machine at high speed. At the same time, she heats up significantly and starts to shine more. You may think that she begins to look like a mirage in the desert.🏜

- Everyone who has ever heard her sing asks her not to do it again. The sound is certainly very pleasant, but the side effect is that it affects the energy of the people around. And you just sit there and think, “Holy stars, why is this making me feel like I’m on a emotional roller coaster??”. Makes you feel extremely intense emotions.💗

- Very tactile. Her primary love language is touch. Plus, she likes to touch everything around her, especially if it’s something soft, fluffy and warm.🧣

- She has a collection of blankets.

- Always open and honest, can be painfully straightforward.

- Adapts very quickly to the environment, adapting sufficiently to its norms, but always maintaining her core and basic principles. Very useful, since she often deals with inhabitants from different worlds.

Facts about her in Collector Wally AU:

- she often has two roses in her hair, since she accidentally got into the Collector’s pocket dimension and fell on his bushes with roses. A couple of them got stuck in her hair, and when she looked in the mirror she decided that it suited her very well.:D 🌹

- tries to help Helper around the house as best as she can. It doesn't work out very well. He tries to keep her mostly away from dishes and window cleaning. But she cleans the floors very quickly and well. Everything is sparkling all around.🌟

- since she has never had a family relationship before, she does not understand that someone can become attached to her in return, love her or be worried for her. She was very surprised to learn that she is important to Helper and  Collector. But also very happy. :) 💞💗

- When Collector has nightmares, she can drive them away, but for this she needs to be nearby. He doesn’t know that she does this and thinks that she’s just very clingy, finding her next to him in the morning. :"D

- Also, before Helper pointed out that her hair is weird it was like that. Unstable and so beautiful🌌:

[kimmykoosh]

Finished all DLC's for New Vegas. Here's what my review of them so far, according to the order I played. Very biased and contained opinions.

Old World Blues (Science fantasy gone wrong).

My first entry to the new world. After failing to make it out from Think Tank for a 987- a couple of tries, I manage to keep myself alive for most of the expedition here. Best DLC in my opinion. New world, so much to discover, new guns, everything is out there to kill you, great. Story wise, I admit, I had to provide extra attention to differentiate the doctors here without confusing things. Most of the science fiction things they often described and the references they gave are all over my head and often made me sleeepy. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE the personified helpers. Sinks, doc, the sexy jukebox and the plant seed thing that helped me too many times in making things. The scientists came to grew on me. I like the suit talking to me because it's lonely being by yourself in an empty world :')))

TLDR; All the science fiction things are snoozefest, but I am still alive after got shot in the head, getting labotomized AND played around with my organs. NPC's are fun and have many personalities. Lots of new weapons, upgrades and big place to make my stimpaks. 10/10 would give Muggy more coffee mugs for his sanity.

Honest Hearts (A much more vertically challenging desert with a view. )

Entered this with half of my things, and a heartache coz I actually reseted 4 times just to save my Caravan crew. And accidentally shot Follows-Chalk because I thought he was a baddie before I realize I'd done goofed up. Story wise, the whole thing was okay. Nothing much I'd care since Salt-Upon-Wounds will kill me regardless if I'm doing pacifist or not. I did enjoy getting high to fight a ghost bear. The map was big enough for me to find everything, but didn't make me care for it much. Joshua Graham is okay, but he didn't like me raiding his stuffs to make bullets that fucker has a bajillions of pistols wtf rude.

TLDR; Forgetable DLC, NPC is one-sided. But the view though. Plentiful mountains, greeneries and high skies. Also lots of fresh water. Sometimes rain. That's new. Weapons are, meh. Useful if you use unarmed or melee. 4/10, would kill more Yao Guai.

Dead Money (Ghost Town Heist With the Gang. )

Started this with a bump on the head (poor Courier holy shit) The only DLC that made me feel challenged because of the constant ducks and sneaking. The Ghost People are creepy and also hard to hit. I cant remember how many times I had to look down and check at my feet or I'll be blown up and get detected. The place is very barren of any places to make stuffs and bullets so you'll learn to adapt with alternate weapons and use any ammo you do have or get, while the Sierra Madre vending machine becoming your next best friend. The NPC's though. The beeping on my neck will haunt me for the rest of my days and I get that casino Obsessed freak to thank for. I'm sad I didnt get too much time with Christine, because she seemed to be a great character towards the end. Dean Domino is a charismatic asshat that gives out very convenient stashes everywhere, but we didn't get to be friends. I did like him though, brilliant mind, just doesn't trust in people. Didn't get to know much about God, coz Dog is too fun and made me feel safe from the people. Story wise, it's very well paced. Though after I opened up the casino, and darted through ALL the ghost people in town by myself, I cant help but noticed I missed something else, but the collar keeps on killing me and I had to go to the next place without checking. Just wished I can check it myself without dying.

TLDR; DLC's challenging, but not that you can't do it. You can do this without killing as much of the Ghost People if you can. Story is rich in juicy details. Betrayal, conflict, and also, plain love. Always love Laura Bailey inside as Vera Keyes. 8/10 for exploding collars.

Lonesome Road (The Sad Tale of the 2 Couriers. )

The only DLC that has a history of the player in past tense, other than being dead, and a mailman. This also introduces our antagonist of the DLC, Ulysses. A very angry ghost who talk through EdE.

Okay, Ulysses is interesting. We got to know about him more throughout the DLC. His history and how he came to here. Interestingly he knew about the factions in New Vegas and everything that is happening there. He is honestly my saving grace in this DLC, but god, his prosses and the way he talks is so BORING. Often I had to relax and do something else for me to understand much about what he is saying. Does that outed me for being an idiot? Maybe? I guess coming from the Legion, he has a style of talking that is unique.

As for the rest of the playthrough, the DLC provides a different thing in going through the whole map. We get to use the laser blaster to blast through and open up certain sections of the blocked roads. Other than some extra weapons, the map and gameplay was decent. I certainly didnt expect to see the Deathclaws coming in here.

TLDR; A very good connection towards Ulysses, a fellow courier that saw our work, and then blamed us for nuking the entire map. Among all of the DLC's I enjoyed this one for the courier per courier connection. I dont really enjoy the Deathclaws and the long and frivolous way to get to Ulysses' hideout. 4/10 for more couriers sending bombs towards the Mojave wastelands, to combat Ulysses' boring speech.

[brandmanifestors]

How AI Tools Are Transforming SEO and Content Marketing in 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer simply a buzzword in the rapidly changing world of digital marketing; it has emerged as a game changer. In 2025, AI tools will transform how firms handle SEO and content marketing, making strategies more accurate, scalable, and results-oriented. Whether you're a startup or a well-established brand, working with the finest SEO company in Noida or a leading SEO firm in Delhi NCR entails employing AI to stay ahead of the digital curve.

The Rise of AI in SEO and Content Marketing

SEO no longer relies on human keyword research and guessing. Today, AI systems can analyze enormous data sets in seconds, delivering unparalleled insights into user behavior, search intent, and keyword patterns. For a top-tier SEO agency in Noida, this entails developing smarter techniques that respond in real time to Google's ever-changing algorithms.

AI-powered SEO solutions can now undertake deep term clustering, examine competitors' content gaps, and even forecast future ranking chances. As a result, content creators are no longer shooting in the dark; instead, they are creating focused campaigns with measurable results.

Personalized and Optimized Content Creation

Content reigns supreme, but AI is the new crown jewel. GPT-based content helpers and AI content generators enable marketers to generate high-quality, SEO-optimized blogs, product descriptions, and landing pages on a large scale. These technologies not only ensure that the appropriate keywords are seamlessly integrated, but they also personalize material to the target audience's tone, voice, and preferences.

The finest SEO company in Noida understands how to combine creativity and machine learning to create engaging, conversion-driven content. Brands may also use AI to automatically update current content to retain rankings and relevancy, which was previously a time-consuming manual effort.

Advanced Data-Driven Decision Making

One of the most significant advantages of AI in SEO is its capacity to convert data into action. AI systems monitor user engagement, bounce rates, and click-through rates, providing comprehensive data that enables SEO professionals to quickly improve methods. An expert SEO company in Delhi NCR can now make data-driven decisions to boost website exposure and user experience without relying on trial and error.

Furthermore, AI improves audience segmentation, resulting in more targeted marketing communications. AI enables marketers to deliver the appropriate message at the right moment by studying previous behavior and forecasting future behaviors.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks

AI also helps to automate repetitive SEO chores like technical audits, backlink analysis, and rank tracking. This allows SEO professionals to concentrate on strategy and creativity, two critical components of a successful campaign. The best digital marketing agency in Delhi NCR employs AI to save time, eliminate human error, and scale activities across many platforms and marketplaces.

Conclusion

AI is no longer optional in the world of SEO and content marketing; it is required. As AI tools advance, firms who incorporate them into their digital strategy will gain a huge competitive advantage. Whether you're looking for the top SEO Company in Noida or an experienced digital marketing company in Delhi NCR, make sure they use AI to help your brand reach its full potential in 2025 and beyond.

[carlhofelina]

Don't Hire, Outsource: The Future of SaaS Development

For a new business aiming for strong growth, especially one offering Software as a Service (SaaS), a smart move is getting help from outside experts to build your software. Your core team has great ideas about what customers need and how to get them, but building the software can take a lot of their time. 

By working with experienced software builders, you get their skills quickly, making the process faster and ensuring your software is well-made and can handle many users. This can also save money compared to hiring a big team yourself, letting you focus on understanding your customers and growing your business. Think of it as adding skilled helpers so your main team can focus on what's most important for your startup's success.

What Is Saas Development & How Is It Important?

SaaS development is the process of creating software applications hosted online (in the "cloud"), and you access them through the internet, usually via a web browser or a mobile app. Think of it like renting software instead of buying it outright. You typically pay a recurring fee (monthly or yearly) to use the software.

For your small business, embracing SaaS – either by using existing SaaS tools or by developing your own – offers significant advantages:

Lower Upfront Costs: Unlike traditional software that requires a big one-time purchase, most SaaS solutions have subscription models. This means you can start using powerful tools without a large initial investment, freeing up your precious capital for other needs.

Accessibility from Anywhere: You and your team can access SaaS applications from any device with an internet connection – be it your office computer, your laptop at home, or even your smartphone while on the go. This flexibility supports remote work and keeps everyone connected.

Automatic Updates and Maintenance: Forget about manual software updates and the hassle of IT maintenance. SaaS providers handle all of this automatically, ensuring you always have the latest features and security patches without any disruption to your work.

Integration with Other Tools: Many SaaS applications are designed to work well with other online tools, streamlining your workflows and improving efficiency for your business operations.

Access to Advanced Features (Including Potential for Machine Learning): Depending on your needs, you can access sophisticated features, and if your SaaS startup ideas involve cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, building a SaaS platform can be the most effective way to deliver those capabilities to your users.

Benefits of Outsourcing Saas Development

Launch Your SaaS Startup Ideas Faster: By tapping into readily available external experts, you can significantly speed up your development process. This means you can get your innovative software to market quicker and start generating revenue sooner, without the delays of building an in-house team from scratch.

Manage Your Budget Wisely for Startup Growth Strategies: For your small business, every peso counts. Outsourcing gives you access to specialized skills at a more predictable and often lower cost than hiring a full-time team. This frees up crucial capital that you can then invest in essential startup growth strategies like marketing and reaching your target customers.

Access the Latest Tech for Your SaaS Startup Ideas: The tech world moves fast. When you outsource, you gain access to professionals with experience in diverse and cutting-edge technologies. This is especially beneficial if your SaaS startup ideas involve advanced features, perhaps even elements of a machine learning startup, ensuring your platform is built with modern tools and best practices.

Focus Your Energy on Your Core Business and Startup Growth Strategies: You have a vision for your SaaS business. Let external experts handle the complexities of software development so you can concentrate on what you do best: understanding your customers, refining your business model, and implementing effective startup growth strategies to capture your market.

Scale Your Operations Flexibly as Your SaaS Startup Ideas Evolve: As your small business grows and your SaaS startup ideas take shape, you'll need flexibility. Outsourcing partners can often adjust their teams to match your changing needs, providing the scalability you require without the long-term commitments of permanent hires.

Reduce Development Risks for Your SaaS Startup: Building software can be challenging. Experienced outsourcing teams often have established processes and quality control measures, which can help you mitigate potential development risks and ensure a more stable and reliable product for your users.

Find the Right Expertise for Your Specific SaaS Startup Needs (Including Machine Learning): Whether your SaaS startup requires expertise in a particular programming language, platform, or even specialized areas like machine learning for a niche market, outsourcing connects you with professionals who have the exact skills you need.

Gain a Broader Perspective for Your Startup Growth Strategies: Working with international outsourcing partners can expose your small business to global best practices and innovative approaches, potentially informing your startup growth strategies and helping you think beyond your initial target market for future expansion.

Are You Ready For An Upgrade?

Outsourcing your SaaS development is both a wise and smart move as this provides your small business with access to specialized skills and faster development, allowing you to launch your innovative software solutions more quickly and cost-effectively.

Visit our Best Virtual Specialist to know more about our skilled virtual specialists who are ready to help your small business upgrade it to the next level.

References:

https://www.yansmedia.com/blog/in-house-animation-vs-outsourcing-cost-comparison

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nine-hertz-india-pvt-ltd-_saas-application-development-types-benefits-activity-7321435207176265728-mVKK

© 2025 Global Virtual360. All rights reserved

[wolint]

THE LAW OF TIMING

THE LAW OF TIMING

Nehemiah 1-2:10

 

Timing, they say, is everything! Many things in life run smoothly because time is allocated and managed to the nanosecond, and when off by even a second, chaos ensues. Some things, machines, and timetables run like clockwork, and the slightest change in schedule can create havoc.

We live in a world controlled and governed by time—the chronological twenty-four-hour clock—and nobody gets any more or less time. Time is universal, as stated in Ecclesiastes 9:11.

Timing is a law: how quickly something moves and how long it stays still. Time can be slow, speedy, or still. That’s why we must make good use of time because once spent, it’s gone and can’t be returned, reversed, or bought back.

Timing is essential to the development and perfection of all things. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 puts it, only God can make all things beautiful in His time. Even God will not interrupt a timed event to satisfy any man but only for His glory, according to Isaiah 48:1.

The difference between life and death, success and failure, acceptance and rejection is a matter of timing. “Pick your moment” this means we must know the appropriate time for something to be said or done to be meaningful and impactful.

That’s exactly what Nehemiah did; he picked his moment by choosing the right time to see the king. We must learn that timing is everything! The law of timing cannot be bent, manipulated, or ignored. Nehemiah spoke to the king about Jerusalem four months after he heard of the broken city wall. He began praying in December, but it was in April that he approached the king about going to rebuild the wall. Why? The law of timing—picking his moment!

When we have a vision and a burden like Nehemiah did, we must wait for the right time to step up. Nehemiah spent time in prayer, prayer that would make the foundation of any project succeed, create opportunities, open doors, and grant favours.

To succeed in any endeavour, we must use the right time to approach our designated helpers so that they too would be emotionally and mentally prepared by the Lord to see and support our burdens, visions, and projects, just as Nehemiah did with the king in chapter 2:2-5. Because he picked the right time, he received favour from the king, way beyond what he even expected.

Our seasons are timed and timely. There are times to move quickly, slowly, to wait, and times of urgency. We can never rush time; it goes as fast or as slow as we perceive it.

Galatians 4:4 says when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son at the right moment in human history. God directed world events and prepared peoples and nations for Christ and the proclamation of the gospel. God set the right time for the fulfilment of His promise. He couldn’t have sent Christ earlier or later; He sent Him just at the right time.

Are you waiting on the Lord and hoping He’ll hurry up? See 2 Peter 3:9.

We see how much David understood God’s timing that he willingly relinquished control of time into God’s hands in Psalm 31:14-15.

Have you realized that God is time and everything He does is according to His time, as seen in Ecclesiastes 3:11?

God is the God of time and the only one able to control it, as confirmed in Matthew 24:36, which says no one knows, not even Jesus, the Son, knows the day of judgment, neither the time nor hour.

We must learn to stop allocating time to God for things that only He knows how and when is best for us. There is a law of timing operated by God alone.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the assurance that times belong to you, help me wisely regard the law of timing and use the time allocated to me in Jesus’ name, amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT’L PRAYER MIN.

[karlmarxmaybe]

See this post is true but I worry it's framed in the straigh-up Calvinist logic of "only hard work gets results" and ignoring the material motivations behind this use of AI chatbots at school and jobs. School, college and such in a capitalist society are not places where you go learn; there are barriers to enter the job market, intended to weed out anyone who, for any reason, is unable to comply with the labor demands of proletarian wage exploitation. And given that the people who are weeded out and rejected still need a job to live, it is perfectly reasonable that they will cheat the system as best they can to get it. This makes academic cheating (be it through AI or other methods) a very real means of survival, especially for disabled and/or poor people, who lack the time and/or energy to meet the demands of the system and as such would be weeded out if they didn't cheat, and denied the opportunity to have a job and make money to sustain themselves. Same logic applies to using AI help in your job.

In this regard, I see AI helpers and such as a sort of universal basic income of writing labor. They're insufficient, innefective in many cases and risky, but still better than nothing. They alleviate the labor charge of individual proletarians, they are a tool of scraping by.

My only worry in this regard is that the AI is thought of as having all the answers, and not simply, as OP explains, a machine of making likely responses with no way of checking the truth of what it says. And I worry about this because it can lead to the cheater being caught or to information in a job that is relevant to the lives of actual people (like medical jobs) containing dangerous errors.

But if you're aware of the limitations of the tool, I do recommend you use it to cheat as much as possible, to write essays and emails, etc. Just make sure to read whatever it writes to ensure it's not just nonsense. It's definetely more reliable to copy each other's homework, but you do what you can.

One of the common mistakes I see for people relying on "AI" (LLMs and image generators) is that they think the AI they're interacting with is capable of thought and reason. It's not. This is why using AI to write essays or answer questions is a really bad idea because it's not doing so in any meaningful or thoughtful way. All it's doing is producing the statistically most likely expected output to the input.

This is why you can ask ChatGPT "is mayonnaise a palindrome?" and it will respond "No it's not." but then you ask "Are you sure? I think it is" and it will respond "Actually it is! Mayonnaise is spelled the same backward as it is forward"

All it's doing is trying to sound like it's providing a correct answer. It doesn't actually know what a palindrome is even if it has a function capable of checking for palindromes (it doesn't). It's not "Artificial Intelligence" by any meaning of the term, it's just called AI because that's a discipline of programming. It doesn't inherently mean it has intelligence.

So if you use an AI and expect it to make something that's been made with careful thought or consideration, you're gonna get fucked over. It's not even a quality issue. It just can't consistently produce things of value because there's no understanding there. It doesn't "know" because it can't "know".

[newgen-software]

A Comprehensive Guide to Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a software technology that automates routine, rule-based tasks using ‘bots’. Think of it as digital helpers that can interact with multiple applications, handle data entry, process transactions, and generate reports — all with speed and consistency. Unlike traditional automation, which often involves complex coding, RPA simplifies processes by leveraging graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or application programming interfaces (APIs) to seamlessly integrate with existing systems.

Features and Capabilities of RPA

When evaluating the best RPA software, businesses assess several key capabilities that ensure a seamless, scalable, and efficient automation experience. These features help organizations maximize the value of automation while ensuring security, and compliance.

1. AI & Machine Learning

Modern RPA software goes beyond simple rule-based automation. It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to make automation more adaptive and intelligent.

2. Scalability

A robust RPA software supports scalability, allowing businesses to expand automation across departments, locations, and multiple processes. Advanced RPA tools also offer centralized control panels, enabling organizations to monitor and manage multiple systems efficiently.

3. Security & Compliance

Given that RPA bots handle sensitive business data, security and compliance are crucial. A well-designed RPA includes:

Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC): Ensures that only authorized personnel can configure or modify bots

End-to-End Encryption: Protects all the sensitive data at rest and in transit

Audit Trails & Logging: Records bot activities to maintain transparency and regulatory compliance

Compliance Standards: Adheres to GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and other industry-specific regulations to ensure data integrity and legal compliance

4. Robust Integration

The best RPA software integrates with an enterprise’s existing digital ecosystem, including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), BPM (Business Process Management), and other third-party applications.

What Does RPA Software Do?

RPA software allows organizations to automate a wide range of business processes across different departments.

Data Extraction and Entry: The bots in RPA software automate document scanning, facilitate in extracting key information, and populate the databases with accuracy

Invoice Processing: The RPA tools streamline account payable and receivable operations to expedite the payment processes

Customer Service Automation: Robotic process automation simplifies managing regular customer queries, including checking account balance, resetting passwords or other generic inquiries through automated responses and chatbots

Compliance and Reporting: RPA streamlines data collection and report generation, ensuring accurate audit logs and adherence with regulatory mandates

Application of RPA in Enterprise Automation

RPA software is transforming various industries by automating workflows for faster and error-free operations. It streamlines the day-to-day repetitive tasks and reduces complications, resulting in superior customer experiences. Here’s how RPA is enabling different industries:

RPA in Banking

The banking industry deals with a voluminous amount of data every day. RPA streamlines the end-to-end processes and enables banks to manage tasks by:

Automating Loan Processing: RPA tools extract customer details from loan applications and validate them based on predefined risk parameters to determine eligibility. This reduces extensive manual intervention/paperwork and ensures consistent risk assessment while expediting loan approval processes

Enabling Fraud Detection: RPA software bots continuously scan customer movement and flag unusual transactions or hefty withdrawals, reducing the chances of fraudulent activities

Ensuring Compliance: These bots cross-check customer details against regulatory databases, including sanction lists, politically exposed persons (PEP) lists and flags suspicious cases for immediate human review, ensuring adherence to regulatory mandates.

RPA in Insurance

Insurance companies rely on speed and accuracy. RPA software brings efficiency in the processes by:

Expediting Claims Processing: RPA leverages optical character recognition (OCR) and natural language processing (NLP) to extract relevant data from claim forms, cross-checking predefined criteria. This significantly reduces processing time, minimizes errors, and enables faster claim settlements

Automating Policy Issuance and Renewals: RPA software bots fetch customer details, validate them against underwriting rules, and generate policy documents. For renewals, bots trigger automated reminders, retrieve policyholder data, and process renewal payments, ensuring timely updates without manual intervention

Ensuring Compliance: RPA software helps to stay compliant by gathering details of policyholder to verify it against the compliance standards. They also track regulatory changes and update reporting processes, accordingly, reducing the risk of non-compliance and penalties.

RPA in Healthcare

Healthcare organizations require accurate and timely patient record management. RPA assists in optimizing operations by:

Managing Patient Data: RPA bots extract and update patient records across multiple healthcare systems, such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs), insurance databases, and hospital management platforms. This minimizes redundant paperwork and enables healthcare professionals to focus on patient care

Automating Billing & Claims Processing: RPA eliminates delays by automating key steps such as insurance verification, claim submission, and payment. The bots then submit claims to insurers, track approvals, and streamline payments with hospital billing systems, improving the cash flow management

Ensuring Compliance: RPA ensures adherence to healthcare regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR by automating audit trails, documentation, and reporting. Furthermore, they monitor policy updates and adjust compliance processes, reducing the risk of penalties and legal issues.

Business Benefits of RPA

1. Cost Savings

RPA software significantly reduces operational costs by automating repetitive tasks that would otherwise require human intervention.

2. Improved Efficiency & Productivity

RPA bots operate round the clock performing tasks faster than humans. This increases overall process efficiency, allowing workers to focus on higher-value, strategic tasks like customer engagement and innovation.

3. Enhanced Accuracy & Compliance

Since RPA follows predefined rules and workflows, it eliminates human errors in data entry, processing, and reporting. Additionally, it ensures strict compliance with industry regulations by maintaining accurate audit trails and adhering to standard operating procedures.

4. Better Customer Experience

Automating customer service processes, such as handling inquiries, processing claims, and managing ticket resolutions, reduces response time. This improves customer satisfaction by ensuring faster service delivery.

5. Faster ROI & Business Growth

RPA software reduces frequent infrastructure changes and can be quickly deployed within existing workflows. The cost savings and efficiency gains translate into a faster return on investment, enabling businesses to reinvest in growth and innovation.

7. Data-driven Insights

By automating data collection, processing, and reporting, RPA software provides businesses with real-time insights into operations. These insights help in making informed decisions and identifying process inefficiencies that need optimization.

8. Seamless Integration with Existing Systems

Unlike traditional automation that requires extensive system modifications, RPA integrates seamlessly with legacy and modern applications. It acts as a bridge between different software platforms, enhancing workflows without disrupting business operations.

The best RPA unlocks the gateway to diverse business opportunities. Organizations can leverage RPA software to achieve higher efficiency, lower costs, higher employee engagement and better overall customer experience. Learn here to discover about strategic ways to implement it right.