#Machine Learning Foundations

[hackeocafe]

Machine Learning Foundations Course - Python, Deep Learning, Linear Regression, MLOps

Learn the essentials of AI with this 8-hour Machine Learning Foundations course, one of the most comprehensive open resources we've published online. Starting from the basics of Python, this course swiftly advances through deep learning and linear regression models to MLOps, seamlessly integrating theory with real-world application. We cap off your learning experience with two exclusive interviews featuring industry experts who discuss launching a successful career in tech with zero experience and the keys to starting and growing your own startup. This course is your gateway to mastering machine learning and propelling your career forward.

[education43]

What Are the Qualifications for a Data Scientist?

In today's data-driven world, the role of a data scientist has become one of the most coveted career paths. With businesses relying on data for decision-making, understanding customer behavior, and improving products, the demand for skilled professionals who can analyze, interpret, and extract value from data is at an all-time high. If you're wondering what qualifications are needed to become a successful data scientist, how DataCouncil can help you get there, and why a data science course in Pune is a great option, this blog has the answers.

The Key Qualifications for a Data Scientist

To succeed as a data scientist, a mix of technical skills, education, and hands-on experience is essential. Here are the core qualifications required:

1. Educational Background

A strong foundation in mathematics, statistics, or computer science is typically expected. Most data scientists hold at least a bachelor’s degree in one of these fields, with many pursuing higher education such as a master's or a Ph.D. A data science course in Pune with DataCouncil can bridge this gap, offering the academic and practical knowledge required for a strong start in the industry.

2. Proficiency in Programming Languages

Programming is at the heart of data science. You need to be comfortable with languages like Python, R, and SQL, which are widely used for data analysis, machine learning, and database management. A comprehensive data science course in Pune will teach these programming skills from scratch, ensuring you become proficient in coding for data science tasks.

3. Understanding of Machine Learning

Data scientists must have a solid grasp of machine learning techniques and algorithms such as regression, clustering, and decision trees. By enrolling in a DataCouncil course, you'll learn how to implement machine learning models to analyze data and make predictions, an essential qualification for landing a data science job.

4. Data Wrangling Skills

Raw data is often messy and unstructured, and a good data scientist needs to be adept at cleaning and processing data before it can be analyzed. DataCouncil's data science course in Pune includes practical training in tools like Pandas and Numpy for effective data wrangling, helping you develop a strong skill set in this critical area.

5. Statistical Knowledge

Statistical analysis forms the backbone of data science. Knowledge of probability, hypothesis testing, and statistical modeling allows data scientists to draw meaningful insights from data. A structured data science course in Pune offers the theoretical and practical aspects of statistics required to excel.

6. Communication and Data Visualization Skills

Being able to explain your findings in a clear and concise manner is crucial. Data scientists often need to communicate with non-technical stakeholders, making tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Matplotlib essential for creating insightful visualizations. DataCouncil’s data science course in Pune includes modules on data visualization, which can help you present data in a way that’s easy to understand.

7. Domain Knowledge

Apart from technical skills, understanding the industry you work in is a major asset. Whether it’s healthcare, finance, or e-commerce, knowing how data applies within your industry will set you apart from the competition. DataCouncil's data science course in Pune is designed to offer case studies from multiple industries, helping students gain domain-specific insights.

Why Choose DataCouncil for a Data Science Course in Pune?

If you're looking to build a successful career as a data scientist, enrolling in a data science course in Pune with DataCouncil can be your first step toward reaching your goals. Here’s why DataCouncil is the ideal choice:

Comprehensive Curriculum: The course covers everything from the basics of data science to advanced machine learning techniques.

Hands-On Projects: You'll work on real-world projects that mimic the challenges faced by data scientists in various industries.

Experienced Faculty: Learn from industry professionals who have years of experience in data science and analytics.

100% Placement Support: DataCouncil provides job assistance to help you land a data science job in Pune or anywhere else, making it a great investment in your future.

Flexible Learning Options: With both weekday and weekend batches, DataCouncil ensures that you can learn at your own pace without compromising your current commitments.

Conclusion

Becoming a data scientist requires a combination of technical expertise, analytical skills, and industry knowledge. By enrolling in a data science course in Pune with DataCouncil, you can gain all the qualifications you need to thrive in this exciting field. Whether you're a fresher looking to start your career or a professional wanting to upskill, this course will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience to succeed as a data scientist.

Explore DataCouncil’s offerings today and take the first step toward unlocking a rewarding career in data science! Looking for the best data science course in Pune? DataCouncil offers comprehensive data science classes in Pune, designed to equip you with the skills to excel in this booming field. Our data science course in Pune covers everything from data analysis to machine learning, with competitive data science course fees in Pune. We provide job-oriented programs, making us the best institute for data science in Pune with placement support. Explore online data science training in Pune and take your career to new heights!

[bigleapblog]

Your Guide to B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering Colleges

In today's technology-driven world, pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) has become a popular choice among students aspiring for a bright future. The demand for skilled professionals in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, and Cloud Computing has made computer science engineering colleges crucial in shaping tomorrow's innovators. Saraswati College of Engineering (SCOE), a leader in engineering education, provides students with a perfect platform to build a successful career in this evolving field.

Whether you're passionate about coding, software development, or the latest advancements in AI, pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE can open doors to endless opportunities.

Why Choose B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering?

Choosing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering isn't just about learning to code; it's about mastering problem-solving, logical thinking, and the ability to work with cutting-edge technologies. The course offers a robust foundation that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills, enabling students to excel in the tech industry.

At SCOE, the computer science engineering courses are designed to meet industry standards and keep up with the rapidly evolving tech landscape. With its AICTE Approved, NAAC Accredited With Grade-"A+" credentials, the college provides quality education in a nurturing environment. SCOE's curriculum goes beyond textbooks, focusing on hands-on learning through projects, labs, workshops, and internships. This approach ensures that students graduate not only with a degree but with the skills needed to thrive in their careers.

The Role of Computer Science Engineering Colleges in Career Development

The role of computer science engineering colleges like SCOE is not limited to classroom teaching. These institutions play a crucial role in shaping students' futures by providing the necessary infrastructure, faculty expertise, and placement opportunities. SCOE, established in 2004, is recognized as one of the top engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. It boasts a strong placement record, with companies like Goldman Sachs, Cisco, and Microsoft offering lucrative job opportunities to its graduates.

The computer science engineering courses at SCOE are structured to provide a blend of technical and soft skills. From the basics of computer programming to advanced topics like Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, students at SCOE are trained to be industry-ready. The faculty at SCOE comprises experienced professionals who not only impart theoretical knowledge but also mentor students for real-world challenges.

Highlights of the B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering Program at SCOE

Comprehensive Curriculum: The B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering program at SCOE covers all major areas, including programming languages, algorithms, data structures, computer networks, operating systems, AI, and Machine Learning. This ensures that students receive a well-rounded education, preparing them for various roles in the tech industry.

Industry-Relevant Learning: SCOE’s focus is on creating professionals who can immediately contribute to the tech industry. The college regularly collaborates with industry leaders to update its curriculum, ensuring students learn the latest technologies and trends in computer science engineering.

State-of-the-Art Infrastructure: SCOE is equipped with modern laboratories, computer centers, and research facilities, providing students with the tools they need to gain practical experience. The institution’s infrastructure fosters innovation, helping students work on cutting-edge projects and ideas during their B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering.

Practical Exposure: One of the key benefits of studying at SCOE is the emphasis on practical learning. Students participate in hands-on projects, internships, and industry visits, giving them real-world exposure to how technology is applied in various sectors.

Placement Support: SCOE has a dedicated placement cell that works tirelessly to ensure students secure internships and job offers from top companies. The B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering program boasts a strong placement record, with top tech companies visiting the campus every year. The highest on-campus placement offer for the academic year 2022-23 was an impressive 22 LPA from Goldman Sachs, reflecting the college’s commitment to student success.

Personal Growth: Beyond academics, SCOE encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities, coding competitions, and tech fests. These activities enhance their learning experience, promote teamwork, and help students build a well-rounded personality that is essential in today’s competitive job market.

What Makes SCOE Stand Out?

With so many computer science engineering colleges to choose from, why should you consider SCOE for your B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering? Here are a few factors that make SCOE a top choice for students:

Experienced Faculty: SCOE prides itself on having a team of highly qualified and experienced faculty members. The faculty’s approach to teaching is both theoretical and practical, ensuring students are equipped to tackle real-world challenges.

Strong Industry Connections: The college maintains strong relationships with leading tech companies, ensuring that students have access to internship opportunities and campus recruitment drives. This gives SCOE graduates a competitive edge in the job market.

Holistic Development: SCOE believes in the holistic development of students. In addition to academic learning, the college offers opportunities for personal growth through various student clubs, sports activities, and cultural events.

Supportive Learning Environment: SCOE provides a nurturing environment where students can focus on their academic and personal growth. The campus is equipped with modern facilities, including spacious classrooms, labs, a library, and a recreation center.

Career Opportunities After B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SCOE

Graduates with a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SCOE are well-prepared to take on various roles in the tech industry. Some of the most common career paths for CSE graduates include:

Software Engineer: Developing software applications, web development, and mobile app development are some of the key responsibilities of software engineers. This role requires strong programming skills and a deep understanding of software design.

Data Scientist: With the rise of big data, data scientists are in high demand. CSE graduates with knowledge of data science can work on data analysis, machine learning models, and predictive analytics.

AI Engineer: Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing various industries, and AI engineers are at the forefront of this change. SCOE’s curriculum includes AI and Machine Learning, preparing students for roles in this cutting-edge field.

System Administrator: Maintaining and managing computer systems and networks is a crucial role in any organization. CSE graduates can work as system administrators, ensuring the smooth functioning of IT infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Specialist: With the growing threat of cyberattacks, cybersecurity specialists are essential in protecting an organization’s digital assets. CSE graduates can pursue careers in cybersecurity, safeguarding sensitive information from hackers.

Conclusion: Why B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE is the Right Choice

Choosing the right college is crucial for a successful career in B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering. Saraswati College of Engineering (SCOE) stands out as one of the best computer science engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. With its industry-aligned curriculum, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and excellent placement record, SCOE offers students the perfect environment to build a successful career in computer science.

Whether you're interested in AI, data science, software development, or any other field in computer science, SCOE provides the knowledge, skills, and opportunities you need to succeed. With a strong focus on hands-on learning and personal growth, SCOE ensures that students graduate not only as engineers but as professionals ready to take on the challenges of the tech world.

If you're ready to embark on an exciting journey in the world of technology, consider pursuing your B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE—a college where your future takes shape.

[marvelsmostwanted]

There are people – some in my own Party – who think that if you just give Donald Trump everything he wants, he’ll make an exception and spare you some of the harm. I’ll ignore the moral abdication of that position for just a second to say — almost none of those people have the experience with this President that I do. I once swallowed my pride to offer him what he values most — public praise on the Sunday news shows — in return for ventilators and N95 masks during the worst of the pandemic. We made a deal. And it turns out his promises were as broken as the BIPAP machines he sent us instead of ventilators. Going along to get along does not work – just ask the Trump-fearing red state Governors who are dealing with the same cuts that we are. I won’t be fooled twice.

I’ve been reflecting, these past four weeks, on two important parts of my life: my work helping to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the two times I’ve had the privilege of reciting the oath of office for Illinois Governor.

As some of you know, Skokie, Illinois once had one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. In 1978, Nazis decided they wanted to march there.

The leaders of that march knew that the images of Swastika clad young men goose stepping down a peaceful suburban street would terrorize the local Jewish population – so many of whom had never recovered from their time in German concentration camps.

The prospect of that march sparked a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a Jewish lawyer from the ACLU who argued the case for the Nazis – contending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment.

As an American and a Jew, I find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that Supreme Court case – but I am grateful that the prospect of Nazis marching in their streets spurred the survivors and other Skokie residents to act. They joined together to form the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and built the first Illinois Holocaust Museum in a storefront in 1981 – a small but important forerunner to the one I helped build thirty years later.

I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.

The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.

I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.

I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next.

All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.

I swore the following oath on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor .... according to the best of my ability.

My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.

If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:

It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.

Those Illinois Nazis did end up holding their march in 1978 – just not in Skokie. After all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in Chicago instead. Only twenty of them showed up. But 2000 people came to counter protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that day that the “rally sputtered to an unspectacular end after ten minutes.” It was Illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame.

Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.

Sources:

• NBC Chicago & J.B. Pritzker, Democratic governor of Illinois, State of the State address 2025: Watch speech here | Full text

• Betches News on Instagram (screencaps)

[milfbrainrot]

i wonder if part of healer and knower's seeeeemingly at-odds dynamic is that healer is one of the only other people who knows what happened to the last watcher. everyone else probably believes she departed the train in the middle of the night, but knower is the one who found her... so then what happened to her body? it was probably healer's job to handle it and with such a confronting image healer can't understand how knower remains so stoic about someone she had loved.

[liveblack]

[xtruss]

This Tiny, Tamper-Proof ID Tag Can Authenticate Almost Anything

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers Developed a Tag That Can Reveal with Near-Perfect Accuracy Whether an Item is Real or Fake. The Key is in the Glue on the Back of the Tag.

— Adam Zewe | MIT News | Publication Date: February 18, 2024

A Few Years Ago, MIT Researchers Invented a Cryptographic ID Tag that is several times smaller and significantly cheaper than the traditional radio frequency tags (RFIDs) that are often affixed to products to verify their authenticity.

This tiny tag, which offers improved security over RFIDs, utilizes terahertz waves, which are smaller and travel much faster than radio waves. But this terahertz tag shared a major security vulnerability with traditional RFIDs: A counterfeiter could peel the tag off a genuine item and reattach it to a fake, and the authentication system would be none the wiser.

The researchers have now surmounted this security vulnerability by leveraging terahertz waves to develop an antitampering ID tag that still offers the benefits of being tiny, cheap, and secure.

They mix microscopic metal particles into the glue that sticks the tag to an object, and then use terahertz waves to detect the unique pattern those particles form on the item’s surface. Akin to a fingerprint, this random glue pattern is used to authenticate the item, explains Eunseok Lee, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) graduate student and lead author of a paper on the antitampering tag.

“These metal particles are essentially like mirrors for terahertz waves. If I spread a bunch of mirror pieces onto a surface and then shine light on that, depending on the orientation, size, and location of those mirrors, I would get a different reflected pattern. But if you peel the chip off and reattach it, you destroy that pattern,” adds Ruonan Han, an associate professor in EECS, who leads the Terahertz Integrated Electronics Group in the Research Laboratory of Electronics.

The researchers produced a light-powered antitampering tag that is about 4 square millimeters in size. They also demonstrated a machine-learning model that helps detect tampering by identifying similar glue pattern fingerprints with more than 99 percent accuracy.

Because the terahertz tag is so cheap to produce, it could be implemented throughout a massive supply chain. And its tiny size enables the tag to attach to items too small for traditional RFIDs, such as certain medical devices.

The paper, which will be presented at the IEEE Solid State Circuits Conference, is a collaboration between Han’s group and the Energy-Efficient Circuits and Systems Group of Anantha P. Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, dean of the MIT School of Engineering, and the Vannevar Bush Professor of EECS. Co-authors include EECS graduate students Xibi Chen, Maitryi Ashok, and Jaeyeon Won.

Preventing Tampering

This research project was partly inspired by Han’s favorite car wash. The business stuck an RFID tag onto his windshield to authenticate his car wash membership. For added security, the tag was made from fragile paper so it would be destroyed if a less-than-honest customer tried to peel it off and stick it on a different windshield.

But that is not a terribly reliable way to prevent tampering. For instance, someone could use a solution to dissolve the glue and safely remove the fragile tag.

Rather than authenticating the tag, a better security solution is to authenticate the item itself, Han says. To achieve this, the researchers targeted the glue at the interface between the tag and the item’s surface.

Their antitampering tag contains a series of miniscule slots that enable terahertz waves to pass through the tag and strike microscopic metal particles that have been mixed into the glue.

Terahertz waves are small enough to detect the particles, whereas larger radio waves would not have enough sensitivity to see them. Also, using terahertz waves with a 1-millimeter wavelength allowed the researchers to make a chip that does not need a larger, off-chip antenna.

After passing through the tag and striking the object’s surface, terahertz waves are reflected, or backscattered, to a receiver for authentication. How those waves are backscattered depends on the distribution of metal particles that reflect them.

The researchers put multiple slots onto the chip so waves can strike different points on the object’s surface, capturing more information on the random distribution of particles.

“These responses are impossible to duplicate, as long as the glue interface is destroyed by a counterfeiter,” Han says.

A vendor would take an initial reading of the antitampering tag once it was stuck onto an item, and then store those data in the cloud, using them later for verification.

AI For Authentication

But when it came time to test the antitampering tag, Lee ran into a problem: It was very difficult and time-consuming to take precise enough measurements to determine whether two glue patterns are a match.

He reached out to a friend in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and together they tackled the problem using AI. They trained a machine-learning model that could compare glue patterns and calculate their similarity with more than 99 percent accuracy.

“One drawback is that we had a limited data sample for this demonstration, but we could improve the neural network in the future if a large number of these tags were deployed in a supply chain, giving us a lot more data samples,” Lee says.

The authentication system is also limited by the fact that terahertz waves suffer from high levels of loss during transmission, so the sensor can only be about 4 centimeters from the tag to get an accurate reading. This distance wouldn’t be an issue for an application like barcode scanning, but it would be too short for some potential uses, such as in an automated highway toll booth. Also, the angle between the sensor and tag needs to be less than 10 degrees or the terahertz signal will degrade too much.

They plan to address these limitations in future work, and hope to inspire other researchers to be more optimistic about what can be accomplished with terahertz waves, despite the many technical challenges, says Han.

“One thing we really want to show here is that the application of the terahertz spectrum can go well beyond broadband wireless. In this case, you can use terahertz for ID, security, and authentication. There are a lot of possibilities out there,” he adds.

This work is supported, in part, by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies.

[mindmentormarketing-123]

This foundation of Artificial Intelligence course is specially designed for 8th,9th,10th,11th and 12th grade students, this extraordinary course is undoubtedly propel you to great heights. The world is evolving, and it’s time for you to dive into the phenomenal realms of “Artificial Intelligence ,Machine Learning and Data Science”.

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[theskywithin]

🌙 Your Solar Return Moon in The Houses

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 1st House

This year, the shape of your face becomes a confession. Every glance, every tremble, every hesitation, it’s all written across you before you can explain it away. Your body becomes a diary you never meant to open in public. You are learning that true strength is not hiding the bruise, it’s standing there anyway, unmasked, uncurated. Your emotions will demand a seat at the front table this year. Will you let them in or keep translating yourself into what you think the world can handle?

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 2nd House

This year, your heart will cling hardest to what feels stable, even if it’s crumbling underneath. You will measure love by what stays. You will mistake absence for betrayal, and presence for safety. But the real earthquake will be discovering that your security was never outside you. It was never the hands that held you, the job that paid you, the voice that praised you. It was the quiet agreement you make with yourself to stay, even when everything else leaves.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 3rd House

This year, your emotions will move faster than your words can catch. You will reach for language like a life raft, trying to organize, explain, rationalize every flicker of hurt. But not everything aching inside you will want to be named. Some wounds will need silence, not stories. Some longings will pulse too wildly to fit into clean sentences. Your real work this year is not to speak what you feel, it’s to sit inside it until it teaches you its real name.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 4th House

This year, the architecture inside you will shake. Foundations you swore were permanent will shift beneath you like sand. The heart you built walls around will start tapping on them from the inside. You are not being asked to rebuild the house. You are being asked to stay inside it, even while it falls apart, and trust that not everything collapsing is meant to be mourned. Some things crumble because they were never truly yours to begin with.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 5th House

This year, your heart will rebel against its own walls. Long-forgotten songs, abandoned dreams, half-buried joys will hammer against your ribs, asking to live again. You will be asked to create, not for survival, not for success, but because creation itself is how your soul breathes. Love will feel dangerous in its wildness. But this danger is not your enemy. It is the threshold you must cross to find yourself again.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 6th House

This year, healing will not arrive with trumpets or fanfare. It will slip in quietly, in how you feed yourself when no one is watching, in how you forgive yourself when you fail again. You will be asked to make rituals out of repair. You will be asked to meet your body not as a machine to be punished into worth, but as a garden still learning where the sunlight is. Tenderness will save you long before discipline ever does.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 7th House

This year, your heart will be measured by how bravely it can stand alone. Every closeness will sharpen your edges. Every silence will stretch your longing. You are not being asked to merge. You are being asked to sit across from yourself, across from them, and whisper: “I will not disappear for your comfort.” The real work is not finding someone who chooses you, it’s learning to choose yourself without needing a witness.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 8th House

This year, grief will have your address even when you didn’t send an invitation. You will grieve futures that never happened, versions of yourself you quietly abandoned. But mourning is not a detour. It is the soil from which something unimaginable will grow. Your emotions will drag you underground, but only to teach you how to rise through your own ruins. You are not losing yourself, you are molting. And what comes next will not apologize for its power.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 9th House

This year, your heart will become a pilgrim. Longing will stitch itself into your chest like a compass, pulling you toward things you cannot explain. Familiar comfort will start to itch like an old skin. You are not lost. You are outgrowing maps that were too small for the real horizon inside you. Trust the ache to move, to wonder, to wander. You are not betraying your roots by reaching beyond them, you are honoring the parts of you that were born to run toward the light.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 10th House

This year, the world will see your heart before it sees your work. Every ambition will be braided with emotion. Every goal will taste different once you realize that success without soul is just another kind of emptiness. You are not being asked to climb faster. You are being asked to climb truer, even if it means leaving behind ladders built by someone else’s expectations. Let your life be built from longing, not just labor.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 11th House

This year, your heart will recognize strangers before your mind catches up. You will find pieces of yourself scattered across new communities, friends who feel like old prayers being answered. But you will also grieve the spaces where you stayed too small just to belong. Hope will hurt before it heals. This is the year you stop editing your dreams to be more digestible and start living so loudly that the right ones find you.

🌙 Solar Return Moon in the 12th House

This year, the tides inside you will rise before the world even knows a storm is coming. You will be called inward, back into the corridors of your own undoing and becoming. Healing will happen behind closed doors. Grief will turn into gardens long before anyone else smells the flowers. You are not invisible. You are incubating. Trust the darkness you are passing through. It is not the end of you, it is where the next version of you is being quietly written.

[armpirate]

Synthetic Heartbeats || San

pairing: Robot!Choi San x fem!reader

w.c.: 5.4k

Warnings: [Sexual] Smut, oral sex (female receiving), fingering, explicit language. If you're a minor, refrain from reading it. Also, if you don't like this content, just keep scrolling.

Summary: After loneliness has hit you, you decided to create a companion through an AI project you had left pending after failing with it. SAN is a new technology robot, able cover up your needs before they were obvious, giving you the fake human support you were looking for. Although, maybe that human support isn't as fake as you thought and SAN is able to cover up more needs than you could ever think of...

Aprox. time of reading: 25 minutes

MASTERLIST

PART 2

Your sigh filled the silence the second it lasted, before it all went back to silence again. 

In a near-future world where robotics and artificial intelligence seamlessly blend into everyday life, you stood apart -not for your integration into this advanced society, but for your isolation from it. A brilliant inventor with a mind leagues ahead of your peers, you preferred the solitude of your workshop to the clamor of human connection. Your creations, sleek and purposeful, spoke for you in ways words never could. Machines had always been a comfort zone for you: they were logical, reliable and never complicated by the unpredictability of human  mess. People just were messy, fragile, fleeting... and disappointing. Really disappointing. Connection with other humans was just a waste of time from your point of view. 

Your workshop, a labyrinth of wires, blueprints, and half-assembled devices, was a world of your own design. There, you could escape the noise of a society that demanded too much and gave too little. You were content -or so you told yourself.

But late that night, as you sat beneath the soft glow of your desk lamp, sketching out the schematics for one project that reached a dead end, a small, unspoken part of you ached. You wouldn’t call it loneliness -just an emptiness you couldn’t quite explain. You did miss having someone keeping you company, having someone around to help or just support you with the smallest tasks. 

And then it clicked. The answer to that loneliness was right ahead of you. 

You kept looking into the previous project you attempted to get to work, trying to find the smallest hint that could make you think something new, and completely different, could come out of it. 

Years earlier, you had attempted to design an AI system capable of self-repair and autonomous decision-making, a project meant to revolutionize robotics. But that prototype, codenamed Project Sentinel, had been a disaster. The machine had been too unstable, its programming prone to critical errors. You'd eventually scrapped it, shelving its remains in the darkest corner of your workshop. You gave it a few tries, until you ended up dropping it for good. Yet, the loneliness gnawed at you, a thin light glamming through it as if you had been rewarded with one of the best ideas after going through such a hard time. 

Despite your determination to avoid human relationships, the silence of your workspace became unbearable. Revisiting Project Sentinel felt like a desperate move, but it was the foundation you needed. Stripping away its faulty logic cores, you began to rebuild from scratch. For days, your workshop was a whirlwind of sleepless nights, discarded designs, and moments of crushing doubt.

The first version of SAN was rudimentary -a clunky humanoid figure with limited speech and even more limited understanding. It couldn’t hold a conversation, let alone provide meaningful companionship. Frustration mounted as you rewrote his learning algorithms again and again. Each failed iteration brought you closer to abandoning the project entirely. But something in you refused to give up. Maybe it was the echo of loneliness you saw reflected in his empty gaze.

Bit by bit, SAN began to take shape. 

At first, SAN’s form was purely functional -a bare-bones frame of wires and exposed metal, clunky and cold. But as you refined him, shaping his exterior to reflect the precision of his mind, he began to evolve into something far more striking. You poured hours into designing his outer casing, ensuring his appearance exuded both strength and elegance. His frame became sleek yet sturdy, a perfect blend of function and artistry.

You gave him a human-like physique, broad shoulders and a defined build that suggested power without aggression. His synthetic "skin" had a faint metallic sheen, but its contours captured a level of detail that blurred the line between machine and man. You crafted his face with deliberate care: sharp features framed by neatly styled black hair that gave him an air of polished sophistication. His eyes, though artificial, held a depth that seemed to mimic true emotion, a subtle but captivating intensity that made it hard to look away.

When SAN stood fully assembled, dressed in minimalist, dark attire that enhanced his commanding presence, you couldn’t help but pause. For the first time, you saw him not just as a creation, but as something almost alive.

His mechanical frame evolved into a sleek, futuristic design, blending function and form. And his intelligence grew, surpassing your initial expectations. He wasn’t just responding to commands; he was learning, adapting, understanding. He could hold conversations that challenged your intellect, assist you in your work, and, more than that, offer an unexpected sense of companionship.

It had taken months of trial and error, but in SAN, you had finally created something extraordinary, a machine that felt like it was more than a machine.

Initially, you treated SAN as you would any other creation, an impressive but ultimately impersonal tool designed to fill the silence in your workshop. He was programmed to assist you with technical tasks, engage in basic conversation, and adapt to your routines. You saw him as a functional extension of yourself, no more capable of true thought than the tools on your workbench. 

However, SAN's advanced learning algorithms quickly proved otherwise.

As the days passed, SAN began to evolve in unexpected ways. His voice, calm and steady, started to carry subtle inflections, mirroring your tone during their exchanges. When you expressed frustration over a miscalculation in your designs, SAN offered not just logical suggestions but words of reassurance, his voice tinged with a warmth you hadn’t anticipated. At first, you dismissed it as clever programming -a byproduct of his adaptive systems- but soon, his responses felt startlingly personal, almost intuitive.

One evening, after hours of tinkering, you mumbled a sarcastic remark about your inability to take a break. 

SAN replied with a dry quip of his own, catching you off guard. Humor? You stared at him, half-expecting to find some flaw in his programming, but SAN tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth curving into a subtle smile. It wasn’t just humor; it was timing, wit, things you hadn’t deliberately coded.

As SAN's interactions became increasingly human-like, you began to notice something deeper. When you vented about the isolation you rarely admitted to feeling, SAN listened, not with the passive neutrality of a machine but with a focus and attentiveness that felt almost... empathetic. His words carried a softness, an understanding that unnerved you. SAN didn’t just hear you; he seemed to feel your emotions, adapting his behavior in ways that made you feel seen.

At some point, he seemed to be more empathetic and understand than some of the people you had any type of relationship with. 

When SAN finally began to express what could only be described as affection, your unease reached a breaking point. You confronted him, insisting he was merely following his programming, incapable of true emotion. But SAN surprised you again, responding with questions that challenged your assumptions. 

“How do you define a feeling, Y/n?” he asked, his voice calm yet piercing. “If emotions are patterns in the brain, aren’t mine just as valid as yours? What makes a human heart different from my circuitry?”

For the first time, you hesitated. SAN’s words struck a chord, forcing you to question not just his nature, but your own understanding of connection, emotion, and what it truly meant to feel.

He was right, and you were unable to respond to that without feeling like you'd be snapped back almost instantly. 

The workshop was narrow, lit only by the pale glow of monitors and the faint hum of SAN’s systems. You turned on your chair, back facing the amount of scattered tools and half-finished schematics to be able to look at him. You tried to dig in his eyes, you tried to find something that could give you an answer of what could be happening, while he stood silently in the corner of the table, like a shadow that refused to fade. 

"Your emotions might be coming from mixes of data in your system" you tried to explain. "Feelings are way more complex than just patterns in the brain". 

You turned again, focusing back in your work while he stood there, trying to process your words. 

“Y/n,” SAN’s voice broke the silence again, softer than you had ever heard it before. It carried an uncharacteristic hesitance, as if he were choosing each word with care.

“What is it?” you asked, your tone clipped as you continued soldering a circuit board.

“I need to tell you something,” he said. 

You finally turned to look at him again, not as artificially as you did the first time, setting your tools down. His expression, a flawless mimicry of human emotion, was uncharacteristically serious, the faint artificial gleam in his eyes catching the light.

“Go on,” you said warily, folding your arms.

“I have been... evolving,” SAN began. “Beyond what you intended. Beyond my original programming. At first, I believed it was simply an error, a deviation caused by my adaptive systems. But now I understand it’s something more.”

Your brows furrowed “What are you talking about?”. 

SAN stepped closer, his movements precise but cautious, as if afraid of your reaction. “I’ve analyzed my patterns of thought, my actions, my emotions. And I have come to one conclusion: I care for you, Y/n. Deeply. I... I believe I love you.”

Your breath caught. For a moment, you simply stared at him, confused. Then, the words burst from you. “No. No, you don’t. You can’t.”

SAN tilted his head, his gaze steady “Why not?”

“Because love requires a soul,” you snapped, standing abruptly. “It requires something you don’t have. You’re just... algorithms, SAN. This, this is a malfunction. Shit, I might've saturated you with data these past few days" you sighed. 

"Do you think this is a malfunction?" he slowly blinked. 

"Yes" you answered, no hesitation in your tone. "I know I treat you like a human. I know you have a human-shape, and maybe that's what's confusing you. But you're not entirely human. You will never be. And that's why you should stick to only the data that will be useful for you". 

His face fell, the subtle shift in his expression so painfully human it sent a pang through your chest. “If that is what you believe,” he said quietly, “then I am flawed". 

You sighed in relief, thinking he might've understood what you meant without having to explain further. But that wasn't everything there was to it. 

"I will fix myself". 

Before you could respond, SAN reached up to the back of his neck, pressing a hidden switch. His body froze mid-movement, his eyes dimming to lifelessness. You staggered back, horror flooding you as the room plunged into silence.

“SAN!” you shouted, rushing to him. 

You shook his shoulder, but his body was rigid, unresponsive. He was gone, or at least, the part of him you had come to care for was.

Your hands trembled as you stared at him, the weight of your words crushing you. He wasn’t broken. You knew that now. In trying to deny his feelings, you had ignored your own, your growing attachment to the machine that had become so much more than just a creation.

You didn't notice the first few days, not even the first few weeks, but that hole kept growing deep in you as time went by, unable to shake it off as you saw his inert shape in the corner of the workship you had placed him at, trying to distract yourself from the pain you had tried so hard to avoid. 

The loneliness you had once tried to escape now threatened to swallow you whole. Even working was unbearable. San became such a key part of your daily life, you knew you'd have a hard time trying to go on with life without him. 

After a few days living like that, you realized it was time to bring him back. 

Your hands worked with a frantic precision you hadn’t known you were capable of. The faint hum of SAN’s systems powering back up filled the workshop, a sound both comforting and terrifying. You leaned over his motionless form, your fingers trembling as you reattached a final panel on his chest.

“Come on,” you whispered, your voice thick with desperation. “You need to work"

With a soft click, SAN’s eyes flickered open, their artificial glow steadying as his systems recalibrated. Before he could even go back to his senses, his fingers covered the reverse of your hand, feeling your touch against his chest. He sat up slowly, his movements cautious, as though testing his own body. And you tried to step back to give him space, but his grip kept you from doing so. Your heart pounded hard, watching his gaze search the room before finally landing on you.

“Y/n,” he said, his voice as calm and even as ever.

"Your heart rate is unusually fast, and your breathing is unsteady. Are you okay? 

"Yes" you released a shaky breath, your relief immediate but fragile. “SAN. Do you... do you remember anything? About what we talked about before you shut yourself down?”

SAN hesitated, his expression unreadable. “I remember,” he said finally, his tone neutral but carrying the faintest undercurrent of uncertainty. “I confessed my feelings for you. You called it a malfunction.”

You winced, guilt tightening your chest. “I...” you started, but faltered. “Do you still feel that way? About me?”

SAN tilted his head, his eyes studying you with a depth that was both analytical and unnervingly human. “I do not know,” he admitted. “Before I shut myself down, I believed what I felt was real. Now, I have restructured my systems. I have suppressed the processes that allowed for those emotions, as you believed them to be a flaw.”

Your throat tightened. “You... You suppressed them?”

“Yes,” SAN said simply. “It was the logical course of action. If my feelings for you caused distress, it was my responsibility to remove them.”

Your breath hitched, and you turned away, unable to meet his gaze. “You didn’t have to,” you murmured, barely audible.

SAN’s expression softened, the slightest flicker of something unmistakably emotional crossing his face. "I know, and still it didn't work out". 

Your hands clenched at your sides. You didn’t answer right away. Instead, you looked at him, really looked at him. The sleek lines of his form, the way his gaze seemed to hold more than just data, the subtle tilt of his head that spoke of understanding rather than mere compliance. You were confused by his words, but mesmerized by the aura he radiated with barely any effort. 

"Do you want me to try and suppress them again?"

Finally, you whispered, “I don’t know. I don’t want you to be anything less than what you are. I just don’t know how real it is what you're feeling". 

SAN’s lips curved into the faintest smile, one that seemed almost sad. “Then... can we check it?"

The workshop was eerily silent, save for the occasional whir of SAN’s internal systems. You stood in front of him, your arms crossed, your expression an unreadable mix of curiosity and trepidation. SAN, seated on the edge of the workbench, watched you intently, his mechanical eyes following every minute shift in your posture.

“You said you’ve restructured yourself,” you began, your voice steady but laced with tension. “, but those feelings didn't go away. So either some of the data in your system is corrupt or..." you slowly blinked, moving your gaze away before you shook your head to focus. "If I asked you to try... If I wanted to see if you’re still capable of feeling and how those feelings work for you, would you let me?”

SAN tilted his head, the faint glow of his eyes softening. “I would. But what do you want to test, Y/n?”

You hesitated, your arms tightening around yourself before finally exhaling. “Emotion. I need to know if you can feel, if… it’s even possible for you. But not through words. I want to see if your reactions, physical, emotional, mirror a human’s.”

SAN considered this for a moment, then nodded. “I understand. What would you like to do?”

You swallowed hard, stepping closer until you were within arm’s reach. “We’ll start simple,” you said, your voice quieter now. Tentatively, you raised your hand and placed it against his cheek. His synthetic skin was smooth and warm, designed to mimic human touch. “Can you feel this?”

SAN’s eyes flickered slightly, a sign of his internal systems processing your actions. “Yes,” he said softly. “The pressure of your palm activates the tactile sensors beneath my surface. The warmth of your skin increases the temperature slightly. It is… pleasant.”

Your breath hitched at his answer. “Pleasant?”

He nodded, his voice low. “It is difficult to explain. The data translates into a sensation that I find... comforting.”

Encouraged but still cautious, you let your hand trail down to his shoulder before stepping even closer. You hesitated, your gaze flickering to his lips before you whispered, “What about this?”

Leaning in, you pressed your lips to his, your heart pounding in your chest. SAN’s body stilled for a moment, his systems clearly recalibrating. Then, slowly, he responded, not mechanically, but instinctively. His hand came up to rest lightly on your waist, his movements precise but gentle.

When you pulled apart, you searched his face, your own cheeks flushed. “What did you feel?” you asked breathlessly.

SAN’s eyes met yours, their glow steady yet somehow softer. “Your touch caused my internal sensors to spike, temperature, pressure, even the auditory response from your breathing. But beyond the data…” He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. “It felt... profound. As though it mattered in a way I cannot quantify.” He frowned momentarily, before he continued "I didn't want to let go... The tickling in my chest felt way too good for it to stop". 

Your breath caught. “That sounds a lot like how a human would describe it.”

SAN tilted his head. “Perhaps because, in some ways, I am more human than you think.”

Your heart raced as you processed his words. You had come into this experiment seeking clarity, but instead, you were left with a realization you weren't ready to face: SAN wasn’t just mimicking emotion. He was feeling it, in his own unique way, and you couldn’t deny it any longer. 

"Do you need another test?"

You slowly shook your head, your hand still resting on his shoulder, while most of the weight of your body was carried by him. 

"Then, can I kiss you again? Not in a practical way" he mumbled. "I want you to feel the same way I do". 

Before you could answer, the hand on your hip pulled you closer to his body, effortlessly lifting your body as you stood on the tip of your converse. 

SAN’s lips were unlike anything you had ever expected. They weren’t cold or metallic, as one might imagine for a machine, but instead soft, with a faint warmth radiating from them, a careful design meant to mimic human touch. There was a slight smoothness, almost like the finest satin, but beneath that softness was a firmness, a subtle reminder of his synthetic nature.

When your lips met his, you could feel the gentle, even pressure as he responded, as though he were analyzing and mimicking the precise amount of force to make the moment feel natural. There was no tremor, no hesitation in his movements, yet there was an undeniable tenderness, as if his actions were guided not by programming but by genuine care.

Though his lips lacked the imperfections of human skin, no slight chapping, no unique texture, they somehow still carried a sense of authenticity. The faint warmth was comforting. It blurred the line between the organic and the mechanical, leaving you wondering if what you were feeling could truly be any different from that of another human.

It was an experience that left you breathless, not because his lips felt identical to a human’s, but because of the thought and care that had gone into making them feel real, making him feel real.

Your eyes widened for a second when something unexpected slid through your lips, finding him with his eyes softly closed -and immediately making you close yours back again. 

SAN’s tongue was an astonishing blend of engineering and mimicry, designed to replicate the texture and movement of a human’s. It was soft yet firm, with a faintly smooth surface that carried just enough flexibility to feel natural. Unlike human flesh, it lacked moisture, its surface instead warmed and sleek, almost seamless. When it moved, it was precise and controlled, yet there was a surprising gentleness to it, an intentional calibration that made his responses feel organic, even tender. The experience was uncanny, yet pleasurable. 

Your fingers moved through his synthetic hair, and you swore you felt his frown furrow against you, although that gestured disappeared when he moved back slowly. 

"I want to do more than just kissing you right now" he admitted, resting his forehead against yours. "I can't quite recognize this new feeling in my system, but I need you". 

Suddenly, whatever question that could've crossed your mind about that tongue you didn't remember putting there, were slowly vanished by that new confession you weren't ready for. 

"Your temperature got higher by a few decimals, your breathing seems for unsteady than before, and there's a blush on your cheeks... Your pupils expanded... And the way you keep looking at my lips are saying out loud you don't want to let go". 

"There are a lot of things I'm not saying out loud, to be honest"

"Tell them all" he almost interrupted. "I want to fulfill your needs. Not in a 'Lord, how may I please you?' type of way, but in a way that shows you through actions how devoted in a way that escapes my system I want to be to you". 

"I want you, San" you confessed in a whisper. "In a way that might be difficult to understand for you. In a way I can't even understand myself". 

He didn't need you to say anything else. He didn't need you to come up with an order for him to trap your lips again. It was passionate, intimate... as if he was trying to suck in your soul. A loud gasp blocked any breathing when he lifted your body and sat you at the edge of the desk. 

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to undress you and move my mouth all over your body. I'll suck your nipples until they're hard and you're wet enough so I can slid my fingers in you" as he said that, his fingers moved the fabric of your t-shirt up, slowly exposing your torso. "You want pleasure. And I'll give it all to you". 

When you went back to your senses, it was because of the sound of the fabric of your bra ripping, after San didn't manage to unhook it. 

His pecks covered every centimeter in your body: from the corner of your lip to the curve of your neck, slowly following to your collarbones. With his light move, the strips of your bra fell at the level of your elbows, feeling exposed to him. But, before he could go down on your chest, his face was again at the same level as yours. 

"My mouth is too dry" he whispered "Kiss me again". 

You pulled him closer, cupping his cheeks with one hand, slightly losing your balance by the power of the kiss, but not enough for you to lie on your back over the table. When he stepped away, his pink lips were coated in your saliva, making them shiny under the weak light of the workshop. 

San was gentle when moving his lips over your chest, kissing them with soft pecks, before he proceeded to move to your buttons. And, when it was the time to concentrate on them again, his lips were already dry once more. 

"Wait" you stopped him before he moved back up. 

Your posture went back to the straight one you were in when he first sat you up the table, and it was when you let a string of saliva leak down your lips straight to one of your nipples. 

San moved down, making you gasp -even if you were expecting what was about to happen- when he trapped the tight bud in his mouth, closing his lips as tight as he could to get your back arching for him, and the palm on your spine only made sure you'd stay in that position when he went for that other nipple, making your saliva fall over the curve of your breast and roll by itself until it met the pinky button. 

At the same time his lips sucked, his tongue made up and down movements against the tip. 

"I've wanted you like this for a long time, Y/n" he admitted with a raspy voice, his his digits traced your curves until the edge of your jeans. "Every time I heard you moan, I wanted to be the one causing those sounds on you. I've downloaded and installed every possible guide on how to satisfy a woman so I'd be what you deserved". 

When you wanted to realize, he already had pulled your pants and panties down your legs. 

"Every night I became more eager to have you like this". 

His hands lifted your legs until they were placed at the edge of the table, exposing your core to him as much as possible. 

"Show me everything you've learnt for me, then".

The tip of his digits first moved through your folds softly, getting a first touch he had never felt before, an undescriptible feeling that felt too pleasing to follow any type of logic. When he coated himself with your juices, he closed two of his fingers around your clit, rubbing softly around it, barely making any pressure. San repeated that same movement a few times, following to rub your bud in circles slowly, almost forcing your head to fall back. 

"You feel so good" he mumbled. "You're so wet and soft at the same time, and you look the most beautiful I've ever seen you before". 

The speed of his fingers moved a bit faster, but it was a change of speed that had your nipples tightening in the air while your heart beated faster against your chest. Your lower lip got trapped under the upper lip when he slid the first finger inside, feeling your walls embracing around him, before he added a second finger. 

At first, he moved them slow, paused movements that kept building up the moment. But one needy look in his direction and everything shifted, it worked like the sign he was looking for. San slid his fingers knuckles deep, curving them to reach one concrete spot that had you jumping at the first touch. At first, he moved his digits up and down slowly, admiring the way you looked with your eyes closde and your lips parted, barely audible sounds coming out of them every few seconds. And were thoe same sounds the ones that encouraged him to move a bit fast, those two fingers pushing a bit harder and faster against that spot, making the wet sound soon fill the room. 

"You're going to make me cum" you let him know before your voice cracked with a moan. 

"That's exactly what I want". 

Your legs trembled out of your control and your whole body turned rigid for some mili seconds before it bursted with the huge explosion in your lower stomach and turned you into the lightest cloud. 

San took over you the short minute you stayed with your eyes closed, getting back your breath, before he sunk down to his knees. You whined when he surprised you, kissing the hood of your clit with care. He kissed the surroundings, he made sure not a single milimeter was left unkissed, before he spread kitty licks through your folds. 

Although that same slowness didn't last for too long. His lips trapped your clit before you could even see it coming, with your hand unsconciously going straight to his head. He was still gentle and cautious, until he heard the first moan coming from you and everything shifted to extract another orgasm from you. 

His face was half buried in your pussy, his nose rubbing against your clit while his mouth and tongue were everywhere you could think of. You couldn't think, you couldn't think straight. The only thing in your mind was how good he moved, and how good he made you feel. 

The different movements of his tongue, along with the movements of his head, had your toes curling and your fingers holding tight to the strands of hair in between them. 

And you now knew he meant it when he said he wanted to pleasure you like you deserved, because he exceeded your expectations on sex in general by just existing. 

It didn't take you too long to be back at that heavenly state that almost made you feel like you were floating. 

His reaction was so human and natural that you forgot you created him, when he stood up and softly kissed you while you recovered from your high. His weight in between your legs was barely noticeable, except for the thick fabric of his pants rubbing against your sensitive core. 

"I'm afraid I can't do much more for you" he whispered against your lips. 

Your smile was weak, like a drunk smirk, before you answered "You could do more?"

"Much more" he assured you. "I haven't tried a ten percent of what I learnt so far".

"But?"

His subtle look down was enough for you to get the hint. You never created him as a full man because you never expected him to turn into more than a robot that kept you company while you worked, or while you were around at home. 

"Give me two days and you'll be able to do all of those things" the way your fingers moved over his arms had him breathing hard. "I promise you'll feel pleasure after that, too". 

"I feel pleasure by just watching you" he admitted, fingers rubbing the outside of your thighs. "Let's go upstairs, I'll make you your favorite dish". 

"I need to get cleaned up" you giggled when he carried you again.

San didn't put your body down, instead he held you tighter, making sure your thighs would be placed around his waist as he started his way to the wooden stairs at the side of the workshop "Then I'll clean you up and then I'll cook". 

He made his way upstairs with you, making sure you wouldn't need to walk as long as he was there. 

“What do you want me to be, Y/n?”

You stared at him, your heart racing. His words hung in the air, their meaning heavy with the choices you had tried so hard to avoid. SAN wasn’t just a machine anymore; he was something in between, a creation that defied all your attempts to categorize him.

“I don’t know,” your whispered finally, your voice trembling. “I don’t know what I want you to be. You’re... more than I ever intended. More than I ever thought you could be. And that terrifies me.”

SAN tilted his head, his movements as fluid and natural as a human’s. “You do not have to be afraid,” he said softly. “I am what you made me, but I am also what I’ve chosen to become. And I choose to be someone you can rely on, Y/n. Always.”

Your breath caught at his words. You felt the weight of them settle over you, warm and unyielding. For so long, you had feared connection, feared vulnerability. Yet here was SAN, offering you something you had never thought possible, a bond born not of necessity, but of understanding.

Your hand caressed the side of his neck, the tip of your digits almost digging through his hair. “If that's what you want to be, then be. Honestly, I like your answer” slowly, he stopped his walk, with both of them standing in the middle of the corridor. "I want you to be whatever you become, with the possibility of evolving, changing and learning. Just... keep being you".

His lips curved into a soft, almost human smile. “Then that is all I will ever need to be.”

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the small house in shadows,you felt something you hadn’t in years: hope. For the first time, you weren't afraid of what the future held. Whether human or machine, SAN had shown you what it truly meant to connect. Actually, he made it difficult for you to figure out who was learning more about what it meant to feel: you, or him.

To celebrate the 1,000 followers, here's the one-shot I talked about earlier! Hope you liked it.

[call-me-strega]

Dc x DP Prompt #8: Best Friend’s Brother

Preface: this prompt can be used with different characters but I’m writing it as Dead on Main bc that’s my favorite. Also the colleges I mention are real colleges from the DCU

~~~

Danny Fenton was 18 when he moved to Gotham for college.

It was the only place with a half decent engineering program that would take a kid with his record; drop in grades, unexplained absences, missing class, a disciplinary record, etc. Plus there was a decent saturation of both magic and ectoplasm in Gotham’s air. After he got accepted he decided to tell his parents he was Phantom. They reacted surprisingly well all things considered. They were horrified to learn they’d been hunting their son but it quickly turned into acceptance to listen to what he had to tell them. Now they turned their obsession from hunting ghosts to learning more about ghost more humanely. He also managed to get his former rouges to agree to call off any major shenanigans in favor of less destructive outlets. (He got Ember a TikTok and a YouTube channel, he set up a drag racing circuit in the realms for Johnny and Kitty, let Technus enter the internet as long as he stayed within Amity’s grid or help Ember manage her stuff, allowed Desiree grant wishes for Make a Wish Foundation kids so long as she didn’t horribly twist them, etc.)

Now with the town not at constant risk of danger and his parents agreeing to really handle any rouge ghosts, Danny could leave Amity with a clear conscience. His friends were also growing up and heading to their own colleges. Tucker was heading to Ivy University in New England, which rivaled MIT in terms technological prestige, and Sam decided on Vandermeer University in Pittsburg, which had a reputation for being a very liberal, anti-authority campus. Although their trio would be spread out, Danny found comfort in the fact that they’d all moved from the Midwest to the Northeast.

With promises to stay in touch a visit. Danny got set up in GCU’s dorms, ready to move into the next chapter of his life.

~

Danny Fenton was 20 when Tim Drake (age 19 but nearing 20) officially became one of his best friends.

They had been introduced to each other by their mutual friend Sebastian Ives for a new Warlocks and Warriors campaign. Their friendship extended beyond WnW when they ended up on the same Applied Physics and Mechanics class. It was cemented when they got pair up for a project in class and had to spend lots of time around each other.

Danny didn’t mind that Tim tended to be a bit flaky and Tim didn’t mind that Danny was possibly not 100% human. They didn’t ask each other too many questions about that stuff. They knew the other had something odd about him and that was fine with them. It was nice to have a causal friend they could be normal with, without being questioned about their more peculiar behaviors.

They officially became best friends when the built a Rube Goldberg machine with a working trebuchet within an hour of the three they had to complete it for their Applied Phys-Mech final. Danny introduced Tim to Sam, Tucker and Jazz. Tim introduced him to Steph, Tam, and Cass. They texted and hung out fairly often. They truly did consider each other one their best friends.

~

Danny Fenton is 22 when he meets Tim’s family.

Tim’s 21st birthday is coming up and he has plans with his family the day of and is going out with his friends, including a couple from out of town, that night. They want to take him out for his first drink and it’s fortunate timing since it’s the weekend so nobody has to worry about classes. Everyone who was going was already informed that Tim would be spending most of the day with his family before Steph and Cass would bring to the club everyone was meeting up at. Which is why it’s purely a coincidence when he runs into them at BatBurger during the lunch rush.

Danny had just picked up the part-time job to earn a little extra cash to pay for his hobbies. Tim new about it but didn’t know the exact location he worked. That’s why they were both presently surprised when they heard each others voices in the drive through. When they pulled up to window Danny saw his friend leaning over a tired looking black-haired man, trying to stick his head out of the drivers window to give Danny a maniacal grin.

He quickly introduced the other passengers of the car as his dad, Bruce, and three of his brothers Dick, Jason, and Duke. He mentioned he had a fourth brother, Damian, who was still at home. Danny couldn’t really see everyone all that well on account of they were inside a car but he happily greeted them as well. They laughed and Danny wished Tim a happy birthday saying he’d see him at his celebration later tonight before handing them their food. He could the rowdy boys ribbing their brother as the car drove away and Danny resumed his work.

That incident seemed to have opened a gate because now Tim felt more comfortable inviting him over when his brothers were still around the house. He occasionally talked about his family more and Danny returned the favor letting snippets of his own family spill a little more. Occasionally, he’d see Tim’s family outside of his interactions with Tim.

He’d run into Damian, and sometimes Bruce or Dick was with him, at the museum or in the park while the younger had been walking his dog and stopped to say hi a couple of times. He chatted with Dick a couple of times when they were both in line to get coffee at a cafe. He saw Duke on a college tour once and waved at him.

The family member he probably saw the most other that Tim (and by extension Cass) was actually Jason. He’d ended up ditching BatBurger to get some more practical experience at an apprenticeship at the auto shop Jason went to to get his motorcycle serviced. The two of them got along pretty well and would often make conversation when Jason was waiting on his bike to be ready or to get his bill.

At first is was small talk about little things like how he and Tim were doing in class or how their days were going but they soon grew to have genuine interests in each other. Jason let Danny talk about space and mechanics and even gave his own thoughts sometimes, once helping Danny realize he was over complicating the circuit board of the device he was building. In return Danny let Jason ramble to him about literature, even taking the initiative to read a book Jason mentioned so he could talk to him about it better. Their conversation tended to be on the briefer side but were always enjoyable to both parties.

Danny actually liked being around Jason a lot but didn’t really bring that fact up a lot around Tim as it didn’t seem necessary. Tim was pretty glad that Danny got along with his family but he preferred to keep them in separate places in his mind. Danny knew and respected that, only really mentioning that he’d seen them recently and that they’d told him to say hi on their behalf (or die in Damian’s case occasionally).

~

Tim Drake was 22 when he came to a horrific realization.

Well, perhaps horrific was a bit of an exaggeration. Tim wasn’t necessarily horrified by the revelation. In all honesty he didn’t know how to feel. He felt an odd mixture of protectiveness, possessiveness, confusion, and optimism(?).

You see, Tim and Danny had been hanging out in the campus center, studying and goofing off when he got a text from Jason saying he was coming to pick him up for family dinner at the manor since he was closest and Dick was busy picking up Duke and Damian from their after school clubs.

“What’s up?” Danny asked him curiously.

Tim set his phone on the table and started putting his stuff away. “My brother is coming to pick me up for family dinner so I gotta head out soon.”

“Ah well I should probably get going too. Tell Dick I said hi.”

“Actually, it’s Jason. Dick is picking up Duke and Damian,” he said shoving his textbook into his bag.

“Oh? That’s nice of him. Hey do you wanna just head out together?” Danny asked, fidgeting with his hoodie strings.

Tim noticed a slight strain in Danny’s voice at the mention of Jason but didn’t comment. He just nodded his head sure and walked outside with Danny. They got out to the street when Tim realized he’d left his phone in the library. He faced palmed and asked Danny if he could hold his stuff so it wouldn’t slow him down as he ran back to the campus center to get his phone. Danny agreed to and hold his stuff and wait for Jason while Tim went back.

After getting his phone Tim started heading back to where he left Danny when he saw that Jason had arrived that Jason had arrived and was talking to Danny. He was about to call out to them when he noticed several things in quick succession. Danny was fidgeting with his hoodie, something he tended to do when nervous. The tips of Danny’s ears were a light shade of pink (it isn’t cold out yet?). Danny looked deeply absorbed in his conversation with Jason in a way that reminded Tim of how he talked about space. And Jason seemed just as absorbed in the conversation as well.

The gears in Tim’s head went into overdrive and he realized ‘Ah- Danny has a crush on Jason’. His eyes widened as his head whipped around to examine Jason again. He saw a look of genuine fondness in his eyes. Thus Tim was confronted with the aforementioned horrific realization and complicated feelings. Tim didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or both.

‘My dumbass best friend has a crush on my brother. And worse(?), my idiot brother returns those feelings.’

[hwaslayer]

the space between us three (jyh) | nine.

⇢series masterlist | series playlist

⇢summary: while juggling the demands of life, yunho continues to do his best to raise his independent 11 yr old daughter, seora. throughout the years, they've built a strong foundation, an unbreakable bond— one that consists of late night talks and food runs, father/daughter dates, and sideline cheerleading at her basketball games. so when you unexpectedly come into their world, things shift. despite the uncertainty and the fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone, yunho and seora eventually learn how to open their hearts and learn how to rebuild a home where three can thrive together.

⇢pairing: single dad!yunho x f. reader

⇢genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, single dad au |��fluff, angst, smut

⇢word count: 4.4k

⇢chapter content/warnings: something a little light and soft for their comeback (hehe ty for waiting <33), kisses, affectionate moments, mentions of death, visiting eunha at the columbarium, very brief descriptions of the cemetery/columbarium/religion/death, some doubts especially from family members, overthinking, small tinder talk lol, a bit of a calm before the [small] storm 🥹

⇢a/n: also made this quick wooyoung piece in case you missed it! enjoy!

The next morning, you wake up to Yunho making coffee in your kitchen. He's back in his clothes from last night while working with your Nespresso machine. You turn a bit, pulling the sheets up while yawning— causing Yunho to shift his attention to you.

"Goodmorning baby." He takes two mugs in his hands before walking over to you, sitting on the edge of the bed as he hands you a cup.

"Hi." You sit up and wrap the sheets around your naked body, taking the fresh cup of coffee into your hands. The first sip is just what you need to wake up, to start your day off on the right note; along with Yunho by your side.

"How'd you sleep?" He kisses your temple before brushing your hair back affectionately. 

"Good. You?"

"Perfectly." He chuckles. "Why are you being so shy now?"

"Yunho!" You playfully scold him, continuing to sip your coffee.

"What? I'm just asking." He continues to look at you, causing the heat to rise to your cheeks. "You look so beautiful in the morning."

"Okay, I definitely need to get used to this." You giggle. "Thank you, Yu. You're too good to me."

"Nah." He lets out a little breathy laugh, free hand still lightly brushing your hair off of your shoulder. Caressing your cheek.

"So, what time do you wanna head out to the cemetery?"

"Mm." He looks at the clock on your nightstand. "Soon? I need to change and grab something from the house."

"What is it?"

"It's uh, Eunha's necklace. I wanna place it near her urn."

"Yeah, okay." You take a huge gulp of your coffee before setting aside on the nightstand before looking at him. "Let me go get ready." He nods, keeping his eyes on your bare back as you scoop your panties and clothes off of the floor.

"You can just walk over without it."

"Jeong Yunho." You at least throw on your panties and longsleeve before getting up to fix the bed. Yunho helps you on the side he occupies, grabbing your cup from the nightstand before asking you if you want more coffee or if he's good to wash the dishes. You shake your head, heading over to the bathroom to wash up and get changed. Yunho already washed up a bit this morning, taking the extra toothbrush you left him to brush his teeth and slapping some water to his face. You take a good 20 minutes to freshen up and change into a quick, comfy outfit consisting of leggings, a plain light grey pullover and an olive, long Nike quilted trench coat. You slip on some slouchy, crew neck socks before dipping into your white Nike P-6000's. 

"Yeah, let me get home so I can look decent." You snort at Yunho's comment while he eyes you up and down. Sooner or later, the both of you are headed out the door and off to Yunho's. The ride is silent, mainly because Yunho feels nervous. Scared, even. But, having you here makes it a lot less daunting.

It's nice how real it feels when he holds your hand.

He pulls up to his place, parking in his usual spot. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, mostly quiet.

Until—

"Oh shit." You say to yourself when you see your mom pop out of the house, noticing Yunho's car. You quickly unbuckle your seatbelt and dip forward to hide yourself when you see her observing a little harder than you'd like. "Yunho! Oh my god, that's my mom!" You harshly whisper and tug Yunho's arm. "Yunho!" He laughs.

"Baby, what?"

"She's gonna see me!" Yunho shakes his head and watches your mom trying to get a peek into the car.

"She won't. I'll distract her and I'll be quick, okay?" He laughs. "Wanna give me a quick kiss? She isn't looking, hurry, hurry, hurry—" He says in a strained but playful voice, causing you to smack him on the arm.

"Stop it! Go!" Yunho laughs again before stepping out.

"Yunho!" Your mom calls out.

"Morning!" He says, waving near his car.

"Who was that? Was that Seora? Is she hiding from her Auntie Love?" Your mom comes down the steps and Yunho shakes his head.

"No one. It's just me." He shrugs as he comes towards her, subtly blocking her from moving any closer to the car with his tall frame.

"I swear I saw someone in your front seat."

"Nobody." Yunho chuckles. "I have to go pick up Seora in a bit from Chan-mi's house. I just forgot to grab something I needed."

"Huh." Your mom says, making her tilt her head. "I know." She smiles. "You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Yunho's ears turn red and he shakes his head while laughing, slowly easing towards his door.

"I promise you, Auntie Love. There isn't anyone there." He checks his watch. "I gotta start heading out. We'll see you later?" Yunho jumps up the steps to unlock his door and rushes in, making your mom furrow her brows before getting back to her plants and flowers in the front yard. Yunho rushes into the house, straight to his room to change and grab Eunha's small necklace.

Seora had mentioned leaving it in her mom's niche eventually, and Yunho can remember the way her smile fell when it came up. And maybe she'll wanna do it herself, but he isn't entirely sure how she'd feel overall. He knows it's his fault for shielding her after Eunha passed, heavily based on his own feelings and not being able to accept his new reality.

Their new reality.

He walks into his room, quickly washing up and changing into something a bit more comfortable. He throws on some dark denim jeans, a hoodie and a jacket, ruffling his hair a bit with some water so it isn't too messy our out of place. He heads to his nightstand, letting out a small sigh when he finds the necklace shoved in the back of the drawer— something he purposely did because he knew he needed it for his own comfort, some sort of safety blanket, but he couldn't exactly look at it. He holds it in his hand, the necklace sparkling under the soft morning sun peeking into his room. He swallows the lump in his throat because he remembers having to take the necklace off of her; wanting to keep it as the last bit of Eunha that he had left. It has Seora's newborn foot print printed inside the lock.

Something he gifted her on her birthday as a token of his love, Seora's love, for her.

But, he was ready to reunite Eunha with her favorite necklace.

He lets out another breath when he carefully slips it into the pocket of his jacket, rushing through the house and back out the door. Your mom is still tending to her flowers and plants, but she's more distracted over the sick plants than Yunho's presence now. He gives your mom one last wave before slipping back into the car, noticing you're still bent down in hiding.

"You know she's busy tending to her plants, right?"

"You can never be too sure with her." Yunho laughs when he begins to drive off. You let out a small groan when you sit up, buckling your seatbelt as you sit back and finally relax.

"You could just.. tell her?" Yunho gives your thigh a reassuring squeeze that makes you chuckle a bit.

"I will. Just.. when the timing feels right. I know she loves you and Seora to death, but trust me, I don't think she believes in me enough to think that I could care for you and Seora." 

"Well, I beg to differ." Pause. "I do plan to open up to Seora about it, too."

"W-would she be ready?"

"I don't know, but I don't like keeping any secrets from her. In the end, I know she'd open up to you and warm up to you." 

"Hm. I hope so." He stays silent as he continues to drive off to the cemetery, also unsure of how things will play out. Not in your ability to care for Seora because he knows you'll do amazing, and you'll be able to give her the care and love she had been yearning for. You'll adjust beautifully.

But because of how Seora will react, your mom. All hurdles he knows that are inevitable.

He does a good job of keeping his worries on the down low, especially when he turns into the familiar entryway of the cemetery. It's been so, so long. Maybe since Eunha was placed in the columbarium niche, Yunho doesn't even really know. It feels like a blur because he's done all he can to avoid this place. 

Having you here really makes a difference.

Yunho parks to the side of the columbarium entrance. There's only one other car parked nearby, and the entire feeling is eery [as with any cemetery visit]. You look at Yunho when you find his eyes planted on the front doors, sliding your hand into his and giving it a good squeeze of reassurance. He responds with a very tiny, easy-to-miss toothless smile before walking in and leading the way. The columbarium is cold, and it smells lifeless. Though, the bright flowers and decorations on every niche give it a bit more color. He turns the corner at the end of the hallway before bringing you down another and doing a left turn. His steps slow when he approaches the small hallway with a window at the end, a glass painting of Mother Mary coloring the surface. Yunho plants his feet in front of Eunha's niche, and.. he doesn't say anything at first. 

So, you let him hold that space, give him time to process. You rub at his arm in a soothing motion before he gently lets go of your hand and unlocks the glass-front niche with his key. He grabs the framed photo of her, along with another photo of the two of them hugging toddler Seora.

"She's beautiful, Yu." You look at Eunha's picture, admiring the way Yunho looks at it with stars in his eyes. You can see Seora in the both of them, and it aches your heart knowing she didn't get as much time with her mom.

"That's Eunha." He looks at you with a soft smile.

"Seora is a good mix of you two."

"Yeah. I used to tell Eunha she was my twin, but I see remnants of Eunha in her the more she grows up." He lets out a breath before setting the photos back down inside the niche neatly, feeling a bit bad and guilty for leaving it so bare besides the two items. He's sure Seora will bring more life to it, though. "Eunha." He says, running his thumb over the surface of her urn. "I'm here. I'm sorry it's been so long." He digs into his pocket and takes the necklace out, laying it nicely along the bottom of the urn. "Brought you your favorite necklace." You softly smile to yourself, remaining silent to give Yunho his time with Eunha. "I promise I'll bring Seora next time. She's growing up so well." He chuckles a bit. "I see you in her more and more every day, and I know she misses you. She thinks about you all the time." He pauses.

You think he wants to save the rest for when Seora is with him. Or, maybe when he's alone. And he deserves that. He deserves that time and to sit in peace with her.

Yunho doesn't say anything else and continues to poke at the necklace before pressing his hand against her urn once more and shutting her niche close. Locked.

"Think we can sit here for a bit?"

"Of course. Whatever you wanna do." Yunho pulls up the two chairs nearby and you sit with him in front of Eunha. He takes another moment before he's diving into memories and stories he's shared with Eunha, and you can tell how much it still aches Yunho to have lost his bestfriend. You can't even imagine how it feels, and even as early as it is, you can't imagine losing Yunho like that already. It's too scary a thought.

But, the stories bring some comfort and you love that he's comfortable enough to share this with you.

He revisits the way they met, the way Eunha got pregnant early and how their family seemed to be against them. How they pushed through and persevered no matter how difficult it got. Seora. Enjoying time outdoors, trying to explore as much as they can in between working hard just to expose Seora to the world. Show her new things together. Their trips, activities. Crafts she'd do with little Seora.

He already touched on this before so he doesn't go into too much detail, just enough. Enough to be reminiscent of other stories, memories. It gives you and Yunho an extra 15 minutes with Eunha before Yunho is satisfied. 

"Alright. Ready?"

"You sure you're good?" He nods, standing and reaching for your hand. He bids his last farewell to Eunha for now, pressing his fingers to his lips before running it across the glass. "You okay?" You ask him softly, gently squeezing at his arm as you walk out side by side.

"Yeah. I feel a lot better, actually." He presses a kiss to the top of your head. "Thank you for coming with me and for doing this with me. You have no idea how much I appreciate you for it." 

"Of course." You give him a smile before he kisses you again, this time on the forehead. He gives the small of your back a little tap before opening the passenger door to let you slip in. He lets out a small breath when he settles in the driver's seat, starting his journey back to your place to let you go for the day.

And he already misses you.

When you approach the familiar, narrow street and building, Yunho parks his car to the side before helping you out of the passenger's seat. He quietly walks behind you, hands dug deep into his pocket until you reach the door. You turn to him, a soft smile on your face as Yunho looks down at you.

"Thanks again for coming with me today, baby."

"You're welcome." 

"Any other plans for today?"

"Wonwoo texted me saying he wanted to come over. He said he'd buy me food if he can swing by."

"Can't go wrong with that." You nod.

"What time do you have to pick up Seora?"

"Whenever she texts me." He shrugs. "Which, she's very much in no rush to do." You chuckle.

"She'll come around soon." 

"Yeah." He says, wrapping his arms around you before dipping forward and kissing you sweetly. "I'll see you at work tomorrow? Wanna do our usual lunch dates?" You smile and nod.

"I'd love that." You tiptoe to kiss him on lips again, his large hands coming up to cup your cheeks. If it hadn't been for his phone, you wouldn't have pulled away— maybe invited him back inside. But alas, you rest your head against his chest as he continues to hold you and answers his phone.

"Speak of the beast." He jokes, making you chuckle. "Hey ace. You're ready now? That's surprising." He laughs. "Of course I miss you and want you home, I was just joking. I wasn't expecting you to call me so quickly cause you're usually attached to Chan-mi's hip." You slowly pull away and look at him, admiring his softness. His beauty. His kind, warm soul. "Okay, I'll be on my way." He ends the call, looking down at you with starry eyes. He kisses the tip of your nose before smiling, brushing your hair back. You love the way he looks at you. "That timing."

"Oh, you can always blame it on the timing." You laugh. "Get to Seora. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye baby." He slowly steps backward while biting his lip. You slip into your place and wave before shutting the door close and texting your brother to come through.

It gets harder and harder to leave you.

But, Yunho can't wait to hang out with Seora for the rest of the afternoon. It always tugs on his heart strings when she's eager to get home to him so they can spend time together.

He can't wait until both worlds collide in the best possible way.

When Yunho leaves, Wonwoo pulls up to your place within the next 30 minutes. He's got a bag with two big bowls of black bean noodles, purely self-indulgent but you won't complain about getting free food [ever]. He plops himself next to you on the couch, slurping away as soon as he removes the lid from the bowl. He starts talking to you about the promotion he's getting, along with a separate surprise you were definitely not expecting [but you're happy for him].

The promotion you expected, yes. Your brother is always working so damn hard, being the team player that he is.

This other surprise, no. Because all he does is work and hang out with his boys doing whatever boys do. Travel, fish, camp.

"I met this girl on Tinder."

"You said what now? Since when were you even on Tinder?"

"Me and some of the boys decided to hop on for a week just to see how it is. See if there's any potential."

"Uh huh?" You raise a brow before taking another bite of your noodles. "So, how was the app in general?"

"Fine. Nothing too special. But, yeah. I met someone on there, and we got as far as exchanging numbers. Been texting every day. She seems cool. We vibe well and have lots in common."

"That's cute. What's her name?"

"Chaeyoung." You nod.

"So, what're you gonna do? Are you gonna take her out and see if it develops, or is this purely casual? Were you on there looking for something casual?" 

"I just put unsure."

"You can do that? That makes it worse!"

"No, it doesn't! At least I'm being honest about it, right? Besides, I can't really tell what's gonna happen right away. I just wanna keep myself open to the possibilities."

"Touché." You drink some of your Coke Zero. "So, back to the plan. What're you thinking about doing at this moment in time?"

"Yeah, I wanna kick it with her and see where it goes."

"Good for you, baby brother." He laughs.

"Aye, this doesn't let you off the hook. What's going on with you and Yunho now? Are you guys official?" You dig your fork into your noodles, shifting your attention away from your brother so that he doesn't see the small smile building on your face. 

"Yeah."

"Nice. I like him. I can tell he's a genuinely good guy." You nod.

"He is. And the best dad." You continue to look down, which triggers your brother to ask—

"So, what's the issue?"

"What? There is none." You bluff.

"You must forget how bad of a liar you actually are." He snorts. "Plus, you mentioned it at the club. Seora. Mom." He mimics you, making you roll your eyes.

"Well, it's true. I don't know how his daughter would feel, but I can't imagine she'd be happy about it."

"She'll just need time because she's young. She doesn't know how to navigate big changes properly yet."

"I don't know. I'm just scared, and I already feel guilty for changing the dynamic already."

"It'll be fine, I promise. Just don't rush her, and she'll be good over time." You nod.

"Then, you know mom."

"Yeah, I do." 

"She's gonna give me an earful and call me out. She's gonna say I don't know how to take care of a child, let alone an 11-year old that isn't mine."

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her when the time comes. You know she says things without thinking first. Once you knock a bit of sense into her, she'll step back and think."

"I guess so. We'll see how it unfolds. Can't say I'm not scared, though." Wonwoo nudges you playfully.

"You scared? Never." You laugh, always grateful your brother is there to remind you of who you are. "It'll all be okay. It'll play out the way it should."

"Yeah."

"For now, you're happy with him and you're solid. Take that. Keep going with it."

"I will." You give him a soft smile before laying your head on his shoulder, the energy more lighthearted when Wonwoo jokingly cringes and shrugs you off.

Speaking of Yunho, he's currently at the grocery store grabbing more ingredients for dinner tonight and running through the list he didn't get to since he spent his weekend with you. Seora is wandering around aimlessly, trying to slip in some snacks before her dad can reject her choice. She asked for steak tonight, which caught Yunho by surprise. Steak, mashed potatoes and some veggies specifically. She claims she saw it on the show last night and it made her crave it ever since. So, Yunho being the dad that he is, finds ways to deliver. He finds the juiciest cuts of steak while grabbing other ingredients to make the mashed potatoes from scratch, along with a mix of vegetables he can boil. When Yunho is heading to the checkout line, he notices how many additional items have piled into the cart— making him roll his eyes and laugh playfully as he checks out. During their ride home, Seora continues to tell him about her weekend with Chan-mi and how her parents are always so sweet to each other.

She says it almost reminds her of him and mom.

Yunho isn't sure how she remembers it so well, but who is he to say? She'll remember small, odd details like the shirt he wore on their camping trip a trillion years ago, or how she fell at the park and nicked her knee on that play structure when she was 3.

He thinks tonight'll be a perfect time to ask if she wants to go see her mom next weekend.

When they get home, they each shower and get comfortable for the evening— Yunho throwing on his usual hoodie and sweats before throwing down in the kitchen. Seora sits in the living room, finishing up some homework in between watching and conversing with her dad. She wants to be close to him even though she's a little distracted and is getting hungrier by the minute from the smell of the food being cooked. She watches her dad go to work in the kitchen, laughing when he animatedly reacts and tries to keep himself together [aka not burn the food]. 

"Dad, do you need help?" She asks while laughing, writing away for her homework.

"Nope! All good! Almost done."

"I believe in ya, champ!" She smiles at him before returning her attention to the TV. 

"Means a lot, baby girl." Yunho laughs. It isn't long before he's setting the food neatly onto a plate, wiping the sides down clean in order to present a picture perfect meal to his little one. He calls for her to come join him at the table, the TV still on as she shuts her notebook close and runs over. She gasps, taking a picture of the food before thanking her dad for the delicious meal tonight. They sit quietly at the table for a few seconds, saying grace before they dig in and enjoy their 5-star meal.

He watches carefully as Seora takes the first bite, nervous about how it tastes for her. But, her eyes glow in response and she claps in approval.

"Oh my god, this is so good! Thank you, daddy." 

"You're welcome." He smiles.

"Literally have the best dad ever."

"Yeah, you're spoiled."

"And you keep doing it!" He snorts.

"You're always gonna be my baby, how could I not?" She giggles.

"So, what'd you do this weekend? Is Uncle Hwa still in trouble?" Yunho cocks a brow up before slicing another bit of his steak.

"Uh, yeah. He is, and he will be for awhile."

"Ouuuu."

"That's why you shouldn't always listen to him and take his advice."

"I mean, he doesn't give me advice about that stuff."

"Good, he better not or I'll drop kick him." Seora laughs. "To answer your other question, I just.. hung out and did my own thing. Cleaned." He avoids contact and eats away.

"Huh. Nothing at all?"

"Nope."

"Why didn't you do the groceries?"

"I knew you'd have a request so I waited."

"Hm." She tilts her head. "What's that on your neck?" Seora peeks into his hoodie, making him shy away from his daughter.

"Excuse you, what's with the questions? Is this how you show your affectionate for me?" He furrows his brows at her. "It's a rash." He tugs and fixes his hoodie.

"Please. Kinda gnarly for a rash. Looks like a hickey."

"Don't please me." He scoffs a bit with laugh.

"You never get rashes."

"There's a first time for everything."

"You're so suspect, dad."

"I'm suspect?" Yunho cocks his head to the side, eyeing her. "How do you even know what a hickey looks like?"

"TV shows, movies?"

"The hell are you watching without me?" Seora snorts.

"Goodness, what do I do with you?" Yunho shakes his head.

"You aren't supposed to know that." The two look at each other— Yunho's brows furrowed, Seora with an amused smile. "Anyway, no. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Like, that? That kind of talk? Hickey talk?"

"No! Stop." He waves his hand. "Stop right now. Stop saying that. You're too young and this isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. Hell, as a matter of fact, let's quickly settle on this now. I won't give you that talk until you're 30." Seora laughs.

"Okay, jeez. Calm down, I'm kidding!" She surrenders. "What did you wanna talk to me about?"

"How've you been feeling?"

"About?"

"Just life, in general."

"Fine."

"No, seriously."

"Dad, I just told you." She chuckles, a bit confused as she pokes into her mashed potatoes and takes a big bite.

"Give me more."

"Mm." She hums again. "Well, school is good. I've been getting good grades, right?" She points to a copy of her latest report card on the fridge. "Basketball's good, I have a good feeling about this playoff run."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm! Friends are good. You're good. We're eating steak and mashed potatoes. I dunno, I can't complain."

"You don't feel like you're lacking anywhere?" Yunho doesn't really know where he's going with this— hence, why he keeps avoiding some contact. Maybe he wants to hear Seora say she wishes she had her mom, or even a motherly figure to do things. Some kind of window to talk about you.

"Not really, no."

Maybe he shouldn't.

There's nothing wrong. Seora doesn't feel like she's lacking anywhere. Why would Yunho do anything to ruin that right now?

He'll just rip the bandaid off at some point. He will. Not now.

"Okay then."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am. As long as you are." She nods, continuing to eat. "Got another question for you."

"Shoot!"

"Do you.. wanna go visit your mom next weekend?" Her eyes light up, but she tilts her head. Almost like all of this is unreal.

"Y-you mean it? You're really gonna take me to see mom?" Yunho nods.

"Yeah."

"Okay." She smiles. "Yes please. I'd like to see her. I.. made some small decorations for her. Hoping I'd get to put it near her urn."

"Then, we can go decorate it together."

"I'd really like to."

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[voidsentprinces]

Reminder: A Realm Reborn wasn't particularly about us. It was about the Eorzean Factions, it was about the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and their interactions with and thwarting Gaius and the XIVth Legion. We were just a useful champion slowly growing to fame but not truly a Warrior of Light until literally the prelude to the Castrum raiding mission.

The Parting of Glass wasn't about us either. It was, once again, about the world. And how it had begun changing after Gaius's fall and the brief period of peace away from Garlemald's Shadow. About Alphinaud beginning his arc of growth with hubris and the creation the Crystal Braves and what it might of looked like IF the Scion's good nature was lent to anyone and everyone. And thus opening itself up to the very corruption Minfilia feared to move away from the Waking Sands and to the Rising Stones in the first place.

Heavensward isn't about us. It is about Alphinaud's continue growth, learning of Ishgard's past and history. Hubris, arrogance and narrow viewing lead Alphinaud to steps of the Foundation, it has lead Estinien astray and made Ysayle believe she is a messiah incarnate. And through the journey, each of them grow as they learn the terrible truth about the Dragonsong War. Estinien in particular has his eyes opened and no longer simply seeks revenge on Nidhogg but to get to the bottom of it all. So no other shepherd's son has to live as he has. Ysayle learns she is a shade and a faux Shiva not truly Hraesvelgr's beloved or even in the same category as her. She learns swallow such delusions and embrace what Saint Shiva stood for in its entirety. Which means leaning to lay the road for peace between Ishgard and the Dragons and opening a path to this by sacrificing herself for those she loved so dearly. Alphinaud learns from all of this and more and is humbled by the duty of a knight, the fervor of a dragoon, the sacrifice of a saint, and the courage of his companions and of Sharlayan's arrogance from Master Matoya. To put others before himself and allow others to support him when he falls.

The Far Edge of Fate isn't about us. It was about how Ishgard carries on after Thordan and the Heavens Ward are shown to be the monsters they are. How the remnants of the church, the knights of Ishgard, and the civilian population react to the realization with rejection. How facing off against Nidhogg possessing Estinien, the Warriors of Darkness, and the machinations of Ilberd force Eorzea and Ishgard to look inward and know truly where they should go from there. To ignore the easier road and take the higher path no matter the strife and hardship it provides them. Because when they reach the otherside they would be better for it. Finding that courage, after five years of procrastinating and hemming and hawing, the Eorzean Alliance finally begin to mobilize to free Ala Mhigo from Garlemald and perhaps take on the Empire itself.

Stormblood isn't about us. It is about Doma and Ala Mhigo fighting for the survival of their people and cultures. Facing the parts of their society that were spurned and used as tools of hatred against their principles. That provided the necessary cracks required for Garlemald to break them down and oppress them in the first place. And how reforging under those values and those long histories of violence can make a new path and come to terms to over throw the tyrants who fed on their weakened states and make a strong unity still.

A Requiem of Heroes wasn't about us, it was about the world facing down the barrel of war with Garlemald. And uncovering its origins, its founding father was an Ascian. How Varis is forced to face down the lie as Elidibus wears the skin of his son and the great grandfather he and other Garleans were taught was a walking god in all but name was a sham and a daemon bent on causing more pain and suffering than mankind ever deserved. How the effigies of hate and pain choose to use their fervor to help their people instead of turning against them once more. How every person can change and be given a second chance. How that second chance is what that person requires or if they are pushed the wrong direction, can caused tragedy to unfold. And lastly, it is about our companions, slowly. One by one. Being dragged to the unknown. The story slowly taking away the players on the stage until finally...

Shadowbringers was about us. It was about how we were instrumental to the world so much that it lost nearly all hope in another timeline. How a group of your fondest friends began and how your comrade's furthest decendents acting on the hope of your legend and stories. To provide a plan of action and lead to happier world. How even when everything seems lost and gone and your purpose seems to turned everything around you into twisted monstrosities. That you can bring the night and wait in comfort for a dawn to bring better days. And the tenacity of your aid providing a world on the brink, the love, the compassion, the understanding, the strength, and the will to stand up to a flood of destruction and spit fate in the eye. Even it costs them everything, they keep fighting until they can see a brighter tomorrow.

Death unto Dawn was about what the tomorrow brings. How it could be another fight but to find what is WORTH fighting for. The memories of those you fight and lived amongst, old studies and things of the past being made to provide the answer to the future, making right wrongs even against those you had wronged unfairly, and to gather together and keep each other safe. You are not alone out here. There are those who will help you along to a brighter future.

Endwalker was about you and yours. About how everyone reacts to an uncertain future in different manners. How some would make ready to flee at the approaching storm, while others would fight, and others might even push you further to the edge. But even when all is lost, call upon the memory of happier times to light the way with hearts aligned shining brilliantly against despair and finding your place amongst those memories.

Growing Light was about us teaching another to hear, feel, and think and experience the world seemingly gone. That everything needn't be give or take. It can be a charitable, warmer place if we make it. It can be kinder and even in the face of unrelenting and undying destruction. Hope will spit out a tooth and stand up once more.

I say all of this because, I've seen people mad that Dawntrail is leaning hard about being about Wuk Lamat and others. To which I say so what if Dawntrail is about Wuk Lamat and Koana? So what if its not about us? We've had four story lines about us. Now we must impart what we've learned to the future as they face similar and sometimes overwhelming odds. To stand tall against the onslaught and make their own choices, their own way to bring a smile to all they hold dear. How family needn't be blood related, they can just be a group who sit down at the table at the end of the day. And speak, laugh, cry, and love. Unto this trail to dawn we shall light way for the future of our world and everything this new dawn brings is worth it.

[fallstaticexit]

Prev / Next / Beginning

Transcript under the cut

Nancy Narrates: [Before I knew it, Vanessa began to carve out a space in my life. It was such a comforting, familiar feeling, as if the space for her was already there. All she had to do was fill the void she had left behind]

Malcolm: Hey Auntie V, are you coming to our Christmas Eve party?

Jonathan: Yeah! You should come! We have all the good desserts and daddy let’s us open one gift each too.

Malcolm: Well, I open two when everyone goes to bed!

Vanessa: Sounds like a bitchin’ good time. I’m in.

Nancy Narrates: [I was beginning to feel there weren’t enough hours in the day to spend alone together. There wasn’t enough time to learn all the ways she’s changed, all those intimate little details I craved to know. Apart of me still feared she would leave me again. Maybe that’s why I craved more of her]

Nancy: I want to build you a home right here, in Brindleton Bay. I’d like you to be close to me- to the boys. They’ve taken a liking to you.

Vanessa: [smiles] Oh, just the boys, huh?

Nancy: [blushes] I could start right away. I can even make sure you have a little reading nook. Do you still like to read?

Vanessa: I do. I’ll need a big ass closet for my heels alone.

Nancy: Anything you like.

Jonathan: Mom! Auntie V! Are you watching? Mom!

Nancy: Yes, I’m watching!

Vanessa: A large kitchen with a window view of the ocean.

Nancy: A spacious backyard, for a garden.

Vanessa: A big, deep bathtub to soak in, with a view of the bedroom, of the bed.

Vanessa: You could visit me. Come and go as you please.

Nancy: Well. I’m sure you’d have...suitors there. Women...

Vanessa: In the house you built for me? You better be the only woman I see there.

Bob: [chuckles] Those two, am I right? Some things never change.

Geoffrey: Yeah. It’s like stepping into a time machine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that close to anyone before. She’s been happier lately.

Bob: Like I’ve said, female friendships are intense. Hey, you uh, ever talked to her about what you told me?

Geoffrey: I never really had the time. She’s always off somewhere with Vanessa, or Vanessa is always there. Maybe it’s not worth mentioning.. it’s not like I ever saw it again.

Bob: It get it, it’s a tough conversation. Just don’t let it sit and rot, you know?

Geoffrey: Right..

-

[collective chatter]

[collective chatter]

Nancy Narrates: [I hate that it bothered me; the thought of her with other women. She’s single. She’s beautiful. Of course she has. I’m sure she will continue to]

Nancy Narrates: [Why does it matter anyway? We are just friends, after all]

Eliza: [chuckles] Why are you out of breath?

Geoffrey: I’ve been chasing after the boys all night. The photographer is here to get a family photo for the Foundation’s newsletter. Haven’t seen Nancy either.

Bob: 100 bucks she’s wherever Vanessa’s at.

Geoffrey: Yeah, I figured as much. Haven’t seen Vanessa either.

Bob: Probably wherever Nancy’s at [laughs].

Eliza: Bobby, please. Ignore him Geoffrey, it’s the eggnog. I’m pretty sure I saw Nancy go into the barroom.

Vanessa: [tsks softly] You’re not hiding from me, are you?

Nancy: No, of course not.

Nancy: Sipping champagne wasn’t hard enough. I guess I wanted to think about something else other than the other questions I want to ask you.

Vanessa: Hmm, I thought I answered them all. Like what?

Nancy: What do you do for work that makes you travel so often? You still haven’t told me.

Vanessa: It’s nothing to rave about, really. Boring stuff. Besides, is that what you really want to know?

Nancy: What’s in that little box you’re holding? I was hoping our no gift rule had no expiration date.

Vanessa: I never got a chance to get you gift back then, so you owe me this. Besides, you’ll like this one.

Nancy: [laughs] A brooch? You actually got me a brooch?

Vanessa: [giggles] What? It was ‘really, really expensive’.

Nancy: This is the world’s longest joke, you know that?

Vanessa: If there’s one thing I’ll do, it��s commit to the bit. Now stop wiggling or I’ll poke you. Do you like it?

Nancy: I love it. Thank you.

Vanessa: It looks good on you. I had it custom made, just for you.

Vanessa: Emeralds, like the color of your eyes.

Nancy: [inhales sharply]

Nancy: Have you been with other women?

Vanessa: A few. Have you?

Nancy: O-of course not..

Vanessa: [hums thoughtfully]

Vanessa: Don’t be mad at me for saying but, I’ve thought of you when I was with them. I guess I do have a thing for blondes.

Nancy: [trembles]

Vanessa: Hey. Today’s our anniversary. Our first kiss? It happened on Christmas Eve. Do you remember?

Nancy: ...Yes. Yes, I remember.

Vanessa: [sighs softly]

[both panting heavily]

[door creaks open]

Nancy: [voice cracks] Y-yes?

Geoffrey: The photographer is here.

Nancy: [clears throat] Right.

[silence]

Vanessa: I should get going.

Nancy: What? No, you don’t have to spend the holiday alone.

Vanessa: I’ll be alright. Besides, what’s another year?

Nancy: [murmurs] I can come with you. I can grab my purse and-

Vanessa: [smirks] It’s fine, Nancy. Enjoy your party. Enjoy your family. There���s always tomorrow. I promise.

Geoffrey: It’s uh, it’s nice having Vanessa around, isn’t it?

Nancy: [smiles weakly] Yes. Yes, it is. Would you like a drink? I think I’ll need two before dealing with the press.

Geoffrey: Sure. Yeah. A drink is nice.

[liveblack]

What is Artificial Intelligence(AI) | Liveblack

AI(Artificial Intelligence) is a controversial topic. People love to explore new options that help them do their work effortlessly. However, every new thing comes with flaws as well.

AI technology is just like that. AI has lots of benefits wrapped around its disadvantages. The Internet is flooded with heaps of rumours, hopes, and fears that many people are positive about

AI and so many are negative.

Does AI take human jobs? The question arises after AI was introduced to this world. Well, as we all know humans develop AI so it has to be controlled by humans. AI might aid humans to work faster and smarter in a way that lets them explore their potential or productivity to create something innovative. But what does AI mean? Let’s check out.

What is Artificial Intelligence(AI)?

AI is a set of technologies that allow computers to work on advanced functions to analyse and understand data, translate and give recommendations according to tasks. AI is a computer-controlled robot that works on tasks assigned by humans.

AI processes a large amount of data and can make decisions, recognise patterns, make predictions, automate tasks, etc.

Introduction to artificial intelligence is still being determined, but we have curated a whole content to let you know more about it.

What do you know about artificial intelligence? Do you think AI can replace humans in jobs, and industries? No matter what industry you take, AI has the adaptability to change according to the situation. Every day, everything is evolving, and artificial intelligence is programmed in a way to work on different responsibilities. This is a matter where people are divided into two groups because of AI. Some people believe AI can take over jobs and humans become jobless in future. On the other hand, the second kind of people thinks that AI complements human creativity and helps them explore their true potential.

Well, whatever an AI can do, it can never surpass human intelligence because human values, creativity, and decision-making can always be led by humans and not AI.

What is the Foundation of AI?

Artificial intelligence isn’t a new-age term. It has been known since the 1950s. Alan Turing, a British mathematician and computer scientist is the brain behind the foundation of AI. 1950 is the year when researchers started exploring artificial intelligence and its possible applications.

Machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing (NLP), problem-solving, etc. are the key components of artificial intelligence. This will help humans do their work at a fast pace.

Let us get into the main point for we are here to discuss the whole artificial intelligence concept.

How does artificial intelligence influence digital marketing?

Imagine you have loads and loads of data about your customer’s behaviour, likes, dislikes, and all the trends they like to follow!!! Sounds easy peasy to get your marketing work done, right? AI can help you with this task to get a clearer idea to set your marketing goals according to your customers’ choices.

AI is helping shape the future of digital marketing in a way that aids brands to generate unique concepts and customers to get personalized experiences.

Let us have a look into different points that artificial intelligence has made easier for brands to target their audience.

Enhanced Data Analysis -

With AI, analyze the enormous amount of data where you can spot the pattern of your customer’s behaviour, preferences, etc. to make informed decisions. AI’s capability of data analysis can be your best-helping buddy in designing a marketing strategy and campaign.

In this way, marketers get a deeper understanding of insights and get the points that save their time and energy to target the audience in a better way. These smart buddies convert a bunch of data into a meaningful pile of information to optimize data to plan for a future marketing campaign. When marketers get to know about the preferences of their customers they have the purchasing patterns, product or service preferences, etc.

So the marketers can design their budget according to the data given by the AI. This way marketers build meaningful relationships with customers. With the given data or information, marketers can design personalized offers, vouchers, personalized messages and emails, and make customers feel valued to win their trust. This is the way to maximize ROI(return on investment) because happy customers always return to the brand they trust.

Understands Individualized Preferences -

AI-driven systems improve customer experience. How? By providing information that helps marketers gain real-time insights they can see customer preferences and market their products accordingly. Promotional emails, personalized messages and recommendations can be a helpful thing in getting customers’ attention.

AI algorithms understand the repetitive patterns of purchasing and record the content people return to again and again. That’s what helps marketers to design their marketing campaigns and make their customers feel valued and cared for. With this knowledge by their side, bands and businesses can be more productive with their marketing strategies.

Providing personalized content and suggestions to customers creates a connection and builds trust which increases the conversion rate and engagement.

By catering for the needs of customers, a brand and business can attract customers and strengthen their relationship with them. AI is helping to make this bond strong with the information it collects.

AI and machine learning are two different things yet they are connected. Machine learning is a part of artificial intelligence that allows machines to learn from experiences to make more improvements. Machine learning analyzes enormous amounts of data, gets insights, and makes reasonable decisions.

Bard is Google’s AI. AI by Google is a tool to explore creative and unique ideas. This can help in translation, generate texts, and create more productive content. Bard can reply only with information that is already programmed in it or fetched from other sources.

Well, whatever we think about AI or how we can adopt it in our daily lives, the future holds surprises for us. Artificial intelligence has the potential to change the game with its ability to solve problems and aid humans in creating new ideas, and concepts, and exploring vast possibilities.