#agile job interview

[jogoagilecoaching]

Who writes user stories in Agile with Scrum? This question often arises in job interviews, and it's crucial to understand the role of different team members in Agile projects. Stay tuned to our channel for more valuable insights into Agile methodologies, Scrum practices, and job interview tips. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon for notifications about our latest videos! #AgileInterviewQuestions #UserStories #JogoAgileCoaching

[thepersonalwords]

Do you want a level of income to fit your lifestyle or a lifestyle to fit your income level?

Miles Anthony Smith, Becoming Generation Flux: Why Traditional Career Planning is Dead: How to be Agile, Adapt to Ambiguity, and Develop Resilience

[gguk-n]

Fernando's Protege (Fernando Alonso x Single mom!Reader)

Summary- Alejandro was the next big thing in Karting and he was only 8 years old. He also looked up to Fernando Alonso. Getting to meet Alonso changed not just his life but also his mom's.

Watching Alejandro zip past the strait on the track, Y/N felt a sense of pride. He was only 8 and was a force to be reckoned with. He was fast, agile and most of all humble; which was the reason why he was doing so well. Y/N always taught her son to be thankful and grateful for the opportunities and the success.

Alejandro was a tiny version of her, the biggest similarity being their love for cars. She had passed down her love for racing to her son. When he was born 8 years ago, she did not imagine she would be standing at the track in Madrid watching her son winning his first karting championship. There was a buzz as Alito crossed the finish line. His mom already by his side as he took his helmet off, a big toothy grin plastered on his face. "Momma, did you see? I was so fast" he spoke animatedly while trying to catch his breath. She smiled at him, "Yes, you were carino." while hugging him. "Let's go, you need to rehydrate and then we'll check the kart before we have to go for the debrief." she continued. Her son smiled at her, now sipping from his 'Cars' bottle.

This shared interest of theirs had Y/N working 2 jobs and a freelance gig so that she could make it to his races. But watching Alito smile was more than all she could ask for. As the debrief started, she heard a lot of whispers and murmurs until one of the interviewers compared her son to Fernando Alonso, his idol. That boy really looked up to Alonso; even though he was just a kid he knew how hard his mom worked to make his dreams a reality. He knew Alonso had to work really hard to get where he is, and Alito knew he wanted to be just like Alonso and race on the same track with him. "So, Alejandro, how does it feel to win your first Spanish karting championship?" the interviewers asked. "It's the best. I'm gonna have pizza after this." he cheered. A small smile evident on his mother's lips as she watched him interact. "You've been a force to be reckoned with. People say you remind them of Fernando Alonso." the interviewer spoke. "What does that word mean?" Alejandro asked. "Reckoned means people think you are or might be as good as Alonso in his karting days" the interviewer elaborated. The little boy jumped up and down bouncing on his feet as he answered the question, "He is my idol after my momma obviously" he said while looking at his mom, "I love him and I wanna be like him and race with him one day" he spoke with his voice slightly higher. "I hope you get to do that some day, I think it might happen soon" the interviewer said. They continued with question on race strategies and then Alejandro walked away to receive his trophy.

The interview of Alejandro after the race had started making it's rounds on the internet when people found out how much he loved Alonso and how both of them came from humble backgrounds. It had reached Fernando's PR team who showed it to him. Fernando ended up watching his races and he was happy to have such a talented boy look up to him. As he dug deeper into his story, he found out Alejandro's mom was his team, she was doing all of this alone. He knew how difficult it was; Alonso saw the potential and he wanted to help the family. His PR team ended up contacting Alejandro and his mom through social media and got them tickets to his race in Spain. When Y/N got the dm and the invite, she was over the moon. Both of them were huge fans and this was a once in a life time thing.

On the day of the race, Alejandro was decked out in green repping Fernando and Aston Martin. He was literally bouncing off the walls with the excitement. Y/N packed a small bag with some food and an extra change of clothes for Alito. There was a buzz in the air as she drove them to the venue. Alito couldn't stop talking about everything he would tell Alonso and all the pictures he would take. She parked the car and got Alejandro and some of their essentials out and was greeted by the Aston Martin team at the entrance. They handed them their paddock passes which Alejandro insisted on wearing on his own and asked to take pictures with. They walked towards the Aston Martin hospitality while Y/N tried to keep a tight grasp on the little boy's hand. He waved at anyone and everyone he made eye contact with. She almost lost him when he saw Carlos and sprinted towards him, with Y/N just behind.

"Hola Carlos, I'm a big fan" he chirped. Carlos smiled and replied, "But it looks like you love Alonso more" The little boy looked down before saying, "He's my idol, I wanna race with him one day" Carlos ruffled his head, "Sure you will" he said. I greeted Carlos, apologised for the inconvenience. He brushed it off and even took a picture with Alejandro on his request. She scolded him on the way back about running away from her. Alito apologised and even kissed his mom's hand. They reached Aston Martin without anymore hiccups.

Fernando was waiting to greet them, "Hola, Alejandro" with his hand out for him. "Hola Fernando" he said while shaking his hand. "Congratulations on your win" Fernando said. "Muchas gracias, I wanna be like you when I grow up" Alejandro blurted while hugging Fernando's legs. "I think you'll be better than me with how you're doing" Fernando replied while patting the boy's back. "You must be the mother of this lovely boy, Hi, I'm Fernando" he said directing his attention to Y/N. She couldn't help but giggle, "Hi, I'm Y/N. I know who you, he inherited my love for racing and you" she replied a blush forming at the words she just uttered; hitting herself mentally. Fernando smiled, his eyes glimmering with a playfulness she didn't notice when he spoke to her son. "Well, his mom does have good taste" he said with a smirk. Lance greeted us too, calling Alejandro a protege. Fernando was summoned by the team, "I have to go Alejandro, have fun. I'll see you soon" he smiled at Alejandro; "See you soon, hermosa" he directed these words towards Y/N, shooting a quick wink before he turned around to leave, a flush of crimson kissed her cheeks.

Fernando started 8th and finished 7th. Alejandro really hoped that his idol would finish on the podium but he was happy nonetheless. The day ended with Fernando back at the hospitality after all the post race interviews and podium while the mother and son duo were getting ready to leave. Alejandro handed Fernando a piece of paper, he had drawn him and Fernando on a podium after a formula one race in Spain with the Spanish flag on the top, "You aren't just good at karting, but you are a good artist" Fernando said admiring the art. "Gracias" Alejandro replied. "You should come to see me race, I'm pretty good" he said. "I would love to watch you race" Fernando professed. Now, Fernando turned his attention to the boy's mother, "I don't know if my team said anything, but I would like to help Alejandro reach his dream and exceed his potential." "Your team did say something, but I wasn't sure." Y/N replied while rubbing her hands. "I would like to personally sponsor him but I'll also try to get him sponsors. I know how hard it can be and I would love to watch him reach formula one, if that is his dream." he declared. Y/N smiled, "Muchas gracias, how do I ever repay you for your kindness?" she muttered. "No need to, I'm just happy I can be of help to him." he said while looking at Alejandro who was now busy playing with Lance. Her eyes darted between her son and Alonso. "We should exchange number" he said. Y/N looked shocked, her mouth agape. "So, that I can come to one of his races" he continued. "Oh, yes, yes, one second" she said while pulling her phone out. They exchanged numbers and then said their good bye.

Alejandro had gotten quite after they sat in the car, "What's up, bebe?" Y/N asked her son. "I miss Alonso" he mumbled while wiping away his tears. "Oh no, carino" she said while turning back to hand him a tissue. The little boy's voice came out in quite sobs which racked his body. She pulled the car to the side and climbed back to comfort her son. "It's ok, Alito. You'll see him soon." she comforted the crying boy. "He even gave me his number, we can call him some time later." she suggested which seemed to cheer the boy up.

A while later, Alejandro was competing in the Rotax Max championship in the Mini Max category with help from Alonso who did come to a race. Alejandro was over the moon excited. The two of them had kept in touch after the grand prix. They would call Alonso up every once in a while which lead to Y/N and Fernando also growing closer to each other. With their growing closeness, there were new feelings that had started to take place in both their hearts that neither were aware of. Y/N found herself putting more effort while getting ready before video calls or the race he was supposed to come to. Alito enjoyed his company and Fernando liked having a tiny karting genius. The race which Fernando come, Alito didn't finish podium and was bummed. Fernando cheered him up saying that he didn't finish podium when he came to see him either, so they were even.

After the race, they headed out for dinner. Fernando didn't want the day to end and who was Y/N to say no to him. At the restaurant, the waiter complimented them saying that they were a cute couple, Y/N was ready to correct him but Fernando thanked him. The waiter may have gotten tipped handsomely that night. Alejandro had fallen asleep in the back of the car on the way back to the hotel. Fernando carried him their room. After laying him down on the bed, "I had fun today" he commented. "Me too" Y/N agreed. Fernando hugged her good bye, the hugged lasted longer than between 2 friends, it was like neither wanted to pull away.

The pair got closer to Fernando as time passed. Initially, Y/N used to monitor Fernando and Alejandro's calls, now she would let them talk unsupervised which led to Y/N receiving tickets to the next grand prix and flight. Y/N immediately rang Fernando up, "hey, Fernando." she greeted. "Hi, Y/N" came a groggy voice. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" she apologised. "No, no. What's up?" he cleared his voice. "Did you send me ticket's to the next GP?" she asked. "Yes, we're back in Europe and Alito told me he is on summer holiday." he replied. "Nando, it's too much. I can't" she protested. "It's ok, hermosa. I wanted to see Alito too. I won't get a refund either. See you there" he insisted. "Ok, see you there." she lamented.

They were at the Spanish grand prix for the second time this time. Every thing felt so familiar yet foreign. Fernando had received them at the airport on Saturday and took them to the hotel. At the paddock, Fernando took the two of them along with him, even introducing Alejandro as junior Fernando. The paddock seemed to love him. All the drivers welcomed him with open arms and the boy was more than excited since he had more than 2 people to talk about his love for racing. Alejandro was a little star at the paddock. Once they found out about his karting history, they gave him more tips and tricks on how to do better. He soaked it all up.

Y/N was stood at the side watching them interact. "He's a natural." Fernando commented. She smiled at him, "yes, he is. I'm happy he has good role models" she said. Fernando found his cheeks heating up. Alejandro walked back to his mom with Penelope, "momma, meet my new friend, Penelope." Y/N shook her hand. "Can we get ice cream?" he asked. Y/N smiled and took them to get ice cream after getting Kelly's permission. The two kids ended up talking all the way to the stand and enjoyed their ice cream back.

While they were gone, "You like her" Lewis commented. Fernando looked at him shocked, "What? Is it that obvious?" Fernando asked. "You haven't spent this much time with some one since your divorce and you're literally going to karting races to help the kid. I mean anyone and everyone knows you are interested." Lewis stated. "Maybe, I'm just being nice." Fernando interjected. "Maybe" Lewis hummed; "But I don't think anyone would mind if you had other intentions. Everyone deserves love, especially the both of you, after all the personal stuff that has led you two to each other." Lewis said. Fernando mulled over his thoughts and Lewis's words.

Race day was hectic. Fernando finished out of points but was still happy to spend time with Y/N and Alejandro. They ended up going out for dinner after and spent a lot of time sat in the restaurant. When Y/N had gone to the washroom, Alejandro and Fernando had a conversation. "Alito, can I ask you something?" he asked. "yes" Alejandro replied. "I like your momma. Do you think I should ask her out on a date?" Fernando asked. Alejandro seemed to think about it for a moment. "Does that mean you would become my papa?" he asked innocently. Fernando's heart swelled up with pride and happiness, he didn't want to pressurise the kid but he couldn't help but feel so important and a part of his life. "If you want me to be." Fernando choked out. "I think momma likes you." he stated.

After dropping the mother and son at their hotel, Fernando plucked up the courage and asked Y/N, "Hermosa" he mumbled, his palms sweaty, lips dry; he drove formula one cars for a living for crying out loud, what was happening to him he thought. Alejandro gave him a thumbs up before excusing himself to the toilet. "Would you like to go out with me, sometime, if you're free?" he asked. She looked at him bewildered. "You know I have a son who I'm raising on my own" she questioned. "yes, I've had the pleasure of knowing the bright young racer." he replied. "We're a package deal. I just" she spoke but was quickly cut off by Fernando, "I asked Alito for his blessing before asking you. If this bumps up my chances, he wanted me to be his dad" Y/N eyes were as big as saucers, "He did not say that" she said shocked. "He did. I really like you, I don't know when and how this happened but I genuinely enjoy your company and I would love to spend more time with you as a man and with Alito as a father figure. I don't wanna take anyone's place but carve out a niche for myself." Fernando clarified. She smiled at him. "I think I would like that. I've been hard on myself especially after everything with his dad, maybe I would like to spend time with you as a woman." she said. "I would love to treat you right and show you off" Fernando said. "I'll keep you on that. I'll see you for dinner when you come visit. I don't really have a sitter here" she said. "I know a great sitter, let's go out tomorrow" he suggested. "who's this great sitter?" she chided. "Carlos, I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out" Fernando said. She nodded her head in agreement. "I'll see you tomorrow then" she said, while placing a kiss on his cheek. Fernando hugged her and kissed her forehead. "see you tomorrow. Good night, mi reina" Y/N blushed while she waved him good bye. Alejandro was listening in on the conversation, ecstatic about his mom and his idol.

Hope you like it.

[a-mint-bear]

The Villain is Obsessed With Me

You're the newest big-name hero in town, and one villain in particular has been giving you more trouble than the rest. You can usually handle her, but she keeps coming back for more. Her power is terrifying, and she doesn't care that she hurts people. The only thing she seems to care about is you.

[content warnings: blood, violence]

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Earth’s top superhero group, the Champions of Right, which the public lovingly called “The Core” (despite the obvious lack of an E in the acronym) had recently lost a lot of heroes. They’d sacrificed themselves fighting and defeating some huge intergalactic evil and the team needed new members. And now, you were one of the “core” heroes. 

You’d been called up to the big leagues, which came out of nowhere, considering you were just some lucky idiot who got their powers in a random accident. But you were strong, and you had solar/light energy-based abilities, which your agent (which you suddenly needed?) said was really great for metrics, “a real light vs. the darkness thing going for you.”

You had above average strength and agility, and it was harder to hurt you, all of it coming from stored-up solar power in your skin through your suit. What was unique to you was your ability to convert the light into what you called “hard-light energy”, where you could make things like shields and weapons; stronger when you’d been in the sun. but if you’d been fighting for too long out of direct sunlight, it would get weaker and weaker until it would just fizzle out. Then you were just a human who could take more of a beating than the average human, until you couldn’t.

You went from mostly playing backup to the big heroes, stopping small crimes and the occasional giant monster fight to being one of The Heroes that people called for all the disasters and big bads trying to take over the world or steal the Eiffel Tower or whatever stupid plot they came up with. It was honestly exhausting, but people were depending on you, so you just had to go with it. 

You’d been on the job well into the evening when you’d gotten an emergency call from headquarters. They had a lead on something they’d been looking into, and it seemed like if you didn’t do something about, they’d lose their lead. Everyone else was on call with some kind of monster coming out of the sea, and evacuating the nearby city before it could wander onto land. 

You broke into some kind of underground facility, it looked long abandoned, but you’d been told that this was where everything was going down. Your eyes glancing around the room, you were searching for signs of what you came for, gauging how you could approach the situation. Your powers weren’t as strong here, with no sunlight. You were running on reserves, but you were the only hero available, so of course you came.

There’d been a rash of abductions in the city you mainly worked in, and it had this particular villain group’s prints all over it. They were the sort of organization that was so secretive, they didn’t even have an official name. They weren’t interested in things like world domination or the like. They were known for more underground type crimes; kidnapping and ransoms, human trafficking, assassinations, and working as hired superpowered muscle for the highest bidder. 

So chances were good that they were taking people for something… not great.

It was considered “lower priority” than the monster, so they’d only sent you. You were known to be able to handle this sort of thing on your own, even before you’d gotten promoted. Team-ups were a whole thing in your world, it was never just “Hey, thanks for the help!”, it would spin into interviews and marketing and rumours of relationships, and if the other hero ever got caught up in something sketchy, you were on everyone’s radar. It was too messy for you. So being on a “team” was new to you, but they let you be most of the time.

But now that you were on top of the proverbial superhero heap, you had bigger bad guys coming at you. And you were usually able to take them on no problem.

But there was only one villain you weren’t quite sure how to handle, for a few reasons. 

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

“Oh! You’re here!”

She was standing alone deep in the lower levels of the compound in a wide, dark room. The ceiling was high, but it still somehow felt claustrophobic.

She was about your height, but a tiny bit taller with those boots she wore. Her bright pink hair stood out against the dark, both of the room and her villain outfit. Her face had some bruises and bandages on it, the remnants of an old split lip still lingering… It seemed like she was still a little roughed up from your last encounter.

“I was hoping they’d send you!” She sighed a dreamy sigh, you could practically see the hearts floating over her head. She really played the lovesick fool well, and it was her go-to move with you. 

It wouldn’t be hard to get around her, but the whole thing still made you nervous. She had that usual huge, unsettling smile as she watched you come in, despite her still-healing injuries, she still smiled as she stared. She was practically bouncing with excitement. 

This had to be some kind of trap.

“It’s you again, sunshine! I missed you…” she pretended to pout, like you had disappointed her, absently twirling a curl in her short hair. “You don’t call, you don’t text… What’s a girl supposed to think?”

Brushing past her usual theatrics, you ask her what her group was trying to pull, as they usually didn’t make themselves this noticeable.

“Ignorin’ me… rude.” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Sorry sunny, I’m just following orders. I can’t just go babblin’ on about all the little details, not even for you.”

You demanded to know where their victims were, taking a defensive stance. 

“Oh, I can tell you that one.” she took a step closer, and you took a fighting stance. “Most of the randoms we snatched up are already on their way. But the Big Boss said I could keep a few.”

You froze, your eyes going wide. You knew it was a possibility as soon as you saw you were dealing with her, but you hoped against hope she wouldn’t.

This woman’s powers were terrifying.

She called herself Whisper. Though, she often went by Whisp as a casual alias. No legal name known. She was agile and sneaky, able to disappear into her surroundings. She was really good with a pair of knives and she didn’t like to play fair, which in all honesty was expected for a villain. But her main ability was what made her so frightening.

As her name implied, if she got in someone’s ear they fell under a kind of trance, becoming her “puppet” until she lost consciousness. No one knew how exactly it worked, but there were few who could resist it. Her victims would do whatever she wanted them to until someone stopped her, usually you. Other heroes weren’t so lucky. 

To her, it didn’t matter if her puppets got hurt or worse. She knew you were the type of hero to never leave innocent people behind or sacrifice anyone for “the greater good”. So she never showed up alone.

She snapped her fingers, and from the edges of the dark room came the shambling figures of who you suspected were your missing persons. Their eyes were red, like her own, the tell-tale sign that she’d taken control. 

You pulled up a hard light shield, the warm glow of it lighting up the dark just enough, her puppet bouncing off it before coming at you again. You spotted another coming for you from the dark and blasted a bit of concentrated light from your hand, temporarily blinding them. The shield flickered a bit, but held strong for now. You couldn’t keep it up.

They were throwing punches at you and trying to grab you, but you leapt away, not wanting to hurt any of them. They were coming from behind you now, there had to be at least a dozen. They kept coming, you knew they didn’t care about their safety. They always fought as hard as she needed them to. And they always came at you harder than other heroes because she knew you wouldn’t hurt them.

You couldn’t let her get close, even though she wanted that more than anything. 

“You better do something soon~” she warned you in an eerie sing-song voice. “You know they won’t stop.”

Knocking another hostage away, you charged up just enough for some hard light shards and shot them at her. She managed to knock two away with her knife, a short burst of light dying as she deflected them, but the third one nicked her shoulder. A long, thin burn glowed there for a few seconds before fading into the dark before she hopped back a little.

“Geez, you got me good, sunshine.” she winced, rolling her injured shoulder. “But it looks like you’re not glowing as bright as you usually do… Poor thing. Are you feeling tired? You wanna call a timeout?”

A swift kick to one of the puppet’s legs sent them down mostly harmlessly when another two jumped you, grabbing your arms and putting you in a hold while a few more leapt on too, keeping you in place. You were struggling against them when Whisper stepped into view.

“I’ve been watching you for a long time, hero…” she smiled sweetly, flipping a knife in the air. “Even back when you were just a rookie.”

She was getting too close, but you didn’t want to hurt the people she was controlling. Your mind was racing, trying to find a way out.

“You’ve always been so… timid.” she sighed, gingerly touching the edge of her knife, inspecting it as she went on. “All that power and you waste it helping these nobodies… “

One of the people moved close to her as you tried not to hurt the ones attacking you, and before you could reach them, Whisper held a knife to the woman’s throat. Her eyes never left you as the others held you down. She could see your hesitation, your fear.

“You care about these randoms, huh?” she giggled, a sweet sound to contrast the knife pressing into the woman’s skin. “I watch you run all over the city protecting them, even though they’ve never done anything for you… Keeping them from getting crushed by falling buildings, grabbing them before their cars run off collapsing bridges, flying off with them before they get smushed by a giant monster…”

“...and for what?” she frowned, grabbing the woman by her hair and yanking her head back, giving you a good view of her throat. “So they can ogle and gossip and say you’re not as good as the last batch of goody goodies? They can put you on posters and snap pics of you on their phones and think of you like you belong to them? So they can keep you under their boot, nice and docile… So they can keep using you?”

You recognized the woman she was holding. She was a hostage in a bomb threat not even a month ago, and you’d been the one to save her and get her out before the blast went off. She’d been on the news…

Were all of them… people you’d saved? You didn’t have time to think about it as you saw the knife tilt slightly, pressing into her neck, a trickle of blood trailing down to her chest.

You had to move.

You threw off her puppets, rushing Whisper. A punch to her stomach sent her flying back, you caught the woman in your arms, pressing your hand to the slight injury. But she was still a danger, she reached up and scratched your cheek with her nails before you could react. Normally, it wouldn’t leave a mark, but your energy levels were getting dangerously low.

You had to end this before someone got seriously hurt. But you couldn’t let her face get anywhere near yours.

You’d only fallen to her power once, but you were lucky that one of your more invulnerable teammates had been there to take the beating instead of innocent people in the street. Eventually, something snapped you out of it, you still weren’t sure what, and you’d knocked Whisper out before anything else could happen.

You made sure she never got close after that. 

She rolled to her side when you tried to grab her, hopping up and rounding on you with a kick to your side. You were able to block her, but she caught you off guard with a knife in each hand, swiping up at you and narrowly missing. You ducked under and tackled her to the ground, and she laughed as she hit the concrete. 

She’d landed flat on her stomach, but before she could struggle out of your grip, your knee landed squarely in the center of her back. A choked, pained cry sounded like it was squeezed out of her, but it was quickly replaced by a wheezy laugh. You grabbed her arms and secured them behind her back, throwing up a small shield at your back to keep the puppets away. 

“Oh?? You sure do like… h-holding me down, sunny…” she giggled, her eyes bright under her long lashes. A bit of blood was dripping from the corner of her mouth “You’re so warm… Let me up, I wanna t-... tell you something…”

You yelled at her to knock it off, but she just kept laughing, even though she sounded like she was in pain. You wished she would just call all of it off already, you hated the whole situation. You hated hurting anyone, even if they were a villain. 

“Th-this!” she wheezed. “This is… my favorite part!” her face was turned far enough to the side that you could see a lone red eye staring up at you. “Don’t… look away… don’t let go…”

They could’ve been sweet words, coming from anyone else and NOT in this particular situation. You dug your knee in a little harder, shouting for her to shut up, telling her to release the hostages, or else.

But of course, she did not. She called your bluff. 

“Look at me, sunshine…” She was smiling up at you, color in her cheeks. “You’re so… beautiful. And you’re gonna be mine…”

You were starting to lose your patience. The only way you were going to stop this was if you knocked her out.

But before you could do anything else, something slammed into you. Your shield had shattered, and one of her puppets was sprawled out on your back. Then another joined her, and two more. You tried to shake them off, but you couldn’t while holding onto Whisper. 

They weighed you down, pressing you closer and closer to her. It had to be hurting her more than you, but you couldn’t stop them, and she wouldn’t. Her face was too close to yours-

“There you are…”

The world suddenly went horribly quiet, and all you could see was her. You felt the other puppets get off of you, but you didn’t get up. Whisper sighed, turning in your arms, no longer pinned down. Almost being gently held by you.

“It’s been a while, sunshine… since you’ve been mine…” she smiled, touching your face. “I remember last time. You were beating the snot outta me when I crashed through that support beam. The whole upper level of that parking garage came down on us, and what did you do?”

She smiled wide, her red eyes shining as she held onto your face with both hands. 

“You dove for me! You… saved me, even though we were fighting! Imagine that!” she bit her lip, laughing. “All that rubble falling down around us and we’re just crouched together, I was all beat up but you held up that ceiling with one hand! And held me so close, protected me, even though you knew what I’d do… Not many hero types would put themselves in harm’s way for someone like me…”

She got up, and you felt compelled to get on your knees, doing just that as she stretched out the kink in her back you’d given her. 

“I’ve robbed, maimed, tortured and killed oh so many people… and you still saw my life as worth saving.” She groaned, her muscles sore and burning. “And I knew I just had to have you.”

She knelt down and pulled you to her, kissing you deeply with no warning. But you didn’t want to push her away. She felt so nice, you couldn’t control the moan you let out. She grinned against your lips. 

“I kept coming at you, and no matter what I said or did, you never ended me. My team kept busting me out of custody and you kept putting me back in, but you never let me get hurt, at least not by you…”

“Hell, sometimes I’d go out and start some good ol’ fashioned mayhem just to get your attention! And you never let me down. You beat me up good, but you always held me so tenderly when I got knocked out, like you really cared about me. Sometimes I would pretend to get knocked out and release them just to feel you hold me, I love looking up at you while you fussed over me, feeling you brush the hair out of my face, patching up any really bad wounds you could before letting the government take me ‘cause you knew they’d half-ass it. And I did it again and again…”

She kissed you again, and you kissed her back, her words still ringing in your ears. Did you… care about her? Or were you so deep under her control right then that you couldn’t even think about any alternative? All you could focus on was her lips on yours, and how you wanted to belong to her, and you told her so. You told her how much you wanted to be hers.

“You are mine, sunshine!” she nuzzled her forehead to yours, her short, pink curls brushing your cheeks. “Mine mine mine…” 

You could taste her blood on your lips, but you didn’t mind. You felt a strange, overpowering, almost mournful feeling. You told her you were sorry for hurting her.

“Oh, don’t look so down…” she cooed, your face nuzzling into her hand. “Any other goody goody puts their hands on me and I’m super pissed off, but I never minded a little hands-on time with you. I love lookin’ at the bruises and scrapes you leave after our little tiffs. I just wish you were the bitin’ type! If you left me some of those, it’d make my day!”

Watching her lovingly touch the bandages on her face, you asked her if she wanted you to bite her now. She smiled so wide, her cheeks burning.

“Tempting!” She giggled, waving you off with a huge grin. “But I’ll wait for the day when you bite me ‘cause you really want to, s’only fair.”

“But I’ll kiss you as much as I want.” she pulled you to your feet by your suit’s collar, planting another one on you. “‘Cause I see the way you look at me. How you blush when I flirt with you even when there’s mortal danger going on. How you get so shy when your teammates hear me calling you every pet name under the sun. I can feel your eyes on me whenever you and your super-buddies get me in custody with a dampener gag on me so I can’t make anymore puppets. You always look so crushed, like a sad little puppy. Like you wish I wasn’t so bad, so we could be together…”

Did you look at her that way? You couldn’t remember anymore. All you wanted to do was look at her now, touch her… feel her kiss you again and again. 

“And now, we can be together!” she grinned, practically bouncing in place with joy. “I gotta keep you out of the sun and locked up when I sleep, but before you know it, you’ll love me so much on your own and you’ll want me sleeping in your arms and we can be together all the time! Maybe I can even take you on some night jobs and we can be the best villain power couple they ever saw! Maybe…”

All her excitement seemed to wilt, and for the first time since you’d appeared to stop her, her eyes wouldn’t meet yours.

“Maybe someday… I won’t even need to use my power on you.”

She held out a trembling hand to you, and you kissed her palm, the red light in your eyes reflected in her own when she finally looked at you again. 

“Someday you’ll want me just like I want you.” She mumbled, almost promising you and herself. “It won’t be long, just… just hold me tight, sunshine…”

You did, and she sighed in your arms, nuzzling your chest. There were tears in her eyes. You asked her what was wrong, and she clung to you.

“I just…” Her voice was straining, choked up. “I just wish… you loved me for real…”

You held her face in your hands, wiping her tears away with your thumb. Her eyes went wide when you kissed her, practically melting in your arms. She was so warm. 

You told her you did love her, you had for a while. But neither of you were sure if it was true, or just part of her control. Her deepest wish.

“Say you’re mine.” she asked. It wasn’t a demand, or a command, but you still felt compelled. 

You did.

“Say you’ll always be mine.”

You did.

“Say you’ll never, ever leave me.”

You did, with a kiss to her injured shoulder. 

She called off her puppets, sending them away. You didn’t know if she would release them or if they would be part of her team’s plans, but you didn’t want to think about that. 

She wrapped her arms around your neck, and you scooped her up into your arms. It was a familiar feeling. You’d carried her before, just as she’d said, and you didn’t know if it was your own mind or her power that had the memories steeped in such a warm, comforting feeling.

“Give me a lift, sunshine.” she pressed into your chest, suddenly seeming so worn down. “I need a nap… and I’m pretty sure you broke a couple of my ribs…”

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

i feel like she could've been more pathetic, but i like how this turned out. she came out more unstable than a girlfailure, but she is who she is, i suppose (plus, i have a reeeaaaalll loser girl im planning to write, so that should make up for any possible disappointment lol✌️)

the header could be better, but im ultimately happy with it. her eye placement might need some editing, but that's a problem for future me lol they always look like they're in the right place until it's done 😩

she's stealin kisses, im not super comfy writing yanderes that push physical boundaries, even tho thats practically a staple of some yanderes, so i thought this would be a good level

[rqbossman]

Hi Alex, saw the livestream got cancelled, hope you’re doing ok!

I was wondering- did you and Jonny meet in a civil service job, or private sector? Because there’s a lot in protocol that’s very accurate. (Just started a CS job). Of course this could just be your sterling research skills, but even in archives I wondered if there was direct experience informing the fiction. Though, theres a lot of overlap in dumb jargon for private and CS. I will absolutely punch a hole in my computer if Lena tells Gwen she has to engage in agile thinking 😒

thanks for your time 🙂

So the O.I.A.R. is entirely based on the jobs that Jonny and I held when we first met. It was private sector but all of it, the weird job interview, the ancient computers, the unnecessary night work, even the location of the offices is all pretty damn accurate. The only difference is that what we had to summarise, whilst still horrifying, was much more late-stage capitalism horror stories than murderous puppets or whatever. In terms of civil service stuff, I do my research and know plenty of people who work there. Weirdly enough I suppose that means that if I was Sam (since I joined later) and Jonny was Alice (in that he was weirdly acclimatised already) that would mean that Sam and Alice both quit to make horror podcasts about their time at... oh god. I've gone all recursive.

[discojams]

From an interview with Tramell Tillman:

Q: If you didn’t want to redo “Defiant Jazz,” were you approaching your dance moves differently here?

A: You can’t recreate the MDE, and I didn’t want Milchick to dance in season two, because I didn’t want, “Oh, he dances in every season.” But there was something about the idea of playing a drum major that really excited me. I went to two HBCUs: I went to Xavier University and I went to Jackson State University, which has one of the best bands in the world, Sonic Boom of the South. The agility, the stamina, the endurance these drum majors and J-settes and band members have is out of this world. I wanted to honor that style of movement and really pay homage to these HBCU bands.

Q: It really felt like Seth asserting his Blackness in a Lumon space.

A: Absolutely. We have to remember that Milchick put this together. He chose this. He chose the band. He got the refiners together. He got the outfits together. He probably helped orchestrate the formations, the selections. I don’t know how this man did all of this. [Laughs.] I don’t know what schedule this man is on. He is masterful at getting the job done.

https://www.vulture.com/article/severance-tramell-tillman-milchick-s2-finale-marching-band-performance-explained.html

YES YES YES. thank you for the source!

i think some people are misunderstanding my post, believing that milchick was forced to this, that he doesn't like dancing/music/art. he does! but lumon is co-opting it!!!

[zylentrix]

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🎯 Our Mission & Vision: The North Star of Zylentrix

Mission: “To empower individuals, businesses, and communities by delivering innovative and customised solutions across education, technology, recruitment, and business consulting. With a commitment to excellence, integrity, and sustainability, we strive to create opportunities, bridge gaps, drive transformation, and foster long-term success.”

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We’re not just consultants—we’re architects of progress, designing futures where everyone has the chance to excel.

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Our values are the blueprint for how we serve clients, collaborate with partners, and grow as a team:

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[accio-victuuri]

Exclusive interview with Wang Yibo: Maintain a sincere heart丨"War of Faith" hits the airwaves

Since its launch on CCTV 8 in late March, the contemporary youth growth drama "War of Faith", directed by Yao Xiaofeng and written by Weng Liangping, starring Wang Yibo, Li Qin, Wang Yang and others, has been performing well in recent days. The show topped the CVB prime-time ratings the day after it aired. The real-time ratings of Kuyun peaked at 2, and the popularity on iQiyi exceeded 9,600. The ratings are both good. The male protagonist Wei Ruolai, played by young actor Wang Yibo, is also loved by the audience for his smart, intelligent and righteous character.

"He is very passionate, has a sense of justice, is persistent and brave in his work. Even when facing the dark social reality, Wei Ruolai still maintains a sincere heart and wants to change the social status quo through his own efforts." Wang Yibo accepted the Liberation Daily Exclusive interview with a reporter from Shangguan News, explaining what "Wei Ruolai" is in his eyes.

At the beginning of the TV series, there is an assassination, a rescue, and a stock market game. The plot advances on multiple parallel lines, but they contain inextricable connections. "War of Faith" is set in Shanghai in the 1930s. It adopts a novel narrative incision and starts from the perspective of the financial industry. It embeds the storyline on the real historical picture of Shanghai and depicts Shanghai from 1929 to 1934. A scene filled with smoke and silent struggle. This makes the social turmoil in a specific historical period and the intrigue on the financial front in the play cleverly form an intertextuality.

From the character setting point of view, Wei Ruolai is a character with obvious growth meaning. In the complicated political, economic and social environment of Shanghai at that time, Wei Ruolai, as a young man who bravely came to Shanghai from the Jiangxi countryside, rented in Qibao Street, a mixed and dilapidated place. His initial wish was just to be admitted to the Central Bank and have a good job. income. Wang Yibo revealed that what impressed him about the role of Wei Ruolai was his charisma. This ideal and belief in taking family and country as one's own responsibility, as well as the unique passionate feelings of young people, are the character traits that Wang Yibo admires.

As a young man from a poor family who left his hometown to work in Shanghai, Wei Ruolai showed great personal talent in the financial field. Whether he is helping his neighbor Aunt Zhou on Qibao Street to trade stocks, or being fearless in the face of fire during the central bank exam, the character's agility and human touch are all reflected. When Wei Ruolai got up early to rush to the central bank for an interview, her pair of torn socks, her leather shoes that "gathered dust" under the bed, and her slightly messy hairstyle in the mirror all gave the scenes in the play a sense of life.

In Wang Yibo's view, Wei Ruolai was just like the young people of that era. Although he initially regarded his career as a job that could earn more money to support his family, he had his own ideals and ambitions in his heart. This can be seen from his bent on joining the central bank. "In the context of the times, he was eager to create value through his own efforts on the best financial platform, improve people's livelihood, and make society better."

"War of Faith" adopts a two-line parallel narrative structure. One line is a financial war without gunpowder, and the other is a thrilling spy war drama. In the workplace where the central bank is the stage, the new senior adviser Shen Tunan (played by Wang Yang) plays the role of Wei Ruolai's master and becomes his guide on the career path. Shen Tunan is both good and evil, and he wants to promote Shanghai's financial reform, and he does not hesitate to take risks with his own life. Shen Tunan's sister Shen Jinzhen (played by Li Qin) and Wei Ruolai's brother Wei Ruochuan are both underground members of the Communist Party of China. In the dark current situation, they disregard their personal lives for the cause of the party. Therefore, these important characters surrounding Wei Ruolai constituted his dilemma in social situation, and also laid the foundation for Wei Ruolai and Shen Tunan to part ways.

Wang Yibo feels that Shen Tunan plays an important role in Wei Ruolai's professional and personal growth. "Wei Ruolai, who had just entered the workplace and had no work experience, just rushed forward with momentum and persistence. Therefore, he admired Shen Tunan very much and once regarded him as the direction of his life's efforts. The two of them also learned from each other in the process of getting along."

But as Wei Ruolai received more and more attention, the corruption within the Kuomintang was exposed in front of him. Inspired by the people around him, Wei Ruolai and Shen Tunan eventually embarked on completely different paths of faith. "After experiencing a series of changes such as investigating the counterfeit currency case and treasury bills, he witnessed the darkness and corruption of the current situation, and realized that he needed to change the status quo of the country and fight for the people. Therefore, the sense of opposition between his master and his faith made him once I lost confidence in Shen Tunan, who was once a like-minded person, and eventually embarked on a different path of faith, but Shen Tunan has always been Wei Ruolai's guide"

Director Yao Xiaofeng once said in an interview that he chose Wang Yibo to play the role because he saw many similarities between the two. "I saw something in Wang Yibo. I felt that this story should be filmed as a small character who came to a big city to develop, and then accidentally got involved in a bloody storm and fell into a battle between two forces that were beyond his power. , let him hesitate, let him make a choice."

In one scene, his brother Wei Ruochuan was betrayed by his companions. After searching for Wei Ruolai in Shanghai, he eventually died due to excessive blood loss. In this scene, Wang Yibo performed Wei Ruolai's pain and fear. After his brother died, Wei Ruolai had no time to grieve and buried his brother in pain overnight. "In such a terrifying period, if you have a Communist brother, you have to be screened, and the first thing you will definitely bring is fear. I was very impressed by Wang Yibo in this scene, and the whole audience applauded (after filming)." Yao Xiaofeng said. In Wang Yibo's eyes, Yao Xiaofeng is a director who pays great attention to details. "He is more of a good guide to the actors in terms of performance. He will let me use my own real experiences and feelings to understand the character's current emotions, allowing the actors to perform the performance more closely to life."

In real life, Wang Yibo likes racing. When a reporter asked which scene in "War of Faith" was the most fun, his answer was a bit unexpected but reasonable. "The most fun thing was riding a motorcycle from that era." As for what themes or roles he wants to challenge in the future, his answer is also very open, "I want to try them all, and have a sense of freshness."

[kurowdayo]

Kemono Jihen Chapter 94: Summary + Page-by-Page Translation (a little late but duh)

Translated by me and proofread and revised by @orikousandesune

Summary

Chapter starts with Kaidou during an interview. He asks what’s the strongest animal because there are several opinions. He claims to have found an answer by creating a Mamono with all strong traits from strong animals combined: Gaokong. On top of that it looks cool.

Meanwhile Gaokong broke out of his cage and now starts a rampage. Yamabuki informs Ume that it’s coming and Gao breaks through the floor. Akira flies by and Ume gets yeeted into the air. Yamabuki catches and carries him bridal style which really pisses off Mayu who goes on to ramble about suicide and other emotional blackmail.

Yamabuki says it’s not important now and Mayu freaks out entirely and starts attacking. Yamabuki drops Ume and flies away. Tsubaki catches him. Mayu rambles at Akira after he told her that Yamabuki did nothing wrong in saving Ume. She attacks and Akira parries and even shields Gaokong because he’s very insistent on the “nobody dies stuff”. But Yamabuki tells him to let Mayu hit and maybe even kill Gaokong.

Tsubaki, still carrying Ume, complains that he doesn’t transform into something that can fly to which Ume responds that all he's good for is farting. But he saw the nature of Yamabuki’s and Mayu’s relationship. Mayu can change the properties of her wings depending on emotion and attack with them but can’t control that at all and that’s Yamabuki’s job because she’s a master manipulator.

Tsubaki begins to understand because when investigating Mayu’s background, not much information on why she wanted to be minister came to light. Yamabuki is, in fact, pulling the strings.

Yamabuki asks for Akira’s name and then tells him her motivations. Something she didn’t even reveal to Mayu but she does to Akira because she thinks he’s special like her. She has a virtuous and just vision and that’s why she wants all Mamono in the farm to die. Akira is confused.

Yui and the Zookeeper meanwhile retrieve a box syringes and a serum that destroys Mamono cells. Yui is happy because he thinks the vaccine will turn them normal again but because the ones at the farm are synthetic, it will destroy them completely but their minds will feel salvation from being freed from how they were designed. Yui offers to inject it into Gaokong but the Zookeeper wants to do it himself.

Tsubaki complains that Akira is only being defensive and Ume realizes that Akira really wants NO ONE to die at all. Yui an Zookeeper arrive. Yui supports Akira and they try to hold Gaokong down. Zookeeper laments that he never managed to communicate with Gaokong but he still enjoyed raising him. Gaokong sees his keeper and tries to crush him. Akira panics and puts out more ice and accidentally freezes everything over.

Yamabuki realizes it’s over, pacifies Mayu and then thanks a devastated Akira for freezing and killing all the Mamono

End

Page 1: Color page [Teacher Mihai’s] Skill Transfer?!

Page 2

Screen text: Minister of National Security Kaidou is there to answer your questions about this new type of ‘power’!

Kaidou (in an interview): First of all, what animal would YOU consider to be ‘the strongest’?

Answer: Hmm…Maybe the lion?

Kaidou: It is true that the lion is often seen as ‘the king of beasts’, but that is actually a matter of opinion. Some say it's the African elephant, others say it’s the orca. Some people say it’s the tardigrades.

Answer: So, it depends on what you consider as strength?

Kaidou: True! But today you will see the definite answer.

Page 3

Kaidou:　Allow me to introduce this new era/generation life form, the one that has it all - strength, endurance, agility, adaptability, but most importantly - it looks COOL!

The King of All Beasts, The Lion-Ape, Gaokong!!

Page 4

Scene shifts to the crew with Akira engaging Gaokong

Akira: Gaokong… I won’t hand you over to Kaidou. I’ll be your new papa!!

Page 5

Yamabuki: Mr. Chief Secretary

Ume: Ah!?

Yamabuki: Stay alert! Something is coming from below.

Ume: From Below? But that’s concrete! What even is gonna get through!?

Said concrete floor begins to bulge and break open

Ume: (surprised scream)

Page 6

Gaokongs hand breaks through with Akira flying away from it

Ume: Whaaaaaaaat!?

Akira: Sorry Mr. Umetarō! I’ll take care of Gao-chan! Be careful and don’t die!!

Ume: Akira-chan!? Whaddya mean ‘dont die’??

Page 7

After being thrown up by Gaokong, Ume starts to plummet immediately as he’s the only one who can’t fly.

Ume: Are you kidding meeeee!!!

Yamabuki catches him

Akira: Eh!?

Mayu: Huh!?

Page 8:

Yamabuki carrying Ume bridal style

Ume: Uoooo….?

Yamabuki: Mr. Chief-Secretary, are you hurt?

Ume: (with simp-face) I’m totally fine <3 [lit. Not at all <3]

Page 9

Akira: Thanks! Golden wings... So this person is Yamabuki-san then. Eh… but aren’t crows supposed to be black well, whatever.

Mayu: The hell are you doing? Yamabuki promised not to touch anyone but Mayu! (Ume bridal style) So why is Yamabuki doing it again just after we made the promise?!

Page 10

You know EXACTLY how that makes Mayu feel! And you keep doing it!/Do it on purpose

Why? When Mayu begged you so many times to stop it already!! Do you want Mayu to get all depressed and take lots of pills and die?!! Fine!! Then I’ll kill myself this second, as you wish! It’s all Yamabuki’s fault!!

Ume: This… uhhm…

Yamabuki: Which one should I choose? OR Oh…how should I tune it?/play along/=tuning mayu’s emotions to change her wings

Ume: (thoughts) Hm!?

Yamabuki: The Promise you mentioned…

Page 11

Yamabuki: (continue from before) …is not important now.

Mayu: (bulging veins everywhere) Huh? THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN MAYU’S FEELINGS!!!!!! (she starts attacking with her “Wings of Jealousy”)

(Levi-a-crow is written above)

Page 12

Mayu: (incoherent screeching)

Yamabuki flying away with Ume

Ume: Gyaaaaa!!! Why are you agitating her!!!? Aren’t you supposed to be good at ‘seeing’ others’ mood?? / Didn’t you just pretend to figure our whole plans out?!

Page 13

Ume: (thoughts) No way… she’s doing this on purpose!?

Yamabuki: (Speaking to Ume) Apologies for getting you involved in our lovers’ quarrel. Leave Mayuzumi to me.

She drops Ume, Tsubaki catches him

Yamabuki: I’ll also have this monster ‘taken down’

Page 14

Akira engages Mayu

Akira: Why are you so angry? Yamabuki-san only helped Umetarō-san. She did the right thing.

Yamabuki: (thoughts) You…Mind your own business.

Mayu: Haaa? Is this your first time seeing a psycho?

Page 15

Mayu: Shut up with your common sense crap!! Don’t you see this is NOT what matters now?!

Mayu! Is! Telling! You! STOP IT SHUT UP DIE!!!

STOP IT, SHUT UP AND DIE (she uses a second ability/attack “Wings of Wrath” written as Satan Crow)

Page 16

Akira: The knives (from Wings of Jealousy) turned into flaming skulls!

Akira blocks them with an ice wall and also shields Gaokong

Page 17

Akira: Wait! Stop it! Gao-chan has nothing to do with this. Oh no, my Rikka ‘time’ is running up…But if I don’t take her hits, Gao-chan will get hurt!

Yamabuki: Please stop. Let Gaokong get hit.

Akira: !?

Yamabuki: Gaokong shall die by Mayu’s hands.

Page 18

Tsubaki: (still carrying off Ume) Can’t you transform into something that can fly?

Ume: Well! Excuse me for knowing how to fart only!! But now I can see what their relationship is about.

Tsubaki: Relationship?

Ume: I asked when Yamabuki agitated Mayuzumi. Looks like Mayuzumi’s special skill is ‘changing the properties of her wings depending on her emotions’, but she can’t use it at will. That’s why Yamabuki is in charge of controlling her emotions, being the manipulator and all.

Page 19

Tsubaki: It makes sense now. When I investigated Mayuzumi’s background and her motives for becoming a minister, her reasons were unclear until the end. But then… Why is Yamabuki using her?

Switch to Akira again

Akira: Why would Yamabuki-san say something like that? Isn’t it your goal to take Gao-chan with you?

Yamabuki: That’s our work. But not my goal.

Yamabuki: Haha. What’s your name?

Akira: ? Akira

Yamabuki: What a beautiful name, it suits you.

Page 20

Yamabuki: (eyeing Akira closely) You’re a special existence, just like me. So I will tell you what I haven’t even told Mayuzumi. My own vision of a ‘good deed’ is certainly noble and virtuous. And for it to become reality, I need all these monsters to perish.

Page 21

Akira: I don’t understand what you are talking about…Now not’s the time—--

Further Gao-Rampage

Akira: Gao-chan…

Page 22

Gao punches a cage and crushes some Monke-Mamono

Akira: Gao-chan!!! NO!!!

Page 23

Switch to Yui and Monke-Keeper

Yui: This box here?

Monke: That’s right, this is the one. It’s safe. I’m glad it wasn’t broken.

Yui: We returned to retrieve this box instead of heading to the scene…Is it that Important?

Monke: Uhm, this is a drug that destroys Mamono cells. When nothing else works, this is our way to go.

Page 24

Aya in Yuis head: We can make a vaccine.

Yui: (in his thoughts) This is what Aya-dono and Thin-dono are looking for! The vaccine! It already exists! (Out loud) So this will save Gaokong!

Monke: What are you talking about? He still will die.

Yui: But…my friends said that it would be possible to save the mamono if there is a ‘vaccine’.

Monke: Uh? Like…salvation in death or something?

I see…so you thought that by destroying the virus cells within the mamono’s body will turn them back to how they were before…No, this isn’t how it works. You can’t turn butter back to milk… Well… but

Page 25

Monke: The reason Gaokong goes on rampages is strictly speaking not his fault. He was designed to have a strong, violent nature. If you destroy the monster cells, they will fall apart and only the mind can be freed. The salvation that Aya-child was talking about is to at least protect their dignity

Strictly speaking…Gaokong can’t be blamed for his rampaging nature. He was ‘designed’ to be strong and violent,

But if the mamono virus within his body is destroyed, then these ‘settings’ will disappear too.

Even if it’s his mind only, he will be freed… The ‘salvation’ your friend Aya was talking about…she probably meant ‘protecting their dignity’

Yui: Ok, then I will inject the ‘vaccine’. For you, it must be difficult…

Monke: No, I wish you���d let me do it. I was the one entrusted with raising Gaokong… I can’t explain it well but I like the idea of salvation.

Page 26

Monke: Kaidou-sama, I’m sorry, but…

Yui: Mr. Zookeeper…. Understood, I’ll try to convince Akira. Let’s save Gaokong!

Back to Akira

Akira: Gao-chan, STOP!!!

Page 27

Yamabuki flies by, Mayu in pursuit

Akira: She’s chasing after Yamabuki-san (blocking another attack from Mayu) Don’t get in the way!!! Why are you so mean!?

Page 28

Akira: Only 2 left (rikka symbols)

Tsubaki: What is Akira-kun doing? He hasn’t attacked at all!

Ume: He is…trying not to let anyone die, Gaokong or the other mamono.

Tsubaki: What? But these are mamono..?

Ume: Because…because I shared my vision with him!!

(Bro is in disbelieve, lol)

Page 29

Ume: That no one dies!! It’s all my fault for telling him that!!

Yui and Monke arrive

Yui: Akira!

Akira: Big brother!

Yui: Here, use my power! = use my power!

Akira: Eh, what do you mean!?

Page 30

Yui: Akira and I are going to hold Gaokong down so you can take advantage of that.

Monke: Thank you!

Akira: What should I do!?

Yui: It’s simple. Let’s just join forces. What used to be one split into two and we were born. It is my duty to be of help to you, right?

Akira: …I see, that’s right. Understood!

Yui: Then let’s go!

Page 31

With Yui, Akira’s rikka snowflake is fully restored. They try to freeze him over.

Akira: Gao-chan, please stop!!

Page 32

Monke climbs up

Monke: Alright, here (spot to inject). Gaokong, in the end I was never able to communicate with you. But the time I was taking care of you… I liked it.

Gao sees him

Monke: Gaokong! Do you recognize me?

Page 33

Big panel of Gao trying to crush Monke and horrified Akira

Page 34

Switch to Mayu and Yamabuki. Yamabuki flies to hug Mayu

Yamabuki: Mayu!

Mayu: !!?

Yamabuki: I’m sorry for the terrible words I said earlier. But I had my reasons…

Because you said ‘i don’t wanna see these ugly monsters in Tokyo’

Mayu, look…

Page 35

Akira, in panic, accidentally froze over everything

Page 36

Yamabuki: Thank you, Akira-kun. You killed them all, like I asked you to.

Akira is on his knees and crying in devastation

End

[markgo7]

Sr Project Manager- Richmond, VA(Hybrid -Locals)

Apply: https://jobshorn.com/job/sr-it-project-manager/7381

12+ Months| 10+Yrs| C2C/W2

Interview Type: Skype or Phone

JD:

Exp in both Scaled Agile and Waterfall Project Management.

PMP Certification Required.

VITA, Agile Scrum Master, SAFe® Scrum Master Certification is highly desired.

Contact: mark@sohanit.com |+1 470-410-5352 EXT:111

#ProjectManagement#PMP#Virginia

[jobmentorai]

Master Your Job Interview with Live AI Support

In today’s hyper-competitive job market, having the right qualifications is just the beginning. Employers are looking for confident, well-prepared candidates who can communicate their value clearly and concisely. This is where Job Mentor AI becomes your secret weapon.

Whether you're a student entering the workforce, a professional eyeing a promotion, or someone looking to pivot into a new industry, you need more than just traditional prep. You need personalised, intelligent coaching and Job Mentor AI delivers just that through cutting-edge AI technology tailored to your unique journey.

What is Live Interview Assist?

The Live Interview Assist feature is a breakthrough tool that provides real-time support during your interviews, whether it's a mock session or the real deal. It listens, analyses, and offers instant, AI-driven feedback on your responses. Think of it as your virtual career coach sitting beside you during those high-stakes moments.

Key features include:

Live Transcription of your answers for easy review

Instant Feedback & Suggestions to improve your responses on the fly

Real-Time Interview Assistance

Works seamlessly across various platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams

Why Use AI for Interview Prep?

Traditional interview prep methods like practising interviews or generic YouTube tips are outdated and often ineffective. They lack personalisation, real-time feedback, and data-driven analysis, all of which are critical for true growth. That’s where AI shines.

Job Mentor AI leverages artificial intelligence to elevate your preparation by offering:

Tailored Interview Strategies: Every candidate is different. The platform adapts to your strengths, weaknesses, and career goals to build a preparation path that works.

Insight-Driven Coaching: Instead of vague advice, you receive performance metrics like speaking pace, filler word usage, clarity, and confidence indicators. These insights help you target exactly what needs improvement.

Real-Time Adaptability: The AI evaluates your answers live and offers tweaks that you can implement on the spot, making your prep more agile and efficient.

Continuous Learning Loop: Every session becomes a data point that helps the system get smarter about you, enabling more personalised recommendations over time.

Job Mentor AI: Your Complete Career Companion

Job Mentor AI is more than a one-trick tool. It's a full-fledged career readiness platform designed to support every stage of the job-seeking journey.

Here’s what else it offers:

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Mock Interview Simulations with Feedback Run a fully simulated AI mock interview practice that mimics real-world scenarios. The AI acts as a virtual interviewer and evaluates your answers in real time,  just like a human coach would, but with zero judgment and 24/7 availability.

Interview Q&A Generator Generate custom question sets for your specific role or industry. Whether you’re interviewing for a software engineering job or a marketing role, you’ll get realistic, challenging questions to practice with from your very own AI Interview Answer Generator.

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Whether you are:

A recent graduate with little interview experience

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Job Mentor AI tailors its feedback, content, and tools to your specific goals, experience level, and industry.

Explore Now & Try Live Interview Assist

Whether you’re entering the job market, navigating a career change, or striving to advance within your field, this tool is designed to support your progress with intelligence, precision, and flexibility.

Discover how Live Interview Assistant works and how Job Mentor AI can help you prepare more effectively, respond more thoughtfully, and present yourself more compellingly in any interview setting.

[blueboyluca]

Thought I would do a round-up of podcast episodes I've enjoyed lately.

Animal Training Academy Podcast: [Episode 231] Susan Friedman & Rick Hester – Exploring the LIMA model

I could listen to Dr Susan Friedman all day. This episode is all about LIMA, its origins as well as its current and future use. Choice quote:

My latest rant when I'm workingI with people I'm coaching is that they're not even coming to the debriefs with a pencil! It really hurts me! I can’t care more about this more than you do. I can’t care more about training your rhino with the least intrusive principle than you do. Got a pencil, you know? I say, "Well, what did you learn from this meeting?" "Oh, um, I’m overwhelmed." Well, if you had a pencil, you might be less overwhelmed!

I love her sass so much. She reminds me of the women I gravitate to the most. People like my mum, my boss, teachers I've admired in the past. Courageous, assertive, forceful women with great empathy and understanding.

Research Bites: #23 – Dr. Patricia McConnell on intrinsic reinforcement, flow, and agency

This was such an interesting conversation about flow between host Dr Kristina Spaulding and Dr Patricia McConnell. It was fun to listen to two very clever scientists discuss something outside current research. Choice quote:

Here’s an example of I think where a dog might be in absolute flow: when they’re chewing on something. When they’re ripping up a cardboard box. Right? Why would they be thinking about anything else? There’s no stress there – assuming they are allowed to do it. When Maggie is ripping up a little stuffed toy, I don’t know why she wouldn’t be in what we call “flow”.

This quote led into a discussion about enrichment and I thought it was a really beneficial way to think about enrichment and flow and meeting your dog's needs.

The Q Coach Pod: #167 She's singing our mindset song! (Interview with Cynthia Horner!)

I really enjoyed this interview with recent Westminster Agility Champion Cynthia Horner. She has a really interesting attitude toward competition and I got a lot out of it. Choice quote:

You’re going to have great weekends, you’re going to have great runs, and you’re going to have runs that look like you started agility 24 hours ago. And everything in between. You’re not going to be able to be perfect every time you step to the line. And I think that makes you realise that as long as you’re trying your best – and again I go back to the process. I cue my dog to the best of my ability and things should work out in the end if I do my job and I’ve trained my dog to do her job.

Barkology: Agility Fitness and Injuries with Dr Leslie Eide

This podcast isn't that good, but now and then it has quality guests on it. I really liked this episode with Dr Leslie Eide because she talked about agility from her different perspective and made me think about different things. Choice quote:

I’ve seen problems with dogs who maybe started younger doing courses with the bar very low and then going really, really slow to increase height. I think a lot of those dogs actually end up not knowing where they’re supposed to take off. And it can be both ways because if the bar’s really low, they can leap from very far away and still clear it, but they can also go, "Oh, I don’t even need to jump this" and just run up to it and stride over it. So I get both problems, I get dogs who jump late and knock the bar and I get dogs who jump early because they’re like, "This worked when it was little!" And we have to retrain finding the appropriate take-off spot.

This is relevant because I've got dogs in my classes jumping 600 that keep bar knocking and while some of my advice (in relation to handling) is helping, I am now considering that perhaps the problem is going to need retraining with some jump grids. This is where my lack of experience is a real detriment because I've only run with small dogs and when the handling seems OK but the bar is still getting knocked, I've got to find other things to try.

[whimsipunk]

🎮🎻💯 for the oc details ask, for cam!

Hi Lauren, thanks for the ask 🖤💚

What hobbies does Cam have/does he play any instruments?

I think I can answer both of these at once! Brooks is actually the musical sibling (he can play a bit of guitar), whereas Cam always had the more logic/science brain of the two. He has two main hobbies. One of them is cooking- he had to learn to make food pretty fast when he became Brooks's main caregiver at 16, and he ended up enjoying it so much he doubled down and now he's a very accomplished home cook. His cooking is one of the big things that made Kayla decide to stick it out with him long term, too.

His other hobby is making paracord bracelets and keyrings. It started when he was in elementary school, making boondoggles all the time. He go himself the nickname "Boondoggle" in middle school because he had like twenty of them on his backpack and sometimes sold them on the playground if he wanted a little extra change. He gave up on the brightly colored plastic after a while, though, and it wasn't until several years later when he started seeing woven paracord bracelets and keyrings all over the place that he got nostalgic and decided to apply his old skills there instead.

His fiance is also teaches pottery classes for her day job, so he's been to a few of them. He's very bad at it but still had fun (and not just because he got to see his hot buff girlfriend in a tank top covered in clay, he swears).

Tell us three random facts about Cam:

He fights with a hand-and-a-half sword and sometimes a buckler, though he'll put the buckler away to use both hands on the sword if neccesary. His fighting style is based more around agility and adaptability, so he sticks to leather armour (unlike Kayla who is a fucking BEAST).

His day job is in computer repairs. He didn't have a lot of prospects, having to drop out of school at 16, but he taught himsef how to fix computers using online tutorials and was so good at it he showed up for a job interview with a poorly put together CV and no prior experience and got the position. He still works at that store. As the manager.

He's a giant nerd. He loves Lord of the Rings and The Legend of Zelda and he won't admit it to most people but his favourite TV show is still the original He-Man cartoon. There is a reason this guy jumped at the mere mention of being able to join an order of knights.

Ask game here, OC intros masterlist here :)

[feisar]

I had a job interview the other day for a position that seemed solid and that I know I'm qualified for but the interviewer was asking me these insanely jargony questions ("do you use agile or waterfall management techniques with your team" like what the fuck does that mean) and also asked me what my career goals were (I have none besides get money) and I fumbled both because I don't think about stuff like that to be quite honest and now they haven't called me back yet and I'm kinda pissed about it

[oliviafons14]

Empowering Tech Talent: Ashkan Rajaee on the Future of Remote Work and Hiring Trends

In an insightful interview with TechRSeries, Ashkan Rajaee, CEO and Founder of Topdevz, discusses the evolving landscape of remote work, tech hiring, and HR technology. Rajaee shares his perspective on how the pandemic accelerated digital transformation, emphasizing the shift towards remote and flexible work models. He highlights the increasing demand for high-quality software developers and how Topdevz is addressing hiring challenges by leveraging a rigorous vetting process to ensure clients receive top-tier talent.

Rajaee also touches on the importance of AI and automation in HR tech, predicting that companies will continue investing in tools that streamline talent acquisition and management processes. His insights underscore the significance of agility and adaptability in today’s tech-driven job market.

[engineer-gunzelpunk]

Traintober 2024: Comedy

R704, “Glenrothes”, the Festival Loco

Of the R-class, R704 “Glenrothes” (formerly ‘Lavellan”) was perhaps the snootiest of the lot.

Glenrothes had been chosen to represent the R-class at the Festival of Britain in 1951, and what a time he had of it… people cooing over the handsome appearance and clean lines of the R class. And he was indeed very impressive to look at, with his gold-brass boilerbands and red and black paint job. This he took to mean that he was special, in typical locomotive fashion.

In typical express passenger engine fashion.

The Rs all carried a confident air common to express passenger engines worldwide that they were intrinsically important due to their purpose.

Glenrothes attitude was intensfied by his showing at the Festival of Britain.

So when he came to the dirty little colony on the other side of the world, he immediately took to mean that he ought to have had deference due to him.

What a wake up call it should have been when the big Newport bastard himself, Heavy Harry, called him out in an interview in The Argus newspaper, calling the R-class “more mannikin than machine”. Harry was not well liked at Norf, but even the Norf locos were like, ‘He has a point” and began sniggering within earshot when Glenrothes would chuff past after that article was published.

(Just OOC: Yes, The Argus was a real newspaper and really did interview Heavy Harry. I put up screenshots of this article somewhere on this here blog.)

At first, it did not sink in, but Glenrothes grew more snappish and arrogant as he endured more insults.

(The next story was based on a real incident featuring an R-class and a turntable…)

***

One day sometime in 1952 , he had been told that he was to pull the Royal Train for Princess Elisabeth when she and Prince Phillip were to come to Australia; he was excited and feeling especially arrogant that day. He had gone to Ararat Loco after getting looked over for dings and other cracks and having been fitted with the Royal Headboard. He rested quietly in the wheelhouse ready to go. But he was not alone.

Heavy Harry was parked in the next berth after his fire had been dropped; sulking after one of his latest shenanigans got him into trouble (jumping the tracks) and he was not pleased to see the smug Pommy bastard down his way. He knew him by those polished gold boiler bands he kept flaunting.

“Ahhhh Harry… how are you faring… my prince”, he smirked.

He did not speak with the thick Glasgow burr that the other R classes possessed. When they selected him to be exhibited at the Festival of Britain, they took the time to school him in classical British Received Pronunciation, so he had cut-glass accent so clear and crisp it turned everything around it to ice.

“Get stuffed”, Harry snorted roughly, unimpressed.

“Pity you are in such a sour mood,… I have had some exciting news..”

“They’re sending you back to Pommyland?” snapped Harry.

Glenrothes was unruffled.

“I’m going to pull the Royal Train, isn't that exciting? Another wonderful notch on my figurative belt…”

Harry’s face darkened further. He was already unbearable and now this was going to send his ego sky high.

“Please stop talking, Glen-whatever-your-name-is, I’m not in the mood...”

“I just had to tell you, Prince Harry… as you were the Victorian Railways’ pride and all… I was just dying to share good news…”, said Glenrothes smugly, with particular irony stressed on “prince” and “VR’s pride”… the fact he used the past participle made it sting especially hard.

“Now that you’ve shared it… can you go away now?” snarled Harry.

“As you wish… my prince…”, he chuckled frostily and he chuffed onto the Ararat turntable to put him on the correct road.

Glenrothes, eager to show his high stepping gracefulness, in an exaggerated show of agility came to a stop on the turntable, perfectly centered without adjustment.

“Perfectly executed! No derailing… unlike certain engines!”

Harry seethed and glared daggers.

That turntable was finely balanced, a little too finely balanced … And it was a windy day. Glenrothes was still feeling very pleased with himself when the table began to turn, not so pleased when it began to spin out of control.

Harry on the hand…

“HES SPINNING LIKE A TOP, HE IS… LOOK IT, LOOK IT!”, braying at the top of his voice.

“Fuck, I wish I could see it!” complained a N class that was orientated tender first to the turntable.

“Awwww geez…” gasped another.

The locos that could see were treated to this red and black monster being twirled about like a top.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh… please stop it!” cried out Glenrothes. He was getting scared that he would never get off the turntable.

By the time the wind died and his driver applied the pawl to stop the turntable from spinning, Glenrothes was dizzy as could be, and the wooden platform surrounding the turntable was ruined.

“Don’t think my derail-prone, lard arse could have managed that, Glenny Boy!” sniggered Harry, as Glenrothes chuffed dizzily forward and away from the wheelhouse.

But that was not the end of Glenrothes’ troubles…

No relation, this is just kinda funny.