#comprehension question: what do you predict happens next.

[chowtrolls]

The Job Will Never Get Done

Google Docs Link || Song LinkCowritten with Robin<3<3 Twitch, Hanagi, Abidel, & the Headmistress are @byrdstrolls

The second your feet hit the roof of Mondes Rosado’s hive, you felt regret. That was far louder than you wanted it to be. The poor residents must be scared out of their minds. You glance up to flash your pilot a thumbs up. The lights of your ship flash once to let you know she got your message. 

It was rude not to use the front door. But, in your defense, you had been at work! Your private ship was just a bit too big to land anywhere nearby, especially without prior warning. You didn’t have time to think of sending anyone a warning. You followed your instinct.Your instinct told you to pack a bag of important things, and rush to the Rosado residence at breakneck speeds. 

The garden you landed on was very well kept. You do your best to scuff back the dirt into place with your tail before making your way to the only door you saw. 

You had little hope that anyone would be there. And yet, you knock. 

You hear the sound of footsteps, urgent, darting away from the door. But no answer. The urgency in the sound had you concerned enough to try turning the knob. Your concern and muddled thoughts made it difficult to control your grip, and as such, the doorknob cracks as you twist it too far. Oops. The front door would’ve been much easier.

The knob falls to the ground as you release it. You gently nudge the door open, slowly as to not scare whoever had been on the other side. You weren’t entirely sure who you were expecting. One of the Cheongs, maybe. A pet, perhaps. Mondes surely would’ve answered the door, so it wouldn’t be him. Of everything you would have expected, none were your daughter. 

Curled in on herself, brandishing only a pen as her weapon. Flat against the wall, shaking like a leaf. Her eyes were wild, frenzied, like a cornered animal. There was a growing pile of soda cans, coffee mugs and empty snack bowls that sat beside her, like guarding this spot had been a day-long endeavor. You didn’t catch any hint of recognition in that wild stare, not yet.  

The silence felt thick, but you couldn’t let it linger. You push the shock down deep, replacing it with a warm smile as you duck into the doorway. You kneel down to be on her level. Less threatening. You could hear the sound of footsteps, frantic in their own way, approaching. Ascending the stairs. That was the least of your worries. You let the bag on your shoulder fall to the ground beside you, and hold your hands out. 

“Hello, my bumblebee.”

She stiffens, in recognition but not quite relaxation- simply overtaken by a different kind of fear. 

“You broke Mondes’s door,” She accuses. How small she sounded, tucked in on herself like that.

“I’ll fix it,” You promise, glancing back guilty. 

“I’m sorry,” She says, the words only making it halfway through her throat before she chokes on them, trying to blink back tears springing from deep, dangerous wells in her eyes and heart. “I’m so sorry,” she says, arms clinging tightly to her sides, “I was-” She stumbles, words once again overtaken by sobs, she tries to find the words to explain, “I was so stupid,” 

 Wordlessly, you reach over and pull your daughter into a hug. 

Bee’s eyes widen, and something ancient in her releases. She leans into your embrace, burying herself in your arms as if she could disappear into them. Shakily, you raise a hand to run through her hair. She feels so small in your arms. When did she get so skinny- when did she start to feel so hollow? Had you really been so absent in her life, that you completely missed her disappearing into thin air? 

“I was so stupid,” You reply, trying to keep the waver from your voice. Stupid enough to let her enlist at all, stupid enough to spend so much time away from home. Something passes through her eyes like an unspoken argument, an unwillingness to let you have the blame, but she does not have the strength to voice it. She simply continues to cry. You hold her there for some time, rocking back and forth and muttering the occasional soft reassurance. You wait for her breathing to ease, for some of the tension in her shoulders to release, before you even attempt to speak again. 

“Bee” You say, so gently, leaning back to cup her cheek, wiping a trail of violet tears from her eyes. “Who were you waiting here for?” 

All at once again, she stiffens. The tension that took so long to release came back in an instant. “...What?” She says, quietly. 

“Who were you waiting here for?” You ask, glancing at the dishes. “Looking so scared, wielding a pen at the door.” 

“No one” She says, her voice jumping the octave, suddenly distant. Her crumbling walls bolt up once more. Desperately trying to maintain a long-dead facade. You stare at her, and she avoids your gaze. Knowing you of all people see through her like an open window, but still unwilling to back down on the lie. 

“It’s okay, Bee,” You say. “I can help you, I promise.”

She continues to look away, ever so quietly shaking her head as tears well in her eyes. 

“You know I would move heaven and earth,” you say, “to keep you safe, Bumblebee. Please, my love.” You plead. Trying your hardest to not seem as desperate as you felt. She starts to sob again. 

“You can't,” She says. 

“I’ll find a way.” You say. 

“Don’t go to her,” She begs, and your pan kicks into overdrive, playing the pronoun game, running through every she/her you know.

“She’ll tell you things about me,” She says. “She’ll turn you against me.” 

“Who?” You ask one more time. “What things?” 

“Don’t,” She begs again, eyes darting to the corners of the room as if unsure she’s being watched. 

“Bee,” You say helplessly. “Nobodies watching. Who did this to you?”

“No one” She repeats. “did anything to me. I did it all wrong. You don’t understand.” 

“Help me understand,” You ask softly. 

She is silent, trying to control her breathing for an age. 

“She promised me so much,” She sobs. “She gave me so many things. I was so greedy," she says. 

And your mind runs into overdrive once more, thinking back through the past few sweeps. Desperately connecting dots, remembering her, remembering her coming home from the holidays, with new laptops, fancy fighter vessels, top of the line scientific equipment, lavish gifts for her siblings, you remember having asked her, where it all had came from, asking her how she could afford it all, she had dismissed you with a vague and cheeky, 

“School” she had said. She had gotten it all from school. 

“Peonie,” You guess, naming one of the few teachers you knew. Her head shakes quietly. 

“The headmistress.” You guess, next, and she pales, pulling tight like a barbed wire, the whites of her eyes peeking through the hands that snap up to cover her face. 

“No!” She insists, sharply, angrily. Yes, you think, with a near unfounded certainty. 

“It’s okay” You say, pulling her close as she starts to cry. “You’re safe. It’s gonna be okay” You repeat, hoping the words don’t fall as flat as they feel. They must have some effect, as she goes limper in your arms again, crying quietly. 

Is this how Jodiah felt? This inability to say anything meaningful? This deep, painful ache in your chest, knowing there are better words out there, but being unable to say anything? Bless his poor pusher, and bless your little Bee’s as well. You pull her back into your chest, wrapping your arms around her once more. You press a soft kiss to her hooded head, silently hoping she knew she was safe now. You hold her as if you were afraid she’d disappear once more. Never again, you thought, would you allow this to happen. 

The blankets you had kept for her, and could never bring it upon yourself to discard, get draped over her shoulders. You do your best to bundle her up. Like you had when she was little, and afraid of the dark. The dark couldn’t hurt her when she was bundled up so safe. You wouldn’t allow it. Did she remember those days, you wonder. Did she remember hugging her stuffed shark, almost as tight as she did now? She looked about as little as she had back then. You would smooth her hair back and promise her the dark couldn’t do a thing. Now you were going to ensure that. 

“I’ll be back soon,” you promise her with a soft, almost sad smile. You stood slowly, wanting more than anything to pick her up and take her home. Somewhere she could really heal. Where she could be safe. Where you could hold her close. But you knew that wouldn’t be feasible. Not yet. 

Hanagi Cheong, the brains of the operation it seems, is everything you expected her to be. Jaded, confident, but not at her fullest. You could hardly blame her. So young, and yet she’d seen more than you could imagine. She looks up at you without much outward fear. If you were planning ons staying, you would’ve taken a seat, something to make talking easier. 

You hand a business card to her. It was a typical Fleet issued business card for those higher up fools such as yourself. On the back, however, was a different number. 

“Please, if you and your family need anything- not just in regards to Twitch- reach out.” 

The rust eyes the card suspiciously, and rightfully so. 

“It’s a secure number.” You smile softly, “It was my matesprit’s, before she passed. She smuggled Fleet-issued medications into rebel districts, and to this day has yet to be caught. If anyone has a secure line…it’d be her.” 

You’re not positive Hanagi truly accepts this, but she takes the card with a soft, “Thanks.” 

You keep your smile warm, your hands clasped together in a passive sign of pleasure. You’ve had many centuries to perfect your body language. You could fool just about anyone. 

You check on Twitch one last time before you leave. Mostly ensuring you could leave her. It hurt more than words could describe. But you would be back- you promised her that. 

- - - 

The pilot of your ship gives you a curious look when you tell her your next location. She opens her mouth as if to question you, something you usually were happy to indulge in, but there must’ve been something in your expression to shut her up. Your facade must be slipping. 

It would not take long to get there. Truth be told, using your ship rather than any other local means of transportation could easily be seen as a waste. But your ship is the only place you can hang your coat, the only place where your strife still resided. A large war hammer hung on the wall, happy in its retirement. You had affectionately called it the HammerHead when you were young and still cool. It was more a decoration than anything these days. It would occasionally accompany you for public appearances, where you’d hold it by your side like a true guard. Or some laughable version of a grim reaper. There was hardly a need for such primitive means of a fight these days- being the Head of Security means you had access to just about anything you may need. 

But this mission was personal. It required a more personal means of communication.

You instruct your pilot to enter the Fleet Academy’s airfield, not to wait for permission to land. She seems uneasy, but trusts you. Why shouldn’t she? You didn’t technically need permission if you were doing your administrative rounds. You never warned the caverns of your visits. Why should you warn the Academy? Your administrative rounds came early this sweep, is all.

You rolled your chin down to your chest and back, rolled your tight shoulders up and down. This did little to ease your pilot’s growing nerves. The ship landed on the pad, and she turned around in her chair to finally meet your gaze. 

“Sir?” 

You pause your stretching, raising your brows, “Yes, Bevins?” 

You feel her bronze eyes study you closely. Bevins had been a good pilot, she’d been with you now for many sweeps. She had yet to see you limber up before going on rounds, yet to see you bring your strife along. You fear the silence between you two would last a sweep.

“...Should I make some phone calls?” She finally asks. 

You smile softly, giving her a nod of confirmation, “That would be wise. Let the Ghoulkeeper know I may need him to ensure Merkii gets dinner.” You pause for a moment, pondering your options, “And let Syndicate know I’ll be cashing in that favor.” 

She looks unease, but nods, and finally opens the hatch for you to leave. 

You had been around too long to not know exactly how your actions would play out. This was far from your first rodeo. The Fleet could take your freedom, take the future you so desperately wanted. They took your matesprit, turned your only biological descendants into barely functioning disasters. They can muddle your name, riddle you with scars, take what was left of your autonomy. But you refused to let them take another daughter. What could they do? Add another 300 sweeps to your contract? Hah, that alone was laughable. Let them do what they want with you, but you would not let them hurt her again. 

Anger was not an emotion you pride yourself on, you worked hard to keep it buried deep within your chest. The gravel crunches softly beneath your boots as you make your way in, reflecting on the irony. Had you not scolded the young rockstar for holding his anger deep down? What was it he had said- he kept it there in a glass bottle. At the ready, like a molotov cocktail. You understood now.

Once you are inside the academy, security is sparse. This building was built to keep threats out- it was not prepared for one to walk so easily through the front door, wearing their banner, carrying fleet flight codes. It's early, just past sunset, and the headmistress’s office door is guarded only by her secretary, boredly sorting papers. Abidel nearly spits up their coffee when you enter. 

“Her Beloved Annihilation” They cough, attempting a salute and frantically trying to clean their messy desk, electing instead to just stand in front of it instead. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Just visiting. Making my rounds,” You respond with a faux smile. Trying to appear unthreatening. It was near impossible to appear such with the anger that boiled inside you. The lime reminded you, momentarily, of Jodiah. Abidel was not the source of your displeasure, you had no reason to treat them with any hostility. 

Their eyes catch your guarded, iron gaze, and trace your arm down to your weapon. Though you tried to appear at ease, you gripped the hilt of your strife tightly.  

“Right,” The limeblood squeaks. They do not dial up the button to alert Nandor when they buzz you in the door. 

“Thank you, little one.” You pat their desk lightly in appreciation, taking a silent note of the various knick-knacks, “While I have you here- I believe an old friend of mine studied here a long time ago. Would you mind fetching me his files from the archives? Hantos Charon would be the name.” 

“Oh. Um, yes…sir.” The lime is frozen for a second, as if uncertain of your request. You wait with the same forced smile until they gain their senses and leave quickly. You might’ve felt guilty sending them on a wild goose chase for records that didn’t exist if it wasn’t done in their best interest. You quietly straighten out one of the little knick-knacks that had gotten knocked over in their haste to clean. 

You take a deep breath and exhale out slowly. You hoist your hammer against your shoulder, steel your jaw, and head into the Headmistress’ office.

[edenfenixblogs]

I think that the user who made this post is lacking reading comprehension as to me it looks like Netanyahu is just saying that he wants security controls in place which if we go by the Wikipedia article for security controls, is just tighter security. The article in that post also doesn't include his full statement which adds context.

This article has his whole statement

what are your thoughts on this?

Idk what article or post you’re talking about.

I don’t like or trust Netanyahu. I do not believe anything he says. He’s Israel’s version of Trump. Idk what exactly he wants more control of but based solely on this post it seems like he’s offering to end the war by placing more security and checkpoints around Palestine.

My thoughts on that are that people not dying is better than people dying. But that’s too low a bar. Palestinians deserve better than just “not being under siege.” The steps must be in the direction of increasing freedom, not limiting it further.

This is what I’ve been talking about for months while people have been busy trying to compare me to a Nazi for saying I don’t want Jews to die or be expelled.

The only proper way to behave right now is to actively discuss what a future where both Israelis and Palestinians live together in peace should look like and then taking steps to ensure that future.

If we don’t do that, then Netanyahu will get his wish: tighter controls around Palestine, increased tension between Palestine and Israel, a guarantee that enough discontented Palestinians will look to organizations like Hamas for a solution to their oppression only to end up endangered between a terrorist organization and a hostile Likud-run government that stays in power by casting them as inherently vicious villains.

So, idk man. I can’t know for certain that I have any of this right. I’m just going off context clues cuz I refuse to look it up. Why do I refuse to look it up? Because I’d give myself an 85% chance of being right about what Netanyahu is proposing. Because he’s predictable and a bad person and a bad leader whose only goal is to weaponize both Jewish and Palestinian trauma to retain his own power.

This, even more than the personal attacks from antisemites, is what has bothered me most about western leftist “support” for Palestine during this most recent flair of the conflict. By focusing on attacking Jews around the world and stanning terrorist organizations and ignoring Jewish people and Israelis and even Muslims and Palestinians and Arabs who are and have been actively engaged in working towards peace and against Netanyahu for literal decades they have all but ensured that the most reasonable and informed voices have been effectively silenced. And you know who’s gonna fill that power vacuum? Netanyahu. Cuz it’s what he does.

And then the next time this happens, because it will, we will have to all live through this (or fault to live through it) again.

So, do I get a gold star friends? If I’m wrong I’ll delete this post. But man just the idea of Netanyahu proposing tighter security makes my blood boil. He knows what he’s doing. And it’s bad.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope I’ve misinterpreted something. And I will look it up further. But before I do, I genuinely want to know: is that asshole really that predictable? Did the entire western left literally just fall for his whole schtick and end up helping him to concentrate even more power? Did it work because it relied upon people hating Jews more than they trust Jews or love Palestinians? Cuz it feels like that’s what’s happening.

In the meantime, A Land for All is a solution worth actually discussing. Let’s all work toward that or another equally mutually beneficial solution to this conflict instead of helping Hamas gain adherents and helping Likud retain power:

https://www.alandforall.org/english/?d=ltr

[daffodilsineden]

ranting about bsds plot + art of AI fyodor au.

i hope i eat my own words, but i genuinely hate asagiri's writing at the moment, flame me if you will but hear me out first. manga spoilers ahead.

Bungo Stray Dogs plot has been the bane of my existence since Dazai's 'death.'

I'm not exactly sure what Asagiri intends to do with the series, but in all honesty it seems to be falling into the same genre as jjk went into when every character with potential was made into fodder.

Asagiri is good at writing characters, but a comprehensive plotline? Not so much. In a series, the storylines are supposed to be fairly cohesive, not predictable COHESIVE. But as it stands now I genuinely can't understand where the series is even going. Hopefully I'll eat my own words, Asagiri will pull the rug from under me and the series will turn out better than ever.

The plotfall, in my opinion, would be the character death-baiting in bsd. Either fake deaths with choppy 'plot twists' (if you can even call it that.) or actual deaths where the character dying doesn't serve to further the story - but rather it just happens for shock factor. But those characters who are still alive, a majority, are only alive because Asagiri back benched them over a yonder ago. An example being the entirety of europe - untapped potential as the canonical 'powerhouse of abilities in the world', and the same supposed continent that could stop the vampire outbreak.

But the biggest fumble? Fyodor being alive.

We didn't need his backstory, we didn't need him to make a return, we don't NEED to understand him. Fyodor's character stems from being mysterious, unable to predict.

I'm a hypocrite here because in my AU - Fyodor is 'alive', as much as he can be. But we still know nothing, the straws that we were grasping at turn out to be leading to nothing bigger.

Because in my AU, Fyodor is AI. The character in meursault is not Fyodor, rather his façade - stunt double almost. The real fyodor doesn't even have a physical body. It isn't out of the question that a conscious AI could exist in the bsd verse, considering the fact that androids and man-made abilities can be made.

Why is he AI? I thought it was neat, first, but there are several points that Asagiri could've actually used. First of all it'd fit the natural trope of "artificial intelligence character who hates humans and ought to rid the world of sin," - but further to that fyodor is canonically good at hacking. being able to crash the Moby Dick with access to only one control panel somehow? Not to mention the amount of computer motifs he has through the series, and how game of chess with Dazai - he predicts Dazai so easily because with every move Dazai makes, Fyodor recalibrates himself. As for the person who bested Fyodor in the past, it could've been his creator. And with europole being able to make androids, I think it would be cool as hell if fyodor made his next target europe. expand the series past Japan and those visiting, his next stop is to steal documents on how to build his own body. and then, make his own ability, with the research conducted in stormbringer. (Which, if you don't remember, abilities are tied to souls - meaning his eventual attempt to make himself a ridiculously strong ability would end in failure.) Shirase and Adam make a comeback. Adam the android detective who fyodor wants to become similar to, and Shirase who after the events of stormbringer, fled to London to sell illegal jewels. you know what else shirase has? memories of what happened in the ability lab back in stormbringer. you know what fyodor wants? information on how to make his future robotic body an ability. (and if you don't remember, abilities are tied to souls - so his eventual attempt will likely result in failure) Shirase, obviously being weaker than both Adam and chuya who were witnesses to the same thing, becomes the main target to fyodor.

As for everyone else, the ada and likewise, who believe that fyodor is 'rightfully dead', will be shocked to hear that activity not unsimilar to how fyodor operates has sparked once more in europe. i think it'd be cool for the series to spin back into what it once was, a detective manga with minimal action - and further I hope it would expand past the confines of just Japan.

Anyway, to finish off my little rant I'd like to show my Fyodor AI concept art! Not the best I could draw, but I have no experience with mecha style concepts and I went into this with one reference and a dream 😭

expect tons of extentions to my AI fyodor au in the future, particularly surrounding Agatha's alliance with fyodor and the order of the clock tower in general, cya!

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2022-10-03

Several parts for a project got lost in the mail and if I don't blow up a motor doing something ill-advised with transistors soon I'm going to become the Joker.

Listening: I went to see the Ndlovu Youth Choir, a youth music group out of Limpopo who became extremely well known after they got on America's Got Talent a few years ago. Great style, they do a wide array of different styles and songs over a pretty wide time period, here's two songs:

Reading: Mostly scraps of SCP stuff, but a bad week for reading

Watching: Finished Arcane. God damn. Yes I know it's been like a year since that came out shut up.

It's so good. The animation is beautiful, it's so carefully considered, there's so few shortcuts taken. There's a scene where Jayce throws up on the bridge and it's a really close shot that sells the physicality of vomiting so well, it's messy and unpleasant. Another studio might have cut to a really long silhouette shot for that kind of thing. The Ekko/Jinx fight might be one of the best fights in the show. Even basic conversations have thoughtful blocking and framing, very little simple shot/reverse, there's always a focus on body parts and movements.

It's very predictable, which is probably because it's very character driven and the characters don't change much, you could write a comprehensive study of most characters on a post-it. There's a few major pivotal moments and twists for a few characters which are huge, but for the most part you can just run what you know about them forward to predict what happens next. Even having no knowledge of LoL you can guess that the Firelighters are led by Ekko in like zero seconds.

Jinx and Jayce are the main sources of unpredictability but that's because she's Da Joker Baby and paranoid and has psychosis, and he's a very smart boy who doesn't know what he's doing so the moment someone suggests any kind of solution to him he immediately does it without thinking.

Every single characters' design slaps. They did not make the mistake of trying to be sensible. Why is the cop uniform kind of demure but hot in a sexy maid kind of way? How does Jinx maintain twin braids longer than she is while also being on fire some of the time? How does Ekko fight with all that stuff on? These are not questions to ask. The question to ask is how fucking cool does this look and the answer is very.

The levels of tragedy are off the charts. Every second episode there's an opportunity for things to be resolved and for peace to succeed and everyone to talk and it doesn't happen ever.

Viktor and Jayce should have fucked at some point if only to make the breakup even worse.

Playing: Brought my desktop's storage back online so I have somewhere to put games again, but I haven't actually done much with it. Fortunately since I moved to Arch again my Proton is more stable, I got Ace Combat working under Linux.

Making: weekend making time was lost to a number of minor emergencies, but I did have to pop a door off its hinges because the lock completely failed which was fun. Unfortunately it was the door to the toolshed so I had to scrabble together the tools to do said pin popping from whatever tools I keep in my desk.

Tools and Equipment: Treating a minor injury in the family so here's a reminder to check your first aid kits, I had to run out and grab a bunch of non-absorbing gauze because we were all out.

I'm currently in the process of stocking a more severe trauma care kit for the family because my dad is on anti-clotting and blood thinning medication for a while which makes all his wounds one level of severity worse, so also learn how to use Chest Seals and Tourniquets, there's good online resources but you can probably also find a Stop The Bleed training course near you, it's a big international programme.

[tech-insides]

How does Einstein Copilot Analytics support data exploration?

Imagine you’re at a family dinner, and someone asks you how your day was. You probably don’t pull out a spreadsheet and start listing all the tasks you completed, right? You give them the highlights, the interesting stuff, the “Oh, you won’t believe what happened!” moments. That’s kind of what Einstein Copilot Analytics does for data exploration—it helps you get to the good stuff without wading through all the boring bits.

Einstein Copilot Analytics is like having a super smart buddy who knows everything about your data and can give you the insights you need without you having to dig for them. Think of it as the Google Maps of your data world. You tell it where you want to go or what you want to find out, and it gets you there quickly and efficiently.

Let’s break it down with a few key points:

1. Instant Insights

Remember the last time you wanted to find a great place to eat and your friend just knew the perfect spot without you spending hours on Yelp? That’s Einstein Copilot Analytics. It uses AI to give you instant insights from your data. No more spending hours crunching numbers or creating charts. Just ask it a question, and bam, there’s your answer. Easy peasy!

2. Natural Language Queries

Ever wish you could just talk to your data? Like, “Hey, how did our sales do last quarter?” With Einstein Copilot, you can. It understands plain English, so you don’t have to learn any complicated coding or formulas. Just type in your question like you’re chatting with a friend, and it’ll pull up the info you need. It’s like having a conversation with your data—super friendly and straightforward.

3. Visual and Interactive Dashboards

Think of this as the Instagram of data analysis. You know how a picture can tell a thousand words? Einstein Copilot creates visual and interactive dashboards that make your data look like a masterpiece. You can see trends, patterns, and anomalies at a glance. It’s like turning your raw data into a beautiful story that anyone can understand, even if they’re not a data geek.

4. Predictive Analytics

Okay, here’s where it gets really cool—like predicting the plot twist in your favorite TV show. Einstein Copilot doesn’t just tell you what’s happening now; it can predict what might happen in the future. It’s like having a crystal ball for your business. You can make better decisions because you’re not just reacting to what’s already happened, but planning for what’s coming next.

5. Collaboration and Sharing

We all know teamwork makes the dream work, right? Einstein Copilot makes it super easy to share your findings with your team. You can collaborate in real-time, share insights, and make decisions together, even if you’re miles apart. It’s like having a virtual huddle with your colleagues anytime you need it.

6. Customization

Lastly, just like you customize your phone or your social media profiles, Einstein Copilot Analytics can be tailored to fit your specific needs. Whether you’re in marketing, sales, finance, or any other field, you can set it up to track the metrics that matter most to you. It’s your personal data assistant, customized to help you shine in your role.

So, there you have it—Einstein Copilot Analytics is like that super knowledgeable friend who’s always there to help you navigate through your data jungle, making everything clear, simple, and actionable. Whether you’re making big business decisions or just trying to figure out what’s going on with your latest project, this tool has got your back. If you’re interested in becoming a data scientist or want to stay ahead in this evolving field, there are excellent resources out there to help you. One such resource is Interview Kickstart. They specialize in preparing students for careers in data science and helping them ace their interviews at top tech companies. You can check them out here. They offer comprehensive courses and training programs that can give you the edge you need to succeed in this competitive field.

[kumonindiasrilanka]

Tips to Instill a love for reading in your child

Remember the first time you got lost in a captivating story? The thrill of adventure, the warmth of connection with characters, the joy of learning something new - reading offers a unique passport to a world of wonder. But how do you cultivate this love of reading in your child? Here are some tips to ignite their literary spark:

1. Make it a Family Affair: Surround your child with books. Create a cozy reading nook with comfortable cushions and a bookshelf filled with age-appropriate stories. Dedicate a time each day for family reading, taking turns reading aloud or snuggling together with a picture book.

2. Let Them Choose (Most of the Time): Encourage your child to explore different genres and topics that pique their curiosity. Visit libraries together, letting them browse the shelves and pick out books that catch their eye. While you might gently guide them sometimes, fostering a sense of ownership over their reading choices is key.

3. Make it Interactive and Fun: Reading shouldn't feel like a chore. Use silly voices for different characters, act out scenes, or pause for discussions about the plot. You can even turn reading into a game by asking questions about the pictures, predicting what might happen next, or creating your own endings.

4. Lead by Example: Let your child see you reading for pleasure. Whether it's a newspaper, a magazine, or a captivating novel, seeing you enjoy reading sends a powerful message about its value.

5. Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge their reading achievements, no matter how small. Celebrate finishing a chapter book, mastering new words, or reading independently for the first time.

6. Connect Reading to Real Life: Help your child see how reading connects to their everyday world. Point out letters on signs, read recipes while cooking together, or visit places mentioned in their favorite books.

At Kumon, we understand the importance of fostering a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom. While our reading program emphasizes comprehension and fluency, we believe in fostering an intrinsic enjoyment of stories. By incorporating these tips and celebrating your child's reading journey, you can help them become lifelong learners and unlock a world of knowledge and imagination.

[electricbluebutterflies]

A softly exhaled, “I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.” for jessica and leto!

Early-era, PG-ish, also on ao3.

She’s hypnotic, really.

He knows there are probably maneuverings beyond his comprehension, knows he ought to question every moment of this entanglement, knows he shouldn’t want or trust her, but… it’s hard to make appropriate choices with that woman, and whatever she’s doing to him is working. Perhaps this just makes him a willing victim, but-

There are worse fates, he decides, and he will accept this one wherever it leads.

Trying to figure her out is a delightfully unnecessary project, if nothing else a reliable distraction. Controllable and entirely self-directed, and in this he tests the limits of What She Might Be Up To, indefinite as that may be. There’s something darkly fascinating about her slight discomfort, like she can’t predict whatever happens next and she wasn’t prepared for this challenge, like-

There is no harmful intent – let this give him mercy, if he is judging the entire situation wrong. At worst a refusal to accept how she presents herself, a refusal to believe she is actually so cold and emotionally dead and-

At least she acts like a person with his hands on her. At least they’ve gotten that far.

On paper, this is the deepest kind of damage control – give him something acceptable to lie with to keep him out of trouble, as if he couldn’t be trusted to make appropriate choices otherwise. And it has worked all too well, no one else since her, not so much as a thought, not-

Whatever she’s done to him, he thinks, he doesn’t mind. Not when he gets such beauty in return.

She’s stunning, in a way he suspects will not come to fullness for another decade or so; give them that, he prays, give them time, give them-

“You could look at me.”

This too is progress, not demanding but not desperate to please either. Vain and proud had been a common snap judgment when she came here a year and a half ago; she is neither of those in their private spaces now, this knife-sharp young woman who can only hide her vulnerability under so many layers and-

Oh, where to look, he thinks. Down to her base layer, she’s at least shed her armor; her body language is unusually open, like she might genuinely want this, want him, want-

Leto has accepted how much of his life is going to involve unanswered questions, but there will probably always be a worry with her, an uncertainty of what is real and what is just accepted obligation. She’s gotten more stubborn in the past few months, a development he suspects he’s not supposed to enjoy as much as he does, but she seems perfectly alright with desire right now and he still can’t-

“You’re overwhelming,” he murmurs after a few moments, not quite touching her, not sure what to do next. Where this evening ends, yes, but not how they get there, not-

“Is that a problem?”

No. Never. Nothing she does could ever be.

If this is what love feels like, and he does not yet know whether that is quite an appropriate word, it is somehow so much more than he’d once thought possible. To want someone so much, body and mind, every way possible, not to consume just to adore…

“Not at all,” he murmurs, taking a soft slow kiss because he can, because they have time and something about her demands that caution. “You are not…”

“Don’t say what you don’t know.”

He has every reason to suspect that category of information grows larger by the day, but he worries less about it – to the extent she has brought out new traits in him, she has also gentled them. Made him care about her and made him perfectly aware that she doesn’t completely need his protection, made him-

She’s done something to him; his acceptance of fate only goes so far. But not, he thinks, whatever she may have been told to do right before she was given opportunity.

He distracts himself with the minimal softness of her, kisses that feel as real as anything they’ve ever done and her cold hands on his skin and the clear understanding of intentions, of time, of-

“I don’t think I can ever get enough of you,” he breathes, like it’s the only important thing in the world and maybe it is. In all probability she was created to undo him, decisions made for her in parallel with the twists of his life, and-

“Is that meant to be a good thing?”

Right, he’d forgotten she doesn’t flirt. Or do anything else subtle, for that matter. Or take compliments well, and that’s just slightly concerning, and-

“It is,” he says after a few moments, shifting to hold her. “Completely.”

This is how he knows most of this is real. She looks up at him with unusually soft eyes, and he doesn’t think she can cry but she at least  looks close, and-

“Then take,” she breathes.

Who is he to ever say no?

[autolifenz]

Protecting Your Vehicle With Mechanical Breakdown Insurance

Car mechanics can be intimidating and expensive. And even if you're not car savvy, you know that it's better to pay for a repair when something goes wrong than to let it sit in your garage waiting for the next "big" problem to arise. But with a mechanical breakdown cover from Skiddle, you'll never have to worry about being stranded by the roadside again.

Avoid the fear of being stranded by the roadside

Autolife Mechanical breakdown insurance nz is a form of car insurance that covers mechanical failures and breakdowns. It can be purchased separately or as part of a comprehensive policy.

Mechanical breakdown insurance provides you with peace of mind by guaranteeing that if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, it will be repaired at no extra cost to you. If your vehicle becomes unusable due to mechanical failure (or if someone else damages it), then this type of cover will reimburse some or all costs associated with getting another vehicle until yours is repaired again.

There's no way to predict when something might go wrong with your vehicle--but there are ways to protect yourself from being stranded by the roadside!

Don't overpay for your vehicle repair costs

It is important to understand what your policy covers. A good policy will cover the cost of your vehicle repair, but it is important to understand what your policy does not cover.

If you have a mechanical breakdown insurance plan, it is unlikely that the plan will cover damage caused by accidents or theft. If an accident has occurred and you do not have personal injury protection (PIP), then this type of coverage may be helpful for you as well as any passengers involved in the crash. It is also possible for an insurer offering PIP coverage to exclude certain types of claims from its policies such as those related specifically toward vehicle repairs or replacement costs incurred due directly related towards accidents involving other vehicles on public roads where none were involved directly with yours at any given time prior before or after they occurred during regular operation conditions while driving normally under normal weather conditions--this means no icy roads here!

A mechanical breakdown cover policy will give you peace of mind

Mechanical breakdown insurance is a must for any vehicle owner. It gives you peace of mind when traveling in your vehicle and it covers you against mechanical failure, costs of recovery, and towing.

Mechanical breakdown cover can be added as an extension to your car insurance policy or as a standalone product that has been designed specifically for cars, vans, and trucks.

Mechanical breakdown insurance will cover you for all costs associated with mechanical failure. This includes repairs, replacement parts, and labor costs. You can also opt for a policy that will cover your vehicle against damage caused by external factors such as fire and theft.

Mechanical breakdown insurance nz can also cover you against the cost of recovery and towing. You may have an accident or breakdown away from home and if this happens, your car will need to be towed back to your house. This can incur a lot of costs so it is important that you are covered for this eventuality should it occur.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found this article informative and helpful. If you have any further questions about mechanical breakdown insurance, please don't hesitate to contact us so that we can help!

Source Link: https://autolifenz.blogspot.com/2023/04/protecting-your-vehicle-with-mechanical.html

[techdata1]

Prospects of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Is it the right decision to do a Machine Learning course in Mumbai? Is this field has excellent prospects? If all these questions surround you, then this article is for you.

Today technology has picked up its own pace than it had in the nineties. And the reason behind this is the emergence of both Machine Learning (MI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The growing demand for these two technologies are compelling employees to upgrade their skills in similar areas. It is believed that AI and ML will change the way we shop, travel, communicate, do our daily chores, and business. As per a report, 31% of executives believe that AI and ML professionals will be scarce in the next five years. AI professionals who know Machine Learning are in high demand. There are start-ups and big companies who are looking for proficient ML guys who can give a new shape to their business.

So, if you are looking for building a career in AI, then do a machine learning course in Pune or Mumbai as it is a crucial aspect of AI.

What is Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence?

If you are recently introduced to Artificial Intelligence, then you may not know its exact meaning. Artificial intelligence is all about integrating human capabilities in the machine to perform like a human. It is software that can mimic human learning to perform jobs better and fast. You can call Machine Learning as a subset of AI. So while defining AI, we are actually talking about ML, as it is the process through which AI learns.

Machine Learning programs the computers to perform tasks for which they are not programmed, and all such things happen through algorithms. Machine Learning is a process of augmenting human capabilities.

A report from Accenture predicts that AI has the capability of adding $957 billion to the Indian economy by bringing a change in the working style of businesses. As per a report published by 'Rewire for Growth,' India's annual growth of Gross Value Added (GVA) will see a boost of 1.3% by 2035. All such data is not only limited to AI. As per Markets and Markets, the machine learning growth will touch USD 8.81 billion till 2021.

All the above data are enough to ensure ML and AI's bright prospects in the coming years.

Machine Learning: Job Opportunities

Now, this paragraph is for those who want to learn something new and want to become a part of a thriving technology.

Machine Learning Engineer: The job role of an ML engineer is to design and implement machine learning algorithms.

Data Scientists: A data scientist understands and interprets a huge amount of data through ML and forms future strategies based on the analysis.

Data Analyst: The job role of a data analyst is to gather information about a particular topic, analyze and interpret it, and finally present it in a comprehensive report.

Data Architect: A data architect develops, test, and maintain the whole data through ML algorithms.

How to take entry in AI and ML

If you are new to this field, then do an artificial intelligence course in Pune. Besides that, you should have excellent computer skills and algorithms. And most importantly, ensure that your training institute provides you practical knowledge with hands-on experience, as this is what required by most companies.

If you are a programmer and want to learn AI, you can directly start coding and use algorithms.

If you are a data analyst, gain some programming skills. To enter into machine learning, you should be proficient in data preparation and communication skills. Also, you should have excellent business knowledge of visualization. Many team members are required to perform certain AI work. Thus each team member requires specialization in a particular field. If you are a data scientist, figure out what you will love to do and start focusing on that in your machine learning career.

Future of AI and ML

With the innovation happening in the current era, we even can't imagine the miracle which will happen in the near future because of AI. But as we already know that there is a shortage of professionals trained in AI and ML. Hence it's a golden opportunity for professionals to join an artificial intelligence course in Mumbai to get them self trained in this thriving technology.

With the increasing demand for AI and ML professionals, organizations are looking for resources with hand-on experience in this emerging technology. So, its the time to get certified. The sooner you will be trained, the sooner you will start working in reputed companies who have already started looking for AI professionals and have implemented this technology in their business.

So, start learning AI and ML, as these technologies are the future and can allow you to earn a handsome salary.

[caughtmecrying]

                   Reading Aloud with Young Children  - www.bonnielieberman.com               -Bonnie Lieberman- author of "The Radiant Rainbow Cap”

           “Seriously Silly” & Will Allie B. Able To Make New Friends”

                                            (All available on Amazon)

 “Read to me books” build language skills: increase vocabulary, enrich social language skills, both expressive, (speaking) and receptive (understanding).

By reading daily with your child, you can encourage literacy skills like predicting, retelling, sequencing and summarizing that they will need when they begin to read. Before you read the book to the child, here are just a few suggestions:

 Previewing: This means letting your child gather clues — from the book's title and cover illustrations and doing a picture walk of the inside illustrations, to try to figure out what might happen or what they might learn from this book they are going to hear.

Introducing concepts of Print : Understanding that print carries meaning. Demonstrating that - we read from left to right, when the reader slides a finger under the words in the title, displays and names the front and back cover, the author and illustrator and more.

  Arousing curiosity,: During the picture walk, talk about what you notice and what you are wondering about. As an example, if a girl is sitting by a window wearing a huge smile, you might ask, “Why might she be smiling? (Maybe she sees a favorite friend, family member, the ice cream truck or sunny skies).

For every question you ask, add, “Why do you think so? Let’s read to find out.” (You are actually teaching previewing and predicting which help with comprehension and engagement). Read with expression to keep your audience wanting more!       

use that word in a sentence, and encourage your child to use it too, always keeping it fun. Use the word often. Trust me, he or she will be using it when talking with friends! Here are a few helpful ideas the adult can do to build vocabulary- During the activity, talk about unfamiliar words. You don’t want to interrupt the story, so just define it. Perhaps, after finishing the story, you might Illustrations are

Illustrations are Important

to help predict what may happen next in the story.

to show how a character is feeling.

You may add to the learning experience by doing any of the following:

Reading together can encourage critical thinking, so ask questions beginning with each of the five “W”s.

 Have a conversation: Ask questions like, “How do you think ____________ felt when_______?” “What is the problem______ is having?”

                                Always ask why!

“What would you do if you were in the same situation as the character?”

“Which character are you like to have as a friend?”

“Do you know anyone like any of the characters?”

Finally, make lots of eye contact, and give lots of specific praise, (You used good thinking skills to figure out what __________ character might do next!). Make reading aloud a daily way of bonding together. www.bonnielieberman.com

#picture books #parents and grandparents# #children 5-8 #quirky characters #Embracing diversity #Happy Endings #Educational resources #Purchase Amazon #Bonnie Lieberman books #Gifts for kids #Social skills #educational resources

[itwoodbeprefect]

Inge! sorry I'm a little late to the party, but do you still take prompts? if yes, I'd like to request a friendship piece for either Rodney&Teyla or Rodney&Ronon (w/ or w/out a dash of McShep is good for me) pretty please? thanks! <3

Not that late at all, and what a lovely warm prompt! Thank you. :D

I went with Rodney & Ronon, but also kind of Rodney & Teyla and maybe Ronon & Teyla, and also John is around, and it’s almost teamfic? Also, Jeannie.

---

The door to John’s quarters slides open exactly like his own would, which he expects, but he stops cold after two hasty steps into the room anyway. He turns back to the door to check, and in the process has to look past the Johnny Cash poster above the bed and the surfboard leaning against the wall and the giant brick of a Tolstoy book on the nightstand, so yeah, he decides in the end, without stepping out to doublecheck - these are John’s quarters. There’s not a single thing out of place, except, well, the obvious.

“McKay,” Ronon grumbles. It sounds like a greeting. Like Ronon, sitting fully clothed on the edge of John’s made bed, is saying hi.

“What are you doing here?” Rodney asks, by way of saying hi back.

“Meeting Sheppard.” Ronon grins, in a way that looks a little dangerous. That’s a good sign with Ronon, who has no problem looking a lot dangerous, if he wants. “Unless you want to spar with me.”

Rodney does not. Rodney thinks that’s a little too predictable for him to say out loud; quite honestly, he thinks John is crazy for endangering his life that way voluntarily every week.

Rodney looks back at the door again, which has slid closed, and in front of which the person he’s been looking for has not suddenly materialized in the last ten seconds. “Where is John?”

“Not here.”

Rodney’s nerves make him skip the snappy comeback. “Any idea where he might be?”

“Why?” Ronon asks.

Which is more than enough to make Rodney spill his guts. He was barely holding it in, anyway. “I think Jeannie’s mad at me, and I’m not sure why.” He frowns and starts to pace back and forth and rub his hands together. He’s a multitasker. “I don’t think I did or said anything rude lately, but her emails are shorter than usual, and she didn’t even sign the last one. It’s really not like me to overthink these kinds of things, because I don’t care what people think of me anyway-” That’s a lie, he’s come to realize in recent years, but it’s a comforting one to repeat out loud, sometimes. “But, you know, I think I was the bad guy for not contacting Jeannie all those years and we’ve only just started being brother and sister again, so I’ve been trying to put in the effort, and now I think she’s mad at me.” He stops marching and gives the too long, didn’t read version. “So I need someone to tell me what I did wrong, so I can fix it.”

Ronon levels a look at him. “And you need John for this.”

The look says more than the words, and it has a point, of course. John’s not known for his exceptional social grace and skill. Rodney wags his head a little, considering how to justify his choice. John is his best friend, but he’d feel a little pathetic saying that to Ronon, who he’s pretty sure is also John’s best friend. “He had some surprisingly clever insights about my relationship with Jeannie last time she was here,” is what Rodney lands on, reluctantly. He spots John’s golf stuff in the corner, and wistfully thinks back to being able to just ramble at John without Ronon sitting there, judging him.

Ronon leans back, planting his hands behind him on the mattress. “I could help,” he offers, out of the blue.

Some deep, deep blue. Blue enough to make Rodney stare, hands stilling mid-wring. “You?” Rodney’s not trying to be offensively puzzled, but he thinks he’s allowed a little surprise. If John is dubious in his social grace, Ronon is a tripping hazard. “You could help?”

Ronon stares back like a challenge. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Rodney says. He waits and looks at Ronon expectantly, but nothing happens. Ronon just looks back at him mutely. “Please?”

“What would Teyla do?”

“Huh?” She’s not here, either - if Ronon’s help is just sending him to chase someone else around the city, that’s not very helpful at all.

“Ask yourself,” Ronon says. “What would Teyla do? And then do that thing.”

Rodney is right back to baffled. He’s not sure he ever left - he’s talking to Ronon Dex about feelings. “Is that how you handle a problem?”

“No.” Ronon leaves a pause there. Rodney finds himself unexpectedly distracted by the question if Ronon talks so little because he really just doesn’t have much to say, or because finding words takes effort. “I glare at it until it goes away.”

Rodney huffs a laugh out of pure surprise, because that almost sounds like a joke. It may not have been, but either way Ronon doesn’t glare at him, which Rodney takes as a sign that he hasn’t just become a problem.

“And if that doesn’t work-” Ronon continues, which Rodney feels is surprisingly talkative of him, until he lets that sentence hang unfinished.

But Rodney can do that, now. Finish Ronon’s sentence. “What would Teyla do?”

Ronon nods. He looks a little smug, like there’s a dead Wraith around here somewhere. “Yeah.”

“Oh,” Rodney says, both because he would have guessed that Ronon’s backup plan would involve a lot more knives (though it could, potentially, still involve knives sometimes - Teyla’s very good with those) and because that’s actually good advice. If there’s one person who would know how to get someone to tell them what’s wrong, it’s Teyla.

And if Teyla thought somebody she loved might be mad at her, but she wasn’t sure why, she would... ask. She wouldn’t go into a tailspin and try to guess at the answer while assuming it had to be her fault, she would ask why and listen and then talk it out.

“Oh my God,” Rodney says, feeling like a whole new world just opened up to him. “Words.”

Ronon pulls a face. It looks a little like a sympathy wince.

Rodney flings a hand out at him. “Thank you!”

“Thank Teyla,” Ronon says, which Rodney thinks is a little weirdly modest for the galaxy’s greatest Runner who just counseled him through a family emergency, but they can work on Ronon’s ability to accept gratitude later, over lunch or something.

For now, Rodney sweeps out of the room, because he needs his computer so he can type so he can get Jeannie to tell him what’s bothering her so he can be a good brother, and apologize only once he knows what he’s apologizing for. God, Teyla’s smart.

As luck would have it, John is just stepping out of the transporter when Rodney storms towards it. “Hey,” he says, slowing to a stop when Rodney doesn’t. “What are you doing here?”

“Asking you for help.” Rodney brushes right past him with a pat to his arm; no time.

“You’re going the wrong way,” John calls after him.

“I’m fine! Ronon helped me by making Teyla help me help myself with Jeannie.”

“What?”

The last thing Rodney sees before he steps into the transporter is John’s bewildered face. It’s clear John is left with some questions, but Rodney doesn’t need to hang around for that. Ronon can take over; that’s what Teyla would do.

Or, Rodney thinks, what a friend would do.

(Turns out, in the end, that Jeannie was never even mad at him to begin with - her next email is much longer, and details all the mundane little circumstances that piled up and left her very stressed last month but that she didn’t think Rodney had wanted to hear about (it involves a flu and lice and a car that wouldn’t start and visiting in-laws and school play preparations and a lost teddy bear and half a dozen other little things Rodney is glad he doesn’t have to deal with in Pegasus), and then she calls him very attentive for picking up on her mood and sweet for thinking to ask if everything is okay.

The next day Rodney bribes one of the botanists to cut a bouquet for him and gives it to Teyla, and he hoards one of the last pieces of pie at dinner until Ronon shows up. “What’s happening?” John asks, suspicious. Maybe Ronon’s explanation wasn’t all that comprehensive after all.

“Emotional intelligence,” Ronon says around a full mouth, spewing little pieces of pie across the table, and Rodney nods solemnly.

That’s not what Teyla would do, because she’s smiling at them both, but close enough.)

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Laito Maniac [Epilogue]

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall in Eden

Yui: ( So this is Eden, the place where Karlheinz-san lives... )

Laito: Nfu~ He doesn’t seem to be around. ...Well, I expected as much.

Seems like we have no other choice but to wait. Good grief.

Yui: Shouldn’t you look for him?

Laito: I can’t. No, to be more precise, it would be a waste of time and energy...I guess?

Yui: ...? What do you mean?

Laito: Hmー ...How should I put this? ...It’s a bit difficult to explain. ..Well, I suppose you’ll find out eventually.

I wasn’t expecting to meet him right away after showing myself here out of the blue either.

That man knows everything. I’m sure he’s aware as to why I’m here as well.

Yui: Eh...!? 

Laito: I guess you could compare him to God. Not only does he foresee everything, he never shows himself.

Because he knows that time is not ripe yet.

Yui: W-What do you mean...?

Laito: He can predict the future. However, while he can foresee what can happen, he can’t change it.

Picture yourself in front of a river, for example...There’s a large obstacle somewhere far up ahead...

He can see the entire river, so he’s already aware of the obstacle.

However, he can’t stop the flow of the water, nor would he attempt to stop it himself.

ーー I guess putting it like that makes it a little easier to understand...? Nfu~

Yui: Yeah, I feel like I can vaguely understand what you’re trying to say.

( He knows that Laito-kun has come and why he is here. )

( However, he hasn’t shown himself because it isn’t the right time for them to meet yet, right? )

( ...I wonder what kind of person he is to be capable of such a thing? )

Laito: That’s the current situation, so let’s take it easy here for a while, okay?

He should show himself when it is time.

Yui: Yeah...

( ...Somehow that’s a little anticlimactic after stressing myself out the whole way here. )

( Besides, it feels weird to relax here. )

( Laito-kun’s here to kill the owner of this castle after all... )

( To a measly human such as myself...The way things are handled over here in the Demon World are on a completely different level, far beyond my comprehension. )

Laito: Say, Bitch-chan? Let me show you something nice.

Yui: Something nice...?

Laito: You’ll find out once you follow me. Nfu~

*Rustle rustle*

Laito: Come on, this way.

Yui: Yeah.

ー The scene shifts to the flower fields

Yui: Wah...How beautiful...!

Laito: Right?

Yui: ...What are these flowers called?

Laito: Hmー Their name, huh? I’ve never even thought of that.

Yui: I see...

( I’ve never seen these kinds of flowers before... )

( The petals become multi-colored when hit by the light, so they’re very pretty... )

Are these flowers exclusive to this garden, perhaps?

Laito: Exactly. They don’t bloom anywhere but in these flower fields at Eden.

Yui: I see...

Laito: ーー These flowers, you see. They’re immortal.

Yui: Eh?

Laito: Nfu~ Just like us. As long as no supernatural powers are involved, they won’t ever wither.

Yui: They never...wither? Such flowers exist...?

Laito: I mean, there’s creatures like us which are immortal...

So it isn’t all that strange there’s similar plants as well.

Yui: I see. Good point...

Laito: If only...the same could be said about humans.

Yui: ...Laito-kun...

Laito: I wouldn’t have to be plagued by any weird thoughts if you could be like these flowers, right?

Yui: Um...This might be a strange question to ask, but can I not become a Vampire then?

Laito: ーー It didn’t work.

Yui: Eh?

Laito: I started considering making you one of us a long time ago.

For some reason, I couldn’t. Under normal circumstances...A human would slowly transform into a Vampire by having their blood sucked repeatedly.

We call this ‘the awakening’...

But for some reason, you never awakened. I don’t know whether your heart’s the blame for that, or if it’s something entirely different...

Yui: I see...

( My heart was taken from Cordelia and put inside me... )

( In that case, it honestly wouldn’t be all that strange for me to become a Vampire, so I wonder if there’s some other reason behind it...? )

Laito: Are you upset, Bitch-chan?

Yui: Eh...? Why would I be?

Laito: Because I tried to make you one of us, without ever asking your opinion on the matter.

Yui: No. I’m happy knowing that you thought that far ahead for me.

Besides, if anything, I’dーー

Laito: Nfu~ You would have preferred to become one of us?

Yui: I just thought that would allow me to stay with you longer.

Is that strange...?

Laito: It is. Or rather, don’t you think you’re taking the concept of immortality a little too lightly?

Yui: Am I...?

Laito: I guess in the end, both humans and Vampires want whatever they don’t have.

Being able to naturally pass away is such a blessing after all...

Yui: I guess it is to you guys...I’m sorry, I...

Laito: No need to apologize. I’m the one who tried to take that privilege away from you after all.

If anything, I should say sorry, no? ...Fufufu.

Well then, guess we should get back inside soon?

Yui: Yeah...

ー A flashback ensues

Cordelia: ...!! Why...Why!? Why won’t he come!?

He...Karl said that he would come today...He broke his promise with me!! Unforgivable!!

Who does he think I am...!? I am the daughter of the Demon Overlord, Burai...!

All other men are head over heels for me and yearn after me...So why does Karl...!?

Laito: ( ...She’s having one of her lunatic episodes again. Honestly, she should stop bothering since it’ll only exhaust her. )

( I don’t think there’s any reason to get so upset? )

( For one, this happens all the time. He never changes. )

Cordelia: God!! I won’t forgive him...!!

*Thud*

Laito: Oh come on, don’t be so mad. Calm down...

Cordelia: How am I supposed to stay calm right now!? Aah, god...It grinds my gears...

Laito: Nfu~ But you have me, don’t you? Just forget about that man already.

Cordelia: ーー Hah?

Laito: ‘...Hah?’, you say? How cruel...

Cordelia: I have you, so what?

Laito: What do you mean? ...I mean, I could replace him and...

Cordelia: Time to get off your high horse. Listen carefully? You aren’t Karlheinz.

Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re no replacement for him.

Laito: ...

Cordelia: ーー Haah...Honestly, Karl...You’ve kept me waiting for so long...I can’t believe it...

Just look at how much I love you!

Laito: ...

( Then, what exactly am I? )

( If I’m not his replacement, then!? What...purpose do I serve!? )

Monologue

ーー That one sentence she spoke,

was a fatal blow to me.

Pierced deeply through the heart,

I came to realize how foolish I had truly been.

I even felt the desire,

to kill myself on the very spot.

I had the wrong idea this whole time.

I thought that she sought after me,

both to spite him,

as well as a way to replace him.

However, reality was different.

I was nothing,

but a way for her to vent off her frustrations.

In other words...

I was her personal trash can,

to throw in all the ‘love’ she didn’t know where to go with.

Looking back at it now, I was shallow-minded.

To think that while twisted,

there was something there,

which could be considered love.

I truly believed so,

and I wanted to believe.

ー The flashback ends with Laito waking up in the guest room

Laito: ...!!!

Haah, haah...A dream?

( Oh, it was just a dream...Even so, it felt incredibly real...A true nightmare... )

( All of this probably happened...because I’m currently at this place, at Eden... )

( This is his territory...He could easily (1) manipulate my dreams... )

Fuck...!!

*Rustle*

Yui: Nn...

Laito: Whoops...!

( Right, she’s lying next to me... )

...

Yui: ...

Laito: ( Thank god. She’s sound asleep, huh...? )

Yui: Uu...

*Rustle rustle*

Laito: ( ...Such a thin neck. I could probably snap it with just one hand... )

( A fragile...and delicate neck. )

*Rustle*

Laito: ( If I use both hands like this, it’d be over in a second... )

*Rustle rustle*

Laito: Kuh...

Yui: Uu...

Laito: ...!!

Yui: ...Uu...

Laito: Bitch-chan...?

Yui: ...

Laito: ...!!

( What was...I doing just now...!? Did I try to...kill her...!? )

( ...Even though I told her...Told her that I’m here to kill him to be able to look at life more brightly... )

( No...I’m not killing him for that reason... )

( I want to be killed by him. Because then I can die. )

( I won’t have to see her perish either. ...I want to avoid that. )

...

( I’m scared of myself...At this rate, I’ll end up killing the person I love the most. )

( Just like...I killed her. )

Fuck...This is messed up, isn’t it!?

Why am I like this...!? Kuh...

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー 

Translation notes

(1) わけない or ‘wake nai’ is a tricky one, because the two possible meanings it has are polar opposites. Either it means ‘easily/easy’ or ‘there’s no way’. Although in the latter case, ‘wake ga nai’ is more commonly used. 

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

<- [ Maniac 10 ] [ Ecstasy Prologue ] ->

[paper-n-ashes]

The Late Shift - Part 2

Characters: Paul Sevier x Female Reader

Words: 2k

Warnings/Tags: Little inklings of sexual themes. Otherwise we’re still in PG territory. Oh and mutual pining from two idiots. My favourite kind.

Authors Note: One shot? I don’t know her. Honestly, I don’t have any excuse. I just felt the urge to continue on with this dumb fluffy story because it makes me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside and I needed that. Will we drive this car straight into smut town afterwards? Ah you’ll just have to see. 

Catch up with Part 1 here

*

Paul always considered himself a smart guy. Perceptive, knowledgeable, with years of grueling education behind him to be where he is today.

His schooling, work, almost every minute of his waking moments was spent in the realm of artificial illustrations of correspondence. He could happily spend hours sifting through the words and numbers that made up all types of message transmission, might even admit he had a talent for decoding their significance and origin. Exchanges born from machinery were easy to analyse – they had set rules and gave little room for differing interpretation. He was comfortable in that world. Knew how things worked, what paths data and carefully devised information would take.

Human communication was infinitely harder to navigate. It was a skill he knew he was lacking in, compared to others at least. His words never came out the way he wanted, he struggled to say exactly what was wished to convey and agonised over the fact expression and tone could morph any remark into something with a whole different meaning.

Every day, he encountered people who used this as a tool - a weapon to obscure the truth and conceal hidden agendas. It was hard not to, working for the US government. In time, he’d become cynical. Wary of what people spoke aloud, assuming it was all said without much sincerity or reliability unless proven otherwise.

And then after another arduous day, there you were. Out of nowhere. Kind. Honest. Genuine. Within such an excruciatingly short interaction, you’d exuded all these traits so effortlessly. A breath of fresh air after being smothered by the smog the rest of his life contained.

Paul would easily admit his attraction to you was surprisingly swift. The rapturing smile you wore when you’d looked up from your notepad had him snared from the moment it appeared, an aura of natural vibrance and radiant energy shimmering out from your animated expression. What he’d expected to be a dry, tedious endeavour turned into a spark-filled scene, where an excited stranger made him feel both horrendously nervous and unusually at-ease. It had been a long time since someone made him feel like that.

It had also been a long time since he’d asked someone out on a date, for more than a few reasons. The more prolific Paul became in his job, the more unpredictable and unstable his life outside of it was. It took him across the country at a moments’ notice and consumed most hours of his day, meaning forging even short relationships was fairly difficult.

Plus… he just wasn’t good at it. Putting himself out there. He was shy, paralyzingly so. It’s not exactly something he could refute. His confidence was always born from experience and understanding, in knowing the reasons behind why things worked the way they did, along with being able to calculate what would happen next. No textbook could ever cover the entire spectrum of human personality, and there was no way to truly predict what a person might do or say. 

So, without the security of knowledge behind him, uneasiness and apprehension took over in most of his social interactions, particularly with those he felt a magnetism to. It’s exactly how he thought he seemed during his time with you. Awkward and floundering. Not exactly the most charming attributes for a man to have. And yet, the longer he was in your presence, the more he sensed those foibles fade into the back of his mind.

Talking to you was easy. Easier than it had been with anyone during a first meeting. What hadn’t been easy was enduring the seconds your touch grazed over him in your delicate workings while taking each different measurement - his heart beating a little faster, his muscles becoming a little more tense. When you’d eventually let your stare reach his, he’d seen how your eyes moved to trace the lines of his mouth, and it set his insides on fire. He’d been frozen by the unique type of burn, his body locked in place while a rare impulse begged him to sink his lips onto yours. In the past, he struggled to kiss a woman even after several dates, unable to push past the fear and doubt to turn his desire into action. However, in that moment, he’d been all too eager. His hand had moved on its own accord, fingers slinking up your waist, about to pull you closer when interruption instantly shattered his resolve.

The urge was still there in the dialogue that followed, although the promise of seeing you tomorrow made it easier to walk away, safe in the knowledge he had another opportunity to ask you out when his confidence was properly steeled. For once, he could be smart about this. Use his natural intellect to plan and act accordingly, giving him the best odds of securing more time with you.

Oh, but that all went to shit when your text message popped up on his phone screen. Seeing those words, even if they were meant for someone else, made his excitement reach an unfathomable peak, and in turn made him recklessly send a response without taking a second to think about the consequences.

And now, Paul had never felt so stupid in his entire life.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, the phone in his palm lit up with your conversation on display, he felt his stomach spasm with anxiety. Were you going to reply? What would you say? What if his bluntness freaked you out? What if you weren’t even talking about him? Was this all something his mind conjured up?

As the minutes passed without any sign of a response, the initially minor sense of panic began to compound, weighing heavy on his chest, the chaos of his mind soon melting into one certainty - he’d totally fucked this up.

About to slump his forehead into the steering wheel in a display of despondency, Paul suddenly felt a flash of courage at remembering the view of your face peering up at him. He knew the image of it would haunt him if he didn’t do something. He had to fix this. Explain himself. But it needed to be in person. He wouldn’t let technology mess this up for him again.

With a purposeful breath, Paul exited his car and began to retrace his steps past the other shopfronts, silently rehearsing what he wanted to say to you. He hoped to surrender himself to a collectively embarrassing situation, laugh off the turn of events, having it all culminate in an offer of dinner once your shift had finished. He already had a place in mind, only a street away, a little dumpling house that was always open late. Perfect for a cosy, quiet date after a chance meeting.

When his eyes latched onto your figure through the glass window, he stopped his hand from reaching for the door handle. You were crouching down in front of a small boy, his mother behind him cradling a newborn baby, your hand gesturing towards an array of child size suits. Paul couldn’t help but watch as your warming smile beamed, guiding the boys hands to touch and feel over the material, your words evidently making him feel more at ease as his expression slowly relaxed out of its worried frown.

Creeping backwards to make sure you didn’t catch him in your periphery, Paul felt a wave of relief wash over his skin, having evidence that your lack of reply wasn’t due to any of the worst case scenarios he’d been fretting over. You were just busy, concentrated on your work, giving your time and expertise to others in the same way you’d given to him.

The realisation was enough for him slink away, still impatient for your next encounter but assured in it being set within the next day cycle. He just had to wait.

Although, waiting wasn’t exactly a talent of his either.

 *

You were dying inside.

A friendly grin was plastered on your face as you conversed sweetly with the woman in front of you, making idle chit-chat while her son changed out of the suit you’d picked together, but the smile had never felt so insincere. Usually you loved when children came in to pick out ensembles for weddings and similarly formal events, but at the moment your mind was stuck on a small battery-powered rectangle sitting at your desk with a half-written message remaining under your lock-screen.

In the time before Paul’s response came through, you’d never felt more humiliated in your whole existence. Evaporating into thin air would have been a welcomed miracle. But when the returning text slid into focus, your whole mindset shifted.

He felt the same. He wanted you too.

You’d been in the middle of typing out a hasty invitation to come back and make true on his intentions when this overwhelmed mother with a fussy baby caught your attention. Her eldest son had done his best to iron out his only formal suit for the role of ring bearer in an aunt’s wedding this coming weekend, unfortunately resulting an a house full of smoke and a clump of burnt wool.

Personal matters withered into the background at the comprehension of her drained, exhausted demeanour, all your focus pointed back towards the job you’d been distracted from. Well, mostly.

You couldn’t avoid the thoughts and questions glinting in the back of your mind. Of what might have happened if this woman never appeared. What might be happening in an alternate timeline where you’d been able to send that waiting reply. Without intention, your wonderings turned into moving pictures – leading Paul into the back workshop, being roughly picked up onto the cutting table, his lips and yours finally connected in a heated clash, shedding all of his clothing until that heinous mustard shirt was crumpled on the floor-

The high pitched beep of the receipt machine snapped you back into reality, noting the relieved smile the mother wore while her son excitedly grabbed at the bags containing his dashing new suit.

“Thank you!” he hollered without needing to be prompted, waving his hand vigorously before skittering away to the door.

“You’re an absolute lifesaver,” the woman echoed, taking the receipt from your outstretched hand. “I’m really sorry for keeping you so late.”

“Oh don’t worry about it.” The time on the monitor screen just ticked over to 8:17pm, long after you would usually shut up shop and head home to your empty apartment. “I've got nowhere special to be.”

You each said your goodbyes, waiting until the precise moment her silhouette was out of sight before jumping to your phone. The same half written message was there, but now it felt impossible to finish. All traces of adrenaline had long since worn off, and the bravery that made you type out the risqué proposition was reduced to almost nothing. Your timid nature rushed back in full force, a thumb pressing hard on the little x button to erase all evidence of your out of character impulses.

Who were you kidding. You weren’t this person. Unashamed and brazen enough to dive into a fiery entanglement with a handsome stranger in the same evening you’d met. You wished you could be. There was never a time the concept was so enticing. But… it was a fantasy not meant for you to live out. They were destined for the outgoing, the cool and composed, the bold and sure-footed. You rarely felt like any of those things. And Paul, like most men, probably reserved their interest and attraction for those types of women. It was so silly of you to think any different. Getting your hopes up was foolish, and would only end in-

The tingle of the shopkeepers bell sounded, internally groaning as you slid your phone back onto the desk. “We’re closed,” you hawked, a coldness in your tone you couldn’t hide. Eyes snapping up to the intruder, a bolt of lightening shot through, barely able to stop the delight mixing into your blood.

“I just, uh, figured out something more that I needed,” Paul said softly, scratching the back of his neck, clearly nervous.

“You did?” you breathed. “W-what was it?”

His chest rose and fell with a calming exhale, making sure your stares were secured before giving his answer. “…You.”

*

Tagging some lovelies who might want to read. Feel free to let me know if you don’t want to tagged in future works!

@tlcwrites @roanniom @princessxkenobi @hopeamarsu @blowthatpieceofjunk @mariesackler @leatherboundriot @foxilayde @modernpaw @cornmousequeen @direnightshade @mylifeisactuallyamess @caillea @jynz-andtonic @paterson-blue @miraclesabound @prismaticpizza​ @millenialcatlady​ 

[backtomyfirstfandom]

The Heirloom (a Tintin Fanfiction)

Chapter IV - Through the October Fog

Fourth part (vibrates in writer excitement).

Finally our heroes are arriving in Italy and we're also going to see my hometown (just ninety years ago circa).

Part one, two, three, five.

The journey by train was going surprisingly peacefully.

Haddock was sitting next to the window and in front of Tintin, who was reading a long note from Rosalia, in which she explained what they needed to know about the fob watch. To his left, the girl was caressing Snowy's white fur, looking around with curiosity in her dark eyes and wrapped in the grey coat that they had gotten her right before leaving (together with some clothes).

Despite his attempts at affirming that he wasn't going to follow Tintin in his umpteenth reckless adventure, Haddock had eventually been defeated by the ginger's bright smile and enthusiasm: it was like arguing against a puppy eyed kitty, and it was basically impossible to the seaman to resist Tintin's passion for mystery; Haddock couldn't say no to him even on a daily basis, but when the young man kept begging him to be his partner in crime with such a joyful and childish cheerfulness it was a losing game from the start.

Thus, he was now sitting on a train heading for Italy, on their research for a supernatural pocket watch.

The captain watched Tintin being focused on the note: he read a couple of sentences, sometimes read them again, or stopped to think about what he had just learnt; pretty often, he fixed the vocabulary to make it more comprehensible, or took notes with a red pencil.

Tintin at his full potential, focused on a piece of work, was the most intriguing show to witness.

-Anything interesting, lad? -

It got Tintin a few seconds to connect with reality again: his eyes remained locked on the notebook he held even after he had lifted his head, his hair hitting a flash of light that made it shine of a golden colour. Eventually, he aimed his blue gaze towards Haddock, humming in confusion before he registered what he had just been asked.

-Yes, pretty interesting - Tintin answered, his French accent missing for a moment as the captain had spoken in English and he was struggling to decide which language to use.

-Do you mind sharing information? - Haddock asked and Tintin nodded, his eyes falling back on the notebook.

-Just a moment -

Haddock did not interrupt him as he returned to his studies, quickly writing something with the red pencil, in a handwriting that the seaman had learnt to be good looking but horrible at the same time, due to the effort that it took to read it.

-Okay... - Tintin muttered, reading the notes again.

Haddock leaned over as the ginger placed the small notebook on the table that stood between the two of them.

-There are two siblings: a girl and a boy, the boy is the elder - Tintin started.

-Let me guess: Rosalia is the sister - Haddock suggested, to which the other nodded with his usual energy.

-Precisely. They're born in a family that is known for bringing bad luck, because when something bad is going to happen they're always the first to know, even before the event occurs -

-It really sounds like an old seaman story -

-Focus, captain. The only thing that remains from this family is a fob watch, that has the power to change the unfortunate events that they predict -

-Or so they say -

-Or so they say - Tintin agreed, noticing how Rosalia was listening but actually pretending to be uninterested.

- Where's the rest of the family? - Haddock questioned.

Tintin looked at him with an interrogative expression before asking Rosalia in French. She sat up straight, reaching for the notebook and the pencil.

"La Grande Guerre": "The Great War".

- The war killed them - Tintin referred to the captain.

- Ah, right - Haddock agreed, remembering he had heard that piece of information before.

- That watch is an old heirloom of her family and has been used rarely. The time on the clock can bring into the past or into the future the body of a person, meaning that it can save a life or take one -

Haddock nodded as he listened to the whole story, kind of regretting being on that train, but knowing he wasn't totally useless because, at the very least, his presence was pleasing Tintin.

- Why should someone want such a watch? - he asked.

- Rosalia assumed that Antonio Arena, this man, wants the watch and Rosalia herself for personal reasons - Tintin explained, switching to French again as he asked the girl for confirmation.

Rosalia listened to the ginger and then shook her head, accompanying the motion with a gesture of her hand that the two had started interpreting as "you're right, but you're missing the point". She grabbed the notebook again, writing quickly.

"Méchant": "Bad guy".

Tintin looked at the word, searching for the right way to interpret that.

- I think she means that Arena might want that for more than personal reasons - he eventually said.

- Let me get this straight: we're traveling to Italy in order to get a pocket watch before...Tony, because it would have bad consequences? - Haddock asked.

- Basically, yes. And he's name's Antonio -

- Tony it's easier -

Tintin hummed in response, tapping his index on the wooden table.

- Why didn't she go to the police, though? - the captain questioned, lowering his voice and leaning towards Tintin.

- Arena is her legal tutor: he sort of adopted her once her family died. She doesn't want to go back to him -

- How old is she? -

- Nineteen -

- Tintin, we've literally kidnapped a minor - Haddock murmured, making sure no one could hear.

- For what I know, Arena is a pretty abusive tutor and that adoption wasn't legal. He's literally a criminal - Tintin replied.

Haddock didn't argue further and turned his gaze back to the window, looking at the thick mist out of the train.

- Let's just try to not become criminals as well -

-

The mist got only worse as they reached their destination, and it wasn't even going to become better as they walked to the house Rosalie had headed to; it was useless and ingenuous to hope for better since that house was in the middle of a field.

The wind was sharp and freezing, so cold that Tintin had hidden Snowy under his coat and was trying to shield his red cheeks with the collar. Haddock, on his part, did not tame the wind, he just found it incredibly annoying.

Their path lead through a humid wood and then through frozen and bare fields, next to a little town called Marcignago. There were only a few houses at sight (all of them were farmhouses), but their destination was the last: on the border of two different fields, there was a watermill, whose front porch had been attacked by the branches of a wisteria.

As Rosalia had told them, the house belonged to her only trustworthy friend, who apparently was in the house since the fireplace was on.

Tintin and Haddock looked at eachother for a moment as they let Rosalia rush towards the house; she vigorously knocked at the door, which opened to reveal a tall man with dark hair and grey eyes.

The two exchanged a hug (together with some words by the man), until Rosalia turned to point at Tintin and Haddock, who were keeping themselves at a security distance in case they might have needed to go on the run.

- Vi ringrazio di cuore - the man told them, once he had approached them.

Tintin, not understanding a thing, put on a polite smile and exchanged the handshake that was offered.

- Do you speak French? - he asked.

- Of course, of course - the man answered with a bright smile.

Haddock seemed reluctant to the handshake, giving the man a rough look.

- Thank you so much for taking her back. How did you find her? - the man asked.

- She's the one who found us - Tintin replied, exchanging the second handshake.

- I'm Fabrizio Manfredi, by the way -

- Tintin. And he's my dear friend Archibald Haddock -

- How much do you plan to stay? - Fabrizio asked them, letting Tintin go.

- We're actually here because of the fob watch - the ginger admitted.

The bright smile on Fabrizio's face faded immediately as his eyes went from the reporter to the seaman.

- Come inside - the man demanded.

Tintin looked at Haddock as to search for his support, unconsciously moving closer. The captain wrapped an arm (the one wherewith he wasn't holding his luggage) around Tintin's back, and the two followed Fabrizio to the house.

-

Rosalia is called a minor by Haddock because in the 1930 the age of maturity was 21 (in Italy this went on until the 1975).

The watermill described in the last part (together with the farmhouses) really exists and it's located near Marcignago. The house has almost totally collapsed, but the mill is still intact. It's called "Molino Vecchio".

[bestbonnist]

Chapter 145.1

First I should apologize for misleading the four people who read my analysis of Chapter 144.2. I told you that Fushi couldn't be the one in Funa's body and I was wrong. I genuinely didn't think that they would care enough to put any effort into their Funa impersonation. I'm sorry.

Sometimes my comprehension skills break down on the side of the road and I forget that regardless of what form they're in, Fushi has yellow eyes that are drawn in a unique way. I was also biased because I want Funa's knocker to be relevant, and that affected my prediction on what would happen next. Since no one this chapter made a comment on Funa's strange eye color, I guess the yellow eyes are just for helping readers differentiate between characters sharing the same body.

Although it seems random, Fushi's plan was actually something they've been thinking of since Chapter 143.1 at least. It was the first time they saw how Mizuha and Funa get treated by this group of girls and it made a big impact on them, although Funa's knocker surprised them before they could intervene. The plan formed fully after their conversation with Satoru, and the death of Funa's knocker set things up so that they could use a form besides the nameless boy's for a little while.

The way Fushi goes over to Mizuha at the beginning of the chapter was framed to be kind of creepy. Imagine the present era from Mizuha's perspective and you will see how disturbing it is when the person you're in love with tries to kill your mom and then presumably kills your new friend so they can stalk you in her form. It's like a fucking horror movie. Fushi's now essentially doing what Funa's knocker was doing: using her body to further their own goals instead of preserving her lifestyle.

No matter how Fushi approached this problem, they probably wouldn't have succeeded, but asking three girls who hate your guts out all at the same time is a spectacular fail. They only know what a date is from when Mizuha introduced the idea to them, so despite her romantic intentions they're hoping it's a friend thing, and now they've created even more misunderstandings.

Fushi's conversation with their teacher felt multilayered, because her advice could apply to the knockers as well as to Funa's life. Fushi has only interacted with the knockers in this era one-on-one, but even when they have an opportunity to ask all the questions they want, they don't get any answers. Maybe a hint that this strategy won't work on either problem. Their teacher also reminds Fushi that there are people worrying about Funa even if they don't say so—which sucks because it's too late for anybody to worry about her, and Fushi does have friends who are worrying about them quite a lot. The only way they'd even know that Fushi's still around is if Bon was updating them.

I'm happy to see Fushi making an effort to do something constructive on their own, but their plan's execution was so bad that they ended up pissing off Mizuha so badly that the left hand had to get involved—which was, ironically, not their intention for once. They believe that the hairband was what helped Tonari and Mizuha become friends, but that doesn't work at first. So start lying to make the hairband "special" and therefore more desirable. In doing so, they've taken the one thing that Mizuha was able to give Hanna to prove that she valued their friendship and turned it into something meaningless. Fushi barely knows these girls' names.

I reread all the chapters in the present era so I could better interpret Saki, Nagisa, and Kasabe's individual characters, because when Fushi talks to them separately you can see how they act when they can't rely on each other. When the group first appeared, Saki and Funa were at the center and closest to each other, always clinging onto each other and the ones who Nagisa and Kasabe were trying to impress. Saki was the one who stomped on Mizuha's foot both times, and she and Funa got into a fight because they both liked the boy who princess carried her. After that, apparently Funa blamed Saki for Rikuya rejecting her and so they ostracized her. Saki was likely the one who instigated this as well. She's the leader, and currently she's embarrassed by Funa because her knocker called attention to her bullying of Mizuha in Chapter 143.1. That's the "blurting out every thought that crosses your mind" that she complained about to Fushi.

Nagisa was originally in the position of appeasing Saki and Funa before they fell out. She was more invested than Kasabe, and after they chased Funa out she stepped in to take the place of Saki's best friend. But Nagisa says that Funa was the one who left, rather than being forced to leave. Either she's they can't get along because she took Funa's spot, or she's expressing resentment that she was forced to choose between Saki and Funa. Or both? It's unclear at this point, but her words felt angrier than Saki's, who's just reflecting her own insecurities onto Funa (and also Mizuha).

Kasabe is usually quiet, and didn't attempt to please Saki or Funa like Nagisa did, so I'd say she's newer to the group? She doesn't react instantly with negativity like Saki, Funa, and Nagisa, like when she started to respond to Fushi's greeting in the previous chapter. She also occasionally takes the time to consider why others behave in the way they do, like when she asks Fushi why Funa switched her opinion on Mizuha in this chapter. Judging by her strong reaction to Fushi saying she doesn't hate Mizuha, I'd say Kasabe actually likes Mizuha quite a bit. She's probably the only one in that group who could genuinely be friends with Mizuha and Fushi, but doing that would mean social suicide. None of these girls can do anything differently, because they each think they might get thrown out by the others.

Tonari and Mizuha's interaction at the end of the chapter is awkward but progress; Mizuha links arms with her, which she usually does with people she likes, and although Tonari looks a little uncomfortable she smiles at Mizuha and responds amiably. When she first appeared this chapter, Tonari looked somewhat lonely walking by herself. She's one of the people who's worried about Fushi right now, especially since she sees it as her job to protect them. I don't know if the left hand was dragging Fushi back to their group or to a different area, but if she overheard that it's Fushi in Funa's body she'll want to know what the hell is going on.

[lorelylantana]

Unconventional Observation Chapter 2; Gamble

Chapter Rating: M Overall Rating: E

First-Next

The first step of any reputable scientific inquiry was to establish a control group. This proved a tad difficult, as there was only one Link. But such a small setback didn’t deter Zelda for long, as she resolved to begin with recording the everyday behaviors of her knight. After all, you can’t identify deviations without first knowing the standard.

It was largely uneventful, in all honesty. Her knight’s trademark stoicism meant that any visual mannerisms were hard to come by, harder still to record with the consistency required for scientific revelation. The flip side of this bland undertaking was its simplicity. His countenance was so stable, so predictable, that she didn’t need nearly as much time putting it to paper as she anticipated.That wasn’t to say there weren’t roadblocks. One such aggravation came from the realization that Link reacted to her differently. Granted, this should be obvious, as she was his charge. What she didn’t expect was a discrepancy in how he reacted to her gaze.

Zelda had spent a lot more time staring at her knight than she had in the past, and he had noticed. He couldn’t meet her stare all the time, having to focus on their surroundings as her guard. Yet there was an undeniable tension in him, he stood straighter, and she noticed a light pink on the tips of his ears. 

Zelda had a list of potential causes, though, narrowing them down should be simple enough. The first possibility was the obvious. Zelda thought that this was how he reacted to being looked at in general. It made sense, if his lack of spoken word was an indication of bashfulness. This conclusion was shattered with the discovery that he endured the brazen stares of smitten maids giggling as they passed with barely a blink. She knew they weren’t unnoticed, as the giggles started after he made eye contact with them, which sent her back to the drawing board.

Her second guess was Link’s reaction being a byproduct of her rank. He may be the Hero of Hyrule, but Zelda was still his princess, and he was still a soldier. Even the freshest recruit knew any special attention from a superior while on duty was negative. Certain instincts were tough to crack, even after his ascension to Champion.

 In the end, all she needed was a week to get feel confident that she could effectively identify any differences he might exhibit during trials, where she knew her questions would be answered.

Then it was time for a gamble. Confident in her baseline recordings, Zelda set out to craft her experiment. Detestable as he was, he was still a person, and experimenting on him without his knowledge or consent was unethical. Thus, she approached him on a trek to the Dueling Peaks. Her studies suggested that his favorite meal was a prime meat and rice bowl, so she had some packed for their journey. 

“I have a proposition, sir knight,” she said as they made camp. He didn’t answer, only stared. She felt a thrill flick at the bottom of her stomach at the look in his eye. A gambler’s high, perhaps. He gave no reply save for the tilt of his head, which she took as a sign to continue.

“I would like to ask for your assistance in a new line of scientific study,” she began, voice quivering slightly. He raised a brow but said nothing, so she continued,  “I’m sure you know of my father’s insistence that my research is fruitless, however I firmly believe that my current subject of study could add to my efforts to gain Hylia’s power. If I can map out how energy flows through the body the knowledge might help me find the sealing power,” she said

“It’s not a waste of time,” he insisted, quietly but with conviction. It took only those few words to fill Zelda with optimism.

“You’ll help me then?”

He nodded. She clapped her hands in triumph. 

“Excellent! Let’s get started right away,” she said, reaching for her notes and a measuring tape, “I have some experiments in mind, but for now I’d like to get some baseline measurements down so any changes will be apparent immediately.”

Link nodded, though he didn’t say anything, Zelda felt her cheeks flush a bit. She was no stranger to her knight’s gaze, but this interaction was foriegn to her. Unlike the obligated glance he threw her way as her guard, now Link was engaging in conversation. Undoubtedly one sided, but existent nonetheless. She continued, blush burning even brighter at her next request, “In order to have a comprehensive foundation to build off of, I’ll have to take a close examination of your physique, and how it reacts to certain stimuli.” 

Link tilted his head again, only instead of a silent question, Zelda swore she saw a smirk grow on his face. Zelda needed a breath before she continued, the fluttering in her stomach knocking her off her stroke.

“Before we begin, I would like to remind you that you may bow out at any time without fear of repercussions,” she said, “I wouldn’t want my knight to break.”

Now that was most certainly a smirk. He looked her in the eye again, a rarity quickly becoming common, challenge burning in his eye.

Well, Zelda was never one to back down, and certainly not from the likes of him.

He sat on the desk in her study a few days later, pliant beneath her gaze. She’d emptied one of the tables to use as a makeshift examination table and dragged it out so he could sit on it without hitting his head. He’d shed his tunic and she’d locked the door, having no desire to explain this to any passing maid.

She put a hand on Link’s chest, gently pushing him down until he lay still beneath her on the wood. Zelda sucked in a breath, drunk on the quiet power of his compliance. She ran her hands over his stomach, blushing when the muscles clenched under her fingertips. She felt her face heat, but then her eyes flicked to his face. His jaw was set, and he stared at the ceiling.

She withdrew her hand, cursing herself for already making him uncomfortable.

“Sir knight,” she said, he looked at her, “I meant what I said, you can leave if you’re uncomfortable.”

“That’s not-” his voice broke, unprepared to be used so forcefully after his time he spent silent. He paused, trying to word his thoughts. Zelda waited, half in shock to have heard his voice at all. He took a breath, “I don’t get touched very often. When I do, it’s because I broke something, and fixing it’s going to hurt.”

Zelda felt sick. She’d imagined time and time again what his first words to her might be, if they ever happened. She’d imagined his patience snapping, his ire finally been let loose as he spewed a toxic deluge of hate and contempt.

Somehow, this was worse. It shattered her because it was the antithesis of the concept of him Zelda had crafted. She had wasted so much time focusing on how high his pedestal was. She spared no thought to how much it hurt him when he fell down.

She brought out a set of paints and a thin brush and brought it over to him. He’d stated his intent to stay, and she didn’t want to betray his vulnerability by shying away now. She ran the brush along his bicep. To her relief, although one that was painful, he didn’t flinch.

“How does that feel?”

He nodded, “Fine.”

“Okay.” Zelda dipped her brush into the jar of paint. “I found this recipe in the library. Apparently it’s supposed to augment your combative capabilities.” She rattled off the ingredients, anxious now that the man in front of her was made of flesh and bone instead of myth and steel. 

She dipped the brush into her jar, tapping it out before dragging the brush down his arm. She had a chart of standard Hylian muscleclature that she used as a reference, tracing each major muscle with her paint. It started off strangely tranquil, as she worked, Zelda noticed him relax. His breathing slowed, and another glance at his face revealed him dozing off. Zelda’s heart fluttered, an unfamiliar, affectionate warmth growing in her stomach. 

Things changed when Zelda finished with his arms and shoulders and moved to his chest.  When she drew the brush under his collarbone and down towards his sternum he jumped. She looked at him, worried that he was uncomfortable, but his eyes were still closed and she continued. She began to circle each of his abs individually, going lower and lower.

Then she noticed that the bulge in his pants had shifted. Not that she’d spent much time looking. Link must have realized why she stopped, because he really did tense up, his abdomen crunching as he sat up.

“I’ll- uh- go down and do some drills,” he said, swinging down to stand on the floor. “I’ll let you know if the paint does anything.”

And then he was gone, leaving the door open behind him and Zelda standing flustered and confused.