#performance bottlenecks

[some-programming-pearls]

How can we handle a performance bottleneck in a microservice architecture?

A specific microservice becomes a performance bottleneck i.e this particular service is significantly slower or less efficient compared to the rest of the system, affecting the overall responsiveness of the system. Solution: Introduce load balancing to distribute incoming requests evenly across multiple instances of the microservice. Optimize the bottlenecked microservice by reviewing and…

[kirikomamura]

Can everyone shut the fuck up about DD2 microtransactions and talk about the dogshit optimization which is the actual issue with the game? Stable 30 is impossible even on min potato settings on the vast majority of hardware from the last 5 years.

^DD1 enjoyer who can't fucking play DD2

[mr-rogers-blood-stained-sweater]

These are scalper prices nvidia has moved onto the rtx 5xxx series (these ARE insanely overpriced for little performance increase but even the 5090's price is supposed to top out around 3.1k) I see 4090s around the mid to high 1000's on ebay.

Also the 60fps benchmarks you saw were likely with all settings maxed out, 4k res probablly rtx if it has it, most reasonable people have a 1080p or 1440p monitor and when paired with a decent enough gpu it shouldnt be too hard to acheive 60+fps with some tweaking.

I have an rtx 3080 12gb (about 400 used for the 10gb version) and its been more than satisfactory for every game ive played that had some attempt at optimization. If i hadnt stupidly broken my 2080ti i would still be happily using it, im still using the 9900k i got with it from 2018, its admitedly spitting fire at 5.1ghz but its still keeping up. We all really need to be less afraid of buying used and older computer parts, recent tech innovations seem to be adding extra features like ray tracing or new dlss versions, NOT huge increases in performance. Theres all kinds of wonderfully useful tech all around us and especially on ebay that will last for many more years!

Not that i doubt that monster hunter wilds is also very poorly optimized, so many modern games are and it does need to stop. Marvel rivals brings my 3080 to its knees without dlss or low settings and for some reason it struggles to fully utilize my cpu usually capping around 80 to 90% even if i have gpu headroom left.

Everyone is talking about Monster Hunter Wilds performance on a 4090 so looked up how much a 4090 is and my jaw dropped.

"Hmm, do I want 60 fps in monster hunter's badly optimized pc port or a Fucking Car?"

[lucid-outsourcing-solutions]

Using ColdFusion’s cfstat Tool for Debugging Performance Bottlenecks

[thedbahub]

Optimizing SQL Server Performance: Addressing Bottlenecks in Repartition Streams

Repartition Streams The term “Repartition Streams” in SQL Server refers to a phase in the query execution process, particularly in the context of parallel processing. It’s a mechanism used to redistribute data across different threads to ensure that the workload is evenly balanced among them. This operation is crucial for optimizing the performance of queries that are executed in parallel,…

[aorish]

update:

from 15 minutes earlier

okay i'm rewriting the whole damn project without any of this fucking apislop.

[mortalislabs]

Trigonelline is a methylated form of niacin and is a recently isolated molecule that could be the secret ingredient in your stack. This form of the B vitamin is involved in the generation of NAD+, a cofactor for over 500 metabolic processes in cells. Trigonelline promotes cellular repair and energy, and as we’ll see, exerts quite a few benefits that are specifically useful for anyone training seriously.

Trigonelline is found in several plant-based foods, notably coffee beans and fenugreek seeds. Green coffee beans contain trigonelline concentrations ranging from 0.6% to 1.0% by weight. However, traditional dietary sources don’t provide sufficient amounts to elicit significant physiological effects. For instance, the average trigonelline content in a cup of coffee is approximately 53 mg, and about 50-80% of trigonelline decomposes during the roasting process, leaving virtually nothing for your body to make use of.

Recent research published on this naturally occurring alkaloid highlights its potential in enhancing muscle function and combating age-related decline. A 2024 study published in Nature Metabolism identified trigonelline as a novel precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a molecule essential for energy metabolism and mitochondrial function. The study demonstrated that trigonelline supplementation improved muscle strength and reduced fatigue in aged mice, suggesting that it can head off the natural muscle decline seen in aging, even in those who are already training at capacity.

NAD+ gets discussed a lot in the longevity space because of its natural and steep decline over the years, tied to all the diseases of aging. It's a metabolic linchpin that determines how efficiently your cells convert fuel into usable energy. For athletes, that efficiency translates into faster recovery, better performance under load, and greater resilience under metabolic stress. Or, you know, complete lack of those things if you don’t have enough of it.

NAD+ is required for redox (oxidation–reduction) reactions in mitochondrial energy production and is a cofactor and substrate for longevity-promoting sirtuins and other enzymes involved in muscle repair and adaptation. During intense physical activity, NAD+ levels drop as demand for ATP surges. Replenishing intracellular NAD+ is critical not only for restoring mitochondrial output but also for initiating the cellular programs that rebuild and reinforce muscle tissue [1].

Trigonelline offers a direct path to NAD+—one that bypasses the liver and supports muscle tissue specifically. In a landmark 2024 study, researchers at EPFL and Nestlé Health Sciences (yes, that Nestlé, but there aren’t any conflicts of interest, we checked) demonstrated that trigonelline functions as a previously unidentified NAD+ precursor, rapidly taken up by skeletal muscle cells and converted into NAD+ via a salvage pathway independent of the traditional NR or NMN routes [2]. This muscle-specific uptake is particularly important for athletes, who require localized replenishment in the very tissues under stress.

Most NAD+ precursors—including nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)—undergo hepatic metabolism before entering systemic circulation. This creates a bottleneck at your liver for targeted muscle repair. Trigonelline appears to bypass that constraint by delivering precursors directly where they're needed most: the muscle fibers responsible for performance and endurance.

This shift in delivery has implications beyond simple NAD+ restoration. In the same Nature Metabolism study, aged mice supplemented with trigonelline showed significant improvements in grip strength and fatigue resistance—outcomes tightly linked to muscle NAD+ availability. Unlike systemic precursors that may elevate circulating NAD+ levels without improving localized bioenergetics, trigonelline drives changes in muscle mitochondrial density and function.

For athletes, this is the difference between feeling recovered and actually being rebuilt.

Mitochondria Make Muscles Move

Endurance Starts in the Electron Transport Chain

Every sprint, every lift, every set depends on one thing: mitochondrial output. The ability to generate ATP on demand—efficiently and cleanly—is the defining line between sustained power and early fatigue. Trigonelline’s value lies not just in elevating NAD+ levels, but in what that elevation enables at the level of mitochondrial performance.

NAD+ drives oxidative phosphorylation, the mitochondrial pathway responsible for converting nutrients into ATP. When NAD+ is depleted, electron transport slows, reactive oxygen species accumulate, and mitochondrial output tanks—resulting in performance collapse and prolonged recovery. Replenishing NAD+ restores mitochondrial throughput, enhances metabolic flexibility, and allows cells to switch between carbohydrate and fat oxidation with minimal friction [3].

Trigonelline’s role as a direct NAD+ precursor in muscle tissue makes it especially powerful in this context. By bypassing hepatic metabolism and restoring NAD+ where it's most needed, it kickstarts mitochondrial biogenesis—activating pathways like PGC-1α that drive the formation of new mitochondria and increase the efficiency of existing ones [4]. This isn’t theoretical: in the 2024 Nature Metabolism study, trigonelline supplementation significantly boosted mitochondrial content and activity in aged mice, restoring performance metrics typically lost with age and overtraining [2].

This cellular shift translates directly to the field, the track, and the gym. More mitochondria means more ATP per unit of oxygen consumed. This is the underpinning of higher VO₂ max, improved lactate clearance, and extended time-to-exhaustion. Trigonelline supports this adaptation at the source, which means athletes can train harder, go longer, and bounce back faster—without relying on stimulants or sketchy ergogenics.

More NAD+ in muscle equals better mitochondrial kinetics, which equals better athletic output. Period.

Strength and Muscle Health

Preserving Power, Not Just Mass

Strength isn’t only about size—it’s about contractile quality, neuromuscular precision, and the cellular capacity to resist breakdown under stress. Trigonelline’s impact on muscle tissue reaches beyond endurance. It supports structural integrity, performance output, and resilience across multiple pathways—especially in the context of aging or chronic training demand.

In the 2024 Nature Metabolism study, trigonelline supplementation restored muscle grip strength and improved fatigue resistance in aged mice, with outcomes exceeding those observed in control groups receiving traditional NAD+ precursors [2]. This effect was tied to increased NAD+ availability in skeletal muscle, which reactivated SIRT1- and PGC-1α-dependent pathways responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis, inflammation control, and protein maintenance—all critical for contractile performance and mass preservation [5].

NAD+ also plays a protective role against muscle wasting. It regulates the balance between anabolic and catabolic signaling, modulating FoxO transcription factors and suppressing atrophy-related genes like MuRF1 and atrogin-1 [6]. This anti-catabolic signaling becomes especially important during periods of calorie deficit, illness, or overreaching, when muscle degradation accelerates. Trigonelline, by supplying NAD+ directly to muscle cells, may help maintain lean mass even under systemic stress.

One overlooked aspect of muscle performance is neuromuscular junction (NMJ) stability, or, the connections between nerves and muscle fibers. These connections go both ways, with afferent signals carrying sensory feedback from muscle to brain, and efferent signals delivering motor commands from brain to muscle. Maintaining the integrity of this bidirectional communication is essential for coordination, strength, and rapid recovery from fatigue. NAD+ is required for the function of enzymes that protect NMJ architecture—particularly in aging or disease models where synaptic decline contributes to strength loss [7]. Trigonelline’s direct muscle delivery may therefore preserve the electrical signaling fidelity needed for explosive power and motor unit recruitment.

Muscle Fiber Type Preservation

Emerging evidence suggests that NAD+ availability influences muscle fiber type composition. High NAD+ levels favor the maintenance of fast-twitch (Type II) fibers—those responsible for strength, speed, and power—by enhancing mitochondrial support without triggering full transition to slow-twitch oxidative profiles [8]. This has implications for athletes seeking to maintain peak force output without compromising endurance. By elevating muscle NAD+ directly, trigonelline may help preserve this delicate fiber balance.

Trigonelline is formulated not to just support general energy—but to protect the architecture of athleticism at the cellular level.

For a reliable, pure form of trigonelline with zero additives, you can trust Mortalis Labs.

[workingwhileidream]

Okay Burrow's End had me thinking some thoughts... So here are my favorite Dimension 20 moments that rotate like a rotisserie chicken in my brain (in no particular order other than the order I thought if them).

- Riz goes into the butthole of the Corn Ooze Monster (Fantasy High). The first absolutely insane shenanigans move anyone makes on D20, setting the tone the show will have forever.

- Raphaniel kills Queen Pamelia (Ravening War). I think I saw Brennan's soul leave his body briefly when he got that How Do You Want To Do This from Matt. Time was an absolute flat circle that day.

- Hank convinces Brennan to let him role savvy instead of sneak (Mentopolis). Hank is one of the most famous content creators, having him on the show was phenomenal to begin with. Then right out of the gate, he pulls this move in his first episode. And it just works. Hilarious, instantly iconic.

- Jet Dies (A Crown of Candy). When Lapin dies, it is shocking but I wasn't attached to him as a character. Lapin was a bit antagonistic and his death happens early in the season. On the other hand, Jet is instantly likeable. Emily and Siobhan are amazing as siblings, their performances this campaign are some of my favorites. I have siblings and I am very close to them, so this hit me like a ton of bricks.

- The entire epilogue of Burrow's End. "Are you pitching and Air Bud ending?" is one of the instant hall of fame quotes from this show. I started crying I was laughing so hard.

- Ylfa's bottleneck and the TPK (Neverafter). There are so many close calls for total party kills in Dimension 20 history, but this is where it finally happens and it's only 3 episodes in. I was on edge, expecting another TPK at any turn, for the rest of the campaign.

- 3 nat one initiative rolls for the battle that literally opens the season (A Starstruck Odyssey). The beginning of a new season is always full of excitement. This season was extra special, having everyone back in the dome after the pandemic and the season being based off Brennan's Mom's comics. The zoom energy is still in the air and I still think about this season opener a lot.

- Mother Timothy Goose breaks Snow White's concentration with a cantrip (Neverafter). Only Ally Beardsley could and we all damn well know it. Still didn't stop me from being so far in disbelief that all I could do is laugh.

- Hob's "You will never know another lonely day" speech to Rue (A Court of Fey and Flowers). I will still cry about this if I think about it for too long. Rue and Hob's romance is the heart of this season to me. I won't be over it ever.

- Gertrude convinces Nyruth to give the Questing Queens very powerful boons after the Queens tried to rob them only a few hours earlier (Dungeons and Drag Queens). The fact that this season exists drives a level of serotonin into my brain that is unimaginable. This is the definition of a big swing and when Bob rolls well, Brennan has no other choice than to honor it. This is one of the moments I have made a meme of. I cannot wait for season 2.

- Wuuvy shows up to the duel and she did not come to play (A Court of Fey and Flowers). Aabria has talked about how Wuuvy is one of her favorite NPCs and I feel the same. Wuuvy and Rue's relationship has such a great arc and this moment is so pivotal.

- Fabian's no good very bad day (Fantasy High Sophomore Year). An iconic moment in D20 history that was truly wild to watch live. For everything to go so fantastically bad for Fabian and Lou was unprecedented. There is a reason why people still talk about this moment to this day.

- Amathar survives being pushed off the castle (A Crown of Candy). Brennan tried to kill Lou so many times in this campaign. I really thought Brennan had gotten him with this one, my stomach sunk. But Lou pulls it out and Amathar lives once again.

- Pib plays "Smoke on the Water" (Neverafter). "I stepped out to play 'Smoke on the Water' " is also a hall of fame quote to me. This list could be all Pib moments if I'm being honest, he's my favorite Zac character. And the fact that Zac doesn't roll well makes this moment funnier to me.

- Buddy Bear gets planted with the All Blossom (Dungeons and Drag Queens). Jujubee and Brennan owe me a therapy session for this one. I sobbed. My cat is my baby and I will be ruined the day she leaves me, so I get it. I really do.

- "Eat your dice, Brennan" (Fantasy High Sophomore Year). A great bit made physically possible by Siobhan. I hope Siobhan gives him gummy dice or something like that so that Brennan can continue to eat his dice for Junior Year.

- Orange Top Hat Fairy (Neverafter). It's a horror season and the cast is doing bits about how hot a mini is the entire finale and the Adventuring Party that followed. I felt the stress and off the walls energy through the screen. The Smooth Criminal pin was the first piece of Dimension 20 merch I bought.

- Viola's epic takedown of Phoebe (Burrow's End). Watching Rashawn absolutely crush it her first time in the dome was amazing. I loved Viola from the jump, her arc was so satisfying and fun to watch. Also the idea of a tiny stoat kicking a gun just the right way to get it to fire is hilarious. No notes other than please have Rashawn come back on every season she possibly can.

- Evan Kelmp warns the Rosemont student not to duel him (Misfits and Magic). Brennan's deadpan warning matched with the reactions of the other players and Aabria really make this scene. An underrated Brennan moment for sure.

- Stacey Fakename turns out to be real (Mentopolis). This was such a good reoccurring bit, so to have Stacey be real at the end of the story was too funny. In a season of bits, tropes, and puns - this one has the most payoff to me and is definitely my favorite.

[girlgerard]

i’ve been thinking a lot about gerard’s character they developed in the last leg of this tour and the way i believe it really solidified what we might have coming for us in the future.

it’s really sweet, if you look in the comments of some of the videos from brisbane and osaka, you can see people who’ve obviously been my chem fans for at least 15 years saying things like ‘i’ve watched every video from this tour and this is the first show where i really saw the spark come back’ and ‘that’s the gerard way i remember’ and other cheesy shit like that. and the thing is they’re totally right!

this whole tour developed more fluidly in intensity and meaning than in any of their previous gigs. mcr has always been a band to change with their time and creative drive, but this was a different type of transition to me. you could see as characters started to be built, from gerard DIY’ing his own costumes in europe to increasingly meaningful outfits with whole backstories in the USA all the way to one consistent character with a uniquely terrifying stage presence in the last leg.

that last character, at least to me, is totally gripping. she’s unexplained, she’s scary as hell, she’s near-undead, she has this commanding presence gerard hasn’t really done since early-mid black parade. in every single performance they’re so in-character and it’s such a BLAST

importantly, this character also showed up in the shortest, least-publicized part of the tour. imo she wasn’t meant for cameras, really.

to me it’s so clear that she’s a result of gerard earnestly solidifying where they might want their next artistic endeavors to go - that kind of serious direction, maybe even that character specifically.

he’s talked about how he always has stage characters that reflect his music and, broadly, things they’re working through in their life. the revenge stage character was a mix of both demo lovers which can have a ton of different interpretations, the patient was a joan-esque personification of grief and existentialism, party poison was a pop-art way of dealing with your own artistic/literal death. it makes me wonder why this character, the only truly consistent character this whole tour, came about, and if it’s related to gerard’s nightly diatribes on war and later-tour statements on (presumably) queer/trans rights.

it also makes me think that we have a lot coming in the future. a character that solid and a direction so suddenly bottlenecked into such a specific concept, such a mychemicalromance concept, especially out of a tour that was originally supposed to be a casual celebration of music, i think points towards something new.

[caitrose]

Briefly bringing back my art to tumblr for Irish Dance Miku!!!

So for a while I was like ‘oh this Miku trend is cute, I prolly won’t do anything tho bc I’m white usamerican’ but then I remembered I used to do Irish dance! So I designed her a solo dress n gave her some glorious curls

(psst my art currently lives on Bluesky)

Some cool stuff about these dresses even tho nobody asked under the cut

Solo dresses, also called trophy dresses, are all unique. They’re custom made (though a lot of people buy them used) and astronomically expensive, around the price range of wedding dresses.

Now they’re called trophy dresses for a very good reason. At an Irish dance competition, called a Feis (pronounced f-EH-sh), categories are divided by age and skill. For the first three categories, Beginner 1, Beginner 2, and Intermediate, you can advance to the next category by earning a first, second, or third place medal. However, for Novice, the fourth category, you can only advance out by winning gold.

As you can imagine this creates quite a bottleneck and many people stay stuck in Novice. Advancing out is a huge achievement, and it means you have won the right to perform in a solo dress. I remember going to competitions and seeing girls as young as 8 or 9 walking around in these things and being super impressed, but in fairness the Novice category is relatively small at that age while being absolutely packed for the 14/15s

Also as another fun tidbit, since they’re custom made and often at the whim of teens and tweens, a lot of them are extremely ugly lol. But most of them are very cool!

Some actual solo dresses!

And if you were curious, before a dancer earns a trophy dress, they’d usually dance in school dresses like these, which have unique designs for each dance school (the first one is me!)

[tacoteddy22]

Love Drug Chapter 6 - Twenty Questions

Chapter 6 - Twenty Questions

Pairing: Sylus x fem!OC

Featuring: Sylus & Val. A shitty diner

Words: 4843 (There was no good breaking point... you'll see)

Summary: Sylus and Val get to know each other better with a little game of twenty questions.

Sylus normally loved the music the Linkon Symphony Orchestra performed, but experiencing the music he was so familiar with through the eyes of Valerie made it feel like he was hearing it for the first time. Her expressive face felt every note, every harmony. Her eyebrows would rise with the crescendo and fall as it came back down. Her eyes would close, and her head would sway with the rhythm and her mouth would curl up at playful riffs in the melody. Her fingers danced to the beat, and he was sure she would have gotten up to let her whole-body groove to the melody if she were alone. She let the music fill her soul to the point where it was overflowing and Sylus couldn’t help but allow his own to be filled just a little in her proximity. The music shifted into a more mournful piece and the world stilled for Sylus as a tear rolled down her cheek. The performance ended a few songs later and the pair rose from their seats after the final encore. They got stopped in the doorway of the box as they waited for other patrons to pass and allowed them room to leave.

Valerie turned to Sylus as he peered out of the doorway. “Thank you again for the seat. It was far more enjoyable with you than it would have been in the nosebleeds.” She pointed up towards the ceiling and her eyes followed. Sylus glanced upwards and his mouth curved into a smile.

“It was no bother. This is what friends are for right?” He cocked his head and looked down at Valerie, willing her to look at him. He wanted to see the desire in those pretty green eyes. His wish was granted immediately. Her emerald eyes locked onto his and that warm feeling he began to recognize as purely Val came back as she smiled, and he realized she desired nothing more than this moment with him.

“Ha, yes I suppose that is what friends are for.” Her eyes shifted downward, and she spotted an opportunity for them to leave the box. Sylus’s hand drifted to the small of her back and hovered there as he guided her through the crowd, but his hand was soon met with her warm skin and the tickle of the ends of her long hair as she stopped suddenly. He rested his hand on her back and the warmth on his palm increased as she leaned back into his touch. The crowd had stopped moving and had created a bottleneck as patrons slowly filed out the doors.

“Shit, I always forget how congested it gets at the front entrance. Where did you park?” When he didn’t She poked him in the chest to get his attention. He had been scanning the crowd with a sharp look in his eye, but they quickly softened as he looked at her.

“In the west side lot, why?” He looked at her curiously and she just grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together, and pulled him down a small corridor that led to a door marked “Employees Only”. His curiosity increased exponentially as she walked through the door with no hesitation and continued to lead them through the bowels of the theater and out through a side door directly in front of the entrance to the west side parking lot.

“Ta-daaa!” Valerie extended her arms and wiggled her fingers in excitement at her surprise shortcut and Sylus let out a laugh at her antics and smiled widely back at her.

“Very good, kitten! Now, how exactly did you know about that shortcut?" It seemed like the wonder he felt for this woman was ceaseless, but it was even more surprising to him that he felt anything at all. This was a welcome change for him.

Valerie pretended to zip her lips, lock them, and throw away the key, but Sylus caught the invisible key and mimed unlocking and unzipping her lips. His touch across her lips was feather light and Sylus didn’t miss her flare of surprise transform into perceptible lust. As he pretended to pocket the key, her gaze turned dark, and she caught her bottom lip in her teeth.

“That was so hot.” She blew out a breath between puffed cheeks and leaned against the wall of the theater, never taking her eyes from him. He sauntered up to her and placed a hand on the wall next to her head, leaning down. “So hot you’ll tell me how you knew that shortcut?” An eyebrow shot up as a corner of his mouth curled up.

“Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulder demurely. “We’re back to the question game, huh? How about you buy me a shitty slice of pie, and a cup of coffee and we can play 20 questions?" She tilted her chin upwards as if offering a challenge and he was more than ready to take her up on anything she offered him.

"Deal. I'll drive." He pushed off the wall and took a few steps away from Val before stopping and turning his head back her way. He silently held out his elbow and she took it with no hesitation.

Sylus took them to a 24-hour diner a couple blocks away from the theater. Worn leather booths and an outdated countertop greeted them as they walked in. They were incredibly out of place in their formal wear compared to the rest of the patrons in old sweatshirts and faded jeans. One would have thought the king and queen of Hades had walked in by the stares they received. They tucked into a corner booth by the window and a server came over with coffee mugs and a steaming pot of coffee.

"Anything to eat?" The weathered server grumbled out as she poured the coffee. Sylus appreciated this no-nonsense attitude the server had adopted, it meant she would leave them alone.

"Two slices of your worst pie." He smiled dangerously at the server, and she just mumbled something that sounded like "go fuck yourself", but Val was giggling too hard to know for sure.

"She is gonna spit in that pie, Sylus!" She swatted her hand at him teasingly.

"Probably."

The server came back a few minutes later with two slices of key lime pie and they both eyed it warily as she walked away. Sylus looked at it and took a big forkful of the pie and Val stared at him with a grimace waiting for his verdict.

"Tastes like pie." He said with a mouthful of food and Val laughed again. She dug into her own slice and nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, just pie. And its pretty good too!"

They each took a few more bites of their pie and sipped on their coffee quietly. Sylus noted she used one pack of sugar and one creamer in her coffee and committed that to memory for next time.  He enjoyed watching her. The way she stirred her coffee or got a tiny bit of whipped cream on her fork before stabbing into another bite of pie, it was all mundane, but fascinated him nonetheless.

"Alright kitten, it's time to fess up. How did you know the shortcut?" He waited for her to finish chewing and watched her neck as she swallowed the bit and took a slow sip of coffee.

Val cleared her throat, "Well, I kinda grew up at the theater. My mom is the head costume designer now, but she was a seamstress when I was a kid, so I just spent a lot of time there and learned all the secret hiding places there." She stabbed her fork into the pie for another bite. "So, did that guy bring the guns to your meeting?"

Sylus was surprised she asked about his work with her first question. His eyebrows shot up and he gave her a smirk. She had always been audacious with him. "Bold of you to start off this way, kitten. Yes, he did bring them. You've spoken about your mother often, what about your father?

She shrugged her shoulders up and let them drop after a few seconds, "I never knew him. She has never confirmed it, but I don't think my mom ever told him she was pregnant. It was a one-night stand situation and I don't think she knew how to get a hold of him or if she even wanted to. Did you get to buy the protocores you wanted?"

How did she know about the sale? The twins must've mentioned it at one of their many visits to her. "I'm sorry you never knew your father. And yes, I got the protocores I wanted. I usually get the things I want one way or another. You turned down a research grant from Ever. That would have given you the opportunity to expand your research, yet you completely abandoned it after you turned down the money. Why?

Val was stunned. She knew she wouldn't find anything on Sylus in a general internet search, but why hadn't she thought he would look her up? "Interesting, Boss Man. There are a lot of reasons not to be involved with Ever. The Fountain of Atei project is dangerous and selfish, but for me it's more personal and complicated. I just lost the drive for the research when I realized that it could harm more than it could help. Why do you want to know?"

He listened intently and nodded in agreement as she spoke. The contempt he felt for Ever was deep and it seemed like that was an opinion they shared. "Let's just say I am a curious kitten, too, and we have more in common than I thought. Ever and I have a history as well. Why is it complicated with you?

Val hesitated before she spoke, and Sylus could tell she was sorting through what she wanted to reveal now and what she was going to keep close to the vest. "Ever and I also have history beyond the grant; we have an understanding to stay away from each other. I can't really say much more. So, you looked me up online?" She looked at him with a small smile and one eyebrow shot up as she silently accused him.

"Of course I did, and you eavesdropped on my phone call. Are we even?" He smirked at her. He had never been upset by her intrusion and frankly, the more questions she asked and the more she knew, the better. He wanted her and needed to know she could handle his line of work in contrast to hers. How many lives had her hands saved compared to how many lives his had taken?

She giggled and rolled her eyes at him and his stomach clenched at that beautiful laugh. "Ok, yes we are definitely even!" She paused before continuing, "I don’t think you'll like this next question. What do you really do for work?"

Fuck, he was absolutely charmed with the way she just went in for what she wanted to know. He should have been concerned for what looked like a tendency to throw caution to the wind, but she didn’t know enough about him to have caution with him. "The question is fine, but I told you before – hotel, fruit stand, boxing club. Now…was that all you can say or all you will say about your history with Ever?

She playfully slapped his hand at his teasing remark, and he turned his wrist so his palm was open on the table in front of her. She took his silent invitation and started to run her finger on the inside of his palm, tracing each rough callus over and over as she contemplated what to say. "All I will say, for now. We are just new friends, so we must build up to the dirty secrets. And you know what I mean... the guns, the protocores, the threatening phone calls I shouldn't have heard…what gives?"

While he wanted her to know everything, he did not want to reveal too much in this unsecured diner, plus he was having too much fun with this game to reveal his hand too quickly. He savored her touch before answering. "Quid pro quo, sweetie, remember? I don’t give my dirty secrets if you don’t give me yours. Are you close to your mom?"

Surprise flashed over her face at his sudden change in topic and she started tracing a new pattern on his palm by slowly moving her finger up and down each one of his fingers. "Uh, not as close as we used to be when I was a kid. She's not a huge fan of my chosen career. I swear she's the only mother in the whole universe who is upset I didn’t join the opera to become a doctor. Can I tell you a small, sort of dirty secret in exchange for a truthful answer to my next question?

"There's my clever kitten. And I always tell you the truth.  So, what's your secret?" She was already bending the game and their arbitrary rules to fit into what she needed, and he practically purred at the thought.

Val took a deep breath and let it out slowly before charging forward, "Ever and I don’t fuck with each other because if one goes down, the other goes down too. It's mutually assured destruction with us. Are you the leader of Onychinus?" She winced and squeezed one eye shut, peeking at him through the other waiting for his response. With that face she was making he wasn't sure what she expected from him, so he kept his answer simple.

"Yes. Are you scared?" He spoke softly in case any other patrons were listening in and watched her face to catch every micro-expression that crossed it. But instead, she leaned back and stared into his eyes silently as she thought out her response, which turned out to be as simple as his had been just a moment ago.

"No. Should I be?" One questioning eyebrow shot up in his direction and her red-painted lips pursed, another challenge. Another simple answer.

"Never. How is it mutually assured destruction?" He willed every ounce of that truth in her direction. She should never fear him, he would never harm her. He would never let anyone else harm her either. Her soft nod and smile as she looked him in the eye confirmed that she believed him. She threaded her fingers into his on the table and his chest tightened wanting to be closer but cursing the table between them.

"We both have information that would ruin the other one. I could try to bring them down or at least shed some light on who they really are - what they really do, but the price is too high to pay. Why did you tell me the truth when you hardly know me?" She was questioning the easy trust between them, and he understood why. They hardly knew each other, and swindlers and liars were prevalent in both of their lines of work. 

"Well, that is a very good secret, and I hold up my end of deals, plus you asked so adorably with the wincing. I am guessing the why behind it is considered the dirty part of the secret?" He moved his hand to capture hers and traced his fingers along the back of her hand.

"It is, I'm sure I will tell you someday. What would you do if I told everyone I know about who you are?" She asked seriously although the mirth in her eyes was unmistakable, and he smiled at her once more.

"Go ahead and tell everyone. No one would believe you anyways, they all think I’m some giant horned monster with wings. What is the price you'd have to pay?" If it were money, he would pay it, whatever the cost.

"Prison. For the rest of my life, most likely. Obviously, I would lose my medical license too. Like I said, not a price I’m willing to pay. Why do they think you're a monster?" She was looking at him as if she could never see how anyone could see him as a monster, but he had been very careful not to show her that side of him. He wasn't going to have her start off hating him, he had to do it differently with Val than he did before.

"You know how rumors can spread like wildfire. I was rumored to be a vampire, a Wanderer, and now a fiend. A lifetime sentence in prison, my my kitten. What did you do? That wasn't my question… my question is what kind of training did the Association give you?" He shrugged off her question knowing exactly how each of those rumors started and why, but she was too clever and he needed to change the subject before she asked too much further.

She pulled her hand from his as the waitress came and refilled their coffees. She stirred in another creamer and another sugar packet while she answered his question. "I’m sure I’ll tell you the whole tale someday, it’s a good one! A vampire huh? I could see it a little. As far as training goes, it was a lot of combat and weapons training. I am basically a field medic when I go on missions with them, so they need us to be able to fight and stay alive in case the mission goes awry. Plus, I took extra classes on the types of Wanderers and the best way to defeat them. I haven’t seen the twins lately, how are they?"

"I'll have to take you to the shooting range sometime and see how you fare. I bet having that level of training could be helpful in many ways as a doctor. The twins are fine, and they’ve been told not to come to you for every minor injury, they do know some basic medical care. But I’ll let them know you asked, they'll appreciate that. Your mother was upset you became a doctor?" That tid-bit had been rolling around in his head for a few minutes and he couldn't resist asking about it further.

Val scoffed at the question, "yeah, she was not thrilled. Said I was ‘wasting my talents’, but that also meant she was ignoring other skillsets of mine. I think she just wanted to keep me close since it was just us for so long. What about your parents?"

Sylus took her hand in his once more, he liked how soft and small it was in his large hand. "They… weren’t around. I’ve been on my own for a long time. Speaking of…earlier you said everyone should enjoy the symphony with a friend, but you also came alone tonight. No friends to join you?"

She smiled at their intertwined hands and took another sip of coffee. "I haven’t been in a while, but I usually go with friends. I came alone tonight just because I bought my ticket at the last minute - which is also why I had to pick a terrible seat. I’m sorry you were alone growing up. I was too for a while. I think that’s why I love the chaos of the ER, I never feel alone there. So you've been on your own… no relationships?"

She never made eye contact with that question which he was grateful for, he wasn't sure what kind of expression she would see on his face. He looked away as he answered in case she looked up at him. "There was someone, but we didn’t work out. You?"

She kept her head down, "No one serious at least. A fling here and there just to get a release, ya know? Medical school and residency doesn’t leave a lot of room or time for relationships. Although it’s better now that I’m farther into residency. Why didn’t it work out with you and her?"

An innocent question on Val's part, but it made Sylus re-live some past regrets. Val and Sylus were clearly vetting each other out, but the answer was so much more than Val needed to know right now so Sylus boiled it down to its most basic form. "She had two options to choose from and chose the other option. Can we change the subject?"

He saw the hurt on her face, but she didn't pull away her hand. Instead, she squeezed his and finally looked up at him. "Of course. I’m sorry for prying. Forgive me?"

He held her hand tightly and held eye contact with a plan forming in his mind. "Nothing to forgive, kitten. It’s just one of those stories for better friends. Which we are friends, right?"

"It's pretty clear we are at least friends. Why?" Her head tilted to the side curiously with a small smirk.

"I have a gift. Will you accept the other box seat? It can be yours. Anytime you want. From one friend to another." He felt ridiculous the moment he asked. Her mother worked at the theater and could surely get her whatever seat she wanted, whenever she wanted it, but it was all he could think of offering as an excuse to see her again. What had she done to him?

"Sylus, wow, that is… I can't… you…That’s very generous. Why?" He threaded his fingers through hers once again and the motion seemed to ground her enough to finish a sentence and her stammering made him feel a bit more at ease knowing they were both nervous.

"Because I know it won’t go to waste. You'll appreciate the seats and the performances as they are intended. Please?" He never begged anyone for anything, normally if someone hesitated after Sylus presented them with an offer, he just used his power to persuade them to agree. He wouldn't even say that asking please was begging, but the moment the word left his mouth, she gave him a smile that would have made him drop to his knees before her if they weren't in a public diner.

"Well, how could I say no when you ask so sweetly?" She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and Sylus reached across the table to touch his thumb to her lips.

"Don't bite your lip." It came out like a whisper, and she parted her mouth slightly at his touch. Her eyes closed and he contemplated evaporating the table and pulling her into his lap.

"Aren't you going to ask me a question?" She gently bit the tip of his thumb and he smirked knowing he had his prey right where he wanted her.

"That's twenty." He pulled his hand away reluctantly and her expression changed from lustful serenity to confusion.

"Twenty what?" Her green eyes opened, and she leaned forward pushing her breasts up and he wondered if he were also her prey.

"No more questions, sweetie. We’ve each had twenty." He leaned back and nonchalantly draped his arm over the back of the booth, holding her gaze and avoiding looking any lower.

Surprise registered on her face, and she hung her mouth open. "You were counting! - That’s not a question! It’s an exclamation." She waggled a finger at him as she spoke.

He laughed loudly, "Then here is not an answer, but a confirmation. Yes. I was counting."

“Ohhh, Sylus Qin. Ok, I see you. I bet you weren't even trying to impress, and this is just what you do.” She was beaming at him now and he was proud he had gotten her smile so big just for him, the blush on her cheeks added to his pride. He shrugged without saying a word.

”Oh, I think you are gonna be trouble for me.”

“I think we are going to be trouble for each other, kitten.”

The waitress came by with the check and Sylus quickly pulled out a large bill and left it on top of the ticket.

“Fuck, Sy. That’s a big tip for one coffee refill.” Val’s eyes went wide at the money he left as they walked out of the diner. The temperature had dropped since they came in and Val shivered, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

“I like to be generous when I can. Come, I’ll drive you to your car.” He draped his coat over her shoulders and linked arms with her again, escorting her to his car. He didn’t miss how she wrapped his jacket tighter around him and snuggled into his warmth. They drove the couple blocks back to her car and she turned to him before getting out of his car.

“Thank you again for tonight. This was fun, I liked spending time getting to know you better.” She took his hand in hers and gave him a crooked smile. Her openness was refreshing, and he was taken aback by it for a moment.

“It was my pleasure, Valerie. Thank you for indulging me.” He brought their entwined hands up to his face and turned his wrist to place a kiss along her knuckles. She let go of his hand as he exited and watched him walk around the front of his car to open the door for her. She took his hand and stepped out of his car, their bodies close as he closed her door. Val shrugged out of his jacket and handed it back to him. Their hands brushed as he took it back and she took a step back.

“I should probably have your number. You know, for the tickets. And you should honestly have me on speed dial for all the trouble the twins get into.” She laughed and held out her hand, “Give me your phone.”

“Yes, for the tickets and the twins. And to just say hello. We are friends after all.” He handed her his unlocked phone and watched as entered her number into his phone.  

New Contact: Box Seat Buddy ::dragon emoji::

Her phone rang and she took it from a pocket in her dress. She handed Sylus back his phone and typed in a contact name for Sylus.

New Contact: Pretend Boyfriend ::angel wings::

She turned her phone to show him what she had saved his contact name as and he let out a laugh. He slid his phone back in his pocket and stepped towards her. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips one more, placing a soft kiss on her fingers. He could do it, lean in just slightly and feel the warmth of her mouth on his, pull her closer to slide his tongue across hers and taste the coffee she drank. His heartbeat wildly as he lost his nerve and covered it with a smirk, “Have a lovely rest of your evening, Val.”

He pulled away from her, but didn’t get far as he felt chilled hands on his face turn him back towards Val. She pulled his face towards hers and sealed her mouth to his in a surprising kiss. He dropped his jacket to the ground and wrapped his arms around her waist sliding one hand up her bare spine to grasp the back of her head.

She parted her lips and let his tongue dive in just as he had imagined and she speared her fingers into his hair. He backed her up against her car and leaned over her, devouring her mouth with his. Their lips dragged along each other’s in a languid kiss that left no room for air or lingering doubt of their intentions. She had started this, but he was going to show her exactly what she was in for. His body enveloped hers and he held her tightly to him as he kissed her slowly. Her hips pressed into him, and he matched the pressure, pushing her further against her car. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she held him just as close as they kissed. She made the sweetest little noises, and he purred his approval at every whimper or moan she made. She tasted like everything he had been missing the last

Sylus finally, reluctantly pulled away from Val to allow her to get into her car, but all he wanted to do was go home with her and spend the rest of the night tangled in her sheets. She licked her swollen lips then stretched them into a smile whispering, “Ok, now I can have a lovely rest of my evening.”

She kissed him softly on the lips once more and slid into the driver’s seat. He leaned against his own car and bade her goodnight and watched her drive away.

When he had met Valerie, Sylus was sure he would be the one toying with her to draw her into his orbit. But now, after that kiss, he was positive they were orbiting each other at an accelerated rate, and he couldn’t wait to see how they would shake the cosmos when they finally collided.

[mindblowingscience]

A first-ever stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, researchers report. The e-skin opens up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force and solves a major bottleneck in the emerging technology. Existing e-skin technology loses sensing accuracy as the material stretches, but that is not the case with this new version. “Much like human skin has to stretch and bend to accommodate our movements, so too does e-skin,” says Nanshu Lu, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics department and lead author of the paper published in the journal Matter.

Continue Reading.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Meatspace twiddling

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me next weekend (Mar 30/31) in ANAHEIM at WONDERCON, then in Boston with Randall "XKCD" Munroe (Apr 11), then Providence (Apr 12), and beyond!

"Enshittification" isn't just a way of describing the symptoms of platform decay: it's also a theory of the mechanism of decay – the means by which platforms get shittier and shittier until they are a giant pile of shit.

I call that mechanism "twiddling": this is the ability of digital services to alter their business-logic – the prices they charge, the payouts they offer, the particulars of the deal – from instant to instant, for each user, continuously:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

Contrary to Big Tech's own boasting about its operations, the tricks that tech firms play to siphon value away from business customers and end-users aren't very sophisticated. They're crude gimmicks, like offering a higher per-hour wage to Uber drivers whom the algorithm judges to be picky about which rides they'll clock in for, and then lowering the wage by small increments as a way of lulling the driver into gradually accepting a permanent lower rate:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

This is a simple trick. The difference is that tech platforms like Uber can play it over and over, and very quickly. There's plenty of wage-stealing scumbag bosses who'd have loved to have shaved pennies off their workers' paychecks, then added a few cents back in if a worker cried foul, then started shaving the pennies again. The thing that stopped those bosses was the bottleneck of payroll clerks, who couldn't make the changes fast enough.

Uber plays crude tricks – like claiming that a driver isn't an employee because the control is mediated through an app – and then piles more crude tricks on top – this algorithmic wage discrimination gambit.

Have you ever watched a shell-game performed very slowly?

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-do-penn-tellers-famous-cups-and-balls-trick-in-12-steps

It's a series of very simple gimmicks, performed very quickly and smoothly. Computers are very quick and very smooth. The quickness of the hand deceives the eye: do crude tricks with superhuman speed and they'll seem sophisticated.

The one bright spot in the Great Enshittening that we're living through is that many firms are not sufficiently digitized to to these crude tricks very quickly. Take grocery stores: they can get up to a lot of the same tricks as Amazon – for example, they can charge suppliers for placement on the most prominent, easiest-to-reach shelves, reorganizing your shopping based on which companies pay the biggest bribes, rather than offering the best products and prices.

But Amazon takes this to a whole different level – beyond simply organizing their product pages based on payola, they do this for search. You ask Amazon, "What's your cheapest batteries?" and it lies to you. If you click the first link in a search-results page, you'll pay 29% more than you would if you got the best product – a product that is, on average, 17 places down on the results page. Amazon makes $38b/year taking bribes to lie to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

Amazon can do more than that. Thanks to its digital nature, it can continuously reprice its offerings – indeed, it can simply make up each price displayed on every product at the instant you look at it – based on its surveillance data about you, estimating your willingness to pay. For sellers, Amazon can continuously re-weight the likelihood that a given product will be shown to a customer based on the seller's willingness to discount their products, even to the point where they go out of business:

https://www.businessinsider.com/sadistic-amazon-treated-book-sellers-the-way-a-cheetah-would-pursue-a-sickly-gazelle-2013-10

Twiddling, in other words, lets digital services honeycomb their servers with sneaky wormholes that let them siphon value away from one kind of platform user and give it to another (as when Apple silently began spying on Iphone owners to create profiles for advertisers), or to themselves.

But hard-goods businesses struggle to do this kind of twiddling. Not for lack of desire – but for lack of capacity. Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon Fresh – an online grocery store – can change prices and layout millions of times per day, at effectively zero cost. Jeff Bezos, owner of Whole Foods – a brick-and-mortar grocer – needs a army of teenagers on rollerskates with pricing guns to achieve a fraction of this agility.

So hard-goods businesses are somewhat enshittification-resistant. It's not that their owners are more interested in the welfare of their customers, workers and suppliers – they merely lack the capacity to continuously rejigger the way their business runs.

Well, about that.

Grocers have been experimenting with "electronic shelf labels" in order to do "dynamic pricing" – that means that prices change quickly, in response to circumstances:

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/06/1197958433/dynamic-pricing-grocery-supermarkets

This doesn't have to be bad! As @planetmoney points out, it's a little weird that grocers don't discount milk whose sell-by date is drawing near. That milk is worth less to shoppers, because they have to use it more quickly lest it expire. Instead of marking down the price of perishable goods – day-old lettuce, yesterday's bread, etc – grocers put them on the shelves next to fresher, more valuable products, leading to billions of dollars' worth of food-waste and and unimaginable quantities of methane-producing, planet-cooking landfill.

In Norway, ESLs are pretty well established and – at least according to Planet Money's reporting – they are used exclusively to offer discounts in order to reduce waste. They make everyone better off.

But towards the end of the story, they note that Norway's grocery sector – which alters prices up to 2,000 times per day – has been accused of using ESLs to rig prices, hiking them and blaming them on pandemic supply-chain problems and loose monetary policy. Greedflation, in other words.

Greedflation is rampant in the grocery sector, all around the world. Remember when the price of eggs doubled and they blamed in on bird-flu, even as the CEO of the one company that owns every egg brand you've ever heard of boasted about how he could hike prices and suckers would just pay it?

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep-calm-and-crack-on

In Canada, grocers rigged the price of bread, the most Les-Mis-ass form of corporate crime you can imagine (do you want guillotines, Galen Weston? Because this is how you get guillotines):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_price-fixing_in_Canada

EU grocers – another highly concentrated industry – also collude to rig prices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

Which is all to say that while these companies don't have to use the twiddling capabilities that come with ESLs to enshittify their stores, we'd be pretty fucking naive to assume that they won't.

And here's the bad news: US grocers like Whole Foods (owned by Amazon, the company that wrote the enshittification playbook) are already experimenting with ESLs. So is Alberstons/Safeway, the massive, inbred conglomerate that has already demonstrated its passion for using twiddling to fuck over their workers:

https://knock-la.com/vons-fires-delivery-drivers-prop-22-e899ee24ffd0/

Economists love "price discrimination" – where prices change based on circumstance, trying to match the perfect price with the perfect customer. On paper, that sounds plausible: if I need a quart of milk for a recipe I'm making tonight and I get a 50% discount on some about-to-expire 2%, then everyone's better off. I get a discount and the grocer gets some money for milk they'd have to throw away at the end of the day.

But these elegant, self-licking ice-cream cones only emerge if the corporation offering the deal is constrained. Perhaps they're constrained by competition – the fear that you'll go elsewhere. Or perhaps they're constrained by regulation – the fear that they'll be punished if they use twiddling-tech to cheat you.

The grocery sector, dominated by a cartel of massive companies that routinely collude to rip us off, is not constrained by competition. And for years, regulators let them get away with ripping us off (though finally that might be changing):

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/us/politics/grocery-prices-pandemic-ftc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ek0.t2Pr.g4n2usbxEcoa

For neoclassical economists, the answer to all this is "caveat emptor" – let the buyer beware. If you want to make sure that ESLs are only used to offer you discounts and not to gouge prices, all you need to do is note the price of everything you buy, every time you buy it, and triple-check it every time you go back to the grocery store. Just be eternally vigilant!

Thing is, the one thing computers are much better at than humans is vigilance. With ESLs and other twiddling mechanisms, you're a fish on a hook, and the seller is tireless in giving you a little more slack, then a little less, until you finally drop your guard.

Economists desperately want these elegant models to work, but "efficient market hypothesis" is a brain-worm that always turns into apologetics for fraud. Dynamic markets sound like a good idea, but they are catnip for cheaters. "Just be eternally vigilant" is miserable advice, and no way to live your life:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

In his brilliant novel Spook Country, @GreatDismal describes augmented reality as "cyberspace everting" – that is, turning inside-out:

https://memex.craphound.com/2007/07/31/william-gibsons-spook-country/

The extrusion of twiddling technology from digital platforms into the physical world isn't cyberspace everting so much as it is cyberspace prolapsing.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/26/glitchbread/#electronic-shelf-tags

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Ultrathin conductor surpasses copper for more energy-efficient nanoelectronics

As computer chips continue to get smaller and more complex, the ultrathin metallic wires that carry electrical signals within these chips have become a weak link. Standard metal wires get worse at conducting electricity as they get thinner, ultimately limiting the size, efficiency, and performance of nanoscale electronics. In a paper published in Science, Stanford researchers show that niobium phosphide can conduct electricity better than copper in films that are only a few atoms thick. Moreover, these films can be created and deposited at sufficiently low temperatures to be compatible with modern computer chip fabrication. Their work could help make future electronics more powerful and more energy efficient. "We are breaking a fundamental bottleneck of traditional materials like copper," said Asir Intisar Khan, who received his doctorate from Stanford and is now a visiting postdoctoral scholar and first author on the paper.

Read more.

[cat-eared-dollwitch]

A doll that does not speak.

It is without a witch, for the time being. At some point it had showed up at the institute. Alone.

It appears to understand everything one says, but it does not respond with words. It will occasionally nod or shake its head, if one is lucky. Extra luck will earn one a curtsy or two.

Sometimes, when it thinks it is alone, one may discover that it will stand in front of a mirror, repeating movements over and over as if practicing. It recites gestures that one may see in everyday life, or possibly in a movie. A graceful bow, hat held over chest. A stroking off the chin, contemplative and stoic. A regal but silent chuckle, hand obscuring it’s motionless mouth. Donning sunglasses, crossing arms, a taunting nod, a dejected sigh, an offering of a hand, and exasperated gesturing. Everything.

It stops immediately and acts as if it was simply fixing its outfit if it notices anyone watching it.

This dolls name is Cordite.

There is nothing wrong with it, at least physically. Many witches at the institute have checked its internals over the past few weeks, hoping to fix the poor thing. Every inspection has yielded a clean bill of health.

Its voice box is functional, almost brand new. Its ears are perfectly fine. Its soul is perfectly anchored, and there is no bottleneck of will.

Cordite just can’t, or simply won’t speak.

All of the witches that have tried to help it have asked it outright: “Why don’t you speak?” And the doll either gestures ignorance, or outright does not respond as if the question was never asked. Every witch so far has simply left it at that, some even chalking up its mutism to being just another one of its many eccentricities.

The witch sitting before Cordite has just asked it the same question. “Why don’t you speak?”

It stares across the desk at her for a moment, then performs a strangely practiced shrug. Its intent is clear. ‘I don’t know.’

The witch lets herself think for a few minutes, her bespectacled eyes studying the taciturn doll in her study. After some deliberation, she asks another question. “Do you wish to speak?”

Cordite shakes its head. Somehow this does not surprise her.

The witch hums. Wrong question, she thinks. She mulls the situation over in her mind for a few seconds more. “Are there times when you wish you could speak?” She asks instead. “Even if those times are rare?”

The doll starts to shake its head again, but freezes for a moment. Then, instead, it nods, almost meek in how little it actually moves.

Considering that, the witch looks down at her notebook, paging through the notes from the other witches’ previous attempts at fixing Cordite. It becomes apparent to her that no one has even asked the doll if it actually wanted to use its voice at all. She frowns at that realization, then flips the notebook back to an overview of the doll’s communication abilities to skim through it one more time.

It can write its name, it can write numbers. It can write words, but does not form complex sentences. Its writing is messy, but has a feeling of structured practice to it— like an old skill degraded by disuse. It has learned a curtailed form of sign language at some point, but almost never uses it unless prompted very strongly to do so. It rarely shows facial emotion, but its body language is somewhat readable when placed outside the etiquette intensive role of servitude.

“What stops you?” The witch finally asks.

Cordite shifts in its seat. It looks at the notebook in the witches hands, expression as blank as ever.

The witch notices this, flips the notebook to a blank page, then slides it over to the doll with the pen resting upon its ruled paper surface. “Here.”

Taking the notebook in one hand and the pen in the other, it writes a single word. The witch reads it when the doll slides the stationery back to her.

‘Volume’ it reads.

The witch knits her brows in mild confusion. “Too loud? No…” she interrupts herself when she notices Cordite starting to shake its head. She clicks her tongue then tries again. “No, you mean… too much?”

Cordite nods tentatively, then commits to a full nod after small a moment of deliberation.

“Can I ask what you mean by that?”

At that, its face twitches and it looks away. Cordite stares out the window. Then, almost as and afterthought, it crosses its arms tightly.

To most, the posture would seem standoffish. But to this witch, somehow, it does not. She’s a mechanical automaton specialist for goodness sake, this isn’t her specialty. She isn’t a mind reader. Or gods forbid, a psychologist. Not that any exist that specialize in dolls… at least not that she knows of.

And this doll seems frustrated to her. And maybe a little bit cagey because of it. She can understand that.

She clears her throat. “Hey. Cordite.” she says, shifting her tone to something she hopes sounds gentle and understanding.

Cordite looks over at her, still almost hugging itself with its crossed arms.

The witch gives it a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to. But… if you can, I’m here to listen.” She breaks eye contact and frowns at herself. “Or read. You know what I mean.” She chuckles, then clears her throat. “But. I have more question.” The witch looks back at the doll to see it nod once. She takes this as her cue to pose her final query and tries to put on a meaningful look. “If I could help you find your voice again, if only just for those times where you wish you had one, would you let me?” She finds the dolls eyes again as she finishes, hoping she sounds sincere.

Cordite gives her another blank stare. It’s kind of uncanny how its body language contrasts with its usual facial expression sometimes, the witch muses internally. The doll finally nods, almost imperceptibly.

She smiles again. “If you want, we can stop here and pick this up tomorrow, yeah?” Cordite simply blinks at her. “Besides, I need to take some time to look some things up. Do some research. And think of better questions. The open ended ones are a lot, I know.” She watches the doll for a reaction to her words.

The dolls eyes search her for several seconds. Then it closes them and shudders softly. And finally, it opens them again and nods.

The witch picks up another, smaller notebook and readies her pen. “Same time tomorrow? Three pm?”

Cordite nods again.

“Very good.” She jots something down, then places the notebook back where it belongs. “You can leave now. Thank you, Cordite.”

The doll promptly uncrosses its arms then stands up. It brushes its hands over the front of its outfit in a fluid motion, perfectly smoothing the small ripples out of the fabric in one go. It pulls the beret off its head and bows elegantly, hat held to its chest. Deftly fixing its beret back over its artificial hair, it turns on its heel and marches out of the room, opening and closing the door on the way.

The witch sighs deeply when the latch clicks closed, leaning back in her chair. “Okay. Another meeting, then library.” She spins her pen around her fingers absentmindedly, looking up at the ceiling lost in thought. “Do we even have anything psych oriented in our collection?” She asks herself.

She wants to help Cordite. She hopes she can, even if it’s only a little. If she can’t… Well. She’ll ask around.