#risk adjustment software

[riskadjustment]

Risk Adjustment, Risk Adjustment Software, Risk Adjustment Solution, Medicare health plans, Medicare Risk Adjustment Continuous healthcare quality improvement is here. TheHealthcare360™ is the company to dramatically lower the barriers of entry and the operating costs of a value-based operational model for health plans, providers, and hospital systems.

[freezerbunny-sims2]

Fully Underwater Lot Tutorial

@creida-sims @kitkat99

UPDATE January 2025

There is now a much, much easier way to do this. This version of SimPE now includes a tool to change terrain geometry. To edit the terrain in SimPE, go to Tools/Neighborhood/Neighborhood Browser and load your neighborhood. In the Resource Tree, select Neighborhood Terrain Geometry (NHTG) and select the only resource in the Resource List. In Plugin View, click Terrain Editor. It's very intuitive, but basically, you can edit the terrain under a lot to make it be underwater. You can also delete the road with the Road Editor.

I'll keep the old tutorial for archival purposes, but unless you can't or don't want to install this version of SimPE, it is pretty much obsolete.

Some warnings and disclaimers

1. This is not a beginner tutorial. I have tried to explain with as much detail as I can, but still, if you just started playing The Sims 2 I recommend trying out other building tutorials first.

2. I have tested it but there's always a possibility that some new problems will come up. Follow at your own risk. Backup your neighborhoods before trying this. Test it first in a new empty neighborhood.

3. These lots are roadless, so they require specific gameplay conditions to avoid breaking immersion (pun intended).

4. They will behave like normal lots in the sense that sims can walk around and do anything as if they were on land. There's one big problem to consider: when sims go fully underwater, their hair and some parts of their clothing might disappear visually.

So this is more useful for structures that sit above the water, shallow water that doesn't reach a sim's head or, with some modifications, small islands surrounded by water. So unless you want bald mermaids, I don't recommend this for sims that live underwater.

5. If you use Voeille's hood water mod, reflections will look glitchy in lot view, because this is technically not a beach lot. The only solution I found is enabling "Lot view ocean reflections" in RPC Launcher. Otherwise you'll have to deal with glitchy reflections.

6. Before following this tutorial, make sure you know the basics of creating, editing, importing and exporting SimCity 4 terrains. Written tutorial by SimEchoes here, video tutorial by loonaplum here.

Software and mods used

The Sims 2 FreeTime expansion pack (required for the modifyNeighborhoodTerrain cheat)

SimCity 4 (required) Hood Replace by Mootilda (required)

Lot Adjuster by Mootilda (required)

Portal revealer by Inge Jones (required)

Voeille's pond and sea water overhaul and RPC Launcher (optional, see disclaimers)

The Sims 2 Apartment Life and Bon Voyage expansion packs (optional, for "walk to lot/work/school" options)

Cheat codes used

moveObjects on/off

modifyNeighborhoodTerrain on/off

1. Creating/editing a terrain in SimCity 4

1.1. You can edit an already existing terrain or create your own from scratch. In both cases, you need to keep two things in mind: If you want the usable area of the lot to be underwater, such as making houses for mermaids or a coral reef, make sure the water is shallow. No more than a few short clicks with the terraforming tools in SimCity 4. This is because The Sims 2 live mode camera won't go underwater, so making the water too deep might make it uncomfortable to build or play the lot.

If you goal is to build a structure mostly above water, like a ship or an oil rig, you can get away with making the water a bit deeper, but not too much. I've noticed that sometimes the lot terrain tools stop working correctly if there a hill that's too steep.

1.2. Once you've created the terrain, you will need to add a small island on the area where your lot will be. I know it seems contradictory, but trust me, it will make sense. Create and name your city. Use the terraforming tools in city mode to make a tiny island of about 6x2 squares.

1.3. On the island, use the road tool to place a straight road that takes up 4 squares. Then, using the street tool (the last option), place two short streets at each end of the road.

Streets will disappear in TS2, only roads translate to roads in ts2, so why do we place them? Well, placing a street at the end of a road will get rid of the rounded end bit in TS2, which can't be used to place lots. This will be important for the placement of the lot and to make sure the edges of the lot are underwater. If this doesn't make sense yet, don't worry, it might make sense later.

1.4. Save the terrain. Don't exit SimCity 4. Copy your new/edited sc4 terrain from your SimCity 4 folder to your SC4Terrains folder in your Sims 2 documents directory. It is usually

"C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\SC4Terrains"

1.5. Back in SimCity 4, we're going to make a second version of this terrain. Remove the roads and streets you made before, with the bulldozer tool. With the level terrain tool in Mayor mode, carefully remove the island, so it's on the same level as the bottom of the ocean/lake. Don't change anything else. Save, exit and copy this second terrain to your Sims 2 SC4Terrains folder. Make sure you rename the file to something different from the first one, like adding "no roads" to the filename. You should have two terrains by the end of this step. One with the small island and one without it.

2. Editing the terrain in The Sims 2

2.1. Open The Sims 2 and create a new neighborhood using your new terrain. Something to keep in mind: if you want the terrain to be a subhood of another neighborhood, make it a subhood from the start. You will not be able to move the lot once it's finished, since it will be roadless. I don't recommend decorating the neighborhood for now. Leave it empty until the end of this tutorial.

2.2. Place the smallest empty lot (3x1) on the island.

2.3. In neighborhood view, open the cheat console by pressing Control + Shift + C, and type

modifyNeighborhoodTerrain on

To quote The Sims Wiki:

"This allows you to alter the neighborhood terrain by raising or lowering it. To use this cheat, be in the neighborhood view, then enter the cheat "modifyNeighborhoodTerrain on" (without the quotation marks), and click over the area you would like to change. To select a larger area, click and drag the cursor to highlight the desired area. Press [ or ] to raise or lower the terrain by one click, press \ to level the terrain, and press P to flatten terrain. When you're finished, type “modifyNeighborhoodTerrain off” in the cheat box (again, without the quotations)."

If you use an English keyboard, these instructions will probably be enough for you. If you don't, I recommend first testing the cheat, because the keys for using this cheat are different in other languages. For example, in my spanish keyboard, the question marks are used to raise and lower the terrain and the º/ª key flattens it.

Another aside: When you select an area using this cheat, a green overlay is supposed to show up. Some lighting mods make this green overlay invisible, like the one I use. If that's your case, you kind of have to eyeball it. Remember that one neighborhood grid square in TS2 is equivalent to 10 lot tiles, or the width of a road. I recommend getting a mod that allows you to tilt the neighborhood camera on the Y axis, which will allow you to have a bird eye's view of the terrain.

2.4. Flatten the terrain around the lot so it's at water level. This cheat won't allow you to edit the terrain inside the lot, so you have to edit the terrain around the lot. Make sure there is plenty of flat underwater space around the island. You should end up with something like the picture above. The water will have some holes, but don't worry, those get filled with water the next time you load the neighborhood.

2.5. Enter the lot and place any object on it. Save the lot and exit the game. This is so LotAdjuster recognizes the lot in the next step.

3. Expanding the lot with Lot Adjuster

3.1. Open Lot Adjuster and select your neighborhood and lot.

3.2. Click "Advanced…". Check "Over the road (only enlarge front yard)". Use the arrows to add 20 tiles to the front yard. Click "Finish" and "Restart".

3.3. Select the same lot again. This time, check "Add and remove roads". Uncheck the road checkbox for the front yard. Add 20 Tiles to the back yard, 20 tiles to the left side and 10 tiles to the right side. Check "Place portals manually". You should end up with a 60x60 lot, which is the biggest size. You might want a smaller lot, but unless you know what you are doing, I recommend starting with this size. You can shrink it later. The goal of making the lot this big is making sure the edges of the lot are underwater. Click "Finish" and exit.

4. Moving portals and flattening the lot

4.1. Make sure you have the portal revealer by Inge installed in your Downloads folder before the next step. Open your game and load your neighborhood. The lot should look something like the picture above.

4.2. Load the lot. Delete the object you placed before. Place the portal revealer on the lot near the mailbox/phone booth and trashcan. It looks like a yellow flamingo and you can find it in Build Mode/Doors and Windows/Multi-Story Windows catalogue. You will notice that when you select the object from the catalogue, some yellow cubes appear on the lot, and when you place the object, the cubes disappear. After placing the portal revealer, pick it up and place it again. This will make the yellow boxes visible again.

So what are those yellow boxes? They are portals. They determine where sims and cars arrive and leave the lot. The ones on both ends of the sidewalk are called pedestrian portals, and in the street, one lane has portals for service vehicles (maids, gardeners, etc.) and the opposite is for owned cars and carpools. You can see the portal's names if you pick them up. Make sure not to delete any of them.

Now, since this is going to be a roadless lot, ideally there won't be vehicles in it. This means that the lot would ideally be accessed through walking only. In community lots, this would not be an issue if you have the Bon Voyage expansion pack, which allows sims to walk to lots.

In residential lots, you might run into some problems. Service NPCs always arrive on vehicles, and unless your sim owns a vehicle, the carpool and school bus will always come to pick sims up for work/school. It might break your immersion to have a vehicle show up underwater or on a ship. There are many options to avoid this: having sims work on an owned business instead of a regular job, not having kids on the lot, making the kids homeschooled, avoiding calling service NPCs… it depends on how you want to play the lot. For example, my icebreaker is a residential lot, only adults live there, some sims live in it temporarily and none of them have a regular job.

All of this is relevant because we're going to move the portals. Where you move the portals depends on you. Think about how you're going to use the lot. In my icebreaker, I placed the car portals (which won't be used) underwater, on a corner of the lot. I placed the pedestrian portals on the ship, to pretend that the walkbys are part of the crew or passengers. But for now, just move the portals, mailbox/phone booth and trashcan to a corner of the lot. To be able to pick up the mailbox/phone booth and trashcan, use the cheat moveObjects on. Delete the street and sidewalk tiles using the floor tool (Control + click and hold left mouse button + drag).

4.3. Flatten the island with the level terrain tool. Save the lot. Almost done! Don't mind the hole in the water, this will be fixed. You will notice that in neighborhood view, the island is still there. This is because the neighborhood terrain under the lot hasn't updated. I don't know why this happens, but it does. Normally, moving the lot would fix it, but we can't move this lot using the game's tools. Instead, we are going to fix the terrain with Hood Replace. Don't exit the game yet.

5. Updating the terrain with Hood Replace

5.1. Create a new neighborhood using the new roadless terrain. Make sure it has the same type of terrain (lush, desert, etc.) as the first one. Again, name it "NO ROADS" or something similar. Exit the game.

5.2. Open HoodReplace. On the left column you will select your "NO ROADS" neighborhood. In the right column, select the neighborhood that has the underwater lot. Check these settings: Replace terrain, replace road, and versioned backups. Leave everything else unchecked. Click Copy.

5.3. Open The Sims 2 and load the neighborhood to check if the changes worked. That concludes the tutorial. At this point you can shrink the lot if you don't want it to be so big. Remember to move the portals to their final placement when you're done building the lot. Also keep in mind pedestrians (walkbys) always walk by the mailbox, so keep the mailbox accessible for sims.

If you're going to have multiple underwater lots, I recommend making them first, and decorating the neighborhood after. Doing this in an already existing neighborhood might be more difficult, mainly because, if you made any changes to the terrain using the modifyNeighborhoodTerrain cheat in the past, they might get reset when using Hood Replace.

[drabblesandimagines]

Dove (part seven)

Leon Kennedy x female reader (bodyguard trope and the slowest, slow burn I swear)

Part one. Part two. Part three. Part four. Part five. Part six. Part seven.

---

A tense knot has formed right between Leon’s shoulder blades – can feel it pull when he tilts his head side to side, but it doesn’t seem to be loosening. Can’t even blame it on sleeping on the sofa cos he hasn’t laid down to sleep since the call with Hunnigan, stays sat up right. He’s athletic, he can jump up to his feet from horizontal but it’ll add a second or so to his reaction time and he’s not taking the risk.

He's on edge and he doesn’t like it. The ball of anxiety in his gut has saved his life more times than he can count, but it shouldn’t be necessary in this situation, should it? He’s set up in a safe house, literally off some beaten track in the middle of nowhere – location chosen and distributed by encrypted software so, technically, no-one in the DSO knows where he is either. It’s rigged up to the heavens with security measures - cameras, alarm systems, motion detector - explosion-proof windows, reinforced doors, all topped off with his favourite array of weapons in the duffel bag, currently resting by his still booted feet.

The objective of his mission hasn’t changed after the intel he’s received, that some foreign agency has had access to the CCTV feed for who knows how many hours before they were cut off. He should feel reassured that the quality of the footage was awful – it was only by how many times he’s encountered Lickers that he could even tell that’s what the creatures were when he’d be presented with the grainy images. He didn’t see the footage of you being rescued, but it would be a cruel kick in the gut to find that feed had been HD.

He lifts an arm – his left, keeping his right arm free, his accuracy is better by millimetres with his right – and rubs the knot, hoping to relieve the tension. It's not 100% confirmed they are looking or will be looking for you either, but why would anyone link up to the CCTV circuit if not to check on the outcome of their operation?

His immediate thought had been to up the frequency of his perimeter checks, one every two hours. He could do that at night, sure – military training taught him the correct and most efficient techniques to power nap – but in the day it would be harder without worrying you about what’s changed.

You wanted updates. Hell, you were entitled to updates. But he wants to give you good news, doesn’t wanna add to the weight on your shoulders with what could be nothing. It’s stupid, he knows it’s stupid, but in these sweet domestic moments the two of you have been sharing, he’s been pretending it’s something else – friends watching television, cooking a meal together – the sweet smiles the two of you exchange, but it’s all ripped apart the moment he has to do his checks. He can see the worry settle on your face then, a reminder of where you are with the flick of the safety off his gun and the twist of the lock as he goes outside to conduct surveillance.

Speaking of, his phone beeps for his next circuit on the building and he’s up on his feet in the blink of an eye. He pats his cargo pocket out of habit for the keys on the walk over to the garage door, but finds himself pausing outside your bedroom, his eyes focusing on the handle. You should still be pretty under with those sleeping pills – note to self, he’ll need to start weening you off them from now on, far too easy to get addicted. It wouldn’t hurt to just… check you were okay, would it?

No – that’s what you’re here, why he’s here – to protect you.

It would just be doing his job.

He presses down on the handle and slowly opens the door, breath caught in his throat. It takes his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark, the lamp in the living room not quite reaching as far as your bed, but eventually he can make out your face – as peaceful as he’s ever seen it.

You’re on your side. The position doesn’t look like it would be comfortable with your arm still strapped up in the sling, but it’s testimony to how well the sleeping pills are working. Your other arm is up by your face, hand clenched in a tight fist around something. He steps forward without thinking, curious what it could be.

Your fingers are gripped tightly around his watch.

And there’s a pain in his chest that feels like they’re gripped around his heart as well.

That settles it - he’s not gonna tell you about the hacked CCTV feed. He will tell you that Hunnigan hasn’t searched your place yet, that they’ve restarted the surveillance department – she’d asked him to ask you if you knew anything about the servers since they were appeared to be working from square one – but that was it.

Leon steps back with unnecessary caution, leaving the bedroom as silently as he entered and shuts the door with a soft click. He takes a deep breath, pats down his pockets again and heads out to circle the perimeter.

And, just like after you kissed his cheek, he does it twice.

--

You wake up after another peaceful and dreamless sleep, though it still takes a moment to remember where you are as you stare up at the unfamiliar ceiling. You wonder if tomorrow you’ll not experience that flicker of panic, just get up and accept that you’ll be picking today’s outfit out of a selection of clothes that you’re not sure if anyone’s worn before you.

You feel sore, as seems to be becoming the norm, but with unusually stiff fingers on your good hand. It seems you’ve clutched Leon’s watch all night. You’d fallen asleep quite quickly – all thanks to those sleeping pills – but you remember looking at it when you’d first got in the bed, the seconds ticking by lulling you to sleep. The fact that you’ve held it for so long reminds you of when you were a kid and snuggled up with a stuffed toy for comfort, except instead of something soft and cuddly, it’s what appears to be a top of line timepiece. There’s a lot of information contained on the face of the dial but there’s the time is the only one you really care about – 0906.

You get to your feet, raising your good arm to a grunt of protest as you try and run your fingers through your hair in lieu of a mirror. Huh, that pain’s new. Your hair is definitely due a wash now, but that’s an issue for later. You pull on a pair of sweatpants one-handed – you’ll be a pro soon, you’re sure of it – and put Leon’s watch in the pocket for safekeeping. It’d be difficult to try and navigate the door handle with it still gripped in your good hand and you’d hate to scratch it up.

You open the door cautiously – you hadn’t seen Leon asleep yet, but he must do at some point. Maybe you should offer to alternate the sofa and the bed? Though you have a feeling that he’s far too much of a gentleman to accept.

Or there’ll be something in the rules that prohibits that.

There’s no danger of waking him though - the agent in question is performing sit-ups in the middle of the living room floor, facing the other way. Muscular arms behind his head as he lets out little puffs of exertion at the exercise, alternating sides as he twists.

Wary that you don’t want to be caught staring, you shut the door with more force than necessary behind you and greet him with a smile when he looks over his shoulder.

“Morning, Leon.”

“Dove!” He doesn’t even sound out of breath. “Morning. Sleep okay?” He jumps up to his feet before taking a couple of steps over in your direction. There’s a grin on his face at the sight of you – makes you feel giddy.

“Yeah, thanks. How about you?”

“That’s good. Yeah, I slept fine.” He nods. It’s not a lie – he did sleep fine for the position he forced himself to maintain all night, despite the slight crick in his neck.

“Is that how you usually start your mornings?”

One of the arms you’d been admiring goes up to rub the back of his head again. “Kinda. I usually go for a run, but…”

“But you can’t leave me on my own.” You finish, smile dropping a little. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be - I’m not.” He drops his arm back down, casting an eye over a watch that’s not there. “Hey, you hungry? I can get breakfast started. Oatmeal again?”

“Sure.” You nod, fishing his watch out of your pocket and holding it out to him. “Thanks again for this. It was nice to wake up and know the time this morning.”

“Don’t mention it. You can, er, you know, keep it. If you like.” He can’t get the image of you fast asleep last night, clutching it close to your face. He knows it was most likely the sleeping pills meaning you’d just passed out with it in your hand more than anything deeper, but, hey, a guy can pretend.

“I’ll be okay, I can get the time off the TV during the day.” You hold it out again with insistence. “But maybe… maybe I could have it for the night again?”

“Deal.” Leon hastily agrees, his fingers brushing yours as he takes back the watch before fastening it around his wrist. “Breakfast coming right up.”

You take the opportunity to duck into the bathroom as he heads towards the kitchen – your heart warmed once more by the sight of the blob of toothpaste sat ready and waiting on your toothbrush.

--

“And, finally, oatmeal.” He places it down on the coffee table, alongside your coffee, a glass of water and your morning dose of painkillers.

“Thank you.” You lean forward to pick up the spoon, smiling back at the face that Leon’s drizzled in honey atop your breakfast again.  

“Nah, pleasure’s all mine.” He calls over his shoulder as he picks up his own bowl from the kitchen. He hesitates for a second, before choosing to sit the other end of the sofa to you, rather than the opposite one.

“You know, I don’t get to do this very often. It’s nice.”

“Mm,” you swallow a spoonful of oatmeal. “Thought you said you’d been in lots of safe houses.”

“A fair amount. But, no, not that part. I mean, eating breakfast with someone.” “So…” You stir the spoon around the bowl, hoping it might prove a perfect segway into something you’d been wondering. “..there’s no-one at home for you?”

“Me?” He seems to scoff at the idea. “Nope.”

“Me neither.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He replies casually, before his blue eyes widen in alarm at how it might come across. “

“I mean, just by the fact that you hadn’t mentioned anyone at your apartment that morning and you hadn’t asked any of those sorta questions, you know, if they’d been told about what happened, where you are...”

He’s flustered, feels like he’s really putting his foot in his mouth this morning. He can take the lead in the interrogation of some of the world’s most despicable humans, for goodness’ sake, he should be able to talk to a pretty girl.

“Yeah, I figured.” You tease back and he swears he feels the weight lift off his shoulders.

The two of you eat in silence for a moment when curiosity gets the better of you. “So, you didn’t eat breakfast with the… others?”

“Nope.” His tone is firm as he recalls some of his previous charges. “Certainly didn’t make them it either. Trust me – they were nowhere near as nice or as deserving of my protection as you are, Dove.” The comment makes your head tingle.

“It’s all been people ‘realising’ how deep they’d sank but only grew a conscience to save their own skin. Hell, you might have even performed surveillance on some of them. A lot of criminals finally show backbone when they realise their time is running out.”

“Well, I’m glad to make a change – both for sharing breakfast and …safe house occupancy with.”

“A nice change,” he mumbles, but you still hear.

--

After breakfast, you go to shower and Leon sets himself to task with the dishes once again, says he did his last perimeter check before nine. Removing the sling proves trickier than yesterday – when you go to tug off the Velcro your opposite shoulder smarts with a similar pain of that morning, causing you to hiss through your teeth, something which the painkillers from breakfast don’t seem to have alleviated.

You step into the cubicle after undressing – the hot water immediately somewhat soothing on your bruised shoulders but you still struggle to get what you now deem as your good arm high enough to even entertain the possibility of washing your hair.  

You try and avoid your reflection in the mirror when you dress, though you know you’ll have to confront your hair at some point. Unfortunately, you catch a glimpse – a greasy mop sat upon your head that makes your heart sink.

There must be a trick to it – other people must wash their hair one-handed all the time, but maybe they can lift an arm above their head. If you were home, you’d go to a salon, you think – an expensive you would deem necessary for your sanity.

A thought flashes across your mind – a ridiculous one. Leon is already doing so much for you, surely this would be completely over the line.

But you could… ask, couldn’t you? The worst he could do was say no, it would be awkward, and maybe there’s a hat in the duffel bag you’ve yet to discover.

You open the bathroom door, but don’t make to step over the threshold. Leon looks over from the sofa – dishes now drying in the rack besides the sink - and clocks your hesitation.

“Need a hand with the sling?”

Are you really going to ask him this?

You’ll break at some point - you know you will, so why not get it over with now? You’re a regimented two-day wash kinda girl and it’s day three. Not to be completely vain, but you’re covered with bruises and cuts, dressed in less than flattering clothes that aren’t yours and it would be nice to feel somewhat decent about something in your appearance.

Especially with the handsome company you’re keeping. Hell, Leon could be a model, a hair model too. There’d been shampoo and conditioner in the shower and you certainly hadn’t used it.

“Dove?” You’ve taken too long to reply again, getting stuck in your spiralling thoughts.

“I know this isn’t what you’re here for.” The words tumble out of your mouth before you can think further.

“Okay…” Leon's eyebrow is raised, a curious smile now fixed on his lips as he gets to his feet.

“And say no, obviously. Please. Just… I’d like to wash my hair.” You drop your eyes then – maybe it’ll be easier if you talk to your feet rather staring into his kind eyes?

"Right."

“And I’d… You know, I’d go to a salon and get it done there if we weren’t… here.”

“You’d like me to help you wash your hair?” There’s a tone of amusement or maybe disbelief in his tone.

Hearing him say it aloud makes you doubt the entire exercise, your heart begin to pound at your stupidity. “Sorry. No, I don’t know what I was thinking. It was stupid to ask-“

“Hey, no, it makes sense.” He soothes, immediately wanting to ease your frustrations. “You can’t lift your arm above your head, right? My fault for not thinking about that.”

You look up then, seeing the sincerity on his face – like it truly was his fault that you couldn’t wash your own damn hair.

“I can do that, Dove. I don’t see why not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mm-hm. As you said, if you were anywhere else right now, you could go to a salon and whilst I can’t promise their quality, I seem to do all right with my own.” He shrugs. “You thinking over the sink?”

He doesn’t know why he asks – it’s hardly like you’re going to ask him to get in the shower with you.

Is it?

“I think so.” You look around the living area, though you’re well acquainted with what feels like every square inch of it now. “Though it might be a little awkward since we don’t have any chairs.”

He snaps his fingers. “Nah, there might be one in the garage, actually. Lemme check.”

He barely makes it into the garage when his cell vibrates in his pocket – one new message from Hunnigan.

Any server information for me?

Leon finds the folding chair nestled at the side of the washer and dryer and hesitates over the text back.

He’ll wash your hair – seeing how torn up you’d been about even asking him had made him feel awful - then he’ll give you the updates and ask about the servers.

He picks up the chair and tucks it under one arm, swiftly typing out a message on his cell and clicks send.

Not yet – Dove’s still asleep.

---

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi

Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day!

Part eight.

[rieamena]

I wonder at what point in the "reboot saga" would the other cunning hares step in and help Billy? Like, on one hand you have a convenient way to stop Billy from whatever he is doing, and watching how Y/N is trying to confess without crashing him must be entertaining. On the other after crash 65 it must get worrying :/

finally!—

the first few crashes had been amusing, a source of lighthearted teasing among the group. you’d attempt to confess, and billy, ever the charismatic and responsive robot, would suddenly freeze, eyes flickering as his system struggled to process the influx of data. the scene would end with him rebooting, and the cycle would start anew. after the first couple of crashes, the laughter faded into concern

“i don’t get it,” you muttered, sprawled out on the couch in the cunning hares' common room. “why does he keep crashing? it’s just a confession.”

“he’s not built to handle that kind of emotional intensity,” nicole explained, fiddling with the handles on his jacket, metal body limp after yet another of your failed confessions. “his programming is complex, but at the core, it’s still a machine trying to process human emotions.”

“and you’re very special to him,” anby added, smiling gently. “that makes it even harder for his system to cope.”

the three of you brainstormed solutions, testing different approaches and environmental controls. they installed cooling systems, tweaked his software, and even practiced mock confessions. yet, each time you poured your heart out to billy, his system would crash and reboot, leaving you both in a loop of unfinished sentences and unspoken feelings

one night, after crash number seventy two—a number that was only devised due to your intricate logs of attempted confessions in your mini journal—the serious gravity of the situation hit everyone. billy’s constant reboots were taking a toll on his system, and the risk of permanent damage was becoming too great to ignore

“this has to stop,” nicole declared, her voice heavy with determination. “we need to find a way to get through to him without causing another crash.”

after much debate, the team devised a new strategy. it wasn’t just about cooling fans and air conditioners; it was about creating a space where billy could process his emotions without the threat of overload. they set up a room specifically for this purpose, equipped with not just temperature controls but also calming visuals and sounds designed to keep billy’s system stable

the designated spot was meticulously prepared. soft lighting filled the room, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. the hum of air conditioners and strategically placed fans ensured the environment was cool. in the center of the room, billy sat on a cushioned chair, looking a bit puzzled but the aura he exuded was always happy

anby gave you a reassuring nod as she adjusted a fan to blow directly at billy. "remember, y/n, stick to the script and stay calm. we’re right here with you."

you took a deep breath and approached billy, your heart pounding. "hey, billy," you greeted, your voice steady despite the butterflies in your stomach

"hey, [name]," he replied, the crescents of his eyes lighting up the room. "what’s up?"

you clutched the script tightly, glancing at the words one last time before looking up at him. "billy, there’s something i’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. it’s been on my mind, and i need you to know."

billy’s eyes widened slightly, his full attention on you. you continued, your voice soft but clear, following the script's guidance. "you mean a lot to me, more than just a friend. whenever i’m with you, everything feels brighter and better. your laughter, your kindness, the way you always know how to make me smile. i cherish every moment we spend together."

billy blinked, processing your words. the fans hummed softly, maintaining a cool breeze. you took another deep breath, steadying yourself. "billy, i like you. a lot. more than just a friend. i care about you deeply, and i wanted you to know how i feel."

for a moment, there was silence. billy’s eyes flickered, and you held your breath, waiting for the familiar signs of a reboot, slower movement, glitched speech, loss of composure, but instead, his eyes displayed bright red hearts

"[name]," he said softly, reaching out to take your hand. "i… i like you too. more than just a friend." nicole crept over to a cooling fan close to him, cranking up its power

unfortunately, the slip of paper didn't have any more words to refer to so you had to improvise. "so does this mean we're like, dating now?"

"are we really?! we're dating now?!" billy jumped up from his seat, practically oozing excitement and happiness, "wait, but i've never had a partner before. what if i do something wrong? what if you don't like me anymore?!" he shook your shoulders, speaking a mile a minute, ranting about all the things he could do wrong and all the things that could go wrong

"also, it's really cold in here, i can almost feel my metal constricting! can we turn the thermostat up or something?"

you couldn't help but laugh. "one step at a time, billy. let's start with the thermostat."

you finally got billy kid after seventy two reboots, and boy, wasn't it rewarding.

its actually so embarassing how long this took and its not even good....

billy kid taglist

@pedrosimp137 @mary-moongood @nyxin-lynx @lemonboy011 @eisblume77

@amaryllisenvy @megan017 @astral-spacepumpkin @corrupted-tale @inkycap

@thurstonw @plapsha @lavenderthewolf @kurakusun @vitaevaaa

@sweetadonisbutbetter @cobraaah @mochiitoby @clickingchip @bardivislak

@h3r6c00k13 @cozi-cofee @apestegui-y @luvuyuuji @theitdoitnobody

@fersitaam @cathrnxxo @monkepawbz @fl1ghtl3ssdrag0n @dabislilbaby

@many-names-yuna @muffin1304 @doort @j3llycarnival @juuanna

@discipleofthem @spookylorekeep @wazkalia @miaubrebmiau @hersweetsstrawberry

[1-up-chump]

Thoughts on nick valentine being "upgraded" into a gen-3

There is no way in hell he's gonna be willing, he already had a hard time adjusting to his metallic body and he knows its gonna take forever to get half as used to a new one made of flesh. So it's either him literally dying and his body is broken beyond repair but his mind could be transferred to a gen-3, or he got kidnapped and forcibly slapped into one. Neither outcome nick would be too happy about.

But the absolute angst potential of the "your metallic body finally had its run" tho... a sole survivor hell bent on making sure nick will stay alive, even if it means fumbling around with the institute, doing dirty things and even dirtier just to arrange it. Even if its such a low chance that even if they did find someone willing to put nick in a synth body, if it would even work. Its not like curie who had a simpler software being worked into a complex hardware. Nick is literally experimental of a synth, there even was a risk with a simple viewing of Kellogg's memories.

When nick wakes up he can feel the difference, and he wonders if its a dream, or nightmare, or he's dead. But no, he's in a new body. A fleshy, unfamiliar prison of flesh, intrusive to his familiarity with the wires and circuits and metal frame.

And as he's having his second or third identity crisis (god knows if he's even keeping a count on that sorta thing) he demands answers. It's in his very nature, his programming to snoop out the truth in these tense mysteries. And the first one nick goes to question is sole survivor, his partner, the one person in this whole apocalyptic world he thought he could count on.

Needless to say he has more than a few choice words for them....

[anheliotrope]

It's always "funny" to remember that software development as field often operates on the implicit and completely unsupported assumption that security bugs are fixed faster than they are introduced, adjusting for security bug severity.

This assumption is baked into security policies that are enforced at the organizational level regardless of whether they are locally good ideas or not. So you have all sorts of software updating basically automatically and this is supposedly proof that you deserve that SOC2 certification.

Different companies have different incentives. There are two main incentives:

Limiting legal liability

Improving security outcomes for users

Most companies have an overwhelming proportion of the first incentive.

This would be closer to OK if people were more honest about it, but even within a company they often start developing The Emperor's New Clothes types of behaviour.

---

I also suspect that security has generally been a convenient scapegoat to justify annoying, intrusive and outright abusive auto-updating practices in consumer software. "Nevermind when we introduced that critical security bug and just update every day for us, alright??"

Product managers almost always want every user to be on the latest version, for many reasons of varying coherence. For example, it enables A/B testing (provided your software doesn't just silently hotpatch it without your consent anyway).

---

I bring this up because (1) I felt like it, (2) there are a lot of not-so-well-supported assumptions in this field, which are mainly propagated for unrelated reasons. Companies will try to select assumptions that suit them.

Yes, if someone does software development right, the software should converge towards being more secure as it gets more updates. But the reality is that libraries and applications are heavily heterogenous -- they have different risk profiles, different development practices, different development velocities, and different tooling. The correct policy is more complicated and contextual.

Corporate incentives taint the field epistemologically. There's a general desire to confuse what is good for the corporation with what is good for users with what is good for the field.

The way this happens isn't by proposing obviously insane practices, but by taking things that sound maybe-reasonable and artificially amplifying confidence levels. There are aspects of the distortion that are obvious and aspects of the distortion that are most subtle. If you're on the inside and never talked to weird FOSS people, it's easy to find it normal.

One of the eternal joys and frustrations of being a software developer is trying to have effective knowledge about software development. And generally a pre-requisite to that is not believing false things.

For all the bullshit that goes on in the field, I feel _good_ about being able to form my own opinions. The situation, roughly speaking, is not rosy, but learning to derive some enjoyment from countering harmful and incorrect beliefs is a good adaptation. If everyone with a clue becomes miserable and frustrated then computing is doomed. So my first duty is to myself -- to talk about such things without being miserable. I tend to do a pretty okay job at that.

[ae-azile]

I can't start another fic due to too many WIPs, but this ArmKhun idea has been on my mind for a while now.

Summary:

After Tankhun gradually and quietly weans himself off of the last of his psychiatric medications, he prepares himself for the worst. There is a chance his emotions will get the best of him and he will cause a scene at a family dinner. Or maybe his sleep schedule will be no more and he will stay up several nights in a row before hallucinating. In contrast, he may sleep the day away and spend his waking hours in a catatonic state. There is always the possibility of the suicidal ideation making a comeback. And if he is perseverating on certain memories intently enough, that ideation could lead to an attempt. So many risks.

But despite the medications being adjusted again and again the first few years after his kidnapping, they have been left as is for over twice as long.

Tankhun just wants to know who he is, despite the risks. He may have lost Pete, but still has Arm and Pol. They're his guards and his friends. If one of those risks becomes a reality, he knows he just needs to say one word and they will help him. With Arm, he often doesn't have to say anything at all.

But somehow, Tankhun feels fantastic. Even after the first week completely off his medications, he isn't easily distracted, somehow feels calmer but still has energy, and does not have one suicidal thought cross his mind. In fact, he has only had one side effect: persistent and repetitive sexual arousal all throughout the day accompanied by the most vivid dreams at night.

Suddenly, saying one word for help seems incredibly daunting, especially when the dreams revolve around the person who helps him the most.

Warnings: hinted medical abuse/control, references to past suicidal ideation and attempts, past kidnapping, and past sexual abuse, yet somehow manages to be sassy and funny.

Pairing: Arm/Tankhun, a copious amount of Tankhun/OMC and Tankhun/OFC

Rating: E

Key Tags: Masturbation, prostitutes and random hookups, confused/concerned/jealous Arm, sexually and emotionally frustrated Tankhun, impromptu vacation, friends (or boss/employee) to lovers, post-canon.

Key Details:

Tankhun begins questioning not only his kidnapping, but the way his trauma was treated after his father's lies from the finale are uncovered.

Once the lack of meds bring Tankhun's libido back in full force, he tries to take care of it himself until he realizes that isn't good enough for him. It does not escape him who he fantasizes about. His attraction to Arm isn't particularly new, but it was easily dismissed and ignored until they bonded during the attack. Once his urges come back, Tankhun tends to hyper focus on him. Arm is beautiful, safe, kind, and (seemingly) unattainable for various reasons. It is the one realization that this might be the tipping point when it comes to a relapse, so Tankhun decides to outsource when it comes to distraction and relief.

He first resorts to utilizing an escort service. He is very sneaky about it at first. He waits until nights where he is alone and his guards are scheduled elsewhere. He is nervous at first, but begins to grow used to the process.

Because of the sneakiness,no one catches the escorts coming in and out. Except for Arm. At first, Arm tries not to overstep out of courtesy. Tankhun claims the escorts are old friends. Arm tries his best to believe him, but doesn't.

Tankhun makes it through the entire roster of the escort service and ends up rotating through three after a while - two men and one woman. If they are the ones who look the most like Arm, then that's his business.

Arm tries to hint that he would like details about what is going on. Tankhun is very evasive and successful when it comes to changing the subject. He tries to be respectful for as long as possible until he can't do it anymore and runs a facial recognition software on their security footage. He figures out who they are after that. While he really struggles with it, he ultimately decides not to tell anyone, but makes himself persistently and stubbornly more present when they come over. Pol has caught onto Arm's change in demeanor and asks if he is jealous over Tankhun's friends. Arm says he isn't, but clearly is. But the strong resemblance doesn't register until Pol brings it up.

The escort issue doesn't become more common knowledge until one of the escorts falls in love with Tankhun and it becomes a nuisance and a security issue. Tankhun does the mature thing and calmly explains his situation to Arm and Kinn. Kinn is in shock and extremely concerned for multiple reasons. Arm, however, just goes straight into action and makes sure the escort won't be a problem. He thinks it will be the end of an upsetting phase.

And then Tankhun starts hooking up with people at Yok's - almost every time they go.

Kinn is extremely upset. He keeps going to Arm and Pol and asking what is going on. While Arm wants this situation to stop too, Arm doesn't want Tankhun to feel controlled. Pol is just like, "I dunno." Word of Tankhun's conquests and abilities in bed travels. Even Pete calls up and is like, "Wtf is going on?"

Kinn ends up approaching Arm personally when Tankhun asks him for the number of his escort service. Apparently, Tankhun - who has mostly enjoyed his bar hook-ups - is still upset that he can't find his type. He plans on hooking up at bars since he has a reputation to uphold now, but he needs someone to match his type, at least some of the time. When Kinn explores what that means by going through their pictures, the ones Tankhun picks seem to somewhat resemble Arm.

During a group outing where Kinn gets particularly drunk after Tankhun wanders off with someone, he approaches Arm and asks if he thinks Tankhun would stop if he has more consistent access to his type. When Arm asks what Kinn means, Kinn just looks at him pointedly and says he will double his pay. Arm declines and Porsche quickly redirects Kinn from the conversation anyway.

However, Kinn's suggestion sticks with him. Arm won't take the money, mainly because he has now realized by this point he would be intimate with Tankhun for free. But he wonders if he would have a chance with Tankhun after all, considering he might be his type.

But instead of seducing Tankhun, he tries to spend more time with him. He asks him out to eat, he has movie marathons with him. He even suggests day trips.

While Tankhun isn't hooking up with people close to everyday now, Arm is now so completely gone for him that it makes him sick to his stomach. He doesn't even know how to admit there are feelings on his end - to his boss, nonetheless. Especially when his boss is still hooking up with people.

Meanwhile, Tankhun is completely oblivious to Arm's feelings. He doesn't even consider the possibility that his own long-standing feelings for Arm may be returned.

Anyway, it's an idea I have had for a while but I seriously doubt I could make it a one-shot. 😔 😂

[wobblydev]

the lines are being drawn friends. all of my applications are introducing 'ai' features. i wanted to make a little thing to display proudly that all my work is made by me, a human. i use a tablet and i use software, but it is my mind, my hands, my eyes, my spirit that make it.

symbolically i felt a coat of arms might make sense, in the war against automation of artistic endeavor.

the brain, to storm and conceive ideas.

the heart, to feel, to bleed, the desire to make for the sake of making.

the eye, to observe, to reflect, to envision.

the flame as courage in the unknown, to ask questions, to seek more and to be brave and risk failure for the sake of it.

feel free to use it, adjust it, put your own spin on it. here's a transparent png

i just made it because i wanted a marker, a stamp, something to proudly proclaim these works are made by a fallible, messy, creative human who thinks and feels and observes and dares.

[sonicasura]

How Dart revealed themself to the Vehicons came about when their frustration reached a slight boiling point. The Omnitrix user came across another “battleground” with a “dead” Vehicon laying at an awkward angle. Those first few times—they had actually thought the aftermath scenes were real.

And yet?

It was all staged. The Vehicons decided letting them poke around “corpses” was easier than trying to flag them down transformed. Really, they had bought into the illusion by accident and unintentionally kept perpetuating it. Dart learned to be cautious overall so they typically approached the down Vehicon while transformed.

Said Vehicon was in for a rude reactivation as the human teen lightly kicked them in the helm.

——————————————

“Oh, for the Omniverse’s sake—get up!”

The cybertronian let out a beep of discontent at the sudden, if faint impact and verbalization. His inner optics took a moment to adjust to opening up after being offline. (Waiting for the mysterious faction to repair him was time consuming… He was very low on Energon.)

The Vehicon jolted in slight alarm at an organic being so close to his faceplate. Honestly? He would never expect one to be bold enough to venture close. Those three organics the Autobots allied with were stark exceptions to the easily damaged species. What caught his attention though was the look of annoyance on the organics faceplate(?).

“You would think a soldier frame such as yourself would have a little more dignity than laying down in the dirt.” The young organic remarked, eyes briefly flicking to his frame to check what type it was… How would an organic be able to distinguish that though? In fact, how was the Vehicon understanding them??? Most Vehicons didn’t take the time to download the translation software most Cybertronians had.

The organic’s… green optics(?) narrowed looking at some of his plating. His pale white stripe was barely visible to cybertronians, but all too plain to a being as small as they were. “Wait. I’ve helped you before as… Ditto? Huh, that’s pretty rare to see. I don’t use that form as much here.” They muttered only confusing the Vehicon more. As if recognizing the dimming of his optics, the organic let out a small hiss of displeasure.

They walked back a few paces, then crossed their arms. “Even after all this time, I swear.” An odd trilling beep followed not originating from the cybertronian. “Of course—you’d find it funny to not be recognized.”

He finally noticed the bizarre bracer(?) on the organic’s right arm with an all too familiar symbol. “…What?” The Vehicon’s seldomly used voice rasped out of his voicebox.

…

Dart threw up their arms before hitting down the Omnitrix’s faceplate letting a random transformation cut through the cloned grunt’s confusion.

“Recognize us now?”

—ROB’d Anon.

The Vehicons try very hard, but are still a little slow on the uptake when it comes to certain things. Not that I can blame them. Cybertronian shapeshifters are rare enough as is. Who’d expect a human to be able to.

LMFAO Those poor Vehicons probably didn't want to do this but they need answers for Primus' sake. No one tells the other Decepticons though knowing how insane most are. Why risk losing the only person who genuinely helped them when any other bot would left them for dead?

[mariacallous]

A week after its algorithms advised people to eat rocks and put glue on pizza, Google admitted Thursday that it needed to make adjustments to its bold new generative AI search feature. The episode highlights the risks of Google’s aggressive drive to commercialize generative AI—and also the treacherous and fundamental limitations of that technology.

Google’s AI Overviews feature draws on Gemini, a large language model like the one behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to generate written answers to some search queries by summarizing information found online. The current AI boom is built around LLMs’ impressive fluency with text, but the software can also use that facility to put a convincing gloss on untruths or errors. Using the technology to summarize online information promises can make search results easier to digest, but it is hazardous when online sources are contractionary or when people may use the information to make important decisions.

“You can get a quick snappy prototype now fairly quickly with an LLM, but to actually make it so that it doesn't tell you to eat rocks takes a lot of work,” says Richard Socher, who made key contributions to AI for language as a researcher and, in late 2021, launched an AI-centric search engine called You.com.

Socher says wrangling LLMs takes considerable effort because the underlying technology has no real understanding of the world and because the web is riddled with untrustworthy information. “In some cases it is better to actually not just give you an answer, or to show you multiple different viewpoints,” he says.

Google’s head of search Liz Reid said in the company’s blog post late Thursday that it did extensive testing ahead of launching AI Overviews. But she added that errors like the rock eating and glue pizza examples—in which Google’s algorithms pulled information from a satirical article and jocular Reddit comment, respectively—had prompted additional changes. They include better detection of “nonsensical queries,” Google says, and making the system rely less heavily on user-generated content.

You.com routinely avoids the kinds of errors displayed by Google’s AI Overviews, Socher says, because his company developed about a dozen tricks to keep LLMs from misbehaving when used for search.

“We are more accurate because we put a lot of resources into being more accurate,” Socher says. Among other things, You.com uses a custom-built web index designed to help LLMs steer clear of incorrect information. It also selects from multiple different LLMs to answer specific queries, and it uses a citation mechanism that can explain when sources are contradictory. Still, getting AI search right is tricky. WIRED found on Friday that You.com failed to correctly answer a query that has been known to trip up other AI systems, stating that “based on the information available, there are no African nations whose names start with the letter ‘K.’” In previous tests, it had aced the query.

Google’s generative AI upgrade to its most widely used and lucrative product is part of a tech-industry-wide reboot inspired by OpenAI’s release of the chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022. A couple of months after ChatGPT debuted, Microsoft, a key partner of OpenAI, used its technology to upgrade its also-ran search engine Bing. The upgraded Bing was beset by AI-generated errors and odd behavior, but the company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, said that the move was designed to challenge Google, saying “I want people to know we made them dance.”

Some experts feel that Google rushed its AI upgrade. “I’m surprised they launched it as it is for as many queries—medical, financial queries—I thought they’d be more careful,” says Barry Schwartz, news editor at Search Engine Land, a publication that tracks the search industry. The company should have better anticipated that some people would intentionally try to trip up AI Overviews, he adds. “Google has to be smart about that,” Schwartz says, especially when they're showing the results as default on their most valuable product.

Lily Ray, a search engine optimization consultant, was for a year a beta tester of the prototype that preceded AI Overviews, which Google called Search Generative Experience. She says she was unsurprised to see the errors that appeared last week given how the previous version tended to go awry. “I think it’s virtually impossible for it to always get everything right,” Ray says. “That’s the nature of AI.”

Even if blatant errors like suggesting people eat rocks become less common, AI search can fail in other ways. Ray has documented more subtle problems with AI Overviews, including summaries that sometimes draw on poor sources such as sites that are from another region or even defunct websites—something she says could provide less useful information to users who are hunting for product recommendations, for instance. Those who work on optimizing content for Google’s Search algorithm are still trying to understand what’s going on. “Within our industry right now, the level of confusion is on the charts,” she says.

Even if industry experts and consumers get more familiar with how the new Google search behaves, don’t expect it to stop making mistakes. Daniel Griffin, a search consultant and researcher who is developing tools to make it easy to compare different AI-powered search services, says that Google faced similar problems when it launched Featured Snippets, which answered queries with text quoted from websites, in 2014.

Griffin says he expects Google to iron out some of the most glaring problems with AI Overviews, but that it’s important to remember no one has solved the problem of LLMs failing to grasp what is true, or their tendency to fabricate information. “It’s not just a problem with AI,” he says. “It’s the web, it’s the world. There’s not really a truth, necessarily.”

[silenceofthewave]

[There were many things that Soundwave was. Symbiont host bot. Surveillance extraordinaire. Third in Command of the Decepticon Forces. Head Communications Officer. However, the most important aspect of it was often the most forgotten about, or simply thought of in passing- Soundwave had almost complete control over the Nemesis' systems.]

THE EXODUS

[This control was for several reasons; it had the processing power built into its frame to ensure that the automated systems did not meet unexpected failure, it needed to be able to adjust trajectory, course and speed at the blink of an optic, groundbridging, ensuring weapons and communications arrays always performed at top capabilities.]

[The control the mech had over the ship was not absolute- to save processing power, and to prevent becoming utterly useless in its other duties, Soundwave had created a patch that allowed the ship AI to take over the less relevant tasks. They would check in often, go over reports, fix what was broken. Though, it was easy enough to regain that control, and that's exactly what Soundwave was doing.]

[The mech silently stood at its usual terminal, paying no attention to the vehicons that came in and out of the bridge. It could vaguely hear the outraged cries of Lord Megatron- something about Starscream not responding to his comms. Soundwave couldn't help the small smirk behind its visor. Soon, that was going to be the least of Megatron's worries.]

[No, soon enough, Megatron would have a complete catastrophe on his servos.]

[Indeed, Soundwave had spent the last two weeks painstakingly coding a seek-and-destroy virus. While it would have been much easier to simply set the Nemesis to self destruct and leave, there was no guarantee that it would actually self destruct. That process required two codes, both of which it knew, then sent out a ping to the high command. It only took one code- the code Megatron knew- to halt the process in its tracks.]

[A virus though? A virus could be built to be discreet, undetectable, and just as devistating. The virus itself was complex- it had to be, for its task was no simple one. It had to utilize the AI's blindspots and complex firewall navigation to remain undetected. It had to be able to pull power directly from the engine's electical outputs to various systems simultaneously. It had to have every access and failsafe code built into it.]

[The virus would take the electrical output and put each targeted system into overdrive. Not only would this completely fry any and all circuitry, systems like the space bridge, communications array and cloaking would be rendered completely unusable. The electrical generators that powered them would more than likely explode and require either a full replacement, rebuild or extensive repairs. The Nemesis and her crew would be rendered sitting targets with no escape.]

[Truly, it was a feat of software engineering.]

[Soundwave had run tests earlier last week on its outputs and capabilities, which explained the strange system failures and power fluctuations the vehicons had been complaining about. The code had to be perfect- Soundwave would not be there to witness its execution, nor would it be patched into the systems. If it were, it ran the risk of being disabled itself, either by Lord Megatron or the virus. That was a risk it was not willing to take.]

[Soundwave had finished uploading the virus and was in the process of setting a four hour timer when Lord Megatron stormed in. It quickly finished and shut off the terminal before facing the enraged mech that stood in the middle of the bridge. Megatron was pointing a clawed servo at it.]

"Where are the seekers, Soundwave." It wasn't a question, rather a demand.

[Soundwave considered its options carefully. Though, the longer it waited, the angrier Megatron seemed to get. It quickly scrambled together a series of images from the last few days. Starscream in their quarters tending to Aurora, Thundercracker and Skywarp getting ready for patrol, Slipstream and her trine arguing in their own quarters.]

"If that is where they are, then why can't I find them? In fact," Megatron stepped closer to Soundwave.

[His field was alight with anger and suspicion. Megatron was close enough to touch, to get a true read. His field betrayed the way he knew something was going on, but Soundwave had no way of connecting the dots without that physical contact. Yet, it did not reach out, and neither did Megatron.]

"You know why, don't you?"

[Megatron raised a clawed servo, his index digit a mere milimeter away from Soundwave's visor. Still, they did not touch. Megatron was undoubtedly toying with it at this point.]

"I knew that little fling you had, and that slagged sparkling was going to cause more trouble than its worth." Megatron's voice was low, and if Soundwave didn't know any better, it would have classified the tone as sultry.

"I told Starscream to stay away from you, that I couldn't have my invaluable third in command distracted from its duties."

[Soundwave stayed maddeningly silent. It had no idea where Megatron's mind was- what he thought was going on, what he was going to do. There was an electrical charge that ran up its spinal strut and its HUD flashed the option to activate its battle protocols. It quickly denied that, standing stone still.]

"But, you wouldn't betray me, would you Soundwave?"

[Megatron's voice teetered between fake and genuine concern. Soundwave shut down the urge to shudder and shook its helm.]

"No, I didn't think so."

[Megatron's servo finally made contact with Soundwave's visor as he pet the mech with the back of his knuckles. Images instantly floated to Soundwave's mind, visions of unspeakable violence aimed towards itself, its mate, the seekers and...Aurora.]

[Megatron was threatening it.]

"Bring me the seekers, Soundwave." Megatron did not need to tack on the or else.

[Still, his threats rang hollow to Soundwave. There would have been a time where Soundwave would have ended the interaction cowering in fear, not unlike Starscream, but that time was also when its loyalty was unquestionable. Now, there was no loyalty left- not to Megatron at least.]

[Soundwave had evolved past whatever was keeping it here. Whether it be that it had no other tangible experiences than fighting to survive or that simply the Decepticons were all it had left- neither of those things were true now. It had something to live and fight for other than itself and someone it used to call Lord.]

[Megatron had left the bridge by now. The remaining vehicons stood as silent as ever, their fields anxious and jittery. It paid no mind to them as it faced the terminal and turned it on.]

[Soundwave opened an encrypted message link and searched the frequencies until it found the one it was looking for. Autobot signals and messaging might be encrypted, but there was always at least one open comm link available. It was untraceable, and had to go through several layers of scrambling, but it was a well known secret. Anyone who dared use it, at least within the Decepticon ranks, was immediately considered a traitor.]

[At this point, that is exactly what Soundwave was.]

[Soundwave unspooled a datacable and connected it to the terminal. It uploaded a large data packet containing vital Decepticon intelligence, and an inert copy of the virus, only to prove its good faith. It sent the datapacket with the following message.]

Use this wisely.

[Soundwave turned off the terminal. It had a limited amount of time to enact the next portion of the plan. Luckily, it had been smart enough to transport its Rumble and Frenzy to an unused, secure site a few days ago. It had stolen medical supplies to keep them stable- not like Knockout would notice anyway. Still, its spark ached. They were stable, but still had not even shifted. Soundwave didn't know if they ever would again.]

[It lightly shook its helm, perishing the thought. It needed to disconnect itself from the ship entirely, not focus on its woes. Soundwave quickly found its way to the engineering terminal and plugged itself in.]

[One by one, it disconnected from the systems. The sensations of the freed up processing power quickly began to leave it dizzy and unwell. Its frame had been constructed with the intended load of the Nemesis. To no longer have that weight on its neural net was both freeing and debilitating. Its thoughts raced by too fast- there was nothing to hinder them anymore.]

[The last one it disconnected from was surveillance. Its HUD suddenly became quiet. Too quiet. There was no constant video chatter, no moving images in the corner of its optics. For once, it could see the reflection of its optics against the tinted glass. That was perhaps the most unsettling part.]

[Soundwave had to take a moment. It felt like it was swimming under solvent, while also being pulled into a tidepool. Perhaps it had detached itself too fast, but time was not something it had. Still, everything felt terribly empty and lonely, its HUD blank, its mind startlingly clear.]

[Now, all there was left to do was...Leave.]

[There would be no goodbyes. Knockout was gone, and it doubted Shockwave would want one. Soundwave certainly was not going to say goodbye to Megatron.]

[It was not the time for sentimentality. Soundwave had already packed its things and left it with Rumble and Frenzy. The only issue was that Soundwave no longer had a space bridge. It would have to fly.]

[Quietly, the mech made its way to the very same flight deck that its relationship with Starscream started on. Luckily, there was no one out there. The sun blazed low on the horizon, painting the sky with firey reds and oranges. Tinges of purple could be seen the higher it looked. Briefly, Soundwave wondered if the Stolen Secret would ever witness sunsets as beautiful as this.]

[Without a final look back, Soundwave transformed and raced into the sky.]

[riskadjustment]

Medicare Risk Adjustment Continuous healthcare quality improvement is here. TheHealthcare360™ is the company to dramatically lower the barriers of entry and the operating costs of a value-based operational model for health plans, providers, and hospital systems.

[zylem2020]

3 Ways Software Can Revolutionize Your Distribution Strategy.

In today's fiercely competitive business environment, efficient distribution can make or break a company. Customers demand fast, reliable, and cost-effective delivery, and businesses are under constant pressure to optimize their operations to meet these expectations.  Distribution management software has emerged as a powerful tool to help companies streamline their distribution processes, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.

The Power of Integrated Software

While distribution management software alone can provide significant benefits, integrating it with other business systems, such as sales management software and scheme management software, can create a truly synergistic effect. This integrated approach allows for seamless information flow, improved visibility, and enhanced decision-making across the organization.

1. Inventory Management: From Reactive to Proactive

Effective inventory management is the cornerstone of a successful distribution strategy.  Distribution management software provides real-time visibility into inventory levels across all locations, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual stock checks and reducing the risk of costly stockouts and overstocking.

With accurate, up-to-the-minute data on inventory levels, businesses can proactively manage their stock, ensuring they have the right products in the right place at the right time. This not only improves order fulfilment efficiency but also optimizes warehouse space utilization and reduces carrying costs.

Furthermore, advanced distribution management software often includes demand forecasting capabilities. By analyzing historical data and market trends, these systems can predict future demand with greater accuracy, enabling businesses to proactively adjust their procurement and production schedules. This helps prevent stockouts during peak seasons and avoids overstocking during periods of low demand.

2. Order Fulfillment: Speed, Accuracy, and Visibility

Customers in today's fast-paced environment want orders to be fulfilled quickly and reliably. Distribution management software empowers businesses to meet these expectations by automating and optimizing various aspects of the fulfilment process.

By automating order processing, businesses can minimize manual data entry, reduce errors, and accelerate order fulfilment times.  This not only improves efficiency but also frees up valuable time for staff to focus on more strategic tasks.

Distribution management software also optimizes delivery routes, taking into account factors such as traffic, delivery windows, and vehicle capacity. This ensures that goods are delivered in the most efficient way possible, minimizing transportation costs and reducing delivery times.

Moreover, distribution management software provides real-time tracking information, allowing customers to monitor the progress of their orders and receive accurate delivery updates. This transparency boosts consumer satisfaction and confidence.

3. Sales and Scheme Management: Driving Revenue and Customer Loyalty

Integrating distribution management software with sales management software and scheme management software creates a powerful platform for driving revenue and building customer loyalty.

Scheme management software enables businesses to create and manage targeted promotions and incentive programs. This allows them to incentivize sales, move inventory, and reward loyal customers. By integrating this with distribution management software, businesses can ensure that promotional items are readily available and that orders are fulfilled efficiently.

Sales management software provides sales teams with the tools they need to manage leads, track opportunities, and close deals more effectively. By integrating this with distribution management software, sales teams can gain visibility into inventory levels and delivery schedules, allowing them to provide accurate information to customers and avoid promising delivery dates that cannot be met.

Furthermore, by combining data from distribution, sales, and scheme management software, businesses can gain valuable insights into customer behaviour, sales trends, and product performance. This data can be used to make informed decisions about pricing, promotions, and product development, ultimately driving revenue growth and improving profitability.

Conclusion

Investing in a comprehensive software solution that encompasses distribution, sales, and scheme management can be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. By embracing the power of automation, optimization, and data-driven insights, companies can streamline their operations, boost sales, and create a loyal customer base.

[thomash152]

Explaindio Review: Easily Solve Your Video Creation Problems

Introduction to Explaindio Review

Explaindio is No #1 video editing software. It’s an easy tool to create professional videos fast and affordably. It’s great for businesses, marketers, and content creators. It gives you ready-to-use video templates, animated backgrounds, and doodle images. No editing skills needed. The simple interface makes it easy to use. Plus, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee. Explaindio is a cost-effective way to improve your videos and creative projects.

Explaindio Review – Explaindio Overview

Product : Explaindio

Creator : Andrew Darius

Official Website : Click Here

Front-End Price : $37

Recommendation: Highly Recommend!

Niche:  Video Creation Software

Get Access Now

Founder Of Explaindio – Explaindio Review

Explaindio was created by Andrew Darius, the founder of Explaindio LLC. He made the software to help people create professional videos easily, without needing advanced editing skills.

Who should use Explaindio?

Business Owners

Marketers

Content Creators.

Educators

Freelancers

Anyone new to video creation

Here are Videos From Just A Few Sample Scenes

Get Access Now

How To Use Explaindio Choose a Template: Select from various pre-designed templates for different purposes (explainer videos, marketing, social media).

Customize: Add your own text, images, logos, and videos. Use animated backgrounds and doodle images to enhance your video.

Edit: Adjust timing, animations, and transitions using an easy drag-and-drop interface.

Preview: Watch the video in real-time to make sure everything looks perfect.

Export: Save the video in your preferred format to share on social media, websites, or ads.

Inside You'll Find:

100 or 300 professional backgrounds to make your videos stand out.

100 or 300 scene templates designed to improve your videos.

500 or 1,500 doodle images perfect for creative doodle videos.

Real-world value: $10 per animated scene and $2 per doodle image.

Explaindio Features

Here’s a breakdown of Explaindio’s features with more details:

Ready-Made Templates: Choose from 100+ scene templates designed for various video types (explainer, promo, social media, etc.).

Customizable Content: Add your own text, images, logos, and video clips to personalize your video.

Animated Backgrounds: Access 100+ animated backgrounds to make your videos more dynamic and engaging.

Doodle Images: Includes 500+ doodle images for creating creative, whiteboard-style videos.

Easy Editor: Use the drag-and-drop editor to adjust text, animations, and timing with ease.

HD Video Export: Export your video in high-definition (HD) for a professional and polished look.

Simple Interface: Designed to be user-friendly, so even beginners can easily create videos.

Money-Back Guarantee: 14-day money-back guarantee — try it risk-free and get a refund if you’re not satisfied.

Affordable: A cost-effective solution for creating high-quality videos without expensive tools or software.

Explaindio is ideal for anyone who wants to make professional videos quickly, with hundreds of templates, backgrounds, and doodle images to get started right away!

Explaindio Pricing

Get exclusive access to more scene templates, doodle images, and background videos.

Special pricing is only for new, invited members.

Explaindio Gold Pack

Price: $37

Includes:

100 more scene templates

100 more HD videos

500 more doodle images

Explaindio Platinum Pack

Price: $57

Includes:

300 more scene templates

300 more HD videos

1,500 doodle images

Get Access Now

Does it really works

Yes, Explaindio really works for users. Here are the benefits:

Easy to Use:

Even beginners can create professional videos easily. No editing skills are needed.

Benefit: Saves time and effort, allowing you to create videos quickly.

Affordable:

It costs less than hiring a video editor or buying expensive software.

Benefit: Great for small businesses or anyone on a budget.

Improves Engagement:

Users have seen better engagement on social media and websites after using Explaindio videos.

Benefit: More views, clicks, and shares lead to better marketing results.

Customizable:

You can add your own logos, images, and text to make videos fit your brand.

Benefit: Creates a more personalized, professional look.

Risk-Free Trial:

There’s a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Benefit: You can try it with no risk, and get your money back if it’s not right for you.

So yes, Explaindio works well for users, giving them an easy, affordable, and effective way to make great videos.

What are the powerful resources of Explaindio

Here are the powerful resources of Explaindio with numbers:

Over 100 Ready-Made Templates:

Includes templates for explainer, promo, social media, and more.

Benefit: Create videos quickly without starting from scratch.

Over 500 Animated Backgrounds:

A large collection of animated backgrounds for different video styles.

Benefit: Add engaging visuals without needing special effects skills.

Over 1,500 Doodle Images:

A huge library of doodle sketch images for whiteboard-style videos.

Benefit: Create fun, creative content for your audience.

Easy Drag-and-Drop Editor:

A simple editor to customize text, images, animations, and video timing.

Benefit: Even beginners can create professional-looking videos.

High-Quality HD Export:

Export your videos in HD quality.

Benefit: Get professional videos ready for any platform.

Access to Thousands of Assets:

Includes scenes, animations, images, and more.

Benefit: Enhance your videos without needing extra resources.

14-Day Money-Back Guarantee:

Try Explaindio risk-free for 14 days.

Benefit: Get a full refund if it’s not the right fit for you.

How Explaindio will help me?

Save Time:

You can make videos quickly without learning complicated software.

How it helps: More time for other important tasks.

Save Money:

It’s cheaper than hiring an editor or buying expensive software.

How it helps: Affordable way to create professional videos.

Grow Your Business:

High-quality videos can help you get more views and sales.

How it helps: Helps promote your business or brand.

Be Creative:

You can personalize videos to match your style.

How it helps: Make videos that stand out and show your creativity.

No Experience Needed:

The tool is easy to use, even if you’ve never edited a video before.

How it helps: Create great videos without any skills.

Scale Your Work:

As your needs grow, Explaindio can help you make more advanced videos.

How it helps: Works for simple and big projects.

Risk-Free:

Try it for 14 days and get your money back if you’re not happy.

How it helps: No risk to try.

In short, Explaindio can make video creation easy, affordable, and fun, helping you grow your business or brand.

Is Explaindio a scam?

No, Explaindio is not a scam. It’s a real product that helps users make videos easily. It comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. 

Many people have had success using it to grow their businesses. The product is made by Explaindio LLC, a legitimate company. If you're not happy, you can get a refund. It’s trusted by many users.

FAQ questions

What is Explaindio?A tool to create professional videos easily with templates and animations.

Do I need experience to use it? No, it’s easy to use, even for beginners.

How much does it cost? Prices start at $37, with a premium plan for $57.

Is there a money-back guarantee? Yes, a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Can I customize the templates? Yes, you can add your own text, images, and videos.

What types of videos can I make? Explainer, promo, and social media videos.

Is it good for businesses? Yes, it’s great for businesses and marketers.

Can I export in HD? Yes, videos can be exported in HD.

What if I don’t like it? You can get a full refund within 14 days.

Is customer support available? Yes, there’s customer support to help you.

Is There Any Guarantee Of Refund?

Yes, Explaindio offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied with the product, you can request a full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked.

Explaindio My Recommendation

I recommend Explaindio if you want an easy and affordable way to make professional videos. It’s simple to use and offers many templates. You don’t need any special skills to create great videos. 

Plus, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. If you want to improve your video content, this tool can save you time and money. It’s a good choice for most users.

Get Access Now

[bradstlouis]

Lean vs. Waterfall Business Models: Choosing the Right Approach for Your Venture

When starting or scaling a business, one of the most critical decisions you’ll make is choosing the operational approach that aligns with your goals, resources, and industry demands. Two popular frameworks that often guide entrepreneurs are the Lean and Waterfall business models. Understanding their principles, advantages, and challenges can empower you to select the model that best suits your vision and market.

What is the Lean Business Model?

The Lean business model prioritizes efficiency, adaptability, and continuous improvement. It focuses on creating value for the customer while minimizing waste. Inspired by lean manufacturing principles, particularly those pioneered by Toyota, this model has become a cornerstone of modern startups and innovation-driven enterprises.

Key Principles of the Lean Model:

Validated Learning: Experimentation and customer feedback drive product and process development.

Build-Measure-Learn Cycle: Rapid prototyping allows for iterative improvements.

Customer-Centric Approach: Emphasis on understanding and addressing customer needs.

Waste Reduction: Eliminating activities and resources that don’t add value.

Advantages of Lean:

Cost Efficiency: By focusing on essential features and avoiding overproduction, businesses conserve resources.

Flexibility: Quick pivots are possible when market demands or customer preferences shift.

Speed to Market: Minimal Viable Products (MVPs) enable businesses to launch quickly and refine over time.

Challenges of Lean:

High Uncertainty: Iterative processes may result in unpredictability.

Resource Intensity: Constant feedback loops and adjustments require dedicated time and effort.

Scalability Issues: Lean is ideal for early-stage businesses but may need adaptation for large-scale operations.

What is the Waterfall Business Model?

The Waterfall business model, rooted in traditional project management, follows a linear and sequential approach. This model is structured around defined stages, where each phase must be completed before moving to the next. While it originated in industries like construction and software development, it’s also applicable to businesses requiring meticulous planning and execution.

Key Principles of the Waterfall Model:

Sequential Progression: Projects move from concept to completion in defined steps.

Detailed Documentation: Comprehensive plans, budgets, and timelines are created upfront.

Defined Deliverables: Clear milestones ensure all tasks are completed in order.

Stability: A fixed plan minimizes changes during the process.

Advantages of Waterfall:

Predictability: Clear timelines and budgets enhance planning and stakeholder confidence.

Quality Assurance: Extensive documentation ensures thorough testing and evaluation.

Ease of Implementation: Ideal for projects with well-defined requirements.

Challenges of Waterfall:

Rigidity: Limited flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions.

Delayed Feedback: Customer input often comes late, increasing the risk of misalignment.

Time-Intensive: Sequential phases may lead to longer development cycles.

How to Choose Between Lean and Waterfall

The choice between Lean and Waterfall depends on your business’s nature, goals, and industry.

Lean is Ideal For:

Startups and innovative ventures with evolving market demands.

Projects where customer feedback is essential.

Teams prioritizing speed and adaptability.

Waterfall is Ideal For:

Established businesses with fixed goals and budgets.

Industries like construction, healthcare, or manufacturing, where precision is critical.

Long-term projects requiring robust planning.

Conclusion

Both the Lean and Waterfall business models offer unique advantages and come with their own set of challenges. While the Lean model fosters innovation and flexibility, the Waterfall approach ensures stability and predictability. Entrepreneurs should carefully evaluate their project’s scope, resources, and objectives before committing to a framework. By aligning your operational strategy with your business’s needs, you set the stage for sustainable growth and success.

[parksprout]

Sprout Journal 12/10/24

Good morning Tumblr! There's really not a ton to talk about lately, so I've been kinda bad at these! Life feels like it's returned to a sort of slow march instead of the very rapid changes I was experiencing at the end of October/start of November.

There's a few things I wanna talk about today!!! I wanna recap what I've been up to in life lately first, and then I kinda wanna just let my thoughts enter a flow state at the end - this isn't too different from how I normally make these journals, but I think a preface is good! It gives me an idea of what I'm working towards.

So frankly life has been a little bit boring here lately. Work has been too easy, school has wrapped up for 2024 (yippee!!) and I've really just been taking these past few days to breathe and relax. They haven't been exactly as relaxing as I would like unfortunately. I've been too caught up in my own head these days doubting myself and my progress. But that can come later! In terms of actual activities lately, there's not been much to speak on! I've been watching through BNHA a lot lately, I haven't been caught up on that show in actually years. I don't think I like it as much nowadays as I did when I was a kid, but that makes sense :3 I was a kid with different tastes and interests. I've also been trying to learn more about OBS and editing software for the last few days, which has been kinda frustrating!!

I discovered that the format with which I record content isn't compatible with the editing software I downloaded yesterday unless I purchase the full version, which I'm not so sure if I want to do yet. I would like to hit a point where I'm recording full YouTube videos and uploading them regularly, but is it worth that investment as a total beginner? It might be eventually, but I run the risk of this becoming a very expensive hobby very fast. Anyways I've gotta search around and see what I can do; can I convert the video files into a different format that is compatible, can I find a different software that works for my purposes? Idk yet!

I got my work schedule adjusted for winter break and oh my gosh, I get two off days every week and I get out of work by four pm while still hitting full time hours. It's going to be amazing to an extent I think. I am somewhat worried about myself though! I know I don't do so well with free time while I'm already feeling depressive, so it might not actually wind up being too beneficial to me? That sounds so sad honestly, getting the free time I've wanted for so long and not even being able to really enjoy it once it's here. Maybe I'm being a bit pessimistic because these two off days haven't been the best for me?

I really haven't done much in these past three days since my last journal! I do think I've been treating myself badly, though, which gets into what I wanna talk about as the venting portion of this journal.

I'm not treating myself very well these days. By that I mean I'm not giving myself the patience and forgiveness that I deserve and... I'm not really letting myself heal in healthy ways. It's hard to acknowledge this, but I'm probably emotionally abusing myself with how I'm reacting to this relationship falling apart. I went through all of the stages of grief. I think that denial occurred before the breakup, actually. I could feel it stirring for a month or so before things actually ended and... I tried my hardest in that time to show Aaron that I was a good partner. I didn't know what was making them pull away from me like I know now, but I tried to be an overachiever partner... I tried to fix the subliminal issues that I knew were annoying them but it was obviously too little, too late, and not even something that could've fixed us in the first place. Anger happened when I blocked them, when I stepped away from their life and told them that I couldn't be present as anything unless it was what I wanted. I let myself be immature in that moment and... I really regret the way I behaved in that moment. Really I should've acted entirely different that day, what I should have done is gone home and told them that we need to have a longer conversation about this instead of just... letting it all fall apart that fast. We might not have had a different outcome - I don't think that there are words that I can say to Aaron to convince them to try again whether it was then or now - but I would've liked to have handled it better on my end. Anger ended the fastest of all of the phases, three days later I was unblocking them everywhere.

Bargaining has been the hardest part of this. I've spent the entire last month bargaining... working my ass off to show them who I am, what I could be for them, and why I'm worth dating. The shitty thing is? I think I have shown them that I'd be an amazing partner... I think I've shown them that I am not the type of person to give up, that I don't want to give up on them or us. I have proven that I'm loyal, that I care about them, that I would be willing to make any sacrifice for a life together. The issue is that I can be as pretty, intelligent, hard working, loyal, dedicated, fun and compatible for them as I want but... if they don't want to risk a second chance, there's nothing I can do to change that. This all seemed to culminate with that big conversation we had almost two weeks back. We talked all night about us... about what is keeping Aaron back from trying again still, about the idea of moving on and also about how I'm going to keep showing them that I would be a good partner. The conversation ended in much of the same way that our other big talks have ended, with them saying not now but not never, and me saying that I'm ready for them always. As much as that conversation really was a positive one, I do think that it's at the base of where I'm at now.

I know that the actual stages of grief aren't meant to be used so literally. No one cycles perfectly through those five stages, and I know that I haven't been experiencing them exactly as defined either. But I do think that I've entered a big depressive phase myself, the only question really being whether or not true acceptance is even something I can achieve at the end of this.

I want to talk more about my thoughts about me and Aaron at some point soon, but I haven't really been able to formulate anything cohesive? It weirdly feels like we're in another strange moment of waiting, like we need to have another conversation sometime soon and... I feel like I need to know more about what Aaron is feeling about us, but I also don't want to bug him about it. I wish I was better at being patient and just.. seeing what can happen. I guess to a certain extent I am being better because I'm not harassing him for answers or asking how he feels about me every day? Anyways this journal feels barely coherent ugh. I am not very good at expressing my emotions these days unfortunately. The words are hard to find.

Bye tumbie, I love y'all a lot. Sorry that this journal entry isn't really like... anything?? It feels like a nothing entry.