#title was achieved with machine translation

[brucenorris007]

l'âme d'un cuisinier chapter 1

Summary: Zeff doesn’t remember teaching Sanji how to make broth; Sanji doesn’t remember how he came to wake up back at Baratie. Thankfully neither of them are prone to getting hung up on that sort of thing.

2155 words

Zeff stomped back into the restaurant, sweeping an assessing gaze over the dining room. He clicked his tongue; half of his lily-livered so-called sea cooks jumped ship at the first sign of trouble. Looking around at the bums loitering at the tables, he’d lose another half of what staff were left before tomorrow morning. Slinking out quietly in some effort to preserve dignity.

Finding men with any kind of iron in their stomachs was hard.

The Navy usually didn’t bother him anymore. Not since that first time some big shot showed up to check the legitimacy of his retirement from piracy. The dregs of his reputation as Red Leg still attracted the odd band of weasels, though; most of them working under the assumption that Zeff hung up the crossbones because he couldn’t hack it in a fight anymore.

A stupid, sorely mistaken assumption that nonetheless ate up Zeff’s time and scared off customers.

He made his way toward the back, mind already at work figuring out how another day’s lost business would affect the budget for the month. The ship might’ve been paid for, but he couldn’t reel in alcohol with a lure and line; and Baratie would be a piss poor restaurant if he only offered unseasoned fish on the menu.

He knew the business wouldn’t be an easy thing; after buying the ship, he’d only had enough money to get a few fistfuls of flyers printed. The rest of whatever foothold he managed to claim would come from word of mouth about his cooking and the novelty of a fully functional restaurant on the water. Gaining enough traction to get regular customers would take about a year.

He didn’t put on the chef’s hat for the sake of profits, but he did need to break even to get fresh supplies and ingredients, let alone stay afloat.

The smell of the stoves burning drew him out of his head.

“Eggplant!”

Sanji, working with a dutch oven and at least half a dozen plates gathered from the dining room that he’d arranged around the burners, threw a glance over his shoulder.

“Hah?”

That the brat looked so comfortable and at ease despite needing a stool to see everything in the dutch oven; that he seemed so relaxed despite Zeff raising his voice. It briefly snagged the chef’s attention.

He dismissed it before it could take form as a thought, though, scuffing the floor with his peg leg as he made his way to the stove.

“Hell’re you doing?” He asked.

“Making the most of leftovers,” Sanji said, already focused back on the burner. “The scraps should make a passable broth. Haven’t decided what to do after that.”

Zeff looked over the eggplant’s work, ready and expecting to make multiple corrections; he came up empty for comment, though, even as the water began to boil and Sanji smoothly adjusted the heat. Having nothing to add, he chose to let the kid do what he wanted; he’d intervene if things somehow took a turn for the inedible. He latched onto the distraction from finances in front of him, mulling over what he might do with chicken and bones.

Sanji leaned sideways, reaching to pull the salt and peppercorn into his workspace.

“…!”

Zeff frowned, zeroing in on the wince that Sanji tried and failed to hide.

“Oi, look here.” Zeff said.

“I’m fine.” Sanji said with a flip of his hand.

“Look here.” He insisted, grabbing the brat’s jaw and turning his head to face him.

Sanji rolled his eye, acting put-upon.

“It’s just a cracked rib.” He said, annoyed and flippant.

Zeff pressed a palm against Sanji’s side gently; blood leaked out of the corner of the kid’s mouth.

‘What the fuck?’

Zeff hadn’t realized Sanji had even been in the fight out on deck.

“Fine,” Sanji amended. “A cracked rib and a busted lip.” He swatted at Zeff’s hand. “I didn’t get any blood in the broth, don’t worry.”

“How do you know that?” Zeff demanded.

Sanji wrinkled his nose.

“I do wash my hands and pay attention when I’m working, shitty g”

“Brat,” Zeff said. “How do you know what a cracked rib feels like?”

Sanji blinked. Twice. He shrugged.

He shrugged, too naturally and casually to be the bravado of a nine-year-old.

‘What the fuck?’

Zeff sent the brat to his room, against the expected indignant protests.

“You need to let your bones knit, brat.”

“It’s not even that serious, ch–!”

Zeff shoved the eggplant off the stool, answering the brat’s clicking tongue with a scowl.

“I’ll finish the broth and bring some up in a few hours.”

Sanji’s fight and gusto suddenly stalled out. Zeff huffed.

“I told ya,” he said, pitching his tone low; he didn’t need any of the yellow-bellied bums on board hearing him. “So long as you’re on this ship, you’ll have food whenever you’re hungry.”

Sanji blinked.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “You did.”

He turned and shuffled out of the kitchen.

—————

Sanji seemed… different. Not in any readily quantifiable way, yet between one day and the next, it felt as though the air around the eggplant had changed. Nothing was wrong, exactly; he’d already put back on a healthy bit of weight since they were found stranded, and his rib put itself back together just fine. The brat was no more addled in the head than Zeff or any of the other crooks that frequented Baratie.

And yet, at times the way Sanji carried himself seemed smoother, incongruous with a guppy who hadn’t even smelled puberty. No more scampering around the ship trying to match Zeff’s stride; his movements were more fluid, insofar as one could describe a nine-year-olds movements that way. Sanji had always been almost alarmingly skilled at taking up less space than he really needed, but Zeff hadn’t heard one of the usual complaints about the brat being underfoot in weeks.

Granted, putting up with the eggplant was one of Zeff’s unspoken requirements for working at his restaurant. Word might have gotten around about the last bum he’d punted overboard, broken-nose-first.

More than simply not getting in the way, the eggplant was suddenly all but immune to fluster and embarrassment; the bastards who showed up in answer to Zeff’s Help Wanted posters were prone to shooting the shit while they worked, no topic off-limits.

Sanji, without missing a beat, effortlessly fired off shots of his own:

“I call bullshit that you’ve ever spoken to a lady.”

“I have to put up with your shitty breath but you don’t hear me whining.”

“There isn’t enough chocolate in the world to get you laid.”

His delivery and timing were tailored for maximum impact; hearing raunchiness in his prepubescent tones was hilarious, but it was as if he’d either been tutored or else picked up ten years practice at being rude in the space of a night. Never mind that he apparently knew how to make chicken broth out of table scraps, despite only being a junior chef by virtue of being Baratie’s first hire.

And yet there were moments when Sanji looked every bit the petulant, stubborn brat Zeff had given his leg for; when the eggplant insisted on getting cigarettes, he coughed for fifteen minutes before he finished his first stick and glowered at the carton afterwards.

Zeff wasn’t sure if the shift was all in his head or not; no one else on board had really been around long enough to say one way or the other if his suspicions held any water.

Speaking of the staff, while the turnover rate had dropped a lot after the first month or so, there were still more vacant positions than there were actual cooks on board. It left Zeff doing the job of head chef, purchasing manager and at least two station chefs in the kitchen. Sanji helped with the food prep, but it still meant Zeff didn’t get much spare time to plan out menus.

“Shitty geezer.” Sanji said, appearing in the doorway to his office.

“Eggplant.” Zeff answered, matching the precocious brat’s tone.

“Pair of shitheads pulled up to the restaurant,” Sanji said, jerking his head back toward the kitchen. He glanced down that direction. “One’s got pork chops for forearms and the other has a rat tail sticking out of his head.”

Zeff snorted; he heard not a few barks of laughter from the kitchen, along with one shout.

“WHAT’D YOU SAY?!”

“And?” Zeff asked, getting up from his desk.

“They want a job,” Sanji said, with an odd urgency in his voice as he shifted his weight. “Hire them.”

He ran off before the newcomer crooks could catch him, leaving Rat tail glowering after him outside Zeff’s office. Pork chop stepped in and looked around with a critical eye.

“You Red Leg Zeff?” He asked.

“You the bums who wanna work?”

Rat tail and Pork chop traded looks; they nodded.

“Uniforms are down the hall,” Zeff said, gesturing with his thumb. “Toss ‘em on and find an empty station in the kitchen.”

—————

“Quit being a fucking martyr!”

Sanji’s body seized, catapulting him back into the waking world. He gasped for air, scrubbing at his face and rolling out of bed to open his window; the smell of ocean and the sound of the waves eventually drowned out his pulse pounding between his ears.

More than a month had passed since he woke up back in this bed, back in East Blue. Perhaps some whim of fate, maybe some freak accident.

“Run, Sanji! Run, and don’t look back!”

Maybe he’d been saved. Again.

The how of coming back didn’t matter; only that he had, and he had work to do.

He reached under his mattress and retrieved a single sheet of paper; he pored over his map. His shitty, rudimentary, completely shoddy map with something like five locations in total; no accounting for an accurate representation of distance between them. A fish head for Baratie, a shitty triangle for Reverse Mountain, and only names in bold print to differentiate between the circles he used to mark what islands he knew. That he’d lived so many years of his life exclusively on board Baratie was all too apparent in his ignorance of East Blue’s geography.

The mediocrity of his work didn’t bother him; the lack of artistry and personality, however, the absence of finesse and grace in each line…

It punctuated the hole in his heart where his nakama belonged.

(“USOPP!”

“I didn’t do it!”

“Calm down, I’m not mad; is this a Sea King?”

“Ah, based on my expert opinion, having fought a half dozen before I was”

“Yeah, yeah. Can you draw another?”

“R-really?”

“By some miracle, you didn’t obscure anything important. And I think it adds something to the map.”)

“Fuck.” Sanji muttered, swiping at burning eyes with the back of his hand.

He shoved the memories back into the recesses of his mind and frowned. He’d never been the one to make plans. He knew a thing or three about how to sabotage the best laid plans, but he’d always been much more dreamer than schemer. He had ten years before his captain came calling; yet only a paltry two to figure out a way to save Nami’s mother.

Sanji was sick of dead mothers.

He had no bearing on where to go save the general direction of Cocoyashi from Baratie, no way to traverse the sea save his own body, and a body sorely untrained and only months out of recovery from near-starvation.

His greatest boons were his yet-intact Haki and that he’d already developed his own black leg fighting style off what he’d inherited from Zeff. The impact his younger, weaker body could handle would be an obstacle, but at least he wasn’t starting from zero.

He stepped outside onto his balcony, eyed innocuous clouds. He looked down at his feet; flexed his toes. Canted his weight sideways and stretched what meager muscles he had. Breathed in, and…

Sor­–!

He faceplanted onto the wooden planks, hissing between clenched teeth against the burning agony in his legs.

He’d managed three of the necessary ten consecutive kicks.

“Shit.” He grunted, thumping his fist against his thigh.

The groan of floorboards had him going still; he listened through Haki to the restaurant, holding his breath.

A minute without movement from the floor below and he exhaled.

He closed his eyes. For a moment, he wondered how long it would take to build his body back up for even one of those shitty assassin’s techniques.

One of the many, countless bittersweet echoes living in his mind that he treasured and dreaded in equal measure came forward as if in answer.

“Sanji; fly!”

He opened his eyes to the moon; pressed the heel of his palm against the wood beneath him, clutched at the banister in front of his balcony.

“Roger,” he whispered, pulling himself onto legs screaming in protest. “Captain.”

[mxtxfanatic]

Book of the Week: Married Thrice to Salted Fish

Author: Bikabi (比卡比)

Genre: transmigration, ancient setting, danmei

Rating: M (for fade-to-black sexy times)

My Synopsis: Are you ready to cry your eyes out over a plot point you can guess from the literal title? Well grab your tissues and step right up to meet our main character: Lin Qingyu, a man who thinks the worst thing that can happen to him is being forced to marry a terminally ill young master who claims to be from another world and also to have the ability to be reborn into different people. Journey with him as he wades through court and courtyard politics, wielding his genius in medicine in order to protect himself from remaining a pawn of the royal family—and struggles with the practical knowledge that all the power and medical expertise in the world cannot stop death.

My Actual Review: Yes it’s literally in the title and official synopsis that the LI is gonna die a few times. Yes I cried every time, anyways; what of it? The story can be split into two interweaving plots: 1) Lin Qingyu fighting his way into becoming a physician against the interference of multiple royal family members and 2) the main couple falling in love as the LI works in between deaths to help Lin Qingyu achieve his dream instead of meeting his end as some book’s minor cannon fodder villain. This feels like a lot, but it works really well because Lin Qingyu, who the story focal point sticks with, still has things to do while the LI is… indisposed, so to speak. He’s not just waiting around for the LI to be reborn, and the story doesn’t stop or skip around to the LI’s return since the romance is not the only story focus. However, that doesn’t mean that the romance takes a backseat or is unimportant: each death brings the main characters closer as a couple, and each new life gives them new ways to work together as a well-oiled machine—which also makes the deaths hit especially hard despite readers knowing it’s coming.

On another note, this book has a lot of extras, to the point where they almost start to feel like too much of nothing? Especially since it just takes our cast and punts them into the modern world with no rhyme or reason (or sending them back), but they’re cute if you just mentally think of it as a modern au of the main story, for all intents and purposes.

Translation: complete

[yuzu-all-the-way]

Aoi Honoo IV - Prologue (the introduction)

Disclaimer: Full translation of AH4's Prologue done via machine translation (ChatGPT, Google Translate, DeepL and several other obscure online dictionaries). This means: nuances may be lost, meanings may be vague/muddled, but the relevant information is present. (@/LiaRyFS)

In 2019-2020, Hanyu Yuzuru thought about various things and hesitated, but ultimately he strongly decided to jump the quad Axel. Looking back on that season, he said as follows.

“2019 was a year of constant battle for me, including the World Championships in Saitama in March. I had been practising the quad Axel for a while, but it didn't go well for a long time… Sometimes I could jump it when I practised with a harness, and I thought, 'If I could do more of this, I might be able to do it.' But I also got injured again while trying things out, and there were many things that happened that season.

It was a year in which I kept challenging myself, but it was also a year in which I felt a sense of defeat as if everything had been broken. It's like there's nothing I can do on my own power, and that's how it felt…

At the Torino Grand Prix Final, of course, I felt that even if I made a lot of effort, I couldn't win without the support of the people around me. I somehow felt at that time that there is a world where no matter how much effort you put in, you can't win without the moment when everyone's power comes together, like at the Olympics.

However, it was a bit different from the statement made at the 2022 Beijing Olympics that 'effort will not be rewarded'. At that time, I think my desire to 'just get better' was still strong, so I was expressing those kinds of thoughts. As the consecutive competitions went on, I lost the strength to say such things when I lost at the All Japan Championships. 2019 was a year in which I struggled, not wanting to just be someone who won two consecutive Olympic titles, or someone from the past.”

When the new year began, he tried to find his way out of that despair.

“Since 2020, I have tested myself and thought a lot about what figure skating really means. So with the desire to regain my confidence, I returned to skating to my programs, ‘Ballade No. 1 in G minor’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘Ballade No. 1’) and ‘SEIMEI’. Since I had not yet won first place in the Four Continents Championships, there was a similar feeling of joy to my first victory in the 2019 GP Skate Canada. (N/T: Winning Skate Canada and 4CC sparked similar feelings of joy) I was really happy to have won! I think it was a big deal that Nathan Chen didn't participate at that time, but still winning the Four Continents for the first time and being able to win all the competitions that I had left behind gave me a sense of achievement and I was enveloped in a great sense of accomplishment.

However, what was bothering me inside was still the quadruple Axel. Even if I skated 'Ballade No.1' more beautifully than before and improved technically, there was a sense of resignation that 'I can't get a score higher than 2015' or something like that. The competition was the one where I felt like I had finally let go of my doubts and decided to focus solely on attempting the quadruple Axel. In a sense, that season was when I was able to establish a clear path towards expressing myself through the program and the 4A.”

However, his feelings were complex towards the World Championships that were coming up next (N/T: WC2020)

“In retrospect, I feel like I wasn't as fully invested in preparing for the World Championships as I thought I was, although at the time I was putting in my best effort. Unfortunately, it was ultimately cancelled due to the impact of the coronavirus. Winning the Four Continents Championship was a very fulfilling achievement, and I don't think it's normal to experience burnout after winning Four Continents, but in a way, there was a sense of resignation and a lifting of the confusion in my heart, combined with the fact that I was going to compete against Nathan, so... to be honest, that World Championships wasn't a competition where I had to jump the quadruple Axel, and the quadruple Axel wasn't a jump I could do even after practising it for about two weeks.

Since the program with the quad Lutz, 'SEIMEI,' had a different composition, I aimed to stabilise that first, and also, I had already peaked a little since the Four Continents, so honestly, during that short period, I couldn't do much except to adjust to get back to my peak. 

However, at that time, the fear of competing against Nathan had already disappeared. It's like, 'I don't mind losing anymore' (laughs). In a way, until the cancellation of the World Championships, I always thought that it would be enough for me to firmly express what I wanted to express and to firmly follow the path of figure skating that I believed in.

However, when the World Championships were actually cancelled, I cried a lot. I couldn't help but wonder, ‘What was I working so hard for?’ And when it was actually cancelled, I realised that I hated going into competitions with the mind-set of 'losing'.”

From there, the spread of the novel coronavirus increased and the situation became such that people were unable to move around freely.

“In the end, that was the end of the 2019-2020 season, and after that, the spread of the coronavirus began, but I didn't have much hope. I was devastated at the 2019 GP Final and All-Japan, and had given up after ‘Ballade No. 1’ at the 2020 Four Continents Championships. From that time on, I didn't have much hope while practising. Rather, the only goal was ‘to jump the quadruple Axel!’

Even if my skating skills and other things improve, it doesn’t mean that the program components score will grow any further. Even if I perfected the expression through music, even if I matched the sound of the jumps to the sound of the music. Even if I did jumps with more variations from difficult steps, the GOE will not improve significantly. Rather, because of that, the speed would be slower and the height of the jumps lower, so some judges give 0 or +1 GOE.

In that sense, I felt like ‘I don't really care about those things anymore’ and decided to be true to myself. Although it may sound like an excuse, rather than trying to do something while decorating myself as 'Yuzuru Hanyu', I think I started practising with the feeling of facing my own core and jumping the quadruple Axel, thinking ‘I'm going to finish this’. So, when I came back to Japan, I started training with that mind-set.

To be honest, there were times when I felt really hopeless, and when the World Championships were cancelled, I cried with relief thinking, ‘I'm glad I don't have to go to a losing match’. In reality, I hadn't been able to push myself to the limit and I wasn't able to perform as well as I wanted to.”

Challenging himself alone in Japan after returning home was even more difficult than he had imagined. Later, Hanyu talked about that time.

“In those days, I felt like I spent a lot of time having a dialogue with myself and facing skating. The desire to successfully perform a quad axel was always at the core of my being. After the Pyeongchang Olympics, I had absolutely no motivation, so if I didn't have the quad Axel, I think I would have definitely quit, and I would have thought about retiring earlier. But thanks to that, I think I now have a reason to live pursuing my dreams, and that is the centre of my current life. I think that hasn't changed from those days to now.

However, at that time, there were challenges in pursuing the quad Axel jump. There were times when the gears didn't quite mesh due to factors such as not having a coach to guide me, changes in practice environment, and issues with body care that I had to decide on my own. At that time, I had a feeling that not only my 4A but also the level of what I was doing was gradually decreasing. I had a feeling like, 'Why am I even doing figure skating?'...It was like a sense of loss. It's like my own abilities were diminishing, or like my skating wasn't my own anymore. I felt a strong sense of sadness, like seeing my ideals getting further and further away from me. When I perform in ice shows or when I have my coach watch me skate, I receive feedback like 'this was good' or 'let's try this a little differently' but when I set such a high goal for myself like attempting the quad Axel alone, I have to spend every day unable to achieve it. I was doing it without any self-affirmation in the midst of that.”

In addition, he completed his graduation thesis for the correspondence course of the Waseda University Faculty of Human Sciences at the end of July, but the burden of collecting data for it was also significant.

“That required a lot of energy. What was published in academic journals was really just a small part, and we actually collected much more data and did various things. It took time to collect that data and required a lot of mental effort as well. At that time, various things coincided. My foot hurt from practising the quadruple Axel, and I had to rest from practice. When I returned to practice, I couldn't jump at all... Everything was already leaning in a negative direction.”

The cancellation of the ice show that used to be held every year, due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, was also a loss for Hanyu, who had always continued to challenge himself with a forward-looking attitude.

“To be honest, there was a time when I didn't understand why I loved skating. If we really, really go back to the origin, it was something like an extraordinary feeling. The sensation on the ice is completely different from the sensation of living on the ground, isn't it? Because it's such a difficult thing, I think there was a sense of joy when I was able to do it. And then, skating alone on that wide rink and everyone watching only me. If my performance was good, I would receive tremendous cheers, but if it was bad, I would only get mediocre feedback. 

I think that sensation of being watched, of being seen, is something that I really liked. But as I continued skating for a long time, that feeling gradually faded away, or became commonplace. In addition to that, there was also a lot of pressure to meet everyone's expectations, and it became not just fun, but also nerve-wracking, worrying about what would happen if I failed, and so on. It was because of the accumulation of those things, and the increasing burden that came with it, that it stopped being enjoyable, or rather, there was no time to think about enjoying it anymore.

I feel a lot of pressure to 'perform well’ even at ice shows, so I practise a lot for that purpose. So, I think that's why, during the off-season when I wasn't in front of everyone, I started to feel even more like 'why did I love skating again?'”

In the midst of feeling cornered, he had to think and make various decisions on his own. And he had to keep challenging himself with the high hurdle of the quadruple Axel.

“There were times when things didn't go well, and that's why at that time, my mind and my head were in a mess and I felt like I couldn't do anything. Normally, if I played a game or something, it would refresh me and I would think ‘Alright, let's do our best next time,’ but at that time, there was nothing I could do.

Experiencing the pain of practising alone to the point of hating it, Hanyu decided to withdraw from the Grand Prix series during that period. The Grand Prix series of this year was held in a modified format due to travel restrictions between countries. Each skater was allowed to participate in only one event, and the conditions for participation included skaters, judges, and officials from the host country, as well as skaters who regularly practised in the host country. In addition, only skaters from other countries who were invited based on their geographical location were able to participate.

Afterwards, the second event Skate Canada and the fourth event in France were cancelled, and only the first event Skate America, the third event in China, the fifth event in Russia, and the sixth event NHK Trophy were held. The Final was also announced to be cancelled. 

In August, Hanyu took into consideration that "many people would have to travel due to my participation".

He announced his withdrawal, saying, "If I refrain from going and make efforts to prevent the spread of infection, I believe it can be one of the activities to prevent the spread of infection." For Hanyu, who has used going to competitions as a way to stimulate his emotions and as a source of energy for his evolution, it was a difficult decision.

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　１４

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ The Detragan

We ran through the black castle. The professor and Janice were leading the way without hesitation, and even though the castle was full of rooms and corridors, they seemed to know exactly where to go.

Eventually, a door came into view.

“There!”

The professor immediately opened it and dashed inside. Of course, we all jumped in after him.

There, we found Descole, his henchmen, and for some reason…

…Mr Whistler. What was he doing here?

He was trying to force a strange mechanical device over Amelia’s head.

“W-wait! I wanted to give eternal life to my grandpa! The doctors say he only has one month left to life… Isn’t eternal life a secret potion or something? We have to bring it to my grandpa…!”

“That is not acceptable.”

“Stop!”

Amelia was struggling in desperation.

The professor yelled: “This has to stop!”

By the time Mr Whistler looked at us in surprise, Emmy had already started attacking Descole’s henchmen. When Mr Whistler saw her next victim flying towards him, he screamed and cowered to the side.

Meanwhile, I ran up to Amelia, as she removed the device from her head.

“Mr Whistler, your intention was never to give ‘eternal life’ to the winner. What you are trying to do is tantamount to taking life, rather than giving eternal life!”

“What makes you think that?” Mr Whistler replied calmly.

“I finally reached it… the terrible truth behind this game.”

Yes! So he solved the mystery?

“What do you mean, Professor!?” I couldn’t help but shout.

The professor gazed at Mr Whistler and continued:

“A year ago, you spent a large amount of money in order to build a large-scale music performance device, the Detragan, despite… no, because of the fact that Melina’s death was approaching. And in order to achieve it, you obtained help… from the scientist there named Descole.”

At that last word, he sent a cold glare towards the man in question. To his strict eyes, Descole grinned with… a sullen smile.

“The Detragan is more than just an instrument. It is also a terrifying machine, capable of temporarily recording memories and copying them into other people’s brains.”

“What!?”

I turned my eyes to the Detragan in shock. So did Inspector Grosky, who muttered in shock:

“Copying… memories…?”

The professor continued, undisturbed.

“However, the Detragan’s copying process was imperfect. Even if the copy itself is successful, the original memories will gradually erode the copied ones over time… Nina told me about it.”

Right after this last sentence, the professor crouched down in front of her and smiled.

“Could you tell me again who you were with earlier?”

Nina nodded cheerfully. “It was Miss Melina!”

She… was with Melina!? What could that mean?

The professor started speaking again. He told us what had happened to Nina just a few minutes ago…

After getting Puzzle n°004 wrong on purpose, the professor had investigated the castle and eventually found the room in which Melina used to live.

It was a room with a balcony, giving a great view over the sea. There was a piano there, and a handwritten music sheet sitting on a music stand. The title read: ‘Song of the Sea.’

I gasped.

“The sea taught me.”

I remembered a song that I had heard on the beach.

Then Nina… no, a girl who was called ‘Melina’ at the time, appeared.

“I came here to see you, Melina.”

The girl had gotten angry at the professor for saying that.

“You… Stay out of my way!”

It was the melody of the ‘Song of the Sea,’ which the professor had started playing on the piano, that stopped her from running away. As she regained her composure, he had said:

“How long have you lived here?”

“I was… sick. My dad brought me to this island because he said the weather here was good for me. That’s why I feel so much better now…”

“Better…? I was told that you did not just get ‘better,’ but that you have been reborn with eternal life…?”

“Right… Reborn… I… was sick and died…!”

The girl’s face had contorted in pain as she held her head.

“I’m not dead, I’m fine! I was brought in… no, don’t say it! He’ll notice… Shh.”

The professor said that in this moment, it was as if two people were speaking. A young seven-year-old girl, and an adult woman who was present with her, and called herself Melina…

“Melina?”

“I’m not Melina! Yes, I am! No—I want to go home! Stop!”

“You are…”

The professor said that when he witnessed this girl in distress, the mystery had been solved in the blink of an eye.

The mystery of just what kind of horrific experiments the Detragan carried out.

The professor glared at Mr Whistler.

“After repeated failures, you desperately searched for a brain that could accept Melina’s memories perfectly. This is why you sent invitations to young, talented women like Miss Amelia…”

He then shifted his gaze to Descole.

“This game, and the intent of fooling everyone into believing that they were going to gain eternal life, was likely Descole’s idea. After all, Mr Whistler… You would have wanted instead to copy Melina’s memories as soon as possible.”

Descole smiled wryly.

“As expected of you, Layton. How long have you been aware of my presence?”

“I had a hunch early on, but it wasn’t until I saw this ghastly black castle that I became convinced. I knew right away who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, Descole.”

Descole responded to his accusations with a maniacal laughter that horrified me to the core.

At that moment, Mr Whistler pounced on me—!

“If that’s how it is, I don’t care anymore who it has to be!”

Before I had time to resist, the Detragan’s device was placed over my head. Mr Whistler had madness in his eyes, and was muttering to himself.

“I have to preserve Melina’s memories…”

Seriously!?

“No, s-stop…!”

I shouted as loud as I could, but he would not listen.

“I’m running out of time!”

A lever on the Detragan was pulled down.

I couldn’t take it anymore…! I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t find any words. Mr Whistler’s smile in front of me was too frightening.

…How many seconds had passed by now?

His smile disappeared and was replaced with a whimper.

“W… What!?”

I breathed and looked around. The lights on the Detragan were all switched off.

I had no idea what happened, but I was saved.

Mr Whistler rushed to the Detragan.

“The key…!”

After muttering this single word, he rushed to look for it everywhere, in a half-crazed state.

“Who took it? Who!? Layton, is that you!? Huh!?”

As he could not find any key, he grabbed the professor.

“We have to be quick… There is a time limit to the Detragan’s memory maintenance!”

The professor remained completely still. “Calm down, Mr Whistler. I know who sabotaged this device.”

Mr Whistler stopped moving. The one who ‘sabotaged this device,’ he said? I didn’t know who that was, but I thanked the culprit in my heart. I didn’t have to become the subject of a horrific experiment thanks to them.

“This person is also the key to explaining all the inexplicable events in this case,” the professor continued. “Events that go beyond any of your expectations…”

This was the moment I had been waiting for…! The professor would use this tone when he had solved all the mysteries and was about to denounce the culprit.

“Who? Who is it!?” Mr Whistler asked in confusion.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? It was someone who concealed their identity, and wanted to stop your mistakes more than anyone else…”

I was shocked. “More than anyone else…?”

What did he mean by that?

“And this person… is you!”

And the culprit that the professor pointed to was…

…Janice!? No, impossible…

The professor’s voice changed to a much gentler tone.

“It is time to reveal everything, don’t you think Janice? Or rather… I should say Melina.”

He said this was Melina!?

Janice… No, Melina—she let out a small exhale. She then looked straight at Mr Whistler.

“That’s right. I am Melina.”

Mr Whistler staggered in shock.

“When I first realised that I was in my best friend’s body, I was shocked… but incredibly, Janice had allowed me to be there.”

So that was it! I was astonished at the mystery, and at how the professor had been able to solve it. So the Detragan experiment had been a success!

The experiment had even involved Janice, and Mr Whistler had tried to copy Melina’s memories into her mind… He apparently was unaware that he had succeeded.

“Janice stepped back into the back of her own consciousness, and let her body be at my disposal. I had been sick for such a long time, so it gave me so much joy to be able to move around freely in this body…”

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

[tangent101]

The Perfidy of Ludinus Da'leth

While most fans will be focusing on the OTP of Fearne, Deanna, and Chetney which surprised a number of fans and earned @quiddie the title of the most chaotic and horny of Critical Role Guest Players, the latest episode also revealed something quite important about Ludinus Da'leth: that he's a poseur of the highest order. Seriously. Listen to what Matt revealed in the notes Deanna was translating.

Essentially, we learned that Ludinus gained power by absorbing the essence of a number of fey creatures. Further, he was questioning what the Gods had said about Ruidus and mourned that he was not born under the auspices of that moon as he slowly lost faith in the Gods and envied their power.

This is not a Calamity-era Wizard born again or awakened from stasis. No. This is a conniving and brilliant post-Cataclysm elf who was upset he was not a "Chosen One" or the like and decided to seek entitlement through Ruidus. In fact, his need to be "special" was so great that he destroyed an entire kingdom through his hubris... and then when his efforts failed the first time he doubled down on this and tried to do it again.

We have an elf who exists off of stolen power to achieve greatness. He "honors" the Raven Queen because she achieved what he wants: Godhood. And she took her Godhood by force. In turn, he has been seizing power from others to achieve his own greatness. He's a manbaby who is upset he's not special and is willing to risk killing an entire world just so he can be the biggest kid on the block.

These notes are essential to destroying Da'leth. They give a deep glimpse into the psyche of a pathetic little child who is playing a long con. By flaunting that knowledge, revealing that his secrets and old manipulations into power are now known, Bells Hells can turn the tables on him and leave him acting without thinking things through. Only then do they have a chance at prevailing over him and stopping his machinations.

[0rdinarythoughts]

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

کولمبیا کے ایک مصنف نے اپنی زندگی کے کئی مہینوں کو اپنا ناول تیار کرنے میں صرف کیا جس کا عنوان تھا "تنہائی کے ایک سو سال" اور اسے ختم کرنے کے بعد، وہ اپنی بیوی کے ساتھ پوسٹ آفس گیا تاکہ ناول کو ایک پبلشنگ ہاؤس بھیجے۔

A Colombian writer spent months of his life preparing his novel titled "One Hundred Years of Isolation" and after finishing it, he went with his wife to the post office to send the novel to a publishing house

لیکن رقم صرف ناول کا آدھا بھیجنے کے لیے کافی تھی، اس کے پاس صرف اپنا ٹائپ رائٹر اور شادی کی انگوٹھی تھی۔

But the money was only enough to send half of the novel, he only owned his typewriter and wedding ring

ان کے درمیان جھگڑا ہوا، وہ مشین پر شرط لگانا چاہتا ہے اور وہ شادی کی انگوٹھی پر شرط لگانا چاہتی ہے۔

A dispute erupted between them, he wants to bet the machine and she wants to bet the wedding ring.

اگلے دن وہ اٹھا تو دیکھا کہ اس کی بیوی نے اپنی انگوٹھی گروی رکھ دی ہے اور ناول کا باقی آدھا حصہ بھیج دیا ہے۔

He woke up the next day to find his wife had pledged her ring and sent the other half of the novel

اس عظیم خاتون کو مرسیڈیز بارکا کہا جاتا ہے

This great lady is called "Mercedes Barca"

مارکیز کے ناول نے مہینوں بعد عالمی آمدنی حاصل کی، اس کا 21 زبانوں میں ترجمہ ہوا اور لاکھوں کاپیاں فروخت ہوئیں، اور اس کے لیے ادب کا نوبل انعام بھی ملا۔

Marquez's novel after months achieved global revenue, it was translated into 21 languages and sold millions of copies, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature for it.

جب عورت آپ کی واحد فوج ہے۔

When a woman is your only army

[heavenlydragon]

“Escaflowne Bible” scans [page 11]

You may (or may not) remember the scans/translations of the tiny Escaflowne Bible artbook. This is the second to final part to be posted, called Character Profiles (or Character Biographies). Many thanks again to @legendofthesevenstars for the proofread!

This is the last Profiles page. Now, all that remains are the title colored pages and the book is done. Translation of the whole page below the cut!

DORNKIRK

Profile

By self-developed power of super-science, even at 200 years of age, he continues to rule Zaibach as its emperor. His origin is Mystic Moon (Earth), and his Earth name was Isaac. A scientist from Earth’s past, he arrived on this world on the verge of his passing. Moreover, he is the man who killed Allen’s father. Right now, with the aim to complete his fate altering machine and manipulate fate, he set his eyes on Hitomi, who could become the key to it.

Question of Interest

Why does Dornkirk wear his hair in ringlets?

Dornkirk's curly hair seems quite eye-catching. He lived as Isaac during the European Middle Ages. Back then, high-born people curled their hair as a sign of status. It looks like this remained in his mind, and Dornkirk continues to curl his hair. He seems to be an unexpectedly scrupulous person.

Pic Descriptions

Dornkirk as seen in the episode 16 flashback.

Top view of Dornkirk’s throne, with many machines attached.

Dornkirk achieved longevity thanks to the power of science. Looking at it this way, the huge throne comes as no surprise.

As death was drawing near to Isaac on Earth, he suddenly arrived in the Zaibach empire. Since then, he ascended to the very imperial throne.

OTHER CHARACTERS - “GAEAN FOLK”

From the inhabitants of Gaea, we collected those that were in the frontlines of action, those who died over the course of the series, those who gained sympathies, etc.

Allen and Marlene’s son, Chid

Leon, searching for the secrets of Atlantis.

Plaktu, who ended up murdered by Zongi

Worried about Millerna, the second sister, Eries.

The commander of the energist mine, who set his snake to wrap around Hitomi

Considerably absent as of recent, Mole Man.

Zongi, killed by Dilandau.

Reappearing in episode 17, one of the Three Swordsmen of Gaea, Balgus.

Intensified Luck Soldiers, the twin sisters Naria and Eriya

One of Zaibach’s four generals, the leader of Black Steel army, Zodia Quu

Duke Freid, insisting: “Chid is my son!”

Distrustful of Van and company, Freid’s governor, Voris

One of the Zaibach’s four generals, the leader of the Bronze army, Helio Eides

One of the Zaibach’s four generals, the leader of the Silver army, Getin Gus

One of the Zaibach’s four generals, the leader of the Copper army, Adelphos Gein

<<ESCAFLOWNE TIDBITS>> (on bottom of the page)  

Dornkirk and his lovely curls. It is surprising to know he was an Earth scientist. By the way, his hair isn’t curled as he meets Leon, it really looks like it became his hairstyle after he became the emperor. Up until his very death on Earth, Isaac studied things like destiny and future prediction. The strength of this inquisitive mind was what opened the door to Gaea for him. As he was lying on his deathbed, when he thought it was his end, he opened his eyes one last time and before he knew it, he found himself on Gaea.

[translationandbetrayals]

Astroboy: From Pioneer to Cultural Icon

In the vast world of anime, few titles hold as significant a place in history as Astroboy (Tetsuwan Atom). Created by Osamu Tezuka and adapted into an animated series in 1963, Astroboy not only marked the beginning of modern anime but also defined how Japanese visual narratives could resonate on a global scale, establishing an artistic and cultural bridge between Japan and the world.

Astroboy first appeared as a manga in 1952, but its transition to animation truly propelled its success. Tezuka, often referred to as the "God of Manga," understood the economic limitations of the industry at the time and employed limited animation techniques to reduce production costs. These methods, involving fewer frames per second, were offset by strong narrative quality and expressive visual storytelling. This model of resourceful storytelling became the cornerstone of anime as a medium, setting a standard that would be emulated for decades.

Beyond its technical achievements, Astroboy stood out for its storytelling. Although aimed primarily at children, the series tackled universal themes such as robot rights, the ethics of artificial intelligence, coexistence between humans and machines, and moral dilemmas in technologically advanced societies. These elements, deeply influenced by Japan's post-war social anxieties, made Astroboy a work that resonated emotionally and intellectually, transcending generational boundaries.

The impact of Astroboy extended far beyond Japan. It became one of the first anime to be adapted for international audiences, debuting in the United States in 1964. This process involved not only language translation but also the adaptation of certain cultural elements to make them more understandable or acceptable to Western viewers. These adjustments, sometimes considered "cultural betrayals," altered parts of the original narrative but also allowed Astroboy to reach a much wider audience, introducing anime as a global form of entertainment. This phenomenon underscores both the potential and the challenges of cultural translation, especially when a work reflects values deeply rooted in its original context.

The global success of Astroboy laid the foundation for modern anime, paving the way for subsequent series to be produced and exported. Its legacy is evident not only in technical and narrative terms but also as a model for anime's internationalization. In an increasingly interconnected world, Astroboy represents a turning point where Japanese stories began crossing borders, adapting to new audiences without losing their original essence.

While the technology and narrative approaches in anime have evolved significantly since Astroboy's era, the series remains a cultural and artistic benchmark. Its influence extends not only to anime creators but also to contemporary debates on technological ethics, artificial intelligence, and the relationship between humans and machines. Through its story, Astroboy reminds us that at the heart of every great narrative lies a quest for meaning that transcends time and cultural boundaries.

—Jonatan C. Arévalo

[jcmarchi]

From Atari to Doom: How Google is Redefining Video Games with AI

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/from-atari-to-doom-how-google-is-redefining-video-games-with-ai/

From Atari to Doom: How Google is Redefining Video Games with AI

The video game industry, now worth $347 billion, has grown into a significant player in the entertainment world, engaging more than three billion people globally. What started with straightforward titles like Pong and Space Invaders has evolved into more sophisticated games like Doom, which set new standards with its 3D visuals and home console experience. Today, the industry stands on the brink of a new era, influenced by the advances in artificial intelligence (AI). Leading this transformation is Google, utilizing its extensive resources and technology to redefine how video games are created, played, and experienced. This article explores Google’s journey in redefining video games.

The Beginning: AI to Play Atari Games

Google’s use of AI in video games began with a critical development: creating an AI capable of recognizing game environments and reacting like a human player. In this early work, they introduced a deep reinforcement learning agent that could learn control strategies directly from gameplay. Central to this development was a convolutional neural network, trained using Q-learning, which processed raw screen pixels and converted them into game-specific actions based on the current state.

The researchers applied this model to seven Atari 2600 games without modifying the architecture or learning algorithm. The results were impressive—the model outperformed previous methods in six games and exceeded human performance in three. This development highlighted the potential of AI to handle complex, interactive video games with nothing more than visual input.

This breakthrough laid the groundwork for later achievements, such as DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeating a Go world champion. The success of AI agents in mastering challenging games has since spurred further research into real-world applications, including interactive systems and robotics. The influence of this development is still felt in the fields of machine learning and AI today.

AlphaStar: AI to Learn Complex Game Strategy for StarCraft II

Building on their early AI successes, Google set its sights on a more complex challenge: StarCraft II. This real-time strategy game is known for its complexity, as players must control armies, manage resources, and execute strategies in real-time. In 2019, Google introduced AlphaStar, an AI agent capable of playing StarCraft II professionally.

AlphaStar’s development used a mix of deep reinforcement learning and imitation learning. It first learned by watching replays of professional players, then improved through self-play, running millions of matches to refine its strategies. This achievement demonstrated AI’s ability to handle complex, real-time strategy games, achieving results that matched human players.

Beyond Individual Games: Toward a More Generalist AI for Games

Google’s latest advancement signifies a move from mastering individual games to creating a more versatile AI agent. Recently, Google researchers introduced SIMA, short for Scalable Instructable Multiworld Agent, a new AI model designed to navigate various game environments using natural language instructions. Unlike earlier models that required access to a game’s source code or custom APIs, SIMA operates with two inputs: on-screen images and straightforward language commands.

SIMA translates these instructions into keyboard and mouse actions to control the game’s central character. This method allows it to interact with different virtual settings in a way that mirrors human gameplay. Research has shown that AI trained across multiple games performs better than those trained on a single match, highlighting SIMA’s potential to drive a new era of generalist or foundation AI for games.

Google’s ongoing work aims to expand SIMA’s capabilities, exploring how such versatile, language-driven agents can be developed across diverse gaming environments. This development represents a significant step toward creating AI that can adapt and thrive in various interactive contexts.

Generative AI for Game Design

Recently, Google has expanded its focus from enhancing gameplay to developing tools that support game design. This shift is driven by advancements in generative AI, particularly in image and video generation. One significant development is using AI to create adaptive non-player characters (NPCs) that respond to player actions in more realistic and unpredictable ways.

Additionally, Google has explored procedural content generation, where AI assists in designing levels, environments, and entire game worlds based on specific rules or patterns. This method can streamline development and offer players unique, personalized experiences with each playthrough, sparking a sense of curiosity and anticipation. A notable example is Genie, a tool that enables users to design 2D video games by providing an image or a description. This approach makes game development more accessible, even for those without programming skills.

Genie’s innovation lies in its ability to learn from various video footage of 2D platformer games rather than relying on explicit instructions or labelled data. This ability allows Genie to understand game mechanics, physics, and design elements more effectively. Users can start with a basic idea or sketch, and Genie will generate a complete game environment, including settings, characters, obstacles, and gameplay mechanics.

Generative AI for Game Development

Building on prior advancements, Google has recently introduced its most ambitious project yet, aimed at simplifying the complex and time-consuming game development process that has traditionally required extensive coding and specialized skills. Recently, they introduced GameNGen, a generative AI tool designed to simplify the game development process. GameNGen allows developers to build entire game worlds and narratives using natural language prompts, significantly cutting down the time and effort needed to create a game. By leveraging generative AI, GameNGen can generate unique game assets, environments, and storylines, enabling developers to focus more on creativity rather than technicalities. For example, researchers have used GameNGen to develop a full version of Doom, demonstrating its capabilities and paving the way for a more efficient and accessible game development process.

The technology behind GameNGen involves a two-phase training process. First, an AI agent is trained to play Doom, creating gameplay data. This data then trains a generative AI model that predicts future frames based on previous actions and visuals. The result is a generative diffusion model capable of producing real-time gameplay without traditional game engine components. This shift from manual coding to AI-driven generation marks a significant milestone in game development, offering a more efficient and accessible way to create high-quality games for smaller studios and individual creators.

 The Bottom Line

Google’s recent advances in AI are set to fundamentally reshape the gaming industry. With tools like GameNGen enabling the creation of detailed game worlds and SIMA offering versatile gameplay interactions, AI is transforming not just how games are made but also how they are experienced.

As AI continues to evolve, it promises to enhance creativity and efficiency in game development. Developers will have new opportunities to explore innovative ideas and deliver more engaging and immersive experiences. This shift marks a significant moment in the ongoing evolution of video games, underscoring AI’s growing role in shaping the future of interactive entertainment.

[journalist-jared]

Day 2

I did so much laundry!

I folded and put away my dried laundry that was hanging up, I washed and hung up a load, striped my bed cloths and washed them and re-made my bed.

Laundry is the hardest chore for me. I can usually get most chores done with minimal struggle, laundry is different because you get one part of it done and then completely stop to wait for the machine to finish its cycle or dry. For me getting things done is all about momentum. If I can drag myself out of bed and start my day with small victories like showering and having a good breakfast I can usually chain that into more chores and getting more things done.

Today I managed to do all of that and feel good the whole time! I also managed to go for a walk and wash the dog. However, last night sucked. I stayed up way too late getting Obsidian working and synced with my phone. Once that was done I just kept adding things to my notes. Once I dragged myself away from my PC I couldn't find the peace needed for sleep, I kept worrying about the campaign or remembering cards I wanted to add to my Magic decks but forgot to write it down at the time.

And so to my worries about the campaign. I finished reading the base hunters in Monster of the Week and am not convinced that there is a seamless translation of rule set to campaign setting. Despite my previous blog, I feel that the rule set is too focussed on the supernatural and will not leave room for me to create the kinds of Sci-fi plots from Stargate.

I have an alternate campaign in mind if I'm unable to overcome this hurdle. I've only ever played in Swords and Sorceries settings or official modules in D&D, I have played a handful of games in Warhammer 40K but I've wanted to run or play in some kind of modern magic setting in D&D for a while. After watching Dimension 20's Unsleeping City I had the kernel of an idea for a similar game set in my home town of Melbourne Australia. The cornerstone of the Unsleeping City is the phrase If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere and I thought about a similar phrase that heard on the radio almost constantly as a child , Melbourne is the world's most livable city. And it hit me, livable means that Necromantic magic is quit easy in Melbourne and what would happen if Melbourne was suddenly no longer the Worlds most livable city as I remember a time when Melbourne suddenly lost that title. Now that I've grown up I don't know if that was a statistical based appraisal of life in Melbourne or some competition run by a newspaper.

The idea for Unsleeping City: Melbourne (better name pending) would be Necromancy and undead monsters like vampires are easy and common in this Unsleeping City. Melbourne's equivalent of The Gramercy Occult Society would be tasked primarily with ensorcelling the recently deceased so that their remains could not be raised by necromancers. The Taboo of defiling human corpses would still remain, most necromancers that animate dead would therefore use non-human remains to create servants and tools. Other forms of Necromancy like those in the Locked Tomb series, various ways of manipulating Death Energy are enhanced or easier to achieve in Melbourne. Melbourne's Gramercy Occult Society would also police the Unsleeping City to keep despotic or tyrannical Necromancers from harming others. And the campaign would be about what would happen to the various enclaves if Melbouren where to no longer be the Worlds most Livable city or about trying to prevent a plot from unseating Melbourne as the World's most Livable city.

So, to Monster of the Week. I have this safety net in case things won't work as perfectly as I'd like them to. But this is one of the things that I am trying to overcome, I've learnt that I tend to abandon projects and hobbies if I'm not perfect at them. I'll even avoid starting on new things for the fear of potential failure. I realised today that I'm avoiding playing in a setting because I'm afraid that it will not be perfect and that I don't have the capacity to deliver the story that I want in this setting. And then I thought what if I'm also not able to deliver with Unsleeping City: Melbourne?

But instead of making me more afraid of the prospect of running the game, this thought was liberating. Not because I'm okay with failing, I'm still terrified of that, but because I have no capacity to avoid failing. I have no way of knowing if this is going to work because I don't know what my players want or what they're going to ask or how they will respond to the setting and rule set. And if it's not possible to not fail, then I should just play in the setting that I want to and do my best to deliver a fun time for my friends.

And who knows, I could always just play in Unsleeping City: Melbourne later.

[nehamore09]

The True Value Proposition of SAP Solutions.

The True Value Proposition of SAP Solutions: Beyond Efficiency, Unveiling Strategic Transformation.

This title expands on the original version by focusing on the strategic impact of SAP, going beyond just efficiency gains. It remains within the suggested word count.

Beyond Efficiency: Unveiling the True Value Proposition of SAP Solutions

In a rapidly evolving business landscape, efficiency is no longer enough. Businesses require a comprehensive solution that fosters agility, unlocks strategic insights, and fuels sustainable growth. This is where the true value proposition of SAP solutions emerges.

Breaking Down the Silos: Unifying Your Business for Success

Traditional business software often operates in isolation, hindering data visibility and collaboration. SAP shatters these silos by offering a unified platform with interconnected applications for various departments: finance, human resources, supply chain management, customer relationship management, and analytics.

Imagine a central hub where real-time data flows seamlessly, enabling informed decision-making across the organization. This is the foundation on which SAP builds its true value proposition.

From Efficiency to Strategic Transformation: The Benefits of a Unified SAP Platform

Implementing SAP goes beyond automating tasks and streamlining processes. It unlocks significant benefits that translate into strategic advantages:

Enhanced Decision-Making: Real-time data insights from across departments empower informed decision-making at all levels. Data-driven strategies pave the way for innovation and competitive differentiation.

Improved Customer Experience: A unified view of customer interactions across sales, marketing, and service functions fuels personalized experiences and strengthens customer relationships.

Increased Operational Agility: Streamlined workflows, automated processes, and real-time data access enable businesses to adapt quickly to changing market dynamics and seize new opportunities.

Data-Driven Innovation: With readily available and consolidated data, businesses can foster a culture of innovation by identifying trends, predicting market shifts, and developing data-driven solutions.

Predictive Maintenance: Leveraging analytics and machine learning, SAP empowers businesses to predict equipment failures and schedule preventive maintenance, minimizing downtime and maximizing operational efficiency.

Beyond Cost Savings: The Strategic ROI of SAP Solutions

The value proposition of SAP extends beyond cost savings, although significant reductions are achieved through automation and streamlined processes. Here's the true return on investment (ROI) from a strategic standpoint:

Enhanced Competitive Advantage: Data-driven decision-making, improved customer experiences, and greater operational agility empower businesses to outperform competitors and secure a leading market position.

Unlocking New Revenue Streams: Real-time data insights enable businesses to identify new customer needs and develop innovative products and services, fostering revenue growth.

Future-Proofing Your Business: SAP's commitment to innovation ensures your business remains at the forefront of technological advancements.

Implementation Considerations: Tailoring SAP to Your Needs

Successful SAP deployment requires a strategic approach:

Needs Assessment: Identify your business goals and challenges to ensure the chosen solutions align with your specific needs.

Change Management: Invest in user training and communication strategies to foster user adoption and maximize the platform's value.

Scalability and Customization: SAP offers customization options while also providing industry-specific best practices. Find the right balance to meet your current and future business needs.

Case Studies: Real-World Examples of Strategic Transformation

Across industries, companies leverage SAP solutions to achieve strategic transformation. Explore how these businesses have:

Improved customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Launched successful data-driven marketing campaigns.

Optimized supply chains and reduced inventory costs.

Developed innovative products and services based on customer insights.

Increased productivity and operational efficiency.

These success stories showcase the true value proposition of SAP - empowering businesses to transform, not just become more efficient.

The Future of SAP: Embracing Innovation for Strategic Advantage

SAP actively integrates cutting-edge technologies like AI, machine learning, and cloud computing into its solutions. These advancements further enhance automation, personalize user experiences, and provide predictive analytics – all contributing to future-proofing businesses in a dynamic digital landscape.

Conclusion: Unveiling the True Value Proposition

The true value proposition of SAP solutions lies beyond mere efficiency gains. It empowers businesses to undergo a strategic transformation, fostering a data-driven culture, driving innovation, and achieving sustainable growth. By unifying your business with SAP, you are well-positioned to not only survive but thrive in today's competitive environment.

Call to Action:

Ready to unlock the true value proposition of SAP for your business? Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and embark on your strategic transformation journey.

[mxtxfanatic]

Book of the Week: The Daily Life of the Reborn Adopted Son of a Wealthy Family

Author: Brass Revolver (黄铜左轮)

Genre: rebirth, business, danmei

Rating: M for depictions of mental illness

My Synopsis: After the torturous existence of the second half of his first life, reborn Chen Wengang, miraculously, isn’t looking for revenge or to salvage his reputation. Instead, he just wants to find the love of his life who died early in his first life so that they can live the kind of bliss they were prevented from achieving due to others’ machinations. Huo Niansheng, despite remembering none of this, is completely on board, if only his little cousin/Chen Wengang’s adopted sister would stop cockblocking… What, a playboy can’t find genuine love?

My Review: I love Chen Wengang like I love Wei Wuxian, so I will say just like I say with mdzs: he should have killed (more) people. I understand this isn't a revenge plot because Chen Wengang chooses to focus on the people he actually cares about and has already emotionally divorced himself from everyone else, but too many people were on their bullshit for too long. Thank god for Huo Niansheng. I really love how their relationship develops and how steadfast and unconditional Huo Niansheng is in his support of Chen Wengang in both lives. That man deserves an award from the creator, themself, for his service in this novel. Zheng Yucheng,on the other hand, has a special place reserved for him in hell beneath the devil’s feet where the fires never cool 🤗

With that, some content warnings are also in order: this novel is heavy on discussing mental illness, particularly Chen Wengang's panic disorder, and disabilities. They are very realistic depictions (lol at me almost sending myself into a panic attack reading about his panic attack) along with society's reactions to them. Therefore, there is a lot of ableist conversations and beliefs pushed forth by side characters that the narrative and the main couple work through. But this, like mdzs, is a realistic novel in that none of those things get solved on a societal level.

The translation is mostly ok. Some paragraphs repeat, and in what particularly memorable chapter, an entire scene is copy-pasted for some reason, but it's manageable. There's also a character where the translation cycles through 5 different surnames, which is a little amusing. Much less amusing is how around the 70-chapter mark, the name fuck-ups get real egregious, so much so that you have to actively pay attention to what characters are saying/doing in order to tell who is who, since the translation mixes up names and misspells some. It does calm down after that (doesn’t stop completely, tho), so idk, maybe that was just a bad week for them.

Translation: complete

[gadgetsboy]

Formula E Says the New GEN3 Evo is Designed to Break Records

Just a few days before the Monaco E-Prix, Formula E announced the debut of what is currently the fastest electric race car around, the GEN3 Evo. Described as a "record-breaking machine," the new FIA single seater will officially make its mark in the 2025 Formula E World Championship. Jeff Dodds, Chief Executive Officer, Formula E states: "The GEN3 Evo heralds a ground-breaking chapter in the evolution of Formula E, embodying our dedication to innovation and high performance achieved sustainably. Featuring unprecedented acceleration and an advanced aerodynamic design, the car that I had the honour of unveiling in Monaco is set to intensify the thrill of our racing, captivating our drivers and fans around the world with truly superior capabilities and performance." The vehicle was developed by specialists from Formula E and the FIA, and marks a significant leap in electric racing technology, capable of accelerating 0-60mph, 30% faster than a current F1 car, and 36% faster than the GEN3 car. It also brings increased performance with a 2% gain over the previous GEN3 model, translating to faster lap times, in addition to a sleeker and more aggressive body kit which improves aerodynamics and durability for closer racing. For the first time in Formula E, all-wheel drive delivers increased control and grip during crucial moments like qualifying and ATTACK MODE; Finally, optimized tires with improved grip are partly made from sustainable materials. The all-new GEN3 Evo builds on the impressive foundation of its predecessor with features designed for faster, tighter racing. Formula E claims that the newer model retains the title of the fastest Formula E car ever, thanks to its 200mph top speed. The car also boasts a 90% efficient electric motor, as well as regenerative braking that generates nearly half the race's needed energy, and a net zero carbon footprint throughout its lifecycle, from ethical material sourcing to second-life battery plans. Furthermore, the GEN3 Evo improves on fast-charging capabilities, at least as far as competitive EVs are concerned. Speaking on the unveiling, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem states: “The FIA and Formula E have been working hard on the development process of this new GEN3 Evo race car, which represents another significant leap forward in electric racing technology. I would like to thank both FIA and Formula E teams for the hard work which underlines our shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of sustainable motorsport, while delivering competitive racing.” Read the full article

[togtok]

Foreign trade export enterprise official website multi-language SEO

In today's globalized business environment, the importance of a well-optimized and multilingual website for foreign trade export enterprises cannot be overstated. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a crucial aspect of digital marketing that helps increase the visibility of a website on search engines, driving targeted traffic and potential leads. This article explores the significance of multilingual SEO for foreign trade export companies and how they can leverage it to enhance their global reach.

The Need for Multilingual SEO

The internet has bridged the gap between businesses and consumers worldwide, making it easier for companies to expand their markets beyond domestic borders. However, to successfully tap into this global potential, it is essential to speak the language of your target audience. A multilingual website not only breaks down language barriers but also demonstrates a commitment to cultural sensitivity and localization, enhancing brand credibility and trust.

Multilingual SEO takes this concept further by optimizing the website for different languages and search engines. It involves translating content, adapting keywords, and optimizing metadata to ensure that the website ranks high in relevant search results for each target language. This approach increases the chances of being discovered by potential customers searching for products or services in their native language.

Key Strategies for Multilingual SEO

1. Content Translation and Localization

The first step in multilingual SEO is to translate the website content into the target languages. However, mere translation is not enough. It is crucial to localize the content, adapting it to the cultural and contextual nuances of the target audience. This includes using appropriate terminology, adjusting formatting and layout, and incorporating local cultural references.

2. Keyword Research and Optimization

Keyword research is a fundamental aspect of SEO, and it becomes even more crucial in a multilingual context. It involves identifying the most relevant and popular keywords for each target language and optimizing the website content and metadata around these keywords. Using tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help identify high-volume and low-competition keywords.

3. URL Structure and Metadata

The URL structure and metadata of a website play a significant role in SEO. For multilingual websites, it is essential to have a clear and consistent URL structure that indicates the language of the content. This can be achieved by using language codes (e.g., "/en" for English or "/fr" for French) in the URLs. Additionally, optimizing metadata such as title tags and meta descriptions for each language is crucial to improve click-through rates and search engine rankings.

4. Link Building and Internal Linking

Link building is an important aspect of SEO that helps improve the authority and credibility of a website. For multilingual websites, it is essential to build links from relevant and authoritative sources in the target languages. Additionally, internal linking within the website should be optimized to ensure that content in different languages is interconnected and easy to navigate.

Leveraging AI for Multilingual SEO

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many aspects of digital marketing, including SEO. AI-powered tools and platforms can help foreign trade export enterprises streamline and enhance their multilingual SEO efforts.

One such tool is AI-driven content translation and localization software, which can automate the translation process while maintaining high levels of accuracy and cultural sensitivity. These tools use machine learning algorithms to translate content while considering context, terminology, and local cultural nuances.

Additionally, AI can assist in keyword research and optimization by analyzing search patterns and user behavior across different languages and regions. This data-driven approach helps identify the most relevant and effective keywords for each target language, enhancing the website's visibility and ranking.

Conclusion

In conclusion, multilingual SEO is a crucial aspect of digital marketing for foreign trade export enterprises. By translating and localizing content, optimizing keywords, and leveraging AI-powered tools, these companies can enhance their global reach and attract targeted traffic from diverse markets. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, investing in multilingual SEO will be a vital strategy for any business looking to expand its horizons and tap into the global market.

For more information on how to optimize your foreign trade export enterprise's website for multilingual SEO, visit www.togtok.com, where you can find expert advice and AI-powered solutions to take your business to the next level. With the help of AI-driven tools and platforms, you can streamline your SEO efforts and drive sustainable growth in the global market.

[translationandbetrayals]

Astroboy: From Pioneer to Cultural Icon

In the vast world of anime, few titles hold as significant a place in history as Astroboy (Tetsuwan Atom). Created by Osamu Tezuka and adapted into an animated series in 1963, Astroboy not only marked the beginning of modern anime but also defined how Japanese visual narratives could resonate on a global scale, establishing an artistic and cultural bridge between Japan and the world.

Astroboy first appeared as a manga in 1952, but its transition to animation truly propelled its success. Tezuka, often referred to as the "God of Manga," understood the economic limitations of the industry at the time and employed limited animation techniques to reduce production costs. These methods, involving fewer frames per second, were offset by strong narrative quality and expressive visual storytelling. This model of resourceful storytelling became the cornerstone of anime as a medium, setting a standard that would be emulated for decades.

Beyond its technical achievements, Astroboy stood out for its storytelling. Although aimed primarily at children, the series tackled universal themes such as robot rights, the ethics of artificial intelligence, coexistence between humans and machines, and moral dilemmas in technologically advanced societies. These elements, deeply influenced by Japan's post-war social anxieties, made Astroboy a work that resonated emotionally and intellectually, transcending generational boundaries.

The impact of Astroboy extended far beyond Japan. It became one of the first anime to be adapted for international audiences, debuting in the United States in 1964. This process involved not only language translation but also the adaptation of certain cultural elements to make them more understandable or acceptable to Western viewers. These adjustments, sometimes considered "cultural betrayals," altered parts of the original narrative but also allowed Astroboy to reach a much wider audience, introducing anime as a global form of entertainment. This phenomenon underscores both the potential and the challenges of cultural translation, especially when a work reflects values deeply rooted in its original context.

The global success of Astroboy laid the foundation for modern anime, paving the way for subsequent series to be produced and exported. Its legacy is evident not only in technical and narrative terms but also as a model for anime's internationalization. In an increasingly interconnected world, Astroboy represents a turning point where Japanese stories began crossing borders, adapting to new audiences without losing their original essence.

While the technology and narrative approaches in anime have evolved significantly since Astroboy's era, the series remains a cultural and artistic benchmark. Its influence extends not only to anime creators but also to contemporary debates on technological ethics, artificial intelligence, and the relationship between humans and machines. Through its story, Astroboy reminds us that at the heart of every great narrative lies a quest for meaning that transcends time and cultural boundaries.

—Jonatan C. Arévalo

[arifreko]

Deepening Art Knowledge: Explore the Ai Denny Ja Technology Painting Exhibition in International MLF

Arts and technology are often considered two different fields, however, developments in artificial intelligence technology (AI) have opened a new door in the world of visual arts. One of the famous Indonesian artists, Denny JA, has combined traditional arts with AI technology in his amazing painting exhibition at the International MLF.    This exhibition features the works of art produced using algorithms and learning machines, directed by Denny JA. The result is a unique collaboration between artificial intelligence and human creativity. This exhibition provides an opportunity for visitors to explore interesting aspects of AI art and go further in understanding of modern art.    One of the impressed art works exhibited is a painting titled “Dreams and Computers”. This painting shows the greatness of AI in transforming human thought into an interesting visual form. Denny JA uses AI technology to analyze thousands of images and extract unique elements which are then combined in this extraordinary work. Exhibition visitors can see how AI can help in enriching the creative process and opening new opportunities in visual art.    Not only that, Denny Ja also shows why AI art has great potential in producing emotional art. One of his paintings, “Life Lost”, describes loss and sadness so deeply. In this work, Denny Ja uses AI technology to analyze the facial expressions and movements of the human body that are grieving, then describe it in an abstract form that touches the heart. This exhibition provides a deep experience of how AI can create a miracle in the art world.    In addition, this exhibition also highlighted the importance of collaboration between humans and machines. Denny Ja cooperates with scientists and engineers to develop sophisticated algorithms in translating artistic ideas into spectacular AI artwork. This kind of collaboration creates a new perspective on art and technology, changing our understanding of what can be achieved by combining human intelligence and artificial intelligence.    This exhibition also provides an opportunity for visitors to be actively involved in the AI art process. There is an interactive space where visitors can try to create their own AI artwork. This process involves the use of traditional depiction techniques and AI algorithms to produce unique works of art. Through direct interaction with this technology, visitors can feel the miracle and potential of AI art directly.    In this exhibition, Denny Ja not only explores AI art, but also challenges traditional concepts about art and beauty. AI art is often different from traditional art, with unique shapes and styles. This exhibition shows that beauty does not always have to comply with existing norms, but can be found in innovation and experimentation.    Denny Ja also shared his views about the future of AI art in Indonesia. He hopes that more artists and art fans in Indonesia can understand the potential of AI art and be involved in this exploration.

Check in full: Deepening Art Knowledge: Explore the Ai Denny Ja Technology Painting Exhibition at International MLF