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jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav · 4 years

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Obey Me: The Brothers Accidentally Trigger an Abused MC: Leviathan (3/7)

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on abuse or mental health. I’m not portraying how one should respond to these situations, only how I think the characters might. Abuse and trauma in particular are very complex topics, and people respond in all sorts of ways to them, and sometimes it gets really bad on all sides.

I can only draw from my personal experiences as well as those of people who have shared their stories or who I’m close with. There’s no one narrative of abuse and how it affects someone, so what I’m familiar with might not be what you’re familiar with. Let’s try and all be respectful of each other.

Content Warnings: Heated arguments, reference to past abuse, parental abuse, trauma response, breaking down in tears, this is quintessential hurt/comfort y’all, buckle up

Sorry this took so long! I was kinda struggling with it on top of irl events causing some major delays. ^-^;

Lucifer (X), Mammon (X), Leviathan (you are here), Satan (X), Asmodeus (X), Beelzebub (X), Belphegor (X)

Oh, Levi. The reclusive otaku, ranked third in power by the Demon King but seemingly outclassed by his brothers. Not a model like Mammon, not intimidating like Lucifer, not intelligent like Satan, not confident like Asmo, not strong like Beel or cunning like Belphie… How terribly fitting that his distinguishing power is envy. Between his childish obsessions and his social awkwardness, it is easy to dismiss him as, at worst, whiny and insecure. But envy begets resentment and bitterness.

Envy heralds fury.

MC is trying to make up for the TSL quiz incident by spending more time with Leviathan. They’ve seen how he gets when he’s upset, but that was in response to deceit and cheating. Considering he’s a demon, they (sort of) understand his reaction. And besides, when he’s not nursing a grudge over being wronged, he seems nice enough.

It doesn’t hurt that Levi’s elaborate collection of merchandise genuinely fascinates them. Any otaku’s collection of fandom goods is nothing to sneeze at, but Levi’s is several thousand years in the making. All kinds of unique and limited edition collectibles line the demon’s room like a densely packed nerdy museum. A little too densely packed, in fact.

One figurine of thousands.

MC doesn’t know Devildom figurines, doesn’t know which ones are unimaginably rare and twice as expensive.

They don’t mean to bump into that shelf while navigating Levi’s cluttered room.

But the shelf and their side collide nonetheless.

One figurine in thousands of pieces.

Leviathan is, naturally, livid. A stream of insults fly forth from his mouth, but MC hears none of them. All they can register is his voice, the shattered porcelain, and the roiling dread in their gut. Not again not again not again-

Levi advances, still shouting and waving his arms, “A normie like you can’t even imagine how much that was worth!”

A particularly animated gesture whizzes by MC’s face and they collapse to their knees, bent over with their hands over their head.

“I’msorryI’msorryI’msosososorry, please don’t hit me again!”

“They don’t even make these anymo- Wait, what?” the Avatar of Envy registers the state of this human. “I didn’t- I’m not gonna-” He starts to lean down and MC abruptly sits up on their knees.

“I-it’s okay!” they say, eyes wide and glossy. “I-I’ll fix it, I’ll c-clean it up, I can put it back together!”

They gather the broken pieces of the figurine in shaking hands, not reacting when the sharp edges slice up their palms. A puddle of shards and blood forms in their hand, but they don’t stop. They can fix this, they’ll clean up their mess, they’re not worthless, they can do this much at least, then maybe their punishment won’t be as bad-

“MC! You’re bleeding!” Levi says arbitrarily. He instinctively reaches out to stop them from collecting more fragments, but they flinch and drop a few, which prompts them to slam their other hand on the ones that remain.

The pair freeze. Leviathan can’t even hear the usual hum from his aquarium. Achingly slow, he turns MC’s hand around.

A large fragment is embedded halfway through their palm. They make eye contact, slit pupils boring into rounded ones that are still years and years away.

Leviathan runs to get a first aid kit.

When he comes back, MC is in the exact same position he left them in. The blood still oozes from their cuts and the shard in their palm is as large and intimidating as ever. Levi decides to deal with the smaller cuts first.

“MC,” he whispers. Their head snaps in his direction, but they don’t speak. “I’m going to take out the shards from your hands, okay?”

It takes them an agonizing few seconds to nod.

“Alright, just give me your hand, we’ll put the shards here for now…”

Taking out the pieces of the figurine from MC’s hands and bandaging them up takes Leviathan a surprising amount of time. While the hand MC used to hold the pieces they had picked up initially seemed like the easier one, there turned out to be an incredible amount of tiny shards in their palm, and finding them all was an ordeal in of itself. The bigger piece was much simpler to deal with once it was removed and the bandages were in place.

He did have to hold MC’s hand until the bleeding slowed though. And that was honestly the most stressed he had been throughout this entire ordeal. It was while he was keeping pressure on their wound that MC gradually explained what had happened. As a child, their parents had been incredibly strict, and no mistakes or accidents were ever tolerated. Sometimes, the punishments became… physical.

He might have gripped their hand a little harder than necessary after that.

But it has been a couple of weeks since this incident, and both MC and Leviathan have managed to develop quite the friendship despite the initial setbacks. MC’s bandages have come off, leaving their hands perfectly capable of responding to yet another of Levi’s texts.

Come 2 my room asap

got smth to show u ^-^

In less than five minutes, MC presents themself at Leviathan’s door. He opens it, and instead of the usual demand for a password, he simply waves them in and runs off to the bathtub he calls a bed. MC follows and immediately their nose wrinkles. An unusual smell permeates Levi’s room. It almost smells like… sawdust? Yes, like someone had been carving, with an added layer of liquid glue. Lots of it. The aroma is giving them a bit of a headache, to be honest.

It all makes sense when Leviathan presents them with a wooden plaque in the shape of a heart. On it is a mosaic of two outstretched hands made of familiar porcelain shards and an engraved message: Accidents are A-Okay! A little engraved Ruri-chan giving a thumbs up completes the gift.

Levi holds it out with one hand, the other one covering his mouth as he asks, “D-do you like it?”

But when he comes back, MC is nowhere to be found. In fact, Levi never sees them again for weeks. This normally wouldn’t be unusual, given that he rarely leaves his room, but didn’t MC want to become friends? He thought they were on a pretty good track, bar a couple of, uh, incidents.

...Were they avoiding him?

Levi can’t help but fixate on their last meeting. Yes, he probably overreacted a little bit, but that figurine was limited edition! And it’s not his fault MC reacted like that! He certainly didn’t ask them to clean up those pieces, and he even left to go get them a first aid kit! He was totally going to bandage them up, like that scene in Help! I’m Trapped in a Zombie Apocalypse and Keep Reliving My Childhood Trauma!

It’s not fair, he thinks as the weeks drag on. He didn’t mean for them to get hurt. He didn’t even do anything this time! Why are they still punishing him like this?

To make matters worse, he is the only one MC is avoiding. While they had made themself scarce for a few days, eventually they had started spending more time with the brothers again, and seeing them get closer to everyone else makes the Avatar of Envy’s blood boil.

He decides that if MC wants to hang around a bunch of normies instead of him, that’s on them. He refuses to stay in the same room as them, aside from meal times, and even then he doesn’t acknowledge their existence when it’s not strictly necessary.

Even still, hearing them make Satan laugh, or playfully flirt with Asmo, or even coax a small smile out of Lucifer… he can’t help the envy burning hot and acidic in his chest.

#obey me #obey me:swd #obey me! leviathan #obey me: shall we date #obey me shall we date #mine #my writing #leviathan

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askajjay · 6 years

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What is Artificial intelligence (AI)?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers with artificial intelligence are designed for include:

Speech recognition

Learning

Planning

Problem-solving

With the development of the electronic computer in 1941 and the stored program computer in 1949, the conditions for research in artificial intelligence (AI) were given. Still, the observation of a link between human intelligence and machines was not widely observed until the late 1950s.

A discovery that influenced much of the early development of AI was made by Norbert Wiener. He was one of the first to theorize that all intelligent behavior was the result of feedback mechanisms. Mechanisms that could possibly be simulated by machines. A further step towards the development of modern AI was the creation of The Logic Theorist. Designed by Newell and Simon in 1955 it may be considered the first AI program.

The person who finally coined the term artificial intelligence and is regarded as the father of AI is John McCarthy. In 1956 he organized a conference "The Dartmouth summer research project on artificial intelligence" to draw the talent and expertise of others interested in machine intelligence for a month of brainstorming. In the following years, AI research centers began forming at the Carnegie Mellon University, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and new challenges, were faced: 1) the creation of systems that could efficiently solve problems by limiting the search and 2) the construction of systems that could learn by themselves.

Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that aims to create intelligent machines. It has become an essential part of the technology industry.

Research associated with artificial intelligence is highly technical and specialized. The core problems of artificial intelligence include programming computers for certain traits such as:

Knowledge

Reasoning

Problem-solving

Perception

Learning

Planning

Ability to manipulate and move objects

Knowledge engineering is a core part of AI research.

Machines can often act and react like humans only if they have abundant information relating to the world. Artificial intelligence must have access to objects, categories, properties, and relations between all of them to implement knowledge engineering. Initiating common sense, reasoning and problem-solving power in machines is a difficult and tedious task.

Machine learning is also a core part of AI.

Learning without any kind of supervision requires the ability to identify patterns in streams of inputs, whereas learning with adequate supervision involves classification and numerical regressions. Classification determines the category an object belongs to and regression deals with obtaining a set of numerical input or output examples, thereby discovering functions enabling the generation of suitable outputs from respective inputs. Mathematical analysis of machine learning algorithms and their performance is a well-defined branch of theoretical computer science often referred to as computational learning theory.

Machine perception deals with the capability to use sensory inputs to deduce the different aspects of the world, while computer vision is the power to analyze visual inputs with a few sub-problems such as facial, object and gesture recognition.

Robotics is also a major field related to AI.

Robots require intelligence to handle tasks such as object manipulation and navigation, along with sub-problems of localization, motion planning, and mapping.

What is the Importance of Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence becomes an important part of our daily life. Our life is changed by AI because this technology is used in a wide area of day to day services.

The introduction of AI brings the idea of the error-free world. This technology will slowly introduce in all the sector to reduce human effort and give accurate and faster result.

AI Used in Bank and Financial System

Banks are using AI technology to handle numerous activities in the bank. They handle work like financial operations, Money investing in stocks, Managing different properties and much more. Using AI to handle this activity beat a human in trading challenges. Using AI in the bank helps the bank to handle their customer and give them a quick solution.

Use of AI in Medical Science

AI technology changes the face of medical science. There is a number of areas in which AI is used and give incredible value. In medical science, AI is used to create a virtual personal health-care assistant. They are used for research and analytics. Even Healthcare bots are also introduced to give customer support.

Manufacturing Industries

Today in most of the big manufacturing company AI are mostly used in the production unit. They are used as a robot who give a different shape to an object, who displace an object from one place to another, they are used as a convey belt and much more.

If they are used in the management system also. They are used to keep the records of the employee. They are used to extract correct data for decision making of the company. Using AI in the big industry help them to complete their task in time and helps business to get proper leads generation.

Role of AI in Air Transport

One of the most systematic transport is air transport. And without AI air transport can’t survive. A machine which is used in the plans for performing different functions is run on the basis of AI. All most all the activity which performed to control air transportation is based on AI technologies. There are different software designed on the AI platform to give better flight to passengers and feel free from the danger.

AI role in Gaming Zone

Computer and TV games got more development and updates in their fields. There was a time when “Super Mario” was considered as the best game. But nowadays there are different gaming bots are introduced and you don’t have to wait for other to play with yours. Bot are developed who will play with you.

What Contributes to AI?

Artificial intelligence is a science and technology based on disciplines such as Computer Science, Biology, Psychology, Linguistics, Mathematics, and Engineering. A major thrust of AI is in the development of computer functions associated with human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, and problem-solving.

Out of the following areas, one or multiple areas can contribute to building an intelligent system.

What is AI Technique?

In the real world, the knowledge has some unwelcomed properties −

Its volume is huge, next to unimaginable.

It is not well-organized or well-formatted.

It keeps changing constantly.

AI Technique is a manner to organize and use knowledge efficiently in such a way that −

It should be perceivable by the people who provide it.

It should be easily modifiable to correct errors.

It should be useful in many situations though it is incomplete or inaccurate.

AI techniques elevate the speed of execution of the complex program it is equipped with.

Goals of AI

To Create Expert Systems − The systems which exhibit intelligent behavior, learn, demonstrate, explain, and advice its users.

To Implement Human Intelligence in Machines − Creating systems that understand, think, learn, and behave like humans.

Today, Artificial Intelligence is a very popular subject that is widely discussed in the technology and business circles. Many experts and industry analysts argue that AI or machine learning is the future – but if we look around, we are convinced that it’s not the future – it is the present.

With the advancement in technology, we are already connected to AI in one way or the other – whether it is Siri, Watson or Alexa. Yes, the technology is in its initial phase and more and more companies are investing resources in machine learning, indicating a robust growth in AI products and apps in the near future.

The following statistics will give you an idea of growth!

– In 2014, more than $300 million was invested in AI startups, showing an increase of 300%, compared to the previous year (Bloomberg)

– By 2018, 6 billion connected devices will proactively ask for support. (Gartner)

– By the end of 2018, “customer digital assistants” will recognize customers by face and voice across channels and partners (Gartner)

– Artificial intelligence will replace 16% of American jobs by the end of the decade (Forrester)

– 15% of Apple phone owners’ users use Siri’s voice recognition capabilities. (BGR)

Unlike general perception, artificial intelligence is not limited to just IT or technology industry; instead, it is being extensively used in other areas such as medical, business, education, law, and manufacturing.

In the following, we are listing down 9 very intelligent AI solutions that we are using today, marketing machine learning as a present thing – not the future.

1. Siri

Siri is one of the most popular personal assistant offered by Apple in iPhone and iPad. The friendly female voice-activated assistant interacts with the user on a daily routine. She assists us to find information, get directions, send messages, make voice calls, open applications and add events to the calendar.

Siri uses machine-learning technology in order to get smarter and capable-to-understand natural language questions and requests. It is surely one of the most iconic examples of machine learning abilities of gadgets.

Alexa vs. Google Assistant vs. Siri: Google Widens Its Lead

As if managing our interpersonal relationships weren't already challenging enough in this digital day and age, now we have to worry about talking to artificial people as well. The rise of virtual assistants has been surprisingly swift, and the market hasn't slowed down yet.

2. Tesla

Not only smartphones but automobiles are also shifting towards Artificial Intelligence. Tesla is something you are missing if you are a car geek. This is one of the best automobiles available until now. The car has not only been able to achieve many accolades but also features like self-driving, predictive capabilities, and absolute technological innovation.

If you are a technology geek and dreamt of owning a car like shown in Hollywood movies, Tesla is one you need in your garage. The car is getting smarter day by day through over the air updates.

3. Cogito

Cogito originally co-founded by Dr. Sandy and Joshua is one of the best examples of the behavioral version to improve the intelligence of customer support representatives, currently on the market. The company is a synthesis of machine learning and behavioral science to enhance customer collaboration for phone professionals.

Cogito is applicable to millions of voice calls that take place on a daily basis. The AI solution analyzes the human voice and provides real-time guidance to enhance behavior.

4. Netflix

Netflix needs no introduction – it is a widely popular content-on-demand service that uses predictive technology to offer recommendations on the basis of consumers’ reaction, interests, choices, and behavior. The technology examines from a number of records to recommend movies based on your previous liking and reactions.

It is turning more intelligent with each passing year. The only the drawback of this technology is that small movie go unnoticed while big films grow and propagate on the platform. But as I wrote earlier, it is still improving and learning to be more intelligent.

5. Pandora

Pandora is one of the most popular and highly demanded tech solutions that exist. It is also called the DNA of music. Depending on 400 musical characteristics, the team of expert musicians individually analyzes the song. The system is also good at recommending the track record for recommending songs that would never get noticed, despite people’s liking.

6. Nest (Google)

The nest was one of the most famous and successful artificial intelligence startups and it was acquired by Google in 2014 for $3.2 billion. The Nest Learning Thermostat uses behavioral algorithms to save energy based on your behavior and schedule.

It employs a very intelligent machine learning process that learns the temperature you like and programs itself in about a week. Moreover, it will automatically turn off to save energy, if nobody is at home.

In fact, it is a combination of both – artificial intelligence as well as Bluetooth low-energy because some components of this solution will use BLE services and solutions.

7. Boxever

Boxever is a company that heavily relies on machine learning to enhance the customer experience in the travel industry and conveys micro-moments or experiences that can please the customers.

Boxover significantly improves customer engagement through machine learning and Artificial Intelligence to rule the playing field, helping customers to find new ways and make memorable journeys.

8. Flying Drones

The flying drones are already shipping products to customers home – though on a test mode. They indicate a powerful machine learning system that can translate the environment into a 3D model through sensors and video cameras.

The sensors and cameras are able to notice the position of the drones in the room by attaching them to the ceiling. Trajectory generation algorithm guides the drone on how and where to move. Using a Wi-Fi system, we can control the drones and use them for specific purposes – product delivery, video-making, or news reporting.

9. Echo

Echo was launched by Amazon, which is getting smarter and adding new features. It is a revolutionary product that can help you to search the web for information, schedule appointments, shop, control lights, switches, thermostats, answers questions, reads audiobooks, reports traffic and weather, gives info on local businesses, provides sports scores and schedules, and more using the Alexa Voice Service.

Conclusion:

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology becomes the part of everyone’s life. From small to big work everyone is using AI to generate leads and remove the work pressure. These technologies are so advanced that you don’t have to write code for every activity. They understand the motion of work automatically.

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artsvark · 7 years

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REVIEW: Ankobia: A whisper that awakens purposeful existence

Momo Matsunyane, Alfred Motlhapi and Billy Langa. Photographer: Thandile Zwelibanzi

“Xhoi! Xhoi Xhoi”, a conjuring whisper by Kamma and Ditukile of Maitayatshwene order, haunts you as an audience member. It is a whisper not into the ear but into the soul. It is a call that implores one to listen to the susurration of thousands of distant tribes, clans and nations who had the humanity balance.

Not to reduce its message to singularity, the story beseeches us to re-imagine the possibility of a just existence. It challenges us to negate tutelage that brainwashes and propagandize us into servitude, and educates us into ignorance.

The 2017 Standard Bank Artist of Year for Theatre Rre Monageng Motshabi’s choice of the work speaks volumes about his integrity, uprightness and robustness as a playwright, theatre maker and director. He could have easily chosen a work that would be a theatrical spectacle. He instead chose to pen and stage work that sits at the heart of a conflicted post apartheid South Africa.

The co-writing of Rre Motshabi and Rre Omphile Molusi appears to emerge from the concept of ‘Mainane or Dikinane’ – often misconstrued as folk tale, which is a western concept. At the heart of ‘Leinane’ is an interrogation of the life imbalances effected by varied universal inhabitants. ‘Mainane‘ use a combination of symbols, imagery, song, dance, lament and mystical elements to paint either an ideal scenario or a worst case scenario in cases of inaction to curb a situation. Ankobia has all these elements. The choice of a young yet graceful cast speaks to the idea of who major target of the revolution impulse are. The cast together with the musical genius of Volley Nchabeleng, form an ensemble that paints the landscape of the piece with diligence.

All seems well in the world. Only it isn’t, that is what marks the beginning of the plot of Ankobia. The play paints a nuanced worst case scenario set in 2041. The people of Peloikgale are at crossroads in a fight against the beast of monotheistic worldview and systemic oppression. The play intricately navigates this complex subject matter laying it bare in manner similar to that of Credo Mutwa, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Dambudzo Marechera.

Play credits Director: Monageng Vice Motshabi Writers: Monageng Vice Motshabi and Omphile Molusi Lighting Designer: Thapelo Mokgosi Set Designer: Thando Lobese Choreographer: Lulu Mlangeni Musician: Volley Nchabeleng

Cast: Omphile Molusi as Magnae Animae Momo Matsunyane as Kamma Billy Langa as Ditukile Alfred Motlhapi as Xhoi Lillian Tshabalala as Victoria Katlego Letsholonya as Dominique

Ankobia explores different themes of the whiteness project such as cultural structuring of thought, the use of religion and ideology to drive monotheistic ideal, exploration of power symbols and realities including land, the myth of universal aesthetic, the complexity of image and national consciousness, the image of self and other, the matrix of the function rhetoric and behavior (interpersonal, intracultural and intercultural), the syntax of cultural imperialism, and the life of an unfulfilled lethargic being. With South African situation and history as a backdrop, Ankobia reflects on historical milieu of the cumulative whiteness project stretching as far back as imperialism, slavery and colonialism. Some say what Rre Motshabi has done is bravery, I believe it is pure intellect and an evidence of a storyteller who has a pulse on and awareness of human condition

This minimally constructed story deliberately avoids unnecessary theatrical gimmicks and spectacle by elevating the core subject matter. It subtly pursues everyone to account for their complicit silence and apathy in giving body to entrenchment of ‘whiteness’. It is a story about how the architects of dominance of ‘whiteness’ are frightened to the point of warfare with what and those they see as opposition. The creation of Magnae Animae exemplifies this embodied fear to lose power and control.

Monageng and his creative team have astutely crafted as a confront of a world so swiftly crafted for over 5000 years through the written word, war, hereditary monarchy, private property and monotheistic worldview. So ingrained is this system that an alternative seems impossible and unimaginable. This is the dilemma of Xhoi and those he leads. Through Maitayatshwene’s pilgrimage the struggle to purge the self of this monstrous system is explored and the challenge is not easy. The use of the ‘chip’ and ‘bleach’ as symbols for this oppressive and violent system in the digital age and modern society is a stroke of a genius.

Ankobia absolves no one of the responsibility in enabling the violent system of whiteness. It argues that through self-justifying reason, strife for financial power, and the quest to matter or be seen, we have brought the system to dominant life and the implications have taken over our lives. The hand of repetition and no learning conducts us to a tune and rhythm of calamity. This calamity is carried in simple everyday activities, our diets, anxieties around our bodies, attitudes towards animals, children and nature in general, our sense of gender and sexuality. We have become a callous story that elevates the patriarchal dominance while forbidding, alienating and negating the feminine with fatal imbalance.

Akobia is clarion call to black and people of colour to redress and rid themselves of the narrative that paints them as powerless, apathetic, fearful, delusional, alienated, self-hating, angry, confused, absurdly materialistic, dependent, unhealthy, and unashamed at the grossest misbehaviors. The play challenges one to consciously fashion an Afrocentric enlightenment system, formal and informal, that will repair the colossal damage that centuries of defeats and enslavement and Eurocentric education has done to the Black African psyche. It urges all of us, black and white take responsibility and end the humiliation by race and to take full control of our societies and our destiny.

My challenge to the director and his design team would be around the play staging. Such a play requires a penetration of the fourth wall and a challenge of the theatre space as a symbol for the status quo. In order to fully disrupt the dominant narrative there is need to re-imagine the theatre as a space built for storytelling and stories as literary constituents of life that transforms this black box called the theatre.

What could be a greater testament to our heroism than to overcome the problems that face us today? Why would we wish to escape this kind of challenge? It’s too wonderful, too magnificent. Now that’s how one could matter. Ankobia Speaks. This review is just a whisper, lets make Ankobia a voice. “Moroto wa oo esi ga o ele”.

Maatla. Strength!

REVIEW: Ankobia: A whisper that awakens purposeful existence was originally published on Artsvark

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