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unrestrainedbalderdash · 1 year

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Queerplatonic Riddler x Reader fanfic

Disclaimers:

I am not a good writer. I am simply making this because I am an aroace who loves the Riddler and and desperate for fanfiction that isn't romantic or sexual and I want it to exist in the world.

This is a bit out of character because I am simply not smart enough to write a genius and I am also not very good at riddles.

Some of it is very contrived, in particular the "worldbuilding" had to be crammed into fitting a pattern for reasons, so it is very janky.

Allos are allowed to interact but PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS ISN'T FOR YOU.

Also I'm English so there may be a couple of covert language differences if you're American (eg: saw a post where apparently in the US "quite" means very whereas here it's much less intense than that)

Rating: Probably teen

Warnings: Swearing (S and F word), whump (hurt reader), violence and injury, implied ableism, near-death experiences, robberies and hostage situations (not very dangerous)

Reader insert info: Oriented aroace, quoiromantic, autistic (hyperfixating on Riddler)

Word count: 5022

Please don't give me loads of criticism I'm not releasing this to improve at writing I'm releasing this because there's no representation.

You sit in your room, reading the Gotham Gazette. A small smile appears on your face; the news keeps talking about the new crime spree, courtesy of the Riddler. You’re lying on your green bedcovers, kicking your feet and giggling. It is quite sad that his latest bank robberies are going to severely affect the economy, but… look at him. He looks so happy in the CCTV footage. His smile is the most precious thing you’ve ever seen. You love the newspaper, as long as you don’t read the articles. There’s a lot of speculation about his mental state, and, while you do agree that his mental state is probably not great, some of the speculation… it wouldn’t feel out of place on an Autism Speaks advert. You use permanent marker and doodle question marks to hide the more offensive articles. With everything that’s left, you cut it out, glaring at the scissors that are leaving jagged edges even though it is probably just a skill issue. You use Blu Tack to stick it onto the board with all of the other articles and pictures, and pick up those which fell off. Five crimes so far. You scan the articles. The names of the locations… there must be something… Classy and Elegant, a store for wedding clothes, with lots of money… House-Dealing Special Princesses, the estate agents for posh people… River Bank Tower, a tower that was a historic location for money laundering and was converted into a tourist attraction… Worshipping Mr Batman, a Batman fan club with a large following, as well as founders who got very rich… and Rose Petal Association, a very wealthy gardeners’ club. The letters… they feel… familiar…

You quickly open Wikipedia. Hands shaking – you don’t know if it’s from nerves or excitement – you search for Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Your eyes widen. Classy and Elegant – C.A.E! House-Dealing Special Princesses – H.D.S-P! R.B.T! W.M.B! R.P.A! His crimes are all after Elgar’s Enigma variations! You’re stimming, at having solved this riddle. But where will he strike next? The next piece… Ysobel…

You open Google Maps. This isn’t simple initials, the piece is named after a full name… You search around, trying to find something that fits Ysobel…

It’s the next day. As usual, it is raining. You’re carrying a green umbrella, and hoping that, if he does show up, he won’t realise that you carved the handle into the shape of a question mark. Anxiety fills you – the establishment which should be the next target, is very… suspicious. Why So Bell, a supposed bell manufacturer which everybody knows is really a front for one of the Joker gangs’ hideouts. You glance around, nervously. There are legitimate shops next door, it should be safe, it should be safe…

You’re hiding in a bush, shaking. It hurts, there are probably lots of bugs, but… you can’t just loiter in the open next to a Joker-affiliated operation, but… you have to see the Riddler’s next crime. Your umbrella is hidden with you in the bush. You’re getting uncomfortably wet. You don’t think your glasses will ever recover from this experience. Half an hour passes, and you watch as people come and go from the buildings. An obvious gang member leaves Why So Bell. You are shaking in the bush as she walks towards you. Does she see you? She’s coming closer. Closer. Closer.

She yanks you out by the tip of your umbrella. You look up at her sheepishly, trembling. She responds by punching you in the face.

You wake up, and your heart leaps as you see your favourite colour, green. Your heart is then filled with terror. The green isn’t from your many pictures of the Riddler, the green is from a massive vat of acid, and you’re dangling right over it. “Who the fuck d’you work for?!” the gang member asks. “N-N-NO-ONE! I’M N-NOT A GANG MEMBER! PLEASE! TH-THERE’S BEEN A TERRIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING!!” you squeak, terrified. The gang members – three of them – laugh at you. “Why were you hiding in that bush?!” a Joker goon shouts at you, as you feel yourself being lowered towards the acid, “You’re a spy, aren’t ya?!” “PLEASE! PLEASE! I W-WASN’T SPYING! PLEASE! I W-WAS… I WAS JUST HIDING IN THE BUSH, W-W-WAITING FOR SOMEONE!!” “Yer lying!”

Your vision is being consumed by green, and not in the usual Riddler hyperfixation way, but in the way that you are about to die. You are whimpering, trying desperately to stammer out an explanation, but there is no way to explain anything in a way that does not make you look like an alloromantic stalker…

Suddenly, the power cuts out. You scream, thinking that this the end. The Joker goons are shouting, confused. There are sounds of a scuffle, and one of their panicked yelling is cut short. The other two are fighting something. “B-Batman?” you shriek, terrified. Every time the Riddler goes to Arkham, he seems to come back worse. If Batman is here, he will surely arrest the Riddler and send him to Arkham yet again. The sounds of the scuffle stop. You wait, hyperventilating. This is very bad, as you are starting to breathe in the fumes of the acid. It’s rather funny that you solved the riddle, and now Batman came here to save you but will surely arrest the Riddler. You can’t help but laugh at the fact that you solved it for Batman, it’s so funny, he’s going to rot in Arkham! Ha! You’re being lifted up, taken away from the green, just like how your hopes of ever seeing the silly green man have gone away! Now you’re being picked up! It’s funny, Batman’s arms seem nowhere near as muscular as they should be! Isn’t it funny that you’re still in the dark, the Dark Knight hasn’t turned the light on, because dark! Ha! Get it? “Ha… I’ve already done the work, Batman!” you laugh. “Don’t compare me to that pathetic man,” your saviour replies. It’s hilarious, you’re such an idiot, you’re stupid! You’re a fool! You’re just as pathetic as Batman! What even is a Bat Man meant to be, anyway? And now, this man is holding you! From what you can see, the glow of the acid is turning his outfit green! Oh, what’s that silly symbol on his outfit?! Haha! The little question marks in your brain, and now there’s a big one on this man’s spandex! Hahaha! You’re an idiot! An idiot who didn’t realise you finally got to meet your hero! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! He thinks you’re so stupid! He can hear you mumbling about how stupid you are, you’re really not helping things, this is so funny, he’s going to hate you! And now, everything’s going dark like your future! Ha! Ha… Ha… Ha…………..

You’re in a hospital bed. Next to you is your umbrella. “You’re awake,” the nurse says, looking at you with concern. “Wh… what happened..?” “Someone found a note leading to you. You were passed out… Joker chemicals…” Your eyes widen. “J-Joker?! Is… are there gonna be lasting effects?!” “You might be more prone to fits of laughter, but that’s all.”

In the evening, you’re released from the hospital. You walk home, holding your umbrella. You feel an irregularity on the handle, and carefully take your finger away from it. Your heart leaps; there, on the handle… a small question mark, engraved into the wood. You stand there for a little while, shaking, your mouth open in what could be a smile. What could this mean?

You return home, giggling. You walked past Troyte Bank on the way, Troyte being the next piece in the Enigma variations. There also seems to be a pattern to the timing of the robberies – the next is going to be at some point between 1 and 1:30. You’re shaking. You could go to the bank at 1. You… you could see him… you could be in the bank while it’s being robbed… a bank robbery would be very scary, but you could see him! Being an innocent bystander in one of the Riddler’s very own crimes… the thought makes you giddy with excitement. You’re giggling again; the exposure to the fumes of the Joker chemical has evidently given you this new habit. You sound like a teenage girl talking with friends about a cute boy. Your laughter turns more nervous. What will people think when they hear your giggling? They’ll think you’re weird…

They already do, though…

It’s 1PM. You step into the bank from the rain of Gotham, clutching your umbrella, biting your lip to stop yourself from giggling. You loiter near the side, doing your best to not look suspicious, waiting for him… After three minutes, the door opens, and five goons holding machine guns enter the building, along with him. The Riddler, wearing his iconic green spandex, with the purple belt, and the large black question mark on the front. There are little question marks in lines down the sides of the arms and legs. He’s wearing his mask and gloves, of matching shades of purple. The spandex… doesn’t leave much to the imagination. You can tell that he is quite muscular, although not nearly as muscular as people renowned for strength, such as Batman. “I’m tough and elastic, but you have left! O! What am I? A robbery!” he exclaims, gleefully. You can’t help but smile at his wide grin. He twirls his cane as the gunmen usher everyone in the bank to the side. The gunmen tell everyone to kneel, and you kneel down, clutching your umbrella. An old man grunts from having to kneel. The Riddler looks at the group. “Tell you what. Anyone who can answer any riddles will be allowed to stand up!” he says, taking out some cards from within his belt and giving them to one of his goons, whispering instructions for the order they get distributed in. He and two of the goons walk into the vault, and are presumably taking the loot, while one of the goons points his gun at the bank staff, one points his gun at the group, and the last one is handing out the riddles. You receive your card with the riddle on it. You read the riddle: What can be gentle as the wind, or as all-consuming as fire, as strong as a mountain, as beautiful as a sapphire? “Is it love?” you ask shyly, before he has even finished handing out the riddles. He walks over to you, and reads the riddle. After a little pause, he grunts and nods, and walks off. You start to stand up, and glance at the old man next to you who is struggling. “The answer’s water,” you murmur in his ear. He rereads the riddle, and then gives his answer to the goon, who has now finished handing out the riddles. He is allowed to stand, and you wait for the goons to glance away, then give another person an answer. “My, my, you’re very good at solving other peoples’ riddles, aren’t you?” a soft voice says in your ear. You squeak. It’s him. You can feel yourself trembling nervously, he’s so close, he has a smirk on his face. The Riddler gives you a wink, and moves away. He leaves with the goons and the loot he has stolen.

That night, you go home, shaking. You’re filled with emotions, and they’re scaring you. You… you think you might… love him… you’re not sure what kind of attraction you feel… and it’s scary. He means a lot to you, and you want him to know how you feel, but you don’t even really know how you feel. You go and print out the page for Oriented Aroace on the LGBTQIA Wiki. You get out a pen and paper, and start making a diagram, with some bars, each corresponding to a different type of attraction, the main ones you can think of. For the bar about sexual attraction, you can easily put NO in capital letters. For sensual attraction, you fill it quite high. You pause, and decide to write definitions for the types of attraction. You reach romantic attraction, and hesitate. What is romantic attraction? Romance is entirely a social construct… how does one define it? After a minute of trying to think, you just fill it with question marks and print out the wiki page for quoiromantic. You start writing: “I don’t know what romantic attraction is meant to feel like. I don’t feel it usually, but you make me feel something I’ve never felt before, and I can’t tell if it’s a cross between hyperfixation and alterous attraction, or if this is what romance feels like.” You glare at the paper. You genuinely can’t tell if it’s you finally feeling romantic attraction for one person, or if it’s internalised amatonormativity and you’re just hyperfixating and have tertiary attractions. All you know is… that you love him…

The next day – another rainy one - is here. You’re loitering inside Without Nines, a casino, when he comes in, with several gunmen. There are also two women, dressed in spandex with question marks – Query and Echo. The Riddler is wearing a very dapper green suit with black question marks, along with a purple and blue waistcoat with question mark shapes. His light green tie is embroidered with purple question marks, and he wears a green bowler hat with a purple ribbon and a black question mark, the colours matching the rest of his outfit. His shirt is black, and he wears purple gloves and his purple mask. A little smile plays upon his face as everyone in the casino immediately panics, at his mercy. Guards immediately try to fight him, but the gunmen fire some warning shots. “Ah ah ah! I’m going to take a hostage! And if you don’t let me take the money, you’ll find yourselves riddled with bullets!” he says, smiling smugly. Your heart leaps as he starts walking straight towards you. You let out a little squeak as he hooks his cane around your arm, and pulls you towards him. You’re shaking, and do a little giggle, nervous. This is it. He’s noticed you. He’s taken you hostage. And all you can do is giggle like a lunatic. The Riddler is giggling slightly, as he unhooks his cane from your arm, and puts his arm around your shoulders, pointing the cane under your throat threateningly. You can feel the cold metal against your neck. With some of his goons following, he walks through the casino, holding you close to him, letting everyone know that he could kill you if they don’t let him rob the place. And yet, he gives you a gentle squeeze, and something tells you that he isn’t going to hurt you. Query and Echo force a staff member to open the vault.

He lets out a giggle as the group walk into the vault. You let out a little gasp as you see how much money there is. The Riddler chuckles. “Impressed?” he says in your ear with a low voice. He walks in front of you, and looks at your awestruck face. You’re trembling, he’s looking at you, all you can do is stare at the money like an idiot. He giggles. “Alright, then. Looting this place might take a while, so we may as well get comfortable,” he says, a smile on his lips. The regular gunmen start taking the money, while Query and Echo stay on guard at the vault’s entrance. The Riddler puts his hand on your shoulder and pushes down to make you sit on the floor. You let out a little giggle. He sits down, facing you, and holds his cane, resting it against your neck, presumably to establish some threat. “Well, then. Riddle me this. Why hasn’t Batman caught me yet?” he asks. You squeak delightedly when he says it. He laughs a little, a laugh that makes your heart feel so light. He looks happy. “Go on. I’ve seen you three times, now. You’ve solved my riddle…” he says, leaning in. “Not just anyone can do that.” You start giggling uncontrollably. You feel light. He leans back a bit, waiting for you to regain your composure. “Are you always this giggly? Is it from the Joker chemicals? Or… maybe… just maybe… is it only when you see me?” he asks, winking. You giggle more. “Ha! Ha! Hahahahaha! It’s J-J-Joker… ha! Joker chemicals! Ha ha!” you laugh. He looks at you, sympathetic, and puts a hand on your shoulder. Your giggling gets worse, and you feel yourself blushing, and he immediately pulls his hand away. He waits quietly for you to calm down, as his men continue emptying the vault. He pulls you to your feet, and whispers into your ear. “I only have two more robberies in this plan. That’s the… initial… idea…” he whispers. He’s so close to you, you can feel his breath on your ear. He gives a flamboyant twirl of his cane, and holds you menacingly again, putting his cane back to your throat. “Well then, my little hostage, it’s soon time for me to set you free,” he says, giving his handsome smile. You giggle, and blush slightly. You’re looking up at him, and he looks down at you. He lets out a little laugh. “You’re rather adorable,” he says. You squeak, and blush much more. He giggles. “Well, I’ll give you some time to regain your composure, haha,” he says, backing away slightly. You take deep breaths, and eventually calm down. He holds you again, and the group leaves the vault. He places you back with the other civilians, and moves away, his demeanour much more menacing… “Alright! And, just to seal this wondrous little robbery, everyone will give me one of their valuables!” he says, laughing. He looks so happy… you can’t help but smile… He takes peoples’ necklaces as they tremble, a pair of earrings, some fancy brooches… he reaches you, and smiles. You already know what he wants, and you shyly hold the umbrella. Your eyes meet as he wraps his hand around the handle, your grip lingering. He takes it from you, giggling, and continues taking other peoples’ valuables.

The next day, you’re walking through the streets of Gotham, giggling excitedly. Today is going to be the day you come out to him. You spent yesterday evening getting ready to tell him, getting ready to speak. You’ve simplified your explanation considerably. You can’t help but giggle at the fact that you’re going to see him, and tell him everything… maybe… maybe he was impressed by your ability to predict his crimes when even Batman couldn’t… “Hey, what’s that dumb smile on your face for?!” a menacing voice says. A gang of thugs surrounds you. You go pale. “Well? Why you giggling? You think you’re the Joker or some shit?!” he shouts. You look around, desperate for help. Citizens are walking away, only glancing for some spectacle. A furtive woman in a green coat opens her phone and points it at you – is she going to record this?! “Uh, heehee, I, I d-don’t wanna f-fight… it’s… ha… I inhaled some Joker fumes… p-please… haha… don’t h-hurt me…” “You won’t be smiling when we’re done with you!” a thug says, elbowing you in the abdomen and sending you staggering back. Tears are streaming down your face. You’re missing the Riddler’s robbery, surely he’ll think you’re an idiot, he’s going to hate you- you’re punched in the face, and sobbing. They keep punching you, keep kicking you, keep kicking you. Whack. Whack. Whack. It hurts. You feebly try to hold up your arms to block their blows, but they easily shatter your defences. You’re bleeding now. It hurts so much. They kick your legs, and you crash down to the ground, crying. They get their weapons out… one of them has a hammer… You can hear the crunch of your bones as your legs shatter. You can only whimper as one gets out her knife, and stabs you in the abdomen. You’re screaming. “PLEASE STOP! I D-D-DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!!” you cry as they keep hitting you. Your vision goes black. This is it, you’re going to die… “LEAVE THEM ALONE!” a voice shouts. They stop, tense. Your head is bleeding, you can’t think straight, but… it sounds… familiar… Your vision is lit up with blue, as something fires electricity at the thugs. They shriek, and run away, leaving you. There are murmurs among the onlookers. You can feel hands slide underneath your body, as your saviour picks you up. He’s walking quickly. “Hey… hey… please… please talk to me…” he says. Your vision is starting to return, and you can see the Riddler, tears streaming down his face. “Sorry…” you say weakly. “It’s alright, it’s alright, none of this is your fault, please don’t apologise for anything, you will be safe,” he says, voice cracking. “I w-was gonna be there… I… I promise I’m not stupid…” “Oh… oh, baby… I already know you’re not stupid. Shh… everything’s going to be okay…” he says, holding you close as he walks. He is thinking. “Alright… you need me on the fairway, you need me for luck, but when you have me you’re well and truly fucked, what am I?” “Uh… uh… uh… a… a stroke?” you answer. He strokes your hair with his soft hands. He’s wearing a green suit, this time with a purple shirt that’s only buttoned 2/3 of the way, showing off his chest and collarbones. His hat is at a jaunty – no, messy – angle, and his mask is streaked with tears.

He enters a building. You can’t read the sign, but you can tell the initials are E.D.U. It’s dark, this building must be a repurposed warehouse. It’s quiet, except for your whimpering, and his heavy breathing, and quick footsteps. He continues stroking your hair, his hands shaking. He sets you down, and rolls up your shirt, and you can hear his sharp intake of breath. “Uh… okay… this looks bad… I’m going to have to stitch your wound…” he says. You shudder, and he picks you up. “It’s going to be okay… I promise.” He rushes into the bathroom, lays you into the bathtub and turns the tap on, rinsing the wound under the water. He gives your hair a pat, and starts preparing his first aid equipment, sterilising a needle and thread. He holds your hand, and cleans your wound as you whimper. He takes you out of the bathtub, and lays you down, using a towel to dry you. “Listen, you’ll be okay, I promise,” he says. He starts rubbing some cream around your wound, and you feel yourself going numb. He starts stitching, and you’re crying. “Shh… shh… uh… what’s so fragile that saying its name breaks it?” “S-s-silence…” you respond. He nods, and keeps stitching. “You’re a smart cookie, you know?” His words make your heart leap. He keeps stitching. “I do mean it. I really do… I’m almost done with the stitches…” After what feels like an eternity, he finishes, and smiles at you, taking his gloves off. “The worst bit’s over,” he says, stroking your hair. He bandages the area. Now that the worst part is over, you start to appreciate the softness of his hands. You realise he is wearing green nail polish, with a purple question mark on each finger. He finishes bandaging you. “All done!” he says, giving you a headpat, making you giggle. He gives you a warm smile. Your giggling dies down as the exhaustion starts to really hit you. You pass out.

When you open your eyes, you’ve been tucked into a soft, green bed, covered in purple question marks. “You’re awake!” he says, reminiscent of a puppy who just saw a friend. On top of his outfit from before, he’s wearing a knitted jumper, green with purple question marks, it looks so soft. You’re still in pain, but you blush a little, as he reaches out with his hand, then pauses. “Um, would it be comforting if I held your hand?” Your heart leaps, and you nod, giggling. He gently takes your hand in his, and smiles softly. It’s so soft, it distracts you from some of the sharp pain you feel all over your body. “Um… th-thank you…” you mumble. “Hey. I had to save you, you’re like a good luck charm at this point. It… it’s not right when you’re not there,” he says softly, stroking your hand gently. You squeak, giggling. He looks at you, a little smile on his face. “So why do you keep following me? Is it gratitude for me saving you from Joker’s gang? Are you trying to prove your intelligence against the smartest man in Gotham? Or maybe… something else?” he asks in his soft voice, winking at the end. You giggle nervously, trying to collect yourself. “I… I… heehee… hahaha… you’re… hahahahaha…” You’re shaking, nervous, and he can tell. He gently strokes your hand, a comforting smile on his face. “It’s okay… take your time…” “Ha… ha… haha… YOU’RE MY SPECIAL INTEREST!” you blurt out. His eyes are wide, and he looks very surprised. You laugh nervously. “Like autism?” he asks, his smile widening. You nod, cursing yourself for being so blunt and probably making a fool of yourself – he’s smiling wide and crying tears of joy. His leg is bouncing. “Hahahaha I need to come out hahahahaha I’m an oriented aroace I hahahaha don’t feel romantic or sexual attraction but I’m feeling other types of attraction to you,” you say, shaking. He has a little pause of processing this, and smiles. “Hey, you’re valid! So, uh, what other types of attraction do you feel?” he asks, giving a good-natured smile. “Hahahaha I feel sensual attraction where I want to touch you and I feel alterous attraction which is uh it’s an emotion attraction that isn’t exclusively romantic or platonic haha and maybe I feel aesthetic attraction hahahaha,” you say, trembling. He grins, and giggles. “You’re quite the riddle, aren’t you? I’ve taken quite a liking to you,” he says, his smile lighting up your world. The way his eyes light up fills your heart with joy. He gives your hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re so precious. Seriously, you’re one of the most adorable people ever. Seeing you during my crimes… well, now I know how Ozzie feels about seeing birds. You’re like… a little friend…” You let out a squeak, and he laughs. “You’re so cute… may I put my hand on your face?” he says. You nod, giggling, as he cups your head in his hands. “How do you feel about eye contact?” he asks. “Haha! I’m okay making eye contact with people I like!” you respond. There is a pause, as he slowly moves his eyes towards you.

“And… do you… like me?” he asks.

You look into his eyes. Both of you giggle. He gently strokes your hair. “Is this okay, d… may I call you dear?” Your heart leaps, and your mouth hangs open in disbelief. “Haha! I, ha, uh, haha it’s okay! Ha… uh… haha… what… w-what’s… what… what are we?” you ask, blushing slightly. There is a pause, as he thinks. “You seem to be my biggest fan, and I find you simply adorable. I’ll do anything to make you feel comfortable. I’ll look after you… Batman almost caught me last time, so I have plenty of free time…” “What… what happened? Wh-what did I miss?” You feel a little sting at the memory. The pain is coming back, and you can feel tears forming. He wipes the tears from your eyes. “I started the robbery… everything was in place, I had the plan, but… it didn’t feel the same, without you. What takes deep hold and becomes every day, and without it the tree will fall?” “Uh… root… routine?” “Exactly. Seeing you, it’s become part of my routine… you hold a place in my heart… I… my plans, I started planning for you…” You look at him, in awe. Somehow, the biggest genius ever, your hero… has been thinking about you. “Wow…” is all you can say. You’re not even giggling anymore, you’re just repeating the word. He ruffles your hair. “We Rogues, not many people like us. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a devoted fan… and you solved my plan faster than Batman… you can understand how much that means to me, right?” he says, seeming… nervous? The confidence is gone, he looks… anxious… like he needs reassurance. “You’re… haha… my… ha-ha-hero…” you say. His eyes light up, and he nods his head rapidly. “Um… is it alright if I give you a kiss on the forehead?” he asks. You nod, and start giggling again, as he gently puts his hand behind your head. He gives you a soft kiss on the forehead, making sure to avoid the bandage which you finally notice. He’s so gentle, and the tender kiss is taking away the pain you feel. He lets go, and looks down, into your wide eyes. “With skill, I am paid to save. What am I?” “… Protect?” He nods. “I want to protect you… you’re… you’re too precious. I’ll find the people who did this to you…” he says, wrapping his arms around you, looking into your eyes to gauge your reaction. You have a tired look in your eyes, as you lean into him. “I… I have something for you…” He reaches down, and holds your umbrella. Your crude attempt of carving the handle into a question mark shape has now been greatly polished, but most importantly, it has been covered in vibrantly-coloured question marks. “It’s… beautiful…” “A beautiful umbrella for a beautiful mind, from an even more beautiful mind,” he says, as you relax in his arms and make a contented little humming noise. He gently strokes your hair, and you fall asleep in the Riddler’s arms, your head buried in his chest.

#riddler fanfic #platonic riddler fanfic #queerplatonic riddler fanfic #platonic riddler x reader #queerplatonic riddler x reader #riddler & reader #the riddler #riddler #edward nygma #edward nigma #dc fanfic #aspec reader #oriented aroace reader #aroace reader #autistic reader #queerplatonic x reader #not tagging normal riddler x reader in case people have filtered it out bc they're sick of seeing smut on the dash #i am aware that there is quite possibly nothing else out there with some of these tags. but we can change that.

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sato-u1f98b · 1 year

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#jjba #diamond is unbreakable #terunosuke miyamoto #jjba part 4 #enigma boy #jjba diu #i came back to tumblr to spite my own triggers

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plutt · 8 months

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Mamma på vift

Läppstiftet på och första kvällen jag lämnar hemmets fyra väggar utan Caesar. En middag på stan tillsammans med kollegorna på R.P.A för avtackning av Lillemor som gått i pension. Det var en härlig sommarkväll med god mat på restaurang Gro. På hemmaplan gick allt förträffligt bra tills det var dags att sova. Jag hade förberett och köpt välling som Axel skulle ge. Caesars intresse för det kan beskrivas som måttligt. Han fick i sig lite grann sedan blev det två timmars vaggning i famnen av en ledsen Caesar. När jag kom hem strax innan kl. 22 hade lilla hjärtat precis somnat. Min kväll var nog betydligt trevligare än Axels 🙃 Torsdag 31 augusti 2023.

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astroloredanaleonforte · 8 months

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Video: Riflessologia r.p.a® e benessere femminile

VIDEO – Trattamento per il benessere femminile

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#Benessere #Loredana Leonforte #Medicina Alternativa #medicina cinese #Medicina Tradizionale Cinese #Riflessologia Plantare

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monogramsource · 4 years

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#in stock #etsy #gold #R.A.P.#RAP #R.P.A.#RPA #3 letters #jewelry #ring #ring size 9.5 #ring size 9 #ring size 10 #rose gold #victorian #signet #signet ring #family initials

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capitan-semilla-blog · 5 years

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Hola mis amigos acabamos de grabar nuestro nuevo single promocional,espero que les guste y visiten nuestra página en Youtube Proyeccio R.P.A ,puedan comentarlo y hacer clips,tenemos harto material para mostrarles 🎸🎤🎹

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automaticar · 2 years

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Western Symphony Orchestra Gloria Cheng, piano Johnathon Lyons, conductor Ryan Dudenbostel, conductor Friday 7:30 PM, April 29th, 2022 Program Symphonic Suite fromOn the Waterfront (1955) Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Johnathon Lyons, conductor Prelude and Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra (2021) John Williams (b. 1932) Gloria Cheng, piano Intermission Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36(1899) Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Theme: Enigma (Andante) Variation I. L’istesso tempo “C.A.E.” Variation II. Allegro “H.D.S-P.” Variation III. Allegretto “R.B.T.” Variation IV. Allegro di molto “W.M.B.” Variation V. Moderato “R.P.A.” Variation VI. Andantino “Ysobel” Variation VII. Presto “Troyte” Variation VIII. Allegretto “W.N.” Variation IX. Adagio “Nimrod” Variation X. Intermezzo: Allegretto “Dorabella” Variation XI. Allegro di molto “G.R.S.” Variation XII. Andante “B.G.N.” Variation XIII. Romanza: Moderato “* * *” Variation XIV. Finale: Allegro Presto “E.D.U.” ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Described as “an invaluable new-music advocate and a preferred collaborator of composers like Pierre Boulez and Esa-Pekka Salonen” [The New York Times], Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pianist Gloria Cheng has long been devoted to creative collaboration with composers of our time. As a recitalist, she has performed at the Ojai Music Festival (where she began her association with Pierre Boulez in 1984), Chicago Humanities Festival, William Kapell Festival, Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, and annually on the Los Angeles-based Piano Spheres series. She has premiered countless works that include John Williams’ Prelude and Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen's Dichotomie(of which she is the dedicatee), John Adams'Hallelujah Junction for two pianos (written for her and Grant Gershon), and Steven Stucky'sPiano Sonata. Partnering with composers in duo-recitals, she premiered Thomas Adès's 2-piano concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face and Terry Riley'sCheng Tiger Growl Roar. She has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta, and at the personal invitation of Boulez, performing Olivier Messiaen'sOiseaux exotiques with him on the orchestra’s historic final concerts in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Other concerto appearances have brought her to the Louisville and Shanghai Orchestras; Indianapolis, Pasadena, Long Beach, and Pacific Symphonies. In June, 2021, she performed the world* and European** premieres of John Williams’ Prelude* and Scherzo** for Piano and Orchestrain Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallès under Marc Timón. In her home base of Los Angeles, she has been a principal artist with the Piano Spheres series, Jacaranda Music, Monday Evening Concerts, and on the L.A. Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series in Elliott Carter'sDouble Concerto for Piano and Harpsichordconducted by Oliver Knussen, and John Cage'sConcerto for Prepared Piano with Jeffrey Milarsky. Winner of the Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) GRAMMY for her 2008 recording, Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutosławski, she was nominated a second time in 2013 for The Edge of Light: Messiaen/Saariaho. Her film project, MONTAGE: Great Film Composers and the Piano—documenting six composers: Bruce Broughton, Don Davis, Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Randy Newman, and John Williams as she recorded the works they’d written for her —won numerous festival awards and aired on PBS SoCal, subsequently capturing the 2018 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for Independent Programming. She has produced Music at Black Mountain College for the Armand Hammer Museum’s related exhibit; BEYOND MUSIC: Composition and Performance in the Age of Augmented Reality at UCLA, an international gathering of composers and media artists featuring Kaija Saariaho and Jean-Baptiste Barrière; and inside the (G)Earbox, a daylong UCLA symposium marking the 70th birthday of composer John Adams. Garlands for Steven Stucky is her 2018 star-studded CD tribute to the late composer by 32 of his friends and former students. Proceeds support the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Steven Stucky Composer Fellowship Fund, which engages young composers in multi-year educational programs with the orchestra. A native of New Jersey, her formative studies were under the tutelage of Isabelle Sant’Ambrogio. Prior to embarking on her musical career, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Stanford University. Her decision to pursue the piano-led to a Woolley Scholarship for study in Paris and degrees in performance from UCLA and University of Southern California, where her teachers included Aube Tzerko and John Perry. She is currently on the faculty of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music where she has created classes and programs that unite performers, composers, and scholars. She is often invited to speak as an advocate for contemporary music and in 2012 served as Regents Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. Johnathon M. Lyons received his Bachelor of Music from University of Alabama at Birmingham. He served as Music Director for The Actor’s Charitable Theater for over 10 years, leading shows like Nunsense, Spamalot, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, and Les Miserables. Through Johnathon’s work to bring more BIPOC voices into theater spaces, he was instrumental in the southeastern amateur premiere of the Color Purple. In December 2020 Johnathon with the support of his family moved to Bellingham. He is currently completing a Master of Music in conducting at Western Washington University. In his spare time, Johnathon enjoys playing his PS4 and reading books. He would like to dedicate his performance to his kids Brayden and Olivia Ryan Dudenbostelserves as Director of Orchestral Studies at Western Washington University, where he conducts the WWU Symphony Orchestra and serves as Graduate Advisor. He is also the director of the WWU contemporary music ensembleNowHearThis! Prior to joining the faculty at Western, he served as the Music Director of the El-Sistema-based Santa Monica Youth Orchestra. He conducts regularly on the Jacaranda new music series in Los Angeles, and recently served as Interim Artistic Director for the Marrowstone Music Festival. He also served for three seasons as a rehearsal and cover conductor at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, preparing the student orchestras for such eminent conductors as Philippe Entremont, Yoav Talmi, Kent Tritle, H. Robert Reynolds, and Kenneth Kiesler. Dudenbostel was among fewer than a dozen Americans invited to participate in the 11th Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition in Barcelona. His new performing edition of Henry Purcell’s opera The Indian Queen, created in collaboration with director Peter Sellars, was performed by the English National Opera in 2015, following its premiere at the Teatro Real in Madrid in 2013. Ryan Dudenbostel has collaborated with vocalist John Duykers, violinist Mark O’Connor, violist David Aaron Carpenter, pianist Gloria Cheng, director Peter Sellars, and the legendary actor James Earl Jones, among others. He has also appeared onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon. He is a graduate of UCLA, the University of Missouri—Kansas City Conservatory, and Western Washington University, and has studied conducting with Neal Stulberg, Robert Olson, David Wallace, Kenneth Kiesler, Gustav Meier and Rossen Milanov. Performing orchestral masterworks from the Baroque to the present day, the Western Symphony Orchestra presents five to six programs a year, including traditional concerts, educational programs, and an annual concerto competition concert featuring student soloists. Committed to advancing the discourse on orchestral music, the WSO has given world, American, and Pacific Northwest premieres of works by John Williams, William Bolcom, Kaija Saariaho, Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli, and Roger Briggs. The Orchestra frequently collaborates with faculty and guest artists, along with the Western Choirs and Opera Studio. Recent highlights include the first live performance of the landmark Gil Evans/Miles Davis collaboration Sketches of Spain in the Pacific Northwest; conference appearances at the College Orchestra Directors Association and National Association for Music Education; collaborative residencies with Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng; a memorized, choreographed, and costumed production of Peter and the Wolf; and the world premiere of Roger Briggs’ Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra with the acclaimed Friction Quartet. Western Washington University Symphony Orchestra Ryan Dudenbostel, conductor (names are listed alphabetically after principals) Violin I Helen Koenig, concertmaster Melaku Akalwold Zander Buhler Makenzie Doyle Miranda Loupas Meg Olson Madeline Massey Violin II Anya Petroff-Howarth, principal Kiana Doyle Maya Mijares Eliza Moyer Olivia Palmer Viola Lauren Waldron, principal Lily Beagle Evan Bridges Megan Jancola Benjamin Lewis Daniel Kolb Sophia Stevenson Cello Jacob Lann, principal Evan Cobb Lili Gondry Olivia Kingsley Ben Workman Smith Samuel Zito Bass Eirik Haugbro, principal Amelia Scanlon Brandon Whitmarsh Dylan Wilson Flute Creed Carlson Adele Koenig Shane Walz Oboe Tate Cohan Zachary Murdzia Rain Staser Clarinet David Bissell Amara Farah Jack MacCleary Bassoon Trevor Born Taylor-Marie Mocorro Parker Rivas Saxaphone Jordan Marbach Horn Ben Medranda Lentz Kyla Lewinsohn Benjamin Northam David Pike Trumpet Alex Marbach Cameron NielsonIgor Rudenko Trombone Samuel Harris Jared Johnson Bass Trombone Colin Marks Tuba Nicholas Hastings Piano Rosemary Smith Valeria Dapena Torres Percussion Toby Bruce Malia Della Scala Lucas Webster Jonathon Woods Zachary Ziontz Orchestra Librarian Madeline Massey Orchestra Manager Ben Workman Smith

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deep-sprooce · 2 years

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What is R.P.A? - Deep sprooce.

What is R.P.A? – Deep sprooce.

RPA, known as robotic process automation, is a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that emulate human actions interacting with digital systems and software. What is R.P.A.? – Deep sprooce In this article, I will take you through: What are R.P.A. bots?Benefits of R.P.A.Is R.P.A. Same as AI? Just like people, software robots can understand what is…

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#AI #new technology #RPA #software #technology

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knightdale-secret · 3 years

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Bee Stings and Board Members

Nothing sets a fire under your ass to get something done than a literal burning behind haha....

yesterday I received a detailed response from Melissa in Archaeology regarding the contents of the surveys conducted on the site. She couldnt show me the actual surveys but she did kindly type out all of their contents that she could share. I asked her if the surveys may have lent any information for dimensions or size but she said they did not. here is the email:

The rest of the graves may still be there, just without any surface evidence. From what little they wrote, I take it that even 20 years ago they were mostly only identified as grave depressions. It's very easy for unmarked (or no longer marked) graves to become lost in the leaflitter or depressions erased by erosion.

I would check to see when that fence went in. If was close to the 2000 survey, then it probably was laid out when the pin flags were in place, meaning everyone was caught within the perimeter. If it was much later or after the flags were removed, then there may be folks north and south of the central part of the cemetery. The way it's written on the 2000 form, I would say that the cemetery is oblong or rectangular, so I would expect any missing folks to be found north (heading towards the pool) or south (within the confines of that treed area).

If you look at the tax parcel maps (

https://maps.raleighnc.gov/iMAPS/

), "WIDEWATERS VILLAGE COMMUNITY ASSN INC" is listed as owning that huge parcel (PIN 1744638638). There's no reason why they didn't sell the rest of the plots except to avoid the cemetery. I think that's why they had that contract archaeology group come in.

If they had moved the graves, there are NC General Statutes that cover the process (

NC GS 65-106

). If you want to double check the law states that you have to file a cemetery move with the county board of commissioners. But again, the plan listed on the 2000 form was "avoidance," so I bet they're all still there. They may be less visible on the surface but are still resting in place.

Melissa A. Timo, M.A., R.P.A.

Office of State Archaeology

Historic Cemetery Specialist

This did not tell me the exact size of the area, which according to the article by Schulz was greatly reduced from 130 plots to about 50. It did however tell me that there were 30 rows of graves, so that would be about 5 or 6 per row. roughly. Keith offered to meet me there and see if we could identify the rows and work out how many there are and if its all contained in that fenced area as Melissa thought they should be.

I met him there at 7:30 and we walked the site. he showed me the remnants of some of the flags him and his party had placed years before at graves they could identify by sight (depressions in the ground with a head stone and foot stone). when we counted across it did appear that there may be enough area there that they are all safely contained and not built over as previously devised by Schulz. Sadly, he is no longer with us so we cannot ask him what the area looked like before construction.

So, although that means there is less scandal to uncover here, it is reassuring that they did not build on top of any graves. they all appear to be able to fit in the fenced area on the top of the hill. we can only confirm for sure the number there once we get approval to have the ground penetrating radar examination conducted on the site. Unfortunately, I walked over and stuck my foot into a large ground bee nest - which caused an angry swarm of bees to attack me all the way out of the woods and down the sidewalk .I received at least 10 good stings on my bottom and arms, back and leg. the bees were still attacking my ankles so I took my sneakers off and after making sure none were in there walked back to the cars parked in the swimming pool parking lot in my blue socks. I havent been stung by a bee since i was a little girl. i forgot how much it burns. My back and rear were instantly on fire. If i had been alone or with someone who wasnt a stranger i would have surely put up a lot more of a fuss, but i was mostly embarressed. So i put on a brave face, winced thru the pain and swelling and when he suggested we go to look at Clay Hill cemetery area, i said “sure!”

We road out to Clayhill and tried to identify the cemetery grounds there, but there was a driving range put in that has since been closed down and grown over in that area so the ground has been much disturbed. I thought he had eyes on the cemetery before and knew where it was, but when we got there we walked largely the same areas I had trapsed blindy with my mother and there were no identifiable depressions or stones there that I could see. We hope to add a marker for that cemetery too and maybe have the radar guys come out and do their thing, but its hard when we are not sure exactly where it is. Schulz said at one time it had a stone wall around at least part of it. There was some cement chunks under a tree discarded, not sure if that was part of that wall, but could be from the putt putt so hard to say. I want to go back and look around another day to try to find something. There is also supposed to be evidence of indian burial mounds around that area since Tuscarora lived by the Neuse River there as well.

after that, he rode me around to look at the neuse recreation area on Old Milburnie I hadnt known existed and showed me the damn there and we looked at the plaque installed by the daughters of the Revolution marking the site of Clay Hill Plantation and he took me over to an old abandoned clubhouse lodge deep in the woods behind a trailer park by the river where the KKK meetings allegedly took place presumedly after the clay Hill house, the original clan meeting site, burned down in 1923. THe lodge sits in sad disrepair, a place that could be fixed up and put to good use by the trailer park residents, but it seems now to just be a place to store old junk. A neat building of wooden beams and round stones.

Correspondence:

Yesterday I also reached out to someone affiliated with Wake County Historic Preservation who i saw on an article regarding the proprosed move of the Hinton family cemetery plot and they wre trying to deny the Hinton descendants request to have it moved stating that they wanted to let the majora nd his family rest in peace - arguing that their graves should be “incorporated” into any construction. i thought maybe they had a hand in the incorporationg of the slave cemetery in my neighborhiood’s constructio then. So i sent an email to the contact there, Terry Nolan, to see if he had any information about it he could share.

His response:

Dear Ms. Chiari,

Thank you for your email. I consulted with our staff member who processes grave removals and he did a little research on this particular site. He believes that the subject cemetery is intended to be permanently preserved within the open space/recreation area for this subdivision (which was platted in 2003). The cemetery (and the subdivision) is located within the town limits so anything related to the subdivision or the cemetery must be processed through the town. Town staff may know more about any private efforts to restore and recognize the value of the site. I encourage you to contact Jason Brown with Knightdale. [email protected]

The Historic Preservation Commission has a small budget of a few thousand dollars that is used for small studies as well as plaques for landmark properties. They are meeting today and I will bring this up with them and get back to you.

Regarding the Hinton family cemetery’s relocation—the county did not make any financial contribution to the moving of that cemetery, the reconstruction of the stone wall at the reinterment site, or the rededication ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery. The county involvement was limited to the formal review and processing of the grave removal petition made Board of Commissioners via a public hearing. If you are interested in learning more about that process please feel free to contact Keith Lankford at (919 612-6744) in our office.

Sincerely,

Terry Nolan

Hi Summer,

The members of the Historic Preservation Commission offered up some ideas. Not exactly sure what you need but if you are looking for assistance with research and documentation Sarah Koonts with the state archives can help. Also, Wake County’s Olivia Raney Library has historical documents. The state has grants for research and interpretive signage. There is no public funding for restoration that our board members know of, however, they mentioned Cary Christian Church privately raised funds for a project and may be good to talk to.

Best wishes,

Terry

Okay, so that provided an idea about some potential funding and he gave me a contact for the town. I emailed that person and have yet to receive a response. I also havent received a response from Widewaters yet.

After I returned home and licked my wounds, it was clear that do anything further on this project, we need to open a dialogue with WideWaters that owns the land there. Keith suggested i try the NextDoor app to see if any members on it would know who to talk to about it. I grabbed the 5 member association member list from the association side and went to work. 3 of the 5 were on the app and I sent them all the same message letting them know what I wanted to do and asking who to talk to.

Benjamin was the first to response, but he wasnt very helpful. He said to try to contact the town, but i let him know i did that already and since widewaters owns that land anyway, we probably need their approval to do anything. He said he’d talk to the board and get back to me within the week on who to speak with about it.

One other of the 3 responded and basically said the same.

so now we wait. Who do i talk to next. Whose door do i beat down next? I already have a Plan B and C if they tell me no. If they tell me no, then we go to the media. if they tell me no, then we go to the BLM advocates and the papers and local community and the churches until we get some pitchforks and torches and make something happen.

i’m really hoping it wont come to any of that. I’d like to quietly get the approval, assemble the interested parties who want to help and clean it up, clear it out, get the ground penetrating radar guy in there to do what he does and mark the graves and get the funding for the plaque marker and have that placed identifying the cemetery and work out who will maintain it and the funding for where that would come from.

I just need the GREENLIGHT. I am really grateful for all of the help from those i’ve reached out to thus far. I hope that this can be started sincerely in the very near future.

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javiroa226 · 1 year

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#black and white photography #monocrome #analogic #valca hh29 #perspective #urban landscape #snow day #winter day'87 #Vitoria-Gasteiz #Javi Roa #R.p.a

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orbemnews · 3 years

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The Robots Are Coming for Phil in Accounting The robots are coming. Not to kill you with lasers, or beat you in chess, or even to ferry you around town in a driverless Uber. These robots are here to merge purchase orders into columns J and K of next quarter’s revenue forecast, and transfer customer data from the invoicing software to the Oracle database. They are unassuming software programs with names like “Auxiliobits — DataTable To Json String,” and they are becoming the star employees at many American companies. Some of these tools are simple apps, downloaded from online stores and installed by corporate I.T. departments, that do the dull-but-critical tasks that someone named Phil in Accounting used to do: reconciling bank statements, approving expense reports, reviewing tax forms. Others are expensive, custom-built software packages, armed with more sophisticated types of artificial intelligence, that are capable of doing the kinds of cognitive work that once required teams of highly-paid humans. White-collar workers, armed with college degrees and specialized training, once felt relatively safe from automation. But recent advances in A.I. and machine learning have created algorithms capable of outperforming doctors, lawyers and bankers at certain parts of their jobs. And as bots learn to do higher-value tasks, they are climbing the corporate ladder. The trend — quietly building for years, but accelerating to warp speed since the pandemic — goes by the sleepy moniker “robotic process automation.” And it is transforming workplaces at a pace that few outsiders appreciate. Nearly 8 in 10 corporate executives surveyed by Deloitte last year said they had implemented some form of R.P.A. Another 16 percent said they planned to do so within three years. Most of this automation is being done by companies you’ve probably never heard of. UiPath, the largest stand-alone automation firm, is valued at $35 billion — roughly the size of eBay — and is slated to go public later this year. Other companies like Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism, which have Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola and Walgreens Boots Alliance as clients, are also enjoying breakneck growth, and tech giants like Microsoft have recently introduced their own automation products to get in on the action. Executives generally spin these bots as being good for everyone, “streamlining operations” while “liberating workers” from mundane and repetitive tasks. But they are also liberating plenty of people from their jobs. Independent experts say that major corporate R.P.A. initiatives have been followed by rounds of layoffs, and that cutting costs, not improving workplace conditions, is usually the driving factor behind the decision to automate. Craig Le Clair, an analyst with Forrester Research who studies the corporate automation market, said that for executives, much of the appeal of R.P.A. bots is that they are cheap, easy to use and compatible with their existing back-end systems. He said that companies often rely on them to juice short-term profits, rather than embarking on more expensive tech upgrades that might take years to pay for themselves. “It’s not a moonshot project like a lot of A.I., so companies are doing it like crazy,” Mr. Le Clair said. “With R.P.A., you can build a bot that costs $10,000 a year and take out two to four humans.” Covid-19 has led some companies to turn to automation to deal with growing demand, closed offices, or budget constraints. But for other companies, the pandemic has provided cover for executives to implement ambitious automation plans they dreamed up long ago. “Automation is more politically acceptable now,” said Raul Vega, the chief executive of Auxis, a firm that helps companies automate their operations. Before the pandemic, Mr. Vega said, some executives turned down offers to automate their call centers, or shrink their finance departments, because they worried about scaring their remaining workers or provoking a backlash like the one that followed the outsourcing boom of the 1990s, when C.E.O.s became villains for sending jobs to Bangalore and Shenzhen. But those concerns matter less now, with millions of people already out of work and many businesses struggling to stay afloat. Now, Mr. Vega said, “they don’t really care, they’re just going to do what’s right for their business,” Mr. Vega said. Sales of automation software are expected to rise by 20 percent this year, after increasing by 12 percent last year, according to the research firm Gartner. And the consulting firm McKinsey, which predicted before the pandemic that 37 million U.S. workers would be displaced by automation by 2030, recently increased its projection to 45 million. A white-collar wake-up call Not all bots are the job-destroying kind. Holly Uhl, a technology manager at State Auto Insurance Companies, said that her firm has used automation to do 173,000 hours’ worth of work in areas like underwriting and human resources without laying anyone off. “People are concerned that there’s a possibility of losing their jobs, or not having anything to do,” she said. “But once we have a bot in the area, and people see how automation is applied, they’re truly thrilled that they don’t have to do that work anymore.” As bots become capable of complex decision-making, rather than doing single repetitive tasks, their disruptive potential is growing. Recent studies by researchers at Stanford University and the Brookings Institution compared the text of job listings with the wording of A.I.-related patents, looking for phrases like “make prediction” and “generate recommendation” that appeared in both. They found that the groups with the highest exposure to A.I. were better-paid, better-educated workers in technical and supervisory roles, with men, white and Asian-American workers, and midcareer professionals being some of the most endangered. Workers with bachelor’s or graduate degrees were nearly four times as exposed to A.I. risk as those with just a high school degree, the researchers found, and residents of high-tech cities like Seattle and Salt Lake City were more vulnerable than workers in smaller, more rural communities. “A lot of professional work combines some element of routine information processing with an element of judgment and discretion,” said David Autor, an economist at M.I.T. who studies the labor effects of automation. “That’s where software has always fallen short. But with A.I., that type of work is much more in the kill path.” Many of those vulnerable workers don’t see this coming, in part because the effects of white-collar automation are often couched in jargon and euphemism. On their websites, R.P.A. firms promote glowing testimonials from their customers, often glossing over the parts that involve actual humans. “Sprint Automates 50 Business Processes In Just Six Months.” (Possible translation: Sprint replaced 300 people in the billing department.) “Dai-ichi Life Insurance Saves 132,000 Hours Annually” (Bye-bye, claims adjusters.) “600% Productivity Gain for Credit Reporting Giant with R.P.A.” (Don’t let the door hit you, data analysts.) Jason Kingdon, the chief executive of the R.P.A. firm Blue Prism, speaks in the softened vernacular of displacement too. He refers to his company’s bots as “digital workers,” and he explained that the economic shock of the pandemic had “massively raised awareness” among executives about the variety of work that no longer requires human involvement. “We think any business process can be automated,” he said. Mr. Kingdon tells business leaders that between half and two-thirds of all the tasks currently being done at their companies can be done by machines. Ultimately, he sees a future in which humans will collaborate side-by-side with teams of digital employees, with plenty of work for everyone, although he conceded that the robots have certain natural advantages. “A digital worker,” he said, “can be scaled in a vastly more flexible way.” The danger of so-so automation Humans have feared losing our jobs to machines for millennia. (In 350 BCE, Aristotle worried that self-playing harps would make musicians obsolete.) And yet, automation has never created mass unemployment, in part because technology has always generated new jobs to replace the ones it destroyed. During the 19th and 20th centuries, some lamplighters and blacksmiths became obsolete, but more people were able to make a living as electricians and car dealers. And today’s A.I. optimists argue that while new technology may displace some workers, it will spur economic growth and create better, more fulfilling jobs, just as it has in the past. But that is no guarantee, and there is growing evidence that this time may be different. In a series of recent studies, Daron Acemoglu of M.I.T. and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University, two well-respected economists who have researched the history of automation, found that for most of the 20th century, the optimistic take on automation prevailed — on average, in industries that implemented automation, new tasks were created faster than old ones were destroyed. Since the late 1980s, they found, the equation had flipped — tasks have been disappearing to automation faster than new ones are appearing. This shift may be related to the popularity of what they call “so-so automation” — technology that is just barely good enough to replace human workers, but not good enough to create new jobs or make companies significantly more productive. A common example of so-so automation is the grocery store self-checkout machine. These machines don’t cause customers to buy more groceries, or help them shop significantly faster — they simply allow store owners to staff slightly fewer employees on a shift. This simple, substitutive kind of automation, Mr. Acemoglu and Mr. Restrepo wrote, threatens not just individual workers, but the economy as a whole. “The real danger for labor,” they wrote, “may come not from highly productive but from ‘so-so’ automation technologies that are just productive enough to be adopted and cause displacement.” Only the most devoted Luddites would argue against automating any job, no matter how menial or dangerous. But not all automation is created equal, and much of the automation being done in white-collar workplaces today is the kind that may not help workers over the long run. During past eras of technological change, governments and labor unions have stepped in to fight for automation-prone workers, or support them while they trained for new jobs. But this time, there is less in the way of help. Congress has rejected calls to fund federal worker retraining programs for years, and while some of the money in the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill Democrats hope to pass this week will go to laid-off and furloughed workers, none of it is specifically earmarked for job training programs that could help displaced workers get back on their feet. Another key difference is that in the past, automation arrived gradually, factory machine by factory machine. But today’s white-collar automation is so sudden — and often, so deliberately obscured by management — that few workers have time to prepare. “The rate of progression of this technology is faster than any previous automation,” said Mr. Le Clair, the Forrester analyst, who thinks we are closer to the beginning than the end of the corporate A.I. boom. “We haven’t hit the exponential point of this stuff yet,” he added. “And when we do, it’s going to be dramatic.” Finding a robot-proof future The corporate world’s automation fever isn’t purely about getting rid of workers. Executives have shareholders and boards to satisfy, and competitors to keep up with. And some automation does, in fact, lift all boats, making workers’ jobs better and more interesting while allowing companies to do more with less. But as A.I. enters the corporate world, it is forcing workers at all levels to adapt, and focus on developing the kinds of distinctly human skills that machines can’t easily replicate. Ellen Wengert, a former data processor at an Australian insurance firm, learned this lesson four years ago, when she arrived at work one day to find a bot-builder sitting in her seat. The man, coincidentally an old classmate of hers, worked for a consulting firm that specialized in R.P.A. He explained that he’d been hired to automate her job, which mostly involved moving customer data from one database to another. He then asked her to, essentially, train her own replacement — teaching him how to do the steps involved in her job so that he, in turn, could program a bot to do the same thing. Ms. Wengert wasn’t exactly surprised. She’d known that her job was straightforward and repetitive, making it low-hanging fruit for automation. But she was annoyed that her managers seemed so eager to hand it over to a machine. “They were desperate to create this sense of excitement around automation,” she said. “Most of my colleagues got on board with that pretty readily, but I found it really jarring, to be feigning excitement about us all potentially losing our jobs.” For Ms. Wengert, 27, the experience was a wake-up call. She had a college degree and was early in her career. But some of her colleagues had been happily doing the same job for years, and she worried that they would fall through the cracks. “Even though these aren’t glamorous jobs, there are a lot of people doing them,” she said. She left the insurance company after her contract ended. And she now works as a second-grade teacher — a job she says she sought out, in part, because it seemed harder to automate. Kevin Roose, a technology columnist at The Times, is the author of the new book “Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation,” from which this essay is adapted. Source link Orbem News #Accounting #Coming #Phil #Robots

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