#prevent mail theft

[netincomesource]

How I Protect Myself from Mail Theft: My Personal Tips and Experience

Mail theft is more than just an inconvenience—it’s a real threat to your personal and financial security. Over time, I’ve learned that taking a few simple precautions can make a big difference in keeping your sensitive information safe. Here’s what I do to protect myself from mail theft, and I hope these tips help you too. What Is Mail Theft? Mail theft happens when someone steals your mail…

[detdeldragons]

I was sending letters to friends, and one friend mentioned that their mail was constantly being stolen and that it wasn't worth sending a letter. I decided to send it anyway, but with a bit of a safety system in place. This is just a random, wholesome story, and I felt like sharing it with other people. I think the world is a much kinder place than we like to pretend sometimes.

[mrspinkloveheart]

What did science Freddy do?

Crimes Science Freddy has done:

(Cw: crimes, many crimes)

aggravated assault/battery x78 times 

Identity Theft 

Airplane Hijacking x2 times 

Anti-rackeering 

Antitrust 

Armed Robbery x4 times

Arson x11 times 

Genocide 

Assault with a deadly weapon x15 times 

Killed a federal officer x2 times 

Assisted escape x3 times 

Attempted murder x4 times 

Bank Larceny 

Embezzlement 

Blackmail x34 times 

Bombing Matters x22 times 

Bond default 

Breaking/Entering carrier facility x30 times 

Bribery crimes x18 times 

Certification of checks (fraud) x10 times 

Child abuse x42 times 

Child exploitation (Labor exploitation) x45 times 

Coercion x50 times 

commodities price fixing x2 times 

Computer crimes/hacking (x8 times), data theft (x24 times), cyberstalking, and ransomware attacks (x24 times) overall: x57 times 

Concealing escaped prisoner x30 times 

Concealing person from arrest x4 times 

Conspiracy (drug conspiracy, conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to commit a felony) 

continuing criminal enterprise 

Conveying false information x24 times 

Copyright matters x2 times 

Counterfeiting x3 times 

credit/debit card fraud x4 times 

Crime Aboard Aircraft (Weapons and explosives and Threats and false information) x16 times 

criminal contempt of court (tampering with evidence) x24 times 

cybercrimes (Phishing, software piracy, business email compromise, hacking) x15 times 

Damage to religious property x2 times 

Theft x20 times 

Destruction of property to prevent seizure x7 times 

Destruction of records in federal investigations and bankruptcy x4 times 

Destruction of Corporate Audit Records 

Domestic Security (human trafficking, domestic terrorism, cybercrimes, narcotics smuggling) x71+ times 

Domestic Terrorism x3 times 

human trafficking x43 times 

Narcotics smuggling x10 times 

Drug trafficking x12 times 

Drive-by-shooting x4 times 

Election law crimes (Voter intimidation and coercion and Voter fraud and voter registration fraud) x6 times 

Embezzlement against estate 

Entering train to commit crimes x4 times 

Environmental scheme crimes (wildlife and timbers crime, waste trafficking, and violations of Enviromental regulations) x30 times 

Exportation of drugs x4 times 

Extortion x6 times 

False bail x2 times 

False pretenses x50 times 

False statements relating to health care matters 

False entries in records of interstate carriers 

Homicide x94 times 

Murder committed in federal government facility x85 times 

1st degree murder x46 times 

2nd degree murder x10 times 

3rd degree murder x38 times 

False information and hoaxes x18 

False statement to obtain unemployment compensation x2 times 

Female genital mutilation x35 times 

Forced labor x54 times 

Forgery x18 times 

Fraud activity in connection with electronic mail x5 times 

Hacking crimes x10 times 

Harboring terrorists x8 times 

Hostage taking x23 times 

Illegal possession of firearms x2 times 

Influencing Juror by writing x6 times 

Insider trading crimes 

Insurance Fraud x2 times 

Larceny x7 times 

Mailing threatening communications x10 times 

Medical/Health care fraud x4 times 

Motor vehicle theft 

misuse of passport 

Misuse of visas, permits, or other documents 

money laundering x13 times 

Narcotics Violations (Drug trafficking and distribution and Manufacturing and cultivation) x17 times

Crimes Science Freddy helped with: 

Assassination x3 times 

Bank Burglary x2 times 

Bank Robbery x2 times 

criminal infringement of copyright x8 times 

Economic Espionage x2 times 

Financial transactions with foreign government x5 times 

Impersonator making arrest or search x4 times 

Missile systems designed to destroy aircraft x4 times 

Note: he has done more crimes, but this is all I’m gonna put for now. 

[fanfictionlibrary01]

Fanfics being stolen and uploaded on (audiobook) site "WordStream"

I wish there were no reason for an announcement like this right before Christmas… /sad /angry

What is happening?

Fanfics of people on AO3 (works from other sites could not be confirmed as of now) have been uploaded to the site https://word-stream.com.

What do we know?

The site has no legal notice - we can not see who runs or owns the site, who is behind this, etc.. All fanfics also have a ai-generated "book cover", which adds to the iffy vibes outside the fanfic stealing. Fanfics that were found there all match their originals on AO3 with title and author, mostly by tags, and by writing. The summary is often changed, but the works are definitely stolen. Example: Stolen WordStream Version That work on AO3

We checked more works and can confirm that this is not a single case but affects more works, but this is the only SFW work example we could find atm.

Assumptions after some research and digging we did:

To listen to the audiobook versions, you must create an account on that site, which leads to an info that this site has an app. Through that, the developer and potential person behind this could be someone named "Ofek Weitzman", who in term seems to be associated to a "Speechify Inc." (according to google results: Corporation Wiki Article, Speechify App Site, speechify.com).

Speechify does text to speech via an AI voice generator. It would fit the iffy ai cover vibes.

What we recommend to do:

It stands to assume that locking your works on AO3 is the only way of preventing this. So far, we've not found works that were locked on that site, so locking your works on AO3 can protect the from being (more easily) swiped by any bot etc.. Since the site has no legal notice, looking into ways to report that (it's it's illegal for a site not to have one in Germany for example) is likely an option.

Follow up on this and get the latest updated in the Fanfic Communities Network (FCN) Discord Server!

If you have more information regarding this - e.g. if works from other sites are affected too - please reach out to us in the FCN!!

Edit 1 (1h after initial post):

Apparently, a user called @cliffweitzman claims to own this site and to offer users to send an e-mail so this user can take your works down from the site. They answered in this post by @ekingston with this:

A comment to that from our side: This is no excuse. It should not need to be said and explained that theft of intellectual property is not acceptable. We request @cliffweitzman, if they truly run that site, to immediately take down all works that have been stolen - fanfic or potential others - and that were uploaded without the author's consent, as well as to take full responsibility for their unacceptable behaviour.

Edit 2 (2h after the initial post):

The site is currently showing an error... Let's see.

Edit 3 (14h after initial post):

The site is back up, and seems to have taken down fanfics. After searching for the ones we found having been stolen from AO3, we couldn't find any - but that could be coincidence. According to this reblog, the stolen fanfics could only be hidden from the site and if you don't have an account on WordStream. Things are still very unclear, a statement or acknowledgement of this theft of intellectual property by @cliffweitzman is still pending.

[a-shade-of-blue]

Hi! I've been asked to write a post by Mahmoud (@ma7moudgaza2) because he has a urgent request. Because winter is coming and the temperature is dropping rapidly, he urgently needs to buy sheets and blankets for his family of 20 people! The heavy rain also means that they need to buy a large shader to prevent their tent from sinking. That is in addition to clothing to shield them from the cold and other basic necessities like food!

This is a matter of urgency because Mahmoud was recently a victim of fraud and someone stole every single dollar in his bank account! In the middle of a genocide with winter fast approaching! While the campaign may say he is at $11k, he actually has way less money than that because of the theft!

Mahmoud is a 20-year-old uni student who tries hard to continue his studies despite all the obstacles around him. He is a kind-hearted person, and you can see from his blog that he keeps trying to help his friends by promoting their campaigns, even when he himself is struggling. Please help him raise the funds so that they can survive the coming winter!

This campaign has been vetted by el-shab-hussein!

$11,510 USD raised of $25,000 goal! Last donation was 18 hours ago!

Tagging for reach. Please message me if you want off the mailing list! We thank you in advance.

@honorary-fool @marshmellowpaint  @hychlorions @okama-kaizoku @take-cara-yourself @mech-5 @emotional-mess-in-distress @kip-loric @yeetsintovoid @momorikoz  @greenhoodiegremlin-blog @inkxplashes @vectorthemerc @snowflakesincalifornia @radium-eater @heritageposts  @chasm-craft @original-missif @sabertoothwalrus  @bennizone  @maria-ruta  @honneylavender @deadpeanuts @ruerock @whoreishghost @handweavers  @vero-niche  @hiveswap  @moltenhare @criminalizeheterosexuality @brianlazarow  @bro-uhaha @cataboliiicseed @charzone @nieyao

[jaw-writes]

I Dared My Best Friend to Ruin My Life is a Queer Masterpiece

Trigger warning: Human trafficking (I hate that the sequel went there as it was NOT equipped to handle it, but it's important to the analysis of one of the characters)

First of all, I’d like to apologize for the fact that you need to live knowing that a real human being spent this much time thinking critically about the subtext of the IDMBFTRML franchise. That’s just what autism, nostalgia, and too many nagging thoughts can lead to. Unfortunately, this is only partly ironic, you are not ready, I’m not ready, and no one ever will be.

(Also want to preface this with the fact that I am queer and have spent my life with many members of the queer community including my closest friends and current partner. The satire comes from the level of effort I’m putting into seriously over-analyzing this ridiculous Reddit story, not the identities discussed. You are loved and you are valid.)

My thesis today: “I Dared My Best Friend to Ruin My Life” contains an underlying queer subtext through the character of David King, Zander, and in the sequel series “I Dared My Best Friend to End My Life”, Sophie Atrickson.

At the beginning of the story David and Zander sit together on a couch in Zander’s home bored out of their mind. Engaging in a semi-nihilistic conversation on how they lack motivation in their lives, David brings up the structure that high school gave due to its rules and tasks. However, one of these sticks out from the rest, among expectations like getting good grades and not staying up past curfew is the act of getting a girlfriend. This subtly implies that David does not see fulfilling hetero-normative roles as something that is a natural part of himself, but instead another convention to follow. This, in tandem with the lack of evidence that David has dated anyone up to this point, indicates that while he listed it, he did not go through with it. This mention of obtaining a female partner, for someone who is supposed to be a master manipulator, is likely just to help the more romantically inclined Zander understand. Long story short, David sees dating a woman as an expectation rather than a desire and only brings it up because he believes that’s what Zander wants.

Once the dare is set into motion, they both agree to ruin each other's lives and David punches Zander in the thigh. The placement of this hit and its presence after those lines is important. Due to homophobia and transphobia, being outed can be life-ruining. This word choice coupled with the story’s focus on identity theft is a genius, subtle parallel to how trans people who are forced to remain closeted, de-transition due to circumstance, or deny their true selves. They know who they are, but that self is lost in the crossfire of whatever is preventing them from openly living. The thigh, an area that those taking injectable HRT will often pick due to its high-fat content, is hit. Symbolically this is the start of Zander’s transition/gender exploration spurred by David, a character who began this story breaking conventional gender norms. Yes, David has “masculine” interests but he’s also emotionally open with a male friend, is there for him during his mildly depressive thoughts, and shows a physical closeness that men are often shamed for. These are all healthy traits and may indicate that he’s just not toxically masculine, but more direct evidence comes later.

When the harassment begins David floods Zander with pornographic imagery in his mail and on his account upon hacking. Part of Zander’s writing style is that he is incredibly detailed, even over-explaining the act of using a search engine as well as the specific contents of the other junk like racist statements and pen pal letters. Yet, he fails to provide any details on what the NSFW images contained, along with the contents of the photos of himself that David leaked. Both of these pertain to intimacy. The privacy of what he may find arousing, and images he didn't put online, a specific focus is placed on how awkward it is that his family saw these. Families are often the people that will be the least accepting of someone's queer identity, this may indicate that the contents of both did not align with the interests Zander should have a cishet man. A form of mocking that contributes to the overall subtext that David is trying to push him out of the closet. Which goes hand in hand with Zander’s deeper resentment of them. They make him confront parts of himself he feels he shouldn't have which ultimately leads to him committing violence against them.

After this, David attempts to break up Katie and Zander via text. David is later shown to be able to manipulate audio from Zander to use against him, and with their superior intellect could have easily made a fake voice note. Yet, they don’t, instead taking the more easily disprovable route of a written message. The lack of using their voice to communicate also coincides with their use of a variety of names, including Zander’s. This speaks to the trans experience of dysphoria around one’s birth name and voice as well as the solace of using one that fits you better. David is acutely aware of how it feels to hear a part of yourself in a voice that doesn't earnestly represent you and does not want to do that to Zander. A sentiment that is even kept when they frame him as he just puts his already angry words in another context rather than fabricating emotion. In the surface-level story, this is a practical decision, but more personally it is reflective of David’s discomfort with the voice and name given to them. A discomfort that Zander comes to later understand and weaponize against them in the finale when he gets hundreds of people to speak it.

The decision to break them up rather than instantly kill or take her also speaks to David being motivated by a sense of heartbrokenness instead of hate. David is the one who encouraged Zander to do more with his life, move out of his parents' house, and keep track of his money. They have always pushed him to be better, but he was content with letting their relationship fade away.

At any time he could have shown up at the house they’d spent so much time with each other in but he never made that minimum required effort. Yet, Katie, someone who did not know him nearly as much as they did got to be the one he took into his improved life. All because she was born a girl and David wasn't. They wanted that life with him, they wanted him to accept himself and the attractions that he pushed aside by downplaying their relationship (regarding David as just an old friend when explaining the situation). Which is why they acted the way they did, if Zander was not motivated to come into his own then they’d make him by pulling away the beard growing longer every month.

Now this is where we get into spoilers for the sequel series “I Dared My Best Friend to End My Life” If, for some demented reason you want to read it on your own you’ve been warned.

Some may argue that the later kidnapping of Katie is evidence against this interpretation, but it wasn't David’s decision. It was Sophie’s. Sophie is an individual whom David met at a bar and connected with over their shared beliefs that ruining lives improves people. Though they formed a relationship and were physical Zander remained David’s main focus at all times. Sophie hated this, not liking the lack of attention and kidnapping Katie in response. To adress the obvious, this further adds to the romantic undertones of Zanvid as a dynamic. Even when faced with someone they’re “dating” David makes Zander top priority, distancing from Sophie both emotionally and physically with time. Sophie also tries to make David conform to traditional gender roles though they both end up subverting them. Sophie describes the group of criminals they and David run as a family, directly comparing David to a father and themselves to a mother by proxy. The way they treat the “children” initially aligns with these standards, as David is less emotionally attached and handles practical training in crime. Meanwhile, Sophie has a deeper connection with the “family members” and in a sense “nurtures” them by encouraging them to give into their worst aspects.

However, these binary roles and expectations of cis-het society gradually flip. David, rejecting the system tells Sophie that there “is no us” and effectively runs away with Zander. This leads Sophie to take over both maternal and paternal roles, becoming more effective in the latter and eventually laying claim to the success of the family. Now, you may think that Sophie is just a straight cis-woman who was trying to force a queer person to conform, but I believe there is more to it. Sophie says that they didn't love David in the “I want to marry you way” but as a type of adoration and a thankfulness for the family they helped give them. This implies that the love they experienced towards David is not romantic. In tandem with this is the wording of “gave me a family” which is the kind of language a man would traditionally use towards a woman who bore his children. A key conflict between Sophie and David is that Sophie is more reckless and not as single-minded. These aspects of their career paths are meant to stand in contrast to their paths in gender understanding. Sophie thinks of gender in a very binary way, but is dipping their toes into a multitude of projects. Meanwhile, David thinks of gender, more fluidly, rejecting, hetero-normative society, but is single-minded when it comes to their love (Zander). Sophie’s admiration of David’s power and masculinity along with the pride they take in gaining such traits for themselves indicates that they are a trans male who is clinging to aspects of masculinity perpetrated by the patriarchy to find comfort. An aspect that is alluded to at many points such as how he mostly surrounds himself with men, does a lot of heavy “macho” drinking, and Clark even mistakes him for David when seeing him wear his clothes after David’s death. At the same time, all these actions are just means of coping with their need for masculine validation while they deny the truth.

Some trans men and women engage in a mindset of “transmedicalism” which supports the existence of trans people but only under the gender binary with extreme dysphoria, hormones, and surgery being required to fully transition. This mindset is toxic as it is bigoted against non-binary identities and trans people who do not wish to take all of those steps and maintain aspects of their given bodies. Sophie’s enforcement of the gender binary is likely aligned with these views and is why he refuse to be out. He may feel that he does not have enough gender dysphoria to be valid or just outright denies his feelings so he doesn't have to go through the pain of the process he has made him self believe is required. However, this extends beyond internal conflict and bleeds into how he treats others.

In his attempts to feel masculine he puts women and fems down in the process. Starting with David, he is against their distancing from traditional gender roles and messes with they’re Zander plans. In the context of the romantic subtext, he is trying to bring an end to an affair and is treating Katie, a woman, as collateral damage. In a sense, he feels that David’s feelings for Zander are imasculating him. Being with someone like David is a double-edged sword, at times he ignores their masculine aspects to feel like a man for “having a woman” but when that veneer of gender solidity peels, and David’s perceived masculinity shows, he reverts to denial and gives them the pants to wear in the relationship. A healthy person would understand that they don’t need to change their own identity based on that of their partner to remain “straight” but his self-hate runs so deep he complicates everything. David, in all their cosmic genius, knows all of this but does not do anything about it. They are confident in their identity and the subpar bigoted views of someone like Sophie are not a concern to them. However, they do stick with him for a reason. It is that exact internal conflict that makes him similar to the questioning and self-hating Zander. That in addition to his similar appearance to him (they both have light hair and it's indicated in “I was abducted while studying abroad” that David has an attachment to people who resemble Zander) that they stick with him.

All this to say yes, Sophie later encouraging David to kill Zander stems from Sophie not wanting to be cucked. He’s the most incel trans man ever. He needs David to fit in whatever box benefits him most so he doesn't have to contend with the complexity of the self.

(This part will contain mentions of trafficking and SA)

As for Katie, it gets even worse. He canonically tortured Katie during the time she was held by him. The specifics are not known but he did have her beaten and kept her in unhygienic conditions. Due to him equating power to manhood, he harms her along with other women and girls by holding them hostage and selling some. It never got to that point with her, but if he had her under his thumb for longer it could have gone there. His struggle with gender identity is not the problem, but instead the way he attaches himself to the worst of toxic masculinity to validate himself. In the end, she stabs him to death in a burning church, a structure that he also stood in control of in a patriarchal fashion. Dying as the worst version of a man imaginable at the hands of someone he had hurt. Opposed to David who died with self-acceptance at the hands of a lover who realized themselves in the wake of what they experienced.

This leads us back to the pair that led to it all. Zander and David. At the end of the first story, Zander says that he is a changed person and we as an audience know David has won. Subtextually, this means Zander has accepted his queer identity, whatever it might be. This shift as a person is also discussed in the sequel, as Zander has been hardened by his previous journey, but is stronger for it. David won, and their lover has accepted themselves, but only after they sacrificed everything. The sanctity of their body, morality, and years of planning are all dust in the wind. Though they live on once Zander gets into David’s computer and leaks the documents revealing Sophie’s actions. It's never stated, but it can be inferred that David wanted this, they wanted Zander to be with them and free them both of Sophie. Though ultimately, only Zander got to drown his dark reflection.

This essay ended up being way more tragic than I expected since this is the the “David FUCKING King” story but even if this was 100% intentional, I’m glad I wrote this. The world may be full of a lot of hate, but we don’t have to be Sophie’s or David’s. We can choose life and love, even when that feels like a luxury we can’t afford. Happy Pride Month everyone.

[taruth3mighty]

Looking at the plot of the Oasis from an outsider's perspective to make sure I have an understanding of it all and like trying to describe everything without using names makes it a wild fucking ass plot. Because what do you mean,

Once you enter the Oasis, your friend's wallet gets immediately taken from him, you help him get it back by unknowingly possessing another friend who had found who took it and helping them beat the shit out of the grunt who took it. Afterwards your three friends just decide to have a meeting without you and your best friend. So, like you and your best friend are sorta just left behind with no real lead on what to do next, before you step outside and your best friend nearly gets mugged by some grunt, so you have to beat the shit out of him.

Some old man just walks up to you and says that a delinquent that the grunt works for in the outskirts of town has the key and causing problems, easy, you just go in and beat the shit out of him. Uh oh! Plot twist! The delinquent is actually the innocent one and the old man was just using you to beat the shit out of the delinquent. So, in retaliation, you, your best friend and the delinquent decide to break into an underground lab through the sewers to grab the legendary wet chicken that the old man stole from the delinquent. But while you're doing that, you unknowingly spy on your other friends using some otherworldly ability you don't know about yet. You find out that the mysterious man that's been helping you all this time, is supposedly a murderer of your other friend's, that you unknowingly possessed earlier, mother. After knowing that and continuing, once inside the not-so-secret underground lab, your best friend suggests to blow up a vent with explosives and it works. Then you have to collect a code by yourself to free the legendary wet chicken from its contraption. But before that you have to beat the shit out of your friend that got his wallet taken and currently tweaking over you beating him earlier on in your journey (this totally won't come back to bite you). Then you use the code to free the wet chicken! Uh oh! Plot Twist again! You did manage to free the bird but now the evil old man has control over it so now you have to beat the shit out of him that way he can't commit grand theft turkey twice.

Once you beat his ass, he begs for you to let him leave (without the chicken since it's free now) in exchange he'll give you the key he stole from the delinquent. Your best friend tells you that he'll be wanted anyway so you take the key so now he has nothing.

You go and debrief with your friends, but before that you witness that old man getting assassinated with the powers you aren't even aware of yet. After that you just kinda have to sit there as your friends start to just get mad at each other until your friend wants to have a battle with you, you beat the shit out of him. And after that, you're given the same technology that your other two friends had instead by your friend who made them. (Minus one) And then your friend that was tweaking is on a full out crash out and decides to leave the friend group to get stronger on his own. Leaving just you, your best friend and your other friend. But before that you get mail that the next key guardian aka person you have to get the key from to get money, is currently being threatened to being assassinated and you have to protect her, and if you do a good enough job, you can get her key. Yeah, just after you witnessed the last person who gave you the key to be assassinated, you have to prevent someone else from being assassinated. Likely from the same person. And you get no break after all that saving for the Oasis, you immediately have to be line to the next location otherwise someone's fucking going to die.

[khaire-traveler]

How are ya doing mate?

This ended up being kind of venty, so I put it behind a read more. The long and short of it is that I'm doing terribly and do not feel well. Thank you for caring to ask; it does mean a lot and makes me feel a little less alone. Take care, Nonny. 🧡

In all honesty, Nonny, I'm not doing well at all. I've had an incredibly hard week. I found out that I can't get any financial aid for college (I'm ineligible, apparently), I've been struggling immensely in finding a job, I'm trying to get a replacement for my birth certificate that USPS lost in the mail, I'm trying to prevent identity theft for my social security number that USPS also lost in the mail, and now I've found out that my dog is struggling with some pretty intense health issues and apparently all the responsibility for booking his appointments and giving him his eye drops falls on me I guess. Oh, and on top of my dog's health issues, I am also having issues that I haven't been able to address throughout any of this because I don't have a doctor and can't find one. I'm doing terribly. What's worse is that it feels like I'm mostly alone in this. I don't blame my friends for this, obviously, but all of them are too busy to talk these days, and my online friends are the only ones I'm close enough with to talk about these kinds of issues. The few friends I've made in this new state (US) aren't close enough for me to be able to talk about this stuff without it being super weird. The whole friend things has also been a huge issue: I am crushingly alone right now. I haven't gotten the chance to hang out with anyone one on one, and not having a job means in basically spending the entire day with only seeing my pets and my parents. Walking to see people isn't an option here, and driving to see people is also not an option due to gas prices. Idk, there's a lot to it.

Anyway, yeah, I'm doing pretty bad. I feel like shit, and I also feel entirely alone and a little bit like no one cares, although I logically know that people do care and are just busy with their own lives (which is obviously completely ok). I feel exhausted. I even got woken up by a call from the vet, asking if I was going to cancel some appointment they had me schedule for my dog. I have to schedule something else for him later as well. Life is hell, and I am burning in the lake of fire. ✨

[mappingthemoon]

In light of Elom rummaging around in everyone's private personal information and probably selling it on the dork web, may I advise: NOW IS A REALLY GOOD TIME TO FREEZE YOUR CREDIT.

It is free to freeze your credit. You can unfreeze and re-freeze it for free as many times as you wish.

When your credit is frozen, it means no one can open up an account in your name, including bank accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages, I think also some cell phone companies, etc. (any account or service which requires a credit check, pretty much). When you want to open an account, you can lift the freeze temporarily so they can do a credit check and then re-freeze immediately. This is super easy to do and adds an extra layer of protection against identity theft.

You will need to set up freezes with each credit reporting company: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This post from Experian includes info for all three credit bureaus: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-education/preventing-fraud/security-freeze/

Setting the freeze online is very simple, but you can also do it via phone or mail. If online, you may have to sign up for accounts with all three bureaus, and in some cases you may have to submit your SSN online to verify your identity, so if you don't want to do that, choose the phone or mail option.

(Added bonus: You may receive less junk mail credit card offers and stuff since these companies will no longer be able to see your credit report all the time without permission.)

You can monitor your own credit for free at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

You used to only be able to request a report from each bureau once a year, but during COVID they changed it to free weekly reports. I personally request one company's report every four months (first from Equifax, then Experian, then TransUnion). Looking at your report regularly will help you stay on top of any bad shit like accounts opened under your name that you didn't open. You can do this perfectly fine by requesting your reports from the source; I would NOT recommend using services like Credit Karma where you have to connect all your accounts to some company's database so they can try to sell you shit under the guise of offering "monitoring" services.

Note: Your credit report will NOT show your "credit score" for free, if you want that, you'll have to pay money, but tbh the entire concept of a credit score is a scam and paying money for the arbitrary number is more of a scam. It's more important to pay attention to keeping your accounts in good standing (paid on time) and obvs making sure you don't get mixed up in identity theft or some dumbass clerical error that isn't your fault. (Example: At age 21 upon taking out my first loan [narrator voice: and that was her first mistake...], I discovered that my parents' mortgage was associated with my credit report, and even though it was taken out before I was born and my name and SSN are different than my parents', I had to submit tons of evidence in triplicate to prove that it wasn't my loan and get it removed from my report!)

Ok one last thing, I'm not trying to veer off into an identity theft prevention master post rn, BUT, it's also a good idea to avoid letting your debit/credit/banking info sit around in various shopping websites' databases. Every single online store is all like, "Save your card for faster checkout?" Fuck that, it's a trap! When possible, I mediate every payment through PayPal or Venmo. Those companies are also not great, but at least there is less risk in only having your banking info in a couple of databases rather than 50 different ones for each store you bought something from.

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE. Who knows, maybe money will become obsolete and/or irrelevant in the next few years and none of this shit will matter anymore 🫠

[aishangotome]

Ellis Twilight: Chapter 7

Chapter 6

The red-haired woman who was almost kidnapped was treated at the hospital and returned home safely.

She said a tall, handsome man suddenly appeared and killed all the thugs, but no one at the bar believed her, Alfons told me.

(I'm glad she's safe.)

(But the case is back to square one...)

---However,

Alfons: Oh, I forgot to tell you some great information.

Alfons: Victor recovered the bodies of the people Ellis killed and investigated their identities.

Alfons: Apparently, they were all members of a gang.

(A gang...!? )

Gangs are lawless groups that engage in all sorts of evil deeds, from extortion to theft and assault.

When I was a mail carrier, I was told to be wary of them.

Alfons: I heard they're a group that drifted in from the north in the last few years.

Ellis: Oh... Jude had a run-in with that gang before.

Ellis casually says this next to me as I shudder.

Ellis: It seems they were trying to threaten Jude's business partners and steal their sales revenue.

Ellis: He should have sent the executives who interfered to prison.

Jude: ...The guys who attacked ya an' Ellis the day afta' ya came to the castle were also low-level members of that gang.

Kate: ...Is that so?

His words make me feel the gang's presence up close, and I gasp.

(But, if that's the case...)

Kate: Is the gang posing as a circus troupe? Why...?

Alfons: Who knows? But people gather for fun and the extraordinary.

Alfons: If you want to kidnap people, a "circus" is good bait, isn't it?

Alfons: "The greatest stage of your life, where you are the star!"

Alfons takes my hand with a passionate tone.

Alfons: "It's a waste to be smoldering in a corner of the city!"

Alfons: "How can you not use your talent, beauty, youth, and passion!"

Alfons: ...If you persuade them like that and get their consent, they're all yours.

(He's a good actor...)

Alfons: I heard the one who was recruiting her was the ringmaster himself, Jake Grace.

Alfons: They say there's no mistaking him, with the distinctive scar on his eye from being attacked by a wild animal as a child.

Kate: I see...

(Ringmaster Jake Grace... So that "ringmaster" is now in a gang.)

Even if it led to this after falling into debt,

(To think they'd stoop to framing their colleagues... It's disheartening.)

Alfons: Well, the truth will come out eventually.

Alfons: It seems William and the others are currently investigating the gang's base.

Alfons: They'll wipe them out when the time is right. Case closed, I suppose.

Kate: So, what can we do now...?

Ellis: About all we can do is patrol the town to prevent more kidnappings.

Jude: They'll be on guard afta' yesterday. They won't show their tails so easily.

In other words, our assigned task of investigating the case ends here.

Kate: What about the people who were kidnapped?

I want to rescue them quickly, but their whereabouts are still unknown.

Alfons: They might be sold off... If they're young orphans, they might be working for the gang.

Alfons: Threatened with death if they disobey, they're probably forced to do risky chores like pickpocketing and extortion.

Kate: ...

Even though somewhere in my heart I know that's the reality--

Alfons: Gang members are often people who were just desperately struggling to survive,

Alfons: And somewhere along the way, they became numb to committing crimes.

Alfons: Once you commit one major crime, the feeling of being hurt by smaller crimes becomes numb.

The words flowing smoothly from Alfons' mouth are so realistic that they make my chest ache.

(The feeling of being hurt becomes numb.)

For some reason, the image of Ellis last night, showing no sentiment in the pool of blood, flashed through my mind.

(If Ellis also became numb while working as a Crown member...)

(...I can't leave him alone.)

-

The report and information sharing are over, and I check the notes in my notebook.

I've been able to get a rough idea of the schedules of Ellis and Jude, who are protecting me, as we move together.

(Both Ellis and Jude are off work today.)

(Jude said he had something to do alone, so...)

Kate: Um, Ellis?

Ellis: Kate.

As I call out to him, Ellis also calls my name--

Kate: Ah, sorry...

As we unintentionally look at each other's faces, Ellis smiles softly.

Ellis: ...After you.

Kate: Um... would you like to go to town with me?

Ellis: Are you talking about the patrol I mentioned earlier?

Kate: Yes. I want to do what I can... Even if nothing happens, I think it would be a good change of pace.

Ellis: ...You're a real hard worker, aren't you?

(That's the Ellis I know...)

A smile escapes his lips, and that alone makes me feel relieved.

Ellis: Alright, let's go on patrol.

Kate: Oh, but I'm curious about what you were saying, so tell me.

(You called out to me too, so there must be something you wanted to say, right?)

Ellis: I was... It's a nice day and I don't have work, so I was thinking of taking a nap.

(A nap... Oh, that's what you said before...)

*flashback*

Kate: Hmm... Maybe during a long-awaited vacation, while taking a nap in a bed with sunlight streaming in.

Ellis: ...I'd like to see that. Would you like to take a nap together sometime?

*flashback over*

Kate: ...Were you serious about wanting to nap together?

Ellis: Yes. ...Is that not okay?

(What should I do...?)

(I wanted to lighten his mood today.)

(I was thinking of asking him what he wanted to do during the patrol and making it happen.)

Taking many lives like last night might not be a painful thing for Ellis anymore.

(...But since he said he wanted to do it, I want to make it happen.)

Kate: Then... shall we take a short nap in the park during our patrol?

Ellis: Really? ...Then we need to bring a warm blanket.

(Oh, Ellis looks a little happy? Good.)

Kate: And the scones Victor baked this morning, and cranberry jam too.

Ellis: It's a picnic.

Kate: It is!

-

And so, Ellis and I suddenly started preparing for a picnic.

(I wonder if this kind of outfit is okay for a picnic...)

I dress up a little more than I do for missions and wait for Ellis in the entrance hall with a basket of scones in hand.

Roger: Hey there, lil' lady.

Kate: Roger.

Roger, who happened to pass by, looks me over and smirks.

Roger: Waiting for a date with Ellis?

Kate: We're just going out together!

Roger: But you look excited.

(...Do I really look like that?)

But I am aware that I'm a little more nervous than usual.

Roger: I heard yesterday was a tough mission, so I was thinking of treating Ellis to lunch.

Roger: Guess it'll have to be another time.

Kate: Speaking of which, Ellis told me you often treat him.

Ellis tells me a lot of stories about the other Crown members, and I've heard a lot about how Roger takes him out for delicious food.

Roger: Like when he's overworked during busy season.

Kate: Hehe, you're like a big brother.

Roger: If I were his big brother, I'd make him quit Jude's company first.

(I thought they were close, but it's like he's worried about family.)

Kate: You care about Ellis, don't you?

Roger: Hmm? Oh, yeah. It's partly for my research on curses.

Roger: But in Ellis' case... I'm personally attached to his curse.

(When it comes to Ellis' curse...)

Kate: The curse of thorns?

Roger: Yeah. If he doesn't find happiness, he won't sleep well.

His tone implied many things.

Kate: Why is that?

Roger: That's a secret.

I had a feeling he wouldn't tell me easily, even before I asked.

As I let out a small sigh inwardly, Roger sends me a probing look.

Roger: Everyone has secrets. If you want to uncover them, you have to pay a price.

(Does that mean... I have to offer something in return?)

Kate: ...What would I have to offer as compensation to be told?

Roger: Let's see... How about winning Ellis' heart?

Kate: Eh...!?

Roger: I think you two are compatible.

Roger laughs, stroking his chin.

Kate: W-What are you saying?

I hurriedly look for another topic, as the conversation seems to be heading in a strange direction.

Kate: ...Oh, right, Roger.

Kate: Do you know anything that would make Ellis happy or that he'd enjoy?

Kate: Conversely, I'd also like to know what makes him sad or what he absolutely can't tolerate.

(Judging from our conversation so far, it doesn't seem like Roger is the type to talk about people much...)

I glance up with low expectations, and Roger shakes his shoulders in amusement, as if he misinterpreted my words.

Roger: What, so you're not completely uninterested after all?

Kate: That's not what I meant!

Roger: It's fine, it's fine. Well... I'd love to tell you, but...

Kate: ...?

Roger: I'd like to know his true feelings, honest emotions, and desires myself.

Kate: You mean you don't know either, Roger?

Roger: Yeah.

It's quite something that he won't even show them to someone who regularly treats him to meals and wishes him happiness.

Roger: But there's no such thing as a person without emotions or desires.

Roger: Little lady, I hope you can uncover his "secret."

Roger: I don't know what the price will be.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 8

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to leave me a tip here or buy me a coffee through the "Leave a Tip" button on my navigation bar!

[adamantvoyagerrune]

How to Replace a Lost or Stolen Canadian Driver’s License Quickly

Losing your driver’s license can be stressful, but thankfully, every Canadian province has a clear process for quickly replacing it. Whether it’s misplaced or stolen, acting fast protects your identity and keeps you legally able to drive.

Steps to Replace Your Lost or Stolen License:

1. Report It Immediately

If stolen, report it to your local police to prevent potential identity theft.

Some provinces, like Ontario, recommend filing a police report even if you just suspect theft.

2. Visit Your Licensing Office

Go to your nearest Service Center or Driver Licensing Office.

Some provinces allow online replacement requests if your personal information is unchanged.

3. Bring Proper Identification

You’ll need at least two pieces of valid ID, such as:

Passport

Birth certificate

Health card

Immigration documents

4. Pay the Replacement Fee

Fees vary by province, usually around $25–$40.

Payment can often be made by debit, credit, or cash.

5. Receive a Temporary License

You’ll usually get a temporary paper license immediately so you can keep driving legally.

Your official plastic license will be mailed to you within a few weeks. Guide your teen's journey with help from licenseprep.ca.

[beardedmrbean]

EXCLUSIVE: As romance scams are on the rise, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing new legislation aimed at holding accountable those who seek to defraud retirees and steal their hard-earned savings.

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., introduced the Romance Scam Prevention Act, which would require dating apps and services to issue fraud ban notifications to users who have interacted with a person removed from the app.

The move came as Americans are more than ever connected thanks to social media and dating apps that allow us to stay in touch with old friends all over the world and to develop new relationships online.

As Americans increasingly go online in search of relationships, scammers are following suit. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022 almost 70,000 people reported being victims of a romance scam.

People aged 40 to 69 are the most likely to report losing money due to a romance scam, and people 70 and older reported the highest individual median losses at $9,475, according to the FTC.

Read On The Fox News App

Blackburn said that the bipartisan legislation would put "critical safeguards" in place to protect app users. The senator highlighted that in 2023, Tennesseans over the age of 60 lost $43 million due to scams targeting the elderly.

"Scammers are merciless in their exploitation of senior citizens who join dating apps to establish meaningful connections but instead end up losing their life savings to con artists who prey on their vulnerabilities," she said.

The bill requires online dating service providers to notify members if they've communicated with someone whose account has been banned for fraudulent activity. The notification must include the banned member's profile details and a warning that the banned member might be attempting fraud, such as requesting money.

How To Not Fall In Love With Ai-powered Romance Scammers

The bill is enforceable by the FTC and allows state attorneys general to bring civil actions on behalf of affected residents. It also ensures that no state law can interfere with the process of fraud ban notifications.

"This bipartisan, bicameral bill provides transparency, empowers users to make informed decisions, and reinforces best practices to prevent online scams," Valadao said. "I’m proud to help lead the effort to make online dating safer and protect Americans of all ages from financial fraud."

One such scam was recently uncovered by Las Vegas authorities in February. The Romance Scam Prevention Act would guard citizens from suspects like 43-year-old Aurora Phelps.

"Phelps would meet older men on dating websites or services, then meet them in-person. It was part of her scheme to drug the older men to gain unauthorized access to and steal money from their financial accounts to personally benefit herself and her family members," prosecutors said.

Phelps was charged with 21 counts, including seven counts of wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; six counts of bank fraud; three counts of identity theft; one count of kidnapping; and one count of kidnapping resulting in death, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada said in a statement.

If convicted on all counts, Phelps, who was taken into custody in Mexico, could face a maximum of life in prison.

Though she's only charged in one death, an indictment said that at least two men she met and scammed died.

In romance scams, a criminal uses a fake online identity to gain a victim's affection and trust. The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.

The rise of romance scams led U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide practical tips for people to avoid being taken advantage of.

Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls and text messages. Don’t answer calls or texts from any unknown numbers. Never give out personal information over the phone or text.

Limit what you share online. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you to form a connection and take advantage of what is going on in your life.

Go slowly and ask questions. Creating a false sense of urgency is a fundamental tactic of social engineering. Don’t let the individual rush you to make a decision. Be wary of sending money, bank account information, personal photos or other sensitive personal information to someone you’ve never met in person.

Keep it on the platform. Many times, scammers will push to move the conversation off the dating or social platform. Generally, they request to text or email. This is to avoid the detection controls in dating website chats.

Listen to your gut. If the individual seems too good to be true, talk to someone you trust about it.

Don’t send money or cryptocurrency. Never send money to anyone you have only communicated with online or by phone. If you meet someone on a dating site, app, or social media, and they want to show you how to invest in crypto, or ask you to send them cryptocurrency, it is a fraud.

More information about the department’s efforts to help older Americans is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage, elderjustice.gov.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, at www.ovc.gov.

[falindankovsky]

Srry to annoy u but can i ask about ur healers bounds?

You aren’t being annoying dw!!!! But I can do a quick very basic summary of Falin’s bounds just for you!! But also because grips you by the shoulders I love talking about my sillies I love it. Anyhow Calling them the Renaissance because Ya know rebirth….reanimation?? It works!! Also this answer took me like two weeks to write….this is….yipeeee!!

Mia: a spirit medium whose body and mind is slowly getting pushed to the breaking point by their abilities to channel and communicate with the dead. (They act as an alternative adoptive parent to Grace.) Mia is also one of his bounds that can die in his route for reason unrelated to the pest

Vera: a young girl with a connection to the haruspex who chooses to wears a rabbit mask she believes her resemble to her late parents as a curse that she shall suffer the same untimely death as her parents before her. She believes if she can be reborn her curse will cease.

Ann: a so called clairvoyant that came into town after the younger burakh’s departure, they claim to have been born from Lara ravel’s wish for a companion. They often have painful visions of tragedies weeks before they should occur leading them to stare at a lamp in order to dull their senses believing it represses their ability.

Ludovica: The son of a military man who was killed in the line of duty but not before his father’s name was tarnished leading to his family all being marked to death. He came to the town to escape this fate though he harbors a deep seeded guilt for not facing his death honestly 

Ava: A Mysophobic young adult who believes that the pest is all his fault and that she could have prevented it had she never came to this town. The only people she allows in her home is Anna and the healer she’s a bound to. Other then that her only form of communication is via letters she hands off to Anna for delivery for she doesn’t trust anyone assigned with mail duties in this town fearing they’ll read her letters.

Willow: you already know who she is canonically so no further context needed

Harker: a so called prophet who will only give out those prophecies for a price, most people in town regard him as a scam artist. Though he might just have the same mystics as a mistress has. Either way Katarzyna is trying to convince the governor to have him hanged for his theft. He’s also Vera’s adoptive parent having taken her in after the first outbreak.

Katarzyna: a former circus performer (not that one however) who claims to have no knowledge on how it burned down and has a distaste for anyone she views as a liar she believes the only redemption is in death.

[stories-and-chaos]

Tarnished pt 23

[Helluva Boss AU where Blitzø’s childhood theft from Stolas’ palace is discovered and major consequences ensue for everyone involved.]

[Part 23/?? Word Count: 1857]

[CW: Drug abuse, addiction, gaslighting]

—————

Two weeks later, Blitzo sent another letter. It was thinner than the first. Barb gave it the same treatment, ‘RETURN TO SENDER’. The next one was even thinner, probably just one page in the envelope.

After she had that one sent back, he started sending postcards. Mostly they were generic landscape images from across the Rings. But not being in an envelope meant she saw snippets of the text on the blank side. Barb let Fizz know that Blitzo was sending mail, but never the content.

She didn’t mean to read any of them, but checking the address meant seeing what was written. There was a theme of ‘sorry, please talk to me, let me explain, I’m sorry, text, call, so sorry,’ in his scribbled handwriting. Knowing their dad’s account of events, her brother’s repeated requests for forgiveness just infuriated Barb.

She saw there were a few that mentioned her and their mom. Blitzo was asking if Fizz knew where they were. You’d know if you’d stuck around, traitor, she thought bitterly as she sent the postcards to be shredded. 

The frequent reminders of Blitzo’s existence kept her off balance. And Fizzarolli was spending more time in Lust. He kept denying any emotional attachment to Asmodeus but Barb saw the difference in how he talked about the Sin.  His absence left her somewhat at loose ends in her downtime.

The other survivors from their circus had scattered; few wanted to stay in Greed with all the established gangs and corruption. Barb, not wanting to be alone constantly, found other demons that shared her interests. One of those interests being drug use was incidental. 

After seven months, the postcards arrived less frequently. Barb didn’t really notice; she had access to stronger stuff and was getting fucked up on a regular basis. Fizz was paying her enough that she could afford it… for now. But as the next pageant got closer, she started missing more days.

At first it didn’t matter too much. Her friend was off being Ozzie’s boy toy. The PR team was finally filtering the mail somewhat. And just before the pageant, Blitzo sent a card saying, ‘I’ll leave you alone Fizz. You know where to find me. I’m sorry.’ That was one less stressor; Barb celebrated with a weekend long bender.

She managed to be clean for a few days before and after the clown pageant. She was able to function as Fizz’s security the whole time. Once again, he won. Once again, Mammon immediately signed him on with a year long contract.

This year though, the king of Greed had some things to talk about concerning Fizzarolli’s assistant. Whisking him behind closed doors for the rigamarole of the contract was the perfect moment to plant seeds of doubt about Barb in his mind.

“Y’know Fizzy, that assistant o’ yours…I know she’s your friend but she’s been slacking big time,” he said as they signed and initialed pages. “I’d hate for someone from your past to take advantage of you, yah?” Mammon had a look of intense concern as he finished his portion of the contract.

“I-I’ll talk to her, Mammon sir.” Fizz was already worried about Barb. He knew she’d gotten hooked on painkillers after the fire. She’d been sober for years but he could see the signs popping up. And if Mammon noticed, things were getting worse.

“Good boy Fizzy! ‘Cause we’re gonna be real busy again and we don’t need c**ts coasting off your success.”

The day after the pageant saw Fizz in Lust again, working with Ozzie on updating the Fizzies. Asmodeus took him out for lunch again. He’d told Mammon before the contest that he’d need the whole day with the winner for their work, preventing his fellow Sin from interrupting anything.

After lunch, Ozzie sprung an offer on Fizz. “I’d like you to work at my lounge club, Froggie. Get you some experience outside the Greed Ring and away from all those creeps.”

Fizz waved a dismissive hand. “Psh, I’ve always had creeps around, it’s not that big a deal. Besides, Barb’s got my back.”

“Yeeeeeeaaaah, about that,” Asmodeus said slowly.

“Oh not you too Oz! Mammon was just bitching to me last night about her!”

“Hey, I’m just saying…she’s having a bad time lately. I’m not gonna pry, but if even Mam has picked up on it? Your girl needs help.” Ozzie cupped Fizz’s cheek. “Look, I know she’s important to you. You’re basically family right?” Fizz nodded. “So I want to help. And moving you both out of Greed is a good way to start.”

Fizz sighed. “Yeah, she’s never really liked it there anyway. I can’t make her do anything though.”

“You know me babe; I ain’t about forcing anyone. Unless she’s in deep shit, too deep to handle or putting herself in danger? you gotta let her make her choices.” He leaned back in their private booth. “I’m serious about working at my lounge though. You’d make a great M.C. Fizzy-frog.”

Fizz agreed to perform at Ozzie’s, with the frequent scheduling starting in a few weeks. He had prior commitments with Mammon to take care of first. Doing nightly shows at the lounge would mean moving to Lust.

Before that, he wanted to talk with Barb. The first chance he got was almost a week later, after they were done at Mammon’s for the day. Fizz had to steal himself to talk to his friend so he went to her apartment after hyping himself up via a phone call with Asmodeus.

Barb, meanwhile, had taken a hit of her current drug of choice as soon as she got home. It was the first big high she’d had in the past two weeks. When Fizz showed up at her door unannounced, she could feel the drugs hitting her system. Although he looked serious and she was trying to focus on what he said, the chemical filter in her veins meant she really only caught a few words. Kind of like those snippets of Blitzo’s postcards.

“Barb, I know you’ve got a problem. You’ve been using drugs again, I can tell. We need to get you help, but we can’t do it here. Asmodeus offered me a gig, I’ll need to move to Lust. Please, come with me. I can’t stand seeing you destroy yourself. We’ll get away from all this shit in Greed. Get you some fucking help.”

Barb tried to string together what he was saying. What truly stuck with her was he was moving. Leaving for Lust and Asmodeus. Away from her. She growled angrily. “Urrrgh! Fine, go fuck off with your royal sugar daddy! I don’t need you!” She pushed him away from her. Her intoxication meant she didn’t have much control of her strength. Her push knocked him against the wall; if he hadn’t hit it with his prosthetic arm, it would have left bruises.

She stomped to the door and yanked it open. “Get the fuck out Fizz. The other imp looked stricken so she pushed him again. This one sent him into the hallway. Barb slammed the door shut, locked it and  put the chain on. He had a spare key, but even his extendable arms would struggle with the chain. She pressed her back against the door and slid down it as Fizz knocked desperately. He kept saying her name but she didn’t respond. She just curled up, silent and crying.

Eventually, he was gone. Her sense of time was completely distorted. Maybe it had been an hour, maybe just a couple minutes. She just wanted to forget about everything again. Fortunately, past Barb had picked up a baggie full of little friends from her dealer that were very good at helping her forget.

A few days later, she’d come down enough to realize she had to go work. That many pill-shaped friends weren’t cheap. But when she got to Mammon’s main offices, her keycard didn’t work. Barb tried multiple times, flipping the card in different directions but she continued to get error sounds. She was ready to punch the scanner when the door opened smoothly.

The shark demon that stepped out towered over Barb. “What do you want?” No politeness, just blunt demanding attitude.

“I want to get to work. Why isn’t my keycard working?” She waved the offending piece of plastic in front of the shark’s snout.

His concentric ringed eyes focused on the card, reading her name. “Barb Buckzo. Yeah, your position’s been…terminated.” He gave her a leering grin and flicked the card. His claw hit with enough force to send it spinning out of her hand and down the street.

“The fuck d’you mean, ‘terminated’? I’m Fizz’s  assistant and bodyguard!”

“Not no more. You haven’t been here for a week. Mr. Fizzarolii and Lord Mammon don’t need some lazy ass coasting on her buddy’s success.” He straightened up to his full height. The shark crossed his arms and continued to match her glaring look. “So you’re out, shoulda got a termination letter in yer mail.” 

Her jaw dropped. Those assholes! “I wanna talk to Fizz. Right now!” She tried to push past the beefy shark, but he outweighed her and Fizz combined. 

“Mr. Fizzarolli is busy. Lord Mammon is free for the next ten minutes if you wanna talk to him.” Barb growled, a rumbling hiss coming from her chest. “Thought so.” The shark went back inside and the door slid shut behind him.

Barb stood there, chest heaving. She had mostly come down from her high and there was no drugged filter between her and her emotions. After a few minutes of glaring at the locked doors, she started hurling nearby rocks at the building. Her aim was still good from all those years in the circus. But those doors were designed to withstand bullets; a valid concern with all the turf wars likely to pop up in this Ring.

All the rocks in Hell wouldn’t do much to the structure. Barb didn’t care; if anything it made her madder. She kept hurling the same rocks over and over, screaming obscenities all the while. Until she threw one that ricocheted back, hitting her directly on her circus brand and knocking her on her butt.

She sat there, dazed. The pain on her forehead belatedly hit and she rubbed the spot to find ichor welling from the scratch. “Fine. FINE, YOU HEAR ME! YOU CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES! HAVE FUN BEING A PAMPERED WHORE FIZZ! YOU’RE JUST LIKE THAT TRAITOR BLITZO!” Barb turned away, rubbing her upper arms with both hands as she tried to keep the anger in the forefront. She flipped of the building as she walked home.

Not that the studio apartment would be home much longer. She was behind on rent and her landlord was ready to kick her out. Checking her mail, she found the termination letter; included was her severance check. Not enough to back pay everything. But enough to find somewhere else. Something cheaper and closer to the drug dens she was visiting more often. 

Within two days, she was gone, ghosting everyone in her life.

—————

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[philcoulsonismyhero]

Man, I'd missed DnD. My flatmate got a group together and we had our fourth session tonight and it feels like we're really properly getting into the swing of it and it's So much fun.

My character, Benjamin Larkwright, is a war wizard who was a magically-trained soldier as a young man and then a watchman for about a decade before quitting to take up his magic again and become an adventurer, and playing a mystery adventure as an ex-cop who keeps forgetting about his magic and solving problems like a detective is Really fun. I'm getting to mess around with all the crime drama tropes that I love while Also being a wizard, it's Great.

A couple of stand-out moments from this last session included getting to do the Hot Fuzz fence jumping thing, where the loxodon paladin just walked through the garden wall and Benjamin, on principle, vaulted a bit of still-intact wall aaand managed to roll an 8, land badly on his bad ankle and nearly faceplant in the street. The other wizard who, despite being a nerd and unathletic, is also 17 and limber managed to get over the wall with no trouble and got waved off from helping him up with a cranky "I've got a bad ankle, it's fine, I'm old, leave me alone." (He's like 45ish.)

We'd also earlier been to talk to the local sheriff about the epidemic of missing people we'd been hired to investigate (by his sister, it turned out, who thought he wasn't doing enough about it), and I got to play Benjamin going from marching in all judgemental and dragging this guy's curtains open in the face of his dreadful hangover and pointedly shifting the bottles off his desk to put down the list of missings we got from his sister, to leaving with a gentle word about hangover cures and all his missing person files and a promise to deal with whatever hold the villain has over him that he couldn't tell us about but had clearly caused an extended breakdown and is preventing him from investigating properly himself. (Kidnapped wife and son, we later worked out, who are among the people going missing around this Highly Suspicious Casino that appeared in town six months ago.)

The best moment, though was when I finally got to catch the other wizard out on the gems she stole from a bag in the mail car when we were searching the train to the town for Weird Shit. She'd managed to do it while the rest of the party were all out on the platform tidying up the mess from our fight with a gargoyle that had also been sent in the post via the train, so none of us had any reason to even suspect she'd nicked them. But then we were investigating a weird magical effect outside the temple we were in, and Abigail goes and pulls out these gems right in front of Benjamin's nose to see if they react to the magical field. He recognises them from before, asks her where she got them from, and she lies to his face that they were something she inherited from his wizard grandfather. So, two sessions after the theft, I finally get to insight check her, with my +5 insight vs her +0 deception, and I roll a 21. Which, upon realising that there's nothing she can roll to beat that, causes me, out of character, delighted, to exclaim "ha! Get insighted, crime child!"

Which was apparently the highlight of the session to the DM and everyone else and got me an inspiration as the culmination of a bunch of good ex-policeman roleplaying, which was delightful. (Got a good grade in DnD, which is both normal to want and possible to achieve.) The player of the other wizard now desperately wants me to draw a very pleased-with-himself Benjamin looming over a cowering Abigail pointing and exclaiming "Get insighted, Crime Child!", he was that amused by it, and honestly I might later when I'm less busy.

In-universe, Benjamin just gave her The Look, though, and said "alright, I'll believe you", with them both knowing Full Well that he doesn't. It was then followed up by him dashing (so Detect Magic didn't run out) over to the temple down the street to check if the magic field effect was also unable to penetrate the inside of that temple, and passing Abigail who tried to follow him on the way back, much slower on her "weak nerd legs" and pestering her into jogging the whole way back again while Benjamin made it very clear without outright saying that the jogging was her penance for the petty crime. (He's not a watchman anymore and he's not her dad so he's just going to mess with the kid in the hope that it makes her think twice the next time she gets the urge to be sticky-fingered with potentially dangerous magical items. And also for his own amusement, tbh.)

It was all very funny, I'm having a great time being the (metaphorical, he's aroace) straight guy to the rest of the party's hijinks and also occasionally indulging in my own. We ended the session thoroughly convinced that all roads lead to the Suspect Casino, having tugged on every investigative thread to Benjamin's satisfaction (and everyone else's), and he snapped his suspiciously-police-looking notebook shut and said "On that, Droozh, we are in complete agreement." to the loxodon paladin's declaration that he thinks now is Definitely the time to march into the casino and demand to know what the hell is going on. And yes, Droozh has wanted to do that since we arrived in town and the place seemed a bit sus from the whole 'got sent a gargoyle in the post' thing, but now we can march in and start cracking skulls in an Informed and Well Considered manner, having a better idea of what we're up against.

I love DnD, I've missed it.

[snickers-the-fluffy-boi]

Abusive Sexual Contact

Advocating Overthrow of Government

Aggravated Assault/Battery

Aggravated Identity Theft

Aggravated Sexual Abuse

Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft

Airplane Hijacking

Anti-racketeering

Antitrust

Armed Robbery

Arson

Assassination

Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Assaulting or Killing Federal Officer

Assisting or Instigating Escape

Attempt to commit Murder/Manslaughter

Bank Burglary

Bankruptcy Fraud/Embezzlement

Bank Larceny

Bank Robbery

Blackmail

Bombing Matters

Bond Default

Breaking and/or Entering Carrier Facilities

Bribery Crimes

Certification of Checks (Fraud)

Child Abuse

Child Exploitation

Child Pornography

Civil Action to Restrain Harassment of a Victim or Witness

Coercion

Commodities Price Fixing

Computer Crime

Concealing Escaped Prisoner

Concealing Person from Arrest

Concealment of Assets

Conspiracy (in matters under FBI jurisdiction)

Conspiracy to Impede or Injure an Officer

Contempt of Court

Continuing Criminal Enterprise

Conveying False Information

Copyright Matters

Counterfeiting

Counterintelligence Crimes

Credit/Debit Card Fraud

Crime Aboard Aircraft

Crimes on Government Reservations

Crimes on Indian Reservations

Criminal Contempt of Court

Criminal Forfeiture

Criminal Infringement of a Copyright

Cyber Crimes

Damage to Religious Property

Delivery to Consignee

Demands Against the U.S.

Destruction of Aircraft or Motor Vehicles Used in Foreign Commerce

Destruction of an Energy Facility

Destruction of Property to Prevent Seizure

Destruction of Records in Federal Investigations and Bankruptcy

Destruction of Corporate Audit Records

Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials

Detention of Armed Vessel

Disclosure of Confidential Information

Domestic Security

Domestic Terrorism

Domestic Violence

Drive-by Shooting

Drug Abuse Violations

Drug Smuggling

Drug Trafficking

DUI/DWI on Federal Property

Economic Espionage

Election Law Crimes

Embezzlement

Embezzlement Against Estate

Entering Train to Commit Crime

Enlistment to Serve Against the U.S.

Environmental Scheme Crimes

Escaping Custody/Escaped Federal Prisoners

Examiner Performing Other Services

Exportation of Drugs

Extortion

Failure to Appear on Felony Offense

Failure to Pay Legal Child Support Obligations

False Bail

False Pretenses

False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters

Falsely Claiming Citizenship

False Declarations before Grand Jury or Court

False Entries in Records of Interstate Carriers

False Information and Hoaxes

False Statement to Obtain Unemployment Compensation

Federal Aviation Act

Federal Civil Rights Violations (hate crimes, police misconduct)

Female Genital Mutilation

Financial Transactions with Foreign Government

First Degree Murder

Flight to Avoid Prosecution or Giving Testimony

Forced Labor

Forcible Rape

Forgery

Fraud Activity in Connection with Electronic Mail

Fraud Against the Government

Genocide

Hacking Crimes

Harboring Terrorists

Harming Animals Used in Law Enforcement

Hate Crime Acts

Homicide

Hostage Taking

Identity Theft

Illegal Possession of Firearms

Immigration Offenses

Impersonator Making Arrest or Search

Importation of Drugs

Influencing Juror by Writing

Injuring Officer

Insider Trading Crimes

Insurance Fraud

Interference with the Operation of a Satellite

International Parental Kidnapping

International Terrorism

Interstate Domestic Violence

Interstate Violation of Protection Order

Larceny

Lobbying with Appropriated Moneys

Mailing Threatening Communications

Major Fraud Against the U.S.

Manslaughter

Medical/Health Care Fraud

Missile Systems Designed to Destroy Aircraft

Misuse of Passport

Misuse of Visas, Permits, or Other Documents

Molestation

Money Laundering

Motor Vehicle Theft

Murder by a Federal Prisoner

Murder Committed During Drug-related Drive-by shooting

Murder Committed in Federal Government Facility

Narcotics Violations

Obstructing Examination of Financial Institution

Obstruction of Court Orders

Obstruction of Federal audit

Obstruction of Justice

Obstruction of Criminal Investigations

Officer Failing to Make Reports

Partial Birth Abortion

Penalties for Neglect or Refusal to Answer Subpoena

Peonage

Perjury

Picketing or Parading

Pirating

Possession by Restricted Persons

Possession of False Papers to Defraud the U.S.

Possession of Narcotics

Possession of Child Pornography

Private Correspondence with Foreign Government

Probation Violation

Product Tampering

Prohibition of Illegal Gambling Businesses

Prostitution

Protection of Foreign Officials

Public Corruption Crimes

Racketeering

Radiological Dispersal Devices

Ransom Money

Rape

Receiving the Proceeds of Extortion

Recording or Listening to Grand or Petit Juries While Deliberating

Reentry of an Alien Removed on National Security Grounds

Registration of Certain Organizations

Reproduction of Citizenship Papers

Resistance to Extradition Agent

Rescue of Seized Property

Retaliating Against a Federal Judge by False Claim or Slander of Title

Retaliating Against a Witness, Victim, or an Informant

Robbery

Robberies and Burglaries Involving Controlled Substances

Sabotage

Sale of Citizenship Papers

Sale of Stolen Vehicles

Searches Without Warrant

Second Degree Murder

Serial Murders

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse of a Minor

Sexual Assault

Sexual Battery

Sexual Conduct with a Minor

Sexual Exploitation

Sex Trafficking

Shoplifting

Smuggling

Solicitation to Commit a Crime of Violence

Stalking (In Violation of Restraining Order)

Stolen Property; Buying, Receiving, or Possessing

Subornation of Perjury

Suits Against Government Officials

Tampering with a Witness, Victim, or Informant

Tampering with Consumer Products

Tampering with Vessels

Theft of Trade Secrets

Torture

Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods or Services

Transmission of Wagering Information (Gambling)

Transportation into State Prohibiting Sale

Transportation of Slaves from U.S.

Transportation of Stolen Vehicles

Transportation of Terrorists

Trespassing

Treason

Unauthorized Removal of Classified Documents

Use of Fire or Explosives to Destroy Property

Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Vandalism

Video Voyeurism

Violation of Prohibitions Governing Atomic Weapons

Violence at International airports

Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity

Willful Wrecking of a Train Resulting in Death

Wire Fraud

That’s the list of all of my crimes