#Multi-target approach

[fiapple]

literally, i love nami so much, you do not even understand. you cannot begin to fathom.

[alpesamedia]

Choosing The Right Marketing Mix: Digital & Traditional Strategy

In today’s fast-paced digital age, businesses must choose between traditional marketing methods and digital strategies. Each approach has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, making the decision-making process more complex than ever before. In this blog, we’ll delve into the intricacies of traditional marketing versus digital marketing, helping you understand which strategy might be the best fit for your business.

Traditional marketing relies on methods that have been around for a long time and are widely recognized and trusted. Imagine flipping through a magazine and seeing eye-catching ads, or driving down the highway and noticing a huge billboard that grabs your attention. These offline strategies have stood the test of time because they feel real and dependable. They give people something tangible to see and experience, which goes a long way in building trust and making a lasting impression.

In the ever-changing world we live in, digital marketing has become a major force. It revolves around using algorithms and data to reach people online. Businesses leverage social media, optimize their websites to appear in search results, and run targeted ads to engage specific audiences. Digital marketing offers precision and speed, allowing businesses to track the performance of their campaigns in real-time. This dynamic approach enables companies to adapt quickly and effectively to market trends and consumer behaviors.

The best way to market a business today is to use both traditional and digital methods together. Digital marketing reaches lots of people and shows clear results. By combining both approaches, companies can create strong plans that work everywhere and easily adapt to changes. This mix helps reach more people and stay effective in a fast-changing world.

Digital Marketing:​

Digital marketing is crucial for businesses because it helps them connect with customers online. Through tools like social media marketing & SEO companies can reach people where they spend a lot of time: on the Internet. Digital marketing lets companies advertise specific targeted audiences, track how well their ads are doing, and engage with customers directly. It’s an essential way for businesses to stay competitive and grow in today’s digital world. With digital marketing, companies can choose exactly who they want to talk to. Now everyone is active in the internet online world so we can promote our products and services digitally.

Also, digital marketing enables businesses to leverage various content formats such as blogs, videos, infographics, and podcasts to engage with their audience in more interactive and compelling ways. This diverse range of content allows companies to cater to different preferences and consumption habits, ensuring that their message resonates with a broader audience.

The Timeless Approach of Digital Marketing

Precision Targeting: Digital marketing excels in its ability to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors with precision. Platforms like social media and Google Ads enable businesses to tailor their messages to highly segmented audiences, maximizing the efficiency of their marketing efforts.

Measurable Results: Using digital promotion for products and services can bring excellent outcomes. With digital marketing, marketers can keep an eye on important numbers in real time. This helps them quickly adjust and improve campaigns for better results. Digital platforms are flexible, allowing businesses to adapt fast to market changes and what customers prefer. By using digital marketing’s flexibility and responsiveness, companies can keep up with trends and make their marketing efforts better over time, leading to growth and success.

Interactivity and Engagement: Digital platforms have transformed marketing, enabling direct communication between brands and consumers. SEO enhances online visibility through optimized content and interactive elements like polls and quizzes. Social media engages with live streams and Q&A sessions, Google Ads targets traffic with interactive formats and remarketing. Integrating SEO, social media, and Google Ads amplifies their impact, creating meaningful interactions and driving brand growth.

Global Reach: In the world of marketing, which is often limited to specific regions, digital marketing has the potential to reach an international audience. Through online platforms and social media channels, businesses can connect with customers around the world, expanding their market reach exponentially.

Cost-Effectiveness: Digital marketing campaigns often offer a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to traditional methods, especially for startups, entrepreneurs & enterprises with limited budgets. With tools like advertising & digital marketing, businesses can reach large audiences at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising channels.

Instant Feedback: Digital marketing allows businesses to gather immediate feedback from customers through comments, reviews, and social media interactions. This real-time feedback loop provides valuable insights into consumer preferences and allows businesses to adapt their marketing strategies accordingly.

Traditional Marketing:

Traditional marketing encompasses all the conventional methods of advertising and promotion that existed before the digital revolution. This includes print advertisements in newspapers and magazines, billboards, television and radio commercials, direct mail, and more. While traditional marketing techniques have been the cornerstone of advertising for decades, the rise of digital marketing has forced businesses to reassess their effectiveness in today’s landscape.

The Timeless Approach of Traditional Marketing:

Tangible Presence: Traditional marketing offers a physical presence that digital channels can’t replicate. Whether it’s a billboard on a busy highway or a well-designed brochure handed out at an event, traditional marketing materials provide a tangible connection with the audience.

Trust and Authority: A brand in a respected publication or on the radio can build trust and authority with consumers. Mixing Digital methods like graphic design, video ads, and print media with traditional marketing creates a well-rounded strategy. This not only grabs attention but also nurtures lasting trust and loyalty from customers.

Reaching Offline Audiences: Traditional marketing helps businesses reach these audiences, ensuring they connect with a wide range of potential customers. Even with the rise of digital marketing, some people still prefer offline methods. Long-standing businesses trust traditional marketing, while younger ones favor digital but still resort to traditional methods when needed.

Local Targeting: Traditional marketing methods like flyers, pamphlets, newspaper ads, and local radio spots are particularly effective for targeting specific geographic areas. Local businesses can use these methods to build a strong community presence and attract nearby customers effectively.

Brand Visibility: Traditional marketing channels such as billboards (Hoarding) and signage offer continuous visibility to passersby, helping to reinforce brand awareness over time. When it comes to choosing between indoor and outdoor marketing, think about what you’re offering and who you’re targeting. Both indoor and outdoor marketing help in business but it depends on your products and services.

Personal Touch: Face-to-face interactions at trade shows, events, and brand promotions not only create memorable experiences but also help trust and loyalty in a way that surpasses the digital realm. Moreover, the positive word-of-mouth generated from these interactions amplifies a brand’s credibility and extends its influence even further, solidifying its position in the market.

The Power of Integration:

Consistent Brand Experience: By integrating digital and traditional marketing efforts, businesses can ensure a consistent brand experience across all channels. This cohesive approach reinforces brand messaging and strengthens brand recall among consumers.

Expanded Reach: Combining digital and traditional channels enables businesses to reach a broader audience than they could with either approach alone. This multi-channel approach ensures that no potential customer goes unnoticed, maximizing the impact of marketing efforts.

Adaptability and Flexibility: In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, businesses need to be agile in their marketing strategies. By leveraging both digital and traditional channels, businesses can adapt to changing trends and consumer preferences more effectively, staying ahead of the curve.

Cross-Promotion Opportunities: Integrating digital and traditional marketing opens up opportunities for cross-promotion and synergy between channels. For example, a traditional print ad can drive traffic to a website or social media page, where customers can engage further with the brand and make purchases online.

Brand Consistency: By maintaining a consistent brand message across both digital and traditional marketing, businesses can strengthen brand identity and recognition. Consistency builds trust and credibility with customers, regardless of how they interact with the brand.

Accessibility and Inclusivity: Digital marketing, like optimizing websites for accessibility and mobile use, helps businesses reach and engage diverse audiences, including those with disabilities or limited access to traditional ads.

Conclusion:

In today’s marketing landscape, the marriage of digital and traditional strategies isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. Traditional methods offer tangible presence and local targeting, while digital platforms provide global reach and cost-effectiveness. By integrating both approaches, businesses create a balanced strategy that maximizes reach, engagement, and impact. It’s not about choosing one over the other; it’s about harnessing the synergy between them to drive success in a dynamic marketplace.

By folding both worlds, businesses start on a journey of versatility and adaptability. It’s not a question of either/or but rather a celebration of both—and the magic that happens when they intertwine. Combining digital and traditional methods helps businesses reach new markets, build stronger connections, and achieve lasting success in a changing world. So, let’s raise our batons to the power of integration, orchestrating a symphony of growth, innovation, and prosperity.

Read More: https://alpesamedia.com/knowledge-center/

[kcsplace]

They'd barely stepped off their transport back at Fightertown when the snarled word pulled the Daggers up short

"YOU!"

As one the thirteen of them turned on their heel and immediately twelve duffles hit the tarmac and twelve arms shot up into sharp salutes.

Only Maverick stood unfazed as he took in the sight of Iceman walking slowly towards them. Even out of uniform, and back in a battle against his own body, he was a commanding presence, and cancer or no, he was still COMPACFLT.

Instead of saluting, Maverick, pointed at his own chest.

"Me?"

But this time Ice wasn't talking to him. Wasn't even looking at him. It took Mav a moment, but as he watched Ice approach, he realised the man's target and took a sharp step to the side, smirking as Phoenix, did so herself, leaving Rooster an island between them.

Frozen to the spot, Rooster could do nothing but watch his boss', boss', boss step toe to toe with him. He could only imagine the shit he was in. Disobeying direct orders, losing a multi-million dollar plane, endangering Hangman who'd been scrambled as extra cover, maybe even potentially grand theft aviation from a hostile power....was that a thing?? Oh god, was that a thing??!!?!?!

But the Admiral didn't say a word, just threw his arms around him and held him so tight Rooster's already abused ribs and spine could only complain further. Not that he'd mention it, even when tears blurred his vision from the pain. Once he started to breathe again, he could feel the faint tremor running through the older man's body, and he knew it had less to do with the illness that was rumoured on base to have returned, and more to do with the smirk he could see on Maverick's face over the mans shoulder. A smirk that looked suspiciously like one worn by a man in love.

Hesitantly, Rooster wrapped his arms around his superior officer, and held on just as tight.

"You're welcome."

[anim-ttrpgs]

Why You Should Try Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Part 10: It Has Intense Action

This is part 10 of a multi-part series of posts about the awesome features of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, in no particular order.

Find the earlier parts here:

Part 1 Link: We Worked Hard on It!

Part 2 Link: It's Easy to Learn!

Part 3 Link: It's Easy to GM!

Part 4 Link: It's Easy to GM and Supports Narrative and Roleplay!

Part 5 Link: It Revolutionizes Investigation and Mystery Solving in TTRPGs

Part 6 Link: PCs are Not Just Mystery Solving Automatons

Part 7 Link: Excellent Time-Keeping Mechanics Keep the Pressure On

Part 8 Link: Fun and Easy Character Creation

Part 9 Link: Themes of Disability

For a while in its development, Eureka had a section dedicated to combat, but now that section is more broadly called “dangerous situations.” It’s rare, but dangerous situations will inevitably come up. The question is, will the PCs be prepared for them? Eureka has rules to cover everything from gunshot wounds to car crashes, from falling off buildings to drowning. If something bad can happen to a person, there’s probably a section in the rulebook covering how it would affect a Eureka PC mechanically. A lot of the times the answer will be they die, but how fast they die, and what they can do to save themselves in that time, is crucial.

Eureka takes a very “trad RPG” approach to this sort of thing, where violence and other dangers are something highly lethal, and therefore best avoided if the PCs are smart, but that the nature of what they’re doing means that it’s bound to happen eventually, and therefore the game rules need to provide a lot of “tools” and options within those situations, thereby creating agency over whether they live or die. PCs do not necessarily have to have “good” combat stats to survive, as many players so far can attest. It encourages them to be clever and cautious about things, and allows them to exorcise that cleverness and caution, without bogging the game down in too many numbers or charts.

Weapons will usually take any character down in one to two hits, and even when unarmed, characters have a wide variety of techniques that they can attempt, including the world’s first ever TTRPG grappling rules that are actually fun and advantageous!

Guns are as deadly in Eureka as in real life, and the type of gun matters a lot. That isn’t to say the exact model makes a huge difference, that would be too granular for what we’re attempting to do. A Glock 19 and a Beretta 92 would both fall under “Semi-Automatic Pistol” and function identically. Trust us, this all runs smoothly once you read it.

Bullets do 4 Penetrative Damage each, and most firearm categories are capable of firing multiple bullets within a single turn, each rolled separately. Direct hits are usually fight-ending, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds. Even with a high Firearms skill, these shots are being taken under extreme duress, and factors like cover, distance, movement, etc. will affect them too. Most shots fired will miss, and you might think that would be boring, but it’s not because of the next thing I’m going to talk about.

The Woo Roll

Named after director John Woo, the Woo Roll is a mechanic that’s makes it so that bullets don’t just disappear into thin air when they miss.

When any shot misses, a Woo Roll is made, which means something is going to happen that changes the situation as a result of that shot. (That’s one Woo Roll per turn, no matter whether one or thirty shots miss.) This roll determines whether the effect is good or bad for the shooter. A good result might mean that the shot hits a fire extinguisher behind the target, spraying him with foam and gas, disrupting his next shot. A bad result might mean the shot hits a gas line, and now the building is on fire. Usually the rule is that it’s whatever the most obvious and interesting thing within the confines of being good or bad for the shooter, but if there isn’t anything around, then we also have tables you can roll on.

Chase Mechanics

Combat is only likely to last a few rounds, but everything characters do in those rounds is crucial. These situations dynamic and deadly, and evolve rapidly, and if things are going south, run away!

Eureka has rules and incentives that can quickly shift the location of a conflict as one or more parties tries to flee. This works pretty similarly to combat, but, of course, the parties are moving and fighting across larger areas, causing the situation to evolve even more rapidly. Characters will have to overcome obstacles to keep ahead of their pursuers or catch up to their targets. These obstacles are rolled on a table that matches the environment the chase is happening in, heres a few highlights [images of entries]

As you can probably see, some of these obstacles can take a character out as easily as an enemy could. The kind of dynamic, cinematic car and foot chases these rules create are always something special.

[milk-is-stable]

The Shoot From the Hip Hunger Games Day 1 - Remainder

The Reaping || Tribute Interviews || Day 1 - The Bloodbath

Content Warning: descriptions of violence, blood/injury, suicide and major character death

The Capitol anthem plays as the camera pans over the forested arena. Four cannon blasts echo through the arena, one for each of the four tributes who died in the initial Bloodbath. The cornucopia now stands empty, but there is still plenty of action to follow on the first day of the games. 

The TV frame splits into a multi-view screen showing a handful of the tributes as they prepare for the trials ahead. 

Sally and Chip, both tributes from District 12, have found one another in the forest and are working together to gather supplies. Meanwhile, Priscilla from District 7 and Inga from District 9 have also brokered a truce: Inga is helping boost Priscilla up a tree so she can gather fruit. Jimmy from District 8 has run into Jasper from District 4, and when they realize that neither of them have much in the way of tools or resources, they begin traveling through the woods together.

Other tributes begin the day alone. Janae (District 3) has found an isolated spot in the forest and is using a rock to file a fallen tree branch into a sharp point, and Janusz appears to have gotten lost in his attempt to follow Alexa, his fellow tribute from District 1, and is now wandering aimlessly through the trees. 

Julian (District 4) is still running, finally stopping when he finds a large rock outcropping to duck behind. He draws his legs close to himself, attempting to become as small as possible, and his breath comes in short, panicked gasps. 

Not all the tributes are content to merely gather resources. The camera cuts to a shot of Robin (District 8), who is running through the forest with his weapon out. It zooms out, revealing that he is chasing two tributes, Benjamin from District 6 and Johnny from District 3. As he closes the distance between them, he swings his mace and the blow catches Johnny on the shoulder. Johnny cries out, falling to the ground, but he rolls over and kicks at Robin’s legs as the smaller boy approaches. Robin stumbles, and Johnny gets back to his feet and staggers away. 

Benjamin is still running in the other direction, and as Robin gets back up he looks between his two targets for a moment, trying to decide which way to go. He turns towards Johnny, but before he can begin his pursuit anew, an arrow whizzes past him out of nowhere, embedding itself in a tree mere inches from where he was standing. Making a split second decision, Robin turns and runs after Benjamin instead, leaving Johnny to his injury. 

“Who’s there?” Johnny calls out, and Priscilla emerges from the trees, her bow in her hand. 

“You’re the one who has those future dreams,” she says, and Johnny nods. 

“Priscilla, what are you doing?” Inga asks, stepping into view after her, and Priscilla points at Johnny with the tip of her bow. 

“He can see the future. I think we should team up with him.”

“Sometimes I can see it,” Johnny adds, wringing his hands. “I mean, the dreams don’t always happen exactly like I see them–”

“But sometimes they do?” Priscilla asks, and Johnny nods again. 

“That does sound like a power I would want on my side,” Inga says. “Truce?” 

“...okay. Truce,” Johnny agrees, and the three of them shake hands. 

The camera view cuts back to split screen, showing four perspectives at once, though you cannot hear what is being said in any of the feeds. In the first shot, you see Caesar (District 2) approaching Jimmy and Jasper in the woods. They startle at first, but Caesar’s hands are out in an appealing gesture, and the three seem to be negotiating an alliance. 

The second feed shows Michael (District 7) receiving a parachute from a sponsor. He opens the package to reveal a small photograph of himself with a short blond man and a tall brunette woman standing behind him, their hands on his shoulders. He closes his eyes, and clutches the photograph to his chest for a moment before sliding it into his pocket and continuing through the forest. 

In the third feed, you can see Pinocchio (District 11)  crouching low in the bushes, watching Jimmy, Jasper, and Caesar intently. He watches as they divvy up the supplies that Caesar brought from the cornucopia, then he slips away. Looking around the woods, he goes up to a tree with a growth of vines snaking their way around the trunk. He reaches for the vines, but immediately winces and pulls back. A bright red drop of blood has appeared on his palm, and the camera zooms in to reveal that the vines are artificially enhanced to have long, barbed thorns that are hidden just beneath the leaves. Pinocchio looks back towards where the new alliance is gathered, then he takes a deep breath and starts carefully pulling the vines down from the tree. 

The fourth feed shows Marty (District 10) and Clarissa (District 6) fighting with one another. Neither of them have weapons, and Clarissa’s supply pack is torn open on the ground beside them. For a moment it looks like Marty has the upper hand, but he suddenly breaks out into a coughing fit, and Clarissa takes advantage of it to deliver a blow to his stomach that sends him sprawling to the ground. She rushes to gather her supplies, which includes a small, serrated blade. She looks back down at Marty for a moment, then shakes her head to herself and dashes away, leaving him hurt but alive. 

The camera cuts back to a fullscreen view and shows Hugh (District 9), who is walking through the trees with an armful of edible plants. The feed cuts to an aerial shot that shows Alexa approaching him from the south, and Peter (District 10) approaching from the east. Cutting back to Hugh, you see the moment that Alexa comes into his line of sight. He stops abruptly, his eyes trained on the axe in her hands, but she quickly shakes her head. 

“I’m not here to hurt you,” she says, holding out a hand. “I wanted to ask…you know so much about plants and the forest…would you be willing to team up with me? So many of the others are bigger and stronger than we are...I think we would have a better chance if we worked together.” 

Hugh immediately shakes his head, stepping back. 

“I don’t…no, I’m sorry, but no. I’ll stay on my own, thanks.” 

Hugh retreats into the forest, and the camera stays on Alexa as she watches him go.  Suddenly she freezes, turning her head towards a sound. She squints, and the camera view pulls in close to her so that you can see where she’s looking. A tall, gangly figure is visible through the trees, and Alexa lets out a yelp. 

She turns and runs in the opposite direction, and the camera pulls back, revealing the figure to be Peter. He runs after her, and for a moment the screen is a blur of passing trees and bushes as the two tributes run through the woods. 

Just as they break into a clearing, Alexa trips over a tree branch. Her axe flies out of her hands and she falls to the ground, letting out a scream of pain. She tries to get to her feet, but as soon as she puts weight on her left ankle it buckles beneath her and she cries out again. 

Peter catches up to her and pauses for a moment, catching his breath, and Alexa whimpers, scooting away from him as best as she can. 

“ALEXA!” 

Janusz runs out into the clearing, his eyes wide with panic. Peter turns towards him, surprise written on his face, but before Janusz can get any closer, Alexa shrieks:

“NO! Run, Janusz! Get out of here!”

“I cannot leave you, Alexa!” Janusz shouts, but Alexa shakes her head, her eyes brimming with tears. 

“RUN! PLEASE!” she begs.

Janusz stands frozen for a moment, his eyes locked with Alexa's, and she nods at him when Peter takes a step his way. Blinking away tears, Janusz takes a deep breath and spins away, running back into the forest the way he came. 

The camera cuts abruptly back to Pinocchio, who is crouching in the bushes several yards away from the perimeter of Caesar, Jasper, and Jimmy’s camp. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he lets out a long, low howling sound. 

The boys look up at the noise and Pinocchio makes the call again, a little louder this time. 

“Is that a wolf?” Jimmy asks, his voice stuffy from his broken nose, and Jasper frowns, tilting his head. 

“It might be? It’s hard to tell, it sounds far away.” 

"It doesn't sound much like a wolf to me," Caesar says.

Pinocchio howls again, even louder, and Jimmy nervously looks towards the sound. 

“It might be one of those engineered things they make. We shouldn’t stay here.”

“Hold on a minute,” Caesar begins, but he is cut off by a piercing shriek. 

“AAAAAAh! No! Get away! No! AAAAAaaaah!” Pinocchio screams, before letting out another howl.

“We have to go!” Jimmy insists, and he takes off running.

“Jimmy, wait!” Jasper calls, running after, and after a moment Caesar moves to join them. 

The three don’t make it far before Jimmy’s foot twists underneath him and he falls face forward. He lets out a scream of pain as he lands, and the camera zooms in to reveal  that he stumbled into a wide, shallow hole that was covered in a layer of vines…the very vines Pinocchio discovered with the artificially enhanced thorns. Jimmy tries to push himself back to his feet, but every movement only drives the thorns deeper into his skin and he flinches, unable to stand on his own.

"It was a trap," Jasper says, and Caesar curses.

“Our supplies!” he exclaims, and he turns and runs back in the direction of their campsite.

Jasper approaches Jimmy’s side and tries to help pull him up, but he is unable to do so without hurting Jimmy even more. He winces as he scraps against one of the thorns, leaving a long, shallow cut along his arm. Sighing, he lets go of Jimmy's hand and takes a step back.

“Don’t just leave me here!” Jimmy protests, but Jasper just shakes his head in apology before turning and running after Caesar. 

He arrives back at the camp to find Caesar holding his trident, a glare on his face.

"The food that Jimmy had is gone," he reports. "So is the hunting knife and our sleeping bag."

"So we were played," Jasper says, and Caesar nods.

“It was that kid from Eleven," he growls. "I saw him raiding our stuff, but he took off into the woods when he heard me coming.” 

“What are we gonna do?” Jasper asks.

A cannon blast signaling the death of a tribute, the first to be heard since the bloodbath, echoes through the woods. Caesar grits his teeth. 

“We’re going to get him back.” 

The camera cuts back to Janusz, who is still running through the woods as fast as he can. He reaches the edge of the treeline and finds himself at the top of a high, rocky outcropping just as the first cannon fires. 

Tears are streaming down his face as he doubles over, trying to catch his breath. 

“I’m sorry, Alexa,” he sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

The sound of a branch snapping makes him jerk his head up, and the camera zooms out to show Marty crouching at the edge of the forest, watching Janusz like a hawk. 

Janusz shakes his head, and he straightens. 

“No…no, I do not want to play this game anymore!” he says, backing away. His heel reaches the edge of the cliff and he freezes, looking down at the drop behind him before looking back to Marty. 

The other tribute leaves cover of the treeline and makes his way slowly towards Janusz, who clenches his fists at his sides. 

“I will not play this game anymore!” he shouts, before looking up at the sky, one final tear rolling down his cheek. “I’m coming after you, Alexa,” he whispers.

Closing his eyes, he holds his arms out to the side and lets himself fall backward. 

Marty stops and watches as Janusz falls, and a moment later a second cannon blast sounds. 

“Damn, kid,” says Marty, raising his eyebrows. “I didn’t think you had that in you.”  

The camera cuts back to Jimmy’s body lying tangled in the thorns. Pinocchio sits on the ground a few feet away, his eyes hollow and the hunting knife he took from Caesar's camp in his hand, blood dripping from the blade.

One more cut, this time to a zoomed in shot of one of the black jackets that the tributes all are wearing lying on the ground. One of the sleeves is torn off the jacket, and the camera pans over to a small, trembling pair of hands as they wrap the jacket sleeve around their ankle with the practiced care of someone who has done this many, many times before. The shot zooms out and you see Alexa, pale and shaking but alive, sitting with her back against a large rock. She finishes wrapping her ankle, then carefully gets to her feet and tests balance. She winces slightly as she puts weight on the foot, but she squares her shoulders and pushes onward, limping off into the trees.  

The broadcast will now break for commercial. Please tune in again soon to see what else will become of our tributes on the first day of the games!

— — —

Game Summary

Deaths:

Jimmy was killed by Pinocchio

Janusz was killed by himself

Kill Counts:

Pinocchio: 2 (Maria, Jimmy)

Inga: 1 (Jim L)

Caesar: 1 (Juliet)

Game Meta

Day 1 was a really interesting one! I was absolutely devastated that my boy Janusz was taken out of the running so soon, so I hope that I gave his death scene some emotional weight for you guys. Also a real loss to have Jimmy exit so soon, I know both of these boys are high on people's favorite list, but alas, I do not control the deaths.

I altered only one major thing for today: I had to make up something totally original happen to Johnny, since somehow my screenshot cut off what was supposed to happen to him. I chose to have him be involved in the fight with Benjamin and Robin for reasons that will become clear later in the games >:3

There are lots of little changes in regards to alliances that you may have noticed; specifically Alexa asks Hugh to team up which is not in the screenshots and Johnny teams up with Priscilla and Inga which is not on the list. Both are things that happen in Night 1, and I put them during the day so that I could set up having actual character conversations during the Night and not worry about getting them to agree to spend time with each other.

In general, I will be more flexible with the timeline of when characters interact with each other in terms of alliance forming, to make the narrative make more sense (this is also why Inga is involved in the alliance with Hugh and Priscilla even though the simulator doesn't mention that, it doesn't make sense with what her future actions are to not be part of this group. You'll see what I mean later).

Also, I want to quickly bring something up: This simulator also has a "tribute summary" at the end of each simulation that shows you who is alive, who is dead, and how many kills each tribute has. This is also where you as a creator can manually kill or resurrect any tribute, though I did not use those features.

I will NOT be using these summaries in the future screencap wrap ups, because they're not actually correct. The computer doesn't always tally things correctly, and thus my manual Kill and Death count will be more accurate (if you look at the table, you'll see that Pinocchio only has one kill and Caesar has 2...I think the simulator attributed Jimmy's death to Caesar by mistake). I just wanted to mention that for transparency's sake!

[coochiequeens]

Anyone else thinking of just boycotting products that are pink taxed?

How to dodge 'pink tax' as women overpay billions per year in hidden price hike

'Pink Tax' has left millions of women paying £126 each per year simply for products marketed specifically towards them. The price differences have sparked outrage, so here's how to avoid them

Image: Getty Images)

By Ashley Bautista

You may have heard about the 'pink tax', but have you ever wondered how it actually effects women's finances?

'Pink tax' is an unfortunate reality in 2025 that directly impacts women. It refers to the price difference created by companies that charge more for the female version of various products. These gender-based price discrepancies can add up quickly, leaving women paying more for products simply because they are marketed toward them.

According to a report by NetVoucherCodes, women are spending £4.34 billion more than men on essential items, which works out to approximately £126 per woman annually in 'pink tax'. This is a significant amount over time and highlights the financial burden many women face when purchasing everyday products.

Consumer expert Ellie Macsymons tells the Mirror: "Pink coloured products marketed towards women are 14% more expensive than the male version of those same products. Overall, women are paying the most in comparison to men on items including perfume (£38 more), moisturiser (£35 more), and razor blades (£17 more) on average per year."

This pricing disparity becomes even more obvious when comparing products that are essentially the same but presented in different packaging based on gender. Products marketed toward women may seem to offer the same value for a similar price but, in reality, provide significantly less for the money - this is known as 'gender shrinkflation'.

This form of shrinkflation is not only misleading but also reflects the larger systemic issue of gendered pricing. Furthermore, this pricing inequality extends beyond personal care products and into clothing as well. Parents have reported paying up to £30 more for a girl’s school uniform compared to a boy’s, despite the products being largely identical aside from the design.

While the 'pink tax' may seem inevitable in a society where gendered marketing has been ingrained for decades, Macsymons has shared the practical ways to avoid it.

Buy gender-neutral or men’s products

One of the easiest ways to avoid paying the pink tax is by purchasing gender-neutral versions of everyday essentials such as razors, shower gel, shampoo, and deodorants. These products typically serve the same purpose as the ones marketed toward women but are often less expensive. By opting for these, you can reduce the demand for ‘pink’ products targeted at women, as well as save money in the process.

Check the label

Before purchasing a product, it’s always worth checking the label. While a product might seem fairly priced based on the ingredients or packaging, that isn’t always the case. Comparing the labels of men’s and women’s products will often reveal that the contents are virtually identical. In such cases, choosing the less expensive option can save you a considerable amount of money.

Avoid multi-pack deals

Don’t fall for multi-pack deals just because they seem like a good value. It’s crucial to compare how much you’d pay individually for the same product and calculate the price per unit. Sometimes, these deals are designed to appear cheaper, but when broken down, they may still be more expensive than buying individual items.

DIY or alternative solutions

For personal care items or cleaning products, considering DIY alternatives can be a great solution. This approach allows you to control the ingredients, reduce waste, and, most importantly, avoid the inflated prices of products marketed to women. With just a bit of time and effort, you can often create your own versions of the products you use regularly, saving both money and the need to pay a ‘pink tax.’

Whether you can afford it or not, one thing is clear - it’s still unfair. Women having to pay twice as much as men for the same product demonstrates how sexism continues to influence our daily lives.

By being mindful of your product choices and opting for gender-neutral or male-marketed alternatives, you can avoid paying the pink tax and save money in the process. Taking small, conscious steps can reduce the financial burden caused by the pink tax while also sending a message that this inequality should not continue.

[keepinyadebthfree]

“RATTLE ‘EM, BOYS!”

"YES BOSS!"

"I am. Not associated with these people."

Welcome, welcomee people! To a multi-run askblog for the mafia of a Killer-swap au run by @3m1lth34rt1st, @chaotic-conquest, and @seakittypups! This askblog has both references to dream game AND forsaken due to lore reasons.

This account is connected to @c00lbug, @t3lam0n, and @wakeuppizzaboy!

SHAMELESSLY COPYING EMIL BELOW. (you love usss we’re allooweddd <3) [if you were not my partner i’d kill you] (^_^)

! General Things !

Warnings will be added at the top of the post with said warnings!! with!! read mores!!!

YOU WANT A INTERACTION? YOU CAN PING! WE'D BE GLAD TO ROLEPLAY [THE OTHER TWO ARE COWARDS BUT I AM VERY GLAD.] (snifflessss . i’m glad to roleplay too i’m just bad at Approaching)

The ones who run the blog are minors, so please do not! be weird! no nsfw!! we kill you!! DEAD !!!!!!!!!!!

Most of this is headcanons, since it IS from a swapped au and some of these are . um . yeah .

no guarantees on art from . any of us.

art and tags will also vary depending on which mod is responding

ooc asks are also very welcome!

ooc for the bug will be [bracketed and red]! ooc for the bird will be (parenthesis-ed and purple)! ooc for the banshee will be [bracketed and orange]!

M!A's are fine!

! Links !

the mafialimgs

! GENERAL TAGSSS !

#mafia on the loose (art)

#division 8 ready for anythinggg (asks)

#hey that one's on our target list! (reblog)

#at your service (rp)

#Soldiers don’t go to hell. <- Lore

! Other !

stuff will b added

[writing-cins]

Hello! I wanted to request since I saw your box was open. I would like to request a Alastor x husk's sister!overlord!reader and Alastor does not own her soul. She appears in the hotel one day to find Husk on episode 7, when they were building defenses in the hotel before Charlie, Veggie and Alastor returns, she lectures him and later says something like, 'At least, there's something merciful about Alastor. He never broadcasted your screams, that I don't need to hear or to have nightmares about' and 'I'm just glad to see your alive and safe', and Alastor is in love with her. I don't want it to be angst much just some fluff. Thank you! ^^

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The Cat and the Radio Demon - Part 1

Pairings: Alastor x Fem!Overlord!Reader / Reader is Husk’s sister

Warnings/Tags: female reader, reader is Husk’s sister, reader is an overlord, use of alcohol, fluff (?), mutual pining, mention of toxic ex, Husk does NOT approve, English is not my first language! (Tags might change with upcoming parts but there’s no 18+ content planned for this fic.)

Summary: As Husk’s sister, you visit him the day before the upcoming extermination and find the hotel in a surprisingly chaotic state. During a deep conversation with your brother, you not only learn that heaven has specifically targeted the hotel this time but you also discover that an old acquaintance, whom you haven’t seen for seven years, is currently residing at the hotel. You decide to support the residents in their battle against the angels, hoping to also reconnect with the overlord who has intrigued you for decades – unaware that he shares your complicated feelings.

Wordcount: 4.6k

A/N: This will be a multi-part fic! It took me so long to write because I just couldn’t decide which way I wanted the story to go. This part is set during season 1 episode 7 and doesn’t feature much fluff yet because it mostly focuses on the relationship between Husk and the reader as well as the past between the reader and Alastor. I promise there will be a lot more fluff in the upcoming chapters! Comment if you like to get tagged in part two and I’ll add you to the list :D

Masterlist

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   Your thoughts race as you walk up the hill towards the Hazbin Hotel. Since the next extermination is about to happen tomorrow, you want to visit your brother just in case things don’t end well for any of you. With a deep sigh you raise your hand to knock on the huge double door as loud rumbling noises catch your attention. Voices mixed with clatter and hammering make the hotel sound like a building site and you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. Knowing well that no one would hear your knocks under this turmoil you decide to just open the door and step inside.

   The noises get louder when you enter the lobby and you freeze at the unexpected sight. The whole entrance area looks in fact like a building site. Little egg demons rush back and forth, carrying long wooden slats that must be at least triple as heavy as them. Most of the windows are bolded with messy wood paneling scattered across the window frames to shield the hotel from outside, letting almost no light through. The whole establishment looks like a lost place and you would've described it as one if there weren't the rumbling of woodwork and the scatter of voices echoing through the room.

   “Uhm, hello?” you announce your arrival, calling over the loud noises. You turn on your heels, letting your gaze wander around the gallery as you search for a familiar face – or at least for someone who isn’t an egg.

   When you tilt your head back, your eyes trail along the balcony that's surrounding the lobby on the first floor until your gaze gets stuck on three figures barricading the upper windows.

   “Hello?” you call again, this time louder. One of the figures stops hammering and turns around. A huge grin spreads across their face as they approach the balcony, leaning over the railing to look down at you. You immediately wave as you recognize Angel.

   “Oh hey, toots!” he greets you with an excited voice and waves back, holding a hammer in each set of his hands.

   You open your mouth to ask him for your brother as Angel already turns around and disappears so far behind the railing that you can only see the upper tufts of his fluffy hair. He moves his head back and forth, unintelligible voices, then it gets quiet until the pointy ears and huge wings of your brother appear in your sight.

   “Oh, hello, Y/N!” he shouts over the railing, “Give me a moment, I’ll come down!” He raises his hand to silently signal you to wait and walks over to the stairs. He approaches you with widely spread arms and a welcoming smile on his typically grumpy face, and pulls you in a tight embrace.

   Returning his smile you lean into his familiar hug and a comfortable warmth spreads through your body.

   “Hey there, sis. I haven’t seen you in what feels like ages! What are you doing here?” Husk squeezes you for a short moment before he lets go and musters your appearance with furrowed eyebrows, checking if something has changed since your last encounter. But you still look the same: a few inches shorter than him, your hair cut into a messy shoulder-length bob with loose curls falling in your face and tickling your nose and cheeks. In comparison to your brother’s appearance your sinner form looks mostly human – your pointy ears and fluffy tail are the only feline features that suggest a kinship with your brother. Other than that, you couldn't look more different from each other.

   You clear your throat and your voice runs deeper as you explain, “I wanted to see you before the next extermination. You know, in case something happens to one of us.” It has always been your personal ritual to meet a few days before an extermination happens but since this one is about to happen much earlier than normally, Husk didn't expect to see you this time – thus making him even more excited about your visit.

   “You want a drink?” he points with his chin at the bar and you nod, following over to the swampy-looking structure.

   “But please none of those throat-burning hellfire liquids. You know I prefer the lighter ones,” you laugh.

   Husk chuckles at your comment and slips behind the bar, his eyes searching the shelf before he takes two bottles and mixes you a light daiquiri with lots of ice to dissolve the taste of the alcohol a little.

   “Thank you.” Husk places the drink on the counter and you pull it closer but not intending to take a sip until at least one of the ice cubes has completely melted.

   Husk opens himself a bottle of cheap booze and places his elbows on the counter, resting his chin in one of his hands while holding the bottle in the other. “So… How are things going?” he asks curiously between two sips, a sly smile on his face.

   “Nothing too exciting,” you reply, twirling the straw in your drink, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. For a moment, you're lost in thought, recalling the events of the past six months. Then, something clicks in your mind, and your eyebrows shoot up. “Ah, that bastard Visco finally got what he deserved!”

   “Oh, really? T’was about time something happens,” Husk mumbles with a grunt and his eyes narrow. Visco, your ex, has been loathed by Husk ever since you introduced them. And honestly, Husk's feelings are completely justified. Visco isn't just a scumbag; he's also a cheater and a terrible liar. He's always tried to shift blame onto you for his mistakes. Even though you ended things with him years ago, he hasn't let go and continues to shadow your every move, denying you peace. If it were possible in hell, you'd have already obtained a restraining order against him. Not even your overlord powers can keep this jerk at bay. Despite your formidable reputation, he sees you as harmless, like a kitten, which is infuriating.

   “Yeah, he lost his home and all of the assets after fucking with the wrong demon. Eventually lost his soul to some drug overlord who now keeps him on a tight leash. And well… I might have involved myself a little to make that happen.” You feel a sense of satisfaction as you explain, wearing a proud and mischievous grin on your face. You can feel your eyes change their color for a quick second, before taking the first sip of your drink. The strong flavor of rum is mellowed by the melting ice, allowing the tang of lime and the hint of elderflower to dominate the drink with a subtle sweetness.

   “It would surprise me if you hadn't had at least a little influence on it. Took you long enough,” Husk grumbles and you roll your eyes.

   “You know very well that despite my status I’m not one of those who prefer to resolve their problems with violence. I like to let my intellect play the game and make up my own rules. And this time, the circumstances had aligned well enough for the best possible revenge!”

   The cat demon chuckles and shakes his head in amusement. He knows you well enough to understand how important it is for you to gain your power through subliminal actions.

   He clears his throat and looks over to his comrades who are still busy with covering the windows in wood panels. “Well, even though I’m glad you’re here, Y/N, we shouldn’t spend too much time just chatting. We have to prepare a lot ‘cause things will get dirty tomorrow. Even dirtier than normally.” Your brother’s voice turns into a growl at his last words and you frown in concern.

   “What do you mean by that?”

   “Well,” Husk clears his throat and takes a long sip from his bottle, “the angels are specifically coming for the hotel.”

   Silence.

   You just stare at your brother in disbelief and you could swear your heart stopped beating. Holding your breath you blink a few times, processing the wave of shock. “What?” You exhale. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

   “We just found out recently. Charlie had tried another audience with heaven but that fucker Adam sees the hotel as a threat.”

   “Oh Husk…” you raise your hand and cover your mouth in shock, your ears planing under the surge of pity. “That’s horrible. I–I can’t believe it.” Your eyes observe your brother. He seems surprisingly calm despite the news he just revealed to you. But before you can say something he continues, “Did you know that angels can be killed?”

   “E–excuse me?” you inquire, cocking your head in surprise, your ears flicking back up into their normal position. You observe a slight but smug smile playing at the corners of his lips.

   “Ya heard me right. They can be killed. Vaggie’s out getting some angel weapons ‘cause those are supposed to be the only thing that can harm them.”

   You hum and bite your lips in fascination, then your voice drops even lower as you mumble, “Interesting…”

   “Yes, but please keep it to yourself. At least for now. I don’t wanna get in trouble for telling you this,” Husk murmurs and shoots you a pleading glance before you nod in agreement. When there is one thing you don’t want, then it is your brother getting in trouble because he told you something he isn’t supposed to. Which doesn’t mean that it would be okay for you if he gets in trouble for any other reason. You want him to be as safe as he wants you to be. You are glad he is okay, still alive and unharmed. And hopefully his condition stays the same after tomorrow.

   “What about the princess?” you ask, increasing the bite on your lip in curiosity, “Is she accompanying Vaggie?”

   Husk shakes his head. “No, she’s currently out with my boss, tryna gather some support from his acquaintances over in Cannibal Town. I’m sure she’ll return soon.”

   Your ears twitch in excitement. “Alastor’s here too?” you ask and try to hide your excitement. You know well enough about your brother's apathy for him. ‘Being done with his shit’ is how he once described it to you and you couldn’t blame him. You’d probably be sick of him too if you were on his leash. Honestly, the fact that Alastor owns your brother’s soul should be enough to despise the overlord but you couldn’t because you somehow had found yourself intrigued by him the moment you had met him for the first time. But this was not the only reason you’re surprisingly fond of him.

   You can hear Husk growl in disapproval, proving your thought. His voice is raspy and full of annoyance when he says, “You know damn well that he’s forcing me to be here. So yes, he’s obviously residing in this hotel as well. Haven’t you seen him the last time you were here?”

   You shake your head. No, you didn't. You had visited the hotel only once and that was almost half a year ago – and Alastor definitely wasn’t present that day. In fact, you hadn't seen Alastor in years, ever since he vanished from the surface, leading many to believe he didn't survive the last extermination – or that he had crossed paths with the wrong overlord by accident. You hadn't even been aware of his return until his clash with Vox dominated hell's media. Furthermore, your brother hadn't mentioned him during your last visit, which isn’t surprising, but bothers you the longer you think about it. You would’ve liked to get in touch with the Radio Demon again.  The last opportunity you might have had to encounter Alastor was at the last overlord meeting, but you had skipped it for personal reasons. But hearing that he’s residing in this hotel fills you with a jolt of anticipation that makes your heartbeat go faster. You start to wonder why he even bothers to find interest in this hotel…

   Husk shrugs his shoulders. “I think it’s better this way.”

   You hum and roll your eyes as you raise your glass to your lips, taking a few sips. Of course he would say that. “He’s not that awful, Husk,” you respond with a defensive tone, earning a low growl from your brother which you choose to ignore. “I think you can call yourself lucky that you lost your soul to him and not any other overlord.”

   You look at Husk over the rim of your glass as you take another sip, then you put it down, shrugging your shoulders at his gritted teeth.

   “Please, Y/N, don’t start this again…” He mumbles and shakes his head in disappointment. The both of you had this discussion way too often over the course of a few decades.

   “What I mean is that your situation could be worse if a different overlord held your leash. Okay, yes, he might’ve a very feared reputation and such but at least there’s something merciful about Alastor.”

   “Are you fucking kidding me, Y/N?” Husk asks and his eyes open wide in disbelief. He obviously can’t fathom what you just said. “He literally used to broadcast the screams of the souls he tore apart.”

   You let out a deep sigh. Of course you know about all the horrible actions that made Alastor gain his infamous reputation as The Radio Demon. But honestly, you are in hell. Is there anything else to expect? Almost every sinner is somehow a psychopath in their own way so you can’t really blame him for doing questionable things to work himself up to the top. It’s not that you’ve never done it yourself. You haven’t become an overlord by just deciding to call yourself one on a random day. You had worked hard for it, often in crucial and unfair ways, overpowering the weaker with your manipulative tactics. That is just how the food chain works in hell. And your brother was no saint either. He had dealt in souls as well, betrayed other sinners with a second deck of cards up his sleeve while he kept them believing he was an honest opponent... He had been a cheater through and through when it came to gambling and the fact that he had used his skills to trick other sinners into giving him their souls made him no better. Actually, you had laughed your brother in the face when you had found out that he, the gambling overlord and master of manipulative games, had accidentally sold his soul by messing up his cheating performance during a game of poker against The Radio Demon. You hadn't even bothered to offer him a shred of sympathy for his newly acquired role, as you found yourself relishing the karma that had struck his furry ass. The only one Husk could blame for his predicament was himself. And truth be told, you're somewhat relieved that your brother has been chained with Alastor's leash. After all, he used to be a ruthlessly manipulative and disrespectful drunkard with a self-destructive gambling addiction, who never cared for you even half as much as he does now. Since he had lost his status as an overlord he had changed become a much better person.

   Considering how much of an asshole your brother used to be, it is quite surprising that Alastor never treated him the way he supposedly treated other overlords he had tricked into a deal. To your knowledge, Alastor has never harmed or mistreated your brother in any way, nor has he wronged you.When you initially encountered The Radio Demon, he presented himself as a charming and sophisticated gentleman, with impeccable manners and a refined way of speaking. Over time, he maintained this facade, consistently treating you with the utmost respect, prompting you to wonder if it was merely a facade or if he had been raised exceptionally well by his mother. Except, of course, for his psychopathic tendencies. You and Alastor have been acquainted for at least two decades now, and from the very beginning, you found him immensely intriguing. One could even say you were drawn to his charismatic personality. He had even invited you out once, though you still keep that detail hidden from your brother. If he ever discovers that you and his boss had shared a private dinner, he'd undoubtedly throw a tantrum. Or much more. Of course, it had been nothing more than a professional meeting between the two of you…

   You take a deep breath. “Don’t act as if you had been any better, Husk,” you respond to his comment in annoyance, reminding him of his once shitty personality, and he flinches at your words. Oh yeah, Husk has always been a master at dishing out but not being able to take it on the chin… “And to be honest, I’m glad to see that you’re still alive and safe. I don’t need to hear your screams on the radio and then have nightmares about it.” You laugh dismissively at your sarcastic comment and take another sip from your drink. You notice the tension in Husk’s expression and reach out your finger, booping his nose.

   He flinches back in surprise and his stern face turns a little softer at your silly gesture. “I think I should continue my work. I feel bad that I’m sharing a drink with you while my comrades are working their asses off.”

   One sentence the old Husk would’ve never brought over his lips, you think. With one long sip you empty your glass and slide it over to Husk who places it in the sink. “Let me support you. I would’ve come days earlier if I knew that the circumstances were this bad…” you exclaim, your tone more of a demand than a request.

   Husk nods without hesitation. "Fine. We need any help we can get!”

   With that you and Husk leave the bar and approach Sir Pentious and Angel.

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   You support the three men in building defenses, laughing and chatting here and there. Time passes quickly and the other residents return from their missions.

   You turn around when you hear the door open and go straight up to the railing, looking down at the entrance right under you. You chuckle in joy as Charlie and Vaggie come into sight and you clear your throat.

   “Well, if that ain't the princess of hell and her girlfriend!” you call out and turn over to your male comrades, “Look, guys, who decided to show up!”

   Angel, Husk and Sir Pentious stop their work and step next to you, a sly smirk on Angel’s face and his hands rested on his hips. “We thought we were fightin’ by ourselves!” he lets out with a laugh.

   Charlie and Vaggie look up. “You’re… you’re still here?” Vaggie asks, her voice relieved and trembling in amazement. Tears well up in Charlie’s eyes.

. “Y/N, what are you doing here?” The princess shouts up to your floor and you shoot a grin at her, revealing your pointy fangs.

   “I’m supporting you, of course!” you exclaim in excitement and Charlie’s expression turns thankful. But before you can add something, the door opens again and a bunch of people enter, dragging huge wooden crates with warning labels in the lobby. You cock your head in amazement. Looks like they were successful in their missions…

  Vaggie immediately turns around and starts to shout clear instructions through the lobby, leaving her girlfriend behind. So you decide to head downstairs.

   “Are they all weapons?” you ask with wide eyes as you glance around, counting at least a dozen of wooden crates.

   Charlie, who you stands just a few feet away, turns around immediately and nods, her already bright face turning even brighter when her gaze falls on you.

   “Are you really here to support us?” she asks in an enthusiastic tone, forgetting your question completely. A sparkle of joy flickers in her eyes and you can’t help but smile back.

   “Well…” you take a deep breath, pondering the best way to explain your presence without it sounding wrong because you originally came here for a chat, not expecting the hotel and its residents to be preoccupied by such drastic preparations. “Honestly, I had just planned to visit my brother but now that I’ve found out about your situation I decided that you could need my help. I will fight with you all, tomorrow.”

   “Oh my god, thank you!” Charlie screams enthusiastically, raising her hand above her head before she pulls you in a tight embrace.

   You stiffen at the sudden proximity but relax after a couple of seconds, wrapping one of your arms around her shoulder. Three quick pets on the pad of her suit, then you slowly pull away. You are so focused on the princess that you don’t notice the shadow forming behind you.

   “Charlie, I didn’t know you invented a guest!” a voice, distorted by radio static, cuts through the babble in the room.

   You instinctively hold your breath and Charlie moves her head to look behind you. “Oh Alastor!” she exclaims, her arm tucking at your shoulder to signal you to turn around.

   You do as the princess silently demands and face the new arrival: a tall and slim man dressed in a red pinstripe coat, a black bowtie and black slacks. His red and black hair frames the sharp features of his handsome face, deep red eyes glowing surprise as they lock on you, his huge smile widening into a well-knowing grin that reveals his sharp yellow canines. The fluffy ears on his head twitch the same way yours do when you get excited. Is he excited to see you? Because you are definitely excited to see him…

   Charlie reaches out her hand, gesturing between you and the other demon as if she wants to introduce you to each other. “This is Y/N! She’s Husk's sister, and–.”

   A chuckle escapes Alastor’s throat. “Oh, there’s no need to introduce us, dear,” he interrupts her with a dismissive gesture of his clawed hand and approaches you. His voice turns softer, deepening in tone and the radio static is just a buzzing background noise as he mumbles, “How could I forget about such a lovely lady…?” With those words he bows his head in a classy manner and leans down to take your hand in his. With a sly smile he places a soft kiss on your knuckles, resting his lips on your skin a little longer than necessary.

  Your cheeks flush instantly at his gesture, and you find yourself locking eyes with him, meeting his crimson gaze. Your body tenses under his touch, sending shivers down your spine, and you only realize you've been holding your breath when he releases your hand and straightens his posture.

   “Alastor, long time no see,” you greet him in return, a sly smile tucked on your lips as you eye him from head to toes and back to his head. After all those years he still wears this everlasting smile on his face…

   “You… both know each other?” Charlie involves herself, interrupting the quick greeting between you and the Radio Demon.

   Alastor lets out a laugh. “Oh, Charlie… Of course we do!” he responds with a raspy voice, the radio effect on his voice increasing. Then his attention falls back on you. “You didn’t show up at the last overlord meeting, Y/N.”

   You shrug your shoulders at his indirect question. “And you didn’t show up for seven years,” you countered teasingly with raised eyebrows.

   “Touché, ma chère.”

   Charlie bites her lip and switches her gaze between the both of you, when suddenly, Vaggie calls her name and she excuses herself, leaving you and Alastor alone.

   You tilt your head to the side, now finally able to ask one of the questions that are burning on your mind for quite a while now. “So, tell me, where have you been all those years?”

   Alastor releases a chuckle and waves his hand dismissively. “This is a long story, dear…” Though his expression stays the same his eyes darken a bit as you bring up his absence. You bite yourself on the lip, feeling a surge of nervosity rise and churning your insided. Immediately understanding that this must be a difficult topic for him, you push your thoughts away, dismissing the topic.

   As fast as Alastor’s eyes darkened they return to their usual glow. He twists his cane in his hand and leans closer. “Enough about me, Y/N. May I ask what gives us the honor of your company?”

   There he is again. The witty demon you had found yourself way too fond of. You give him the same answer you gave Charlie and look around the room, scanning the tumult around you, the lobby a bit less crowded than just minutes before. Your eyes stay on a young woman in a lab coat who writes something on a clipboard, probably checkmarking all the delivered supplies and weapons.

   “Another overlord would surely be a great support,” you hear Alastor respond, interrupting your mental absence and pulling you back into reality. “Voices say that you are remarkable at fighting.”

   You close your eyes and release a chuckle before you open them again and face Alastor with raised eyebrows. His gaze lingers on yours, his smile a little softer than normally. Your stomach flutters at this sight and you turn your gaze away, sensing his eyes still staring at you. “Is that so?”

Leaning on his cane, he regards you in silence, his proximity feeling closer than before. Is that his breath you sense against your skin? You swallow hard, hesitant to direct your focus back to him. Instead, you fix your gaze on a random person in the room, feigning interest in their actions to avoid catching Alastor's attention. Although, he likely notices your avoidance regardless. He's far too skilled at discerning others' behavior to overlook such a detail.

   “Don’t play ignorant, Y/N. Everyone knows that your combat skills are as formidable as your intellect,” he suddenly interrupts the silence between you and you chuckle at his compliment.

   Satisfied by your response, Alastor tucks his cane back under his arm and places his hand on your shoulder. "I believe you'd serve as an excellent mentor for all the Cannibals outside," he says. With light pressure he turns you around to force you to look at him.

     “Uhm.. what?” you ask, way too surprised by his words to be affected by his face right in front of yours. Cannibals…?

   Alastor doesn’t respond but you could swear that his eyes shine in amusement. With a nod of his head he points in the direction where two huge double doors mark the hotel’s main entrance.

   Holding your breath you follow him towards the exit, a jumble of voices coming through the door causes your ears to perk up.

   Alastor chuckles at your reaction, obviously amused by your confusion and the closer you get to the door the louder the voices get. Alastor conjures a shadow tendril to open the door for you and you both step outside, walking side by side.

   You stop as your eyes fall on a huge crowd of pale faces with black eyes and sharp canines. “Uhm… Are those your acquaintances you were supposed to sign up for support?” you wonder, completely stunned by the amount of people Alastor and the princess had managed to gather.

   "Do you believe you could handle instructing some of them in combat?" he asks, both answering and ignoring your question at the same time. He looks down at you, though the distance between you is more appropriate than before.

   You press your lips into a straight line and tilt your head back to return his gaze, your expression clouded by overwhelm and a tad of uncertainty until it quickly switches to determination. “We’ll see,” you smirk at him.

[sexy-monster-fucker]

Consorts [Part 1]

The Ghoul|Cooper Howard x F!Bounty Hunter!Reader

Summary: Months back, the Reader and Cooper got in a huge mess after deciding to work together after finding out they were given the same bounty. Neither has seen each other since. Reader has been laying low in a far off settlement, working a common bar job just to make a living...

a/n: very excited to attempt another multi-part story for the first time in years!! for the record, I have only watched the show through once and I have never played one of the games sooooo sorry for any inaccuracies

~~~

You sat another glass in front of one of your bar dwellers.

It had been months since you even dared go outside this town. You hid your face anytime you were outside the walls of your dwelling. You were forced to lay low after your last bounty went south. Not only had you lost all credibility as a bounty hunter, but a giant target had been attached to your back by the group who you had wronged. There was no where safe for you.

Although your face had to be mostly covered, your job required a certain level of attracting customers. You would make sure to wear something rather revealing of your chest, along with skin tight pants. Making sure you flirted strongly with your eyes to attract more people to the bar.

A group of men who had been sat at a table for sometime all approached the bar at once. You could hear them mumbling something back and forth as glances were shot your way.

"Great," you thought, "Some moron got bet by his friend to hit on me." You rolled your eyes as you cleaned one of the glasses.

"Sweetheart," followed by a whistle.

Your skin crawled. Smug faces met yours when you turned around.

"What's a lady like you doing working in a place like this?" He cocks an eyebrow at you. You huff in response.

"Don't misunderstand now..." a click and suddenly all the men were pointing guns at you, "I want to know why you thought someone worth so much would be hiding in plain sight. We all swore you were smarter than that." You stared down the barrel of his gun.

You sucked your teeth, dropping your head to the side slightly, "Y'all're here for the money? I thought you were going to compliment a lady." Your gun is fired quicker than any of them can register. The man in front of you falls backwards, the others squatting down in fear. You take your opportunity and run out the back exit.

Your mind is playing every possibility of this ending. Gunfire dancing on the ground around you as the men chase you. You end up in the middle of town, firing your gun at them as they are hot on your tail. In a flash, the amount of people after you practically doubles. Your eyes widen as you attempt to find somewhere to hide. You grab a grenade off your belt, throwing it center at them.

While smoke surrounded them, you slid under and behind a large lean-to. You were on all fours, looking through the small crack in the wood. The men were scrambling, firing their guns in any and all directions. A fight was breaking out.

"FIND HER YOU IDIOTS!" One of the men shouted.

You heard more gunfire joining theirs. You knew it had to be some local fighting back. You scanned the area around you, seeing a small pathway that led to a more exposed part of the fort you had hidden in. You crawled, hoping it would lead you out.

"My, my," a familiar voice spoke above you. You looked up to see him staring down at you, his head cocked to the side. "Oh, sweet Jesus," one of your hands rubs down your face. "Longtime no see, doll," he grinned.

The infamous Ghoul. Few knew his name, fewer lived long enough to share it. The two of you had become more than acquainted in a prior mission gone wrong. The one that had left you both on the run.

He reached a hand out to you, pulling you up to your feet. "Didn't expect to see you here," he grumbled. You rolled your eyes, placing your back against his preparing to fireback together. You felt him turn his head slightly, "Y'know, I didn't take you for a brothel girl." Smugness was written on his tone. Your cheeks flooded with a slight embarrassment. He shifted positioning his lips directly next to your ear, "Took you for more of a cowgirl after last time." Heat radiated your body with his obvious innuendo. "People have to do things when they're on the run," you breathe out. He scoffed in your ear.

The Ghoul aimed his gun out, shooting and hitting one of the goons. "I'll get us out of this, but you've got to make a deal with me," he looked down at you. You crossed your arms, "What could you possibly want from me?"

"We're going to finish the mess you got me in," he pointed at you. "That I got you in? That isn't at all-" "I don't have time for this. You either take the deal or I leave you here."

You blew your breath out, "Deal." You gritted your teeth. His lip curved into a smirk, "That's a good girl. Now you stay here and on my signal come out." You nodded.

The Ghoul stepped out from behind the wooden building, whistling to get all the gunmen's attention. You watched as they all directed their attention towards him. Guns all pointed at him before realizing who stood before them.

"There's the other one!"

"That's the Ghoul they're promising a reward for too!"

"We could get double the money!"

The brim of his hat hid his eyes from them.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be, ghoul. If you just give us the girl we can be on with our way," one of them shouted.

"So you can come back and get me later? Not gonna happen," he pointed his gun at them, "I'm leaving here with the girl."

The man chuckled, "You're out numbered here."

The Ghoul shrugged his shoulders. He fires his gun at the giant water barrel suspended above the town. It tips over, soaking all the men in radioactive water. The Ghoul swiftly runs back to you, grabbing your hand and running off with you. You were quick on your feet following behind him.

You both run as fast as you can until the town is no longer in the distance. You slow down, attempting to catch your breath. Loud and obvious huffs leaving you.

"C'mon, Y/N. We've gotta keep going before they get smart." He gestured at you to follow him.

~~~

END//Part 1

[Thank you for reading!  If you are interested in being tagging in any of my writings don’t be afraid to message me!  All tag lists are open!  I have a master taglist and one for each character!]

Tags:

@mortuus-poet | @giggle-shade |

// Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 //

[dragonmama76]

Beginnings

Part One Interlude Part Two Part Three

As Eddie held the broken bottle against Steve’s neck, Steve was preternaturally calm.  If asked, he would explain that he had been expecting this for years.  Today was the day that Eddie Munson was finally going to kill him.  He had fought monsters human and decidedly not human, but he always knew deep down that Eddie Munson would be the one to finally end it all.

*****************

Eddie Munson was a late bloomer and spent his freshman year scrawny and shy. It didn’t help that he was into all kinds of nerd stuff and got bullied relentlessly.  He fancied himself a keen observer of people, though, and over the summer he plotted out a multi step plan to survive high school like it was one of the Dungeons & Dragons campaigns he loved to create.  

First, he spent the summer getting stronger.  He didn’t work out exactly, but he was able to get a summer job as a house painter and by the end he was hauling paint cans up and down ladders like it was nothing.  It also didn’t hurt that puberty finally kicked in and he grew almost a foot.  

Next, he used his newfound cash to update his wardrobe.  Instead of trying to compete with the preppy jocks who tormented him, he went the other way.  He scoured the thrift shops for as much black as he could find and rounded it out with t-shirts from his favorite metal bands.  Black work boots, chains, and a pocket knife became his standard accessories and when Wayne took him to Indy before the start of school he scored a black leather jacket at a nicer second hand store.  Freshman orientation was coming and it would be time to put the final parts of his plan into motion.

The day the freshman came to tour the high school and get their schedules, Eddie was ready.  He leaned against a tree watching the new kids coming and going.  There were a few he clocked as fellow outcasts and nerds and took note.  He would approach them carefully when school started for real.  But at that moment he was waiting for something special.  And then it happened.  A group of three teens made their way to the gym doors, two boys and a girl, dressed like money grew on trees.  One of the boys was taller, more confident, with impeccably styled hair, and best of all, he carried a basketball like he knew what to do with it.  Target acquired.

Steve Harrington’s stomach was all tied up in knots.  He was nervous to be finally starting high school.  Tommy H. and Carol were chattering away but he couldn’t even hear them over the sound of his racing thoughts.  His dad had made it clear what he expected from Steve’s high school career and what the consequences would be if he didn’t follow through.  He doesn’t know what the hell he is doing, but at least maybe if followed his dad’s plan he would finally be proud of him. So he kept his head held high and imagined himself to be that guy.  Fake it ‘til you make it, right?  As he reached the gym door he felt eyes on him and glanced over to see the prettiest guy he had ever seen watching him.  As their eyes met, the boy scowled at him.  Steve winced and stumbled through the door.  What could he possibly have done to piss that guy off already?  “Not a good start, Steve,” he thought as the trio entered the school.  

Steve’s first few weeks of high school would have been pretty great if it wasn’t for his personal bully.  He landed a spot on the varsity basketball team, his teachers were nice enough to explain things twice if he had a question, and even though Tommy H. and Carol were officially dating now, they still included him in almost everything they did.  But when he was walking by himself in the halls, that older kid was always there either glaring or smirking at him.  He actually outright tripped him twice, once into a row of lockers.  Steve apologized at first, thinking maybe he had been at fault for bumping into him or something, but the guy had laughed at him and made some comment about dumb jocks better watch out.  Steve didn’t want to push back.  No matter what personal philosophy his dad ascribed to, Steve didn’t think violence was the answer.  He quickly figured out that the guy only seemed to target him when he was alone, though, so Steve started asking some of the girls in his classes if he could walk them to their next class.  They seemed to like that, and Steve was getting tired of being a third wheel all the time, so he asked a few out on double dates with his friends.  At least his dad would be happy, Steve was already getting a reputation as a ladies man.

Eddie was having the best year ever. Training this jock to be afraid of him, instead of the other way around, was a treat.  Eddie wasn’t a bad kid.  If anyone had called him out on bullying he would have been shocked.  This was a preemptive strike.  This was the ultimate battle of nerd versus jock.  This was war.  And Eddie was winning.  You didn’t have to be a genius to see that this Steve kid was asking for it.  His attitude, his clothes, his HAIR, and his, not at all surprising to Eddie, wild success with the female population of Hawkins High all confirmed that he needed to be taken down a peg.  And in the meantime, Eddie had gathered a crew of freshman nerds to spend time with and mold in his image.  He only needed one more element to complete his campaign against the jocks of Hawkins: A public confrontation.

Steve was starting to become complacent.  His plan to never be alone was working and while the scary kid following him around continued to make his presence known, at least he wasn’t pushing him anymore.  So he thought.  Except one afternoon in the cafeteria Steve’s luck ran out.  He had been balancing his tray on one hand while escorting his most recent conquest with the other when something slammed into him upending the tray of spaghetti.  Tears filled his eyes as the noise around him dimmed.  Why was this happening to him?  He tried to be nice to everyone.  He didn’t start fights or talk shit about people, even when Carol was at her bitchiest.  Why couldn’t he just fly under the radar?  As he looked up to see all eyes on him, the only noise that registered was the loud cackle from the boy next to him.  “I thought you jocks had better balance than that,” sneered his bully.  All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head and he tried to stay calm, but when he glanced over and saw Lila covered in sauce something snapped.  

“What the hell is wrong with you?”  Steve shouted.  

“Me?” challenged the boy, “Not my fault you’re as clumsy as all get out.”  

Steve didn’t like to fight, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t.  He pushed the taller boy and advanced on him fists clenched tight.  When he got close, a low voice rumbled, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” as the kid opened his jacket to reveal a knife clenched in his other hand.  Steve’s eyes were wide as he backed away.  “You’re a fucking freak, you know that?  Leave me alone! And leave my friends alone!”  Steve was just posturing at this point, but he kept a healthy distance between them since he sure as hell wasn’t getting in a knife fight, even if they were surrounded by spectators.  

“I AM a freak, and don’t any of you forget it!”  the boy shouted, “And you’d better be afraid if you know what’s good for you.”  

Just then the doors opened and the vice principal walked in. 

“Problems?” he demanded sternly.  

“No, sir,” Steve backed down completely.  “No problems here.” 

 “What about you, Munson?” a steely glare was directed at his adversary. 

 “No problemo.  I was just apologizing to King Steve here for bumping into him.”  The boys separated and Steve escorted Lila to their table, offering to grab extra napkins and helping to calm her down.  

“Nice going, King Steve,” Tommy H. cackled as they sat down.  “Have you ever, just once, won a fight?” 

“Shut it, Tommy.” Steve replied, “You didn’t see it.  That freak actually had a knife.  Stay away from him, he’s crazy and I dunno why but he hates me.”  No one commented when his voice broke at those last words.  “I think you were very brave,” whispered Lila and Steve suddenly felt a little better.

While Steve had beat a hasty retreat, Eddie sauntered over to his usual lunch table with his freshman friends and held his head high. He could feel the guarded looks and shot a feral grin to a group of kids who dared make eye contact. It was the best day of Eddie’s life so far.  He had sealed his reputation as a dangerous freak and he intended to own it every day for the rest of high school.  It would keep his little nerds and outcasts safe, even if he had to keep up the act for the next few years.

[onegayastronaut]

Loyalty and Justice Part 1 (JJ X Reader)

Requested by anon, wanted a longer fic. This is going to be a multi part series because the description was long and I wanted to break it out into parts lol

Standing at the edge of the rooftop, you surveyed the bustling city below, taking note of everything that took place. Your eyes narrowed, focusing on a nondescript sedan parked across the street. The target had arrived.

You touched your earpiece, speaking in a low, controlled voice. "JJ, I have eyes on the subject. Moving to intercept."

"Copy that," came JJ's steady reply. "Be careful, this one's dangerous."

A ghost of a smile played on your lips. "Aren't I always?"

With practiced ease, you scaled down the side of the building, years of training evident in every precise movement. As your feet hit the pavement, your demeanor shifted. Gone was the warmth in your eyes, replaced by a cold, professional detachment.

As you approached the sedan, your hand instinctively rested on the concealed weapon at your hip. As you drew closer, the driver's window rolled down, revealing a face you hadn't seen in years, a face you never thought you’d see again. Your breath caught in your throat.

"Hello, (Y/N)," said the woman behind the wheel, her voice a mixture of warmth and wariness. "It's been a while."

You fought to keep your expression neutral, even as your mind raced. It was Elena, your former fiancée, the woman who had left you to rot in prison. "Elena," she replied, her tone carefully measured. "This is... unexpected."

Elena's eyes, once so familiar, now seemed foreign. "I need your help, (Y/N). I know I have no right to ask, but—"

"You're right," you cut her off, her voice sharp. "You don't."

But even as the words left your mouth, you felt the old pull. The years of training and discipline warred with the memories of love and betrayal.

"Please, just hear me out," Elena pleaded, her eyes darting nervously to the rearview mirror. "I'm in trouble, real trouble. And you're the only one who can help me."

Your hand tightened on your weapon, mind racing through possible scenarios. Was this a trap? A ploy to lure you in? Or was Elena genuinely in danger?

"You have one minute," you eventually answered, your eyes scanning the street for any signs of a threat. "Make it count."

Elena took a shaky breath. "It's about my father's old associates. They think I have something they want, and they're willing to kill to get it. I've been running for weeks, but they're closing in. I didn't know where else to turn."

Your eyes narrowed. "And what exactly do they think you have?"

Elena hesitated, then reached into her jacket pocket. You tensed, ready to draw your weapon, but Elena slowly pulled out a small flash drive. "This. It contains details of all their operations, their contacts, everything. My father left it to me before he died. I didn't even know what it was until they came after me."

You eyed the drive warily before finally taking it. If Elena was telling the truth, that tiny piece of technology could bring down one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country. But trusting Elena again could be suicide.

"Why come to me?" you asked, voice barely above a whisper. "After everything that happened?"

Elena's eyes met yours, filled with a mix of regret and desperation. "Because I know you, (Y/N). Despite everything, I know you'll do the right thing. And... because I never stopped loving you."

The words hung in the air between you, heavy with unspoken history. You could only imagine what JJ was thinking, as memories of your past threatening to cloud your judgment. She took a deep breath, centering herself.

"Love isn't always enough, Elena," you said, your voice low and controlled. "You taught me that."

Before Elena could respond, your earpiece crackled to life. "(Y/N), we've got movement. Three SUVs approaching your position, fast."

Your training kicked in instantly. "Time to go," you said, reaching for the car door. "Move over."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly complied, sliding into the passenger seat as you slipped behind the wheel. With practiced precision, you pulled out into traffic, your eyes darting between the road and the rearview mirror.

"Who was that?" Elena asked, her voice tense.

"My team," you replied curtly, taking a sharp turn down a side street. "And right now, they're the only reason you're not in handcuffs."

The SUVs appeared in the mirror, gaining ground rapidly. Your mind raced, formulating and discarding plans in seconds. You needed to lose their tail, but you also needed answers.

"Start talking," you demanded, swerving to avoid a delivery truck. "Everything you know about who's after you, what's on that drive, all of it. And Elena," you added, your voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "if I find out you're lying to me again, it'll be the last mistake you ever make."

Elena nodded, her face pale. "It's the Moretti family. They were my father's biggest rivals, always trying to muscle in on his territory. That drive contains evidence of all their illegal operations - money laundering, human trafficking, assassinations. Everything needed to take down their entire organization."

You processed this as you wove through traffic, the pursuing SUVs still visible in your mirrors. "And how did you end up with it?"

"My father gave it to me right before... before the FBI raid," Elena said, her voice catching. "He told me to keep it safe, that it was insurance. I didn't understand at the time. I hid it away and forgot about it until the Morettis started coming after me a few weeks ago."

Your jaw clenched at the mention of the raid - the day everything had fallen apart. You pushed the memories aside, focusing on the present. "Why now?" you asked, taking another sharp turn. "Why are they coming after you years later?"

Elena hesitated. "Because... because I started looking into what happened to my father. And to you."

Your hands tightened on the steering wheel. "What do you mean?"

"I never believed you betrayed us, Lex," Elena said softly. "It took me too long to realize it, but I know you would never have turned on us. On me. I started digging, trying to find out what really happened. I must have tripped some alarms, because suddenly the Morettis were after me."

Alexis's mind raced. If Elena was telling the truth, it could change everything. But years of betrayal and hurt had taught her to be wary.

"JJ, if I’m taking her to the location that we agreed on if anything were to happen." You waited for a response, but none came. “JJ?” You pressed on your device again, but received nothing in return. It seemed as if you were on your own again, only this time, you had your ex with you.

[lunesviolettes]

Void - 07.

(This series was originally posted on my Wattpad, so I’m bringing it over here)

pairing: MCU!bucky barnes x MCU!female reader

word count: 2.4k

summary: Y/N was far from any normal girl in Brooklyn during the 1940s. Her physical and mental strength were far from ordinary and her mother and father were nothing short of strange, just like her. Secrets and strange occurrences were all that she had ever known and with the approach of a second global war, it seemed that everything would only become stranger. A powerful organization, a target on the back of a young girl, a serum, and an infinity stone were all that it would take to change everything she knew about her world.

chapter warnings: multi-character death. steve being greased up like a glazed donut.

a/n: This fanfic follows the course of the MCU movies (The First Avenger - Thunderbolts). It’s more focused on the story aspect of the MCU and is very much a slow burn type of story with not a lot of focus on smut.

Series Masterlist Next Chapter

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You turned at the sound of the double doors being pulled open, eyes falling on a very pale and clearly terrified Steve. He swallowed thickly, eyeing the contraption in the very center of the room. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him, knowing how overwhelming everything must have appeared. Doctors, agents, nurses everywhere, along with the ever so powerful Howard Stark.

Upon their test subject's arrival, everyone had stopped what they were currently doing and looked towards the top of the stairs. A hush fell over the room so quiet that you could hear the inhales and exhales coming from those closest to you. When Steve and Agent Carter had finally made their way down the steps, Dr. Erskine moved forward, greeting them both. "Good morning," He announced, shaking Steve's hand lightly. "Are you ready?"

A slow and hesitant nod came from the blonde as his eyes fell on the chamber now that he was much closer to it than before. His heart rate increased, and his legs seemed to refuse to move in the direction he wanted them to. There was a part of him that was completely ready, almost excited to discover the sort of transformations he would undergo. The other fueled his fear and Steve wondered which side would prevail in the end.

What had calmed him down ever so slightly was the appearance of his friend, whose friendly smile had quelled his urge to run.

"Good. Take off your shirt, your tie, and your hat." When Steve had taken off everything that was necessary to be removed he laid down in the chamber, his small frame nearly drowned in all the metallic gears and locks that came up around him. "How are you feeling?" You asked, placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. "Terrified. Are you gonna explain to me how you got involved in this project?"

"I made this." You stated proudly, tapping the cushion above his head. A dark-haired man came up behind you, his identity coming clear and yet surprising to Steve. "She helped make it." Howard clarified, earning a small shove from his former assistant. "Okay fine, I helped make this entire project possible." Abraham Erskine had appeared at Steve's other side, giving the blonde man a quick glance. "Comfortable?"

"It's a little big." Steve replied, drawing a laugh from both Erskine and his official assistant. "You save me any of that schnapps?" Erskine shrugged, his head moving back and forth. "Not as much as I should have. Sorry. Next time. Mr. Stark, how are your levels?" Howard appeared once more behind you, peering over your shoulder briefly. "Levels at one hundred percent. We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we are ready...as we'll ever be."

His lack of confidence seemed to not ease Steve's fears in the slightest and very quickly did the blonde start to remember the Stark Expo in which his invention had failed horribly. Steve immediately began to doubt the man's ability to complete the experiment and not kill him in the process. When everyone not closely involved in the project had gone to their seats in the booth above the lab, Dr. Erskine deemed it was time to begin the first official attempt at enhancing Steve to what they hoped would be super-human levels.

With a mic in hand, he tapped it several times alerting those in the booth with a small high pitched ring. "Do you hear me? Is this on? Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step on the path to peace. We begin with a series of micro-injections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with Vita-Rays."

That was what they were calling it. A code name for the accidental creation of the new radioactive material. Something that sounded legit and wouldn’t raise to many questions as to what it was.

You lifted a few test tubes into your hands, moving back towards the chamber where they were inserted into their appropriate slots by the nurses. A small needle filled with Penicillin had been handed to you and you smiled as comfortingly as you could manage before inserting it into the portion of his arm that had been sterilized with a small alcohol wipe. His face immediately scrunched up as it pierced his skin and a breath was released when the needle was finally pulled away.

"That wasn't so bad." He said softly, relieved. You grimaced, looking to Dr. Erskine who shared your same expression. "That was Penicillin."

Steve's eyes widened as he quickly whipped his head towards Dr. Erskine. If he was having second thoughts, it was too late to back out. In the back of your mind, you knew he would be able to do it. You knew some part of Steve also believed he could do it. That’s why he was here. "Serum infusion beginning in five, four, three, two, one." Your eyes fell towards the test tubes, watching as their levels began to shrink, slowly being pushed into Steve's bloodstream.

His eyes squeezed shut, a barely audible groan escaping and you wondered briefly if that was how it had been for Johann Schmidt too. "Now Mr. Stark." Howard pulled the lever in front of him and very slowly, the chamber began to rise. The plates that we once open began to come together, trapping the small man inside. Tubes supplying oxygen were inserted into the machine and Dr. Erskine stepped up, tapping lightly on the glass. "Steven, can you hear me?"

"It's probably too late to go to the bathroom, right?" You shook your head, stifling your laughter as Abraham Erskine ordered for Howard Stark to continue the procedure. He turned a nob on the panel in front of him and a low rumble signified the powering up of the chamber. After placing a pair of tinted goggles on, he wrapped both of his hands around the wheel that would control the percentage of ‘vita-rays’. "That's ten percent." The light inside the pod glowed more prominent, the humming increasing with each higher percentage they reached.

You lifted a hand and held it over your eyes as the light grew to an almost blinding level. With each rising percentage, your nerves rose, sweat building up on the pads of your fingerstips as you wondered just how much radiation one man could handle. Your worries rose, Steve’s silence filling you with nervous anticipation. All eyes widened in the room, panic growing as the percentage reached seventy, pained shouts suddenly coming from inside the cradle.

You raced towards the machine, level with the glass as his screams grew louder. "Steve!" You shouted, completely prepared to rip apart that chamber in order to reach him.

Peggy Carter's voice boomed from above as she ordered both of them to shut it down. "Turn that damn thing off, Stark!" You leapt off from the platform, rushing towards Howard Stark with a sense of urgency. "No!" Everyone turned, standing there frozen as Steve's voice shouted from inside. "Don't! I can do this!" With your hand held over her mouth, you stood there, unable to tear your eyes away from the contraption as the percentages grew closer and closer towards one hundred.

When the machine reached its max, the humming was almost overwhelming. They were drenched in the bright white light and very soon, sparks began to fly from the panel Howard Stark was stationed at. Much like his performance at the Expo.

The energy inside the cradle grew to an uncontrollable extent, voiding the other machines around the room of their life. As the chamber powered off, you became all too aware of how much light had been provided from the machine as it seemed almost entirely too dark now. You slowly lowered your hand from your mouth, finding the silence entirely too frightening to bear. In the back of your mind there was the faraway order from Dr. Erskine and immediately the panels of the machine began to part.

Not a single whisper was heard as the man inside was revealed. Steam seeped from the cracks, flooding onto the ground beneath your shoes. Your mouth fell open, finding what looked to be an entirely different man from the scrawny Steve who was originally inside. What used to be just skin and bones was replaced entirely by bulging muscle. The once large pod could barely fit him anymore. His head was thrown back and it seemed as though the whole ordeal had drained him of all his energy.

You did not hesitate to race forward to his left as you gently took hold of his arm. The hand that once fit around his entire bicep, now only covered a portion of it. Dr. Erskine supported the other side and together, the two of you helped him down from the platform. His hands were on your shoulders, stabilizing himself. "I did it." Steve said breathlessly, drawing a relieved smile from you as you looked up at him. A new development that you would have to become accustomed to. "Yeah, you did it, Steve."

"I think we did it." Dr. Erskine retorted, though he wasn’t about to disrupt Steve’s victory. The two of you slowly brought him to a stop and Peggy was there, chest almost rising and falling heavily as she searched him for signs of injuries. "How do you feel?" She asked and only then had Steve lifted his head, panting as he gazed over the crowd of people who once stood above him. "Taller." A plain white tee-shirt was handed to the dark-haired agent and with some assistance, it was soon fit securely over Steve's large frame.

You curled your arms tightly around his torso, clamping your eyes shut. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Rogers." A breathless laugh escaped him as he leaned into your embrace.

The happy moment was short lived.

An ear-splitting blast came from above and your heart leaped from your chest as glass shattered, raining down over the crowd of people that surrounded Steve. His arm came up, shielding you from the shrapnel as he pulled you closer to him.

From where you were standing, you could hear two close-range shots and what sounded like a grieving scream from one of the nurses. You easily found the target of the bullets and nearly fell to your knees as you stumbled towards him. "Dr. Erskine?" Your voice cracked as you dropped, clasping onto the hand that he reached towards you.

No. No. No. You thought to yourself, eyes blurring with tears. This wasn’t how the day was supposed to go. He finally reached his goal. He made it happen. He was victorious. And yet, here he was, dying in front of you. “Don't...give up...the vial." You could barely hear him, his voice shaky and broken, nearly drowned out by the fear-filled screams around you.

"What?" You whispered, but no further words had come from the doctor as Steve kneeled by his side. His remaining free hand was raised, pointing gently at Steve's chest. "Dr. Erskine?" You said once more, watching his eyes slowly fall shut. In seconds he was gone, and you felt an emptiness like no other.

Darkness had fallen over Steve’s eyes and you watched as he rose up without a word. "Steve. Steve, no!" You reached out for him, but it was hopeless and soon he was gone, the double doors swinging upon his departure.

The other doctors and nurses surrounded Dr. Erskine and you were soon pulled back, hands wiping furiously at your tears. You let out a choked sob and turned, sprinting to where you knew you had put the last remaining serum.

Your grief could not distract you. You knew you heard him correctly. No one could have the serum. Just as you suspected, there it was tucked into the desk drawer, one remaining tube of the bright blue serum and a small vial of the black substance to its left.

Your hands shook as you took them into your grasp. You could hardly focus, fighting tooth and nail to keep breathing. Your throat was tight, chest heaving as your shaking hands lowered the two vials into your pocket. Don't give up the vials. He knew. He knew the whole time that you had them, and yet he trusted you enough to not take them. Abraham Erskine trusted you with keeping them safe. I won’t give them up. You said to yourself, shaking in rage.

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Your home had become your prison after you were cleared to return to it safely. You were there for days on end, staring blankly into the distance. Howard had reached out several times, but you couldn't find it in yourself to be around him or Peggy or any of them. The guilt was eating you alive.

How could you be so selfish? How could you keep the vials to yourself knowing how desperately they needed your knowledge of the formula? But Dr. Erskine had to have known something. He had to have been suspicious enough to warn you against giving them up.

Night had soon fallen and you hadn't moved an inch. You felt trapped inside your own mind. Your entire body was numb and the only thing that bugged you was the small glistening that came from outside your window. The moonlight had brought its light out and you flinched as it now bounced off your eyes.

An almost eerie blue light sitting atop your window sill. Upon closer inspection, you found a small speck underneath its bright aura. Energy swirled off its surface, a small hum buzzing in your ears. Within your chest, you felt a small pressure. Your skin was warm, tingling almost. As you opened your window with a creak, you examined it closer.

It was almost painfully cold. Rolling around in your palm, directing its waves of light in every direction. It was captivating. Beckoning you into its swirling depths. Within your eyes, the bright blue light flashed, like it had physically entered your irises.

"What are you?" You whispered, looking out your window as if you find the answer somewhere out there.

Nothing.

Crickets chirped from inside the tall grass that lined your fence. Not a single soul was outside that time of night, but you were unsure how long it had actually been sitting there, waiting for you to notice it.

--------------------------------------------

"What did you say?" Johann Schmidt slammed a hand down on his desk, turning away from the magnificent window in front of him. The soldiers shook in fear before one stepped forward, swallowing the lump in his throat. "The energy cartridge broke. It snapped and we believe the girl now has it in her possession.

The Hydra leader curled his hand into a fist, rage all but burning through his insides. "Come here." He whispered venomously. Although the guard was terrified, he did as he was told, only stopping when the desk blocked his path. Schmidt yanked out the pistol sat comfortably in his holster, aiming it once at the man's face. The other four soldiers behind him all flinched as he pressed the trigger, the thunderclap of the bullet ringing in their ears as it entered the head of its target.

“Find the girl. Get it back and take the formula. Kill her if you have to. If you fail, I'll put one in your head too." They lifted their shoulders, raising their arm in the air almost completely in unison. "Hail Hydra!" They shouted robotically before marching from the room.

Next Chapter

[masterqwertster]

Orym in Daggerheart

Little murder man, go!

Ancestry

Halfling

Orym has an obvious one-to-one on Ancestry. With a little sort of Halfling Luck in that Daggerheart Halflings reroll 1s on their Hope die, and a little Bountiful Luck, sort of, in that they grant 1 Hope to everyone in the party at the start of each session.

Community

Wanderborne

While Zephrah itself is more Ridgeborne or Wildborne, Orym's wanderings since the attack on Zephrah do give him a taste of Wanderborne. And I think the Nomad's Pack feature suits Orym better as being someone prepared than the Lightfoot sneaking of Wildeborne or navigational skills of Ridgeborne.

Though I would concede an argument for Ridgeborne given how Orym hops around and navigates a world much bigger than him.

Class/Subclass

Call of the Brave Warrior -Courage: fail with Fear, gain a Hope -Battle Ritual: Once per long rest, before you do or face something incredibly dangerous, describe preparations/ritual you do, clearing 2 Stress and gaining 2 Hope. Specialization-Rise to the Challenge: Vigilante in the face of danger, use a d20 Hope die when 2 or less HP left with Stalwart Guardian multi-class -Unwavering: permanent +1 to Damage Thresholds -Iron Will: taking physical damage, you can mark an additional Armor Slot to reduce severity Specialization-Unrelenting: permanent +2 to Damage Thresholds -Partners-in-Arms: When an ally in Very Close range takes damage, you can mark Armor to reduce the severity by 1 threshold

So Orym's an interesting one because you could absolutely go full Call of the Brave Warrior with him. His background as a Tempest Blade leans well into the flavor of Warrior and Orym builds quite a bit out of the Bone Domain. Plus the Mastery is the ability to initiate 2 Tag Teams per session and it only costs 2 Hope for someone else to team up with you, which is a good deal.

On the other hand, Stalwart Guardian plays into Orym's hardy defense of his friends and gets him the Valor Domain for some more skills to support that. Despite Orym maybe not playing into the mechanics of Unstoppable as much. Given how he toughs things out anyways, I wouldn't say Unstoppable is entirely unsuited.

And honestly, if you multi-class, you really can go either way for which one to Specialize in, as the Call of the Brave descriptor is a practically perfect match to Orym's bonkers Perception. While the Stalwart Guardian really does play into Orym's Bait and Switch Maneuver.

Domain Cards

Get Back Up (lvl 1, blade)

Given Orym's very Captain America "I can do this all day" approach to things, the name of the card speaks to that, and damage reduction by spending a Stress when it's Severe helps keep Orym in the fight

Deft Maneuvers (lvl 1, bone)

For Orym's maneuverability via the Boots of Springing and Striding as well as his later Misty Step.

I am Your Shield (lvl 1, valor)

Bait and Switch, basically. Except instead of boosting AC it is actually taking the attack. Though you can use all the Armor Slots you'd like to reduce damage when you do this.

Soldier's Bond (lvl 2, blade)

Orym likes to compliment his friends. Might as well both get 3 Hope out of it a day.

Tactician (lvl 3, bone)

Orym helps his friends out, now just a little more. A d20 for Tag Team rolls and the ability to spend a second Hope when Helping to add one of your Experiences to their role.

Brace (lvl 3, bone)

In helping Orym take those hits, use a Stress to mark a second Armor Slot when reducing damage.

Boost (lvl 4, bone)

I do like the few times Orym has tried a Throw Me maneuver, and how he'll bounce off of allies to get higher. This card does that, for a Stress you can bounce off an ally out to Far range to hit with an extra d10 of damage as you stick the landing.

Goad Them On (lvl 4, valor)

Say hello to the new and improved Goading Attack. If you succeed on a Presence roll to taunt a target in Close range, mark a Stress so their next move must be to attack you with disadvantage. So not only can the goaded enemy not attack your allies, it also has poorer odds to hit you.

Know Thy Enemy (lvl 5, bone)

Much like the D&D Know Your Enemy, this is about getting some extra info on observed enemies. Plus, if you succeed on the roll to observe them, you can also mark a Stress to remove a Fear from the GM's pool, making the next bit of combat/trouble a little safer.

Vitality (lvl 5, blade)

In the vein of Orym's Tough feat, it's some extra durability. Gain two of +1 Stress Slot, +1 HP, +2 to Thresholds. Then the card is forever vaulted and not taking up space.

Rapid Riposte (lvl 6, bone)

Much like the Riposte Maneuver Orym has, it's the chance to attack back when the enemy misses (for 1 Stress). And this one auto hits.

Recovery (lvl 6, bone)

As a sort of parallel to Second Wind, this allows you to boost one Short Rest action to a Long Rest Action. And spend a Hope to let an ally do the same.

On the Brink (lvl 9, bone)

Besides the fact that the art looks kind of like Orym, this is a card that lets a character keep pushing while flirting with their limits, which Orym often does towards the end. If you've got 2 or less HP left, Minor damage doesn't happen.

Swift Step (lvl 10, bone)

Considering I've gotten Orym some options to get in the way of attacks on others, I think Stress relief when an attack misses him (or Hope gain if there's no stress) is very helpful for rounding out Orym. Especially since he's got several options for extra Armor via Stress.

At the End

I think Orym is one where you have options for building him out in Daggerheart while still feeling like you've made Orym. Like I said above, you don't have to multi-class him (though the two Valor cards I picked are essentially his signature moves). And if you do, either Specialization fits. And there were a handful of other cards that could have fit in his loadout instead. I guess that's what happens when you build a solid basic fighter who's all about protecting and helping his friends.

[gear-project]

Dual Rulers Episode 7

”The World is Full of Fighting” Spoilers (At least I’m not writing fake Episodes, kek)

(Props to Tomokazu Sugita for shouting his heart out as Narrator)

Last time, we saw a black sky of Tentacles raining Gear Imps of Death to the land below. All created by Nerville Hammer of the Future!

Sin checks in on a recovering Unika, while the rest of the team assess the dire situation.

Baiken suggests they need to find the source of all these creatures.

Johnny’s not sure if they have the means to make it to the sky with these numbers.

Jack-O’ points out a Multi-dimensional Distortion Barrier, which appears to be blocking any access from aerial approaches.

The black army is growing, but even with state issued Sorcerers they might not have enough.

Leo suggests using the War Relic, but Vernon says it’ll take time to switch targets.

Having heard all this, two Daughters of a Merciless Apocalypse make a critical decision.

Even if their movements are tied, there is still things they can do!

Calvados, a Powerful Twin Rail Cannon, and Travalier “Love” Cannons combine in a powerful energy ray that might actually rival the +40 output Gamma Ray that once fired in 2074!

The Valentines have given their all to the cause!

The ray pierces through legions of imps, striking the barrier directly.

The blast alone has caused the dark tentacles to retreat somewhat, buying everyone more time.

Sin recognizes Ramlethal and Elphelt’s handiwork, even from long distance as they collapse from exhaustion.

An orchestrated long range shot from Illyria to the skies of America… it could have destroyed the continent, but this shot instead has saved lives!

Reinforcements join the fight as the team begins to regroup.

President Vernon looks quietly at the heroes that are now fighting for the world’s fate. Not just Humans, but Gears as well.

It seems the black mass came from a temporal rift, so it’s only a matter of time before a second invasion.

Any damage the mass took is only being regenerated, in less than 10 hours by Jack-O’s estimate.

And of course we’re once again reminded of Jack-O’s Superhuman ability to process information.

Leo reports on the recovery efforts, but it’s slow going with the remaining enemies on ground.

Vernon requests Jack-O’ assist with analysis and mission planning, which she complies.

Meanwhile in a nearby room, Unika is coming to grips with the recent revelations of her existence.

Bridget speaks to Vernon on her behalf, vouching for her character.

Bridget also offers to help as well.

At the same time, Paradigm is grumbling to himself, a seemingly common thing for an old dragon. He’s thanked by Vernon for his assistance, but he replies this threat isn’t limited to one species anymore.

Jack-O’ finished her analysis, and it seems the rift (and the thing inside it) are growing. Not good news.

About the size of a small moon… and way too big a problem!

They’ll have to seriously coordinate to reach the core of this thing to destroy it.

The plan is to use the War Relic (Magic Energy Satellite) , but it currently doesn’t have enough energy reserves (sounds like an Evangelion reference if you ask ME).

And just as I suggested it, they ask nations around the world to donate Magic power to the Satellite, as lights go out across major cities, and power cells get shipped along a “familiar” railway.

Ishiwatari just LOVES Neon Genesis Evangelion, doesn’t he!?

It’s still visually impressive the scale of how fast they respond to donating to the crisis effort.

Sin is working his butt off, but Sol reminds him to take a break, and to talk to Unika (his sister).

Vernon watches as Sin runs past him in the hallway, a boy carrying fate on his shoulders.

Sin was expecting Unika’s room to be locked, but it was open.

Sin reminds Unika, that she isn’t alone, and doesn’t have to carry everything herself. And that she isn’t the same as she once was.

Unika is still not ready to hear Sin’s words, so he takes his leave.

Elsewhere Bridget is helping move supplies, but is suddenly ambushed by a stray Gear Imp!

It strikes, and Bridget just barely manages to dodge to bring out a Yo-Yo Weapon!

Any attacks are easily dodged, however, and countered, sending Bridget flying!

It strikes again, Bridget barely dodges once more.

This time, the Yo-Yo lands, but there’s no damage.

Cornered, Bridget has no means of escape…

Moments later, Unika overhears Medics wheeling Bridget away on a stretcher, wounded and in critical condition.

Unika calls out, in shock and desperation.

A casualty of war.

Many might think War has nothing to do with them, until it hurts someone they care about. Back to Back, Death comes riding on a Midnight train… consciousness slipping to an End.

The realization and weight hits Unika with urgency, and she propels herself to the sky, beyond Sin’s confused calls.

To buy more time, Unika spreads her Azure Wings, to become a Living Magic Amplifier.

Like the OutRage Sol once built, designed to amplify Magic Energy and focus it… a hidden connection between Magic Particle Theory and Gears (a connection inherited from Dizzy).

Unika’s power can further increase the output of the Satellite!

In theory, it will pierce the distortion barrier and Unika won’t be harmed, or so it remains to be seen.

Unika determines there is no other way, thinking on Bridget’s sacrifice.

Unika’s wings spread further as Vernon initiates the firing sequence.

As if her very Magic coalesced in to some kind of subwoofer amp, Unika accepts the world’s energy and converts it.

It is all she can muster, but she directs the energy in to her long rifle.

Like a Twin Buster Rifle, with Black Lightning (like Sin’s Indra), she fires, a shot far worse than any Black Gamma Ray!

The beam erases the tentacles and imps to atoms, and the barrier is breached!

Unika falls, but the dark tentacles catch her, and drag her inside the rift!

Sin calls to Unika, but the rift has already begun to close.

Jack-O’ begins to blame herself, but Paradigm gruffly corrects her, reminding her she’s not a god.

In that extreme situation, they ALL did the best they could.

Sin looks at the skies with worry for Unika, as Sol reminds him she’s his sister, and toughness runs in the family!

Sol, for once, has faith.

Sin asks if they can use the Electromagnetic Pulse Radar to find Unika again.

As fleets gather, Jack-O’ says she’s joining the strike team, to help bring this war to a conclusion.

Gullenkambi Dark: Johnny’s prized airship, once again set to face the fate of the world. The strike team will board it, with Johnny as the pilot, of course!

This time, even Elphelt and Ramlethal are joining the team! A welcome sight. Baiken as well.

Sol has just finished customizing a bullet with Nerville’s Gear Virus. With any luck, it’ll affect him too, as a Gear-variant.

If they can hit the core, that is.

Sin, catching Sol off guard, asks to carry a bullet himself… to bear some of the weight (of killing Gears).

The look in Sin’s eye is dead serious. He’s grown a lot.

As the ships finally reach the edge of the tentacle-filled rift, they begin their opening assault, as imps begin to swarm in the billions.

The tentacles begin to strike at cities, the damage and destruction incalculable.

Soldiers open fire on the imp invaders, civilians flee in fear, legions destroy key Magic relay points. It’s uncertain if the War Relic can even fire again.

At this rate, all life, including Gears, will be annihilated.

The realization hits Sin hard, and he comes to a decision.

He finally understands, and says his mother would do the same.

Soldiers are unable to hold back the invaders with their guns alone, but just as they’re about to be overwhelmed… a massive fist clears the area.

A Gear, with orders to protect them, has arrived.

Sin, now a proper Gear Commander, gives orders across the globe, for Gears to help fight back and protect their world.

All the Gears, dormant for hundreds of years, sealed, unsealed, or otherwise, are given the order to defend the world.

Gears and Humans, fighting alongside one another, with equal purpose.

The world’s Magic energy reserves converges on the War Relic.

The Energy Satellite fires once more, a true LAST RESORT!

The beam once again slices open the rift and distortion barrier, as the Gullenkambi Dark shoots through the gaps in the void.

And what they all see? A face.

A dark twisted amalgamation of Nerville Hammer’s will and ego.

They’ve found their target.

Elphelt and Ramlethal now display their full potential as Valentines.

With Godlike speed, Ramlethal cuts through the darkness, as Elphelt rains her own “Judgement” of fire down! Legions upon Legions are cut apart or blasted to Dust.

Even Johnny can see that looks painful!

Jack-O’ calls out all her servants: Lancers, Magicians, and Knights alike, her own army… and they begin their assault.

Like Kliff Undersn before her, Baiken rebounds on a chain of Magic Tatami Gaeshi, using them as platforms to gain height for a powerful club strike.

Sol’s signature Reversal needn’t be said here, but, I will, anyway!

VOLCANIC VIPER!

Despite cutting a thick tentacle in half with his OutRage, Sol gets sent flying in to floating nearby debris, by another dark limb.

Unfazed, Sol kicks another imp out of his way with a RIOT STAMP!

Baiken and Sin both cut off more “nosehairs”, while Jack-O’ brings out the full power of her “Organ”.

Sin reels back, as Black Lightning gathers in his arm and flag, as legions try to mob him… an RTL Burst.

Tentacles grab him tightly to subdue, but a pair of Chainscythes cuts them to bits!

This time with a weapon in hand, Axl Low warmly greets Sin, confirming that his presence in the battle means the Timeline has ALREADY changed!

Tentacles try to grab Axl, but he nimbly dodges, and bolts away, vanishing in to light.

Johnny hits the thrusters, edging towards the core.

Ramlethal fires Calvados once more, clearing the path, slicing everything like an energy blade! Animo Estingi.

Elphelt fires with her own volley, destroying remnants that were missed.

Pervy tentacles try to grab Elphelt, but in the nick of time, Johnny saves her!

No point in sitting behind the steering wheel anymore!

Every one begins a massive coordinated attack, one after another.

Starting with Sin, they all begin to gather their Magic Energy (Ki) against the Core.

The effort is almost overwhelming, pushing Gear and Human alike to their ultimate limits.

A Ray of Hope pierces the Darkness.

From Illyria, High King Ky Kiske and Queen Dizzy have sent their Magic, using the Central Organ Tower of Illyria Castle to direct their own “Lightning”.

Ky in full Dragon Install, Dizzy with all her power, proud as parents of their son, bonded by hearts no matter the distance, connected as one…

Sin takes his parents’ love, and directs it as power…

As if to pierce a moon, Sol throws Sin his flag… and Sin charges in to the abyss…

. . . . .

I kept thinking about how this Episode alone will be such a tough act to follow.

Guilty Gear isn’t even finished yet, not by a long shot!

So many side characters, so many possibilities with the roster, and the game…

I don’t know if anyone who hasn’t played Guilty Gear for as long as I have will ever understand the true scope and gravitas of this anime, or even the implications and nuances… I want to believe someone somewhere will see it all…

And that it will finally “click” for them.

It isn’t just about a fighting game, or music… it’s about people taking the steps necessary to understand one another, despite so many differences. To overcome life’s challenges and see equals.

The people who argued with me, the people who block others on social media, because they aren’t compatible, or they don’t have it in them yet to fully understand other people. Or just to keep the conversation going despite disagreement.

I really hope someday that everyone will see this series, and come to at least some “level” of understanding.

It doesn’t have to be unity, or perfection, but just a glimpse in to everyone’s unique worlds and struggles, and maybe a helping hand.

The world may be full of Fighting, but we are all Comrades in Arms, on a single planet, in a single galaxy, that may see wider stars and worlds one day.

KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE. KEEP THE FLAG FLYING!

[mariacallous]

These days, when Nicole Yelland receives a meeting request from someone she doesn’t already know, she conducts a multi-step background check before deciding whether to accept. Yelland, who works in public relations for a Detroit-based non-profit, says she’ll run the person’s information through Spokeo, a personal data aggregator that she pays a monthly subscription fee to use. If the contact claims to speak Spanish, Yelland says, she will casually test their ability to understand and translate trickier phrases. If something doesn’t quite seem right, she’ll ask the person to join a Microsoft Teams call—with their camera on.

If Yelland sounds paranoid, that’s because she is. In January, before she started her current non-profit role, Yelland says she got roped into an elaborate scam targeting job seekers. “Now, I do the whole verification rigamarole any time someone reaches out to me,” she tells WIRED.

Digital imposter scams aren’t new; messaging platforms, social media sites, and dating apps have long been rife with fakery. In a time when remote work and distributed teams have become commonplace, professional communications channels are no longer safe, either. The same artificial intelligence tools that tech companies promise will boost worker productivity are also making it easier for criminals and fraudsters to construct fake personas in seconds.

On LinkedIn, it can be hard to distinguish a slightly touched-up headshot of a real person from a too-polished, AI-generated facsimile. Deepfake videos are getting so good that longtime email scammers are pivoting to impersonating people on live video calls. According to the US Federal Trade Commission, reports of job and employment related scams nearly tripled from 2020 to 2024, and actual losses from those scams have increased from $90 million to $500 million.

Yelland says the scammers that approached her back in January were impersonating a real company, one with a legitimate product. The “hiring manager” she corresponded with over email also seemed legit, even sharing a slide deck outlining the responsibilities of the role they were advertising. But during the first video interview, Yelland says, the scammers refused to turn their cameras on during a Microsoft Teams meeting and made unusual requests for detailed personal information, including her driver’s license number. Realizing she’d been duped, Yelland slammed her laptop shut.

These kinds of schemes have become so widespread that AI startups have emerged promising to detect other AI-enabled deepfakes, including GetReal Labs, and Reality Defender. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also runs an identity-verification startup called Tools for Humanity, which makes eye-scanning devices that capture a person’s biometric data, create a unique identifier for their identity, and store that information on the blockchain. The whole idea behind it is proving “personhood,” or that someone is a real human. (Lots of people working on blockchain technology say that blockchain is the solution for identity verification.)

But some corporate professionals are turning instead to old-fashioned social engineering techniques to verify every fishy-seeming interaction they have. Welcome to the Age of Paranoia, when someone might ask you to send them an email while you’re mid-conversation on the phone, slide into your Instagram DMs to ensure the LinkedIn message you sent was really from you, or request you text a selfie with a timestamp, proving you are who you claim to be. Some colleagues say they even share code words with each other, so they have a way to ensure they’re not being misled if an encounter feels off.

“What’s funny is, the low-fi approach works,” says Daniel Goldman, a blockchain software engineer and former startup founder. Goldman says he began changing his own behavior after he heard a prominent figure in the crypto world had been convincingly deepfaked on a video call. “It put the fear of god in me,” he says. Afterwards, he warned his family and friends that even if they hear what they believe is his voice or see him on a video call asking for something concrete—like money or an internet password—they should hang up and email him first before doing anything.

Ken Schumacher, founder of the recruitment verification service Ropes, says he’s worked with hiring managers who ask job candidates rapid-fire questions about the city where they claim to live on their resume, such as their favorite coffee shops and places to hang out. If the applicant is actually based in that geographic region, Schumacher says, they should be able to respond quickly with accurate details.

Another verification tactic some people use, Schumacher says, is what he calls the “phone camera trick.” If someone suspects the person they’re talking to over video chat is being deceitful, they can ask them to hold up their phone camera to their laptop. The idea is to verify whether the individual may be running deepfake technology on their computer, obscuring their true identity or surroundings. But it’s safe to say this approach can also be off-putting: Honest job candidates may be hesitant to show off the inside of their homes or offices, or worry a hiring manager is trying to learn details about their personal lives.

“Everyone is on edge and wary of each other now,” Schumacher says.

While turning yourself into a human captcha may be a fairly effective approach to operational security, even the most paranoid admit these checks create an atmosphere of distrust before two parties have even had the chance to really connect. They can also be a huge time suck. “I feel like something’s gotta give,” Yelland says. “I’m wasting so much time at work just trying to figure out if people are real.”

Jessica Eise, an assistant professor studying climate change and social behavior at Indiana University-Bloomington, says that her research team has been forced to essentially become digital forensics experts, due to the amount of fraudsters who respond to ads for paid virtual surveys. (Scammers aren’t as interested in the unpaid surveys, unsurprisingly.) If the research project is federally funded, all of the online participants have to be over the age of 18 and living in the US.

“My team would check time stamps for when participants answered emails, and if the timing was suspicious, we could guess they might be in a different time zone,” Eise says. “Then we’d look for other clues we came to recognize, like certain formats of email address or incoherent demographic data.”

Eise says the amount of time her team spent screening people was “exorbitant,” and that they’ve now shrunk the size of the cohort for each study and have turned to “snowball sampling” or having recruiting people they know personally to join their studies. The researchers are also handing out more physical flyers to solicit participants in person. “We care a lot about making sure that our data has integrity, that we’re studying who we say we’re trying to study,” she says. “I don’t think there’s an easy solution to this.”

Barring any widespread technical solution, a little common sense can go a long way in spotting bad actors. Yelland shared with me the slide deck that she received as part of the fake job pitch. At first glance, it seemed like legit pitch, but when she looked at it again, a few details stood out. The job promised to pay substantially more than the average salary for a similar role in her location, and offered unlimited vacation time, generous paid parental leave, and fully-covered health care benefits. In today’s job environment, that might have been the biggest tipoff of all that it was a scam.

[felassan]

Thoughts on the latest companion feature. (this post contains spoilers from the August 30th dev Q&A).

This feature/these blurbs were fun hh. I know these features were more like a fun and light-hearted thing rather than sth we should like overanalyze for character backstory info or read too much into for details and stuff, but I still cant help but kick my feet and think about the blorbos anyways 😊

Emmrich: I felt like art makes total sense :D Nevarra is renowned for its art, even its gardens, food and arrangements for the dead are pieces of art. this blurb combined with yesterday's Q&A had me wondering if any of the companions would like pieces of art like paintings as their personalized gifts. that reminded me of Sten and his paintings in DA:O, which was nostalgic. :') the IT bit of his blurb had me thinking about how Emmrich & Taash don't see eye-to-eye on necromancy. like obviously as a necromancer he doesn't have a problem with it. I wonder what Taash dislikes about it? is it its reputation (per Josie in DA:I)? Solas freed the weak spirit the Mortalitasi in Tevinter Nights had bound to stir her drink. maybe Taash doesn't like the binding part, the servants part?

Neve: I loved that leadership was the top vote for Neve ^^ finding the issues, testing and finding solutions, solving problems.. I wanna investigate a crime scene or case or something with Neve so bad. I also like the idea that Neve, Davrin and Harding could all lead teams of their own in their own right (with Rook as the Veilguard's leader, it reminds me a bit of the Shadow Broker's dossier on Garrus.)

Bellara: Bellara is a renaissance lady fr 🙏 a genius, good with her hands and at building things, magically talented, creative, and also apparently great at cooking! multi-skilled.

Lucanis: "mastermind at piecing things together", like Detective Neve! I'm really curious to hear their banter and see how they interact. with them both around you can't hide anything from the Veilguard!! "Assassination is an art form, and his work is beautiful" made me curious to hear Lucanis and Davrin discussing their respective artforms. Lucanis kills people, Davrin kills monsters. different targets and contexts, but for both of them it's like an artform and a very honed skillset. I think it could be cool if they talked about their varying approaches :) and this one "Lucanis lives off of coffee and hides in the dark" just sent me, like Lucanis pls 😭

Taash: for some reason I kept thinking about Taash sending all the bugs back not only with a grin but also by hitting them back over with a racket or something like it's some kind of ball game hh. I loved "bombastic yet subtle" coming up as a descriptor related to her ^^

Davrin: In a previous blurb we learned Davrin was raised in a Dalish clan, and craved excitement and adventure. reading this new one, I thought that leadership because you can count on him to step up when things get tough sounds like a great quality for a Warden to have. that made me wonder whether he set out from his clan specifically to join the Wardens, or whether it was more like he set out to go on adventures, then established himself as an adventurer, and then was recruited by the Wardens due to his reputation as an adventurer. like what the sequence of events there was like. and I wondered about Assan's in-game noises - like whether it's audio effects or sounds made by an actor. ^^

Harding: leadership here made me hark back to Harding's previous life as the Lead Scout of the Inquisition. "she works hard".. punny :D