#QR Code generator with logo

[technifytechnologies]

Create Custom QR Codes with Your Logo at QR Ocean

Discover how to enhance your brand visibility with personalized QR codes featuring your logo. At QR Ocean, we provide an easy-to-use QR code generator that allows you to create unique, branded QR codes in just a few clicks. Stand out from the crowd and make your marketing materials more engaging! Visit our site at https://qrgenerator.biz/

[vcqrupvt]

How To Create a Simple Customer Referral Program?

Counterfeit products are harmful for buyers, businesses and economies worldwide. To combat this issue barcode scanners are emerging as a powerful tool in the fight against counterfeit goods.

[icon-packs]

Free Online QR Code Generator With Logo

Generate free qr codes with logo or icon such as link, wifi, vCard, email, sms online with our new free tool. Upload your logo or icon and customize colors and size of QR code, download as PNG or SVG for free.

Free QR Code Generator →

[lib-to-conned]

Red Wave Solutions: Spread The Word

Mason Samsen wasn’t your average 20-year-old college student. His perpetually tousled hair and ink-stained fingertips were more than a badge of his role as a budding journalist; they were the marks of someone who rarely rested when there was a story to uncover. A junior at Jefferson University, Mason had quickly built a reputation as a truth-seeker on campus. His peers respected his tenacity, and some even feared his relentless pursuit of exposing wrongdoing. As an outspoken Democratic Socialist, Mason believed deeply in the power of truth to dismantle systems of inequality and oppression. For him, journalism wasn’t just a career path – it was a moral obligation.

His work spoke for itself. Within just two years, Mason had written exposés that sent shockwaves through the community of his college. The first uncovered a scandal involving a tenured professor who was not only cheating on his wife with his teaching assistant but also allegedly grading female students unfairly. Then there was the damning report on the head of the History Department, whose pattern of racially charged comments and discriminatory hiring practices for his TAs Mason meticulously documented. Both articles landed Mason in hot water with the faculty due to how much news coverage it received, but they also cemented his place as the student body’s most fearless journalist. His articles had been shared far beyond campus, with national outlets even picking up some of his stories. To Mason, this was proof that his instincts were never wrong.

So when the fliers for a company called "Red Wave Solutions" started appearing across campus, Mason’s journalist’s radar pinged instantly. He first noticed them plastered haphazardly on the corkboard outside the student union. A stark crimson logo dominated the page, paired with the tagline: "Reject Political Anxiety and Accept Conformity – Join the Movement Today!" The messaging was vague but calculated, designed to intrigue and alarm in equal measure. The company’s name struck him as odd too, as "Red Wave" sounded more like a politically charged rallying cry than a corporate entity. As such, he couldn’t help but wonder what type of services it could even offer.

Due to this, Mason tore a flier off the board and scrutinized it further. There was no detailed description of services, no list of affiliations, and no website – just a QR code and a phone number. A quick scan of the code on his phone led to a bare-bones webpage with little more than a flashy promotional video and a generic mission statement about "encouraging unity across the political divide." To Mason, it reeked of corporate jargon hiding something more insidious.

As he watched several nervous students hastily follow him and grab the fliers while looking around to make sure no one else saw them, the odd feeling Mason felt continued to gnaw at him. Why was a seemingly obscure yet political company suddenly plastering fliers all over campus? What exactly were they selling, and who had invited them here? Was this tied to the university administration, or was it the work of a private group looking to influence the student body? Mason didn’t know yet, but one thing was certain: the smell of bullshit was undeniable.

Mason’s resolve hardened as he opened a fresh document on his laptop. He would do what he always did – follow the trail, piece by piece, until he uncovered the truth. He had a gut feeling that Red Wave Solutions was up to far more nefarious things than their preachy unity message implied. As such, it was up to him to find out exactly what they were hiding and why they were targeting his campus.

Back in his dorm room, Mason leaned back in his creaky office chair, scrolling through the company’s sparse website with a growing sense of unease. The bright, polished visuals stood in stark contrast to the murkiness surrounding the company's true purpose. Stock photos of smiling queer couples holding hands and multi-racial families posing dominated the homepage. Their warm, inclusive energy clashed oddly with the undercurrent of the program’s messaging, which was as ambiguous as it was unsettling.

Mason’s sharp eyes honed in on the phrasing in the promotional text. "Are you worried about the future? Afraid of standing out? We hear you, and we can help remedy those nerves!" The implications were vague, but something about them made Mason’s skin crawl. The language was too polished, too calculated, as if crafted by a focus group determined to hit all the right notes for an audience grappling with post-election anxieties. His intuition told him this wasn’t just a therapy program – something insidious lurked beneath the cheerful exterior.

Being a gay man, Mason had learned to trust his gut when it came to exposing homophobic hostility, no matter how sugar-coated and concealed it appeared. The website’s queer-friendly imagery might have fooled someone else, but to Mason, it reeked of a ploy. As he clicked through the pages, a darker theory began to form in his mind. Could Red Wave Solutions be some kind of veiled conversion therapy operation? Maybe not in the traditional fire-and-brimstone sense, but something modern, subtle, and far more calculated – a campaign to indoctrinate or "reorient" unsuspecting young people under the guise of empathy and support.

Adding to his unease, Mason had found himself overhearing some of his friends mentioning Red Wave Solutions in the past few weeks. They’d talked about the program as a potential outlet to process their political anxieties and the stress of living in a rapidly polarizing society. Their interest frustrated Mason to no end. Couldn’t they see how suspicious it all sounded? He knew he couldn’t simply tell them to stay away without proof though, it was a common occurrence for them to accuse him of overthinking or being paranoid.

And so, Mason made a plan. If his friends were intrigued, he’d get there first. He’d scope out the company himself, ask pointed questions, and observe their methods. If his suspicions were correct, he’d blow the lid off Red Wave Solutions before any of his friends fell victim to its schemes. He wasn’t afraid to sacrifice a few hours enduring thinly-veiled conservative rhetoric if it meant protecting the people he cared about.

That resolve ultimately left him scheduling an appointment and standing outside the nondescript building listed as the company’s headquarters the very next day. The office complex was a bland, utilitarian structure – gray cement walls with windows that reflected the cloudy sky. There was no large sign or logo to announce Red Wave Solutions’ presence, only a small decal on the front door that caused the company to look as impersonal and corporate as Mason had imagined.

Taking a deep breath, Mason adjusted the front of his shirt. It wasn’t just a nervous habit though, he wanted to make sure the tiny button camera sewn into the middle of his polo was perfectly aligned. He’d spent all night setting up the camera, ensuring its placement was discreet yet functional. If something went south, he needed visual proof of whatever shady operation was running inside.

As he smoothed his shirt, Mason glanced at his reflection in the glass door. He looked composed enough, but his stomach churned. This wasn’t his first investigative dive, but something about this one felt different. Possibly dangerous even, given the type of hardcore conservatives that were most likely working on the inside to trap unsuspecting people into their web. Ever determined though, Mason shook the thought from his head and squared his shoulders. He had a job to do, after all, the truth wasn’t going to expose itself.

With one final glance at the street behind him, Mason pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The air inside the Red Wave Solutions building was cool and faintly scented with a generic, clean aroma that reminded Mason of a freshly mopped hospital floor. His eyes darted around the space as he stepped inside, taking in the minimalist yet calculated decor. The interior was almost sterile in its design: pristine white walls and floors offset by carefully placed red accents. A striking red backlight illuminated the reception desk at the center of the room, and short sections of the walls were painted in the same bold crimson. It was sleek and modern but lacked any warmth, as if it had been designed to evoke trustworthiness without inviting comfort.

Behind the desk sat a neatly dressed woman who greeted Mason with a polite but impersonal smile. She was African American, her hair pulled into a professional bun while her burgundy blouse complemented the crimson accents of the room. Mason’s journalistic instincts immediately kicked in. The choice of a minority woman as the face of this place struck him as deliberate – an intentional move to put visitors at ease and present an image of inclusivity. He wondered how many people had walked through these doors, seen her friendly face, and let their guards down.

“Welcome to Red Wave Solutions,” she said, her voice professional but warm. “Do you have an appointment with us today?”

Mason nodded, stepping closer to the desk. “Yeah, it’s Mason Samsen. My appointment’s at 2:30.”

The woman’s manicured nails clicked against her keyboard as she searched for his information in the system. Mason used the moment to glance around, noting a few chairs arranged neatly along the walls of the waiting area. They were stark white, with small red cushions placed in the center of each seat. A table held a stack of glossy pamphlets with titles like "Taking the First Step Toward Inner Peace" and "Navigating Life’s Challenges with Confidence." He resisted the urge to grab one, keeping his focus on the woman behind the desk.

“Ah, here you are,” she said after a few moments. “I just need to verify your identity. Do you have an ID with you?”

Mason froze for a fraction of a second. He hadn’t anticipated this. “Uh, yeah,” he said, fishing his driver’s license out of his wallet. “Is that really necessary though?”

The woman’s smile didn’t falter. “Unfortunately, yes. We’ve had a few incidents recently with people trying to play pranks or disrupt our sessions. Running a quick background check helps us ensure that everyone who comes in is serious about taking advantage of what we offer while also helping us easily share information with the police if necessary.”

Mason hesitated, his fingers gripping the edge of his license. Her explanation was reasonable enough on the surface, but it still felt invasive and incredibly suspicious. Still, he knew he couldn’t afford to raise any alarms this early in his investigation. With a tight smile, he handed over the ID.

“Thank you,” the woman said, sliding the card into a small scanner attached to the desk. The machine whirred softly as it processed the information. “This will just take a moment. Once it’s done, we’ll take you back to begin your consultation and help you learn how to thrive in the red wave.”

Mason forced a polite chuckle at her use of a clearly corporate-enforced tagline, but inwardly, his nerves spiked. The phrase felt even more ominous now that they held his ID, like some Orwellian euphemism. He watched as she glanced at her screen, her expression unreadable as the system ran its checks.

“Feel free to take a seat while we finish up,” she added, gesturing toward the waiting area.

Mason nodded and moved to one of the chairs, carefully positioning himself where he and his hidden camera could keep an eye on the desk. He slid his phone out of his pocket and pretended to scroll while his thoughts churned. This whole process felt wrong. What kind of therapy company needed to run background checks on its clients? Was this just about deterring pranksters, or was there something deeper at play – some sort of data collection method or pre-screening tool to help figure out how exactly to break the mental reserves of interested parties?

As he waited, Mason adjusted his polo shirt again, ensuring the hidden button camera was still perfectly aligned. Whatever was happening here, he wasn’t leaving without answers.

The seconds stretched into minutes as Mason sat in the waiting area, his foot tapping against the white tile floor. His eyes flicked between the receptionist and the clock on the wall, noting that it had been over ten minutes since his ID had been taken. The polished environment of Red Wave Solutions, with its pristine surfaces and artificial calmness, was starting to get under his skin. The longer he waited, the more his mind raced. What if they were stalling for a reason? Had their check revealed his identity as an expose-focused journalist? He needed answers, and he wasn’t about to waste more time sitting idly by and waiting for them to make the first move.

Determined to act, Mason stood and walked back to the desk, forcing a polite smile. “Hey, sorry to bother you,” he began, “but is there a bathroom I could use while I wait?”

The receptionist returned his smile with one of her own, still calm and composed. “Of course,” she said, pointing toward a hallway behind her. “Just head straight down that hall and take a right. You’ll see the sign.”

“Thanks,” Mason replied, masking his nerves as he turned away.

He followed her directions, but as he walked, he took in everything around him. The red accents continued down the hallway – with all of its short walls and door frames painted with the same deliberate splash of color. The space was oddly quiet, the faint hum of distant air conditioning the only sound accompanying his steps. His hidden camera captured everything, from the layout to the stark, almost clinical lighting.

When he reached the intersection where he was supposed to turn right toward the bathroom, he paused. To his left, the hallway stretched further into the building, its end obscured by a sharp turn. Mason hesitated, weighing his options. The bathroom was a safe choice, but his instincts pushed him in the other direction. If he wanted answers, he knew he had to take a risk.

After glancing back to ensure the receptionist couldn’t see him, Mason hastily turned left and strode deeper into the building.

The further he went, the stranger the place felt. The hallways were eerily labyrinthine, branching off into sharp angles and other hallways that made it easy to lose his bearings. Doors lined the walls, each one marked with a small, nondescript plaque bearing a room number. Curious, Mason peeked through the window of one door, only to find an empty, white-walled room with a single chair bolted to the floor. The next room was the same. And the next.

“What the hell is this place?” he muttered under his breath, his heart pounding harder with each step.

Then, a sound broke the silence – a voice, faint at first, but unmistakable.

“Help! Someone, please! Help me!”

Mason froze, his breath catching in his throat. The voice was male, clearly desperate and filled with terror.

“I changed my mind! I want to leave! Please, let me out!”

The cries sent a chill down Mason’s spine. He scanned the hallway, trying to pinpoint the source. Although he didn’t know where exactly, the man knew that the screams were coming from somewhere deeper in the building.

Without hesitation then, Mason followed the sound, his steps quickening as he navigated the twisting corridors. The voice grew louder by the minute, the man’s pleas echoing off the sterile walls. Mason’s chest tightened as he rounded another corner, finally stopping in front of a heavy door with a small rectangular window.

Inside, a young man was standing with his head pressed against the glass window. His face was pale, his eyes wide and filled with panic. When he saw Mason, he pounded on the glass.

“Please, help me!” the man begged, his voice raw. “You have to let me out! I changed my mind. I don’t want to go through with this anymore!”

Mason’s hands trembled as he reached for the door handle, only to find it locked. He looked back down the hallway, adrenaline flooding his system. The silence outside the door was deafening, as if the building itself were holding its breath.

“Hold on,” Mason said, his voice low but urgent. “I’ll get you out of here. Just give me a second.”

The man inside the room sobbed, clutching his head in anguish. “Please, hurry, I don’t feel well,” he whispered, his voice breaking.

Mason scanned the door, looking for any way to unlock it. His instincts told him to move quickly – if anyone caught him here, he wouldn’t have the chance to find out what was really going on.

Mason’s heart hammered in his chest as he examined the door, searching for some way to unlock it. His fingers brushed over the control panel on the side, and he let out a small breath of relief when he saw the latch mechanism – a simple keypad. His years of investigative journalism had taught him a few tricks, and after quickly punching in a few common codes he’d used to sneak into areas in the past, the lock finally gave a faint click.

The door swung open, and the man inside nearly collapsed into Mason’s arms. His slender twinkish frame trembled, and before Mason could say a word, the man threw his arms around him, clinging tightly.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” the man cried, his voice breaking. “We need to get out of here… right fucking now!”

Mason gripped his shoulders firmly, pushing him back slightly so he could look him in the eyes. “Hey, calm down. Stop yelling,” he said, keeping his voice low and steady. “I’ll help you get out, but you have to keep quiet. We can’t get caught, okay?”

The man nodded frantically, his breathing ragged. Mason took a moment to observe him. He was young – probably a college student no older than Mason himself – with bright blonde hair that was tousled in a way that suggested he’d been consistently running his hands through it while in distress. His frail physique was only emphasized by the somewhat tight Britney Spears t-shirt he wore, providing Mason with a clear as day impression of the other man’s toned abs and flat chest. The whole look screamed twink, which instantly caused Mason to develop a pang of protectiveness for him.

“Okay, we’re getting out of here,” Mason said, his voice firm but quiet. “Stick close to me, and don’t make a sound unless I ask you something.”

The man nodded again, wiping tears from his face. Mason led him out of the room, carefully closing the door behind them. He glanced down the hallway, ensuring the coast was clear before gesturing for the man to follow him.

As they walked, Mason leaned in close. “What’s your name?”

“Cooper,” the man whispered, his voice trembling. “Cooper Evans.”

“All right, Cooper. What the hell is going on here?”

Cooper hesitated, wringing his hands as they moved down the quiet hall. “I– I came here because I was scared,” he finally said, his voice shaking. “I didn’t know what else to do. With this new administration, I was afraid of being hate-crimed or losing my rights. They said they could help me blend in.”

Mason’s brows furrowed. “Blend in? How?”

“They… they said they have this process,” Cooper explained. “They said they could transform me into a Conservative. That I wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore if I just… fit in.”

Mason stopped in his tracks, turning to stare at Cooper. “Transform you? What are you talking about? How does that even work?”

“I, I don’t know!” Cooper said, his voice rising before Mason quickly shushed him. “I swear, I don’t know. They gave me this whole pitch, had me sign a contract saying I’d agree to it, and then they gave me this red pill for me to swallow. That’s it. That’s all I know!”

Mason let out a low groan, running a hand through his hair. “What the hell were you thinking saying yes to something like that?” he hissed. “I know the future’s scary right now, but why would you want to become someone with such awful values? Someone your altered self would hate if they ever met the real you?”

Cooper’s lip trembled, and tears began streaming down his face again. “Dude, I was scared, okay?” he choked out. “I didn’t know what else to do! I thought… I thought it was the only way I’d be safe.”

Mason sighed, his frustration melting into a mix of sympathy and anger. “Look, I get it. Things are bad, but you can’t just give up who you are because you’re scared. That’s exactly what people like them want. I don’t know you well, but I can already tell that you’re a great guy who deserves to be your true self…”

Cooper sniffled, nodding miserably as he endured the lecture from the other man while continuing down the hallway. Mason kept a hand on his shoulder, guiding him while keeping an ear out for any approaching footsteps. Whatever was happening here, it was worse than he’d imagined, and he was determined to not only get Cooper out of here safely, but expose this company for the disgusting things they’re attempting to do.

Mason kept a steady grip on Cooper’s shoulder, speaking softly but urgently. “Listen, Cooper, nobody can just transform like that. It’s not real. Whatever they gave you, it’s probably some kind of drug – a sedative, maybe, or something to make you more suggestible. Brainwashing, that’s got to be their angle. They’re just trying to get you weak enough so they can get in your head…”

Cooper’s watery eyes flicked toward him, searching for reassurance. “You think so?”

“I know so,” Mason replied firmly. “You’re still you. We just need to get out of here in one piece, and everything will be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

But just as the words left Mason’s mouth, Cooper stopped dead in his tracks. A low grunt escaped him, and his hands shot to his stomach.

“Something’s wrong,” Cooper whimpered, his voice tight with discomfort.

Mason spun around, his heart lurching. “Cooper?”

Before he could get another word out, Cooper screamed – a piercing, guttural sound that echoed through the hallway. Mason’s pulse spiked, causing him to immediately clamp a hand over Cooper’s mouth.

“Shh! Stop screaming!” Mason hissed, glancing over his shoulder, expecting someone to come rushing toward them at any moment. But Cooper’s muffled cries didn’t stop. His entire body trembled, his knees buckling as he clutched his midsection.

“Damn it,” Mason muttered under his breath, scanning the hallway. He spotted a door nearby, one that oddly wasn’t locked like so many of the others but rather slightly ajar. With no other choice and not in the situation to second-guess it, he yanked it open all the way, dragging Cooper inside and shutting the door behind them.

“Okay, breathe,” Mason said, trying to keep his own voice steady. “We just need to–”

But Cooper cut him off with another scream, this one deeper and more guttural than before. Mason’s stomach churned as the sound of cracking bones filled the air. Cooper fell to his knees, his hands bracing against the cold floor as his body convulsed. “What’s happening to me?!” he roared, his voice suddenly raspier and deeper, no longer the light airy tenor Mason had heard moments ago.

“Cooper, calm down!” Mason demanded, though his own panic was building. “It’s, it’s probably the drug giving you a panic attack or something. Just hold on, we’ll–”

But Mason’s words faltered as he watched, wide-eyed, as Cooper’s body began to change. His frame, once frail and delicate, suddenly began to expand with unnatural speed. His limbs stretched, his torso elongating until he had shot up to at least 6’4”. His skinny jeans became comically short, now resembling capris, while his Britney Spears t-shirt rode up his lengthening torso, exposing a wide swath of his toned abdomen.

“What the hell…” Mason whispered, stumbling back against the wall.

Cooper’s screams wavered, cracking wildly between high-pitched cries and guttural, low groans. His hands clutched at his chest and shoulders as his body continued to shift – this time with the invasion of muscle into his lithe frame. Before his eyes, Mason watched as the other man’s lean arms buffed up, his flat chest began to thicken and broaden, and the remainder of Cooper’s entire physique began to morph from wiry club kid to college athlete.

“It hurts!” Cooper cried out, his voice so deep and gravelly it was almost unrecognizable. “What the fuck is happening to me?!”

Mason’s breath caught in his throat. “Cooper,” he said, his voice trembling. “I– I think it’s real. That pill… it’s actually transforming you.”

Cooper’s new, larger form shook with silent sobs as his head dropped forward, his blonde hair falling into his face. “But I didn’t want this!” he bellowed, his voice resonating in the small room. “I just wanted to feel safe!”

Mason stared at him, horrified and helpless, his mind racing. Whatever he had stumbled into at Red Wave Solutions was far more sinister than he could have imagined. This wasn’t just brainwashing or manipulation – this was something once thought to be scientifically impossible.

He took a shaky step forward, placing a hand on Cooper’s arm and struggling to comprehend the jock-like biceps the man now possessed. “We’re going to figure this out,” Mason said, his voice low but firm. “I don’t know how, but we will find a way to turn you back. Just… keep it together, okay?”

Cooper looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. “They changed me,” he choked out. “I barely even recognize myself…”

Mason swallowed hard, fighting back the rising tide of panic. “We’ll fix this,” he promised, though he had no idea how. “But first, we’ve got to get out of here.”

He reached for the door handle, his heart hammering. Whatever was happening inside Red Wave Solutions, Mason knew one thing for sure: he had to expose it, no matter the cost.

Mason had barely finished reassuring Cooper when the man doubled over again, this time clutching his chest with both hands. The cracking and popping sounds of shifting bone and sinew returned, louder and more unsettling than before. Mason’s stomach twisted in fear as Cooper’s body began to shake once more.

“Cooper?” Mason asked, his voice shaking as he stepped back. “What’s happening now?”

Cooper let out a low groan that turned into a guttural moan as his entire body suddenly began to swell with immense mass. In an instant, his arms ballooned with muscle. His biceps and forearms thickened rapidly, straining the sleeves of his Britney Spears shirt until they began to tear at the seams. His chest expanded, leaving his plump pecs pressed tightly against the fabric as his shoulders further broadened and filled out. His newly-jockish frame was already disappearing, undergoing an extreme metamorphosis as more layers of powerful muscle began to flood his physique. 

“Holy… shit…,” Mason muttered, his voice barely audible over the sound of Cooper’s transformation.

The changes didn’t stop with his upper body, as Cooper’s thighs and calves surged with muscle, causing his jeans to pull taut until the fabric threatened to split. His abdomen, which had been toned yet flat before, rippled with abs so bulging and pronounced they looked sculpted from stone. And yet, even as Mason watched, a soft layer of fat began to spread over Cooper’s newly chiseled physique. His once-defined six-pack faded into the softer outline of a bulkier, slightly rounded stomach, giving him the appearance of a well-fed, off-season athlete… or a frat bro who spent as much time lifting weights as he did guzzling beer.

Cooper let out a long, low moan as the transformation slowed. His once frail and shaky voice was now deep and resonant, though his words came out in a stilted, almost dazed manner. “Holy shit, bro,” he said, looking down at his enormous hands and flexing them experimentally. “What… what happened to me?!”

Mason’s breath hitched as he stared at the hulking figure before him. Cooper’s face still bore a trace of his former self, but it was broader now, more rugged. His blonde hair was now down to his shoulders, styled with a natural set of curls that gave him a sort of redneck-chic style befitting of a frat bro. The sight was surreal, and Mason’s instincts screamed at him to leave.

He took a step back, glancing at the door. “Look, Cooper,” he said cautiously, his voice trembling. “I– I think you’re going to be okay still. Just… stay here. I need to figure out how to get us out of this mess.”

But the words felt hollow even as he spoke them. Every fiber of his being told him he couldn’t stay here any longer. Whatever was happening to Cooper, it was beyond anything Mason could comprehend, let alone fix.

“I’ll be right back,” Mason lied, taking another step back toward the door until his back pressed against the firm metal.

As he reached for the handle and turned it though, his heart sank. It wouldn’t budge. He yanked harder, but it quickly became clear that there was no use. The door was locked.

“No, no, no,” he muttered under his breath, his panic rising. He spun around, his eyes darting toward the small window in the door.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Two enormous security guards stood just outside, their arms crossed over their broad chests. Both men were built like linebackers, their sharp features set in stern, no-nonsense expressions. They were looking directly at Mason, their eyes unblinking, their presence menacing.

“Oh, crap,” Mason whispered, stepping away from the door.

“Dude,” Cooper said behind him, his voice booming and casual now. “Why’s the door locked? What’s goin’ on, bro?”

Mason didn’t respond. His mind raced, trying to think of a way out. Yet as he looked around, he quickly realized that not only was the room small, but it lacked any other exits or windows. The only way out of this room was through the door – and the guards who clearly weren’t going to let him leave.

Cooper took a lumbering step toward him, his movements unsteady as he adjusted to his new burly size. “Yo, Mason,” he said, his voice a strange mix of confusion and excitement. “I feel so weird, man. Like, I’m freakin’ huge now. This is nuts!”

Mason pressed himself against the far wall, his breath quick and shallow. He had come here to expose Red Wave Solutions, but now he was trapped in a nightmare with no clear escape. And to make matters worse, the transformed Cooper was now staring at him with an unsettling mix of bewilderment and enthusiasm, as if unaware of the full extent of what had just happened to him.

The guards outside shifted slightly, their eyes never leaving Mason. It was clear they were waiting for him to make a move – which left the journalist wondering if they were simply there to stop him from interfering or eventually take him somewhere worse for finding out the truth.

Mason swallowed hard, his mind racing. Whatever was happening here, he was in way over his head.

Mason barely had time to process the sight of the guards standing outside the window before the door clicked and swung open into the room. His pulse spiked, and he took a few reflexive steps back, especially as the two massive guards rushed into the room with practiced precision and alarming speed.

“Hey! Wait–” Mason shouted, but the words were cut off as one guard grabbed his left arm and the other seized his right. Their grips were like iron, pinning him in place with an effortless strength that left him completely immobilized.

“Let me go!” Mason demanded, struggling futilely against their hold.

But his cries went ignored. The guards didn’t so much as glance at him, their stony expressions remaining fixed ahead like robots as they held him firmly.

Mason’s eyes darted to Cooper, desperate for help, but the sight before him made his stomach drop further. Cooper was staring at his reflection in the mirror mounted on the far wall, his now-massive hands running over his muscular chest and arms. His face, once soft and pretty, had undergone further dramatic transformation. The delicate features had sharpened into something rugged and masculine – a stubble-covered jawline that could cut glass, a straight nose, a set of manly lips adorned with a trimmed mustache, and thick brows that framed eyes filled with a vacant yet self-satisfied glint. For a moment, the man played with his hair, enjoying running his thick, callused fingers through his long wavy strands.

“Cooper!” Mason called, hoping to snap him out of his trance.

But Cooper didn’t respond, his attention entirely consumed by his own image. He flexed, his bulging biceps straining the tattered remnants of his shirt, his lips curving into a smirk as he admired his physique.

The sound of deliberate, measured footsteps echoed through the room, drawing Mason’s attention away. His eyes widened as a figure emerged in the doorway – a handsome, middle-aged man with perfectly trimmed stubble and sharp, piercing eyes. Dressed in a tailored suit that exuded authority, the man carried himself with an unsettling confidence.

He stepped inside, surveying the room with a smile that sent chills down Mason’s spine. His gaze lingered on Cooper for a moment, his expression one of approval, before turning toward Mason.

“Well, isn’t this quite the scene,” the man said, his voice smooth and commanding. “Cooper is coming along beautifully, wouldn’t you say?”

Mason didn’t answer, his throat dry as he glared at the man.

The stranger’s attention returned to Cooper, who was now flexing in earnest, his massive arms and broad shoulders filling the small space. “You’re doing great, Cooper,” the man encouraged, his tone warm and enthusiastic. “Just look at you. All that weakness, all that self-doubt – it’s melting away, isn’t it? You’re finally becoming the straight alpha male you were always meant to be.”

“No,” Mason muttered under his breath, shaking his head. “This isn’t right. Cooper, don’t listen to him!”

But Cooper didn’t even glance at him. Instead, his expression remained precisely trained at his new reflection and hyper-masculine face as one hand moved down to paw at his immensely-sized crotch. “Yeah… yeah, bro,” Cooper said, his voice deep and almost gravelly. “I feel so… powerful.”

The man chuckled, his smile widening. “That’s it. Embrace it. Let go of that weak, pitiful version of yourself. Expel it. You don’t need it anymore.”

“Cooper, stop!” Mason shouted, straining against the guards’ hold. “This isn’t you! Don’t give into what this asshole and his fucked up company wants!”

But his words were drowned out by the older man’s encouragement. “Come on, Cooper. Show us you’re ready. Show us you’re done with that fragile little self you used to be.”

Cooper’s grin turned almost feral as he stepped back from the mirror, his massive hands now split between jerking himself off and squeezing his immense new form. He thrust his hips forward once, then again, his body trembling as he gave in to whatever compulsion was driving him.

“No!” Mason screamed, his voice cracking as he fought against the guards with renewed desperation.

Cooper bucked his hips one last time, his movements growing erratic until he froze as a torrent of cum shot out of his thick cock. Mason watched as the man’s eyes rolled back into his head, his chest heaving as a guttural groan escaped his lips.

Mason’s blood ran cold. Whatever was happening to Cooper was reaching its horrifying conclusion, and Mason had no idea how to stop it.

Cooper – or rather, the person who had once been Cooper – stirred a few minutes later, his head jerking slightly before his eyes fluttered open. Mason froze, watching in disbelief as the hulking man came to. The confusion was evident in the newly sculpted frat bro’s face as he blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings.

“Uh… what the hell is going on, broskis?” he mumbled, his deep voice carrying an unfamiliar, lazy drawl. His gaze darted from the guards restraining Mason to the middle-aged man standing with a smug expression, and finally landed on Mason himself.

As recognition failed to surface in his eyes, the now-transformed man tilted his head, his lips pulling into a cocky smirk. “Yo, wait a sec… are you, like, a homo or something? Tryna sneak a peek at my badass bod or check out my… uh…” He flexed one arm and cupped his other hand over his crotch with a crude laugh. “…my impressive package, bro?”

Mason’s mouth fell open. “Cooper, it’s me, it’s Mason! Don’t you remember anything? You came here because–”

“Shut it,” the other man interrupted before snapping his fingers at the guards holding Mason. Without hesitation, they reached up and clamped strong hands over his mouth in order to silence him. Mason struggled, muffled protests escaping as he glared daggers at the older man.

The mysterious man turned to the hulking figure, his demeanor calm and calculated. “You’re quite perceptive, Jackson. As a matter of fact, we did indeed catch Mr. Samsen here sneaking into your room while you were in the middle of your… business.”

Instantly, Jackson’s brows furrowed as his expression darkened. He clenched his fists, the sound of his knuckles cracking echoing ominously in the small room. “What the fuck, bro?” he said, his voice a mix of anger and indignation. “You some kinda creep? Lemme guess, you’re some kind of fucked up fairy jealous of what a real man looks like?”

Mason shook his head frantically, trying to plead through the guards’ hands. His muffled cries went unnoticed by Jackson, whose frustration seemed to bubble over.

“Yo, I’ll mess you up, dude,” Jackson growled, taking a menacing step forward. His massive form towered over Mason, the threat in his body language clear.

But before Jackson could act, the middle-aged man raised a hand, his commanding tone cutting through the tension. “Now, now, Jackson. There’s no need for violence.” He nodded toward one of the guards standing by the door. “Escort Jackson to the lounge, would you? He’s had an intense day coming to terms with his inner truth, so I’m sure he could use some time to relax.”

One of the guards stepped forward, placing a hand on Jackson’s broad shoulder. “C’mon, man. Let’s go.”

Jackson hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking back to Mason. But then he shrugged, his frustration melting into indifference. “Yeah, whatever. You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today, bro,” he muttered, turning to follow the guard out of the room.

As the door clicked shut behind them, the man shifted his attention back to Mason. His warm smile was chilling in its insincerity. “Now, Mr. Samsen,” he said, stepping closer. “It’s your turn. You’ve poked your nose into matters you shouldn’t, so now it’s time for you to not only get punished but find a way to truly contribute to our cause.”

Mason’s eyes widened as the man continued, his tone almost fatherly. “You’ve spent so much time fighting against what you perceive as wrong. But you’ll soon realize that you’ve been on the wrong side of history all along. Don’t worry though, we’ll be gentle in helping you see the truth. And once you do, you’ll become the Conservative you were always meant to be...”

To read part two, click here.

[felassan]

this post is just some info on yesterday's DA:TV Fandom party at SDCC. :>

What was this party? [Here] is a post with the pre-event information that was made available. [Here] is a pre-event article that contains an interview with the organizer. And [this article] on the event contains some additional information, like on the versions of this party held in previous years, which helps for context. There was no new DA:TV information of note from the party

Links to Fandom (the company's) Twitter account, their Instagram. If you look at these (including on the Instagram Stories), you can see some pictures and stuff from the party. for those interested in watching a video version of some of these, Ghil Dirthalen posted a video recording that she made last night of Fandom the company's Instagram posts [here]. there are also more pictures and stuff from the party that you can see if you click through to [some of] the source links below here in the rest of this post.

As was previously reported the other week, Jason Derulo headlined the party (like as in a gig). Here's an image of him there [source] (the him singing DA stuff part was a joke tho btw hh). They considered having an orchestra because of DA's musical score but they got Jason Derulo

One of the party props was a big background of the DA:TV key art [source]. Here you can see the DA:TV logo on another backdrop. [source] This tweet contains both of these backdrops from a different angle

There was also an archway prop based on this DA:TV key art, and big screens which projected images from the game (including of Varric and this screenshot) [source]. It looks like these images were also projected to television screens? [source]

This tweet contains the questions and the answers to the DA-themed scavenger hunt (transcription of this at the end of this post), as well as a partial look at the map layout of the party

This is how photos taken in the DA themed photo booth look (this DA:TV screenshot was the backdrop) [source]

There was a VIP section at the party [source]. Gary McKay, the General Manager of BioWare, was there [source], as were John Epler and Zach Mendez (Lucanis) [source], Ali Hillis (Harding) [source], Nick Boraine (Emmrich) [source], Kari a BioWare Brand Director [source], Jessica Clark (Neve) [source] and Corinne Busche [source]. Erika Ishii (Rook) also visited but got kicked out of VIP hh [source]. Some cosplayers from the DA community were also personally invited by BioWare & PR at EA Games and attended! like Ladytoxie as Bellara ^^ [source, two], and some celebrities also, such as Doug Jones [source]

Ladytoxie mentioned that they will be posting a Vlog of their experience and coverage of the event, "probably next week" [source], having documented it at the time [source] (tysm!!)

Ladytoxie reported that it was a good, memorable experience and that everyone was lovely [source]

There was supposed to be some DA:TV-related pins and lanyards being handed out at the party, but these got stuck at customs, so there wasn't any goodies being handed out [source]

Links to some more images from the party: [one], [two], [three]

Scavenger hunt text (questions and answers) transcription:

"Clue 1: Step up to spot the flames where Fandom's 20-year tale burns bright, celeberate twenty years of worldbuilding where this terrifying Dragon Age wiki takes flight. Answer: Archdemon Clue 2: Follow the path and find the shining blue gem, discover the wiki of this Dragon Age elven hedge mage for your chance to win! Answer: Solas Clue 3: Search for the place where steel balls ricochet, where the flippers dance and the wizards gather to play. Find the wiki of a dwarf and son from the House of Tethras, known as a Dragon Age rogue with his crossbow, Bianca. Answer: Varric Clue 4: Venture to where 360 degree views are spun, where fans share your favorite #/fandom20 with props that are comically fun. Scan the QR code to reveal this order of warriors who defeat the Blight, and with the invasion of darkspawn, they put up a legendary fight. Answer: Grey Wardens Clue 5: Finish your scavenger hunt quest where Dragon Age lore comes alive, a photo booth adventure where fantasies thrive. Pose in a setting of this wiki's southern continent vast, two moons overhead, in a world built to last. Answer: Thedas"

[source]

[bluejayblueskies]

De Tocht Der Koeien \\ The Journey of Cows | MxCaptain

[ID: A hand-bound book shown from the front. There is gray bookcloth along the spine and black bookcloth on the front pasted on top of silver and black marbled paper. The title in both English (The Journey of Cows) and Dutch (De Tocht Der Koeien) is painted onto the cover in silver fabric paint, as well as the author name MxCaptain and a graphic of grass. /End ID]

As another gift as part of Fandom Trumps Hate 2023, I did a bind of MxCaptain's fic De Tocht Der Koeien and its English translation The Journey of Cows! Both fics are contained within this volume, one after the other.

[ID: A hand-bound book shown from the spine. The front cover can also be seen from an angle. There is gray bookcloth along the spine. The name in Dutch (De Tocht Der Koeien) and the author name, MxCaptain, are on the spine in silver fabric paint. /End ID]

The cover and spine are both stenciled with silver fabric paint, and the cover has black bookcloth glued atop black-and-gray hand-marbled paper (not marbled by myself). This is, like my previous book, a sewn board binding, and the ends of the boards are painted black.

[ID: Two images of the interior title pages of the book. The first shows the half-title page, which has both titles De Tocht Der Koeien and The Journey of Cows separated by a line and the author name, MxCaptain, beneath a graphic of a cabin. The second shows a two-page spread with a watercolor painting of a pine-tree-covered hill with some highland cows on it. The same titles can be seen on the righthand page, as well as the same author name. /End ID]

The half-title page precedes the title spread, which has a full-spread painting. The edges have been trimmed (very carefully, using a utility knife, which I only attempt with thin books like this one because it is generally very perilous to trim this way) to bring the book down to A6 size and to get the white space away from the edges of the spread.

[ID: Two images of interior pages of the book. The first image shows the front matter on the left and the summary page on the right. The front matter has QR codes with links to the fics, the Blue Skies Books logo with a bluejay, the Renegade Publishing logo with a bookpress, and information about the book. The summary page has the summary in Dutch and English as well as sketches of cows. The second image shows the chapter header on the righthand side. The chapter header has the English title, The Journey of Cows, encased within a woodcut print of cows, with the text of the fic beneath it. /End ID]

The summary page and chapter headers have some more public domain cow images from rawpixel, and I'm especially pleased with the chapter headers, which I think are very cute!

[fenrislorsrai]

Hey, saw your reblog of the post about flyers being a good way to reach not-so-online folks. Do you have any examples to draw on for inspiration? I'm no graphic designer so appreciate some examples. No matter what I promise not to use Comic Sans or Arial. 😀

Ironically, Comic Sans and Arial are some of the best font choices because they're easier for people with dyslexia to read! They're also widely available on most machines, so if you're going to send an editable version to other folks to print on a home computer, they'll generally render correctly. (you can also export a PDF and force it to do the same if you don't want them to edit)

Some sample full page flyers.

This is a two up, where I printed on a single page and split the page in half for hanging

Conveniently, one of the things in the twoup is the same as the full page. We did a smaller, less detailed one for this as it was a mini-event, so we hang in a much more limited area where folks likely already knew a lot of details about the venue as they walked past it.

It's not obvious with these, but generally the smallest text on here is 14 point. These are all in Arial.

The initial header is at least 34 point and some are up to 50, if I had space. The subheading is generally in range of 20-30

Bigger is better! People are generally going to see these while walking so need a really big, clear headline to get attention. You still want to keep it overall large because often walkers are older folks who may not have their reading glasses with them. GO BIG.

Less is more for this type of flyer.

Event Title

date and location

Other info

That's it! That's the basics! Use declarative sentence. One clause per sentence. If you can present things in a list, even better!

If you're doing a BIG event that had sponsors and stuff, you'll want to use fancier posters with their logos and stuff in prime locations and then these little guys that are just "event, date, location" in outdoor locations with low traffic.

If printing at home, buy yourself a light colored pack of card stock in a bright color. I personally use a safety orange. If you're getting them copied somewhere, spring for the card stock. It'll withstand getting rained on a few times and if it's pinned to an indoor bulletin board, you can hang with a single pin without worrying about it curling.

If it's going to be a flyer for recurring event or just info about a local resource like where the food pantry is, put a small "hung on X/y/z" on the very bottom. Some places require a date on posters for hanging and they'll take them down after a certain point to make sure they're still current. If you date them, they may stay up longer, because they know when they were hung instead of going on vibes of "oh that's been here forever" and it was actually only two weeks.

QR codes are something some people like on posters, but I personally am old and suspicious about anything I can't see the destination URL on, so don't use them. If you do use them, look at the place generating them carefully. If you can't figure out how they make their money making free QR codes... you're the product. Be suspicious, don't sell out folks data via QR code data harvesting.

My top spots for hanging flyers:

Bulletin boards at grocery stores

Laundromats

Coffee shop

Library (you will probably have to take it to circulation for approval, so make sure its All Ages appropriate as there are free range children in that library)

trailhead or parking pulloff by a trail.

Transfer station/dump (you may need approval there as it's town property, but you will get ONLY town residents there. It's worth asking at the booth! Same rules as library.)

Good luck with the flyers!

[greenhorn-art]

Keep Your Head Up to the Sky (As Your Day Unfolds) by alphera [Twitter]

Illustrated by Shirou_UOHS @shirou-oh-sakura

Fandom: 全职高手 | The King's Avatar

Rating: General Audiences

Category: M/M

Words: 9 270

Time is rarely kind, and impossible to escape. At the ripe old age of 30, Han Wenqing retires from the Glory Professional Alliance and moves forward the only way he knows how: fearlessly and without hesitation.

About the Book

FONTS: Coelacanth, Segoe UI Emoji

IMAGES: Illustrations by Shirou; pastel sky ID: 7007221 from Rawpixel; dark blue sky ID: 7044483 from Rawpixel; Han Wenqing & Desert Dust image from The King's Avatar Wikia; Ye Xiu & Lord Grim image also from TKA Wikia; Glory card png also made by Shirou via Discord

MATERIALS: regular ol' printer paper (8.5"x11", 20lb, 96 bright); ~1.5mm chipboard; Neenah cardstock (8.5"x11", 65lb, bright white); Iris bookcloth (Madeira colour); paper from Gilded Ink paper pad by Recollections; waxed linen thread (30/3 size, white); wheat paste (1:4 flour:water)

PROGRAMS USED: typeset in Affinity Publisher 2; endpapers designed with Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Photo 2; imposed with Renegade's Community Imposer (settings: Quarto, snug against binding edge, signatures of 2 sheets).

Text & QR codes printed with colour laser printer (duplex, flip long edge), images printed with inkjet printer (HP Envy 5055; one sheet at a time, single sided, place facedown in tray)

BINDING: quarto (quarter-letter) size, sewn board binding with french link stitch and breakaway spine.

.

Absolutely LOVED this story! I've reread this one a number of times, and keep going back for more. Alphera's writing is so good! Ye Xiu is the series protagonist so things usually follow him, which makes it refreshing to see a story through Han Wenqing's eyes. And the author does it SO WELL! AHHH!

It's been a while since my first read-through, but I'm pretty sure this was the first TKA fic that I actually downloaded and started typesetting. Absolutely chuffed to have it finished! (Love me some growth-- the typeset looks a LOT better than my earlier attempts!)

RAMBLES

Another sewn board binding and breakaway spine! Since this isn't my first go at it, the construction of the book was considerably faster and smoother than my last one. It's just as well, because I ran into a speed bump that stretched out how long it took to typeset and print.

The culprit: (very pretty) illustrations. My laser's colour printing capabilities are shot to hell, so I used my inkjet for the artwork. This involved creating 3 copies of my typeset: 1) the completed typeset; 2) just the text, images hidden; 3) just the images, text hidden/white. Then I ran them through the imposer and printed the text version. The real issue was figuring out how to feed the sheets through my inkjet printer to print the images where I want them. Had to go one page at a time, single-sided. (Just need to place sheet facedown in the tray. So flip along vertical axis.) It took a while, but I got there in the end. And the results were SO worth it! 😊

For the scene breaks I left them as written. I had tried inserting images of the Glory Logo and account card, or using crossed swords emojis ⚔️, but nothing I tried worked as well as what the author did. (It's really neat! Different characters were used to indicate the direction of the timeskip: >>>> for a jump forward in time; <<<< for a flash into the past; and ==== for regular scene breaks, a 'next' rather than 'before' or 'later/after'.)

The cover and endpapers were based off of Shirou's fantastic cover illustration of HQW and YX walking hand-in-hand down a beach at sunset. The art itself is phenomenal so I had it stand alone as a frontispiece and didn't do anything fancy with the title page. For the covers, I looked through my decorative paper stash for something red or black to represent HWQ or Team Tyranny. What I found was paper with pinks, oranges, and purples similar to that illustration -- and that was that. I liked how the colours matched the art, and the gold splashed across it. (Gold for victory, gold for wedding rings and a happy golden future together.)

(Sidenote: I love how the beginning of the end of HWQ's career as an e-sports player "starts with a tingle in his ring finger", leading him and YX to taking the next steps in their relationship and eventually getting married 💍🖐)

I went with a red bookcloth for the spine because it's a common team colour for Tyranny, Excellent Era, and Happy. It also represents good fortune, courage, passion, and love -- things that come to mind when I think about YX, HWQ, and HanYe. The particular shade of red I used is Madeira. It's darker than Ruby Red and leans a little cooler, which suits the decorative paper more.

The endpapers use two background images (overlayed, adjusted, using multiple blending modes) and some images of HWQ and YX from The King's Avatar Wikia.

The background images are from Rawpixel -- I was just minding my own business looking for images of clouds and maybe some mountains to represent overcoming challenges/glory/looking up to the sky, when I found some clouds with the same sunset colours of Shirou's art. Figured it was too perfect, and if I'm going to lean into that design-wise, I might as well go whole hog and full-ass it. Then I found a starry night sky to add some darker blues and stars to it to match. After that it was a matter of overlapping them and positioning them to fit. I also grabbed some images of HWQ and YX from the King's Avatar Wikia and added them to it because HanYe. (After removing the backgrounds).

[bi-galacticgargleblaster]

Rating election campaign materials that came through my door this morning (alphabetical):

Alba: Fairly standard double sided A5. Front side has a nice pic of the candidate, his name and the constituency clearly visible. There's a bunch of hashtags and a QR code I'm not bothering to scan. Big claims about scottish independence. Back side has a list of 6 priorities, 4 of which are pretty good, 1 of which I'm unsure about, and 1 of which is transphobic. Another QR code I'm not going to scan.

3/10 incredibly middle of the road and generic material, relying on transphobia is bad, about 80% of the space is dedicated to "INDEPENDENCE" with no real elaboration

Greens: No campaign materials

N/A

Labour: Double sided half A4 (split lengthways so it's super long). Front side has pictures of Sunak, Truss, and Johnson with "14 YEARS OF TORY CHAOS IS COSTING US ALL". Back side has more generic anti tory sentiment, a QR code I'm not scanning, a claim that "Tory chaos" has cost me £5,883 (no mention of how they got that number) since 2019, an instruction to "Vote for change. Vote Labour".

1/10 Literally no mention of who the Labour candidate is? Or the name of the constituency? Seems bizarre to have pictures of 3 Tory ex-prime ministers but not even the name of who you're actually putting forward? Entire argument is based on the idea that Labour would be better than the Tories, which seems irrelevent considering the constituency is currently held by SNP?

Lib dems: honestly I nearly forgot to even include them in the list, no campaign materials

N/A

Reform UK: Standard double sided A5. Front side has name of candidate and constituency, as well as pictures of Farage (party leader) and Tice (who is apparently the party chairman). Anti immigration and anti refugee sentiment as expected. "Zero Waiting Lists" - no elaboration. Back side is completely focused on immigration, many links to social media and the party website and phone number

0/10 relies entirely on anti immigration sentiment with no other policies except "Zero Waiting Lists", which is not expanded on at all

SNP: Folded pamphlet which equates to 3 double sides of A5. Side 1: SNP Logo and last name of the candidate. Side 2: Testimonies from a WASPI campaigner, a union rep, a "social justice campaigner", and a doctor (this one focuses on Gaza and is explicitly praising the candidate for showing solidarity with Palestine). Side 3: Candidate in front of scottish flag, 5 generic campaign statements I largely agree with, links to email, phone, website, and socials. Side 4: Candidate in front of building, full name clearly present. "Dear friend," followed by a 20 point plan. Points focus on workers rights, improving benefits, directly helping the local community, ensuring compensation for people affected by 3 major scandals, stopping arms sales to Israel and recognising Palestine as a state. Side 5: Picture of big ben, anti westminster sentiment, 4 steps to address the cost of living crisis. Side 6: Picture of the candidate in a suit. Direct call to re-elect the candidate. Reminder about needing voter ID and when polling stations are open.

9/10 The only material to mention Gaza at all. Only material that included a reminder about needing ID to vote and when you can actually vote. Didn't rely at all on bashing trans people, immigrants, or anyone aside from the Tories (which was restrained to a single line about them crashing the economy). Very little mention of scottish independence, which I thought was strange. Very focused on the positive things they planned to do and clear that it was tailored for this constituency, rather than a generic "Vote for this party" with someone's name slapped on it.

Tories: No campaign materials

N/A

Based solely on campaign materials it's pretty clear who has actually put effort in. Unsurprised to have had nothing from the Tories because they have no chance here, surprised to not hear from the Greens though.

[digitaldetoxworld]

"Telegram Marketing Hacks: Build Your Audience and Drive Conversions"

 Telegram has emerged as a powerful platform for entrepreneurs. With its robust functions, high engagement rates, and developing international consumer base, Telegram offers specific possibilities for manufacturers to connect with their target audience. This manual explores how to leverage Telegram for marketing success.

Creating keyword-rich content for Telegram marketing

Why Choose Telegram for Marketing?

1. Massive User Base

Telegram has over 800 million month-to-month lively users (as of 2023), making it a fertile ground for accomplishing a diverse target audience.

2. High Engagement Rates

Telegram customers generally tend to interact more with content in comparison to other social media platforms. Its notification machine ensures that messages are visible through a huge percentage of subscribers.

Three. Secure and Private

With cease-to-stop encryption, Telegram is a trusted platform for customers concerned approximately privateness, which enables construct credibility to your logo.

4. Rich Features

Telegram gives channels, companies, bots, and media sharing capabilities that allow companies to execute diverse advertising strategies.

Getting Started with Telegram Marketing

1. Create a Telegram Account

Start by way of growing a Telegram account and set up a commercial enterprise profile. Use a expert profile photo, together with your brand logo, and write a compelling bio that describes your commercial enterprise.

2. Choose Your Marketing Approach

Decide whether or not to apply:

Telegram Channels: Best for broadcasting messages to a huge target audience.

Telegram Groups: Ideal for fostering network and direct engagement.

Bots: Automate customer service, surveys, and lead generation.

Building Your Audience

1. Promote Your Telegram Channel or Group

Share your channel hyperlink across other social media systems, your website, and e-mail newsletters.

Offer incentives, along with distinct content, reductions, or giveaways, to encourage sign-ups.

2. Use QR Codes

Generate QR codes related in your channel and encompass them in offline materials like posters, enterprise playing cards, or product packaging.

3. Collaborate with Influencers

Partner with influencers for your niche who have an active Telegram presence. They can sell your channel or group to their target market.

4. Optimize Your Channel Description

Use key phrases to your channel’s description to make it searchable on Telegram. Include a clean name-to-movement (CTA) that encourages customers to subscribe.

Content Strategies for Telegram Marketing

1. High-Quality Content

Post visually attractive and well-crafted content material. Use pix, films, infographics, and concise textual content to seize interest.

2. Consistency

Maintain a consistent posting schedule. Analyze your target market’s lively hours and put up as a consequence.

Three. Personalized Messages

Use Telegram's personalization functions to segment your target market and send tailored content material. For example, you may use bots to deliver personalised offers.

4. Interactive Content

Encourage engagement by posting polls, quizzes, and questions. For instance, a clothing brand may want to ask, “Which fashion do you decide on?” to collect insights and engage fans.

Leveraging Telegram Features

1. Channels

Channels are excellent for one-manner communique. Use them to:

Share updates, promotions, and announcements.

Provide exclusive content material, together with at the back of-the-scenes movies or early get right of entry to to income.

2. Groups

Groups permit -way verbal exchange. They are top notch for:

Building a community around your emblem.

Hosting Q&A sessions or discussions.

Collecting comments and ideas out of your audience.

Three. Bots

Telegram bots can automate tasks including:

Sending reminders about promotions.

Providing instant customer support.

Collecting email addresses or different leads.

Four. Polls and Quizzes

Use polls to accumulate critiques or comments. Quizzes may be used for academic content or to gamify engagement.

Best Practices for Telegram Marketing

1. Don’t Spam

Avoid overloading your subscribers with messages. Respect their time and keep your updates relevant and concise.

2. Offer Value

Ensure each message can provide price, whether it’s information, enjoyment, or a unique provide.

Three. Encourage Sharing

Make it clean for users to proportion your content. Use CTAs like “Forward this to a friend” to increase your attain.

Four. Monitor Analytics

Use Telegram’s integrated analytics equipment to tune subscriber increase, engagement rates, and content performance. Adjust your method based on records.

Examples of Telegram Marketing Campaigns

1. Product Launch

Use a channel to announce new merchandise. Share teasers, countdowns, and at the back of-the-scenes content material main up to the launch.

2. Exclusive Discounts

Offer specific discounts in your Telegram subscribers. For instance, “Get 20% off with the code TELE20, best for our Telegram community!”

three. Community Engagement

Create a group where customers can speak your brand, percentage opinions, and ask questions. Moderators can ensure the conversation remains fine and relevant.

Four. Educational Content

Share guidelines, tutorials, or courses related to your niche. For example, a fitness brand could publish exercise routines or meal plans.

Measuring Success

1. Engagement Metrics

Track the quantity of perspectives, clicks, and stocks for each put up.

2. Subscriber Growth

Monitor how speedy your channel or organization is growing. A regular growth suggests effective marketing.

Three. Feedback

Use polls, surveys, and direct messages to gather comments from your audience. Ask what content material they find most valuable.

4. ROI

Calculate the go back on investment (ROI) by way of evaluating the cost of your Telegram advertising efforts to the sales generated.

Challenges in Telegram Marketing

1. Building a Subscriber Base

It can take time to develop your target audience, especially inside the preliminary degrees. Consistent promotion and valuable content material are key.

2. Keeping Subscribers Engaged

Maintaining engagement calls for sparkling and thrilling content material. Avoid repetitive posts.

3. Handling Negative Feedback

In agencies, you may come upon grievance. Respond professionally and use poor comments as an possibility to improve.

[technifytechnologies]

Stand Out: Create Custom QR Codes with Your Logo

In today’s fast-paced digital world, capturing attention is crucial for any business. One innovative way to do this is by using QR codes with logos. At QR Ocean, we provide a user-friendly platform to create custom QR codes that not only link to your desired content but also reflect your brand’s identity.

Why Use a QR Code with Your Logo?

Brand RecognitionIncorporating your logo into your QR code helps reinforce brand identity. When customers scan your QR code, they instantly associate the code with your brand, increasing recognition and trust.

Professional AppearanceA QR code with your logo looks more polished and professional. This is especially important for marketing materials, packaging, and business cards, where first impressions matter.

Increased EngagementCustom-branded QR codes are more likely to attract attention. People are naturally curious about unique designs, leading to higher scan rates and engagement.

Versatile Marketing ToolWhether you’re promoting a product, sharing a website link, or providing contact information, a QR code with your logo can be integrated into various marketing channels—social media, email campaigns, print ads, and more.

How to Create a QR Code with Your Logo at QR Ocean

Creating a custom QR code is simple with our QR code generator with logo:

Visit Our WebsiteGo to QR Ocean to access our QR code generator.

Choose Your QR Code TypeSelect the type of QR code you want to create—URL, text, email, or social media.

Upload Your LogoUpload your logo and adjust its size and position within the QR code for optimal visibility.

Customize Your DesignPlay around with colors, shapes, and patterns to create a visually appealing code that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic.

Download and UseOnce you’re satisfied with your design, download the QR code and incorporate it into your marketing materials.

Best Practices for Using QR Codes with Logos

Ensure Legibility: While adding a logo enhances branding, make sure it doesn’t obscure important parts of the QR code. The code must remain scannable.

Test Before Launch: Always test your QR code to ensure it works correctly and leads to the intended destination.

Track Performance: Use QR codes that allow you to track scans, helping you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Conclusion

Using QR codes with logos is an effective way to enhance your marketing strategy and improve brand visibility. At QR Ocean, we empower you to create customized QR codes that not only serve a functional purpose but also elevate your brand. Start designing your unique QR code today and watch your engagement soar!

For more information and to create your QR code with logo, visit us at QR Ocean.

[vcqrupvt]

Why Need Build Customer Loyalty? A Comprehensive Guide

VCQRU is a leading anti-counterfeiting solutions company in India, offering one-stop solutions for anti-counterfeiting, custom QR code, smart packaging, labels stickers, and e-warranty solutions with dynamic QR code.

Read more:

[paperw0rmz]

How to use Pinterest, a tutorial by a kid who wasn’t allowed social media but was allowed Pinterest

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social media platform where likes, followings, comments, don’t fucking matter which means it’s the best social media platform period.

How do I use Pinterest?

First make an account you fucking tard. Do it. It’s fuckinf 2023. Why don’t you have a Pinterest? Make one. Now. Do it.

Anyways

Once you make and set up your profile you will probably be forced by Pinterest to click on interests n shit that you like, you CAN do that if you want, but you can skip it too.

So after Pinterest takes your personal info you can now do the best thing which is starting F.R.E.S.H

First pins

Go look around now! Like cats? Look up cats! Want a recipe? Look up some food! I don’t fucking care! Search around and then click the little pin button which then saves it to your profile so you can check on it later you probably won’t ever look at it again

Reorganize

FUCK! You saved too much random shit and dell down the rabbit hole of pins. You have cats, grandma cookies, and old screen shots from tumblr with an ifunny logo in the corner along with outfits and hair ideas all cluster fucked on your profile! What do you do?

You make boards or even better sections.

A board is where you have basically like a cork board and you can pin certain shit to. So say you want a board for everything to do with Misha Collins, you create a board and then transfer all your saved pins that have to do with Misha to that board and BOOM! It’s organized now : D

Sections are even better!

To make sections you must first have a board, so say you want to then REALLY organize your Misha Collins board. You then press create sections and then label your sections! So say you want crying misha happy misha or mishapocolypse, all of those sections will now be saved in the Misha Board even MORE organized than before!

Expert Mode

Psssh Pinterest is easy anyone can do- wait, five quick and easy ways to turn an old T-Shirt new again? Wait, no hold the fuck on I need to try this. Wait so I just cut it here and then- wait so I tie it here? But how do they- am I missing a step??? That doesn’t make any fuckin- why doesn’t this look like the picture? I don’t get it!!! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

Has that ever happened to you!? You see an idea on Pinterest and you then try it out and it doesn’t go as planned? No? It came out perfectly? Well you should go kill yourself actually. But before then there’s a really cool feature on Pinterest (that nobody uses anymore really) called Try it! Its a way to show that you attempted to make whatever the original pin made and is a great way to see if it’s actually humanly possible or if the instructions suck ass, also it’s funny to look at peoples failed attempts!

Shit my Pinterest is just misha Collins

Did your Aunt Barbra ask to follow you on Pinterest? Do you have nothing to show other than some Slavic mediocre looking man that you treat like a preteen girl? Post your own shit! Make a board and then sections in it for all photos you take!!! Literally!!! Please!!! It’s so cute to have a digital scrap book!!! I might kill myself if more people don’t show the mundane and boring parts of their lives!!! This is a cry for help!!!! If you want your pins to get noticed make sure you add generic shit like “twilight core Alex g” or “trans Fem robot bdsm” stuff that people just look up you know. Same with the discription, the first 50 words

are what pops up for other Pinterest users, so make sure to use those characters wisely!

Hurray

You now know how to use Pinterest! Congratulations! And of course don’t forget the other feature like:

Commenting on pins, hearting pins, staring pins, the inability to truly look up names so you are forced to send a link to your account instead for people to follow you, the useless QR code, linking in pins, store links in pins, and more!

In all, Pinterest is a very good website and app that allows you to just hoard images and then probably never look at again even though you tell yourself you will. It’s great for creatives, autistic people, and some other people I guess.

TLDR: go ape shit fam

[gotchi-blog]

Tamagotchi Pix review!

Yes, finally! Not only did I get the model I wanted for over a year, but also I've finished taking care of the first generation and discovering all the functions. That's why I've decided to make this review post, where I explain what I like and dislike about it.

General score: 9/10

Design

I really like the shell design. At first, I was a bit disappointed with the simple faceplates (I still think they could've gone with something more complex), but now I see that this design matches the rest well.

I got the Nature shell and I must admit, this might be my favourite one. They all look nice, but there is something special to me about green Tamas. The thick plastic of the faceplate gives a bit of depth to the pattern and the gradient is nice. I also love the eggshell-shaped cap used for taking photos. Top 10 designs - super cute. I slightly miss the old Tamagotchi logo (the connection one), but here the simple font matches the rest better than the Connection one would.

The touch buttons look very nice. I got the second wave Pix, which means improved reactivity. I don't have problems with the buttons at all. However, my fingers are quite small, and I'm used to being precise (I work with electronics.) I'm not sure if this is the best design for children - I have no idea if it's possible to break the buttons by pressing on them too hard. Generally, I love the change. The buttons are fast and I have no issues with the swiping motion, another cool feature.

The screen is set quite shallow in the shell, so there might be problems with it getting easily scratched.

The most characteristic element of the Pix model is the ability to take photos. At the same time, it's probably the most questionable one to me.

2. Unique mechanics

The camera works fast, however the colour recognition (needed for cooking) is pretty poor. It has problems especially with warm colours. Its favourite shade to see is grey lol. That might be annoying when you're trying to cook, aka make new food from the colours you collect from the photos. Also, you can use colours to make new items and furniture - this is an amazing feature and I'm all for being able to customise my stuff.

Activating the toy by clicking the top shell is super cool, however there is one problem - it makes travelling with Pix quite difficult. I see many possibilities for the toy to get damaged. Also, the top shell might be accidentally pressed while in the pocket/bag - then the touch buttons will pick up on even slight presses. I was travelling with my Pix on the very day I activated it, and let me tell you what - you need to be careful with it. I highly recommend getting some sort of cover for it, either silicone or knitted one.

The swiping motion on the touch buttons is used quite a lot. In my version, there are no problems with the sensitivity, however I see how troublesome it can be in the first wave, where the buttons didn't function that well.

The last feature worth mentioning is the QR code system. It allows you to download additional food, accessories, wallpapers and furniture. It's a quick and amazing system. Mr. Blinky made a whole website where you can find all the stuff you want. Make sure to give it a try!

3. Characters and growth cycle

The QR codes are also used for connection with other Tamas. To be fair, Pix is a self-sufficient toy. You don't need two of them to have fun and connect - the QR codes can be photographed and posted online, so everyone can meet your pet. I love this feature - it allows you to briefly meet people from all of around the world. My pet once played with a Tama from Italy!

I like the characters available. There are quite a lot of them. I think that the new characters are sweet. Pix introduced Weeptchi (in Japan he was introduced in Smart) and gave a global debut to Himetchi (she was available on iD L 15th anniversary edition in Japan.) There are a few others, and they all look sweet.

An interesting thing is that with every next generation, you can obtain one of 3 eggs (blue, pink and green.) The evolution of your character is dependent on it - Pix brings back the "families", grouping characters by their personalities. Blue is Smart, pink is Charming and green is Creative. In my first generation, I got a green egg (it's based on the quiz you answer at the beginning, while setting your name etc.) However, the egg colour is not the final decisive variable in your pet's development. Despite having a Creative egg, I ended up with Mametchi, a Smart character. It's probably because I would give him the Science Project item many times.

Pix has an additional life stage connected to jobs. Each character can obtain one of 3 jobs. They can train for them as adults, in a special room. The room you get is dependent on how you raise your character - how you play with it, how much you explore the world using the camera and how much you cook. I like this idea, though I slightly miss the regular secret characters from the older models. It's a feature that's always been present in Tamagotchi and I hope it will make a comeback soon. Jobs are cute and personalised, the games are fun and give you Gotchi Points as well.

My biggest problem with the growth cycle is how fast it is. I have this problem with all new models - I wish the stages lasted longer than only one day. To me, it's not enough to enjoy the younger characters, which I often like a lot.

4. Games

There are a lot of games on Pix. And I love it. The previous models were disappointing due to very few games, even though they certainly would be able to support more. I think that Bandai took note from complaints about slightly boring gameplay and decided to make a model, with which you can't get bored. There is always something to do. Some games give you Gotchi Points, some simply raise the Friendship Meter.

The arcade games change every day. It's cool, like a fresh breeze. But worry not, the choice isn't enormous (since many other games are either in the room or the jobs), so your favourite themed games will be back soon.

5. Aesthetics

Pix looks cool on the outside, but the real beauty in on the screen. This model introduced the new, super-smooth animations. The character moves on the screen so smoothly, that sometimes it might be hard to take good photos lol.

The colours are vivid, the rooms are super detailed and there are many wallpapers to choose from (and download.) You can put 2 pieces of furniture in the room as well. This simple customisation adds a lot to the aesthetics.

You can give your Tama accessories, some of which you can colour yourself.

There is a garden. Every 3 days, I believe, you can obtain fruit from the tree there. You just need to go outside at least once a day to water it.

From time to time, some characters will come to visit your pet. However, I haven't encountered the annoying animations from Meets (they were one of my least elements of that model.) The walking animations are quick and can be easily skipped, the same goes for dialogues.

6. Battery life

The first wave Pix had a big problem with poor battery life. The second wave improved it greatly - I've been running my Pix for a while on pretty cheap batteries and it's still doing well.

My honest recommendation is investing in AAA rechargeable batteries. They last longer and are environmental-friendly. And they will save you up a lot of money.

7. Conclusion

All in all, I'm loving Pix and I recommend it to everyone, no matter if you're an old collector or if it's your first contact with the Tamagotchi franchise. It's a great gift for someone you want to introduce to the world of Tamagotchi. However, I highly recommend getting the second wave Pix due to the improved buttons and battery life.

[ixy8]

https://www.oktoolbox.com

LED Scrolling Text Led subtitle scrolling tool, suitable for playing work content, text reminders, advertising slogans, etc. on computers or mobile phones

XML Formatter The XML formatter can beautify the compressed XML code or compress the XML code

Timestamp Converter The tool can convert timestamps into date and time, and can also convert date and time into timestamps

QR Code Generator The tool can generate QR code pictures from web addresses or text, and can set the format, fault tolerance, size, color and logo of QR codes

Text Encryption and Decryption Online text encryption and decryption tools, support AES, DES, RC4, rabbit, tripledes

URL Encode and Decode You can convert a normal URL to an encoded URL or an encoded URL to a normal URL

Image Color Recognition Free online image color recognition tool, which can extract the main color of the image

Flow Chart Online flow chart tool, with built-in multiple graphics such as rectangle, circle, line, arrow and flow chart, supports exporting SVG/PNG/JPG.

Color Picker The color code, hex and RGB values can be obtained through the color selector, color table and color name

Character Counter This tool can quickly calculate the number of words, letters, numbers, punctuation and Chinese characters in the article

Morse Code Morse code encoding and decoding tools help you encode text into Morse code and decode Morse code into text

UTF-8 Encode and Decode You can convert text to UTF-8 or UTF-8 to text

Decimal Converter The online binary converter provides binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal and other mutual conversion functions

GIF Generator You can make GIF pictures online and combine multiple static pictures into one dynamic picture

JSON Formatter The JSON formatter can beautify the compressed JSON code or compress the JSON code

Cartoon Avatar Maker Free cartoon avatar online production tool, you can freely choose the facial expression, facial features and clothing of the characters

Htpasswd Generator Generate Apache HTTP basic authentication password file online

Letter Case Converter The tool can convert uppercase letters to lowercase letters, and also convert lowercase letters to uppercase letters

SQL Formatter SQL formatter can beautify the compressed SQL code or compress the SQL code

Markdown Editor You can write markdown code and preview it in real time in the browser

Regular Expression Online regular expression testing tools can help you quickly test whether the regular expressions you write are correct

CSS Formatter CSS formatter can beautify compressed CSS code and compress CSS code

Text Deduplication This tool can automatically remove duplicate content lines in articles or text

ASCII Encode and Decode It can convert the local characters in the code into Unicode and solve the problem of garbled code encountered in programming

Port Scanner Scan common or specified ports to see if they are open

Text Compare The two texts can be compared online to detect the difference between the two texts

Image Format Converter Can modify the image format, support JPG, PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF, SVG, webp, ICO formats

Date Calculator You can calculate the number of days between dates, and calculate the number of days from today to a certain day in the past or the future

Unicode Encode and Decode You can convert text to unicode or Unicode to text

ICO Converter You can crop pictures online and convert them into favicon.ico files

Image Character Recognition The characters in the image can be recognized online

Base64 Encode and Decode Base64 encoding and decoding tools help you encode text into Base64 and decode Base64 into text

Face Recognition It can automatically recognize the faces in the photos and cut out the head pictures in batches

Image to Base64 You can convert pictures to Base64 or Base64 to pictures

Photo Background Color You can modify the background color and size of photos online

Random Password Generator You can randomly generate a password containing numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters and symbols

Photo to Sketch A tool for automatically generating hand drawn style photos, which can set the blur level of hand drawn pictures

Random Number Generator One number can be generated randomly, or multiple random numbers can be generated in batch at a time

Calculator Mathematical calculation of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, root square, PI, reciprocal, sine and cosine

Text Flow Chart A tool for drawing flow chart using ASCII code

XML to JSON The tool can convert XML to JSON or JSON to XML

Table Data Conversion A tool that can convert table data into JSON format

Mind Map You can make mind map, directory organization chart, fishbone chart, logical structure chart, organization chart online

MD5 Encryption It can convert text into MD5 and generate 32-bit and 16-bit MD5 ciphertext

Gantt Chart You can use this tool to draw Gantt Chart, which is convenient for project management and schedule management

Image compressor It can help you compress PNG/JPEG images online

Image to PDF You can combine multiple pictures of unlimited format and size into a complete PDF document

Image Watermarking The image watermarking tool can customize the text, font size, font color, transparency and text spacing

[rainedragon]

My favorite QR code conversation is having to explain to clients why printing a QR code to something that is on their internal network won't work. I also enjoy the conversations where someone asks things like if a QR code can get the GPS coordinates of the person who scans it and send it to them when they click the link. They did not want to change the content at the link.

My other favorite conversation is me begging people to stop using free 3rd party QR code generators that redirect you through their site to the link for professional print marketing materials. (If you are still doing this, please go to the page you want a QR code for in google chrome and then right click > "create QR code for this page". Bonus: you can open this in an image editor and replace the dinosaur with your company logo if you are very careful not to cover any of the dots.)

Using QR codes to link things in circumstances where it would be inconvenient to laboriously type in a url by hand are all well and good, practical, I see it. But now I get emails like "Here's our event! Scan the qr code to register!" with a jpeg of a flyer and no url in the email or on the image. Oh you want me to...hold up my phone to a computer screen to scan a jpeg email attachment to get to a website? Instead of you just linking it to me, in the email you have already sent me, that I am already looking at on my computer? That's what you want me to do? Are you sure?