#incentive unknown

[anonperegrine]

Yes I want to publish Incentive (Unknown) as a real book

And that is not a crime!!

Anyway, I'm very excited about my rewrite :)

I've decided in lieu of the headlines I put in chapter 26 of the original, I'm making fake news articles to go on the pages of the real book, because reading 600 headlines is BORINGGGG.

Here's one of my mockups :D! Mirage is now Lucien Koffer and Hysteria is Charity Regis, a loveable girlboss whom I adore with my whole heart.

And it somehow gets darker than the original Incentive. You'll see...

I hope you guys'll like it when it's finally done and hopefully has a publishing deal! Incentive fans are hardcore I know y'all would follow Mirage to the ends of the earth LMAO

[vinyls-and-valentines]

Battery City does not have sidewalks— what good would they be, anyways? Space is a crucial component in urban design, and when confined within armed concrete walls meant to protect as much as conceal, one can only really ever build upwards.

And so, upwards the City went. Roads once left as relics of the automobile age turned slick sheets of light meant to guide hover-cars along invisible paths, high above the ground. Catwalks hung upon walls alongside planters full of artificial plants and monorail tracks secured with the claw-like grip of steel anchors.

Like a vine, the City grew upwards, and like a vine, it tried to snuff out any life below it.

Humans, however, are far more resilient than plants— quite resourceful too, when push come to shove— so in the shadows of towering spires they've built their own paths. Along rivers of radiance there are stepping stones in the shape of broken down cars left to be claimed by decay, far enough out of sight to create an inconspicuous road network of its own.

After all, why look down when all your aspirations dangle above your head, barely out of grasp?

[definitelyjunehomestuck]

if you feel like you need to make every other feature in the game incredibly tedious to incentivize people to explore, the problem isn't that those features are too easy to interact with, it's that your world is just horribly unengaging and has no inherent fun to it.

[gibbearish]

my mom shared a memory from when i graduated college and her favorite cousin just commented this

lmao not quite

[riality-check]

DILF!Steve concert saga, featuring Eddie POV for this part! part 1, part 2

"I have to open it."

"Nope."

"Gareth. I need to open it."

"The vault is sacred," Archie says.

At the same time, Jeff chimes in, "The vault was your idea, Eddie."

Eddie thunks his head against the wall. "I know. But I need-"

"They're on the last song," Archie says, putting a hand on Eddie's shoulder. It's probably meant to be comforting, but it feels patronizing as shit.

Eddie is a good friend, though. He doesn't shrug him off.

"Once they're through, I'll unlock it," Jeff says, dangling the key slung around his neck.

"But you could do it now," Eddie protests.

Gareth sits protectively on top of the black lock box. "Absolutely not."

Eddie sighs and waits for the guitar solo onstage to end, nodding his head along to the beat.

It's what he usually does when they're backstage, but this time, it brings a smile to his face. Miss Anna was a natural yesterday for her first time headbanging, and her dad is the reason Eddie wants to break the sacred vault tradition.

He wants, no, needs to know if he got the note. If he decided to write something. If he wants to go a little further than PG flirting.

Eddie for sure wants to go further than that. God. Steve's handsome face and his big hands and his thick thighs (deliciously exposed by his shorts in the summer heat) are all wonderful incentives to skip a few steps and go straight to ramming him into a mattress.

Or, with how that shirt clung to Steve's biceps and how his shorts clung to his ass, let him ram Eddie into the mattress. He isn't picky.

(He isn't desperate, either, thank you very much, Gareth. And no, he won't admit how long it's been since he got laid.)

From the house, the audience roars, and Eddie jumps off the arm of the couch he was laying on.

Gareth sighs and gets off the lock box.

"Jeff, open it," Eddie says, staring at the vault and subconsciously making grabby hands toward it.

"Is that how we ask?"

"I could always yank the key off you."

Archie sighs and, ever the peacemaker, takes the key from Jeff and unlocks the vault. The second it's open, Eddie snatches his phone and turns it on.

Please please please let the DILF text back, he thinks to himself as he waits for this stupid metal brick to turn on and give him a resolution to this whole ridiculous situation.

Because, first, Eddie doesn't really jive with kids. Sure, they flock to him in the same way they flock to every other vaguely cool-looking person, but aside from asking if he has to draw his tattoos on every day or if his mommy is okay with him having his hair that long, they generally leave him alone.

And that's okay. Eddie easily made his peace with not having kids about ten years ago. Between his strong preference for men and the way that significantly decreases those odds and the choice to not pass on his truly abysmal family history of mental illness and addiction, it seemed obvious and a lot more selfless.

But Anna was cool as hell. Smart as hell, too, in a way that made Eddie feel like he was looking back at a time before school punished him for being bright and verbose and energetic.

Anna didn't make him want kids. Again, the whole family history thing is a real vibe killer. But she did give him enough fuel, for just an instant, to think that dating someone with a kid might not be a deal breaker anymore.

Or maybe Steve was just that hot.

He whined a lot yesterday, in the hotel, about how hot Steve was.

His phone turns on, and, front and center, is a text from an unknown number:

I guess I don’t have to ask you what you do for a living. Just so we’re even on that front, I’m a teacher, and Anna’s full time job is preschool.

Eddie grins so hard he feels like his face will split in two.

"Is it him?" Jeff asks, trying to look over Eddie's shoulder.

"Of course it is," Gareth scoffs. "Look at his face."

"What did he say?" Archie asks.

Eddie takes the easier way out and lets him have the phone.

Gareth and Jeff crowd over Archie's shoulders, and Eddie watches their faces change as they read the message.

"Oh, he's bitchy," Gareth says.

"That means he's perfect," Jeff says, with a pointed look at Eddie.

Eddie shoots Archie a clear "back me up" look and gets a shrug in return because all his friends are assholes who know his type way too fucking well.

"What do I say?" he asks.

Archie tosses him the phone. "I don't know. Flirt back."

"I don't know how!"

"You ground against a guitar-"

"And kissed me onstage," Jeff continues. "But you don't know how to flirt?"

Eddie puts his head in his hands. "I didn't have enough sex in high school to know how to do this!"

"That's not an excuse when none of us did!" Gareth says.

Jeff barks out a laugh.

"Just ask if he's free tomorrow," Archie says, like the rational, wonderful friend he is. "This was the last stop of tour. It's not like you have to get anywhere else at a specific time."

"Okay. Okay, yeah, I can do that," Eddie says, hyping himself up. Before he can second guess himself, he writes back.

Since it's summer, I'm assuming you both have off. Can you fit it in your busy schedule to have dinner with a humble musician tomorrow night?

"Oh, shit, did you send it?" Gareth asks, snatching his phone.

"Wait," Archie says, like the rational, horrible friend he is. "Do we know if he's single?"

"Oh, shit," Jeff whispers.

Eddie takes his phone back and refuses to look at it. He wants to shut it down. He wants to drop it. He wants to drive to nearest river and throw it there.

"Am I a homewrecker?" he asks absently.

"Only if you succeed," Jeff says.

"He might have a wife," Archie muses. "He might be straight."

"Okay, dude, enough," Gareth says. "This was supposed to be exciting! Eddie was supposed to get ass!"

"He might be ace."

"Archie, shut the fuck up."

He holds his hands up in surrender, and Jeff pats his shoulder, a little comfortingly, a lot condescendingly.

Eddie sits down on the couch. Puts his head in his hands. Breathes.

He's flirting with a married man. He's absolutely flirting with a married man. This is a new low. This is worse than the time he licked the floor of a restaurant, drunk, for five bucks. This is worse than when he greened out in the parking lot of a Chuck E. Cheese. This is worse than when he accidentally told the gas station cashier that he loved them and immediately walked into the glass door behind him.

This is. So bad.

And then his phone rings, so it'll get worse. It has to. That's how these things go.

Eddie has always been self-destructive, so, of course, he looks at the screen.

I can't swing dinner, but how's lunch? Fair warning: it might be a playground picnic if my babysitter bails.

"Holy shit, I'm not a homewrecker," Eddie says.

"I didn't think you had it in you," Jeff says.

"He's single!" Gareth cheers.

"Can I talk now?" Archie teases.

"I'm not a homewrecker!" Eddie says, and he launches off the couch to hug the nearest person, who happens to be Jeff.

They have to get out of the venue. He has to figure out the logistics of the date and how to be normal by the time he gets there and what to wear and everything else.

But, right now, Eddie is over the fucking moon that Steve is even giving him a shot. And he hopes, giddy as all hell and hanging off of Jeff's shoulders, that Steve feels even a little bit like this.

He writes back, once he's calmed down:

Lunch might just become my new favorite meal.

[solisaureus]

In the wake of hbomberguy and toddintheshadows's takedown of James Somerton, I hope what people learn from this is that you are vulnerable to being scammed and lied to on the internet all the time. Even if you think you aren't. ESPECIALLY if you think you aren't. There is significant financial incentive for people on the internet to lie to you and influence you to think a certain way. It is happening to you every day, on youtube, on tiktok, on reddit, on tumblr. James Somerton is not the only culprit and there are tons of other scammers with reliable reputations that just haven't been caught.

What can you, as an audience member, do to shield your mind from misinformation and propaganda? I'm not going to expect everyone to fact-check everything that they hear or read on the internet, as that is simply infeasible with the sheer volume of information circulating online. But here are a few ways you can sniff out bullshit:

Watch for sources. If you watched the hbomberguy vid, this is probably already at the forefront of your thoughts. If a quote, image, or footage is unattributed, if citations are absent (this is literally the norm for informative posts on social media like tumblr and reddit, I very rarely see sources cited), or if sources cited look dubious and biased, take the information presented to you with a grain of salt.

Pay special attention to shocking claims. If someone on the internet tells you something outrageous, it is likely meant to outrage you. Public outrage is power -- before you get up in arms, verify the information that caused your reaction.

Fact-check when it matters. Some things are more important to verify than others. World news, politics, science, and medicine are rife with misinformation and directly affect people's safety. Before you spread a post you saw about, for example, COVID vaccines, look into how backed up it is.

Keep in mind that some things are disputed or unknown. It's natural to want answers, to want an authority to tell you how to feel about something. But sometimes the truth is unclear, and there are multiple contradictory opinions out there. It is okay to wait for more information to come out before you make up your mind on an issue.

Misinformation that you agree with is just as dangerous as misinformation that offends you. Todd in the shadows touched on this, but people are more likely to look into the validity of a claim if it offends them, and are more likely to accept it without question if it backs up their pre-held beliefs. But if your beliefs are being influenced by bullshit, you need to know about it, even if that causes you to change your stance on something. Especially then. Again, it's infeasible to fact check everything you hear, but keep this bias in mind when considering the above points.

There is way more to this topic and more informed people than me have weighed in on it, but I've been thinking about it since the videos came out and wanted to share my thoughts. These are things that I keep in mind for myself when evaluating info on the internet. There are tons of books out there on how to spot misinformation and the huge detrimental impact that misinformation has on society and I plan to read them next year. Educating yourself is important!

[harmonysanreads]

When you hug them for the first time.

characters : al haitham, neuvillette, scaramouche, furina

cw(s) : very gentle yandere themes, everyone is surprised pikachu in different styles

──⚝ al haitham

For the first time in his life, while being at least two consistent steps ahead of everyone — Al Haitham finds himself at a loss.

Perhaps that had been your intention as well, a part of him suspects. You were certainly not the first in this endeavor, seeing a usually composed person behave contradictorily to their nature is, unfortunately, the source of amusement for a specific group of people and, bewilderment for unsuspecting onlookers. Albeit, the Scribe doubts the former to be your main objective because, the last wicks of rebellion were snuffed out by his persistent hands. The mesolimbic pathway of the brain is known to regulate incentive salience and many reward related behaviors, Alhaitham knows this much because of continued perusal. Indeed, science can explain many things, logic can place things on a concrete scale.

The Scribe may also try to rationalize the feelings you create within him in ways that fit his comfort zone, but, more often than not, they fail to prove satisfactory. You alone have the supreme power of luring him out of his shell by simply existing beside him, and he, the foolish scholar parched in search of enlightenment, follows the mirage's call each time. Many have tried to tear his ataraxia to shreds and only one has succeeded. Which is why, he remains still, unmoving, muscles terse from the pull of his pride. Maybe giving a last chance to his ego, seeing, if ignoring this gnawing addiction would shoo it away for good, and of course, he is a foolish man.

He hadn't done anything in that precise moment but, later that night, he had held you tighter than he ever had.

──⚝ neuvillette

It is universally acknowledged that justice bends to no one, but, what verdict should be declared upon the person, who drives the very symbol of justice insane?

It is both Neuvillette's delight and agony the control you have over him. You keep him dangling by your finger and the odd thrill that spreads across his soul from it, entices him to further entangle himself in this intoxicating chase. Sometimes, he's yanked to awareness by his conscience, it should be insulting for a man of his stature to be so helplessly smitten. The thought that he, the mighty Sovereign of Hydro, is just as susceptible to temptation as an ordinary man is, should appall him. Perhaps, they did concern him initially. Would it not have been wise to uproot the source of this burgeoning obsession from his heart when he still had the chance? Before this exact scenario which he knows will plummet him to a trench he won't be able to—will not want to—return from?

Yes, that would have been a reasonable decision. But, it'd not be so exhilarating. A drowning man from whose fingertips the surface has already escaped, finds peace in the feeling of sinking to the unknown depths. Neuvillette embraces his fall and, you'd think such desperation was impossible from one single man if you didn't feel it pressed to every inch of your skin. The Iudex's sigh will blow over your hair and in your arms will he rediscover his breath. How utterly foolish of him, why did he deny himself this sanctuary for so long?

Neuvillette is so dazed from the peace that, he wouldn't mind dying in that moment, if only he could remain in your embrace.

──⚝ scaramouche

It really is a mistake to give a man an inch who unashamedly steals a mile, but, it's too late for you to reconsider now, isn't it?

Innocent Kabukimono likes the feeling of being in your arms, it reminds him of a distant night where his mother brushed his tears aside. But, a part of him knows the way your gesture translates to him isn't quite what he had felt from his creator. Your embrace makes him secure, just like hers — but, it makes tiny sparks bloom in his vacant ribcage as well. He doesn't know what it is, or, if he wants to know. All he's certain about is that, he wants to remain in your arms forever, tucked away from the merciless eyes of fate.

Kunikuzushi's wary eyes dart across you in anticipation of a dagger at his back or, a triumphant smile for having discovered his weakness. It's not that he doesn't like this, but, more so that he can't bring himself to not complicate the gesture. Why do you give him something that no one has bothered with? He thinks it's better he remains careful—though he doesn't pull away—because, it'd break him beyond repair if you betrayed him, too.

The Balladeer is startled, out of every one of your tricks to render him speechless, this one has been the most effective yet. You should probably stick to this from now on (not that he'll say it out loud). The Harbinger would rather swallow those tooth-rotting dango than admit that there is some genuine kindness left on this cursed planet. As much as he suspects you of fostering ulterior motives, he isn't as caught up in it as Kunikuzushi that every other detail eludes his judgement. He makes a show out of how annoying he finds it, how much inconvenience you're causing him by the grip of your arms. You'd believe his words and ‘irritated’ body language as well, had his fight with the curve of his lips wasn't so blatant. Perhaps, you should apologize for hugging him without permission with a kiss, hm?

The Wanderer wonders what beget this expression of kindness. In his lone vagrancy, he's encountered the sight of these gestures periodically. His curiousity yearned to know what significance was contained in an embrace, how it felt and why he was never at the receiving end of one. These questions were pushed at the depths of his soul—or whatever it is that lets him ‘live’—where they festered into want and then hunger. This slumbering appetite was emboldened on the day he willingly bore the memories of his past. But, the weight of a lifetime rendered him tired. For once, he did not want to think, suspect or tease ; he only wished to be held without restraint.

Which is why, Wanderer is the only version of this puppet who returns your embrace.

──⚝ furina

Not even acute mastery over the art of improvisation could've prepared Furina for this out-of-script situation.

It should've come as no surprise to her, she's been the center of a nation's adoration for five centuries, people of Fontaine flock in line for the chance of catching a glimpse of their Regina. You must've been unable to contain the immense affection you have for her, just like everyone else! But, for some reason, that thought feels bitter on her tongue when applied to you. She realizes that comparing your affection to the one her people shower her with leaves her with a howling dissatisfaction. The warmth of your being and the tentative tightening of your arms make her legs wobbly, send her heart prancing and her stomach twisting in the most pleasant way.

Of course... the citizens of Fontaine love her for her performance, for the role she plays ; not and never for herself. But, the percipience that you may love the cowardly, lonely and pathetic girl she truly is — tumble upon her like a plethora of bricks and almost make her faint. When she lifts her arms next, the notion of her returning the hug is tossed promptly in the flurry of tickles. You're forced to succumb to the enticement of hearty chuckles and, she joins you — hoping that, the raucous sound of laughter will conceal the tears streaming down her face.

And she prays that, just for this one moment, she wouldn't be judged guilty.

happiest new year to whoever is reading this, you are lovely and you'll continue to shine in the next year(s) as well<3

[kokomos]

𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗡

abby anderson relationship headcanons

  + Abby's the girl who says hello to everyone in the morning and will never fail to thank the people working around base. She's a sweetheart at her core and it's the reason you two got together. She's so friendly that it's almost unknown for her not to get along with someone or at least try to.

+ Definitely tries to impress you with her strength, she knows you've got a thing for her muscles so she'll be sure to show 'em off whenever she's got the chance.

+ Goes to the gym every day, she's one of those people who's hardcore dedicated to their routine. She'd love it if you visited her while she's there working out!! It would make her so happy to have you join her, she'll guide you patiently through all the new equipment so you can get a feel of what you wanna try. Definitely will use anything as an excuse to put her hands on you. She's so cute, she'll give you encouraging rubs on the back after you complete a set.

  - "You did so good, babe! Wanna keep going?"

+ Always has you over at her place, she kicks Manny out for the night so you two can be alone.

+ Basically makes you wear her clothes; after a night together at hers she'll give you one of her favorite shirts to keep. She thinks you're the cutest in her stuff because it's always a little too big on you. Having everyone in the cafeteria see you in her attire is just more incentive to the cause.

+ On occasion, she lets herself enjoy a quiet, lazy afternoon spent with you.

+ Unfortunately for you she takes enjoyment in tickling other people; specially reserved for only those she's closest with. She doesn't go all out, usually a sneak attack of a side tickle but sometimes, sometimes she goes in for the kill. She can have you under her within seconds and it's used to her advantage greatly.

+ Soft dominant. She's had to make a leader out of herself since her father's death meaning she'd rather you take the backseat while she takes care of things.

+ Abby isn't the biggest on physical touch, she wouldn't be constantly touching you like some people would. Affection from you, either alone or with friends, is always welcomed with loving arms though. She prefers expressing her love for you through quality time in your company or doing simple favors to help you out.

+ That being said, she's the kind of girlfriend who will let you take her by the arm or spontaneously grab your hand while walking up behind you.

+ Tilts your face by the chin when she kisses you. Her fingers are so blissfully light on your skin like she's trying her hardest to be as gentle as possible with you.

+ She really is so tender and delicate with you. Always giving you the lightest touches when her fingers inevitably end up tracing the curves on your body.

+ On the other hand, she can show her true strength if you want it. She can pin you down so easily; she can't resist teasing you about your weak muscles (of course she'll follow it with a kiss to avoid your pouting).

  - "See, babe, this is why you have to go to the gym more. What if I was an attacker?"

+ She will more than volunteer to teach you about self-defense, weapons, etc. Actually, if you don't know that stuff already she'll force you to attend a mini class of hers.

+ Such a good teacher, her patience makes learning from her a breeze. Comes at a cost when she’s almost always assigned to training the newbies because of this unmatched skill of hers.

+ If you're a soldier, too, she tries to convince Isaac to let you two stay on the same assignments. Nine times out of ten he says no, it'll be a rare occasion when he gives in to Abby's relentless arguing.

+ She patches you up after missions!! No one else can be trusted to tend to you. You deserve to be babied 100% and anything less than that is unacceptable in her eyes. She ends up staying with you for a couple nights checking up on you near constantly to monitor your condition. It doesn't matter if it's just a couple cuts, she's treating it like a broken leg when it comes to you.

+ With Manny's help, she begins writing you little love letters. Mostly they're innocent messages with her declaring just how cute she thinks you are and how much she loves you. Simple, yet so effective. She knows you cherish each and every one she's written.

+ A sentimentalist at heart! Aside from her coin collection, she has a stash of memorabilia from days in the past to keep the moment and the feelings associated alive. Give her a flower you casually picked from one of the bushes around the base and it'll be drying in a book under her bed so she can keep it forever.

+ When you two get into an argument, she tries to hold back her honesty but it slips out in hurtful ways more often than not. She has a problem of not working with you as a team to solve the issue; Abby views any conflict as a fight and she wants to win more than anything. When this unavoidably makes you upset, she realizes she's done wrong and takes back whatever she's said. Fortunately, arguments never last long and they without exception end with some cuddling.

  - "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I care about you so much…"

+ Very good at reading you, it's half scary and half comforting. You don't need to use a lot of words to get your point across with her, she understands you completely.

+ After you two date for awhile, she realizes how much time she spends away from home and you. She has a talk with Isaac to take shorter trips around less dangerous areas essentially taking a step down in her position.

+ Dreams of following in her father's footsteps by working in the med unit, she knows she can't be a soldier for long; not when she's got a whole future with you to live for.

— ♡☆

[antiporn-activist]

A Marketplace of Girl Influencers Managed by Moms and Stalked by Men

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/instagram-child-influencers.html

Seeking social media stardom for their underage daughters, mothers post images of them on Instagram. The accounts draw men sexually attracted to children, and they sometimes pay to see more.

Feb. 22, 2024

By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Michael H. Keller

The ominous messages began arriving in Elissa’s inbox early last year.

“You sell pics of your underage daughter to pedophiles,” read one. “You’re such a naughty sick mom, you’re just as sick as us pedophiles,” read another. “I will make your life hell for you and your daughter.”

Elissa has been running her daughter’s Instagram account since 2020, when the girl was 11 and too young to have her own. Photos show a bright, bubbly girl modeling evening dresses, high-end workout gear and dance leotards. She has more than 100,000 followers, some so enthusiastic about her posts that they pay $9.99 a month for more photos.

Over the years, Elissa has fielded all kinds of criticism and knows full well that some people think she is exploiting her daughter. She has even gotten used to receiving creepy messages, but these — from “Instamodelfan” — were extreme. “I think they’re all pedophiles,” she said of the many online followers obsessed with her daughter and other young girls.

Elissa and her daughter inhabit the world of Instagram influencers whose accounts are managed by their parents. Although the site prohibits children under 13, parents can open so-called mom-run accounts for them, and they can live on even when the girls become teenagers.

But what often starts as a parent’s effort to jump-start a child’s modeling career, or win favors from clothing brands, can quickly descend into a dark underworld dominated by adult men, many of whom openly admit on other platforms to being sexually attracted to children, an investigation by The New York Times found. 

For this investigation, the reporters analyzed 2.1 million Instagram posts, monitored months of online chats of professed pedophiles and interviewed over 100 people, including parents and children.

Thousands of accounts examined by The Times offer disturbing insights into how social media is reshaping childhood, especially for girls, with direct parental encouragement and involvement. Some parents are the driving force behind the sale of photos, exclusive chat sessions and even the girls’ worn leotards and cheer outfits to mostly unknown followers. The most devoted customers spend thousands of dollars nurturing the underage relationships.

The large audiences boosted by men can benefit the families, The Times found. The bigger followings look impressive to brands and bolster chances of getting discounts, products and other financial incentives, and the accounts themselves are rewarded by Instagram’s algorithm with greater visibility on the platform, which in turn attracts more followers.

One calculation performed by an audience demographics firm found 32 million connections to male followers among the 5,000 accounts examined by The Times.

Interacting with the men opens the door to abuse. Some flatter, bully and blackmail girls and their parents to get racier and racier images. The Times monitored separate exchanges on Telegram, the messaging app, where men openly fantasize about sexually abusing the children they follow on Instagram and extol the platform for making the images so readily available.

“It’s like a candy store 😍😍😍,” one of them wrote. “God bless instamoms 🙌,” wrote another.

The troubling interactions on Instagram come as social media companies increasingly dominate the cultural landscape and the internet is seen as a career path of its own.

Nearly one in three preteens lists influencing as a career goal, and 11 percent of those born in Generation Z, between 1997 and 2012, describe themselves as influencers. The so-called creator economy surpasses $250 billion worldwide, according to Goldman Sachs, with U.S. brands spending more than $5 billion a year on influencers.

Health and technology experts have recently cautioned that social media presents a “profound risk of harm” for girls. Constant comparisons to their peers and face-altering filters are driving negative feelings of self-worth and promoting objectification of their bodies, researchers found.

But the pursuit of online fame, particularly through Instagram, has supercharged the often toxic phenomenon, The Times found, encouraging parents to commodify their children’s images. Some of the child influencers earn six-figure incomes, according to interviews.

“I really don’t want my child exploited on the internet,” said Kaelyn, a mother in Melbourne, Australia, who like Elissa and many other parents interviewed by The Times agreed to be identified only by a middle name to protect the privacy of her child.

“But she’s been doing this so long now,” she said. “Her numbers are so big. What do we do? Just stop it and walk away?”

In investigating this growing and unregulated ecosystem, The Times analyzed 2.1 million Instagram posts, monitored months of online chats of professed pedophiles and reviewed thousands of pages of police reports and court documents.

Reporters also interviewed more than 100 people, including parents in the United States and three other countries, their children, child safety experts, tech company employees and followers of the accounts, some of whom were convicted sex offenders.

This is how The Times found its sample of 5,000 mom-run accounts.

The accounts range from dancers whose mothers diligently cull men from the ranks of followers, to girls in skimpy bikinis whose parents actively encourage male admirers and sell them special photo sets. While there are some mom-run accounts for boys, they are the exception.

Some girls on Instagram use their social media clout to get little more than clothing discounts; others receive gifts from Amazon wish lists, or money through Cash App; and still others earn thousands of dollars a month by selling subscriptions with exclusive content.

In interviews and online comments, parents said that their children enjoyed being on social media or that it was important for a future career. But some expressed misgivings. Kaelyn, whose daughter is now 17, said she worried that a childhood spent sporting bikinis online for adult men had scarred her.

“She’s written herself off and decided that the only way she’s going to have a future is to make a mint on OnlyFans,” she said, referring to a website that allows users to sell adult content to subscribers. “She has way more than that to offer.”

She warned mothers not to make their children social media influencers. “With the wisdom and knowledge I have now, if I could go back, I definitely wouldn’t do it,” she said. “I’ve been stupidly, naïvely, feeding a pack of monsters, and the regret is huge.”

Account owners who report explicit images or potential predators to Instagram are typically met with silence or indifference, and those who block many abusers have seen their own accounts’ ability to use certain features limited, according to the interviews and documents. In the course of eight months, The Times made over 50 reports of its own about questionable material and received only one response.

Meta, Instagram’s parent company, found that 500,000 child Instagram accounts had “inappropriate” interactions every day, according to an internal study in 2020 quoted in legal proceedings.

In a statement to The Times, Andy Stone, a Meta spokesman, said that parents were responsible for the accounts and their content and could delete them anytime.

“Anyone on Instagram can control who is able to tag, mention or message them, as well as who can comment on their account,” Mr. Stone added, noting a feature that allows parents to ban comments with certain words. “On top of that, we prevent accounts exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior from using our monetization tools, and we plan to limit such accounts from accessing subscription content.”

Influencers use TikTok, too, but Instagram is easier for parents to navigate and better suited to the kinds of photos that brands want. It is also home to a longstanding network of parents and brands that predated TikTok.

From time to time, Instagram removes child-influencer accounts for unspecified reasons or because people flag them as inappropriate, The Times found. In extreme cases, parents and photographers have been arrested or convicted of child exploitation, but barring evidence of illegal images, most of the activity does not draw the attention of law enforcement.

Like many parents, Elissa, who received the threatening messages about her daughter’s photos, said she protected her daughter by handling the account exclusively herself. Ultimately, she concluded, the Instagram community is dominated by “disgusting creeps,” but she nonetheless keeps the account up and running. Shutting it down, she said, would be “giving in to bullies.”

The account’s risks became apparent last spring when the person messaging her threatened to report her to the police and others unless she completed “a small task.” When she did not respond, the person emailed the girl’s school, saying Elissa sold “naughty” pictures to pedophiles.

Days later, the girl tearfully explained to her mother that school officials had questioned her about the Instagram account. They showed her images that her mother had posted — one of the girl in hot pants and fishnets, another in a leotard and sweatshirt.

Elissa had reported the blackmail to the local sheriff, but school officials only dropped the matter after an emotional interrogation of the girl.

“I was crying,” the girl said in an interview. “I was just scared. I didn’t understand what was going on.”

‘Walking Advertising’

In today’s creator economy, companies often turn to social media influencers to attract new customers. Giants like Kim Kardashian, who has 364 million followers on Instagram, have turned the phenomenon into a big business.

Young girls strive to do the same.

In the dance and gymnastics worlds, teens and preteens jockey to become brand ambassadors for products and apparel. They don bikinis in Instagram posts, walk runways in youth fashion shows and offer paid subscriptions to videos showing the everyday goings-on of children seeking internet fame.

“We costumed somebody for ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ thinking that would be huge P.R., but we ended up finding out the bigger return on investment is these microinfluencers,” she said. “We have parents that will spend thousands of dollars to buy styles that no one else will have. That’s our best market.”

The most successful girls can demand $3,000 from their sponsors for a single post on Instagram, but monetary gain can be elusive for others, who receive free or discounted clothes in exchange for their posts and have to pay for their own hairstyling and makeup, among other costs. Even youth fashion shows, including events in New York that coincide but are not affiliated with New York Fashion Week, charge the girls to participate and charge their parents to attend.

In interviews, parents defended spending the money to promote their daughters’ influencer ambitions, describing them as extracurricular activities that build confidence, develop friendships and create social media résumés that will follow them into adulthood.

“It’s like a little security blanket,” said a New Jersey mother whose mom-run account has led to paid modeling jobs for her daughter and invitations to work with sought-after choreographers. “She can help pay for college if she does it right,” she said.

A mother in Alabama said parents couldn’t ignore the reality of this new economy.

“Social media is the way of our future, and I feel like they’ll be behind if they don’t know what’s going on,” the mother said. “You can’t do anything without it now.”

One 12-year-old girl in Maryland, who spoke with The Times alongside her mother, described the thrill of seeing other girls she knows wear a brand she represents in Instagram posts.

“People are actually being influenced by me,” she said.

In 2022, Instagram launched paid subscriptions, which allows followers to pay a monthly fee for exclusive content and access. The rules don’t allow subscriptions for anyone under 18, but the mom-run accounts sidestep that restriction. The Times found dozens that charged from 99 cents to $19.99. At the highest price, parents offered “ask me anything” chat sessions and behind-the-scenes photos.

Child safety experts warn the subscriptions and other features could lead to unhealthy interactions, with men believing they have a special connection to the girls and the girls believing they must meet the men’s needs.

“I have reservations about a child feeling like they have to satisfy either adults in their orbit or strangers who are asking something from them,” said Sally Theran, a professor at Wellesley College and clinical psychologist who studies online relationships. “It’s really hard to give consent to that when your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed.”

Instagram isn’t alone in the subscription business. Some parents promote other platforms on their mom-run accounts. One of them, Brand Army, caters to adult influencers but also has “junior channel” parent-run subscriptions ranging from free to $250 monthly.

“Message me anytime. You will have more opportunities for buying and receiving super exclusive content😘,” read a description for a $25 subscription to a minor’s account. For $100 a month, subscribers can get “live interactive video chats,” unlimited direct messages and a mention on the girl’s Instagram story.

The Times subscribed to several accounts to glean what content is being offered and how much money is being made. On one account, 141 subscribers liked a photo only available to those who paid $100 monthly, indicating over $14,000 in subscription revenue.

Some of the descriptions also highlight the revealing nature of photos. One account for a child around 14 years old encouraged new sign-ups at the end of last year by branding the days between Christmas and New Year’s as “Bikini Week.” An account for a 17-year-old girl advertised that she wasn’t wearing underwear in a workout photo set and, as a result, the images were “uh … a lot spicier than usual.”

The girl’s “Elite VIP” subscription costs $250 a month.

Brand Army’s founder, Ramon Mendez, said that junior-channel users were a minority on his platform and that moderating their pages had grown so problematic that he discontinued new sign-ups.

“We’ve removed thousands of pieces of content,” he said. “The parents’ behavior is just disgusting. We don’t want to be part of it.”

‘The Wealth of the Wicked’

“You are so sexy,” read one comment on an image of a 5-year-old girl in a ruffled bikini. “Those two little things look great thru ur top,” said another on a video of a girl dancing in a white cropped shirt, who months later posted pictures of her 11th birthday party.

For many mom-run accounts, comments from men — admiring, suggestive or explicit — are a recurring scourge to be eradicated, or an inescapable fact of life to be ignored. For others, they are a source to be tapped.

“The first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do when I go to bed is block accounts,” said Lynn, the mother of a 6-year-old girl in Florida who has about 3,000 followers from the dance world.

Another mother, Gail from Texas, described being desensitized to the men’s messages. “I don’t have as much of an emotional response anymore,” she said. “It’s weird to be so numb to that, but the quantity is just astounding.”

Meta does not provide public information about who uses Instagram, so The Times analyzed data from the audience firms Modash and HypeAuditor, which estimate follower demographics based on their own algorithms.

The proportion of male followers varied greatly in The Times’s sample, according to the estimates. Many accounts had a few thousand followers who were mostly female. But while men accounted for about 35 percent of the audience overall, their presence grew dramatically as accounts became more popular. Many with more than 100,000 followers had a male audience of over 75 percent, and a few of them over 90 percent, the analysis showed.

To be sure, not all men following the accounts have bad intentions. Some are grandparents and fathers of the young influencers. Many have inoffensive profiles and simply post compliments or greetings, and mothers react appreciatively.

“In responding or even hitting ‘like’ on it, it boosts your algorithm,” said a mother in Florida whose 16-year-old daughter has been an Instagram influencer for six years. “We tried shutting comments off at one point, and some of the brands didn’t like that.”

Brands that feature children from mom-run accounts face similar challenges.

Dean Stockton, who runs a small clothing company in Florida called Original Hippie, often features girls from the Instagram accounts, who earn a commission when customers use personalized discount codes. After initially deleting many male followers, he now sees them as a way to grow the account and give it a wider audience because the platform rewards large followings.

“The Bible says, ‘The wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous,’” he said. “So sometimes you got to use the things of this world to get you to where you need to be, as long as it’s not harming anybody.”

Mr. Stockton said he deleted male followers who were disrespectful or sexual in their interactions. An examination by The Times of the three dozen brands that are popular among mom-run accounts found inappropriate, predatory or pornographic followers in almost all of the brands’ accounts, including Original Hippie.

Many of the men posted pornography, or their bios included sexual language and emojis that child protection experts say pedophiles can use to signal interest in children. For instance, one follower of a children’s dance wear brand described himself as a “thong & anl sx lover.” A user named “sexy_69nazi” followed a children’s apparel company and exclusively posted pornography.

Chixit, a brand selling swimwear and other clothing, describes itself as “an International Sorority,” but business records show that it was run by Philip Russo, who advertised himself as a tutor operating out of his home in the Hudson Valley of New York. Other websites registered to Mr. Russo’s email are a tutoring business and inactive domain names describing sex with animals.

After The Times reached out to Mr. Russo, the website for his tutoring business went offline. He did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

‘Girls Become a Currency’

The vast world of child-influencer followers on Instagram includes men who have been charged with or convicted of sex crimes, and those who engage in forums off platform where child sexual abuse imagery, including of girls on Instagram, is shared.

The Times traced the account of one follower, who goes by the moniker “jizzquizz,” to a man named Joshua V. Rubel, 39. He was convicted in 2008 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and is listed on the New Jersey sex offender registry. (Instagram’s policy bars sex offenders from using the platform, and the company said it removed two accounts after The Times pointed them out.)

Another account belongs to Daniel Duane Huver, a man in Lansing, Mich., who told law enforcement in 2018 that he had “top fan status” on girls’ pages, a designation bestowed by Instagram’s sister company, Facebook. The police searched Mr. Huver’s cellphone after it was confiscated by his probation officer and found hundreds of images and videos of children, including many considered inappropriate and sexually suggestive and two believed to be illegal (showing minors engaged in explicit acts.)

Mr. Huver told officers he was sexually attracted to children and masturbated to images of them, according to police records. He was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, but the prosecutor in Eaton County later dropped charges, citing insufficient evidence because of the poor quality of the imagery.

Mr. Rubel did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Huver said that the police mischaracterized his words and that the lack of prosecution was evidence he had done nothing wrong.

In monitoring multiple Telegram chat rooms, The Times found men who treat children’s Instagram pages and subscription services as menus to satisfy their fantasies. They trade information about parents considered receptive to producing and selling “private sets” of images.

A group with more than 4,000 members was highly organized, with an F.A.Q. page and a Google sheet that tracked nearly 700 children, identifying them by hashtags to help members find them within the long chat history. The group’s logo showed a child’s hand in an adult hand.

The Times asked the Canadian Center for Child Protection, an organization that monitors online child exploitation, to review links and other potentially illegal material posted by the Telegram groups and elsewhere. The center identified child sexual abuse imagery involving multiple underage Instagram models from around the world, as well as sexualized videos of others, including a preteen girl wearing a thong and a young teenager raising her dress to show her bikini bottom.

Men in these groups frequently praise the advent of Instagram as a golden age for child exploitation.

“I’m so glad for these new moms pimping their daughters out,” wrote one of them. “And there’s an infinite supply of it — literally just refresh your Instagram Explore page there’s fresh preteens.”

A small group of men go even further and cultivate business and patronage relationships with mothers.

One man posts videos and photos on Instagram of girls thanking him for shopping sprees, gifts like iPhones and iPads, and cash. If he does not receive a message of gratitude quickly, he sometimes shames the mother and daughter on his private Instagram account.

Another makes recommendations about increasing visibility by using specific hashtags and photographers. But two mothers said they became suspicious, and stopped working with the man, after he suggested they make certain their daughters’ nipples and other private areas could be detected through their outfits.

A third man tried to persuade a mother to sell her daughter’s used leotards because many men, including himself, were “collectors,” according to a recording of the conversation.

“In retrospect I feel like such a stupid mom, but I’m not stupid,” said a mother of a young gymnast, who dealt with similar men before she realized they were predators and received threatening messages from several of them. “I didn’t understand what grooming was.”

Sometimes the men flirt or try to develop virtual romances with mothers, offer to protect them and become possessive and angry if they interact with other men.

“It’s almost like the girls become a currency,” said the gymnast’s mother, who did not want to be named.

This feeling of ownership and jealousy can drive attempts at blackmail, The Times found.

Instamodelfan, who sent threatening messages to Elissa, sent blackmail threats to at least five other mom-run accounts. When one mother responded, he demanded that she sexually abuse her child and send him photos and videos, emails to the mother show. She refused and contacted law enforcement.

The Times communicated with a person identified on Telegram as Instamodelfan who said that he lashed out at the mothers because he believed other men got illegal images of children and he wanted them for himself.

Reporters also received information from an anonymous tipster, who they later found was linked to the blackmailer, indicating that some parents had produced explicit imagery of their daughters.

The Canadian center reviewed the imagery and said it included illegal nude photos of two girls. One girl’s mother said she was shaken to learn of the photos and did not know who could have made them. The other girl, now 17, said in an interview that the photos were for her and a girlfriend and that she told law enforcement that they had been stolen.

Others images either were borderline illegal, were too poor quality to be conclusive or were digitally altered, the center said.

Several mothers who had been identified by the tipster said they reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which, they said, had conducted an investigation. The F.B.I. declined to comment.

Ultimately, the gymnast’s mother said, a federal agent told them to stop talking to men online.

“They told everyone to get off Instagram,” she said. “‘You’re in over your head. Get off.’ That’s what they told us.”

‘My Limit of Pedophiles’

Meta failed to act on multiple reports made by parents and even restricted those who tried to police their own followers, according to interviews and materials provided by the parents.

If parents block too many followers’ accounts in a day, Meta curtails their ability to block or follow others, they said.

“I remember being told, like, I’ve reached my limit,” said a mother of two dancers in Arizona who declined to be named. “Like what? I reached my limit of pedophiles for today. OK, great.”

Mr. Stone, the Meta spokesman, said “there are lots of reasons an account might face limitations or restrictions based the account’s activity,” and therefore it was difficult to know why parents encountered these problems.

Ms. Pastore of LA Dance Designs said it was “very much overdue” for Instagram to add the ability to filter by age and sex to help identify suspicious followers. “If you’re starting to gain a following, there needs to be some sort of way to control it,” she said.

Even some egregious violations led to no action by Meta.

One parent reported a photo of erect male genitalia sent in a direct message. Another reported an account that reposted children’s photos with explicit captions. A third reported a user who propositioned her child for sex, offering $65,000 for “an hour” with the girl.

In response to those three reports, Meta said either that the communications did not violate “community guidelines” or that its staff did not have time to review them. In other cases, Meta told parents that it relied on its “technology” to determine the content was “probably” not a violation.

Separately, The Times found comments that included links to sites identified by the Canadian center as trading illegal, nude imagery of children. None of those reports received a response from Meta.

Former Meta trust and safety employees described an organization overwhelmed despite knowing about the problem for years.

“You hear, ‘I reported this account, it was harassing my daughter, why is he back?’” said a former investigator for the company who requested anonymity. “There are not enough people, resources and systems to tackle all of it.”

In recent years, conspiracy theories like QAnon, which claims Democratic politicians are trafficking children, have led to an excess of unfounded reports that have muddled the evaluation of child abuse tips, three former Meta trust and safety employees said.

A 2020 document that surfaced in a lawsuit described child safety as a “non-goal” at Meta. “If we do something here, cool,” the document said. “But if we do nothing at all, that’s fine too.” The lawsuit was brought against Meta and other companies claiming damage from using social media. Lawyers for the plaintiffs declined to provide more information about the document.

In documents from 2018 included in a separate lawsuit making similar claims of harm, a top Facebook executive told Instagram’s chief executive that unless changes were made, Facebook and Instagram were “basically massive ‘victim discovery services,’” an allusion to the considerable evidence of abuse on the platforms.

Mr. Stone, the Meta spokesman, disputed the suggestion that the trust team was understaffed and underfunded, saying that 40,000 employees worked on safety and security and that the company had invested $20 billion in such efforts since 2016. He also referred to a previous statement about the lawsuits, saying they “mischaracterize our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents.”

In addition, he noted that Meta reported more suspected child abuse imagery to the authorities than any other company each year. In December, it announced plans to encrypt its messaging services, which would reduce the reports.

‘It’s All Over Instagram’

Experts in child protection and development say young people should never be made to have negative feelings about their bodies. But clothing that is appropriate in a gym or dance competition may take on an unintended meaning when shared online.

Children’s dance attire regularly features strappy bra tops, sheer fabric and bikini bottoms, and popular cheer outfits combine sports bras with little skirts — part of a long-term trend toward more revealing clothing for girls.

“In the dance world we’re in, they’re half naked all the time and their legs are in the air,” said a mother in Massachusetts who declined to be named. “And if you’re not used to seeing that, maybe it’s different.”

Lynn, whose granddaughter in Texas is an ambassador for a cheerleading brand, said there was no logic to the reactions her posts received. Photos of the girl’s feet attract the most extreme comments, she said. “You can’t stop weird people, I guess.”

Still, many of the would-be influencers suffer. In some instances criticism of the posts, and accompanying bullying, becomes so severe that mothers turn to home-schooling.

“She got slaughtered all through primary school,” said Kaelyn, the mother in Melbourne. “Children were telling her, ‘We can’t play with you because my mom said too many perverts follow you on the internet.’”

In the United States, parents have substantial leeway in making decisions about their children. But people who suspect illegal behavior on Instagram quickly discover that the authorities are overwhelmed and typically focus on the clearest-cut cases.

Even the most unsettling images of sexualized child influencers tend to fall into a legal gray area. To meet the federal definition of so-called child pornography, the law generally requires a “lascivious exhibition” of the anal or genital area, though courts have found the requirement can be met without nudity or sheer clothing.

There have been criminal prosecutions against parents accused in child sexual abuse cases.

In Louisiana last year, a mother was arrested and charged with working with a photographer to produce illegal images of her daughter in a thong bikini. In Texas, a mother was sentenced to 32 years in prison in December for producing nude photos of her 8-year-old daughter with the same photographer. And in North Carolina, a mother is awaiting trial on charges that she took her 15-year-old daughter to a photographer who sexually abused her and she failed to get medical help when the girl tried to kill herself, according to court documents.

Still, those prosecutions are rare, and some male followers of the mom-run accounts openly welcome the windfall.

“As long as this stuff legally exists, I just enjoy it :),” one of them wrote on Telegram.

“Exactly,” another responded. “It’s all over Instagram.”

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

A thought about Harold and P.Diddy lawsuits.

P.Diddy had a dual life. Just like Harold. These lawsuits are not about his white parties or his business life or real estate or anything else.

They are are specifically about the DL parties that were not publicised like the white parties.

These are s3x parties which sent out invitations to sponsors or attendees ONLY. 

And the incentive / reward for attending or sponsoring these s3x parties was access to famous people ( unknown) AND British Royalty like Harold. 

Like with Weinstein, at some point you have to deliver these famous folk or get off the pot. And P.Diddy has been throwing these parties since the 90s. 

Sidenote: The DM is telling us that he was a $1000 a week paper round boy at age 12yrs old - which is such a huge red flag when you know that his father was a renowned drug dealer to smart folk. When you Google his father, he looks like a banker. 

Harold and William met P.Diddy in 2007. 

Between 2007 and 2024, we've heard articles quoting P.Diddy saying he wants to party with Harold. Never, ever William. 

Out of all the UK celebrities he could name check, it's Harold that he mentions. Repeatedly.

I don't think that was/ accidental, but perhaps it was manifesting.

And most important detail of all, the lawsuit that mentions Harold is filed by a guy who worked with P.Diddy in September 2022 - November 2023.

Considering how litigious Harold is, I don't think mentioning him is a mistake or manifesting. I think he was present (ALLEGEDLY) at these parties, but being Harold, stupid and as entitled as he is, probably lured there by the promise of free drugs - P. Diddy appears to have had drugs on tap at these parties. 

[anonperegrine]

idk what libertango is but you wrote Incentive Unknown which finally got me to start writing fic so. Yea

Omg I remember u we love incentive unknown in this house

Libertango is my tntduo fic and it’s based as hell

[lovetei]

I have an AU and I enjoy sharing so. Gift, from a (semi-?) writer to writer I suppose

but Swapped Obey me Au

where the brothers and side characters are humans- here’s the dynamic simplification;

Humans (Solomon / MC) : Cryptids

Demons (The Brothers / Diavolo / Barbatos) - humans/humanoids

Angels (Luke / Simeon) - Monster hunters

Maybe a modernish Victorian era, with castles and monster stories and that fun stuff + technology. Prince Diavolo starts a school to hopefully make peace between the three tribes of being.

So Solomon the Land siren (maybe a Lamia/Naga?) and MC the Mutt sheep cryptid. Where invited to the human school,

I can go on for hours- but hope this helps with ideas! I’d love to hear ya take. I love the way you write Obey me so yeah!

I'm so sorry this took so long, I need to create a visual in my head first and it takes long to write an AU :')

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

Swapped Alternate Universe

Swapped Universe: Introduction

Warnings:

Links: Masterlist

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

You were just going around the forests beside fields, feeding on whatever there is

But all of a sudden

An entitled prince, randomly sent you a letter saying you're invited into this type of program

But it's suspicious

The incentives favors the participants way too much...

What could possibly be the catch?

ROLES: Cryptids

MC MCLN

TYPE: Cryptid (Mutt sheep)

It is rumored that the "Mutt-Sheep" cryptids are a cross between lambs and canines, and are known to be found in areas with dense forests. Some describe them as a cross between a sheep and a dog, with a thick sheep-like coat covering their body, large claws on their paws for digging in the forest floor, and a canine's nose and teeth for hunting small animals. However, the exact origin and nature of the Mutt-Sheep cryptids are still unknown and shrouded in mystery. Despite this, sightings of these creatures have been reported by people who claim to have seen them lurking in the forest.

SOLOMON

TYPE: Cryptid (Naga)

They are described as having a human upper body, often with arms and chest, and from the waist down, they have the tail and scales of a snake. The Naga are said to be intelligent and powerful beings, capable of controlling the elements of nature and using their powers to influence the world around them. Many people believe that the Naga possess magical abilities that they use to protect their territory and the creatures that live there.

ROLE: Humans

DIAVOLO

JOB: President of RLD

The Royal Lab of Diavolo (RLD) is a highly advanced underground research facility with top-notch equipment and state-of-the-art technology. The lab is focused on developing peace between different races, such as humans, humanoid, cryptids, and monster hunters. The primary goal of the lab is to find ways to bridge the gap between the different races, and to create an environment where all beings can live together in harmony. The lab is led by a team of highly skilled scientists and researchers who work tirelessly around the clock to advance their research and find solutions to the world's problems.

BARBATOS

JOB: Vice president of RLD

The vice president of the Royal Lab of Diavolo is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the lab, including the management of staff, the supervision of research projects, and the coordination of activities with external partners and stakeholders. The vice president also plays a key role in managing the lab's finances and ensuring that resources are being used effectively and efficiently. Additionally, they may be involved in developing and implementing strategic plans for the lab's long-term growth and success. Therefore, the vice president plays an important role in the lab's success and helps to ensure that its mission of promoting peace and unity among different beings is achieved.

LUCIFER

JOB: Chief Fiance Officer (CFO)

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a high-level executive position that is responsible for overseeing the financial operations and strategy of an organization. He works for the government and is supporting the current king.

MAMMON

JOB: Actor

He is the most famous actor out there starring in every genre whether it may be romance, comedy, action or adventure. He also stars in his own TV show series that broke multiple records and nominated multiple times on award show as well as receiving hundreds of awards.

LEVIATHAN

JOB: Programmer and Developer

A famous IT that works for the government and helps maintain government systems and Technologies, being one of the most trusted and talented worker in this field he has access to everything that can be found online.

SATAN

JOB: Proffesor

The youngest and top proffesor of one of the best schools found in the world, being the charming and mysterious proffesor whose world seems to revolve around books and his well known addiction, cats.

ASMODEUS

JOB: Model

The jewel of the human world, modeling for every possible brands to exist. He's known for his unforgettable face and his unmatched charm that helped him rise to the top of the world of fashion.

BEELZEBUB

JOB: Chef

A world-class chef that cooks for the king, known for his unique skills and for his beautiful physique. A man that made multiple woman swoon because of his looks and cooking skills.

BELPHEGOR

JOB: Doctor

A mysterious Doctor who seems to enjoy cutting things up and inventing antidotes or medicines against viruses and diseases that does not have a cure yet. He seems to be passionate about his job but the reason why he entered this field is still unknown.

ROLE: Hunters

SIMEON

RANK: A

A Rank A monster hunter is one of the best, most skilled and experienced monster hunters out there. They have exceptional abilities and skill in fighting and defeating monsters, as well as an in-depth knowledge of different types of monsters and how to defeat them.

Rank A Monster hunters are highly skilled and experienced in the art of hunting monsters. They are sought after for their exceptional abilities and knowledge. Their skill and experience have earned them a reputation as some of the finest monster hunters in the world.

LUKE

RANK: C

A Rank C monster hunter is considered an entry-level monster hunter. They are relatively new to the field and are still developing their skills and gaining experience. While they may have some basic knowledge of monster hunting techniques, they lack the advanced abilities and knowledge of higher-ranked Hunters. Nonetheless, they can still be an asset to a team and can perform certain tasks with supervision and guidance.

Overall, Rank C monster hunters are still learning and gaining experience. They are not always ready to handle high-level or dangerous missions, and are often assigned tasks and roles under the supervision and guidance of

[anim-ttrpgs]

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy by A.N.I.M.

Allow us to introduce ourselves, we are The Agency of Narrative Intrigue and Mystery, or “A.N.I.M.”, a very small TTRPG studio based out of the southern U.S. but ultimately made up of people from many different walks of life.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, our debut TTRPG, is a neo-noir investigation-focused RPG with (as you can probably guess from the title) a supernatural twist, that is currently in production after an extremely successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

How far would you go to learn the truth?

Play amateur detectives caught up in things they barely understand, and explore how the lives of your characters unravel as they push themselves to dig deeper into the unknown!

Eureka innovates on and revolutionizes investigative gameplay, TTRPG combat, and what it means to play as a monster as a character in a TTRPG, filling several voids we have noticed in the TTRPG space. Eureka supports investigation to a degree never before seen, ensuring that searching for clues is a granular and player-driven process, but also ensuring that the whole story doesn’t grind to a halt after one single failed investigation check.

Character-driven gameplay!

Stats and abilities are based on who your character is as a person. Freeform character creation allows you to build a totally unique little guy, and have a totally unique gameplay experience with him! This is supported by the backbone of the Composure mechanic. Stress, fear, fatigue, and hunger will wear your investigators down as they trudge deeper into the unknown. Food, sleep, and connections with their fellow investigators are the only way to keep them going!

Secrets inside and out! 

Any investigator could be a monster, helping their friends while trying not to reveal their true natures. The party will learn to trust and rely on each other, or explode into a tangled net of drama!

Though most PCs will be mundane humans—or perhaps because most PCs will be mundane humans—Eureka also supports playing monstrous PCs, such as a vampire, in a way never seen before. This isn’t just a watered-down stat bonus, it’s like playing an almost entirely different game, with all the monster’s strengths and weaknesses to account for while solving the mystery, plus the added incentive to keep it a secret from the other PCs as well as their players.

(You can also play as something like The Thing from John Carpenter's The Thing!)

If you like or are interested in Call of Cthulhu, Monster of the Week, Dresden Files, X-Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Apocalypse Keys, World of Darkness, or Gumshoe, you’ll probably find something in Eureka to really enjoy.

Intense, tactical combat! 

Hits are devastating, and misses are unpredictable–firing a gun will always change the situation somehow, for better or for worse!

Now in Technicolor!

Evocative artwork from talented femme-fatales @chaospyromancy and @qsycomplainsalot and the mysterious @theblackwarden paint a gorgeously-realized portrait of a world with shadows lurking in every corner.

Elegantly designed and thoroughly playtested, Eureka represents the culmination of three years of near-daily work from our team, as well as a lot of our own money. If you’re just now reading this and learning about Eureka for the first time, you missed the crowdfunding window unfortunately, but our Kickstarter page is still the best place to learn more about what Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually is, as that is where we have all the fancy art assets, the animated trailer, links to video reviews by podcasts and youtubers, and where we post regular updates on the status of our progress finishing the game and getting it ready for final release.

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If you want more than just status updates, going forward you can download regularly updated playable beta versions of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy and it’s adventure modules by subscribing to our Patreon at the $5 tier or higher. Subscribing to our patreon also grants you access to our patreon discord server where you can talk to us directly and offer valuable feedback on our progress and projects.

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If you would like to meet the A.N.I.M. team and even have a chance to play Eureka with us, you can join the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club discord server. It’s also just a great place to talk and discuss TTRPGs, so there is no schedule obligation, but the main purpose of it is to nominate, vote on, then read, discuss, and play different indie TTRPGs. We put playgroups together based on scheduling compatibility, so it’s all extremely flexible. This is a free discord server, separate from our patreon exclusive one. https://discord.gg/7jdP8FBPes

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We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[madschiavelique]

Cursed Vampire!Miguel O'Hara

Okay so i came back from this tiny pause and idk why but a sudden hit of vampire diaries content has been multiplying all over my medias after i returned fully and ooo boi

vampire miguel

but not any vampire miguel

cursed vampire!miguel

on the 30th of august i did a spell for the blue moon in pisces and i was guided by my witchy friend who reminded me about the 4 elements and their usage in witchcraft : if you want something fast you use fire (candles), something that is a bit less faster and that purifies you use air (incent for instance), something that takes a little longer and that you use to heal you use water (rain, rivers, moon water etc) and if you want to make something to last in time, you use earth (burying something in the earth for instance)

and she punctuated this recall by “which is why curses are most of the time buried in the earth, because it lasts in time”

and I was like

yea cursed vampire miguel

but with a twist

content warnings : mentions of blood, killings, miguel trying to kill himself but failing, general vampire stuff and some personal lore i elaborated word count : 4,6k (not proofread)

Let’s imagine the setting. A little village lost in the middle of nowhere, Miguel being perhaps mayor, or even just chief of the village if we go back enough in time to a point where electricity was still just a thing you could see when lightning was striking in the sky but had no place in your home.

He owns the biggest house, a manor with multiple rooms and multiple people living in it ranging from normal villagers to servants. Is he a member of the aristocracy ? Not so much, let’s say that he was a hard worker in the fields or something that involved him getting them big muscles (lumberjack perhaps, who knows) and that he revolted against a previous higher up that owned the place.

Xina, his lover at the time, was a witch, hiding the village. She had helped Miguel with her magic without him knowing when he made the rebellion happen. See, she was ambitious, and if Miguel could help her reach her goals, then she’d use him to her own profit. But one more thing, she was deeply in love with him.

And he did love her, until one thing happened. Dana, Dana D’Angelo happened.

Xina believed in many things, in spirits, in demons, in deities, but if there was one thing she didn’t believe in was second chances.

And so, she cursed him, for you don’t play with a woman’s heart, even less with a witch's one.

It had been a few days since the symptoms of this curse still unknown to his consciousness had started spreading within his body.

First, the same night she was executing the ritual, he couldn’t sleep well. He felt heavy, and yet his head felt airy like it was full of cotton. He felt feverish, his shaking body boiling one last time before his life would turn to eternal ice. He had weird dreams that night, altering between horrors and his eyes opening to his window, looking at the full moon.

The next day felt odd, he had this sort of dryness that never left his mouth, and no matter how much he passed his tongue on the inside of it or drunk anything, it stayed parched. The difficulty and surprise settled in when he tried to eat his breakfast but his silverware burned him. He ended up taking something that did not necessitate him to cut, an apple, a fruit, something to satiate the sharp hunger that burned in his body.

He didn’t like seeing people much in the morning, but considering how many lived in this place, he’d have to face them some time or later. And the light, the light from outside felt… too bright for his eyes. The chandeliers that were still getting lit up in the corridors didn’t burn his eyes though, so why ?

That night, he couldn’t sleep. The next day, going outside felt like an army of ants were crawling under his skin as he got under the sun, and these tingles lasted all day, until at the end of it the tingles had turned into a slight burning. He didn’t understand, it was winter, and here he was catching sunburns.

And the next day, another symptom added itself to the list. Why did the people surrounding him smelled so good ? Why did he feel like being near anyone gave him the sensation that he had not eaten anything for days and that they were smelling exactly like the one thing he craved for and needed ?

And then he couldn’t see himself any more in the mirrors, and cutlery felt like he was touching hell, and being outside was like being in hell. And when he passed someone that felt so good, why were his nails elongated into claws ? He definitely ruined some curtains at some point because he was trying to retract them.

And… wait, Xina hadn’t been much around lately. Why couldn’t he get a grasp of her ? Why did he never cross her way ? Had she discovered about his affair ?

And then, one night, when the multiple symptoms had added and fixed themselves entirely in Miguel’s body, his entire property started acting weird around him.

He could hear their whispers, their hearts beating in their chests and pumping blood in their entire body, he could smell their singular perfumes from metres away : everything felt as heightened as dull.

More and more people started leaving their place from the manor. They had heard rumours, rumours saying that he was a malfeasant being, that he had organised the rebellion for power and that he intended to turn everyone here slaves to his demonic energy.

Soon enough, only Miguel remained in the manor. He was more and more absent, living as a recluse in his own part of his quarters.

And one night, as someone was banging heavily on his doors, he came downstairs. As he opened them, he saw that the villagers that had been living under the same roof with him for several months were armed, ready to stab or spike him.

Of course, Xina was at the center of the group. Followed what looked like a fight, but Miguel was almost twice bigger than most of them, and ten times stronger, so he massacred most of the rebels against him until the remaining ones decided to leave the village.

Xina came to him, and told him :

"You have grievously offended me by your cheating, and this crime against me is an affront I could not let pass. Hence, I have cursed you."

Miguel tried to attack her, but as his claws tried to dig into her, he was violently pushed away and his back came into contact with a wall, he fell to the ground, remaining seated against it. Xina walked towards him.

"You can't do anything to me," she said, a pale glow glimmering around her as the sort of crystal crisalide that surrounded her faded at the lack of impact against it.

"What have you done to me?" he breathed.

"I told you, I cursed you," she knelt. "I made you a vampyr."

he looks at her, his eyes finally turning red. She smiled. He had heard of these creatures of legend, these stories made to frighten children and the superstitious, but he had never thought that he would become one in his turn.

"You should be happy, I've given you the gift of immortality. I told myself that eternity would be enough time for you to reflect on your actions," she said, tilting her head to one side. "The few friends you have left will die, those around me will die too, and much later it will be my turn to die. But you, you will remain. Children age, lovers perish. Kingdoms are born and burn up, and you, you will go on."

He didn't want eternity. Why want it when you know the world you live in, but did he really have a choice?

"But you see, even in my revenge I will remain merciful. I offer you two solutions." she said, raising her hand next to her head to count the options. "The first, you find my curse, and destroy it, which will return you to mortal rank." Hope sprang up in Miguel's now cold mind. "Secondly, you find someone who will love you despite what you are and be prepared to forgive all your faults and misdeeds. However, they won't bring mortality back to you, you'll simply be able to change them into a being just like you, and to live with that person for eternity." She rose to her feet, looking down on him before saying her last words:

"Farewell, Miguel O'Hara. The secret of my curse will be taken to my grave. You were my first and last love. You took hold of my heart and crushed it. If you fail to find my curse, choose well." Choose well.

She left, leaving him alone. Remorse, Regret, Guilt and Anger mingled within him in his grey heart. He was alone.

The first decades and the first century were most complex. First of all, he searched the entire region, every piece of land and stone, for Xina's curse. His first instinct was to go to the room she occupied in the manor house, but she had taken everything she owned with her. He went to his family home, searching every room with great interest. But there was nothing.

He searched the library of his manor for information on witches and their rituals, and the only information he could find was that most curses were buried in the ground.

Days, weeks, months of digging everywhere, and nothing. Strictly nothing. The despair of loneliness overtook him earlier than he thought, and soon enough, he tried to put an end to it.

He tried many times. To make matters worse, all the silver objects he used for everything had been taken away by the villagers. The coup had been prepared, Xina had planned everything so that he would have to live with himself.

Hanging himself was useless, as he could no longer breathe, and the cutlery, which was not made of silver, bent against his skin when he tried to stab himself. All night he tried, and when the time finally came for the sun to rise, he placed himself in full sunlight, telling himself that the tingling would be enough to finish him off.

But nothing, the sun stung his pale skin slightly, but didn't go any further. The sensation was slightly unpleasant, but he wasn't suffering terribly. Trying to stay all day in the sun to try and burn himself was useless, for when night came, his skin healed by itself.

Rage hung in his stomach as much as hunger, but he smelt something so enticing that for a moment he wondered if normal blood was flowing through his veins again and he was alive. A simple passer-by had come too close to the village, and Miguel had let his gnawing desire for something to eat get the better of him, draining all the energomer's blood in just a few seconds.

It didn't take him long to become addicted to the feeling of life that filled him everytime he drank blood. He couldn't live like a human again right? So he would take whatever human life he could find on his path.

He knew of a small village nearby where he could feast. It took him a long time to learn to control his appetite, but it took less to learn that his curse had given him an intoxicating beauty that attracted all those he desired. Another of Xina's cruel tricks, he told himself, people will simply be blinded by my aura, thinking they love me when it's really just cursed desire.

He began methodically, taking the inhabitants back to his manor one by one. The first few times he drank them raw, but soon he got used to not drinking all their blood and making them his reserves. They were intoxicated, he could do whatever he wanted with them, but above all: their blind desire made them immensely loyal. None of them ran away, none of them refused to have their blood drunk, and even if Miguel told them to leave, they were far too pained by the thought and preferred to stay.

When the village was hit by an epidemic of a disease, Miguel went there to dump the few corpses that had not survived his bites, so that his business could pass incognito.

He knew of a town not far away and how difficult it was to house all its inhabitants. He went there, explaining to the mayor that he had recently bought a piece of land not far away with old abandoned houses that could help. "What a generous man," said the mayor, and soon enough much of the overcrowded town found itself reviving the village.

Miguel was an experimentalist in his approach to humans. It was so strange to have to deal with them in this way, not as people like himself, but as prey and how he would go about capturing them.

In particular, he was experimenting with his physical abilities. Some twenty years later, when the village was well established, he was tempted to go to the village pub. He could drink as much as he liked and didn't get drunk, he could carry heavy loads without any problem, and he gave himself over to the desires of the flesh with an excpetional energy that pleased all his partners - although they all complained about his icy body.

A century later, all was well, he had once again continued his trick of taking various villagers to his home and making them his delicacies, but he was doing it more sparingly. Humans became less foolish with time, and soon disappearances became too much of a topic in the village. Miguel was finally suspected, after a series of attempts to pin the blame on other suspects.

The slaughter was terrible, and the bottles of wine he filled with blood in the huge cellar of his manor house multiplied until he no longer had to hunt for a long time.

The company of men had become too boring for him. He had become bitter towards them, finding them profoundly idiotic. So he locked himself away in his books, and only left his manor occasionally to go and get more.

But Miguel was no longer interested in finding a way to end it all, he now wanted to get on with feeding his intellect and perhaps, who knows, one day help humans to make this world a better place and become less stupid.

Fifty years later you arrived. You had fled from a village further afield and found this one, which seemed untouched and empty, just what you needed to live peacefully.

You entered the manor house, and unlike all the other dwellings in the area, this one didn't seem so dilapidated and abandoned. You were convinced that someone was living there as soon as you saw one of the chandeliers lit. You arrived in the library, which was by far the least dusty part of the house, and for good reason - Miguel hardly ever went out of it. You found him sitting in his armchair with a book in his hand.

Miguel was 232 at the time, and had long since forgotten the second chance that Xina had offered him. And now that he was a more mature vampyr who didn't attack everything that moved, he managed to strike up a conversation with you.

He was intrigued that a human had arrived here, it's been a long time since he'd seen one. At first he was bothered that you were disturbing his calm and solitude, and he hesitated to kill you on the spot, just like that, without you having time to wonder what was happening.

But when you explained that you'd run away from your village, he was intrigued. And his interest was further piqued when he learned that the reason you had fled was that you were suspected of practising witchcraft, and therefore should be burnt. You didn't really seem like much of a threat, but then again, Xina didn't seem much of a threat either...

He also noticed that his charms weren't working on you, as you were obviously protected. His trained nose detected garlic in your necklace and bracelet, mixed with other herbs that wouldn't do him any good if he were to come to close to them.

Garlic cleanses, it 'purifies', it's a very good antibiotic like lemon (which repels spiders). Vampyrism would have been considered a blood disease, which in Miguel's eyes was not far from the truth.

Eating garlic purified the bacteria present in the blood and, according to some people, would either turn a vampyr back into a normal person or cause their death. The plague came from miasmas, and strong smells like garlic and spices kept them away, which was a reason in the collective mind for vampyrs to use them as a repelling weapon. These little things wouldn't do him much harm, but their influence was enough for you to not feel his hypnoze.

He agreed to let you stay with him, and went so far as to hunt animals for you and bring you vegetables from his garden so that you could eat properly. Why did he keep you with him when he could no longer stand humans and you could be a danger to him? It's quite simple.

Vampyrs aren't sentimental, the only state that comes close to love or attraction for them is obsession, and it didn't take Miguel long to develop one for you. Second, after so many years of loneliness, sharing some parts of his days with someone felt good. And then there was the fact that you were a witch, and that with a bit of luck you'd be able to help him put an end to his curse.

You started off naively enough, but you were curious about vampyrs and kept asking him questions on the subject:

"Why can't you see yourselves in the mirror?"

He sighs, taking you to a room in the manor where stood an old mirror. He took your arm and placed you with him in the reflection. You could only see your own reflection, and just as you were about to marvel in your shudder, Miguel explains:

"That mirror you see there is made of steel, a material that could be lethal to me, and is a formidable weapon against my kind. I'd advise you not to try and break it to attack me, that would be a serious mistake. Most of the mirrors there were in my time were made of steel, and since then they've started to make..." he led you further into a corridor where there was another mirror, "made of aluminium."

He placed you in front of it again, and this time you could see your reflection in the mirror. He was so tall compared to you, and so powerful... a shiver ran down your spine as your eyes met.

"With fae, they can't see themselves in lead, it's their Achilles heel." he said before letting you go and moving on.

You didn't feel any particular hatred towards vampyrs, more a certain curiosity, and obviously a fright. These creatures had been alive for so long, had seen empires fall, kingdoms be born, wars break out, and they had lived through so much...

Miguel had almost forgotten the need for humans to sleep. Fortunately, there was still one bed for you to occupy: Miguel's.

It was a bit dusty, and you even joked to Miguel that you were surprised it wasn't a coffin. He sighed as he got your bed ready, thinking that if you hoped to make friends in such a mediocre way he'd already regret his decision to keep you.

But that didn't stop him watching over you while you slept.

You seemed so peaceful like that, abandoned to the world of dreams, of your insignificant little life. Your frailty fascinated him. And to think that he himself had once been like that...

Your days were quiet, there weren't many exciting activities. You were used to picking and working all day in your village, but here you had nothing to do.

So you chatted to Miguel, listening to him tell you a bit about his whole life. In 232 years of existence one must have a few amusing anecdotes to tell, don't you think? You spent almost all of your time together, and it wasn't long before you started to have feelings for him.

You were afraid, afraid of what he would think, that he would tell you that "it was to be expected, humans are so easily corrupted. You don't love me, you're simply attracted by the beauty that was given to me to attract you."

But you knew it wasn't that evil charm that had got you, it was him all over. Perhaps you should avoid him? Maybe you should leave...

Miguel had felt the change in you, heard how your heart beat a little faster and stronger when you spoke to him, noticed the change in your attitude, especially when he caught you deep in thought. You were hiding something from him, and he was curious to know what.

One evening, when you'd pretended to go to bed, you came down the stairs, grabbed a few provisions that you'd packed in your basket in the kitchen, and silently walked through the big door. It wrung your heart to leave, but a human and a vampyr are an impossible love story. It was only a few minutes later, as your smell and the presence of your warmth began to disappear, that Miguel looked up from his book and your absence hit him right in the throat.

You trudged along on the muddy ground, the snow falling on your body and chilling you despite your coat. A sound of wind as swift and as a sharp blade on a stone brushed against your ear when Miguel was standing in front of you. You stopped walking, watching the prince of the night who was not afraid of the cold let himself be caressed by the snowflakes. None of them melted on his skin.

"What are you doing?" he asked, even though the question sounded almost like a threat.

"I realised that my humanity would be my undoing soon enough in your presence, and so I chose to leave."

"Why," he questioned as he moved closer to you until you had to tilt your head back in the hope of continuing to look him in the eye.

Your heart raced, "My personal affections towards you have shifted."

"Shifted?" he enquired as his hand gently came to clear the melted flakes from your cheeks, or was it your tears? "How have they shifted?"

"They became... omnipresent."

A slight smile stretched his lips as his fingers passed under your chin

"Tell me about them." an order, a necessity.

"They... they make me feel different." you say as your voice shrivels.

"How different," he says as he leans in and brings his face close to yours.

"Warm, and fuzzy," you whispered, "and make my every thoughts come back to... you."

Your breath catches on his lips, his red eyes never leaving yours.

"Am I the object of your love, mi vida?" His breath was cold, and exuded death.

"Yes, you are," you confirm as your voice cracks.

He came to kiss you, the coolness of his lips even colder than the night, and you shivered as the contrast with your skin and the sensation of passion in his kiss sent tingles to the back of your skull.

In as many years of existence, you're the only one who's managed to make him feel human again, and that's enough for him.

"Let's bring you back inside, alright?" he said as he parted from your lips to lift you up in one fell swoop into his princess arms.

And so your relationship gradually metamorphosed, each day sweeter and more fused than the last, until finally the time came for Miguel to think about making you his eternal bride.

What a vile gift she had given him, to allow him to turn you into such a loathsome, despicable, odious being. This choice was going to deprive you of so many things. From the sunlight going from caress to crush, your appetite capsizing, your inability to sleep again. And he didn't want to deprive you of your life.

He didn't want to turn you into such a monstrosity, but you reassured him, explaining that there was nothing in the world that would make you shy away from being with him. Besides, was a life without him by your side really worth living when you were growing old and he remained eternally young and beautiful?

So, with determination, he finally sank his fangs into your skin and set about turning you into a vampire. He simply let the venom infect your veins without ever, ever drinking your blood.

And your change took place just as his had, over the course of several days. He mopped up your fever, held you close to him when your dreams were strange, got you used to going out in the sun without going too far, and then introduced you to drinking blood. He had forgotten how hungry and powerful a new vampire could be, and seeing you almost empty his entire wine cellar made him shudder: not with regret or disgust, but with euphoria.

Never again would he be alone.

The years went by, and your couple survived every era. The good thing about living forever is that you can always find ways to entertain yourself, and it stays with you over time. You still remember so well, for example, that moment when you swam in that lake moving a poor piece of wood and people nicknamed the legendary creature you had inadvertently created 'the Lochness monster'.

It wasn't until years later, out of curiosity, that Miguel wondered what had become of Xina. And after several months of intensive research around the world, you find her grave.

He had read some of the records of what she had achieved. She had climbed far enough up the social ladder until her decisions were taken seriously by certain governors. But soon enough, when she passed the age of 110 while still looking pretty young for her age, she was accused of witchcraft, and instead of dying at the stake, she stabbed herself in the heart, her relatives burying her here.

The two of you stood by her grave and still insisted on bringing her flowers. But it was as he lowered himself to the ground that Miguel remembered what she'd said: "The secret of my curse will be taken to my grave."

Could it be...

So you both set about digging it all up, digging until you finally found her coffin. You were, after all, creatures of blasphemy, but opening her grave made you hesitate at first. Who knows what spell she might have put on her coffin to ensure that anyone who opened it would be cursed?

But when he opened it and discovered her skeleton, he found nothing.

"You were my first and last love. You grabbed my heart..."

"And you crushed it," he whispered.

He plunged his hand between her empty ribs, until he touched something hard, something that didn't have the texture of bone. He reached for the object, a wooden box sealed with black wax.

"Is it... what I think it is ?" you asked.

He nodded, silent. He wouldn't open it, he'd learned from some of his lessons. With his powerful hand, he crushed the box between his fingers with ease, a cascade of dust mixed with sand, herbs and other objects from the ritual surging through his fingers.

And his body burned with a delicious warmth. The familiarity of the humanity in him completed itself, while for you, too, vitality returned to your veins.

The curse was lifted, and now you could act normally. What a surprise it was when your two bodies touched and the warmth they emanated made you smile. And what a joy it was to be able to eat normally and not get a rash on your skin if you spent too many hours in the sun.

Thus your life ended in peace and love, both of you continuing your lives together peacefully.

[kissingmilfs]

my darling lamb!au | lottie matthews

summary: cult leader, lottie matthews, finally finds the perfect prey for the hunt. a sweet, innocent lamb to make all hers. introduction to this universe.

cw: 18+, primal kink, oral (r receiving)

a/n: moonstone symbolizes fertility, innocence and linked w/goddess energy. dedicated to my girlfriend @pocolottie

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

the blind fold’s lifted from your eyes and you can’t really make out your surroundings. your feet are bare on the damp, cold ground. the sound of crackling fire and owls hooting fill your ears. once your vision starts to clear, you see you’re in the middle of a circle.

everyone around you is dressed in purple. they’re all staring, expectantly. you look down at your white dress that’s brushing against your ankles. you can’t even remember how you got here. or why you’re here. your memory is still foggy and missing vital pieces.

you hear the crunching of dry leaves from the distance. the group all redirects their eyes towards the person walking down the path. at first all you can make out is her waist length hair, and her floor length red dress. the circle opens up for her the closer she gets.

the woman smiles brightly at you like you’re supposed to know who she is. the smile is familiar and warm. she extends her arms towards you. you curiously stare at her. someone gently pushes you towards her. understanding the hint, you walk forward until you’re only a feet or two apart. the mysterious woman’s smile widens even more.

“we’ve all been waiting for you, my darling lamb.”

the woman’s voice is mellow and sweet with a touch a raspiness. it’s a hint deeper than most women’s voices you’ve heard. nonetheless it stirs unfamiliar yet warm feelings in your stomach. you look around the circle again then back at the woman. searching for answers but finding none.

you feel a soft touch on your cheek. the woman’s hands are slightly calloused but not too noticeable. it certainly doesn’t take away from the warm sparkle in her eyes. or how she’s holding your face like you’re a porcelain doll. fragile, delicate, and innocent.

“we have to start soon. you’ll figure it out.”

the woman drops her hand from your face then proceeds to address the group.

“my faithful acolytes, the time is upon us. we’ve secured our lamb, our sacrifice. now the hunt can begin.”

the words incentive panic in your body. you nervously look around the group but no one else seems worried. this is what they were waiting for. you’re the lamb heading to the slaughter. you search for an escape but the circle is too tight. someone walks behind the woman with antlers. they’re decorated with a mesh cloth passing her shoulders, flowers, and leaves. the woman looks mystical, other worldly. she’s transformed right before your eyes into a queen.

someone stands behind you, jostling you out of your trance. a necklace is fastened and secured around your neck. looking down a cylinder shaped pendant made out of moonstone nestles perfectly between your cleavage. it’s half wrapped in a purple metal the shape of a flower. it’s a rather stunning piece of jewelry. maybe unnecessary if these people are about to kill you.

the circle starts breaking then a gong is hit in the distance. the woods become eerily quiet. your breathing picks up as anxiety creeps over you. the woman steps aside so you have a clear view of the deep woods.

“the hunt commences.”

she looks over at with a pleased smile.

“run.”

the word is uttered so softly, you might have missed it. but it’s too quiet. it’s like everyone is holding their breath. the command hits your ears and your body responds. you hold the hem of your dress darting off into the unknown woods. your feet hit the damp forest floor over and over. leaving behind footprints you’re unaware of. the only light guiding you is the half moon and the abundant stars. these woods are unfamiliar. everything looks the same when you’re running, scared for your life. it’s all a blur as you run deeper and deeper into the woods.

the antler queen hadn’t made any effort to follow you. that may have surprised you if you knew. or was even listening for someone behind you. instead the woman is preparing to find you. she knows these woods better than any one of her followers. the woman haunts these woods every night. aimlessly walking them when the moon is high. she knew, eventually, you’d tire of running and opt to hide until sunrise. it’s a logistically sane solution. it’s what she wanted you to do.

you were needed helpless and fearful. hope seeping out of you every second you ran. she needed you desperate for salvation and rescue. then the woman would appear. a beckon of hope. she had it all planned out. leading the scared, innocent lamb into the jaws of a very hungry queen.

someone presents the woman with a phone. it’s tracking your frantic movements throughout the woods. it wasn’t necessarily needed, but it would make the hunt end faster. the tracker is imbedded in the pendant snug between your bosom. the group waits and waits until you have no option but to rest.

the adrenaline coursing through your body can only last so long. soon your feet start to feel raw and your head throbs. your dress snags on a branch causing you to stumble over your feet. you land painfully on your elbows, scrapping your knees and hands in the process. the pain is exaggerated by how tired, cold and scared you are. you have zero survival skills for this situation. the thought of death frightens you. yet you cannot will yourself to continue running. your back is parallel to a tree. all you can do is sob and wait for someone to find you.

you stopped a lot earlier than expected. that’s not a problem for the woman. the blinking dot alerts her exactly where in the forest you’re resting. the woman has no further need for the device or her acolytes. she sends everyone away then starts her journey into the woods. your footsteps are embedded on the soft dirt floor making it even easier to track you. the woman follows them meticulously, putting her own feet in the tracks. your cry starts to echo the closer the queen gets. the cry of a defeated and lost lamb.

you’re found crying with your head buried between your legs. even then the cries are hard to muffle in the outdoor space. the woman’s soft footsteps aren’t heard over your tears though. she squats to your eye level and lightly touches your shoulder. you jump in fear. your watery, swollen eyes meet the woman’s face. she offers you a sympathetic and understanding smile.

“shh…it’s okay, little lamb. i found you.”

your body trembles with fear. more tears spill down your cheeks. the woman coos at you replacing the hand on your shoulder to your cheek. her thumb rubs soothingly across your skin.

through your tears and sobbing, you manage to choke out, “are you…are you gonna kill me now?”

your captor’s face contorts in confusion. “kill you? why would i do that? i’ve waited far too long for you. no, no, my darling lamb. that’s not what the hunt is about.”

the woman stands once again to her full height. she extends a hand to help you up. once on your feet she steps forward forcing you to step back. her eyes sparkle mischievously.

“no need to be scared, my sweet angel. i promise i’ll never hurt you. i have no intentions on hurting such a precious thing like yourself.”

“what do you want from me?”

the woman chuckles. she doesn’t answer your question at first. instead her hands meticulously remove the antler crown from her head. once it’s set aside, she positions her hands on your waist. she leans into your neck taking a sharp inhale of your scent. your innocence is practically seeping out of you. the smell is refreshing yet provocative. her lips brush against your skin but barely. the sensation replicates a soft breeze tickling your neck.

“isn’t it obvious? i want you. my precious little lamb—all mine.” she whispers near the shell of your ear. “the hunt isn’t over quite yet.”

you’re about to ask the woman what she means but she’s faster than your thoughts. without hesitation she sinks to her knees in front of you. a soft gasp escapes from you. the woman lifts the skirt of your dress, revealing your naked cunt. throughout the whole experience it never dawned on you that you were without underwear. the woman tips her head back slightly to stare up at you. her brown eyes are brimmed with excitement. you both maintain eye contact as her lips press against your thigh. an immediate moan vibrates in her throat.

you stare with inquisitive eyes. you’ve never witnessed such a sight before. the unadulterated hunger written all over her face. her arms wrapped around your legs as if she’s scared you’ll escape. you’ve never had anyone kiss you elsewhere but on your lips. you think you should be telling her to stop. or maybe protesting and fighting. yet your body relaxes the more her lips leave heated kisses on your chilled skin.

the woman’s nose finally bumps against your bare pussy. you jerk forward but find your balance by holding her shoulders. she presses her hand against your stomach, pushing you back against the tree. her tongue cautiously parts your folds taking her first taste of you. you sharply inhale at the new sensation. she waits for you to say, stop, but it never comes. instead your legs partly open wider, silently asking for more. you feel her tongue slowly drag down the length of your cunt. it’s agonizing yet addictive. your body senses there’s more to be done with her tongue. more the woman is holding back on. your timidity and inexperience prevents you on asking for more.

it’s all the same for the woman on her knees. even if you’d work up the courage, she needed to savor the experience. cherish every inch, memorize your taste, document your sensitive spots. the tip of her tongue curls over your clit, slowly lapping at the sensitive bud. her warm tongue juxtaposed with the cold night air enhances the sensation. your entire being feels her tongue on your cunt. you let out a shaky whimper once the minstrels turn into long licks. her tongue presses flat heading downward then the tip teases your clit as she lazily drags it upwards. she interchanges between concentrating on your clit to the long, gradual licks.

it felt wrong to have a queen on her knees, worshiping and drinking from you. every time you glimpsed down this woman is staring back at you which such adoration and marvel. even when her tongue pushes inside you and she starts bobbing her head to drive it deeper. the moans spill out of you like a hushed prayer.

“oh god…”

the woman peels back only by an inch to finally utter her name to you.

“lottie will suffice, dear.”

[demifiendrsa]

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - Release Date Announce Trailer

Japanese version

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second game in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, will launch for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024.

The game will be available in the following editions:

Physical – Across two game discs; includes a reversible cover, and the preorder incentive of the digital “Midgar Bangle Mk. II” armor at participating retailers

Standard Edition ($69.99)

Deluxe Edition ($99.99) – Includes Mini-soundtrack CD, artbook, and SteelBook case.

Collector’s Edition ($349.99) – Includes large, highly detailed collectible statue of Sephiroth, Deluxe Edition contents, along with digital DLC items including downloadable content “Summoning Materia,” allowing players to summon the Moogle Trio, and the “Magic Pot,” along with equipment, like the “Reclaimant Choker” accessory and the “Orchid Bracelet” armor. The Collector’s Edition will be available to pre-order in limited quantities from the Square Enix Store.

Digital – Includes the downloadable content “Moogle Trio Summoning Materia.”

Standard Edition ($69.99)

Digital Deluxe Edition ($89.99) – Includes digital Mini-soundtrack, digital artbook, and digital downloadable content items including the “Magic Pot” Summoning Materia, “Reclaimant Choker” accessory, and the “Orchid Bracelet” armor.

Digital Deluxe Edition Upgrade ($20) – Can be purchased to upgrade previously purchased Standard Edition, adding Digital Deluxe Edition contents*

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Twin Pack ($99.99) – Offering great value during the pre-order phase, the Twin Pack includes Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, available at launch, and the full game download of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade which will be available to play as soon as the Twin Pack is pre-ordered.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Digital Deluxe Twin Pack ($119.99) – Includes Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade full game download plus all Digital Deluxe Edition contents.

■ About

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the highly anticipated new story in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, a reimagining of the iconic original game into three standalone titles by its original creators. In this game, players will enjoy various new elements as the story unfolds, culminating in the party’s journey to “The Forgotten Capital” from the original Final Fantasy VII.

After escaping from the dystopian city of Midgar, Cloud and his friends set out on a journey across the planet. New adventures await in a vibrant and vast world – sprint across grassy plains on a Chocobo and explore expansive environments.

An Expansive World

As the party searches for Sephiroth, you will explore the beautiful, expansive regions of the world and open up new areas to discover. Dig deeper into the world of Final Fantasy VII with rewarding side content and mini-games, plus various unique forms of transportation to navigate the world.

An Evolved Battle System

Combine strategic thinking with thrilling action combat alongside your comrades, including newly added characters. Deepen their relationships to unleash powerful team-based combos.

Beyond the Walls of Fate

In this standalone adventure for fans and newcomers, Cloud and his comrades venture across the planet, their fates unwritten, making each step outside the dystopian city of Midgar fresh and mysterious.

■ Story

For years now, the Shinra Electric Power Company has been providing the world with energy at the expense of the lifestream, the “river” whence all life flows and whither it returns.

After storming the company’s headquarters and engaging in a series of battles for the ages, Cloud and his companions leave Midgar behind and set out for the wider world. Once in the grasslands, they hop aboard chocobos and embark on a journey with an unknown destination.

Meanwhile, Zack—beaten and battered from his fight against an army of troopers—hobbles across the wastelands into Midgar with a mako-poisoned Cloud on his shoulder. Though he has managed to escape death for now, the ominous rift in the sky gives him little reason to rejoice.

That is hardly the only threat facing the world, however. The Shinra Resistance Committee, backed by Wutai’s interim government, declares war on the company; figures shrouded in black robes carry with them the corpse of Jenova, a veritable calamity from another world; and the Weapons—fierce and monstrous guardians of the planet—have recently awakened.

Amid this chaos, Sephiroth has set his plan in motion, thus ensuring myriad fates intertwine and are birthed anew.

■ Characters

Cloud Strife (voiced by Cody Christian in English, Takahiro Sakurai in Japanese)

“There’s no point in wasting our time worrying about fate if we can’t change it.”

An ex-SOLDIER: first class, Cloud came to Midgar to start a new chapter of his life as a mercenary. At the invitation of his childhood friend, Tifa, he accepts a job with Avalanche. Together, they confront Shinra, ultimately leaving Midgar behind in pursuit of Sephiroth and the truth─a quest which will lead them to defy destiny itself.

—Weapon: Sword

He fights by switching between modes specializing in mobility and offense. A single swipe of his huge sword can knock several foes off their feet at once. Some of his abilities also allow him to take the fight to the air.

Barret Wallace (voiced by John Eric Bentley in English, Masato Funaki in Japanese)

“This is the planet we’re talkin’ about! Y’all know she’s gonna pour her heart and soul into this fight!”

The leader of an independent Avalanche cell, Barret spearheads an operation to take down Shinra’s mako reactors. He pays a hefty price for this, however, when the company retaliates, and his comrades die in the crossfire. Armed with the memories of his lost friends and the newfound knowledge of Sephiroth’s plans, he departs Midgar in hope of saving the planet and safeguarding a future for his daughter Marlene.

—Weapon: Gunarm

What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in both sturdiness and strength, converting his anger toward Shinra into raw firepower. He employs a variety of ranged attacks, from rapid-fire salvos to powerful explosions, which allow him to strike foes high in the air or across the battlefield.

Tifa Lockhart (voiced by Britt Baron in English, Ayumi Ito in Japanese)

“Ever wish you could just snap your fingers and forget the worst stuff?”

Though a loyal member of Avalanche—an underground organization that opposes Shinra—Tifa nevertheless questions the group’s extremist tactics, struggling to reconcile her cause with her conscience. This internal conflict reaches a fever pitch when her group’s actions effectively lead to the fall of the Sector 7 plate. Racked with guilt, she leaves Midgar in search of a new path to tread.

—Weapon: Gloves

She strings together swift combos while utilizing a variety of martial art techniques. Her ATB fills quickly, allowing for the use of multiple abilities in rapid succession. She also boasts several skills that deal more damage to airborne or staggered foes.

Aerith Gainsborough (voiced by Briana White in English, Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese)

“Just look at it all… A living, breathing planet. Even after everything we’ve done to it, it’s still going strong.”

A flower seller who lives in the Sector 5 undercity and the last remaining descendant of the Cetra, a people known for communing with the planet. Shinra takes her prisoner in their efforts to reach the Cetra’s foretold “promised land,” but Cloud and company come to her rescue. She escapes Midgar and embarks on a journey into the outside world of which she has long dreamed.

—Weapon: Staff

Utilizing the power of magic, she casts spells from a safe distance and launches attacks that home in on her foes. She can also conjure beneficial wards and warp between them, as well as restore the party’s HP with her limit break.

Red XIII (voiced by Max Mittelman in English, Kappei Yamaguchi in Japanese)

“I may be clad in fur…but that doesn’t mean I’ll purr.”

Red XIII is a beast with a flaming tail, crimson fur, deadly claws, and the ability to speak. Cloud and company help him escape Professor Hojo’s clutches, and he decides to join them on their journey. His species is known for their long life spans, and he is no exception. As this Cosmo Canyon native is the eldest member of the party, he offers its members words of wisdom from time to time.

—Weapon: Collar

He sets upon foes with an unrelenting assault, laying into them with a beastly ferocity. Guarding against incoming attacks will feed his Vengeance gauge. Once it is full, he can unleash his inner beast, but sufficient skill is required to maximize its potential.

Yuffie Kisaragi (voiced by Suzie Yeung in English, Yumi Kakazu in Japanese)

“If I win, you get the honor of serving yours truly!”

A member of Wutai’s elite corps of ninja operatives, Yuffie infiltrates Midgar on a mission to steal the “ultimate materia” from Shinra. Her plan ends in disaster, as she fails to claim the materia and loses her partner Sonon in the struggle. Just as working alone begins to take its toll on her, however, Cloud’s group comes into the picture.

—Weapon: Throwing Star

Using her throwing star and ninja skills, she excels at both long- and close-range combat. Elemental ninjutsu allows her to exploit enemies’ weaknesses without relying on spells. She also keeps opponents on their toes with a variety of aerial attacks and tricky techniques.

Cait Sith (voiced by Paul Tinto in English, Hideo Ishikawa in Japanese)

“Alright, everyone! By popular request: a fortune or two to steer you true!”

A wisecracking, feline-shaped robot often seen poised atop his big moogle pal. One of the Gold Saucer’s most popular mascots, he is well loved for his fortune telling—a service he also offers to Cloud and friends. His adorable appearance also belies access to a surprising amount of insider intel on Shinra.

Sephiroth (voiced by Tyler Hoechlin in English, Toshiyuki Morikawa in Japanese)

“Don’t be afraid. It’s not death—it’s a homecoming.”

A former SOLDIER: 1st class of legendary renown, he is said to have died in the line of duty in Nibelheim five years ago. This is proven untrue when he appears at the Shinra Building and absconds with a research specimen known as “Jenova.” He now toys with Cloud at every opportunity, seeking to change the course of destiny and rule the planet.

Zack Fair (voiced by Caleb Piece in English, Kenichi Suzumura in Japanese)

“I dunno—hopes? Dreams, maybe? Something like that! So long as we’ve got those—and hold on tight and never let go.”

Zack may have worked with Sephiroth as a SOLDIER: 1st class, but he trained under a different operator, and it is from this man that he both learned to take pride in his work and received his iconic buster sword. After a grueling battle in which he overcomes the odds and cheats death, Zack returns to Midgar—where he hopes to see his love Aerith—with a mako-poisoned Cloud in tow.

■ System

The Evolved World of Final Fantasy VII

In this game, players can freely roam across lush grasslands and rugged wildernesses, all while enjoying a wide variety of quests and mini-games. Face off against the threats that await you by teaming up with your comrades and unleashing powerful new synergy abilities.

Combat

Action and strategy combine in thrilling combat, now made even more exciting thanks to the addition of new team-based abilities.

From flashy, action-packed fights to slower, strategic battles, this game offers ways for players of all persuasions to enjoy combat.

World

The world is divided into several regions, with each one offering different environments to explore and experience. Where you go and how you get there is up to you.

■ Combat: Basic Systems

Fighting

Press [□] to perform a normal attack. Dealing damage will also fill the ATB gauge needed to use abilities and spells.

Commands

Open the command menu with [x] to enter Tactical Mode, which slows down the passage of time. Devise your strategies in the moment or register commands as shortcuts and use them as your intuition deems fit.

Abilities

Equipping weapons and setting materia will grant access to a wide range of abilities. Using these abilities requires you to expend charges from the ATB gauge, which fills as time passes or whenever you deal damage.

Magic

Magic materia can be set in weapons and armor to enable the use of spells such as Fire and Cure. Casting spells consumes both ATB charges as well as MP.

Unique Abilities

Press [△] to activate a character’s unique ability. Some of these abilities do not require ATB, but instead take time to charge.

…And More

■ Combat: Summons

Summons

Setting summoning materia will grant access to the power of the gods. A conjured deity will follow the player’s lead and fight enemies automatically, but you can also instruct them to use special abilities. Before they depart the battlefield, summons will unleash one final attack powerful enough to wipe out any foe.

Odin

A horse-riding swordsman who brandishes an enormous blade known as Zantetsuken. He gallops toward foes and sends them flying with a single, sweeping slash.

Alexander

An enormous, armor-plated weapon that towers over even other summons. No ordinary foe could possibly withstand an assault from its entire arsenal.

■ Combat: New Systems

Synergy Abilities

Powerful attacks in which two characters team up to turn the tide of battle. More abilities will unlock as you increase the party level—a numerical expression of how closely-knit your team is—and deepen the affinity between party members. Fill the synergy gauge by using unique abilities and prepare to unleash a synchronized assault!

Cloud / Sephiroth: “Double Helix”

Sephiroth unleashes an elegant flurry of strikes, and Cloud does his best to follow suit.

Aerith / Cait Sith: “Kitty Cannonade”

Aerith imbues Cait Sith’s moogle with magical energy and unleashes a ranged attack.

Yuffie / Barret: “Ninja Carbine”

More Barret and Yuffie lean into their shared prowess and unleash a ranged attack.

…And More

■ World: Chocobos

Chocobos are the adorable feathered friends of the Final Fantasy series. In this game, once you catch a chocobo in the wild, you can call it at any time in that region, and it will offer you special assistance in traversing its home terrain. You can also customize your chocobo’s equipment to create a steed that’s suited just for you.

Chocobo

Hop aboard your chocobo to explore the world with ease. Try sprinting if you’re in a hurry to reach your next destination.

Mountain Chocobos

Using their mighty talons, these chocobos can climb up and down steep slopes that bear special markings. Even if a destination seems inaccessible by foot, you might be able to get there on chocoback.

Sky Chocobos

These chocobos can take flight from gliding ranges and soar across peaks and valleys. Take to the skies and nothing will stand in your way.

■ World: New Forms of Transportation

In addition to chocobos, this game features many ways to get from one place to another. Take your friends on a buggy ride through the wastelands or do some seaside sightseeing aboard a wheelie… Put these various vehicles to use as you explore the world!

Buggy

The buggy, which can be ridden across sandy terrain, can also drive through shallow water and travel faster than chocobos. Buckle up and take the party on a wild ride through the vast desert.

Wheelie

In the seaside resort of Costa del Sol, you can ride around on a wheelie, a two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle. Tour the town at your own pace, all while taking in the beautiful scenery of this land of eternal summer.

■ World: Minigames

Not only stories and battles, but all kinds of unique elements of fun await players.

Enjoy the numerous minigames available across the game’s world.

G-Bike

The “Spinning Slash,” which uses a large sword to reap enemies, and the super-accelerating “Nitrous Boost” are just a few of the many things you can do in this bike game. Fight off the relentless gun-shooting participants and win the battle that goes beyond just speed.

Chocobo Races

A fierce race to test your chocobo riding skills. Break the balloons that appear along the way to use various techniques. Deepen the bond with your chocobo and aim for first place.

3D Brawler

Manipulate 3D polygons and take on your opponent in a one-on-one match. Avoid your opponent’s attacks and deliver a powerful punch. If you have powerful limit moves that you can unleash by continuing to land hits, victory will surely be yours.

■ Messages from the Development Staff

Yoshinori Kitase, Producer

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been set for release on February 29, 2024. This second installment of the Final Fantasy VII remake project will feature elements from the previous game, as well as greatly enhanced features such as the vast world map to explore and synergy abilities with party members. The story will unfold more dramatically than ever before, with a rapid pace of major twists and turns. We know fans are dying to see one scene in particular…

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can be enjoyed on its own as a standalone adventure, with the party leaving Midgar to explore the wide world beyond. But for those wishing to deepen their understanding of the story, a recap of the previous game will also be provided.

“We hope that both fans and those who have never played Final Fantasy before will enjoy this game.”

Naoki Hamaguchi, Director

“We are finally able to announce the release date to all of you! We have been working tirelessly on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth since the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, and we can’t wait for you to experience our labor of love. In this title, Cloud and his friends, who have fled Midgar, will be setting out on an adventure across an expansive world of untold adventure in pursuit of Sephiroth.

“While the main storyline is bigger and more ambitious than the previous game’s narrative, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth also embraces the concept of ‘free exploration,’ with compelling stories, fun mini-games, powerful monsters and so much more to find throughout the world map. We hope you will explore this world in great detail, as nearly 100 hours of adventure awaits.

“We hope you will take this new Final Fantasy game experience in your own hands to enjoy.”

Tetsuya Nomura, Creative Director

“This is the second title of a trilogy, and covers between the start of the journey outside Midgar to the midpoint of the original Final Fantasy VII. If Final Fantasy VII Remake was an introduction to the world and a preparation for this journey, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth serves as an illustration of the incidents that started the journey, an exploration of the people tied to it, and the journey itself, heading toward its climax. Many elements were carefully selected for this title and because this is a series, we have the unique opportunity to review and incorporate feedback from the previous title, such as by increasing the number of characters. I am sure that the bar for the next work will be raised even higher now that we have included so many spectacular elements in this work, but even so, the entire team continues to work diligently and without compromise on its development.

“There is also the looming question of what fate awaits. Whether you have experienced the original title or will embark on this adventure with fresh eyes, we hope you will face the ending of this work on your own terms.”