#live monitoring software

[simplifysol]

How Live Chat Software Can Increase Sales on Your Website

In today’s fast-paced digital world, customers expect quick responses and seamless communication when they visit your website. Traditional customer support methods, like email and phone calls, are often too slow to meet these expectations. This is where live chat software steps in as a powerful tool to enhance the customer experience and increase sales.

1. Instant Communication for Faster Conversions

Live chat software enables real-time communication between customers and your support team. When a potential customer has a question about a product or service, they can get an instant answer without leaving the website. This immediate interaction helps guide them through the purchase process and reduces the chances of them abandoning their shopping cart.

Unlike email, which might take hours or even days for a response, live chat connects customers with knowledgeable representatives right away. A quick response can often be the difference between closing a sale and losing a potential customer to a competitor.

2. Personalized Customer Experiences

Providing a personalized experience is key to building trust with your customers. Live chat software allows you to track customer behavior on your website, which helps your support team offer tailored suggestions and recommendations. For instance, if a customer has been browsing specific products, the chat agent can proactively offer additional information or discounts related to those products, increasing the chances of a sale.

Moreover, with the integration of conversational AI chatbots, your live chat can operate 24/7. These chatbots can handle common queries, guide users through your website, and provide personalized responses based on customer interactions. This ensures that no lead is left unattended, even outside of business hours.

3. Boosting Sales Through Social Media Monitoring Tools

In addition to improving your website’s engagement, live chat software can work hand-in-hand with social media monitoring tools. By keeping track of what customers are saying about your brand across platforms, you can identify potential leads and offer them assistance in real-time. Integrating live chat software with these tools allows your team to reach out to prospective customers directly, whether they’re asking questions on social media or browsing your website. This seamless communication helps you nurture leads across multiple touchpoints, driving them toward making a purchase.

4. Reducing Cart Abandonment Rates

One of the main reasons for cart abandonment is unanswered questions or concerns. Whether it’s about shipping times, return policies, or product specifications, live chat software helps to address these issues instantly. Having a conversational AI chatbot available can further reduce abandonment by engaging customers who are hesitating at checkout, offering them the reassurance they need to complete the purchase.

Additionally, live chat provides an opportunity to offer special deals or discounts, giving customers a nudge to follow through with their purchase. A quick message like “We noticed you’re about to check out — here’s a 10% discount code!” can make all the difference.

5. Building Customer Trust and Loyalty

A responsive and supportive customer service experience creates a positive impression of your brand. Customers are more likely to return to a website where they’ve received excellent service. Live chat software enables your team to create these meaningful interactions, fostering long-term loyalty.

Integrating live chat with social media monitoring tools further strengthens customer relationships. By engaging with customers both on and off your website, you create a holistic customer experience that keeps them coming back for more.

Conclusion

Incorporating live chat software into your website is more than just offering an extra support channel — it’s a powerful strategy to increase sales. By providing real-time communication, personalized experiences, and 24/7 support through conversational AI chatbots, you can guide customers through their buying journey and address their concerns instantly. When combined with social media monitoring tools, live chat offers a multi-channel approach to nurturing leads and closing sales.

By leveraging these tools, you can reduce cart abandonment, increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately boost your bottom line.

[techdriveplay]

Logitech G Releases Full Version of MIXLINE: A Free and Easy-to-Use Audio Mixing Solution for Gamers and Creators

Logitech G is thrilled to announce the full release of MIXLINE, starting July 16, 2024. This free audio mixing solution is now available for Windows 10 (21H2 or later) and Windows 11 in 22 languages, catering to gamers and creators around the globe. “If you have more than one audio source while streaming, gaming, or even just wearing your headphones, then MIXLINE is for you,” said Daniel Bowen,…

[logistiservices]

Revolutionizing Logistics: The Strategic Integration of BPO Services

In the fast-paced world of logistics, companies are increasingly turning to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services to navigate challenges, streamline operations, and foster sustained growth. This blog explores the how and whys behind the utilization of BPO services in the logistics sector.

Unpacking the Dynamics of Logistics Business Process Outsourcing

1. Enhancing Operational Efficiency

At the core of Logistics Business Process Outsourcing lies a commitment to enhancing operational efficiency. Logistics companies leverage BPO services to streamline intricate processes, from order management to inventory control. This strategic move allows these companies to focus on their core competencies while experts handle the nuances of logistics operations.

2. Optimizing Costs for Scalability

Cost optimization is a driving force behind the adoption of Logistics Business Process Outsourcing. Logistics companies can scale their operations without the burden of significant overhead costs. BPO services offer a cost-effective solution for scalability, allowing businesses to align their resources with the demands of a dynamic market without compromising profitability.

LOGISTICS BACK OFFICE: A Strategic Backbone

1. Efficient Data Management

The LOGISTICS BACK OFFICE becomes a strategic backbone for logistics companies, especially in terms of efficient data management. BPO services specialize in handling vast amounts of data, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely reporting. This data-centric approach empowers logistics companies with actionable insights for informed decision-making.

2. Navigating Regulatory Compliance

Logistics Back Office Services play a pivotal role in navigating the complex web of regulatory compliance. From customs documentation to adherence to international shipping standards, BPO services ensure that logistics companies operate within the bounds of regulations. This meticulous approach minimizes risks and positions businesses for global success.

The Strategic Integration of Logistics Back Office Services

1. Harnessing Technological Advancements

The utilization of Logistics Back Office Services is synonymous with harnessing technological advancements. BPO providers leverage state-of-the-art technologies, including automation and analytics, to optimize logistics processes. This tech-savvy integration ensures precision, speed, and adaptability in the face of evolving market demands.

2. Strategic Focus on Core Competencies

The strategic integration of Logistics Back Office Services allows logistics companies to maintain a laser focus on core competencies. Whether it's refining supply chain strategies, optimizing transportation routes, or enhancing customer experiences, BPO services become the operational backbone that handles non-core functions with unparalleled expertise.

Conclusion: Redefining Logistics Excellence

In conclusion, Logistics Business Process Outsourcing, especially through the utilization of LOGISTICS BACK OFFICE Services, emerges as a transformative strategy for logistics companies. By enhancing efficiency, optimizing costs, and strategically integrating back-office support, businesses redefine logistics excellence in a competitive landscape.

As logistics companies embrace the symbiotic relationship with BPO services, they not only navigate operational challenges but also position themselves as agile, tech-driven, and poised for sustained growth. The strategic integration of Logistics Back Office Services is not merely a trend; it's a paradigm shift that propels logistics companies toward a future defined by operational excellence and global competitiveness.

[witherby]

imagine how cute would be if Bruce brings the little wayne to his work on wayne tower 🥺 the moment would be ruined if some paparazzi taking photos with flash and scaring the baby

Sooo the baby didn't end up getting scared, but this idea did make me spit out 2000 words worth of content. I hope that's a fair compromise :3

THE LITTLEST WAYNE: TAKE YOUR KID TO WORK DAY

Featuring: Bruce talking to you like a colleague, a newspaper article, and an overprotective Damian.

"Morning, Clarice. Donuts and coffee are getting delivered in five minutes if you wanna pop downstairs and help yourself. Afterwards, do me a favor and rebook the consultation with Lexcorp for sometime next month? The further out the better."

Bruce's secretary nodded, fingers flying across the keys to accommodate his request. She tucked a lock of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and shot him a polite smile.

"Of course, mister Wayne — oh, goodness gracious."

Bruce's placid expression quickly became embarrassed. He tried to walk past her but she was already on her feet and rounding the desk, heels clicking over the linoleum floor to stand in front of him and the bundle on his arm.

"Who is this!" She cried, immediately fawning over you. You stared blankly at her as you suckled on your binky, wrapped up in a tiny Nightwing onesie (Dick got to the clothes first this morning) and hugging your father's arm. "Oh, my, you're the most adorable baby I've ever seen! I'm Clarice! I'm your father's personal secretary, and apparently the last person to find out anything, including when he adopted yet another child!"

"This wasn't a...planned acquisition," Bruce muttered, the tips of his ears pink. He let the blonde gently squish your fat cheeks and you preened under the attention, lifting one fuzzy-wrapped hand to brush against her wrist.

"A planned acquisition. Like you're another company he bought on a whim and not a precious angel," Clarice giggled. "What a doll... If you ever need a babysitter, Mister Wayne, please don't hesitate to call me!"

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, exasperated but smiling good-naturedly. "Have a great day, Clarice."

"You, too! Bye-bye, angel!" She waved, and squealed when you waved back.

Bruce disappeared into his office with you, bouncing you gently on one arm while the other shrugged off the duffel bag he carried with him. Zipping it open, he quickly tugged out a pop-up bassinet to place you in, then the pieces to an enclosed play pen he built and filled with some blankets, a couple toys, and an extra Red Robin binky (Tim got to the toys first this morning).

"Okay," he sighed, scooping you up and relocating you to the pen. "I've actually got to run my own company for a bit, and the others are busy, so you get to hang out with me today."

Bruce rested his arm on his desk, then his chin in his hand, and stared down at you. You were staring intently back at him, the binky bopping up and down as you suckled on it.

"You're a little young to learn the ropes, but I'll explain what I'm doing anyway. Every baby book I've looked at tells me you get something out of it even if you don't understand what I'm saying, so today it's time to do payroll. I'd make you sign an NDA, because you're about to see a lot of personal files, but you don't know how to hold a pencil, read, write, or speak yet, so I think we're fine."

Bruce had two monitors on his desk. He duplicated his screen and spun the other one around so you could watch what he was doing in real time.

"I don't like to delegate this task to other people because the last six times I did, they were eventually found embezzling money. Unfortunately, that tends to happen when you live in Gotham. Right now I've opened the pay software — it's this icon here, where the mouse is circling — and I'm going to ask it to open the time sheets for the last two weeks..."

---

A NEW FAMILY MEMBER? BRUCE WAYNE SPOTTED IN WAYNE TOWER WITH INFANT, SPECULATION GROWING

CEO of Wayne Enterprises Bruce Wayne seen with a baby after exiting his office this afternoon!

[An image of you in your Nightwing onesie, tucked securely in a smiling Bruce's arms as he walks out of an elevator, is printed on the front page of the Gotham Gazette.]

Sources say Wayne filed another adoption form with the courts a week ago and is being met with mixed reviews. Large portions of the public are joking that Wayne has an "adoption problem" while others speculate he is too inexperienced to foster an infant.

"Wasn't his youngest kid, like, 9 when he adopted him?" Asks one Carmine Falconi, recently released from Blackgate on good behavior. "None o' my business, of course, but I don't think he knows how to raise a tiny tot like that. My guys ain't touchin' a hair on that one's head, though. Kidnapping the odd teen or two, sure, go nuts, but even us crooks got codes, and that one's off-limits in my book."

Wayne declined to comment when the Gotham Gazette reached out and remaining family have further refused interviews about the subject.

(Alfred got to the phone first.)

---

The newspaper clipping was already framed and proudly sitting on the dining room table when Bruce woke up the next morning and shuffled downstairs for breakfast with you in his arms. He spared it a tired glance, put you in your high chair, and relented to Damian's insistent shoving so the boy could sit next to and feed you (he got to the pantry first).

"The next time you plan on actually doing your day job," the boy hissed, "bring one of us with you. There was an abysmal amount of security protocols you ignored when leaving work to allow paparazzi the chance to grab photos. I won't let your frivolous behavior cause them harm."

"Are you volunteering?" Bruce asked, gratefully accepting the mug of coffee Alfred handed over. He quietly greeted Dick and Jason as they filed into the room and had a quick rock-paper-scissors match to see who got to sit on your other side. Jason won. "Any networking events I have to attend, you almost always find a way to weasel out of."

"If it will keep our new charge safe," Damian huffed, "I can handle a few stupid luncheons."

"That's not a pass to skip school. If it's between a social or a class, you're going to class."

Damian looked simultaneously pissed and relieved. His fist clenched tightly around the small, silicone spoon, before he forced himself to relax and continue feeding you. You opened your mouth obediently for another offering of mushed-up bananas, apples, and cinnamon baby food from a high quality brand, giving a happy hum.

"Then the duty falls to one of you fools," he snapped at Jason and Dick, "which is akin to trusting a mosquito not to drink from you at the first possible opportunity. You'll pick up the slack when I'm otherwise indisposed."

"No can do, baby bat," Dick said, pouring himself a bowl of cereal and scrolling through his phone. He quickly snapped a picture of you with your mouth open to accept another spoonful of food. "I have a day job, too. I don't even live here. I'm just on an extended vacation until the end of next week, then it's back to Blüdhaven."

Damian focused his glare on Jason next, who smirked back and shook his head.

"Legally dead. So, 'less you want Brucie Wayne and an innocent baby seen all around town with Red Hood, the crime lord, it's a no from me."

Damian weighed the pros and cons. Bruce shot him a look and shook his head, dismissing the idea entirely.

The boy grit his teeth. He scraped the last of the baby food from its jar and fed it to you, then delicately wiped the remnants from your mouth. You gummed at his finger and made grabby hands, indicating your desire to get out of the high chair. Jason scooped you up first with a swift call of "dibs!", carrying you away to get bathed and dressed for the day.

"Then...then you have to go into work with Timothy!" Damian demanded, facing Bruce again, who had finished his coffee by now and was eating a slice of buttered toast. The man raised a brow, looking only marginally more awake than he was at the start of the day.

"Tim hates being at the office with me," Bruce explained as Alfred came around to set a plate of pancakes, eggs, and freshly-squeezed orange juice in front of Damian. "Says the Brucie act is annoying to be around and it drives productivity down at least 8% every time. It's a lie, I've checked the numbers, but if he doesn't want to be at the Tower at the same time as me then I'm not going to push a non-issue."

"You?" said Damian, incredulous. "You aren't going to push a non-issue? You push everything. It may as well be your middle name."

He cut into his food with more force than necessary, cutlery scraping unpleasantly against the plate until he lifted his hands again. He shrugged off the hand Bruce tried to place on his shoulder, chewing angrily on a mouthful of pancake.

"I'm open to ideas, son," the man said, "but here are the facts: You have to go to school Monday through Friday. I won't let you homeschool because you need to socialize with people in your age group. Jason isn't interested in declaring himself alive right now. Dick doesn't live at the Manor full time and has separate responsibilities. Tim is juggling college, Wayne Enterprises, and patrols. Alfred is too ol— is aging gracefully, and might prefer to have more time to himself instead of watching the baby all alone for hours on end."

Alfred took Bruce's empty plate away with a very sharp look, then excused himself back to the kitchen.

Bruce turned in his chair to fully face Damian, who glared at his breakfast like it personally caused this mess, and not one hyper-empathetic man and his bleeding heart for orphans.

"Now, can you tell me how best to solve this problem without the occasional "take your kid to work day," or enrolling the baby in a daycare program?"

Yes, he could. But unfortunately for Damian, he had inherited a bleeding heart of his own, which constricted at the thought of giving his little sibling back up for adoption. Instead, he swallowed his next mouthful of food and sighed.

"More research is needed," he mumbled, which was the closest he could ever get to admitting he didn't know something. "However, my complaints still stand. Let the paparazzi get a bad photo if it means keeping the babe safe. Their well-being is your top priority, so act like it."

"Heard," Bruce said, sounding far too fond for Damian's liking. "Finish your breakfast and then get ready for school."

The boy grumbled but complied, and soon stood next to the door waiting for Alfred to pull a car up to the driveway. He watched Bruce carry you in his arms after he slung the duffel bag with your essentials over his shoulder, tugging the small hood of your red oneside up (Jason dressed you first today) over your head to ensure you didn't get cold.

"Have a good day, Damian," Bruce told him.

"Sure, whatever." Damian took you from his father and adjusted your hood himself. You grabbed his finger in your small fist with all the strength you could muster and tried to put it in your mouth. He gently pried it free, and Bruce popped a Batman binky in there instead. "You will be safe today. When I'm finished conforming to what American society deems a proper education, I will retrieve you myself."

Your binky bopped up and down as you suckled on it, staring silently at Damian. It was practically a yes to him, so he took it.

Glancing briefly at his father, he hesitated a moment, then kissed your forehead and quickly passed you back to Bruce before heading outside to let Alfred drive him to school.

Bruce watched him go with an unreadable expression. He quickly turned and faced Dick once Damian was out of earshot.

"Did you —"

"I'm texting you the picture right now," Dick said, thumbs flying across the keyboard. "What should the caption be for my Twitter post? #BestBrotherEver or #SecretSofty?"

"Either way, he's going to kick your ass."

[mythalism]

i know everyone is really excited for the oblivion remake because i was too. oblivion was the first real video game i ever played when i was a kid, and is literally the reason i am a gamer today, but BDS has called for a microsoft boycott, and that includes anything made by bethesda.

this isn't just a "oh they have some obscure business partnerships in isr*el" or "oh they donate to this or that lobby" sort of boycott either, although those are important too. my tone is not meant to be flippant about them, but rather i want to emphasize the gravity of how microsoft directly and deliberately contributes to the palestinian death toll daily, in a way that is uniquely cruel and complicit.

microsoft has had a $35 million dollar contract with the isr*eli military since 2002. they provide cloud storage for surveillance data of gazan civillians, and an artificial intelligence program called a "mass assassination factory" to assist in planning and targeting their attacks, many of which are on civilians or involve mass civilian casualties.

microsoft's service agreements with the isr*eli military also includes the CPU responsible for the military's tech infrastructure, military intelligence units that develop spy technology used against palestinians and lebanese, the maintenance of the palestinian population registry that tracks and (illegally) limits the movement of palestinains in the west bank and gaza, their air force targeting database, and much more. they work closely with isr*eli military intelligence agencies on surveillance systems used to monitor palestians, provide specialized consulting, technical and engineering support, hosts training software for the IOF, provide financial support to organizations based in the illegally occupied west bank, and have repeatedly invested in isr*eli start ups specializing in war technology.

in 2020, internal and external pressure forced microsoft to pull out of its 74 million dollar investment in an isr*eli company that violated international law due to its use of facial recognition technology for military surveillance.

in 2021, microsoft signed a new, 3-year contract with the isr*eli ministry of defense worth $133 million dollars. the isr*eli military is microsoft's second largest military customer. the first? the united states.

you can read more (w/ sources) about microsoft's complicity here.

BDS asks us to boycott microsoft products whenever possible.

microsoft is directly complicit in countless isr*eli war crimes, and the money you provide them will further proliferate this violence. i know the oblivion remake was exciting, but please, consider the lives of palestinians above your own nostalgia. no one is free until everyone is free.

[prettydaisygirl]

Can I ask for a streamer!James that asks the reader to join a stream with him? Maybe he's teaching the reader how to play a game.

I am obsessed with all your writing but mainly streamer James

Hi, nonnie! Thank you so much for your request! I had a lot of fun with this one! I am sooooo in love with streamer!James, and I def want to keep expanding the streamer!marauders stuff, maybe even eventually including the girls?? I imagine they have their own little streaming house lol. Hope you enjoy!!

streamer!James Potter x fem!superfan!reader who joins James on his live-stream ✿ 1.6k words

cw: NSFW 18+, fem reader, marauders as live-streamers, dry humping, fingering, watching it on camera, reader is on James' stream, reader is bad at video games

james potter masterlist

°˖✧✿✧˖°

previous part | next part

The backseat of the uber is supposed to be spacious, James has the money to make sure he gets the safest and most comfortable rides. And the car that you’re in is very roomy and comfortable, that isn’t the problem at all.

The problem is James. And, well, you really can’t even call it a problem.

James is wrapped around you, your thigh atop his after he guided it there, his arms wrapped around your middle as his nose nuzzles the skin of your neck. The uber driver eyes the two of you and even as your cheeks flame, you still aren’t as embarrassed as you were when James greeted you at the airport, screaming your name so loud the whole floor went silent and then he pretty much tackled you. You’d be mortified if you weren’t so in love.

He refuses to let you carry your bags when you get to his flat, and you barely even manage to say hello to the other marauders before James is dragging you into his bedroom. He kicks the door shut with his foot behind him, muffling the whooping and hollering of his best friends. His lips are on yours and you giggle into the kiss as he gathers you into his arms.

“Shit, angel,” He whispers before taking your bottom lip between his own and sucking it gently, making you moan. He lets go of your lip, whispering again, “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

He buries his face into your neck and hugs you tight, arms around your middle and hands sprawled across your back. The scent of his body wash lingers, musky and sweet, and you slide one hand up to tangle in his curls, fingers gripped around the dark, unruly strands. Your body fits perfectly against his, your heartbeats in sync as James just holds you for a while. 

When he pulls back, his eyes are so soft and full of love you find yourself melting. “Love you,” You mumble, pressing your nose into his shoulder as you feel your cheeks warm from his attention.

“I love you too,” James says, pressing a gentle kiss to your crown before he pulls back from the embrace, one hand moving to rest against your hip. He gestures toward his desk with the other. 

“Here’s where the magic happens,” He tells you, and you gape a bit as you take it all in. You let yourself look around his bedroom, seeing the background from his stream in real life. It has you feeling lighter than air, and you giggle as you practically pounce onto James again, pressing your lips to his. 

James steadies you easily, and he giggles into the kiss for a bit before pulling away, cupping your face in his hands. “Come on, love. I have to show you how the controller works before stream starts.”

He guides you over to his desk, hand still on your hip. He plops down onto his gaming chair, legs spread gently, and places you on top of his lap. You find your heart beating wildly out of your chest.

James has one arm wrapped around you, hand sprawled on your stomach under your shirt. His thumb brushes the skin there gently as his other hand clicks around on the computer, your eyes not able to follow the quick movements as things change. He pulls up his streaming software, and there you are. James pulls up the screen with no game visible, just the two of you filling up the monitor. You must have a strange look on your face that James sees in the camera and he turns his head, nuzzling his nose against your temple.

“Hmm?” The noise is a simple question, his lips brushing over your ear. You watch his movements on the monitor, every single part captured by his camera and reflected back to you. You try not to squirm but it is becoming increasingly more difficult as heat pools in your lower belly. 

“I just…” You tense when his tongue barely brushes the shell of your ear, and you can practically feel him smirking, “I’ve thought about this a lot.”

Your eyes meet in the monitor, and a slow smirk spreads over James’ face. He leans back a bit, tilting his head for a moment as though he is thinking about something. You watch his eyelids narrow as they meet yours in the reflection. 

“When you’re touching yourself?” James asks, and you can see him move in the monitor as you feel his hand begin to slide down your front. His long, thick fingers begin to rub gentle circles over the fabric there, just barely any friction and clearly not nearly enough.

“Yeah,” You admit softly with a short nod, leaning your head against his. Your hips rock against his touch, seeking more, and he lets out a soft grunt in your ear. Both of you watch as he stops his movement, hands finding their way to your hips again. He guides you against his lap, your eyelids fluttering at the pressure against your clit when you rub on his bulge, even through all of the layers of fabric. “Usually while I was watching.”

The sound James makes has your head spinning and you reach down to grip the fabric of his sweatpants. He speeds up the pace of your rocking, beginning to slowly thrust his own hips up into yours.

“You touched yourself while you watched me play?” He asks breathlessly, and one of his hands goes under your pants and your underwear to play directly with your folds. Your toes curl and your mouth parts in pleasure. When you don’t answer, he chuckles and nudges at you with his nose again. “You hear me, lovely?”

“Y-Yeah,” Your voice is strained and you swallow thickly, the heat quickly building in your abdomen with each roll of your hips and circle of his fingers. You get distracted again when he gently pushes his middle finger inside of you, and he smirks knowingly. 

“C’mon, lovie, a bit louder for the camera,” James encourages soothingly into your ear and something about it makes everything light up like fire. You whine loudly, and James laughs, sure his roommates could hear but not caring. He always finds ways to embarrass you, and you hate that you love it, especially right now. 

His thumb plays with your clit as he curls his finger inside you, gentle movements that have your nerve endings alight. You end up gripping the arms of the gaming chair, your legs opening a little wider. You can see the way his hand moves under your pants in the monitor, the way your body shudders and his hips buck slightly. 

The pressure snaps when his finger curls again and you cum, shuddering, and James watches the entire thing on his screen. When your ears stop ringing and you can finally open your eyes again, you see his expression. He’s smug, practically beaming with pride. 

His hand slides out of your panties and he switches back to the game screen. Less of both of you is visible in this one, just from the chest up. 

James keeps you on his lap, reaching down to grab a set of headphones he bought in your favorite color and placing them on your head before his own. He sets up a controller for you, also in your favorite color, and turns on all of his lights for stream. You watch, heart pounding excitedly. You can’t believe you’re going to be on live with him, it’s like a dream come true.

He shows you what each button does, and how the joysticks work on the controller. You feel a bit overwhelmed, especially when his alarm goes off to signal the start of stream and you still don’t know what X does.

He keeps you on his lap as he moves to start stream, bulge still evident beneath you. You try not to focus on it as you watch his stream starting soon screen begin.

Stream Title: teaching my gf to play minecraft (impossible)

Prongs: Hello, hi chat! Welcome in, everyone! As you can see from the title of today’s stream, I am showing my wonderful girlfriend, yourusername, how to play minecraft. Baby, is this your first time playing minecraft? Or any video game?

You: Yeah, I have never even held a controller like this before. I used to play games on the wii, though.

This makes James laugh loudly, and his chat seems excited to watch you play. It’s immediately evident that you are really bad, given your lack of past experience with video games other than Just Dance and Wii Sports. It makes for hilarious content, with 75% of it being James laughing while you struggle helplessly.

Prongs: Angel, you have to punch the tree

You: Punch it? Why would I punch a tree? That would hurt!

Prongs: Okay, that’s a zombie, baby. Hit it with your sword.

You: AHHH! HELP! Do I have a sword? Dies

You don’t make much progress in the game throughout the stream, but everyone has fun, including James’ chat. They make sure to say how much they love you and want you on his stream. Some even suggest you start your own channel. James presses a long kiss to your lips for the fan edits before he ends the stream with a click. 

The streaming software doesn’t close for a long time after that, though.

°˖✧✿✧˖°

© prettydaisygirl

[nasa]

LaRue Burbank, mathematician and computer, is just one of the many women who were instrumental to NASA missions.

4 Little Known Women Who Made Huge Contributions to NASA

Women have always played a significant role at NASA and its predecessor NACA, although for much of the agency’s history, they received neither the praise nor recognition that their contributions deserved. To celebrate Women’s History Month – and properly highlight some of the little-known women-led accomplishments of NASA’s early history – our archivists gathered the stories of four women whose work was critical to NASA’s success and paved the way for future generations.

LaRue Burbank: One of the Women Who Helped Land a Man on the Moon

LaRue Burbank was a trailblazing mathematician at NASA. Hired in 1954 at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory (now NASA’s Langley Research Center), she, like many other young women at NACA, the predecessor to NASA, had a bachelor's degree in mathematics. But unlike most, she also had a physics degree. For the next four years, she worked as a "human computer," conducting complex data analyses for engineers using calculators, slide rules, and other instruments. After NASA's founding, she continued this vital work for Project Mercury.

In 1962, she transferred to the newly established Manned Spacecraft Center (now NASA’s Johnson Space Center) in Houston, becoming one of the few female professionals and managers there.  Her expertise in electronics engineering led her to develop critical display systems used by flight controllers in Mission Control to monitor spacecraft during missions.��Her work on the Apollo missions was vital to achieving President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon.

Eilene Galloway: How NASA became… NASA

Eilene Galloway wasn't a NASA employee, but she played a huge role in its very creation. In 1957, after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, Senator Richard Russell Jr. called on Galloway, an expert on the Atomic Energy Act, to write a report on the U.S. response to the space race. Initially, legislators aimed to essentially re-write the Atomic Energy Act to handle the U.S. space goals. However, Galloway argued that the existing military framework wouldn't suffice – a new agency was needed to oversee both military and civilian aspects of space exploration. This included not just defense, but also meteorology, communications, and international cooperation.

Her work on the National Aeronautics and Space Act ensured NASA had the power to accomplish all these goals, without limitations from the Department of Defense or restrictions on international agreements. Galloway is even to thank for the name "National Aeronautics and Space Administration", as initially NASA was to be called “National Aeronautics and Space Agency” which was deemed to not carry enough weight and status for the wide-ranging role that NASA was to fill.

Barbara Scott: The “Star Trek Nerd” Who Led Our Understanding of the Stars

A self-described "Star Trek nerd," Barbara Scott's passion for space wasn't steered toward engineering by her guidance counselor. But that didn't stop her!  Fueled by her love of math and computer science, she landed at Goddard Spaceflight Center in 1977.  One of the first women working on flight software, Barbara's coding skills became instrumental on missions like the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and the Thermal Canister Experiment on the Space Shuttle's STS-3.  For the final decade of her impressive career, Scott managed the flight software for the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, a testament to her dedication to space exploration.

Dr. Claire Parkinson: An Early Pioneer in Climate Science Whose Work is Still Saving Lives

Dr. Claire Parkinson's love of math blossomed into a passion for climate science. Inspired by the Moon landing, and the fight for civil rights, she pursued a graduate degree in climatology.  In 1978, her talents landed her at Goddard, where she continued her research on sea ice modeling. But Parkinson's impact goes beyond theory.  She began analyzing satellite data, leading to a groundbreaking discovery: a decline in Arctic sea ice coverage between 1973 and 1987. This critical finding caught the attention of Senator Al Gore, highlighting the urgency of climate change.

Parkinson's leadership extended beyond research.  As Project Scientist for the Aqua satellite, she championed making its data freely available. This real-time information has benefitted countless projects, from wildfire management to weather forecasting, even aiding in monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Parkinson's dedication to understanding sea ice patterns and the impact of climate change continues to be a valuable resource for our planet.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space! 

[kirinblueko]

I've debated for a couple of days about whether to say something because I don't want to be overly political on here, a place where I can just enjoy the things I love. However, I feel like this is a topic on which I have a pretty personal view on, so here I am.

A disclaimer, I want to make clear that I am not pointing fingers or anything. I just want to put my thoughts out there so people can perhaps see a different perspective. English is not my native language (obviously). I tried to make myself clear and be courteous, but sometimes my language skill fails me, so please be gentle and know I do not wish to offend anyone.

It's about people flocking to red note as a reaction toward the tiktok ban. I am happy for people who had their first genuine interaction with people behind the Chinese fire wall, it's always beautiful when people from different culture communicate and learn from each other. Hell that's the reason why I am on this website. But I also can't help feeling sick with concern at how people disregard information warfare and missed the point that the problem has never been the Chinese people but the CCP government.

I am a Taiwanese. If you know anything about Taiwan and China's complicated history, you can probably imagine I have FEELINGS toward China. It's strong, and it's NEGATIVE. (I am not trying to represent all Taiwanese. This is just my own feelings.) I am relatively young, but even in my limited time alive, I've personally witnessed how the Chinese government bullied and oppressed my country. There are active attacks toward us, and it has been for years, just not YET in the traditional military sense. The information warfare is as real as ever and we, in Taiwan, don't have the defense of the language barrier. China spent an unimaginable amount of money every year on information warfare against Taiwan. Spreading misinformation and propaganda, buying out internet accounts and influencers. Planting agents. Anything you can and can't imagine. They are smart and cunning.

There is no such thing as a private company in China. Look up what happened to Ma Yun. If the country wants to, they can take anything from you, even the company you founded. The CCP government can and WILL monitor and control the discussion happening on any social software/application that's run by a Chinese company. They WILL manipulate the algorithm for propaganda. That is not an empty threat. They literally built a firewall around China so Chinese people can't access the internet freely. You treat them with humanity and courtesy doesn't mean that you will get the same treatment from them. CCP does not abide by your law. We all want to live in an idealistic world where people are kind and honesty is the default. I want to live in that world, too. But reality is cruel and playing dirty will get you far ahead of people playing by the rules.

I wish people in the US (and any other country that do not have to worry about being invaded, really) can realize how privilege it is to be a citizen of a wealthy and stable country that never have to worry about losing your identity just because your huge and rich neighbor says you belong to them. How privilege it is to be able to think China is not a threat, the government overreacted. I envy them. I envy their confidence in their country's future, that it won't disappear when they wake up the next day. I envy that they can still count on international society recognizing them as citizens of a independent country without hesitation and reserve.

I will never use TikTok (not even the US version) and RedNote. I will not install anything that I know has any relation to Chinese companies. Because I am worried for myself, for my family, and for my country. It's the least I can do as a defense as a single, insignificant Taiwanese. Seeing people jumping in voluntarily, giving CCP access to your personal information, makes me extremely anxious. I sincerely hope that there won't come a day when this decision backfires.

[simplifysol]

Boosting Customer Engagement with Social Media Listening Tools

In today’s fast-paced digital world, customer engagement is critical to the success of any business. With the rise of social media platforms, customers are more vocal about their experiences, expectations, and preferences. To stay ahead of the competition, businesses need to actively listen to what their customers are saying. This is where social media listening tools come into play. These tools allow businesses to monitor, analyze, and respond to customer conversations in real-time, leading to improved customer engagement and satisfaction.

What Are Social Media Listening Tools?

Social media listening tools are advanced platforms that help businesses track mentions of their brand, competitors, industry keywords, and trends across various social media channels. Unlike social media monitoring tools that primarily focus on tracking metrics like likes, shares, and comments, social media listening tools dive deeper into analyzing customer sentiments, identifying patterns, and extracting actionable insights.

For instance, a business can use these tools to identify a recurring complaint among its customers and address it proactively. By responding to customers' concerns in real-time, businesses can enhance their reputation and foster a stronger connection with their audience.

How Social Media Listening Tools Boost Customer Engagement

Understanding Customer Sentiment Social media listening tools allow businesses to gauge the overall sentiment of their brand in the market. By analyzing positive, negative, and neutral mentions, companies can understand how customers feel about their products or services. This insight is invaluable for crafting personalized responses that resonate with customers, thereby improving engagement.

Identifying Trends and Preferences Social media is a goldmine of customer opinions and preferences. By analyzing the data collected through social media listening tools, businesses can identify emerging trends and adapt their strategies accordingly. This proactive approach not only helps in meeting customer expectations but also positions the brand as a leader in the industry.

Enhancing Customer Support Social media platforms are increasingly being used as customer support channels. Integrating live chat software with social media listening tools can significantly enhance the customer support experience. Businesses can quickly identify customer queries and resolve them through live chat, leading to quicker resolution times and higher customer satisfaction.

Utilizing AI Chatbots for Business The integration of AI chatbots with social media listening tools is revolutionizing the way businesses interact with their customers. AI chatbots for business can be programmed to automatically respond to common customer queries, provide recommendations, and even guide users through complex processes. This automation not only saves time but also ensures that customers receive timely and accurate responses, boosting engagement.

The Role of Live Chat Software in Customer Engagement

Live chat software has become an essential tool for businesses looking to engage with their customers in real-time. When combined with social media listening tools, live chat software allows businesses to respond instantly to customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback. This instant communication builds trust and shows customers that their concerns are being taken seriously.

Moreover, live chat software can be integrated with AI chatbots for business to provide a seamless customer experience. AI chatbots can handle basic queries and direct more complex issues to human agents, ensuring that customers receive the best possible service at all times.

Conclusion

In the digital age, customer engagement is no longer a one-way street. Businesses must actively listen to their customers and respond to their needs in real-time. Social media listening tools, combined with live chat software and AI chatbots for business, offer a powerful solution for boosting customer engagement. By leveraging these tools, businesses can not only improve their customer relationships but also gain a competitive edge in the market.

Embracing the power of social media listening tools is no longer an option but a necessity for businesses aiming to stay relevant and thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 18: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Commodore 64🎄💾🗓️

The Commodore 64, released in 1982, is one of the ones we keep hearing got many people their start in their own computing history. Powered by a MOS Technology 6510 processor at 1.02 MHz and featuring 64 KB of RAM, it became the best-selling single computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5–17 million units sold. Its graphics were driven by the VIC-II chip, capable of 16 colors, hardware sprites, and smooth scrolling, while the SID (Sound Interface Device) chip delivered advanced audio, supporting three voices with waveforms and filters, making it a lot of fun for gaming and music.

Featured a built-in BASIC interpreter, allowing users to write their own programs out-of-the-box. The C64’s affordability, large software library, lots of games, productivity, and educational applications made it a household name. It connected to TVs as monitors and supported peripherals like the 1541 floppy disk drive, datasette, and various joysticks. With over 10,000 commercial software titles and a thriving homebrew scene, the C64 helped define a generation of computer enthusiasts.

Its impact on gaming was gigantic, iconic titles like The Last Ninja, Maniac Mansion, and Impossible Mission. The C64 also inspired a demoscene, where programmers pushed its hardware for visual and audio effects. The Commodore 64 remains a symbol of computing for the masses and creative innovation, still loved by retrocomputing fans today.

Check out the National Museum of American History, and Wikipedia. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_334636 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

And…! An excellent story from Jepler -

== While I started on the VIC 20, the Commodore 64 was my computer for a lot longer. Its SID sound chip was a headline feature, and many of my memories of it center around music. Starting with Ultima III, each game in the series had a different soundtrack for each environment (though each one was on a pretty short loop, it probably drove my folks nuts when I would play for hours). There were music editors floating around, so I tried my hand at arranging music for its 3 independent voices, though I can't say I was any good or that I have any of the music now. You could also download "SID tunes" on the local BBSes, where people with hopefully a bit more skill had arranged everything from classical to Beatles to 80s music.

Folks are still creating cool new music on the Commodore 64. One current creator that I like a great deal is Linus Åkesson. Two videos from 2024 using the Commodore 64 that really impressed me were were a "Making 8-bit Music From Scratch at the Commodore 64 BASIC Prompt", a live coding session (http://www.linusakesson.net/programming/music-from-scratch/index.php) and Bach Forever (http://www.linusakesson.net/scene/bach-forever/index.php) a piece played by Åkesson on two Commodore 64s.

Like so many things, you can also recreate the experience online. Here's the overworld music for Ultima III: https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/A/Arnold_Kenneth/Ultima_III-Exodus.sid&subtune=1 -- the site has hundreds or thousands of other SIDs available to play right in the browser.

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[leftistfeminista]

Trolls Used Her Face to Make Fake Porn. There Was Nothing She Could Do.

Sabrina Javellana was a rising star in local politics — until deepfakes derailed her life.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/31/magazine/sabrina-javellana-florida-politics-ai-porn.html

Most mornings, before walking into City Hall in Hallandale Beach, Fla., a small city north of Miami, Sabrina Javellana would sit in the parking lot and monitor her Twitter and Instagram accounts. After winning a seat on the Hallandale Beach city commission in 2018, at age 21, she became one of the youngest elected officials in Florida’s history. Her progressive political positions had sometimes earned her enemies: After proposing a name change for a state thoroughfare called Dixie Highway in late 2019, she regularly received vitriolic and violent threats on social media; her condemnation of police brutality and calls for criminal-justice reform prompted aggressive rhetoric from members of local law enforcement. Disturbing messages were nothing new to her.

The morning of Feb. 5, 2021, though, she noticed an unusual one. “Hi, just wanted to let you know that somebody is sharing pictures of you online and discussing you in quite a grotesque manner,” it began. “He claims that he’s one of your ‘guy friends.’”

Javellana froze. Who could have sent this message? She asked for evidence, and the sender responded with pixelated screenshots of a forum thread that included photos of her. There were comments that mentioned her political career. Had her work drawn these people’s ire? Eventually, with a friend’s help, she found a set of archived pages from the notorious forum site 4chan. Most of the images were pulled from her social media and annotated with obscene, misogynistic remarks: “not thicc enough”; “I would breed her”; “no sane person would date such a stupid creature.” But one image further down the thread stopped her short. She was standing in front of a full-length mirror with her head tilted to the side, smiling playfully. She had posted an almost identical selfie, in which she wore a brown crew-neck top and matching skirt, to her Instagram account back in 2015. “It was the exact same picture,” Javellana said of the doctored image. “But I wasn’t wearing any clothes.”

There were several more. These were deepfakes: A.I.-generated images that manipulate a person’s likeness, fusing it with others to create a false picture or video, sometimes pornographic, in a way that looks authentic. Although fake explicit material has existed for decades thanks to image-editing software, deepfakes stand out for their striking believability. Even Javellana was shaken by their apparent authenticity.

“I didn’t know that this was something that happened to everyday people,” Javellana told me when I visited her earlier this year in Florida. She wondered if anyone else had seen the photos or the abusive comments online. Several of the threads even implied that people on the forum knew her. “I live in Broward County,” one comment read. “She just graduated from FIU.” Other users threatened sexual violence. In the days that followed, Javellana became increasingly fearful and paranoid. She stopped walking alone at night and started triple-checking that her doors and windows were locked before she slept. In an effort to protect her personal life, she made her Instagram private and removed photographs of herself in a bathing suit.

Discovering the images changed how Javellana operated professionally. Attending press events was part of her job, but now she felt anxious every time someone lifted their camera. She worried that public images of her would be turned into pornography, so she covered as much of her body as she could, favoring high-cut blouses and blazers. She knew she wasn’t acting rationally — people could create new deepfakes regardless of how much skin she showed in the real world — but changing her style made her feel a sense of control. If the deepfakes went viral, no one could look at how she dressed and think that she had invited this harassment.

[feveredvisions]

Doubt

(Tommy Riordan Conlon x Reader)

Here's my Masterlist if you want some more filth or some fluff. I'm open for requests too. Just drop by an ask xxx

Summary: No one can hate a job faster than you can. Just three weeks in, everything wrong was unveiled. A toxic scheming cheapo boss, overworked and underpaid managers and other employees, being a newbie who trains the tenured managers on a new software you googled the manual for, disorganised system that makes you strangle yourself every shift. Your boyfriend, Tommy Conlon, catches you in the middle of strangling yourself. You spiral and he lets you until you drop another break up bomb to which he takes his time to unwind you and remind you who you are and what you're capable of. And that breaking up is never an option to solve a problem that can easily be chucked down to hell. Author's Note: I dedicate this imagine to anyone who hates working and only does it for the paycheque and to settle their debts and build their savings. Fuck this job and fuck y'all, *I mutter my mantra as I log in on the dot.* It's been a rough ass week y'all. Needed me some Tommy for comfort. I'm dropping an emo Harry Da Souza x Jan Da Souza blurb next xxx Also tysm @saradika-graphics for the cutesy dividerss Pls forgive any grammatical errors. Your author is deprived of sleep and freedom from the corporate shackles and intense hormonal imbalances. But fuck it;s finally the end of the week. My suffering ends. It makes me happy that I get to share my writing with y'all. I hope you enjoy this one. Would love to hear your thoughts and everything in between.

Three weeks into her new job (actually three days in, she's already had a bad feeling,) and she already feels like she’s swallowed something rotten. The shine of working at her new job had rusted, souring her stomach.

At first, it was oh-so perfect. She gets to work at home, not having to wake up hours earlier to prepare for the commute, and no office politics to deal with everyday. Or so she thought.

The delivery day of her shiny brand new equipment was like Christmas day. Her boyfriend, Tommy helped her haul everything inside the house and turn the spare room used for storing unused seasonable clothes into a cosy li’l office. Unboxing and peeling off the protective plastic seal from the fresh equipments felt like opening gifts on a Christmas morning.

“Look at you,” Tommy teased you with a cheeky grin as he ruffled your hair. “Fancy corporate shit.” You swatted him away, laughing

Now, the same room felt…disgusting. As if she were a corporate war veteran stepping into the familiar landmines of corporate bullshit, mixed with the ghostly stench of coffee breath and the musky damp air conditioned smell of the room that’s as cold and empty as a corpse’s. She tried to change it a bit and make it better in her own home which she shares with Tommy. Opened the windows to let fresh air in. Letting the sunlight in where like a cat, she liked being under. Even brought in a little succulent desk plant that came in robust and fat, but was now already dying because she kept forgetting to water it. She thought it was self-sufficient like the seller said and didn't need to be watered too often as it could drown.

Apparently, no, the rot was deeper. She'd probably sucked the life out of it.

Seven months of unemployment had felt like an eternity. Her five years at her last corporate gig which filed for bankruptcy? Gone in a blink. Now here she was, back in the trenches, except this time, the battlefield was in her own damn home.

And her new boss? A fucking small business war criminal in a stupid polo shirt.

Tommy noticed the changes before she could say anything. He always did.

At first, it was little things—her griping about the eight-hour workday so passionately she could be in a BBC live interview, the way she’d passionately flip off at her monitor with both fingers almost every five minutes. Then come the muttered cuss under her breath (“yeah go fuck yaself, buddy”).

Today, after his rigorous training, Tommy caught his girl mid-performance. Fresh off a call and faux-strangling herself with both her hands wrapped around her neck, eyes rolled back and her tongue stuck out grotesquely as she let out a guttural whine, "Guh— just fucking diiiiieeeeee."

Tommy wasn't sure whether to laugh or be actually concerned. He walked to the doorframe leading to your office and leaned beside it with a curious frown on his face. A white towel wrapped around his neck, his shorts hanging low on his hips. His hair and body were drenched and glistening in sweat. White sando soaked and stuck to his skin. "The hell was that?"

She froze, hands still locked around her throat. Slowly, she peeled them away like she’d been caught mid-crime. Tommy had seen her do far worse shit than this even in her sleep. Nothing could embarrass her in front of this Adonis sculpted by the gods. "...Stress relief?"

Tommy’s mouth twitched. "Looks like a bad porno gag."

She groaned, slumping back in her chair and rubbing her temples. “Forget you saw anything, babe."

But Tommy didn’t move. He just studied her—the way her fingers drummed too fast on the desk, the way her knee bounced like she was revving for a fight. He wasn't letting this shit go anymore. "You’ve been like this for days," he said. “What’s goin’ on?"

“Nothing. Just work shit." She waved a hand, forcing a laugh. "The usual."

“Uh-huh." He pushed off the doorframe and walked inside until he was standing before her.

She could feel his radiating body heat on her face and his delicious post-workout masculine sweaty musk mixed with a hint of Irish spring filling her nostrils. God, she adored how good he smelled after fighting the heavy bag for an hour. It was the smell of heaven on earth which worked better than any calming sniffing stuff.

"Try again." He challenged. His tone was a low, steady I’m not fucking around tone—made her chest tighten. And like a dam breaking, it all pours out.

“My boss—” Her voice cracked. “He’s trying to fire this woman he introduced to me as ‘Bitch,’ told me to watch her on Zoom and document if she cusses so he can ‘build a case.’ So I called her instead. Know what she said? Poor woman has had four heart attacks, Tommy. Four. Last one landed her in the hospital with a bill she couldn’t pay because payroll held her check.” She dug her nails into her palms. “And that’s just the warm-up. He’s canning the entire senior staff to outsource cheaper labor, had me train managers on software I Googled and watched on YouTube yesterday, and now he wants my five-year plan because I’m ‘ambitious’ which just means he’ll work me to death for half what I’m worth.”

Tommy's jaw twitched. "Jesus."

"And get this,” she grins emptily. “Exactly a day after he laid out his grand plans of butchering up his company, his wife miscarried their baby.” She clapped her hands together like a magician. “Talk about karma biting him right in his anus. Who would want to have a father like him who exploits people for CHEAP, anyway?!" She choked on the guilt, hands flying up to cover her face. “I fucking celebrated his tragedy, Tommy. I'm a fucking monster!”

“Nah. Makes you human, babe.” Tommy gently peels her hands away from her face and puts them flat on his chest as he squatted down to her level.

She barrels on, voice cracking. “It’s a disaster, Tommy! The managers I ‘trained’ are supposed to train me now, except it’s been delayed for a week because they’re too busy doing payroll, HR shit, dispatch, and setting up hardwares for his three other failing businesses. There is nothing in between to fit me in for training. I'm fucked. And I actually have no faith left that it's ever gonna get better. This is a newly bought company, and he's handling everything so poorly. Expecting people to work on what's lacking and outsourcing manpower when he can't even pay proper professionals to get work done.”

Tommy stared. “That’s not a company. That’s a pyramid scheme.”

“I know!” She nearly screamed it. “But I can’t quit. Seven months of rejections. Seven. Now I’m here, and I wanna vomit every time I log in, but walking away means admitting defeat to every smug asshole who said I was too picky.”

Tommy continued to listen. He lets his girl spiral, lets her rant, lets her self-destruct in front of him like a building collapsing in slow motion.

"Maybe I should just snort ashwagandha up my ass, you know?”

Tommy's brows furrowed, “The fuck?”

“Numb myself to submission just until the year ends and I've settled my financial goals for this year. Suck it up and take it in the ass. For a fucking year. Just a year.” She ends up mumbling to herself as if she was brainwashing herself.

Her heart was pounding in her chest wildly. Thoughts completely scattered. Running like a Tasmanian devil without a sense of direction. Vomiting her words. “And I'm thinking that, maybe if this doesn't work out, then maybe I should be on my own and really focus on figuring things out myself, you know? Without inconveniencing others. Just me. Maybe that's what I need.”

Tommy stared at her like she’d just spat in his face. The rest of her rant he can take but bringing up another breakup over a stupid job that pisses her off? Hell fucking no.

"You done?" His sharp tone cut clean through her rant like a blade. “You really think you’re a burden to me?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it. Her jaw clenches to keep herself from crying like a kid.

“You don’t get to bail on us over some fuckin’ sleazebag CEO with a power complex. You’re smarter than that. Stronger than that.” His hand curled gently but firmly around the side of her neck, not squeezing, just holding. Steady. Keeping her head straight. “You’ve kept me alive, remember that? You held my drunk ass together after Iraq. You dragged me outta bed when I couldn't fuckin' move. So don't you dare act like this ain't worth my time.”

“I just—” she started.

He moved his hand from her neck to squeeze her cheeks lightly. Little puffy rabbit throwing a tantrum, he thought to himself. Resisting the urge to laugh and squeeze your cheeks some more and play with it.

“You just got your head so far up this job's ass you forgot who the fuck you are. My girl doesn't break up with me 'cause some fuckwit can't run his company."

She averts her eyes away from him, lightly pouting as she listens to what she already knows but somehow always manages to go over her head.

“Look, babe. You want money? We've got our savings. And I'm winning that damn fight and laying you down on our winnings. You want purpose? I’ll help you find it. But you don’t get to act like I picked the wrong girl. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine. And I’ll be damned if I let you forget who the fuck you are.”

She looks up at him, her brows furrowed, eyes thickly glazed with tears about to pour down her face and her mouth quivering until a tear spills. The fuck was she thinking she'd be better off without him?

Tommy thumbs them away. His girl slightly leaning into his calloused touch against her warm soft face. “C’mon,” he murmurs, voice softer now. “You think I don’t know what it’s like? To hate yourself for needin’ help?”

She shakes her head, but he doesn’t let her look away.

“After Paddy died,” he says, “I drank ‘til I couldn’t stand. You remember?”

It still stings her heart as she remembers. The nights she’d find Tommy slumped against the bathroom door, the way he’d snarl at her to ‘leave him the fuck alone’ right before he’d collapse into her arms.

“You stayed,” he says simply. “Even when I didn’t deserve it.”

Her throat burns. “That’s different.”

“Bullshit.” His grip tightens on her face just enough to make her focus. “You think I give a damn about your paycheck? I slept in my car for two years before us. We’ll survive.”

Her heart warms.

Then he chuckles as one of his many favourite memory of theirs surfaced his head. “You remember how we met?”

She blinks. “Yeah. The office parking lot. You in your rusted-out Charger and me always parking my Honda near yours just to take the chance at you finally robbing me, then slashing me to death before I make it inside the building.”

-----

Flashback:

It was an ungodly hour past midnight and it was cold as hell and lightly snowing. Her fingers are numb. She rushed to her car which was the only one remaining at the parking lot along with the other banged up Charger that lives on the same spot. She turns her in the ignition which only gave her—ticktickticktick—but the engine won’t catch.

She banged her forehead against the steering wheel out of frustration—“Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!”—just hard enough to feel the poking sting in her already pounding head, but not hard enough to deploy the airbags. A knock on her window nearly launched her into orbit.

The hobo, the one who lived in the rusted-out Charger two spaces over, was crouched beside her door, his scowl visible through the glass. Up close, he was younger than she’d thought. And bigger.

Jesus Christ, those shoulders...

She rolled the window down a millimetre. “If this is a robbery, I’ve got $12 and a granola bar.”

He blinked. “Your battery’s dead.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Fuck my fucking life.”

“Pop the hood.”

She hesitated. “...Are you gonna harvest my organs?”

“Lady,” he deadpanned, “if I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t see me comin’.”

Fair point. He sounded smart and experienced enough for it, so there's always a chance then...

Ten minutes later, after expertly jury-rigging her battery cables, her car roared to life. She stared at him over the hood, snowflakes catching in his dark hair. “Thanks,” she muttered.

He wiped his hands on his jeans. “Get a new battery.”

“I’ll add it to the list,” she simply said, and drove off before she could say something stupid.

The next morning, she woke up extra early to prepare and pack breakfast for two with a thermos of coffee. She drove to work and parked across his car. Wordlessly handing him through the driver's window her offering and token of appreciation in the form of a bag filled with packaged homecooked meals for the day on his windshield the next morning. He drinks and eats them all and doesn’t say a word but that evening.

Her wipers are cleared of snow when she left the office building late at night.

-------------------end of flashback-------------------

His thumb traces her jaw. “Then you started leavin’ cooked meals in my car. ‘Accidentally’ buying two coffees. Naggin’ me to get my shit together like a pissed-off fairy godmother.”

She snorts. “You hated me.”

“Yeah and you didn’t give up.” His grip tightens. “So why the hell would I?”

She opens her mouth to argue, but he cuts her off with a kiss. Hard and tenderly scalding. Her heart grew tender as she kissed Tommy back. Too tender that it ached. She questioned if it was possible to love someone too much.

Indeed, it was.

“Quit the job. Or not, but always keep the fight.” He pulled away, his forehead pressed against hers. “Just stay, okay? Don’t act like I’m doin’ you some favor by toleratin’ your ass. You’re it for me, baby.”

For a moment, she settles. Slumping towards him, letting out the heaviest sigh she's ever let out in a while. It felt good to lean onto Tommy's unit of a body and have him hold her. Warm and strong. All hers. "God what the hell was I thinking saying all that shit. I'm sorry, baby”

Tommy exhales through his nose, the fight draining out of him as she slumps against his chest. His fingers thread through her hair, blunt nails scraping lightly against her scalp in that way he knows settles her. Her eyes rolling back from the hypnotic sensation.

“You weren’t thinkin’,” he mutters. “That’s the problem.”

She lets out a muffled weak laugh. "Oh really? I must’ve made all of my meltdowns up for fun then."

“Nah. Just somehow always forgettin' who the fuck’s in your corner.”

"I hate that you're right."

"I know."

------original end but here's an extended cutie pie version--------

She tilts her head back to look at him. Admiring her past, her present, and her future. “These thoughts got mean hands sometimes. Or I might be two days away from my period. God, I haven't even checked my calendar.”

Tommy’s mouth quirks. “I'd give it an early jumpstart if you want.”

She snorts, swatting his shoulder. “You’re disgusting and a freak.” Then she leans in to plant a brief kiss on his mouth. “And I'm the luckiest girl to have you.”

Tommy doesn't let the kiss end. He deepens it, biting her lower lip just hard enough to make her gasp, then sweeping his tongue against hers like he's chasing the taste of her guilt and turning it into something sweeter. When he pulls back, her lips are swollen, her eyes glazed with sweetness. It made Tommy's heart ache too in the most pleasant way. All that he sees and holds right now-- all his. Forever his.

"Shower," he orders, already hauling her up by the thighs.

She yelps as he tosses her over his shoulder, her office chair spinning away behind them.

"No!" She kicks halfheartedly. "Put me down, you sweaty caveman! I didn't even get to properly sniff you!”

Tommy barks a laugh, swatting her ass as he carries her toward the bathroom. "The fuck's wrong with you?"

“You smell good," she grumbles, nose pressed against his damp shoulder blade. "Like... salt and violence and man."

"Yeah?" He kicks the bathroom door open. "Tell me that when I'm elbow-deep in your pussy. Fuckin' weirdo.”

“Oohh now we're talking.”

—FIN—

A/N: OOOHHHH DAAAAMN CAN I HAVE THIS SHIT TOO PLS T_T sooo anyway I've got a smutty alternative of this bc Tommy after training is charged to the heavens and he's got a lot to give especially to his girl. Lots of discipline and lots of load. I'll publish it a bit later for the freaks xx Just gotta sleep first.

Thanks so much for reading my stuff <33

[undercvrfan444]

Warnings! stalking, AFAB, creep satoru behavior, knifes, drugging, kidnapping kinda, manipulation, 18+ mentioned

WC - 3k (light work)

An - So I kinda hate this but it’s my first time ever writing something like this so be kind!

Two weeks. That’s how long it had been since you’d had your encounter with Satoru. The man’s words occupied your mind like flies stuck in a honey trap.

Life after meeting Satoru and embarrassing yourself to high heavens had started to look up. Business was successful as ever, your wounds were healing beautifully, it felt as though everything was going your way!

As a matter of fact, your business has had so much growth that you’d be forced to close shop after being open for a few hours from simply not being able to keep up with orders. People seemed to flood into your bakery like never before but you just blamed it on having awesome food of course.

Another perfect example, would be how creepy men that used to harass you ceased to exist! It was strange undoubtedly how blessings were coming into your life left and right, but who were you to question things.

With the strange timing of it all you had taken advantage of the positivity. Why not allow yourself to feel safe. Possibly a little…too safe.

Things you used to worry about no longer occupied your mind. You stopped paying attention to sketchy cars, dangerous parts of town, and you even fell asleep at night with your front door unlocked.

While you reveled in the blissful peace of being secure, Satoru on the other hand was Enraged. Yes. He loved seeing his dove prance around feeling safe and benefiting from all the work he does behind the scenes, having said that it angered him at how gullible you were. Just because a few things in your life go good you decide to give up on basic instincts? Oh Dove, don’t you know that’s how pretty girls like you get taken advantage of? Women are kidnapped and killed daily because of the same things you do, it’s only a matter of time until a pretty bird like you would learn from your mistakes.

He couldn’t truly be angry with his beautiful bird, because after all he is the one that decided to spoil you this way. It was just hard to watch his bird stretch her wings and fly without worrying about the world around her.

He’d just have to teach you a lesson.

Thankfully for Satoru, he’d been smart and installed a software bug on your phone that would send all of your information to his computer. All your texts, social media posts, and even the intimate photos you banished to your hidden folder were sent straight into his hands.

His favorite thing, however, was the beautifully hidden cameras littered all over your little house. In your kitchen, bedroom, laundry room, and all over your precious bakery. He might be fucked in the head but he’d at least allow you some privacy in the bathroom.

When Satoru wasn’t torturing some poor jockey that was sent by another group, or doing god knows what sick shit his job called for, the man was watching you.

For him it was like a tv show. Multiple monitor screens filled a room with live video footage of your house like a personal movie room. He would sit for hours in this room just listening to your sweet voice talk to yourself about whatever was relevant that day.

You had mentioned a few days ago to one of your girlfriends, that you were going to town today to take some well deserved time off. You’d been working so hard lately you felt like it wouldn’t hurt to spend some money on things you’ve been putting off.

Finally arriving at your destination, a bustling and busy strip mall that offered nothing but the best fashion brands the modern world had to offer, you parked your car towards the back of lot. Slinging your purse over your shoulder and locking your car before entering the commotion.

After shopping for a few hours, you left a boutique with a small bag hanging from your wrist. A collection of bags all shapes and sizes bit into the soft skin of your arms leaving sensitive lines in their wake.

Both energy and money running low, you make your way to the parking area. Satoru clicks his tongue as he watches you with your headphones in, ignoring your surroundings. Inevitably sealing your own fate. He would definitely be having a nice firm talking with his sweet girl about her silly behavior. A black SUV turns into the parking lot pulling up right beside you. Quickly a man in all black steps out from the car, clamping a hand over your mouth with a small towel that takes your breath the moment you inhale the chemicals laced through the fabric.

You struggle for a few seconds before your eyes roll back in your head and your body goes limp. The brutish man is gentle with your body as he climbs back into the car and they speed off. While Satoru wanted to scare you, he didn’t want any men other than him to rough you up and ruin those tender features of yours. He hated having to treat his sweet baby so harshly, but he couldn’t ignore how childish you’ve become over that past few weeks. Why couldn’t you be a good girl for your ‘Toru so he didn’t have to scare you?

Once the car made it back to the mansion you’d previously visited, Satoru wasted no time in bringing you down a few levels to a secluded area in his house. He knew no matter what you wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon because he himself infused the chemicals with the rag. While you slept softly in his arms, Satoru laid your body on a large table that sat in the middle of a cold room. Normally places like these would be reserved specially for stupid men that thought it a good idea to meddle in things they had no business in.

Right now, however, he needed to make your kidnapping a little more convincing. Satoru knew he should be ashamed of himself for finding pleasure in tying you up. However…He knew how satisfying it would feel when you eventually come running back to his arms willfully. “I just don’t know what happend!” The older male could envision is all in his head.

“Satoru please, im so scared.”

“Satoru look at what they did to me!”

“Satoru thank you for saving me.”

A small blade pierced your skin with every racing thought in Satoru’s mind. The scarlet liquid that poured from your small cuts rolled down your legs caused the hair on Satoru’s arms to stand. After years of inflicting wounds on others, Satoru knew he would only lightly graze the outer layer of your supple skin, barely enough to leave a scar. His sweet dove could be tattered and beaten and Satoru would still get turned on. If you would have been smart and paid attention this never would’ve happened.

Knowing your body was his and his alone to do whatever he wanted with in the fragile state was thrilling. While Satoru would never overstep any boundaries, he sure as hell will enjoy pushing them to their limits.

Once Satoru finished roughing your skin with cuts and bruises he washed the knife off in an alcohol bath and discarded it somewhere on a countertop. With his work being done and you waking up soon he had to make sure to get you someplace to allow your kidnapping to look real.

It was easy to find some damp sketchy abandoned house to leave your sleeping body in. Beforehand the entire building had been swept and cleared of any threats so honestly you would be just fine. It wasn’t like Satoru would be very far away either.

The cold flood bit into your achy body as your eyelashes fluttered open. A strong stabbing pain radiated all through your head from where you’d hit it a few weeks ago. Looking around at your surroundings anxiety settled deep within your bones, where are you?

Very slowly you slid up to somewhat of a sitting position rummaging for your phone. A few feet away your cracked screen shined from the moonlight seeping in through the busted windows. A shithole. Thats all you could describe this house as.

Crawling the best you could to your phone, you turned it on. You didn’t have much battery left but what you did have you were frugal with. Opening your contacts you swiped through the names of who could come to your rescue.

Your parents lived hours away and would ask more questions than you had answers to so they were out. Your friends were probably asleep or busy with something so you couldn’t call them either. Much to your dismay Satoru was the only person you had left to call. It didn’t feel right calling him so late at night seeing as he’s really still a stranger to you no matter how kind he was when you’d met him.

With a shaky sigh you let your fingers dial his number and put the phone close to your ear, worried about the glass planting in your skin.

*Ring!* *Ring!* *Ri-!*

“Hello?”

The sound of a familiar voice alone was a breath of fresh air. “S-Satoru,“

Your words faltered as you attempted to stay calm. How don you even explain this situation? Satoru’s gentle “Y/n? What is it sweetheart?” broke you from your silence.

Knowing nothing else than to just explain the situation, you fell into a ramble. “I went out e-earlier today, and while I was out I think some man grabbed me because now i’m in some s-sketchy building. My phone is about to die and i’m in so much pain ‘Toru.” Your rushed and frantic words came clear through the phone, that sickly twisted part of Satoru fed off the terror in your voice.

He was quiet for a moment before talking just listening to your sniffles. By the sound of your voice it was clear his plan was falling into place. If you wouldn’t learn from this lesson he had plenty more he could use to make you rethink your lack of awareness.

“Do you know where you are sweetheart?” The sound of movement filled the damp room as you peered through a window.

You groaned subconsciously at the pain that just seemed to increase the longer you were awake. “I…I don’t know.” you murmured.

“That’s alright, stay wherever you are and be quiet. Send me your location and i’ll come find you.” Seconds later the phone is hung up after you drop a pin and he promises to be fast. Of course Satoru already knew where you were but he couldn’t make it seem like he arrived too fast.

Trying to stay awake felt impossible, your eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion. Sitting against a wall, you let your eyes fall close and pull your legs to your chest trying to stay warm. It was horrifying to know at any second someone could walk in and you’d be at their mercy. Dried blood stained your legs and arms in various ways. It disgusted you to think of what demented people would kidnap you and dump your body in some strange area of the city.

The sound of tires pulling up outside is lost on your ears. Blood pumping and rushing in smothering waves is the only sound occupying your mind.

Two cold hands slide over your face, slender fingers reaching past your hairline so he can tilt your head back. “Y/n, wake up sweetheart.” Groggily you come too, the comforting smell of citrus and woodsy air greeting your nose. Satoru pats your cheek a few times to get your attention. Your eyes open slowly, the man in front of you a mere blur other than his large frame.

“Toru?” is all you mutter before you feel a warm fabric drape your shoulders. Satoru lays his jacket over the exposed skin of your body and scoops you into his arms. Your eyes land on his forearms watching as the muscles flex with each movement he makes. “Hello dove.” He coos down into your forehead, pressing a kiss into your skin.

Cool night air swallowed your body the moment you were taken out of the house. Instinctively you sink into the warm embrace keeping you steady.

——

Satoru prayed you couldn’t feel the harsh thumping of his heart as he brought you into the house.

He had barely sat you down in his bed before you were whimpering in protest. “Mm mm. I wan’ get c-clean.” Sleep was evident in your words by the way you slurred your words lazily.

A grin spread over the white haired man’s face when seeing how whiny you were. Seeing the way your arms stretched to find his body sent a warm sensation through his stomach. Your fingers intertwined with his so he could lift you into his arms once more. “Then let’s get you clean sweetheart.”

Your legs trembled when Satoru sat you down on the cool tile. While waiting for his return you let your eyes roam your body in the mirror, taking in your disheveled appearance.

Nasty red cuts and purple bruises littered your skin making you cringe.

All throughout your childhood and into your adult years you struggled with self confidence. It seems every woman at some point in her life suffers the same fate. To say the sight was nauseating would be a gross understatement, so why on Earth would a man like Satoru pay you any heed?

He comes from a world where money practically grows on trees all around. Aphrodite herself must have had a hand in creating Satoru with the way he commands attention with his icy blue eyes and sharp features. As corny as it all sounds you truly don’t understand what he saw in you.

You have spent your whole life rising step by step in this world. Killing yourself academically to still be below someone, opening a bakery you can confidently call your own, and working to love yourself more each and every day. So why when you stood next to him did it feel as though you’d never accomplished anything in your life?

Fat globs of warm liquid slide down your cheeks. The warm drops fall onto your sweater leaving small dots when they hit. Maybe it was the fact that today was so traumatic for you, or possibly you were going to start your cycles soon. But an overwhelming sense of despair gripped your heart with an iron fist.

The sound of the bathroom door being opened shook you out of your trance. “I grabbed you a towel and one of my shirts for you to sleep in, I hope you don’t mind but I also-“

Satoru stepped into the bathroom hesitantly while holding a stack of clothes. His brows furrowing when he sees your tears. “Sweetheart, what’s with the tears? I hate seeing that beautiful face so upset.”

Once more today those slender fingers cupped your face. Looking up at Satoru it feels as though every layer of your skin has been peeled back and your soul exposed.

Thick tears collected in your lashes. A burning sensation crept up the column of your throat making it hard to speak.

“I feel so stupid”

“What for, Dove?”

You scoff as a pang of embarrassment rises in your chest. “I’m so embarrassed ‘Toru. Both times i’ve been around you have been disasters. The first time I literally ran head first into you and made a fool of myself! Now, I call you at some odd time of night begging you to come whisk me away from some strange crack house.” The longer you talked the harder it was to keep your emotions at bay.

“Oh sweetheart, I-“ You cut him off by shaking your head, looking down and holding onto his fingers where they rest on your face.

“You want to know the worst part? This is all my fault! I-I’ve been letting myself be a little lenient on what I steer clear from. Normally I would have known not to cross the road without thinking, and I never would have kept my headphones in If I thought for a second there was someone behind me.” Tears streamed quicker than Satoru could wipe them away, and honestly the man enjoyed it. If a few hiccups in the road was all it took for you to be bent and broken in his hands for shaping then he’d do it all over again.

“And I look so ugly ‘Toru. My skin is all ripped up and caked with dirt. I swear i’m not always this helpless.”

“I promise you Dove, not a single part of you is ugly. As for being silly there’s not much I can do for you sweet girl. You’re going to have to start being aware, I’d hate for whoever took you to come back for more. ” Satoru’s eyes drank you in similarly to how he’d consume a top shelf whiskey.

Purring in your ear he presses a small kiss to your neck. “That being said: One call and i’m there. I’ll give you the world at your feet if you so wanted it.”

Kiss after kiss turns into small nips. Seeing Satoru bent over yo in the mirror felt like a wet dream come true, muscles shining through his tight undershirt as he made off with your clothes.

Ever so softly you push at his shoulders, gasping when he bites hard on the area below your ear. “Oops, my fault.” Is Satoru’s response, real cheeky.

Watching the man in the mirror, he stands and backs away from You. Blue eyes shattered any defenses You might have had up in an instant, a newfound intensity behind him.

“Get in the shower Dove. I’m gonna get ready for bed so come out whenever you’re finished in here.”

For a moment you’re locked in place, only nodding in response until the door is shut. You loose a breath that honestly you didn’t know you had been holding in. Burning red tinged your cheeks while you undressed hastily, throwing your clothes wherever you could and getting in the already running shower.

The warm water soothed your achy muscles euphorically. You grabbed the first soap you could find and washed your body off, needing the dingy feeling gone. Your hair was next and it took you no time to get in and out of the shower, finally feeling clean after hours of being overwhelmed. Wrapping a towel around your body you tried to ignore the blooming bruise Satoru left on your neck and the way your skin was inflamed at the thought. A small pile of clothes that consisted of an old shirt and boxers was all Satoru left you. How gentlemanly. No pants? Really? Not that you were complaining though because his shirt reached mid thigh on you and you’d be able to go home and get properly dressed the next day.

Steam rolled out of the bathroom as you opened the door into an overly large bedroom. A huge california king sized bed sits in the middle of the room with matching end tables on both side. There were various decorations around the room and it was evident that someone at least lived in here.

“‘Toru?” You timidly mumble. Scanning the room he was no where to be found so you let your body rest on top of the covers for a second. Exhaustion hit you like a freight train, subsequently you sunk beneath the covers. Silk sheets and a thick white comforter molded around your body lulling you to sleep. You couldn’t quite put your finger on what felt wrong about the whole kidnapping issue, but you would leave those thoughts for another day when you weren’t so tired and warm.

The bedroom door opens softly and Satoru walks in. It feels like that’s all he’s done today, open some door for you and simply rescue you from whatever situation you found yourself in.

“‘Toru, thank you for all your help today.” The quiet words were loud in Satoru’s ears. Oh yeah, he’s got you right where he wants you.

Setting a water bottle down on the nightstand closest to you, he climbs into bed beside you. Your hands reach out to find him, skin on skin. His shirt has been discarded somewhere and he wore a low slung pair of sweatpants. Precisely, as if he’d practiced the motions, Satoru pulled you into his side and nudged your head below his pressing a few small kisses to your head.

“Anything for you sweetheart, don’t forget that.”

[bigwishes]

Class Selection

Levi was a young software engineer freshly graduated from university and set up in a nice job at one of the best tech companies in Sydney. Whilst Levi loved his job his real passion was in gaming and he'd been waiting 6 months for a new MMO to drop. He'd heard it allowed him to link his character from his PC to the real world and engage in community events from his phone whilst he was out.

Levi sat down at his PC watching the linking app install on his phone, he got a quick notifications about Beta functions but he just brushed it off ignoring the message entirely knowing most games like this release in a public beta version for at least a few months.

He was too excited to start playing ShiftOnline. Levi opened up the launcher on his PC and linked it to his phone. He saw a blank character sheet on his phone along with empty social and quest functions. It looked interesting but he had to make a character before he could explore how the real life raid functions worked.

Levi clicked on create character and was prompted with a handful of selections and character presets.

MAGE: a hot toned black man teleported onto the screen in a flash of lightning. Seemed interesting for maybe his second playthrough but Levi found DPS classes a bit boring.

GUARDIAN: A slim man wielding yellow magic stepped onto the screen but Levi clicked off before the character could even finish his intro animation, healers were boring as fuck, he loved being front and centre in games and skipped past the rest of the options to the tank classes.

Scrolling through the tank classes they all seemed fairly generic and boring. Levi was almost ready to go back to the mage character when he clicked on the final class to take a look.

COLOSSUS: A giant black man leaped down from the top of the screen slamming into the ground giving the illusion of the entire monitor shaking from the impact. The character than stood up expanding his shoulders back, roaring slamming his fists together.

Levi smiled with excitement, this was exactly what he was looking for, not just a tank to take hits during a raid but a Juggernaut who could deal just as much damage as he could take, a real Colossus.

He clicked on the character and went through to customisation. He spent an hour designing his character to be exactly how he wanted, he looked at the first few stages of the levelling plan for the class before pressing create.

LEVEL 1 COMMANDING AURA: release a potent aura and gaining the attention of everything in a radius

LEVEL 2 COLOSSAL DEFENSES: when under threat increase size and strength by almost double LEVEL 3 METEOR SLAM: whilst moving above walking speed gain increasing momentum up to 500%, slamming into a target or object will release the energy in a burst of damage

LEVEL 4 HOME ADVANTAGE: your commanding aura will shift the environment it touches leaving it to effect living things as if you were there.

Levi liked what he was seeing from the first few levels and didn't feel like he had to keep reading all the way to level 50 so he clicked create and began linking his character to his phone. Soon the large man he had just spent an hour creating appeared on the app on his phone.

Is this the character you'd like to engage in real world events? YES/NO

Levi pressed yes and suddenly felt a small zap of electricity from his phone. He reactively dropped his phone and rubbed his hand from where he had just been shocked. Looking at the small mark he watched his hand suddenly double in size. His toned body started expanding. He felt his tight tank top struggling to cope as his body started expanding, he quickly took it off and started recording what was happening to himself in the mirror.

His toned body and muscled started to inflate with size as he slowly transitioned from ripped to jacked. Notifications swamped the top of his screen as people on the Social function of the gaming app posted videos of themselves transforming, for most it were minor physical changes but for those who picked tank classes they were turning into giant beasts.

It was almost like a trend for people to post their before and after transformations on the app, but when Levi checked other social media apps there were no videos infact it there were no posts about the game at all, it was almost like the game got cancelled.

Levi gritted his teeth as his body continued to expand. He stood up investigating his new thick frame.

"god damn what the fuck happened"

Levi checked the app and saw a progress bar labelled "Real World Transfer" was only half way complete. He looked at the size of the character on his phone compared to how he looked now, if he was really going to become that big he had no idea how the hell he was going to fit in clothes anymore, or his car for that matter.

Guess the character starting gear just large baggy pants and no other kind of armour.

He looked to see on the app if anyone else had chosen the same class and if their transformation was complete. He was on the tank player social page and not many people had chosen a tank class and he couldn't see anyone who had picked the Colossus.

A notification appeared at the top of his screen.

LEVEL 1 ABILITIES AVALIBLE - Passive: Commanding Aura

Sweat started to appear across his body and he could smell a potent stench radiating off his body. Levi scratched his armpit and quickly found his hand slick with sweat.

Once again he felt his body expanding and he flexed in the mirror looking as his body slowly transformed to be like his colossal character.

Levi looked and admired the new giant bodybuilder form standing in front of himself. He flexed his huge arms and uploaded his transformation video to the social part of the app. He tried to upload it to his other social media app however the video wouldn't attach and looking closer at his social media apps all the photos of him had been changed to his new massive form.

Soon the novelty wore off as he caught a whiff of the stench radiating off his body, this commanding aura was definitely something he was going to have to figure out before going into work tomorrow but for now he was going to enjoy the activity offered in game, and maybe he'd enjoy himself a little bit later too.

Levi sat down in his gaming chair hearing it strain under his new weight. His expanded lats rubbed against the arm rests barely squeezing through and soon Levi felt his underwear coated in sweat and stick to his huge muscled ass.

-------

Levi squeezed himself out of his small car, feeling the dress shirt he ordered online cling to his huge muscled frame. He didn't know how everyone was going to react to how he had magically changed over the weekend but he still had to make money to pay for his gaming habit.

Levi walked through the lobby and stepped into an elevator. A slight ding range as he pressed to his floor number and the doors reopened to the lobby. A small middle aged man in a business suit stepped in front of the elevator.

"I dont know why they hell you're in the elevator Levi, you know you surpass the weight limit"

Levi rubbed the back of his head, so people recognised him but didn't notice the changes. Like he had always been like this. Levi stepped out embarrassed.

"Guess I'll take the stairs"

"maybe lay off the roids kid" The older man said, shaming Levi for his size.

Levi opened the door to the emergency stair well and began his 30 floor hike. He hasn't even started walking and could already feel the sweat start to stain under his armpits. The 3 cans of deodorant he had coated himself in this morning was already starting to be worthless and Levi hadn't even made it up 3 steps yet.

At floor 5 Levi stopped taking a break to catch his breath. He had read some guide last night about the Colossus class having terrible stamina to balance out Meteor Slam but he didn't think it would impact him much in the real world but he continued his hike.

Arriving at floor 30 he stood in front of the door to his office floor gasping for air. The terrible stamina combined with how much effort it took to move his body was making him start to doubt his class choice. Levi raised one arm to lean on the door way but lifting it an inch too high he hear a ripping noise. Looking down he saw the stitching over his armpit was torn and what looked like steam flowed from his shirt. Levi pushed open the door hoping no one would notice his wardrobe malfunction but as he opened the door he noticed how bad his stench must be. As the door swung open a cloud of steam flowed out into the office and a wet sweaty handprint was left behind from where he pushed it open.

Walking across the office everyone was staring at him, complaining about the stench radiating from his body. Levi sat down in his office chair accidentally breaking one of the arm rests as he did and started to get to work. He heard his phone ping and saw a notification from the game app.

LEVEL 2 ABILITIES AVALIBLE: -passive: Colossal Defences.

It wasn't long before his boss was at his desk.

"Levi this is the 3rd time I'm talking to you about your...work place hygiene"

This was the first Levi had ever heard about it

"eeerrr, sorry sir. I ummm"

"save it Levi, I'm going to have to ask you to go home, you'll have to do remote work from now on, nobody in the office can stand your, hmmm how do I put this delicately, your aura but I need to warn you, if your work output drops we'll have to let you go"

Levi grew nervous, he loved his job and really didn't want to lose it. His heart started beating in his chest. He heard the office chair groan under him. Looking down at his thighs he saw his pants grow tighter and the stitching on his inner thigh started to let go.

"everything okay Levi?"

"eerrrr yep, all good, Ill just head home email me my work bye"

Levi quickly stood up, grabbed his bag and began waddling quickly walking to the door. Hearing his pants and shirt start to tear more with each step. Right as he closed the door to the stair well he felt the back of his shirt completely tear apart. His pants split to shreds as he suddenly doubled in size.

He checked the app to see what was happening and saw his ability Colossal Defence had become active. He tried to take some deep breaths to calm down but realised anyone could walk in at any moment and they might not notice how he changed over the weekend but this was temporary and it'd be difficult to explain how he doubled in size in two seconds. He began his decent down the stairs, slowly waddling as he couldn't see his feet past his huge pecs. Luckily by the time he got to his car he had shrank back down to "normal size" sitting in her car he got a notification from the game app again.

MILESTONE COMPLETE: DUNGEON CRAWLER - Explore real world dungeons

LEVEL 3 - Ability: Meteor Slam

-------

Levi finally arrived him, he didn't bother taking his clothes off normally, he just tore off what wet shreds remained clinging to him and chucked them to the floor hearing a loud wet slop as drenched fabric landed on the ground. He sniffed his pits turning away grossed out at the stench and headed to his bathroom for a shower. Right before opening the door he tripped over his own massive foot. As he fell forward he felt his body accelerate and he suddenly found his massive body crashing straight through his bathroom door. As his huge form collided with the door it was obliterated and smashed into pieces.

"aw fuck...welp guess that's meteor slam...." Levi put his hands on the back of his head and let out a deep sigh. He was done, it was the Colossus class was fun in the game but the real lift effects were too much he was going to change his class. He tried to do it through the app but there was no option, he went to his PC putting off his shower a bit longer to get himself back to some kind of normal. Opening the game he was met with a message.

PC GAME OPTIONS DOWN FOR MAITENCE AND PATCHING PLEASE CHEC BACK IN A FEW HOURS.

Levi rolled his eyes, it was the first thing he'd do tomorrow when the game was back online. For now he was going to bed, today was a bust he'd try for a better day tomorrow.

------

Levi woke up feeling his bed completely drenched in sweat, the smell of body odour lingering in the air. He picked up his massive frame and went straight to his PC to change his character. Openeing the game is was met with a notification.

PATCH NOTES: Dear players we are glad you are all enjoying the adventures of ShiftOnline we have been collecting player data and made some adjustments to class stats and abilities for better balance.

Levi skimmed through the other class changes to his

Colossus Changes: Colossus is the least popular class in the game with under 100 players however that doesn't mean the class isn't strong so we are making some changes to rebalance the skills and redirect some power, this changes will be reflective [to see definition of reflective please see our website]

NERFS Colossus players have gained major increased strength and we want to keep that, so to better keep their balance we are nerfing their intelligence stats by -80

BUFFS Commanding Aura is great and grabbing attention both in and out of the game world but its a bit on the weaker side of other tanks agro abilities so we are doubling its range

Colossal Defences is a good abilities but players dislike its randomness, it will now auto trigger when a player is threated like before but players can also toggle the ability on when they aren't threatened

Levi started to feel strange, like popping candy was going off in his head. He felt a bit dizzy. He clicked the link to the definition of reflective changes.

"reflective changes mean they will happen in game and IRL"

Levi remembered the intelligence nerf and quickly when back to the game to make a new character. He picked a basic mage character and sped through the customisation feeling the sensation in his head get worse. Right as he went to press accept he stopped and sat back in his chair. He lifted on arm flexing looking at his huge bicep.

"huhuhuh, so big, me stay biig forEVER"

Levi clicked deny on the character change settings

He stood up moving his hulking frame to the bathroom to admire his huge form in the mirror. As he stood in front of the mirror he flexed feeling a strange sensation, as he activated his Colossal Defences ability without realising. He watched his body slowly grow and double in size.

"huhuhuh"

Levi laughed with drool falling down the side of his lip and onto his chest. He felt himself get hard and waddled to his bedroom to have some fun with himself but he found his shoulders colliding with the door frame. Levi stopped and frowned. He knew had fit through the door but couldn't work out how. He continued to walk back and fourth his shoulders colliding with the doorframe over and over. Too stupid to realise he'd have to shrink back down to normal size to fit through the door again.

About an hour later Levi realised he could turn sideways and fit through the door. His phone pinged again but he didn't bother to check.

LEVEL 4: -Passive: Home Advantage

As Levi waddled through his house his thick stench wafted along with him clinging to his wall and furniture. He carpets became strained with sweaty footprints. His wall paper started to peel and crumble from the about of sweat in the air. His house slowly shifted around him from the clean kept house of a software engineer to an unkept mess that looked like it was home to a caveman.

Levi sat down on his and reached down to his dick to relieve himself but he couldn't reach. The sound of his muscles and skin groaning and rubbing against each other filled the room as the giant man desperately tried to grab hold of his own manhood. Again not able to figure how he'd have to go back to his 'normal' size so he could reach.

The giant colossus spent hours trying to figure out why he couldn't reach his own dick even though he desperately wanted to. Eventually he simply fell asleep on his sweaty stained, stinking mattress. His loud snooze rumbling through his house.

Levi probably thought picking Colossus as his starting class was a bad idea.

Luckily he couldn't think anymore.