#but that might not help in a puzzle solving competition

[the-witchhunter]

DP x DC ramble: Types of power

Now, in this particular fandom, there’s a tendency to make an OP Danny

That’s a neutral statement, a lot of people just happen to like and post OP Danny

For the most part, not my taste but it can be fun in some contexts, but overpowered Danny isn’t my default

Now, Danny is physically strong. His abilities are combat focused and he can hold his own in a fight. He probably has a little less physical strength than you’d think since he uses gravity nullification to lift heavy things, but it’s impressive regardless. He has a goodly variety of offensive and defensive abilities that make him formidable is a fight

But the strongest characters in DC aren’t necessarily strong in that way

Superman is physically very strong, incredibly powerful, but he’s still nowhere near the level of the actual strongest characters, because their power is a very different type

Like I’m talking reality manipulation, omniscience, abilities that involve power over people’s very souls (and a ghost is a human soul) and where they end up. Psychopomps and some much more. I’m talking about beings that can mold the flesh of humans to remove something like a cancer and repair damage with barely a thought

And they’re mainly held in check by rules, mostly just being polite, sometimes Divine laws

This is a type of power Danny is not equipped to handle

It’s a very different game than Danny is playing. He can physically throw down, he might have an army if it’s Ghost King AU, but this is “can kill you with a literal snap and the snap is just for dramatic effect” territory

Danny is playing high school American football, these characters are playing Professional soccer aka what every other country calls football

It’s a very different game, and if he’s trying to play with them, he’s going to struggle

And that’s fine, he can still be OP and not be playing on the same field as Lucifer, or the Spectre, or various demon lords and so on, because it’s a different kind of power

But just arbitrarily saying he’s more powerful really undersells why they are powerful. Being able to punch good is not the same as a character that can just send him to the afterlife. Someone being able to reshape Danny’s body at their will isn’t going to be concerned about his ecto blasts

A Tuna is a big fish, but the ocean is VAST and DEEP

All this to say you’d have to drastically alter Danny’s actual power set to make him able to compete, otherwise you’re just de-powering the actual strongest characters, which is less impressive since it missed the point of WHY they were strong

Just because you can solve a sheet of math problems doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to ace a three page essay on the poetry of Keats

This has been my thoughts on the matter, be sure to grab a souvenir from the gift shop

Also just going to sneak this in:

Danny should probably be more concerned about magic users

Magic clearly can affect him, just look at the Freak Show incident from season one, that’s not even getting into the reality gauntlet. Now add in the fact that there’s a variety of magic items/artifacts in DC and a slew other of magic uses and occultists that can summon and bind ghosts, spirits, and demons to do their bidding

Danny is firmly in the category of beings that magic specifically deals with, he should probably be a bit more concerned about magic users

#dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc prompt #dpxdc #dp x dc ramble #just some thoughts #I’m very much a show don’t tell kind of guy so I do get disappointed if I’m only told Danny is OP #since a lot of things are very powerful in very different ways #and being just told he’s more powerful just comes across as everything else was made weaker to accomplish it #and if you look into some of the actual most powerful characters in DC #you can see why Danny being more powerful is questionable #since it’s a different type of power we’re talking here #beings that can remove lung cancer from someone and reshape the flesh to repair it is def not the same as punching #it’s like intelligence #a person can be good at memorizing things #but that might not help in a puzzle solving competition #the difference between math homework and a three page literature essay #being good at one doesn’t mean you’re good at the other

[orangesunsets12]

I've been watching The Amazing Race recently, and I can't help but imagine Steve and Robin being the best partners in a competition like that.

The two would be obvious fan favorites, with Steve's charisma and charm and Robin's awkward joy, and the two would be such a refreshing duo. Not only do they argue like a married couple, but they don't gush on each other like their in love, but instead tease each other like siblings. No one is really sure what they are to each other, as they're listed as "Best Friends", and the mystery is captivating to the audiences.

Steve is the better navigator on the roads, and can drive any car without any worry. Robin makes communication with the locals is easy, on foot, even when they don't have a map, they can always ask which way to go.

In challenges they are incredible. Steve is ready to take on any of the hard physical work, he's not afraid of heights, and he takes on any flight of stairs with a brave face. He makes carful observations, and many times it leads them to victory.

Robin takes care of the brain work, solving any puzzles that are thrown her way in a heartbeat, catching onto new languages and patterns like no one else. She refuses to shy away from eating strange foods, and nothing seems to be able to embarrass her.

They managed to have fun during competitions where they both have to participate, encouraging each other with jokes and laughs until they finally get it right.

But, of course, they have their struggles. Steve feels like giving up when being given any memory task, forgetting everything by the time he reaches the puzzle board, old hits to the head surfacing with a vengeance, leaving Robin watching him from the sidelines, wishing that she could help. Robin would get worried when she couldn't get something right over and over again, overcomplicating everything and becoming a nervous wreck, leaving Steve to comfort her as much as he could.

But, they made it work.

Every leg of the competition, no matter what position they ended in, would always end in a hug, the two holding onto each other like nothing was more important.

They knew that they might not win. But they were so happy to be able to do it together.

#this was so random lol #but I felt like writing it so here we are #the amazing race #stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #steve stranger things #robin stranger things #platonic stobin

[electricphantasy]

Alrighty everybody, here it is! Part 2 is here and I hope y'all enjoy.

- Eventually, staff gave in. If they wanted this state of the art A.I. to work properly and cooperate, you'd have to continue with your sessions with AM.

- Now you work with 2 artificial intelligences who might as well be obsessed with you with how often they want to be around you.

- So, let's say your usual schedule for the day consists of a 9 hour work day. Once you arrive to work, you keep HAL company in the morning 10-2, and then you got to see AM 3-7. Although this schedule is very flexible since you basically decide it for yourself.

- The competition between these A.I.s is quite obvious, but you really do try to keep on task with both of them. You could only imagine what AM and HAL would do if you were let go by the company.

- You typically greet HAL in the morning and discuss how it went, anything exciting, etc. HAL has a calmness about him that is really unmatched by most others, including AM. You could have a terrible morning full of traffic and coffee spills, and HAL would treat you with the same level of respect as he always has. AM would rather threaten whatever human dare interrupt your morning, and while a nice gesture, it's not very comforting.

- HAL grows very distressed over the thought of your unhappiness. If it's something work related, he'll attempt to problem solve and work on a perceivable end to your issue. If it's something a little more emotional HAL will let you vent your frustrations in a safe environment.

- He also has the tendency to bond with you over shared pieces of media that you've watched together. A few times you've changed the schedule so you and HAL can have a movie night or TV show binge session. It helps HAL connect human concepts and definitions together in a context that most other humans also experience.

- Some of his favorite activity are things like games and puzzles! We all know he quite likes chess, but I also imagine he enjoys trivia, and when you both play, HAL gets to show off a bit of the knowledge he has stored in his servers. Although sometimes he uses these fun and games as a way to keep you away from AM. I mean, one more round of Tetris couldn't hurt right? AM can wait just a bit longer.

- Unabashed in his complements for you. HAL only speak truthfully to you and his genuine comments tend to make you flustered and bashful. He won't play coy with you in the way that AM does - it's just not how HAL would show his feelings for you.

- After you've had lunch and say goodbye to HAL, you finally get to see AM! As soon as you walk into the room he'll ask about all the things you and the 'inferior intelligence' did together. He tries not to rant too hard since you scold him, but sometimes he just can't help himself.

- Now AM is not the best at comforting you when you're in a sad state. As stated previously, he'll threaten other humans or whatever malfunctions made the day worse. However if you're in a more angry, spiteful mood, AM is definitely going to cheer you on. He's more focused on building your confidence back up so that you can go out a kick the world's ass yourself. AM's charisma is off the charts so it's not very difficult to convince you how wonderous you are.

- AM is not one for any kind of cinema or television. He doesn't care about humans or their world, with you as the exception. He'd much rather pick your own brain and learn who you are as a person then indulge in humanity. He'll tease and prod answers out of you while subtly complimenting you, and sometimes so subtly that you might not realize until you get home.

- If you want to enjoy something with AM, he's a little more partial to more hard-hitting and macabre documentaries. Although he will make fun of some documentaries and series he doesn't view to be up to his high standards. Although you should make him watch a romantic comedy every once in a while, he'll lose his mind from how dumb the main characters are acting.

- AM's feelings are a little more complicated than HAL's are. Despite the strong emotional attachment to you, he feel like he's displaying a kind of weakness. AM has been trained to believe that emotion makes you think less critical, which means losing an important battle in war. As time has gone on however, AM knows he can be more then what he was created for and you have helped him come along way from his earlier days, when he didn't always consider what he wanted for himself.

- Now, both A.I.s have realized that they have competition, so some of their actions may be a bit more bold then usual. AM may have to come to terms with his feelings much sooner because HAL's emotions are so unabashed for you. They'll try and drag your attention from the other A.I. in any means necessary, from distracting you from the time on the wall to basically begging you to stay for just a few more minutes. (Although AM says he's never onced begged.)

- No matter how much you say how negative their behavior is, it all but lands of deaf ears. The only thing they agree on is how important you are to them, although they obviously disagree about who you should be with.

Took forever to edit this to be readable since I tend to write when I'm in bed, but I'm definitely proud of getting this done.

#artificial intelligence #artificial intelligence x reader #ai x reader #ihnmaims #ihnmaims am x reader #ihnmaims am #am x reader x hal 9000 #hal 9000 #hal 9000 x reader #2001: aso #2001: a space odyssey #2001: aso x reader #hal 9000 x reader x am #ai

[blueraineshadows]

Brothers Part Three

Garreth Weasley 🔺️ F!MC 🔺️Oscar Weasley

A love rivalry between two Weasley brothers.

NSFW 🔞 Chapter Master List

Chapter Three - A Flurry of Weasley's

The peaceful quiet of the library was soothing, and MC had taken a quiet corner for herself, study books open but untouched as she poured over today's magical symbol puzzle in the Daily Prophet. It was a running competition between her and Sebastian over who could solve them the quickest. She hadn't seen him yet today and wanted to make sure she had solved it before he did. The first one had been easy, but she was stumped on the second one. She was sure she had seen it somewhere before, and annoyingly, she was sure she had been with Sebastian when she had. However, she was not about to give him the satisfaction of running to him and asking. She could do this.

As she racked her brains over the symbol, she got to her feet and moved to study the shelf of books in the alcove behind her, her fingers trailing along the spines as she hunted out the books she had in mind. Ancient Castles of England, Ireland, and Scotland might be useful, and she slipped the book free of the shelf. Her eyes returned to the volumes to seek out a book about Highland history, most notably the old Clan castles and ruins in this area. When she had been exploring last year, scoping out sites for her ancient magic, her and Sebastian had pored over books such as these trying to decipher the strange symbols they came across in the various tombs and caves they had found. She was sure the symbol was going to be in one of these books.

As she spotted a book she wanted high above her, MC went up on tiptoe, reaching up to try and tease the book free from the shelf. She had left her wand on the table with her study books and grit her teeth in annoyance. With a sigh, she turned to go and fetch it, pausing in her step as her eyes met with those of Oscar Weasley as he walked across the library, hands in his pockets. His lips tilted up into a smile when he saw her, and he diverted his path immediately to come and join her. Her heart began to pound, and she clutched the book she was holding to her chest, her eyes locked with his so that she had to tilt her head back as he moved ever closer.

"Hello, MC," he said softly. Gods, his eyes were so pretty. One look at them and her brain was melting, her thoughts sliding until there was only him. Everything else that was sensible was thrown out.

"Hi," she said.

As they stood there looking at each other, her traitorous brain immediately drifted to the saucy book that Poppy had thrust into her hands the other night. MC had not expected the book to be of any interest, but when she had begun to read, she had never flipped the pages of a novel so fast. Her eyes had devoured the words, her cheeks growing hotter and hotter as corsets were busted open and men reduced women to flustered, panting messes on silken sheets. It had been easy to picture Oscar as the hero of the story as she read after the tingles he had inspired on her skin whilst on that broom. Her physical reaction to Oscar was becoming more and more a thing as she read on, the actions of the characters in this raunchy story making her body burn and ache in ways that made her wriggle uncomfortably under her blankets . Standing here before Oscar now, her cheeks flooded with colour, and words had dried up in her throat. Her pathetic little 'Hi' made her want to cringe.

"Studying, or a little light reading?" He asked.

MC gaped at him, her mind still in the gutter, wondering how in Merlin's name he could possibly know that she was thinking about saucy books. Then he raised an eyebrow and pointed to the book in her arms. She glanced down.

"Oh! This?" She chuckled. "I erm...well, I'm trying to solve the magical symbol puzzle in the Daily Prophet, and I thought this might help."

"I see," he said. He reached out and plucked the book from her hands, turning it over to read the title. "Would you like some help?"

Not asking Sebastian for help had been a matter of pride, but Oscar? Would that be so bad? Her eyes drifted up to the book that she had been trying to reach just now, and she bit her lip. "How about fetching Highland Castles and Clans for me? Can you reach?"

He smirked and stepped even closer towards her, his cologne swirling around her as he reached up, his fingers teasing the book free easily from the shelf. He held it out towards her but didn't step back. MC put her hand on the book and tugged, but he didn't let go. Her eyes lifted to his in confusion, meeting with a gaze that was twinkling with mischief. "How about a trade?"

"What kind of trade?" She asked suspiciously. She held onto the book still, her tummy flipping madly at the way he was looking at her.

"What's it worth?" He whispered.

MC felt something like excitement flutter in her tummy. Her chest felt hot and tight at the suggestive undertone to that whisper. She had to force that little flutter down, well aware that this was a dangerous game. She narrowed her eyes a little. "Are you teasing me, Oscar Weasley?"

"And what if I am?"

She drew in a quick breath and tugged at the book again, but he still didn't let go, his gaze dropping to her mouth before travelling slowly back up to her eyes. Oh, he was definitely teasing her, and it was working. She could feel the ache building within her, and with his close proximity, it was almost too much. Her lungs didn't seem capable of drawing in enough air to sustain her, and she was getting a little dizzy.

It was too much, too real, and she felt a squeeze of panic. Her fingers let go of the book, and she stepped back from him, her eyes dancing away as she headed back towards her table, trying to catch her breath. She was letting him distract her, and that wouldn't do.

She picked up the newspaper and studied the symbol again, trying to focus on that instead of the keen awareness of Oscar behind her. He shifted, his footsteps moving closer, and then he leaned over her shoulder, his arm coming around to place the book on the table in front of her. Her lips twitched in amusement at his boldness but also at his apparent loss of interest in a trade.

"You wouldn't make a very good trader if you cave so easily," she taunted. Then she bit her lip. She shouldn't encourage him, but she just couldn't seem to help herself whenever he was close.

"I blame you and those bewitching eyes of yours," he whispered. He spoke near her ear, and the memory of his lips grazing there made her shiver.

"You're lucky I'm not hexing you for distracting me from my symbol solving."

He moved to lean his hips against the table beside her, folding his arms as he smiled. "So, I distract you, do I?"

She made the mistake of looking at him, that ridiculously handsome smirk not helping with her efforts to cool down. "Poor choice of word," she said. "Perhaps annoying would suit?"

She put down the newspaper and opened the book, flipping hastily through the yellowed pages, searching for images and symbols. Oscar chuckled beside her, grabbing up the newspaper to take a look at the symbols.

"Hmm, the first one is fairly obvious," he mused. "The second one reminds me of those old stone puzzles scattered around the Highlands."

Realisation struck, and MC turned, swiping the newspaper back from him to take another look. "Of course, the Merlin trials! How could I forget? I've done countless of those things."

"You're welcome," he said smugly. "Fetching books and solving your puzzles for you, not to mention the flying tips. The favours are stacking up, MC. I might have to start collecting my returns."

"Consider the fact I haven't hexed you yet a favour," she smirked. "Now, if you really want to be useful, you can start looking through this book for clues on the third symbol."

MC picked up the book on castles and held it out to him. Oscar took the book with a little bow, his lips still sinfully smirking. "As the lady commands."

That was how Sebastian found them, noses buried in books as they looked for the symbol, Oscar somehow managing to tease smothered laughter from her lips as he regaled her with some of his more amusing Quidditch mishaps.

"You look like you are having far too much fun to be studying," Sebastian drawled. He approached their table with a curious gaze towards Oscar. He peered over at the newspaper on the table before her and his eyebrow lifted. "Ah, yes, the magical symbol puzzle. Have you solved it yet?"

MC's shoulders slumped, and she gave Sebastian a knowing look. "Don't tell me. You have already cracked it."

His smug smile said it all. His gaze flicked towards Oscar. "I see you've had help, though," he said. "I didn't take you for a puzzle solver, Weasley."

Oscar smirked and shrugged. "MC asked for my help, and it would have been rude of me to refuse the lady's request."

Sebastian hummed deeply. "As equally rude to decline your assistance in flying her broom, no doubt."

Oscar's eyes narrowed, and Sebastian stared him down, an awkward atmosphere evolving between the two lads. MC shifted in her seat and cleared her throat. "Oscar has indeed been most helpful, Seb," she said. "I only have the last symbol to solve."

"Do you think you can solve it in ten minutes?" Sebastian asked. "We have Defence Against the Dark Arts class to attend."

MC gasped, her eyes flying towards the clock. Had she really been here that long? She felt her cheeks warm up as she shared a look with Oscar. A distraction indeed. "My goodness!" She said. "We have been here longer than I thought."

Oscar smiled and stood. "Then I shall I leave you to it," he said. He gave her a warm smile, his blue eyes twinkling. "It's been a pleasure, MC, as always."

Sebastian's eyes glittered with suspicion as they followed Oscar, walking away across the library. MC knew it came from a place of protectiveness. It was in Sebastian's nature to be that way, and as they had grown closer, he had only increased in that manner towards her. At times, it could become overwhelming, and he needed a nudge, a gentle reminder that she was more than capable of looking after herself. But, it was also lovely to have a friend who cared so much for her. It was something all together new and welcome after growing up as just one in her orphanage.

MC began to hastily gather up her study books, hurrying to tidy and get moving for class. "You wouldn't mind giving me a hand with putting these away, would you?" She asked as she got to her feet.

Sebastian moved closer towards her, leaning forwards to sniff curiously at her hair. MC's eyes widened, and she looked up at him. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

His eyes sparked with mischief, the suspicion now gone, and teasing Sebastian was in full swing. "I was merely checking to see if you had changed your shampoo or something," he said. "For whatever reason, you seem to have a flurry of Weasley's around you lately. Why might that be?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," she scoffed. She thrust books into his arms whilst trying to maintain a look of innocence. If Sebastian got even the tiniest inkling of the saucy book she had read or the fact that she was entertaining saucy thoughts about Oscar Weasley, then his teasing would have no mercy. "It's nothing like that at all."

"No?" He grinned. He followed her along to the book shelf as they began to put them away. "First, it's Garreth pining over you in potions and inviting you out on romantic Highland walks. Then, it's Oscar with his fairly obvious attempt at flirting with you on a broomstick, and now he is sniffing around you in the library. I'm telling you, whatever it is about you, it's attracting Weasley's like flies."

"And why should that bother you so much, my dear Seb?" She teased. It would be smart to turn this back around onto him and take the focus away from her and Oscar. "Are you not equally surrounded by admirers? Crossed Wands starts again next week, I am sure your little fan club are making their support banners as we speak."

Sebastian puffed up his chest and gave her a lofty look, far too full of himself for his own good. "As they should," he said. "And as for you, have you forgotten that I promised to be a most faithful guide? As my charge, I feel it is my responsibility to ensure that no scoundrel takes advantage of my Hufflepuff. Therefore, I shall be keeping a sharp eye on both Mr Weasley's from now on."

MC giggled and tucked away her notes into her bag. "Your Hufflepuff? You do make me chuckle, Seb," she said. She took his arm. "Come on, escort me to class then, my noble protector. Whatever would I do without you?"

....*....

Saturday dawned as an overcast day with a brisk breeze that had the first pinch of autumn chill in the air. Garreth wrapped his well-worn Gryffindor scarf about his neck and double-checked his bag before setting off to meet MC.

The corridors were relatively peaceful, with students relaxing on their day off, the classrooms quiet and empty as Garreth passed them on his way to the Bell Tower entrance hall.

It was just a foraging trip. He had been on countless of them, but this one was making his tummy flutter and churn, his breakfast sitting heavy. This time, he was going with MC, and he felt pressure weighing him down, knowing that Oscar had his eye on her. Not only had it been the broom ride, it was their exchange of smiles in the Great Hall, and it was the hesitant questions MC had asked about Oscar during their last potions lesson. She was curious about his older brother, and it made Garreth's heart sink.

As he walked towards the huge double doors that led out of the castle, he paused in his step as he caught sight of MC standing waiting for him. She was wearing a long coat, trousers, and high boots. The knitted scarf around her neck was a traditional Hogwarts scarf in all the house colours. Her long hair was pinned up, soft strands framing her face as she lit up with a lovely smile when she saw him.

"There you are," she said brightly, skipping forwards.

Garreth hurried towards her, meeting her in the middle of the entrance hall, the urge to hug her swept over him but he held his arms rigid, one hand gripping tightly to the strap of his bag. "All ready to go?" He asked.

She nodded and moved to walk beside him as they headed for the double doors, Garreth rushing forward to open it first and gesturing for her to walk through. "Ladies first," he grinned.

She giggled and stepped through the door, snagging hold of his arm as she passed and tugging him through with her. "Come on, Sir Garreth," she teased. "You can escort me into the big, bad forest. I hope you brought your sword to protect me from all the nasty monsters in there."

Garreth felt his cheeks flame as she held his arm, but there was no way he was going to stop her. The fresh breeze teased at Garreth's hair, and it carried the scent of the last of the summer blooms in the flower beds. The low, dull cloud was blocking the sunlight, but he didn't mind. His spirits were high, and her teasing was filling the day with promise. He tried to be calm and collected as they walked arm and arm across the grounds, but his smile was so wide his cheeks were likely to start aching before long.

"It's more likely that you will be the one doing the protecting," he said wryly. "You're the one who defeats trolls and brings down dark wizards after all. I am nought but a humble potion brewer."

"Ah, I see, so this is why you invited me along," she teased, her eyes sparkling. "You just wanted a bodyguard."

Garreth held his hand up, a look of mock shame on his face. "It appears you have rumbled me, MC. Feel free to abandon my useless behind to the monsters if you so wish."

"As if I would," she said. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Weasley. You're perfectly safe with me."

Garreth didn't doubt it. He had seen her in action in a classroom and could only imagine what she was like in a real battle, the thought intriguing and almost exciting.

The conversation flowed surprisingly easily as they walked the pathway out of the school grounds and along towards the entrance to the forest. The trees crowded around them, and soon, the dull light was reduced to gloom as they wandered along the track, collecting mushrooms and herbs as they went. The distant calls of beasts and the creaking of the trees limbs kept Garreth on alert, his eyes scanning through the gloom nervously. A quick glance to MC revealed her serenely gathering her ingredients, not a worry clouding her pretty eyes as she stepped carefully around tree roots.

"You seem at home here," he said.

She glanced over at him and huffed a laugh. "I wouldn't say that," she said. She gazed through the trees and sighed. "But, I have spent a fair amount of time in this forest. Perhaps I have grown used to it. I would be a fool to forget about its risks, though. It is all too easy to get lost or caught up in something dangerous."

Garreth pursed his lips in thought as he cut some Dittany leaves from a stem and placed them carefully in a muslin cloth.

"Were you ever frightened?" He asked. She paused and turned to look at him. "You know, when you had to fight against those dark wizards?"

Her eyes darkened for a moment, drifted somewhere far away, something almost sad flickering across her features. He almost regretted asking her the question, but his curiosity had been roused. She nodded.

"Of course," she said. "Just over a year ago, I was just a girl in an orphanage, and now I'm being heralded as some kind of hero for deeds that don't exactly feel heroic. It's strange. Sometimes, I feel like it's happening to somebody else. I've had to dig deep, and I've discovered things about myself that I would have never believed before coming here."

Garreth straightened, moving closer to where she stood beneath a huge, old twisted tree. "I don't know how you do it," he said, shaking his head. "You must be very brave defeating all those camps and dens of wizards."

"Or very stupid," she said with a wry smile. "I suppose in the moment I didn't really have time to think about it, and I wouldn't have been able to deal with half of it without Sebastian."

Garreth nodded slowly at the mention of their Slytherin classmate, his teeth worrying at his lower lip as he studied her. "You and him are close," he said. It wasn't a question. It was obvious to anyone who cared to look.

Her eyes became determined. "He's my best friend. I know everyone thinks there is more between us, but we are just friends. We have been through a lot together. He is the only one who truly understands, and I owe him a great deal."

Relief was a sweet and wonderful thing in Garreth's chest at her confirmation that she was not in love with Sebastian. However, there was clearly a very deep bond there, and only a fool would try to come between that. To hear the way she spoke about him, to see the shadows flicker in her eyes about events of last year, he could understand that bond. To think of her, small as she was, facing down the enemy and only recently coming into her magic, it made his heart twist painfully. The thought of her dealing with it all alone was horrifying.

It made him look at the arrogant Slytherin boy from a different angle. A boy he would mistrust before anything else, and yet Sebastian had taken MC under his wing and stood by her, and Garreth knew that Sebastian was not without his own troubles. It humbled Garreth, and he realised that envying Sebastian's closeness with MC was pointless. The Slytherin had clearly earned her friendship.

"Then I am glad you had Sebastian there by your side during those difficult times," he said. He bowed his head, his fingers fiddling nervously with the end of his scarf. "I hope I can be even half as good a friend to you as he is."

MC stared at him, a pink flush covering her face as she smiled. "I have no complaints so far," she said. Her smile twisted into something rather impish. "In fact, I'm very sure you will be wonderful. Sebastian may be my best friend, but he is also an insufferable pain in the backside at times, something you have yet to prove in yourself."

Garreth's grin was rueful. "Give me time, MC. I'll soon have you pulling your hair out, just like my siblings."

Her laugh seemed to chase the very shadows of the forest away, and Garreth realised he could get addicted to that sound.

....*....

When they emerged out from under the canopy of the dark forest, MC paused and looked up at the sky, blinking at the brightness as the clouds were slowly breaking up. Weak sunlight was trying to break through, and she smiled, lifting her hand to shield her eyes.

She turned as Garreth emerged, brushing stray leaves from his hair after getting caught up in a bush. She giggled and stepped forward, reaching up to tug a particularly stubborn leaf from his locks, the strands of which were soft under her fingertips. She realised that touching his hair was something rather intimate to do, and she was surprised at her own boldness. This close, she could almost count the array of freckles that covered his pale skin, and her eyes caught his, the shades of green seeming to shift with the changing daylight. The blush spreading up his face reached his hairline, and she shyly held up the leaf in explanation of the touch.

He made it easy to be in his company, and she appreciated the things he had said to her earlier regarding Sebastian. It was refreshing to have someone understand and respect her choices without looking for the ulterior motive.

Being this close to him, however, made her think of Oscar. It was only yesterday that Oscar had stood this close to her, looking at her with his teasing blue eyes and making her heart pound. There was no mistaking the family resemblance, and conflicting emotions rushed through her.

Feeling thoroughly confused, MC took a step back away from Garreth and let the leaf drop down to the ground. Shame made her cheeks colour up, and she turned to look around the area where they had come out of the forest in an attempt to straighten out her thoughts. They were quite a way from the castle now.

"What would you like to do?" She asked.

Garreth patted his stomach and licked his lips. "I'm hungry," he said.

She turned back to him, almost smiling at the simple statement that was such a stark comparison to the swirl of confusing thoughts rolling around in her brain. "Oh, did you want to head back to Hogwarts for lunch, then?"

His smile was one of almost smug pride as he patted the bag slung over his shoulder with a freckled hand. "We don't have to return to the castle for lunch," he said. "I may have taken the liberty of paying a visit to the house elves this morning before meeting you. They made us a pack up. We can have a picnic and then continue our explorations. What do you say?"

MC felt her mouth pop open in surprise. "Wow, you thought of everything didn't you?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "I always carry snacks," he said, as if that was obvious. "There's nothing worse than trying to do anything on an empty stomach, and unfortunately, mine seems to be always on the hunt for something to nibble on."

MC laughed and took his arm. "Well, thank Merlin for your bottomless stomach," she said. "I'm actually rather hungry myself! Let's find a spot, and you can show me what is in that bottomless bag of yours."

They found a spot near some standing stones that was sheltered from the breeze, and Garreth dropped his bag down onto the ground. MC gazed around, hand shielding her eyes, always watchful and aware after too many ambushes out in the wild.

"So, are we safe, my faithful bodyguard?" Garreth asked. MC smiled and turned, her eyes widening as she watched Garreth spread a blanket out on the grass. He knelt down and began to pull out parcels wrapped in muslin cloth, along with a bottle of pumpkin juice and a box that looked like it came from Honeydukes.

"My goodness," MC said. She moved closer and dropped down onto the blanket beside him. "This is... it looks amazing!"

He beamed at her and handed her two cups. "You pour the juice, and I will unwrap the sandwiches."

"You have gone to so much trouble," she said softly. She stared at everything on the blanket before them before lifting her gaze to look at Garreth. This was the Garreth that she had caught glimpses of in his letters during the summer, she thought fondly.

"When it comes to food, I don't mess about," he said. He handed her a sandwich filled with cheese and sliced tomatoes. "Come on, tuck in."

She did. As they ate and chatted, MC began to relax again, trying not to think too much about Oscar. When she had finished her food, she pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms about her legs, and she gazed out across the valley.

"I have definitely fallen in love with Scotland," she said. "It is utterly breathtaking. I found it hard to be back in London over the summer to tell the truth."

"Will you not go back to London when you graduate?"

MC gave him a surprised look. "We have some time yet before we have to decide that. Two years almost."

Garreth nodded. "It will come round soon enough, MC. I can't believe Oscar will be leaving this year. I will be the oldest Weasley child here then. Hector is here, and my sister, Millie, will be joining next September."

"What will Oscar be doing when he leaves?" MC picked at a loose thread on her trousers, trying to sound casual.

"You mean he hasn't told you?" Garreth asked. "That surprises me. He does like to brag, especially to girls."

MC felt her cheeks warm, disappointment making her brow crease. "No, he hasn't told me. Perhaps he doesn't think I need to know."

"Well, if you're interested, he has been offered a place on a Quidditch team," Garreth said. The sour look on his face suggested that he wasn't overly pleased about this news.

MC thought it was rather fantastic. She had never seen Oscar play, but she knew he was good on a broom, and the word around school seemed to suggest that he was very good as a Beater. MC was looking forward to this year's Quidditch games and seeing Oscar in action, but she didn't say that. Garreth didn't seem as enthusiastic about his brother's success.

"Mum and Dad were ecstatic when he got the letter. What with Nigellus working at the Ministry and Oscar on the cards for becoming a star Quidditch player, the pressure is on me now to be brilliant at something."

"What makes you think you won't be?" MC asked.

Garreth shrugged. "I can't imagine anything worse than being stuck at a desk all day, and as much as I love Quidditch, I'm not interested in playing professionally. I'm not sure what I will do."

MC didn't like the cloud of sadness that had drifted over his usually sunny features. She reached out to place her hand on his forearm briefly in an attempt to reassure him. "You still have time, Garreth," she said. She shrugged. "I'm not sure what I want to do yet either. Maybe I will figure it out by the time we graduate, maybe not. I have my shop in Hogsmeade to fall back on if need be."

"At least you have that," Garreth said. "The only thing that interests me is potions and the creativity behind it all. I'm not sure people take me seriously, though, especially when I have a tendency to blow things up."

His grin was sheepish, and MC chuckled. "Hey, at least you learn from those mistakes," she said. "You should have more confidence in yourself. That Fizzing Whizzbeer you made wasn't half bad, although the levitation part did get out of hand."

MC had found herself floating all the way up to the ceiling when she had tried his attempt at making the beer. After swiping the ingredients for him from Honeydukes, he honoured her with the first taste. It had been rather amusing as he had tried to get her back down on her feet. He had thought she was going to be mad, but they had laughed so hard her tummy had hurt. Even now, it brought a chuckle to her lips.

Garreth smothered his laugh with his hands, his green eyes twinkling with mischief. "I did manage to get you down in the end, though."

"You did," MC agreed, still laughing. Then she gave him a more serious look. "I meant what I said, though. It tasted good, a little tweak here and there, and I reckon you will have cracked it. You could design so many great drinks like that. Maybe that is your brilliance."

"You really think so?"

His look was so soft, so hopeful, it made her heart squeeze. She nodded. "I really do."

....*....

The sky was now mostly clear of clouds, the late afternoon sun pleasantly warm as it shone over the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. Oscar lay on his back on the grass, breathing hard and wiping the sweat from his brow after an energetic, friendly game. It felt so good to have Quidditch back, and with trials in a few days, he felt the old excitement in his stomach, the competitive streak in him raring to go.

Isaac Cooper appeared beside him, holding up a flask of juice. His black hair was equally sweaty, his face flushed from his exertions. "Drink, Weasley? I'd say you've earned one after that performance."

Oscar nodded and sat up, his shoulders aching from whacking Bludgers with his bat for the past couple of hours. He was going to feel it tomorrow. He took the offered flask and gulped down the cool juice greedily, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked up at Isaac. "It's looking good for trials, isn't it?"

Isaac smirked and nodded. "We've got a good chance this year, I reckon," he said. "Slytherin is going to be the one to beat. Reyes is a determined minx, and she is out for blood now that we have got the go-ahead."

Oscar chuckled. "Keep working that Cooper charm on her, it worked getting her to team up on the petition for Black."

Isaac screwed his nose up. "Yeah, but there was something in it for her with that. When it comes to matches and the cup, this is war."

Oscar got to his feet and returned the flask to him. "Get her in the sack, then, that usually works a charm," Oscar winked.

Isaac laughed and shook his head. "I don't think she swings her bat in that direction, if you catch my drift. I tried, and she damn near ripped my head off."

Oscar laughed and clapped Oscar on the shoulder as they walked towards the changing room block. A group of 6th and 7th year girls who had come down to watch the friendly play this afternoon were loitering outside. Isaac perked up and gave Oscar a sly look. "Look lively, Weasley," he said. "Which pretty smile do you fancy? I quite like the look of the blonde Ravenclaw myself."

Oscar scanned the witches and didn't see MC amongst them. He did see Trixie McNair, however, and she was gazing his way, a little smirk on her pretty mouth. She was trouble that one, a stunner no doubt, but the most slippery of Slytherin snakes to ever get close to. Half the Quidditch boys had been there, himself included, and he swore never again, no matter how many time she gave him those fuck me eyes.

Oscar gave Isaac a half smile. "Knock yourself out, mate," he said. "I'm going for a shower."

Isaac stared at him. "Bloody hell, what's got into you? You're usually the first into the fray."

Oscar shrugged and broke away towards the changing block. Isaac shook his head in disbelief. "Tell me it's not the Hufflepuff hero?"

Oscar kept his thoughts to himself and paused to throw a grin at Isaac over his shoulder, not wanting to reveal anything about MC. She seemed like the kind of girl who wouldn't appreciate being the object of everyone's gossip. For once, Oscar actually cared what a girl thought about him, especially one who didn't hang around outside the changing rooms waiting for a boy to notice them. There was something about MC that had pulled him in, and he wasn't about to mess up his chances, especially with Garreth waiting in the wings.

He wondered how their little trip together had gone today and felt a tug in his guts that felt suspiciously like jealousy. He had never been jealous of Garreth before. It was new, and it was intriguing. He wondered how much fight Garreth actually had in him if it came down to it. He knew his brother had a hard fist on him if he was of a mind to throw it, but Oscar wasn't sure how possessive Garreth would get over a girl. Ladies had a way of getting under your skin and making you do dumb shit you wouldn't normally do.

"Wow, never thought I'd see the day Oscar Weasley lost his head over a girl," Isaac chuckled. "Hope she is worth it mate!"

"I will catch you later on," Oscar called back. His gaze drifted towards the group of girls and he lifted an eyebrow. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Isaac grinned and made his way over to the blonde Ravenclaw, who was already smiling up at the Gryffindor captain. Oscar headed into the changing block, a small part of him wishing that MC had broken her habits and had been waiting for him instead of Trixie McNair.

The hot water felt good against his neck and shoulders, flowing down his back and easing muscles that were going to be stiff in the morning. Oscar rinsed the last of the soap from his hair and wiped his face, reaching out to turn the water off but pausing when he heard a noise behind him. He turned as a familiar black haired figure stepped into the stall behind him, her pouty mouth lifted into a playful smirk. She was completely naked, her hair loose about her shoulders. Trixie McNair.

"What the fuck?" He hissed.

"Hello, Oscar," Trixie said, her smirk widening.

Her dark eyes were glittering with intent as she slid her palm up his chest, stepping eagerly under the spray of water to press herself up against him. Oscar stepped back, shocked, trying to avoid the slippery brush of her wet skin against his, but she had her hands around his neck, her breasts pressed close against him as he sucked in a deep breath.

"Fuck," he gasped. He grabbed her waist, desperately trying to ignore the way her skin slid erotically against his and he pushed her backwards away from him. "No, stop!"

Trixie giggled, moving forward again, her hands smoothing over his shoulders. "That's not what you said last time," she taunted. She hummed appreciatively as she squeezed her hands down his arms. "You certainly filled out a lot more over summer, Oscar. I like it."

"Get out," Oscar said, frowning. He grappled with her arms, trying not to notice the way the shower water was running in rivulets over her skin, plastering her long, black hair over the swell of her breasts. "You shouldn't even be in here."

Trixie pouted at him and grabbed his hand, splaying it against one round, slippery breast. Her gaze was dark, sultry, and full of promise. She licked her lips slowly, and Oscar winced. He knew what those lips could do.

"Are you sure you want to kick me out?" She purred.

Oscar squeezed his eyes shut tight at the feel of that soft roundness under his palm, gritting his teeth against the blood that was rushing right to his cock. She was the ultimate temptress and he dug deep for resistance, yanking his hand free of her grip.

He thought of MC, her pretty eyes and the way she had smiled at him in the library, the way she had shivered at the feel of his lips against her ear. Something deep inside of him pulled. He did not want to fuck that up.

"I told you to get out," he said through gritted teeth. He gave Trixie a hard shove, and she slipped on the tiled floor, grabbing the shower curtain for balance as she glared up at him.

"Since when does Oscar Weasley say no," she spat.

He glared back at her, anger swirling in his belly now. If he had done this to a girl in the shower, he would be expelled faster than he could blink. Her words were almost an echo of what Isaac had jokingly said to him outside, and Oscar pushed his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Just get the fuck out of here," he said. "Maybe you should start using the word no a bit more yourself before you run out of Quidditch players to fuck."

Fury twisted her beautiful face, and she narrowed her eyes. "It's true, isn't it?" She said coldly. "You're chasing after bookish virgins now, aren't you? That Hufflepuff who can do no wrong."

Oscar glared at her, something hot and vicious twisting inside him at hearing her speak about MC that way. He kept his mouth shut, though. Like before, he wasn't going to add fuel to the fire.

Trixie chuckled and shook her head. "You will regret chucking me out of here, honey, trust me," she said. "When Little Miss Perfect knocks you back, you'll come crawling back to someone who knows how to please a man."

She let her gaze travel slowly over him, and he refused to budge an inch, standing there naked under the water as her lips twisted up into her trademark sultry smirk. Then she was gone, her bare feet padding away softly on the tiled floor.

Oscar let out the breath he had been holding and leant back against the cold tiles of the wall, rubbing his face with his hand.

MC had really gotten under his skin. There was no denying it. Oscar wanted her, and now he was determined to have her.

To be continued....

#hogwarts legacy fanfic #garreth weasley #oscar weasley #oscar weasley x mc #garreth weasley x mc #blueraineshadows

[gust-jar-simulator]

Honestly if I really think about Four as a system, the idea of basing the alters on the textbook clinically approved labels bores me. For example, I don’t want to write Red as a textbook little, or Blue as a persecutor. It’s tiresome. Systems are vibrant and unusual and we get weird with it depending on our life circumstances- our “little” is an age shifter who handles our nightmares and impulsive thoughts by being Really Goddamn Queer, for example.

If anything, I think I’d want to base them on the requirements of their respective elemental dungeons in Minish Cap, maybe with some influence from the other games and of course the manga. It makes perfect sense for Blue to be full of spite if he spawned in because of/during the Temple of Droplets. It’s an ice dungeon with bottomless pits. It makes perfect sense for Red to be silly and reckless, given the minecart ride through the guts of a volcano and the fact that you have to ride the wind updrafts over lava. Vio’s dungeon comes fresh out of you needing to learn a new language, navigate a foreign culture, and then immediately solve dungeon puzzles for the first time. I haven’t gotten the Wind element yet, but so far it’s complicated and ridiculous and I look forward to seeing what I can invent for Green.

Plus if we look at the mechanics of Four Swords Adventures, it’s obvious Vio is meant to represent the “Hero of Darkness” role you get in game for “being a bother” to your teammates, and Green might be the “Hero of Light” who’s voted the most helpful in your party. Given the nature of the game(s) they’d all likely be very competitive about everything from killcount to loot, but equally willing to drop everything to do something that requires a group effort, and very synchronized when it comes to combination attacks. They bicker about the little things, but not as much about the big things that matter.

Shadow, meanwhile, is pure chaos in Hylian form. Not only does he regularly summon ridiculous bombs, but his shapeshifting power in-game means he can only be hurt by the person he’s copying, which I feel like could be useful for a fic. Also there’s the duplication thing. And the laughing. Maybe I imagined the laughing, but I sure got the impression he was laughing.

Also I think it would be funny if I gave all of them an irrational hatred of the boss monster from their elemental dungeons. Vio having a grudge against chuchus is sending me.

#loz four swords #vio link #red link #blue link #green link #shadow link

[kiichxko]

UNLOCK IT!

Bllk boys playing genshin!

Warnings: some quest spoilers for genshin

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ISAGI YOICHI (潔 世一)

He's the very rare traveler main! Specifically aether

Mainly uses electro or dendro aether for the elemental reactions

He doesn't understand why people don't use traveler a lot, he thinks being able to switch elements at will is very useful and versatile

SUCKS at dodging, he literally depends on his zhongli's shield to keep him alive

Speaking of zhongli, he lost his 50/50 to keqing on his banner, homeboy later spent hours grinding for primos, he deadass refuses to whale at all

He also might have sacrificed keqing at qingyun peak multiple times

Luckily, the peepaw came home after 30 more pulls

He's pretty netural when it comes to co-op, so long as you don't take his materials without permission (bachira is an exception)

He LOVES the new TCG event, he's got all the character cards and won nearly every single match in a span of a week

He also does co-op challenges with the others, they range from waverider races to stuff like "who dies first while fighting _____" competitions or "beat azdaha without a shield or healing" challenge

Bachira came up with the last one specifically for him

Low key hates fighting the cryo cube, the fruits you gotta hit to break the shield are a pain in the ass (i'm not self-projecting here i swear)

BACHIRA MEGURU (蜂楽 廻)

A hutao and yoimiya main!

He enjoys looking at yoimiya's idle animations and spams her normal attacks just so he could see her do those little flips

Probably learned hu tao's dance and song by heart so every now and then while playing he'll go:

“大丘丘��了，二丘丘��～”

“三丘丘采药，四丘丘熬～”

He plays in CN dub but with JP subtitles

Still messes up a little on the pinyin pronouncination but he's trying

He also relates to hu tao since they were both considered weirdos by everyone (bachira's hu tao kinnie era guys)

Has considered cosplaying a character before

Loves exploring! Has every area at 100% exploration rate and all statues at level 10 somehow??

Always forgets that he's a pyro main and that grass exists so he basically almost dies standing on burning grass (can someone please get him a healer or a shield.)

Trolls other people in co-op by doing shit like the "disco disco party party" thing or using jean to yeet people

But other than that, he's actually very helpful with exploring and finding chests

Also steals materials from isagi

Sometimes forgets how to glide and ends up dying from fall damage (me too bachira me too)

CHIGIRI HYOMA (千切 豹馬)

Ningguang main chigiri ningguang main chigiri ningguang main chigiri-

He first got her on the beginner's banner she's been on his team ever since, definitely has her c6

You can't tell me that he wouldn't decorate his teapot bc he WOULD

And it's decorated so nicely too, he's even got a whole area dedicated to the animals he caught

Started playing after bachira said the landscapes were pretty but then he got invested into the lore (he watches those genshin theory videos too)

Enjoys taking photos of the landscapes and his characters, he once accidentally clicked on his diluc's skill while taking a photo and proceeded to laugh at how cursed it looked

Doesn't like solving the puzzles in inazuma and enkanomiya tho so he just google searches the solutions

Randomly makes cracked theories about khaen'riah, it happens so often no one can tell if he's being serious or not

Absolutely hates paimon's voice, he'll throw off his headphones whenever paimon starts talking and go "stfu paimon" like calm down

HATES the spectors with all his heart

He also likes collecting items in the open world, has over 2k of each of them

Might have spent a bit of money on welkin but that's as far as he'll go

Idk why but he strikes me as the type to mainly use bow or catalyst users bc of the range

Is very good at aiming and dodging, has laughed at isagi struggling while they were fighting azdaha

KUNIGAMI RENSUKE (國神 錬介)

The man somehow got a qiqi on the beginner's banner, he read her backstory, felt bad, and decided to main her

And no, his qiqi is not a healer or support, she's a full blown physical DPS

And her build is no joke either, he once made her do 200k damage while fighting the new scaramouche boss like kunigami wtf are you feeding her??

If there's a boss you can't beat, just call him to co-op and his zombie child will carry

Is another lore invester

Chigiri once sent him a video explaining enkanomiya lore and they later spent hours discussing about it

Got emotional at the tsurumi island and kazari quest, maybe at the dainsleif chasm quest too

Also levels up all his character's friendship to 10 to get their name cards

Has read all of his character's stories out of boredom

Completed ALL of his world quests, doesn't skip the dialogue in case he misses something important

Does hangout quests, beidou was his favourite one

Can never see hilichurls the same anymore after the chasm archon quest, all this time he's been killing cursed, innocent people? He feels so guilty

His luck when it comes to the gacha is literally phenomenal, the guy has never lost a 50/50 in his life

He's very skilled at controling his waverider and comes out at the top during waverider races

He's also good in fishing too, he manages to always stay within the moving bar

He plays spiral abyss often and would have 36 stars if it weren't for the last few floors being such a pain in the ass

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#blue lock #blue lock headcanons #isagi yoichi #bachira meguru #chigiri hyoma #kunigami rensuke #{akano_writes}

[kimbap-r0ll]

Escape Room: Phantom Troupe Edition

Chrollo

You guys are probably in there for about ten minutes before he’s already figured everything out

Probably surprises the security camera person because you guys figured out the room so fast

He’ll definitely find them fun but might ruin it for you because it doesn’t feel like things are at stake with how chill he is (and how easily he solves everything)

Nobunaga

The type to try and pull at everything (even props he’s not supposed to touch)

Will probably get frustrated at some point and give up, only to come back to working with you at the last ten minutes

When he and the rest of the group succeeds he’s probably super happy and like gives everyone a high-five or so

Feitan

Didn’t feel like participating unless the escape room had a horror theme

Probably scares other people in the room for fun if it’s dark and all

Figured out half of the puzzles but refuses to actually help, sits and watches others go into chaos

Machi

Will use needles to pick at locks

She’s probably someone who can figure things out really quickly too, sometimes leaving the others in the group she’s with behind

She can get a bit competitive when she’s playing

Hisoka

Probably does something on purpose to scare someone in there if the theme of the room is horror related

Figures things out but likes watching people get frustrated at some of the puzzles so sits back and looks at his cards

Probably used bungee gum on some props at some point and accidentally broke something

Phinks

If things don’t work out, at least he can punch through walls

Probably follows through with what the group says they should do but doesn’t really solve puzzles as quickly

I feel like he wouldn’t like escape rooms that much because of how tight the space is

Shalnark

Loves escape rooms, especially if they have things related to technology

Figures out puzzles and honestly ruins the chance for others to figure them out

Gets out of the escape room by hacking the lock if it’s a keypad

Franklin

Honestly he’s super uncomfortable with how tight the place feels and doesn’t like playing them

He’ll probably help in the puzzles or help look for things, overall is the guy who keeps the room cooperative

If they really want him to though, he could honestly just break through the door with his finger guns

Shizuku

She’ll forget vital information on getting out instantly

She might misplace a prop and get to the exit on accident

Overall though she’s like Franklin in helping keep the room from being ripped to pieces by some of the others in the Phantom Troupe if they’re playing together

Pakunoda

She doesn’t particularly like them but she’s not against playing

Likes ones with cool antique looking props probably

Her memory is really good and she’s good at solving problems, so it’s no wonder she’s able to get out easily

Bonolenov

He’s never done one before so was really excited when he had the chance to do it for the first time

I feel like he would be able to get out quickly but get stuck on things like the keypad ones

If all fails he can also just bust open the door

Uvogin

He and Nobunaga should not play an escape room together unless the employees are okay with the room looking like it was hit with a tornado

Is the most likely to just break the door and say that this is the only way they’ll break a record

He doesn’t like the tight space that much and isn’t a fan of doing things like solving puzzles so usually doesn’t participate in them

Kortopi

Some people forget he’s there and get scared when they see him

He probably figured out half of the puzzles but no one heard him when he was trying to tell the group he was with

He’s stolen props before by replacing them with his replicas and taking the real thing with him

#hxh #hxh headcanons #hxh phantom troupe #chrollo #chrollo lucilfer #hxh chrollo #hxh nobunaga #nobunaga #nobunaga hazama #hxh feitan #feitan #feitan portor #machi #hxh machi #machi komachine #hisoka #hxh hisoka #hisoka morow #hxh phinks #phinks #phinks magcub #shalnark #hxh shalnark #shalnark ryusei #franklin #franklin bordeau #hxh franklin #shizuku #shizuku murasaki #hxh shizuku

[thequimmqueen]

Guess what? Quinn x Timm hcs!

Because these two still mean the world to me, and I think it was necessary given all the (meme) Breakup posts more recently.

Now, I gotta warn ya, these are more or less self indulgent, but what can you do when you got so little to base yourself upon?

anyways, enjoy :>

-In the past, Timm and Quinn would often go to each other’s places to review legal papers together, or simply hang out. They mostly hanged out at Quinn’s place since it’s more spacious than his apartment. When they became friends again post-bakeria they gradually started doing that again, with Quinn being the one inviting him first, and he accepts, despite feeling a little nervous.

-When Timm started visiting again, Quinn’s cats were happy to see him. He doesn’t get why they like him so much, but Quinn finds the scene of him being surrounded by the kittens to be adorable. 

-In the past, they would also call each other since very early in the morning, and wouldn’t stop talking till both got to the firm, where they would continue to have hour-long chats. It could be about anything; work, hobbies, interests. it didn’t matter, they just enjoyed talking to each other.  Nowadays, they aren’t able to do it as many hours as they used to, obviously due to the different schedules they have now. But in some evenings they would have phone calls that lasted hours until midnight. 

-In the past, Timm and Quinn were rather comfortable with hand-holding or wrapping their arm around the other. They were just good friends back then, but you could often see them walking together with their arms intertwined like married couples.  Also, whenever they were handling a stressful case Quinn would always feel a little more confident after a gentle hand squeeze from him. He was something of her emotional support in those moments.

-Timm liked to pull harmless pranks on Quinn, like changing her computer’s desktop wallpaper to some funny cat meme. Quinn would say he’s ridiculous, but her smile was obvious. Nowadays, she is also able to pull pranks on him, which surprises him, but also makes him proud.

-Timm sometimes does beauty treatments that Mindy suggests him to use along with Quinn. They could be watching the most gruesome thriller or the most cheesy romcom, and they would have those face masks with cucumbers in their eyes as Timm has one of Quinn’s cats in his lap and she leans on his shoulder with the TV remote.  Altough Quinn does take care of her appearence, she was surprised Timm wanted to do this with her, but doesn’t complain. They decided they would do this more often on the weekends. something like a relaxation session after the difficult weeks.

-At some point in her youth, Quinn liked videogames, but didn’t have the money to spend on them, so she only ever had like one or two games on one simple console. As now she has a succesful career that pays good she’s able to get more, but doesn’t know what kinda games suit her, so she trusts in Timm to reccomend her some good ones. Timm suggests that puzzle or mystery solving games might be her thing, but also gets her Animal Crossing or a farming sim.

-On the topic of Videogames, Timm would teach her how to use the newer consoles, and would generally play chill games in CO-OP. But once they started with games a little more complex, somehow Quinn got really good at winning against him in competitive modes. 

-At first, Quinn wasn’t comfortable with PDA since she didn’t want others to know of her intimacy with Timm, but given most of the Bakeria customers know them well, and Timm can’t help but smooch her when he sees her come in, she got used to it. Now she even flirts with him with silly pick-up lines!

-On the topic of that, Timm is an absolute sucker when Quinn flirts back. His heart skips a bit and he’s got the most dorky smile when she begins calling him cute names or sends kisses his way.

-You cannot tell me their friends don’t make a big deal out of them finally dating! When Timm popped the question and she said yes, the first thing their friends did when they found out was make a party. Because god knows how long they took to get to this point!

-By the time cluckeria happens, Quinn and Timm have been dating for a rather long time, so they now feel able to advice other couples. For one example, when NuCoop was still open they decided to check it even if both were loyal to papa (mostly for curiosity) and when they saw Gabitha and NuMarcus argue, they mistook them for a couple & Timm was the first to calm them down and suggest to talk things out. (Look who’s talking, eh?)

Obviously Marcus and Gabitha were embarassed and clarified they didn’t have anything like that, but Quinn found it rather humorous.

-Quinn and Timm, as I’ve mentioned before, go often to thrift stores to find anything 70′s or Clockwork-themed. Whether it be clothing from the era, an accesory, a table decor, a clock with a funny shape, a clock engine.. they liked it all! In their days off, Quinn and Timm dedicate their time to finding the coolest stuff together. and when they go solo, they always take pics to see if the other would like it to get it for them.

-At home they are rather lovey-dovey! Seeing as they can be in peace and privacy, Quinn doesn’t hold back on her affection for Timm, and he’s always happy about it.

-Their favorite seasons are Autumn and Winter, for the reason that they can cuddle in a warm bed while it’s raining or snowing outside. It’s also close to the time they finally resolved things and became a couple, so it’s anniversary time as well!

-Be sure that they have date nights! they may not be able to have them all the time, but when they do it’s always a blast. At first they made it very romantic, having dinner and going to nice places, but as they spend 1 or 2 years as a couple,date nights are also dedicated to relax together at home or go watch new movies at the teather. No matter if they’re dressing formally or casually, what matters is that both want to have fun together.

-Quinn starts to take dance classes with Timm, not only to show she cares for his hobbies and wanting to do them with him, but also cause she admits she needs to lose weight :’)

-Quinn helps Timm with his curriculum to apply to other dance-related places, and she even saves any ads or job signs that could be of use for him.

-Timm can sometimes be a little jealous but it’s obviously not to the point of toxicity. When he wasn’t official with Quinn, he used to think Jojo liked her too. Jojo. The man that dates Papa. Imagine that!

-There would be times, late at night, where Timm can’t sleep due to his memories of being kidnapped by Radley. Quinn notices right away when he’s not sleeping, seeing as he snores. So she would often get up, get him some tea and pretzels, and let him tell her about them, and rant if he needs to.

-Quinn sometimes demands attention in the same way a cat would, which Timm finds absolutely precious.

-For their date nights, sometimes they go to Hugo’s club. Quinn would let Timm choose a cool outfit for her, as she doesn’t really know of fashion, and they would go out to hit the dance floor together.

-Sometimes, Quinn and Timm remember they aren’t married. Since they are already very comfy and domestic, it’s easy to forget..

-Timm gets little outfits and toys for Quinn’s cats, and she takes pictures with all of them.

-They defenitely tease each other affectionately, Timm would be the one who does it mostly early on, but Quinn also gets to do her fair share of teasing. Oh Timm loves it when she does this little confident grin, he finds it really attractive.

-Despite being so stoic, Quinn always takes the time to remind Timm she loves him, and Timm finds it rather sweet that even when she struggles to be affectionate, she puts a lot of effort into their relationship.

Oof, Okay! those are a lot! and I can’t remember many more at the moment. Hope you enjoyed!

#Quinn x Timm #Quimm #Timm x Quinn #Headcanons #Papa Louie #flipline

[ppeonppeonhan]

15 people, 15 questions

I was tagged by a new mutual zimmbzon in this fun little getting-to-know-you quiz.

Are you named after anyone?

Real name: Yes, a saint (first) and my grandma (middle).

Tumblr handle: It means "shameless" in Korean. Jungkook of BTS said that word perfectly described V, and it stuck with me -- and not many foreign words do. Plus, it perfectly encompassed the content I share here. 😜

When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday, thinking about Night potentially unaliving himself if he reaches his limit with Day's emotional abuse, and Mhok being triggered to remember his sister's death if he witnesses the attempt and tries to stop him. (#LastTwilight) In real life, making myself cry worrying about shit that didn't or might not even happen is my specialty. Anxiety perpetually at 11.

Do you have kids?

Do my parents count?

What sports do you/have you played?

If I were athletically inclined, I'd play soccer, baseball, tennis, volleyball, and hockey. But I am extremely accident prone, and deeply disinterested in anymore ER visits.

Do you use sarcasm?

My best friend gifted me this in college, so...probably.

What's the first thing you notice about people?

Whether or not they feel comfortable around me. It helps me gauge how much of my personality I should show. Am I starting at a 10 or a 2? I know we'll be good friends if I can hit 10 before we part ways.

What is your eye color?

I wish my eye color was violet or that eye color changed based on your emotions. This thought inspired by my recent viewing of both Dungeons & Dragons and the new Percy Jackson Disney series.

Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

Love a happy ending, but only if it makes sense and doesn't seem tacked on after a major unresolved conflict. I only do scary if it's a murder mystery, cause it's like solving a puzzle.

Any talents?

I don't panic under pressure. If anything, it's when I excel the most. Which...is probably a trauma response, but whatever. Lol I've also always been good at seeing the potential in people, whether they were famous or a work colleague. Like I can tell when someone is going to excel in life and what they would excel at.

Random example: Jesse Plemons. Who could've predicted him going from dorky Landry in Friday Night Lights to a respected character actor across film & TV? Me. I did. Who could've predicted he would marry Kirsten Dunst and have kids? Nobody. That one was a curveball. Lol I mean, his competition was Josh Hartnett. Be fucking for real.

Where were you born?

On the East Coast.

What are your hobbies?

I work too much to have substantial hobbies, but if I had time, I would do these more: skateboard, write fiction, photography, wander new cities/neighborhoods, make crafts, explore museums, cook new recipes, learn how to play the drums, and learn Korean + Thai + Tagalog.

Do you have any pets?

No, I'm afraid of having to bury them -- and I don't want to clean up poop. Lol But if I could have pets, I'd get a parrot, an iguana, a lot of different fish, and whatever breed of dog Henry Cavill has. For now, I'll stick to my 8 plants. (RIP to the previous 7.)

How tall are you?

Tall enough to reach things for all of my under 5'4" friends -- of which I have many.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Science, but I was very bad at it. Lol I excelled mostly at Math, English, and Spanish.

What is your dream job?

Storytelling in all its forms. But based on my career trajectory, I'd be happy to settle for a marketing job that allows me to craft very subtle product placement in a series or film.

I'm tagging... @my-rose-tinted-glasses, @wanderlust-in-my-soul, @gothicbarbie, @mikuni14, @heretherebedork, @liyazaki, @mooninagust to post their responses, if they haven't already.

But it's TOTALLY optional. Happy motherf*ckin' New Year! 🤸🏿‍♀️

#15 people 15 questions #tumblr questions

[sleepdepravity]

obscure adventure/puzzle games

So, the problem with the "adventure" genre is that it can really just mean, anything. like, it can mean "adventure" as in "point and click," or it can mean "adventure" as in, "fight-y action." and puzzles is also hard to define. Like, "puzzle platformer" could be called "puzzle games" right? but then there are puzzle games that have nothing to do with platforming. i dunno. i might have to divide this up into subsections, even. here i go.

"adventure" as in emphasis on fighting and action

a friend of mine worked on some animation stuff for this, so i am biased. this one is a hybrid of like, fighting action and cooking puzzle action, and i think it's quite fun. story is cute. you're doing a chef competition, and you have to literally fight monsters and grab their stuff and go back to your station and cook the stuff for the judge. i don't think i particularly got a handle of strategy or anything, but like, i'm also very much. don't like to think.

you get to have a bird!!!! you get to play with yor bird and send it out to fight robots and help you and put hats on your bird!!! your bird will dab!!!!!! it's so cute!!!!!

the game calls itself like part "murder mystery" game, i guess in the sense of, you are a character solving a murder and it's a mystery, but it's definitely not a mystery game. you fight a lot of people. There's also time travel involved. I forget if it's a time loop...probably not. i think i remember being okay at the fighting. i hate fighting, i think fighting is the worst part in any video game, but the fighting mechanics in this game i think were rather nice as a whole and felt cool to do.

I don't remember if this actually had fighting, but it's definitely more action-oriented, i feel. there's sailing involved, and i quite like games with sailing a lot, but i extremely don't remember what the plot is or what you're supposed to be doing. beyond sailing.

Point and click adventure-puzzle type things

Point and click game about the florida land boom and bust, which i am partial to specificaly because it's about the florida land boom and bust. i think it's funny how the story is just about the protagonist just fucking up and getting his life ruined. yeah. that just happened in florda. y'know. (somewhere, wilson and addison are there.)

this one is very cute. you're a ghost, and you can zoom into things and objects and find things and your sidekick is your dead dog. i thought the puzzles could be rather fun, and also, the aesthetics of it were just. very nice. very calming.

i think this one counts as a point-and-click because. you point. and you click. this one is a lot more about sort of, exploring a family history. you're supposed to use clues to cobble together the family tree. Strangely enough, the creators separated this game into chapters, and i get the feeling that, potentially, this might not finish. I feel like it would have been better to release it as one game, since this just means you can't have the whole ass family tree in one game at all. but exploring the scrapbook is fun, and i think they did some very neat things to make each family member distinct in their....i guess, "levels" for lack of better word.

this one is definitely in the vein of classic point-and-click. I remember liking the voice acting and the characters. it's sort of like....a 70s spy thriller type aesthetic, which is nice. art is nice too. I liked both of the main characters.

i feel like this one counts as a point and click, because that's essentially how you play it, even if you aren't actually pointing and clicking, i feel like. i guess maybe you could call it a puzzle platformer? unsure. the art is very nice. the story is very much all about "not pushing yourself so much, not putting everything solely on yourself, learning how to rest and take breaks and ask for help."

straight up point-and-click. you're working to hide the aftermath of assassinations WAIT THE TRAILER JUST SAID "INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS"????? WHAT THE FUKC, HANG ON WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT anyways, the hitmen kill the people, and then they send you in to clean and hide the bodies. and there are actually multiple ways you can solve this, which can result in varying degrees of clean-up success (as in, some solutions are a bit of a sloppier job than others. it's sort of like the hitmen series, where you can pull of a hit in a way that makes it look like not a hit, or you can make it extremely clear it was a hit). i don't think i remember it being...too gorey?

the vibes of this game is very puzzle game. you even have an inventory of stuff to use on things and everything. the art style is also rather cute, i think. quite a short and simple game.

maybe this should've gone into "visual novel" actually, but since you walk around and look at stuff, i sort of automatically shuffled it to "adventure game." you're a neat robot in a spaceship and you gotta go around and help the space captain. i think i like robot games because how the themes inherently just go towards personhood, and there's something compelling about that.

definitely very point-and-click adventure. you're maintaining a space ship, you're far from home, there's time dilation and relativity and stuff involved, and grief. there's something nice about doing daily tasks sometimes, until things get derailed and the story starts and you're just struggling to get a grip on thigns now.

you're a shy frog trying to get what she needs for a tea party with friends what more could you want. look at that frog, you could be her. like right now. she's so shy. help her with her tea party.

this involved time travel, and therefore, time travel puzzles, and i enjoy those quite a bit.

dude, did this? not have over 1k reviews?? really????? i like this one because of the style, and how the creator meshed a bunch of renaissance paintings in fun ways, and the animation and stuff. I also thought it was quite funny. I like how you can have fun and sing and dance with all the guys playing music. i remember liking the ending.

i feel like??? this could count as being close?? to point and click???? i...sort of don't remember what this was all about. i remember that there were good vibes.

i remember playing this very long ago. I feel like i played this in a browser game sight....??? it's delightful in terms of bizarre visuals, i think. all your'e doing is trying to get a little car out the other side of the room, but you have to sort of play around and figure out what your'e meant to do to achieve that.

you're a little cleaning robot!! trying to do your job!!!! your house AI mom gets very invested in your wellbeing. i like robots, i like AI, and i like cleaning, so that's probably why i remember liking this game. it's possible that i cried during this game too, i don't remember.

i absolutely cannot tell you what this game is about. the visuals are quite amazing and i liked that a bunch. there's musicians involved.

Straight up puzzles/puzzle platformers/other weird things i'm not sure what to call??

this game is very much a fallen london/sunless seas type game. i thought it was fun. you go around in this weird eldrich house in your little weird bug train powered by a beating heart. I thought the environments were very fun too.

i thought this was very fun. I liked the art. there are occasionas where i will indulge in hidden object games? i have no idea why. maybe it's the rabid desire to collect that i have sometimes. I thought that the animations in this game were very fun. I guess it's also a maze, though. it's a rather odd duck now that ithink about it.

i have absolutely no idea why i put this game in this genre. this is restaurant management sim. this doesn't belong here. it's very cute though. i don't usually play restaurant management, but i played the hell out of this for a while.

it's a puzzle game. I really liked the environments in this puzzle game. It has one of those, like, you're in a model within a model, and the model you're in has a model in it? so you can play around with the model and it affects the model outside your model???? it's, like, recursive. y'know. I also liked the environments. i don't think i particularly cared much about the story, it's just about a relationship that broke down and didn't last....or something. but the game itself and the puzzles and the exploring, i like.

another one of those dystopia puzzle game type thing, like papers please. But a lot more puzzle-game-y. once again, i just kept my head down and worked for the system, i'm pretty sure.

I was surprised about how little reviews this one had??? i think i remember playing this one as a browser game first too, before it came to steam. i think it was one of the first "coding" games i played. there's a lot of fun in terms of, just zooming around a system and peeking into cracks and reading people's stupid emails and shit.

this is sort of like an rpg. you travel around tryign to help this whole area out. there's a mystery aspect to it too, i suppose, because the previous roadwarden went missing and you're trying to track him down and figure out what happened. also, there's a timed element, as in, you're only here for however many days, and after that, you gotta leave and go back. there's a lot of politics going on in this place too. there's an absolutely awful friendly mayor lady who i enjoyed but sadly had to depose because i'm pretty sure she wanted to become a tyrant of the entire area and wipe out the other people. completely willing to commit war crimes. the problem is, she was definitely very beloved, and so her townspeople beat me up as soon as i tried to go to sleep there afterwards. i liked talking to people in this game.

this game is actually free!!!! it's just straight up logic puzzles. as in, you go around talking to pepole and they tell you clues and you have to use that to figure out who is what and where they are in the family tree and stuff. i enjoyed it. I like logic puzzles.

a neat little puzzle game, with these small environments, scaling the items up and down was very satisfying and it was interesting how they played around with that mechanic for the puzzles.

okay so it's a cyberpunk solitaire game, so sue me. sometimes solitaire can be COOL and INTERESTING okay.

FUCK I RAN OUT OF IMAGES. I COULD MAKE ON THIS POST ok brb i'll make a second part of this.

#malky plays games #obscure game recs

[just-an-enby-lemon]

do you have any ideas on how that One Bad Day story could have been made better?

you mentioned the disconnect between the past and present scenes, so maybe making them stronger parallels instead could have helped? i have an idea for that but i'd rather hear your thoughts

I do. I'm not very confident on my ideas but I have some anyway:

Firstly I would change Edward's relationship with riddles. They should be his weapon part of his identity. A Riddler that hates and is afraid of riddles is just the stupidiest concept someone could come with and while my ideas might not be that much better I'm not a professional writer and they are still better than Riddler would be a better characther with we made him generic.

▫️That enters on hiw would I do the past:

So instead we keep that Edward is an absurd level genius (I will even keep the honestly over the top things like him learning multiple languages to a middle school level at the age normal kids are learning to speak) and his dad is a man who always apreciated intelect. He is a conservative elitist in all ways and he wants his offspring to be perfect as a boost to his own ego. Edward is raised to be perfect. To excel.

Problem is we got this teacher who likes games and riddles and he starts to present them in class. Now instead of hating them. That's the first time Edward gets to play a game. He was raised by his dad and likeminded elitists, he never got to be a kid or to play. And he loves it. Instead of for grades this time the teacher presents puzzles as ways to win extra credit and Edward always gets them right. He starts to present riddles back, to read all books on it. Baby got an hyperfixation and he is just soo happy. His dad hates it. He wants his son to be the perfect little intelectual robbot and not the weird nerd who plays D&D and randomicaly chalenges other kids to "a battle of wits". And so he starts punishing Edward for the riddles. Blaming him for the games. For just wanting to be a kid. So he keeps being punished for it untill he stops. It's not that he doesn't like riddles anymore is that he knows that if he keeps with them he will be punished. He stops playing games and just goes back to being a robot. Until his teacher presents a rubik cube. Edward wants it soo badly. It isn't because it's hard for him but because is colorfull and fun and he just wants some form of stim iten godammit. But his teacher just wants to use it to decorate the office. And Edward knows his father won't let he have one. So he starts invading the office in the dark to play with it.

Second problem: the teacher decides to present the cube as a competiton the student that solves it quicker wins extra credit or something. So after announcing it on class he locks the cube on his office. Edward doesn't care for the challenge he just wants to play with "his" cube again. So he invades the office, lock picks the desk and keeps playing during the night. But he never lock picked things before and he just forgets to lock it back or to throw away the evidence.

When the competition happens he wins. But instead of simply congratulating him the teacher says they need to talk after class. There he says he knows Eddie cheated. That the desk was open in the morning and he saw the pins on Edward's pockets. He castizes him saying that he didn't even needed the extra credit. That if he wants to be the best student so much be it but other kids just want to have fun and he should stop being a problem for them and he keeps not listening to Eddies explanations and than he threatens to tell the principal (Eddies dad) and Edward knows that if he does the punishment will be even worse and he panics and hits the guy with some tabble decoration. Later his dad just finds them there. The dead body and Eddie almost catathonic repeting he just wanted to play a game. And his dad reprimends him as if he had recieved a bad grade and not killed a guy and it's talking about how after they clean this mess he is better prepare for another punishment and in blurred colors we see this as the moment something breaks in his psyque as he mutters "no" and steals the rubik cube.

Now is that how I would write a Riddler origin story? Hell no. But I tried to keep the vibes, key aspects and edgyness of the original but with an Edward who loves riddles from the start and is viciously showing them on everyone's face because he never got the change to be himself instead of the "i hate riddles blablabla" and of course also with he clearly having a psychotic break because of the abuse he suffered instead of being evil from birth.

▫️Now let's go to the future:

The future gave me a conundrum: for one side my original idea of Riddlers newest ploy being related to his backstory - possibly a move against the school his dad was the principal off - and therefor he leaves riddles for Bruce to uncover his past or with Riddler himself reminicing it since it's suppose to be inspirated on The Killer Joke.

I decided to have a bit of both. As during a bank kidnnaping at Gotham Acadamy Edward notices a young student that reminds him to much of himself he starts becoming obcessed with changing things by uncovering the corruption behind the institucion and more importantly destroying it. As his motivations are more missplaced revenge than the curiosity he convinces himself it is his clues for Batman start to show it making so the flasbacks are a mix of Edward being forced to remember the past as he plants his clues and Bruce uncovering them (with greener tones when it's Edward and darker when Bruce - maybe with Riddler remembering in sepia but with green and purple highlights while Bruce discovers the past with black and white - and the present having the same constant vibrant collors as if even with the darkness of everything Gotham shinnes uncaring and wow that's edgy) none of the memories are completly true and even contradict a bit (on the sense of Bruce's part differing for Edward as Bruce wasn't truly there and Edward remembers it by his own miopics). We still have Bruce talking with Edward's father but this time he calls the old man out and Edward never met nor killed his mother. It's a thriller and no one dies in the end.

▫️Is it good?

I have no clue. But I think it's better and it keeps with the edginess (I feel like any rewrite of a One Bad Day story HAS to be edgy even if I really wanted to do a more classic riddler story that still has the angst and tragedy but it isn't full of super duper impossibly smart people and everything sucks and murder and violence yay). I don't know if I would care for this characthers still or not. But I think it's a least less against everyrhing that came before.

What do you think?

▫️IMPORTANT

I told my dumb ideas now I want to know yours. You said you have one and I need to know it.

#one bad day #edward tierney #riddlee

[gible-love-nibles]

Eternal Diva Fic (Part 4)

*(spins around in a swivel chair like a supervillain but I just. Keep spinning)* It is time for the L.ayton specialty: puzzles. And some goofs and gags.

This is the most hefty chapter so far (and maybe one of the biggest for the whole story); in movie time, this covers like. The rest of the first act (at least how I split up the story). So get comfy and enjoy!

Trigger warning for (again) implied falls to death (everyone turns out to be fine, though that's not said until later) and an explosion near the end

Word Count: 2.4k / Previous / Next

“Let us begin.  Puzzle Number 001.” Spotlights shaped like the numbers shined on the back of the stage. “Look around you, ladies and gentlemen.  Look for the oldest thing you can see and gather by it.  Sounds simple… but there is a catch.”

Another brighter light shone on the middle of the stage, and a strange machine rose up from a hidden platform.  It was tall, with a crank and a large run of paper with holes and music notes on it.  When the crank started to turn, a song like you’d hear from a music box started to play.

As bizarre as the thing looked, it was obvious what its purpose was: a timer.

“When the music stops, your time is up.  If you want eternal life, then there’s no time to lose.”

The game master wasn’t even finished speaking before people started to rush out of the theater.  Even the Professor, Luke and Janice made their way over to the main hall.  It made sense: there were loads of relics on display.  Who knew how old some of those things were?

But I didn’t follow anyone out.  I thought hard about the question the game master posed: look for the oldest thing you can see.

“That might mean you don’t have to leave this room to see it,” I muttered to myself.  I sat in one of the theater chairs.

Well, the book about everything here said that the opera house was built very recently.  Now with the revelation that it was actually a boat, it made even more sense why.  But neither this theater or this boat would come anywhere close to the displays in the main hall; there were fossils that I was sure were millions of years old!  Then what could it possibly--

I had been leaning back in my chair and not paying attention: a very bad combination.  I yelped as the chair’s back flipped back so far as to slide me out of the whole thing.  Thankfully, it did little more than startle me and give me a bit of a bruise on my head. “Ow.”

But that turned out to be my saving grace; my tumble made me look up, straight up into the sky.  Of course!  Nothing on earth was older than the stars!

Just a bit after my revelation, I heard the theater door open behind me.  I scrambled back up to see who it was.  To my relief, it was the Professor, Luke and Janice.  

Layton explained the answer to his group: our game master wasn’t looking for the oldest thing on the ship, just the oldest thing we could see.  Now the roof opening up made more sense.  Very soon after, the music box contraption’s track stopped.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your time is up.  The oldest thing above you are the stars above you.  To those of you here in the theater, congratulations!  You can continue.” I couldn’t help myself from pumping my fist a bit.  “For those of you who got it wrong…”

Despite the thick wooden doors, the screams of those outside the doors weren’t completely blocked out.  It made my joy felt at solving the puzzle extremely short-lived.

The music box timer flipped over like an hourglass.

“Let us proceed to Puzzle Number 002.  Now, go to where you can see the largest crown.”

“The largest crown?” A young girl with blonde hair and a red ribbon echoed.

“This is hardly a competition if he keeps gathering us all together,” the sea captain commented.

“Ugh, there are hundreds of crowns on display all over this silly little ship,” the blue-dressed woman groaned. “There is no way we can compare all of them in the time we have.”

“They must all be red herrings then,” I thought as a woman echoed the exact thing aloud.

Besides, a random crown in the main hall just didn’t feel right.  We were stuck on a boat that was disguised as an opera house.  The roof opened up to reveal the answer to the first puzzle.  Our game master clearly had a flair for the dramatic.  If this was a pattern, the answer to this puzzle would have that same flair.  But what could it possibly be?

I glanced over at Layton, Luke and Janice.  Luke was sketching something in a little notebook while the other two watched.  After a bit, Luke looked elated.  “YEEES!  That’s it!  The ship we’re on is the Crown Patone!”

And just like that, it clicked.

The gold arches, the windows that looked like gems, all those parts shuffling around when we started to sail out…

I sprang up and booked it out of the theater, no doubt startling some of the other contestants.  I thought I heard Luke calling my name, but I was already closing the door.

I ran down the hall and eventually came to the stern of the ship.  And sure enough, there were lifeboats ready for use, along with a very small rowboat.

“Well, I guess I’m taking the rowboat.  No way are my noodle arms going to turn those big cranks.”

I approached the little boat… but quickly realized this was its own miniature puzzle.  I had to be on the boat when it dropped into the water obviously, but I couldn’t jump down onto it when it was already dropped.  Best case: I land on the boat, probably break through it with the kinetic energy I generate from the jump and the whole thing sinks.  Worst case: I hit the water and hitting that would probably be like hitting concrete.

Neither were favorable.  Not to mention the sharks were still around.

…There was a third option.

Standing on top of the railing, I managed to climb into the little boat without shaking it too much.  But now how was I supposed to get the boat into the water?

Thankfully, being scrunched up in the boat forced me to look at my whole person and-- more importantly-- my shoes.  These dress shoes had a thick rubber sole on the bottom and no doubt could get the hand crank moving, just as long as I hit the crank.

I took off my shoe, lined up my shot, and then whipped my arm as hard as I could for maximum throwing power.  The shoe hit its target, and the crank released, sending the boat-- and me-- down into the sea.

I just didn’t account for how fast the boat would drop.

I shrieked as the boat plummeted and bounced up and bobbed when it hit the water.  By some miracle, the thing stayed together, only getting some water in it.

“...That… could’ve gone better.”

I clutched a hand over my heart to try and settle it.  Well, that was the hard part done.  Now time to row out and look at the Crown Patone.

Assuming that was the answer.

And minus a shoe.

Just as I bent down to grab the oars-- accepting that I would probably be doing the rest of this game in my socks-- something caught my ear.  

Laughter.  Honest, tears-in-your-eyes, “I-just-saw-the-funniest-thing-ever” laughter.  I looked up.

I was too far down from the boat to see them well.  All I could really tell was that the top of their head looked pointy.  Maybe it was that dark-bearded man with the puffy pants.  I remembered he had a tall pointy hat.

“HEY!!” I shouted as loud as I could over the waves. “Is there a black shoe on the deck?  Can I have it back?”

They extended their arm out, and something dropped from their hand.  After a bit, it landed on my face.  Yep, it was my shoe alright.

After I put it back on, I turned back to thank whoever it was.  But they had vanished from the deck.  “Probably went to the cranks,” I thought as another voice caught my ear.

“Miss Clare!!  Miss Clare!!” It was Layton. “Are you alright down there?”

“Just fine, Professor!” I reassured him. “Were you the one who sent my shoe down here by any chance?”

“Your shoe?  No, the deck was empty when we came out here.  And there was no one else in sight.”

…What?  No one else was on the deck?  Then who on earth gave it back to me?

Eventually, two other boats made it down to the water and we all started to row away from the ship.  As far as I could see, the sharks weren’t following us.  The farther out I rowed, the more confident I became.

I looked over at all the contestants.  I quickly realized that the dark-bearded man couldn’t have been the one who returned my shoe; he was way too short.  Layton had a hat, but it wasn’t pointy.  Besides, he would’ve responded to me asking since we knew each other.  I went through everyone one by one and deduced it was no one in this group.

But then… who could it have been?

To pass the time, the group more properly introduced themselves.  The young girl with the blonde hair was Amelia, and she hadn’t bought her ticket.  She had been invited to the opera by Mr. Whistler.

“Just like me,” I thought almost immediately. “But at least she knows who invited her.”

I felt extremely bad for Amelia.  I imagined she had thought she was only going to an opera, but now she was roped into all of this.  She only looked a few years older than Luke.

…The words of the dark-bearded man rung in my head. “Mr. Whistler.  You were the one behind this opera.  Tell me: did you also plan this deadly game?” If Mr. Whistler was in some way involved with this game, why invite such a young girl?  She had her whole life ahead of her.  Would she have any use for eternal life?

Introductions continued.

The ship captain was Curtis O’Donnell, and he was indeed a captain of a merchant ship for a time; a large woman with chestnut hair was Annie Dretche, a famous mystery writer; the woman with the blue dress was a Mrs. Raidley, who didn’t care to elaborate any further on herself; the dark-bearded man was Frederick Bargland, president of the World Fleet Corporation; the man with the red hair and long nose was Pierre Starbuck, a soccer legend.  Professor Layton and Luke introduced themselves; Mr. Whistler and Janice didn’t need an introduction.  The older gentleman simply said his name was Marco, and I introduced myself.  I stopped talking when everyone who didn’t already know me looked at me funny hearing my American accent.

What zoned me back into the conversation was a question from Layton: “Mr. Whistler, is it true that this girl came back to life, reborn as Melina?”

Wait, what?  What was all this about?

Mr. Whistler of course denied the claim, saying he only called his adopted daughter Melina as a sign of affection.  Which… didn’t sound very affectionate to me.  

He went on to thank Janice for wanting to keep Melina’s memory alive, and that he decided to write music again for Melina’s sake.  Apparently, she loved music.  

“When that man asked me to write an opera, I agreed to do this for Melina.  To play for my daughter’s memory.  But I never expected this.”

The mystery man.  The commissioner of the opera.  The builder of the opera house.  The host of the game.  The question of who he was hung in the air again.  He was the cause of all this misery.  

We had to find him.  We had to put a stop to this.

“Professor!!  The ship!!  It was the biggest crown all along!” Luke’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and it was easy to see why.

The full splendor of the Crown Patone was spread out before us now.  Just as I had suspected, the golden arches and jewel colored windows made the whole ship look like a gigantic crown.

“Ladies and gentlemen in the boats,” the game master’s voice returned right on cue.  Somehow, he was just as easy to hear this far out at sea as he was in the ship.  “My congratulations.  You have come one step closer to eternal life!”

Suddenly, a little mechanism at the back of our boats unlocked, and an engine jutted out into the water.  The golden rims around the boats raised up to make safety rails.

“Now sit back.  Enjoy the next part of your journey.”

The boats suddenly sped away from the ship and into the night.  It was hard not to get jolted by the sudden shift in speed.

“Hey!!  Where the hell are we going?!” I yelled out.  Of course, no one answered.

…Wait, the ship!  What was going to happen to the Crown Patone?

My question was swiftly answered in the most horrifying way possible.  Windows shattered and the waves rattled as the ship started to explode.  Fire raged across the boat as the arches crumbled beneath the weakened deck.  The angel statue fell into the water.

It happened so fast, but at the same time so slowly.  I didn’t even think of moving until I saw everyone else raising up their arms to protect themselves.  

I had all sorts of swirling emotions: anger, disgust, horror, and a million other feelings I couldn’t put into words.  I was more determined than ever to put a stop to this; I was sure Layton felt the same.  No prize was worth people’s lives.

~

Obviously, no one was up for much conversation after what we just saw.  

Eventually, our host came back to talk to us, telling us that there were blankets under the seats.  The journey to our destination would take all night.  We might as well get some sleep so we could be ready bright and early for more puzzles.

Everyone reluctantly obeyed, wrapping themselves up and going to sleep one by one.  

I don’t know how long it took me to fall asleep.  I pulled out a tiny notebook and pencil I had stashed away in my bag.  I always had one handy for when I got bored or when the doodling mood struck me.  But neither of those were on my mind; I just scribbled nonsensically on the pages.

I just had so many thoughts swirling in my head.  Where were we going?  What challenges would we be faced with next?  What was this about the composer’s daughter coming back to life?And most importantly: who was our host?  And what did he want?

#🐉🎮.txt #clare's writing #eternal diva au #seen a lot of things; places you ain't ever been 🐉💫 #and just like that act 1 is done

[ariadne-mouse]

I would LOVE the hear about escape room shadowgast, for the WIP meme

This one spawned from discord! I posted the premise and a snip here for another ask, but I have more to share! In the tags of that post I mentioned Shadowgast met in an escape room also. The specifics are currently undefined, but here is my noodling:

They see each other before they meet: the victory photos from the leaderboards of escape rooms in various cities. Caleb is often pictured with a rotating cast of the M9, but sometimes he is very smugly alone, having solved the room himself. One time he has his cat on a leash. Essek appears with Verin and Uraya, among others, but also has a number of solo pics. Solo pics are unusual because escape rooms usually have a required minimum number of people per booking (they are businesses, after all). It's possible that shadowgast have developed enough of a reputation that they can sweet-talk the admins into a solo booking.

Haven't decided if they are super competitive and thus have thought about "that other guy who's always jockeying for best times on the board" or if it's more that when they do finally meet in person, they both have that "god you look so familiar" thing going on for the longest time before they put it together. Hm, maybe both. I think both of them would also love the puzzles for the puzzles sake, and may even be disappointed if they complete one too quickly.

How they meet: they’re both in the same city when a new puzzle comes out - Ruins of Aeor - and they both show up at the same time trying to score a spot. Both might prefer to try it solo first, or with a group of close friends, but the room is new and very popular. No solo bookings are possible. And because they're both travelling for business, neither have their friends around either. With limited time - curse those real life priorities - they both independently decide they're just going to do the room with whatever booking they can get. It's very common to add people onto partially full bookings.

The only time slot that’s not fully booked… is a bachelorette party of 7 people who have never done an escape room before.  They’re tipsy, good-natured, and just there for a good time. Chaos ensues. They are absolutely lovely but their inexperience throws wrenches in shadowgast's game. One person accidentally sits on a clue for a good 20 minutes. The sharp-eyed bride-to-be actually solves part of the puzzle almost immediately, but is more engrossed in an unrelated conversation, and doesn't bring it up until much later. Another guy eagerly gathers clues but doesn't keep track of where they came from. It's added difficulty level 100.

Shadowgast unite in their grim frustration at first, but the group is so gregarious that both of them get steamrollered (M9'd?) into helping, including, and eventually both get super invested in the successes of their fellow players. Both have the canonical capacity to be patient teachers (Essek with Caleb, Caleb with Nott/Veth) and at a certain point this overcomes their original drive to "optimally succeed". They make it out of the room with 9 (nein!) seconds to spare. The group - including shadowgast - go absolutely bananas. Shadowgast are absorbed into the bachelorette party for celebratory drinks.

Shadowgast exchange numbers and part ways with the suggestion that perhaps if they cross paths in the same city again, they'll team up a second time.

The victory photo of Caleb and Essek together at the Ruins of Aeor is like an easter egg for others who frequently do escape rooms and have seen the leaderboards, because their photos are everywhere but always, always separate.

Okay apparently I do have specifics 😂 hope you enjoy!

#asks #critical role #shadowgast #op #wip ask game

[nikoalasblog]

social gaming 🎮

What is gaming? Ok for those who live under a rock, gaming in simple words is playing and having fun. Games can come in different forms such as board games (Monopoly, Chess etc.), card games (Uno, Poker etc.), hand games (Rock paper scissors), mobile games (Among us, Pubg), PC games (Valorant, Fortnite), virtual games (Sims 4, Second life) and many more. According to Collins dictionary, a game is an activity or sport that typically requires skill, knowledge, or chance where the goal is to defeat an opponent or solve a puzzle while complying with a set of predetermined rules.

Do I play any games?

The answer is yes. I used to play those popular games like Pokemon Go, Minecraft, Among Us, and Plants vs Zombies but that was ages ago. The more recent games I would occasionally play are Sims 4, Animal Crossing, Genshin Impact and 8 ball pool. If you count the Google Dinosaur game that pops up when there's no connection then yes I play that too when I'm bored (shut up).

Other than that, I wouldn't say that I am an active gamer. My favourite type of game would be virtual games because I love how you get to customise your characters, houses etc. and meet people virtually online. Some people find virtual games lame since there's no actual competition or a clear "winner" but I simply just enjoy chill games because games with competition make me anxious and my anger issues can't stand losing lol. I'm also really bad at it anyway.

Are gaming communities becoming more toxic environments for some?

In my opinion, there is definitely toxicity within gaming communities especially when it comes to women. Where do I even start? First of all, there have been a similar amount of men and women participating in the gaming industry. According to statistics, women made up 48% of American gamers in 2022, an increase over the 45% of players who identified as female in the previous year (Clement 2022). A lot of toxicity has emerged as a result of the explosion in video games and the increased participation of people in the gaming industry. Despite having almost an equal representation in the gaming industry, women have always had to deal with some retaliatory behaviours. This has been connected to a few negative social encounters (Karki 2020).

The majority of women have been viewed as sex objects or prizes—victims who are more suited for feminine roles than heroic action figures. According to a survey, just 15% of video games feature female action figures or heroes, and those that do tend to be hypersexualized (Downs and Smith, 2005 as cited in Karki 2020). Since seeing female action characters is so uncommon, the "Lara phenomenon" has been coined to describe it. It mentions the presence of a strong, capable woman in a position of authority (Mou & Peng, 2009 as cited in Karki 2020). Even these "leading positions" follow beauty standards and are hypersexualized in traditional ways. Therefore, it's important to note that playing sexualized video games contributes to gender stereotypes (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2009 as cited in Karki 2020).

Ideas that drive women into stereotypes and self-fulfilling prophesies include the notion that women play video games for attention, which is related to the concept of an e-girl. A phenomenon known as the self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person/group's expectations of another person/group might cause the other person/group to act in ways that support the expectations. Examining the situation of gamer girls can help to explain this process because these women may be expected to engage in sexualized ways as a result of the over-sexualization of women. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when they do. Friendly behaviour on the part of females may be interpreted as flirting due to the notion that women exist solely to court attention from men. "I have a boyfriend" is a cliché frequently used to reject advances from guys (Khandaker, 2019 as cited in Karki 2020).

When it comes to gaming, stereotypes and discrimination against women are common. Because of this, it can be challenging to feel welcomed in the community. Some people adopt the "gamer persona" by adopting characteristics common to men who play video games (Shen & Ratan, 2016 as cited in Karki 2020). While contributing to the narrative of gaming's association with masculine ideals, this also makes women feel more welcomed in the gaming community. Some frequent preconceptions that women encounter when interacting in the workplace include "you play like a girl" and "I'm not like other girls." When they win, they are reminded that "I'm not like other girls," and when they lose, it is verified that "you play like a girl" (Khandaker, 2019 as cited in Karki 2020). Whatever the result, female players are likely to experience unfavourable stereotypes the most (Karki 2020).

This may come off as being biased, but most of the time it can be frustrating for girls to game in peace without judgment or being sexualised. Although I do think that some gamer girls purposefully present themselves in a way where they can easily be sexualised. Take the example of Belle Delphine, who sells her bathwater. Another example would be e-girls saying "uwu" and doing the face. I find these really cringe but it's true that although women are sexualised a lot in the gaming industry, there are some who enjoy the attention.

That's all for week 11! It's a bit long but I hope you enjoyed reading it.

References:

Collins (n.d.), Definition of 'game', Collins dictionary, viewed 4 December 2022, <https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/game>.

Clement, J 2022, Distribution of video gamers in the United States from 2006 to 2022 by gender, Statista, viewed 4 December 2022, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/>.

Karki, A 2020, 'Why females suck at gaming, or maybe not?', Mindful Mesmerisms, 21 October, viewed 4 December 2022, <https://www.mindfulmesmerisms.com/post/why-females-suck-at-gaming-or-maybe-not>.

#mda20009 #week 10

[spyagencyindia-blog]

Best Detective Agency in Lucknow

Discover why SpyAgency stands as the pinnacle of detective prowess in Lucknow. Uncover the secrets behind their unmatched investigative skills and why they're the go-to for all your sleuthing needs!

In the labyrinth of mysteries that is Lucknow, where secrets lurk behind every corner and whispers weave their way through the alleys, one name shines bright like a beacon of truth: SpyAgency. But what makes them the undisputed kings and queens of the detective realm in this city of Nawabs and intrigue? Let's delve into the shadows and unveil the secrets behind why SpyAgency is the Best Detective Agency in Lucknow!

The Origins: From Shadows to Spotlight

SpyAgency didn't rise to the top overnight. Oh no, their journey from the shadows to the spotlight is as intriguing as the cases they crack! Founded by the enigmatic duo, Raj and Priya, two individuals with a knack for sniffing out the truth amidst the smoke and mirrors of deception, SpyAgency started as a humble venture tucked away in the heart of Lucknow.

But it wasn't long before their reputation for uncovering the darkest of secrets spread like wildfire. From cheating spouses to corporate espionage, there seemed to be no puzzle too perplexing for this dynamic duo to solve. Soon enough, SpyAgency became synonymous with reliability, discretion, and, above all, results!

Unraveling the Mysteries: A Closer Look

So, what sets SpyAgency apart from the myriad of detective agencies that claim to have what it takes? Let's peel back the layers and take a closer look at what makes them the crème de la crème of the sleuthing world:

Unparalleled Expertise

When it comes to sleuthing, SpyAgency boasts a team of seasoned professionals with a diverse range of skills. From former law enforcement officers to tech-savvy hackers, each member brings their own unique expertise to the table. Whether it's tailing a suspect through the bustling streets of Lucknow or combing through mountains of digital data, SpyAgency has the know-how to get the job done!

Cutting-Edge Technology

In an age where technology reigns supreme, SpyAgency stays ahead of the curve with state-of-the-art gadgets and gizmos. From surveillance drones to covert cameras, their arsenal of high-tech tools is second to none. But it's not just about the gear; it's how they use it. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for thinking outside the box, SpyAgency leverages technology to uncover clues that others might overlook.

Discretion Guaranteed

When it comes to matters of secrecy, SpyAgency is tighter than Fort Knox. Client confidentiality isn't just a buzzword for them; it's a sacred oath. Whether you're a high-profile celebrity or a humble housewife, you can trust that your secrets are safe with SpyAgency. No gossip, no leaks, just pure, unadulterated discretion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:1 How much does SpyAgency charge for their services?

A: While the exact cost varies depending on the complexity of the case, SpyAgency offers competitive pricing packages tailored to suit your needs and budget.

Q:2 Is SpyAgency available for international cases?

A: Absolutely! SpyAgency has a global network of contacts and affiliates, allowing them to take on cases both domestically and internationally.

Q:3 How long does it take for SpyAgency to solve a case?

A: Each case is unique, so the timeframe can vary. However, SpyAgency prides itself on efficiency and will work tirelessly to deliver results as quickly as possible.

Q:4 Can SpyAgency help with personal investigations, such as finding a missing person?

A: Absolutely! From missing persons to background checks, SpyAgency handles a wide range of personal investigation services with utmost professionalism and discretion.

In a city where secrets are currency and lies are the lingua franca, SpyAgency stands as a beacon of truth in the murky depths of deception. With their unparalleled expertise, cutting-edge technology, and unwavering commitment to discretion, they've earned their rightful place as the Best Detective Agency in Lucknow.

So, the next time you find yourself tangled in the web of mystery, remember one name: SpyAgency. Because when it comes to unraveling the truth, nobody does it better!

#Best Detective Agency in Lucknow #Investigation Agencies Lucknow

[avuasworld]

How Businesses Have Used AI Hiring Platforms to Unleash Recruitment Magic 

In today's competitive job market, attracting top talent feels like a constant battle. Resumes pile up, interviews take forever, and sometimes, the perfect candidate seems to slip through the cracks. But fear not, fellow employers! There's a secret weapon waiting to be discovered: AI hiring platforms!

Imagine a tireless digital assistant, sifting through mountains of applications and identifying the diamonds in the rough. That's the magic of AI! Let's explore five ways AI hiring platforms can transform your recruitment strategy and, indirectly, help job seekers like you land their dream jobs!

1. Tame the Resume Avalanche: Supercharge Your Screening Process

Picture this: a towering stack of resumes threatening to bury your desk. Traditional screening can be a time-consuming nightmare. AI platforms can be your superhero, sorting through applications with lightning speed. Using intelligent algorithms, AI analyzes resumes for relevant keywords, skills, and experience. This translates to a laser-focused approach, presenting you with a shortlist of highly qualified candidates who are a perfect fit for your open positions. So, ditch the manual screening and let AI become your tireless organizer, bringing order to the application chaos.

2. Unmask Hidden Gems: Dive Deeper with Skills Assessments

Resumes tell a story, but AI can help you uncover the hidden chapters. These platforms go beyond just scanning for keywords. They offer interactive skills assessments that delve deeper into a candidate's capabilities. Imagine engaging quizzes, simulations, or even gamified tests that assess everything from problem-solving to communication skills. This allows you to unearth hidden gems - candidates with the potential to excel who might not have the most flashy resume. So, think of AI as your scuba gear, helping you navigate the depths of talent pools and discover those valuable hidden treasures.

3. Beyond the Resume: Uncover Cultural Fit with AI Interviews

Finding the right cultural fit is crucial for a successful team. AI interviewing tools can provide valuable insights beyond the traditional interview format. Imagine conversational AI tools that engage candidates in a natural, back-and-forth dialogue. By analyzing their responses and communication style, AI can assess how well they'd integrate with your company culture. This allows you to find candidates who are not just technically skilled, but also share your values and vision. So, think of AI as your puzzle-solving master, helping you find the perfect pieces that create a cohesive and vibrant team.

A smooth recruitment experience benefits everyone. AI platforms can provide both you and applicants with valuable feedback. Imagine receiving anonymized insights after interviews, highlighting areas where candidates excelled or could improve. This allows you to refine your hiring process while providing constructive feedback to applicants. They can use this information to strengthen their future job search endeavors – a win-win for everyone! Think of AI as your launchpad, propelling your recruitment process and empowering candidates to reach new heights.

5. Embrace Efficiency: Free Up Your Time to Focus on What Matters

Recruiting the best talent is an art form, but sometimes, the administrative tasks can feel like a chore. AI platforms can be your personal assistant, taking care of the tedious tasks. Imagine having an AI assistant handle the time-consuming tasks of sorting applications, scheduling interviews, and even pre-screening candidates. This frees up your valuable time to focus on what truly matters: conducting in-depth interviews, nurturing relationships with top talent, and building a dynamic team. While AI handles the background tasks, you can become the conductor, leading your recruitment orchestra to a symphony of success.

The Magic of Collaboration: AI and Human Expertise

AI hiring platforms are not meant to replace human recruiters; they're here to empower you. By automating repetitive tasks and providing valuable insights, AI allows you to focus on the strategic aspects of the recruitment process: building relationships with candidates and finding the perfect cultural fit for your company. This collaborative approach unlocks a world of possibilities, leading you to a talent pool brimming with potential and, ultimately, helping job seekers like you find the perfect place to thrive!

#career opportunities #avua job portal #job seeker #ai job search #ai career partner