@Hansa, do I need to post minors NPCs heroes? I was thinking about introducing in an arc one or two Claire's friend with superpowers, mostly minor appearances.
Alias: Havoc Real name: Jason Lynche Age: 'Default' form appears 20. Actual age is legitimately unknown. Gender: Male
Appearance: Jason's powers stems off of shifting his form into incredibly sharp and lethal weaponry of destruction, and shifting into different people and faces to disguise and easily blend into any sort of crowd. However, he has a 'default' form;; the form he appeared as before all of this went down. This is the form he is generally in when not disguising or shifting into a completely different person. Jason's default form is that of a young man, around 20 or so, with a rather pale complexion, although not to a completely pasty degree. His eyes are a deep, vivid crimson color - obviously a side-effect from his entire body being rearranged on a molecular level. His hair is a deep brownish-black, rather feathery and soft, and generally shaggy. It is usually hidden underneath a cap or a hood, or a combination of both. His physique could be seen as lean/athletic, but he is obviously not a muscle-bound brute or anything of the sort. It's usually hid behind layers of clothing, anyways. Speaking of clothing, Jason's clothing is generally a collared, heavy-duty black hoodie, lightly ripped at the knees jeans, and worn, black and white converse. The hoodie has crimson-red accents, and is generally unzipped/unbuttoned, revealing a dark-colored t-shirt underneath it. On the back of the heavy-duty hoodie, as a personal touch by Jason himself, there's the words 'Born Again', in Mandarin Chinese [Don't ask why], written in dark red lettering, going down the jacket.
Personality: Before being literally killed and sucked into Hell, Jason wasn't really a stand-up citizen. Rather lazy and sleazy, he was a backstabbing messenger that worked for different gangs, and learned how to cover his tracks. Sure, he was relatively clever, but that really was it. He was afraid of getting hurt, and had a 'run if someone tougher attacks' strategy that worked for the coward. However, after witnessing the death of the gang he had been working for - which didn't affect him much, if at all, honestly - and then being viciously executed and dragged into Hell, Jason began to...wisen up. He became more clever, learned how to be tough, hold his ground, etc.
He was further changed when the evil, mad Demon scientist, Skalios, got him and began putting him through torturous pain and experimentations, shifting his body and mind, forcibly making him absorb poor souls of the damned..the demon wanted a monster, he got one. Now, his own man, after killing Skalios and taking a trip straight outta Hell - via the Angel, Skeorksy, Jason is back on the streets, and much more of a man than he ever was - give or take a humanity or two. Cold, dangerous, and with his own personal goals in mind, Jason keeps a cool head and a focused gaze, but his impatience can sometimes shine through - he's actually pretty patient, all things considering. He is very vengeful, and although he isn't petty, at all, recognizing accident and fuck-ups for what they are, if you try to kill him, he's gonna kill you back.
Borderline sociopathic, Jason is separated from this term by one thing, and one thing only;; his quest for redemption, by basically wiping out whatever sort of low-life scum he comes across, as given to him by the angel guy in Limbo. Vulgar, and with a cynical, dark, and dry attitude, a razor-sharp brain, and a lethal imagery, Jason isn't really a guy you wanna cross paths with, if you're scum. He can actually seem relatively lazy at times, when he's just relaxing back, but he doesn't have much time for that since he came back. He's a rebellious kind of guy, and can disrupt and make authority figures' lives harder just to peeve them off. He isn't affected much by insults, and has a lot of ice in his veins. Don't get him wrong;; he's on the path to redemption...sorta. He won't put innocents' lives in danger, but a few extra casualities won't really turn his head. However, since he doesn't wanna be banished to Hell forever, he makes sure to focus his ire on the scum. As described by a corrupt cop, Jason is a..."Bastard! God damn cold-hearted punk broke my arm, threatened to eat me, and then fucking kicks my car into an alleyway! When I called for backup, he broke my phone, broke my one useful arm, and then threw me into my crashed car! Through the windshield! And then-!"
"Now now, Officer Espinoza, easy there. Take deep breaths. Now, tell me exactly why you were found, half-dead, outside of a burning, highly-known gang hideout...with cocaine in your pockets...and a note saying 'Arrest me. Fuck Tha Police!'?"
"W-well..."
History: To put it simply, Jason used to be a low-beat traitor. A backstabbing piece of shit that ran between two gangs, doing different dirty work and selling information to their enemies, he was a slimy guy, and deserved everything he got. When the cops raided the base whilst he was getting his pay from one of the gang members, he had his innards sprayed against the walls from automatic high-caliber rounds, and then bullets pierced his skull...yes...he died. His soul went down to heaven, and he was stuck in the demon-infested wasteland of fire and brimstone. As he ran through Hell, he was found by a mad scientist-like demon, named Skalios. Skalios saw him as a human plaything - something he could run some prototype tests on, and test out different theories involving demon skin, blood, power, and a few Hellish ores and elbow grease. Days...weeks...was it years? It all passed as Jason screamed his heart out. As Skalios was finishing up, deeming Jason a failure, Jason activated his powers unknowingly, and carved out the demon's heart. As he escaped the demon's lair, he was being watched over by an Angel, whom had sensed the unholy experimentations happening within Skalios' lair - he was in Hell for unknown reasons, and saw fit to help the confused and tortured human soul. After seeing the sins Jason committed in his past life, the Angel, Skeorsky, sent Jason back into Earth - Back into Grimmarch, if he did one thing for the Angel...rid the world of scum. Of crime. Of criminals. If he used his demon-given powers to take out the sinful, he would be able to live. Jason accepted. Obviously, there was a reason this 'Angel' was taking a vacation to Hell. Sent back to Earth, Jason began his quest.
Powers:
-Genetically Demonic Form: Whilst within Hell, when Skalios was fucking with his genes and turning him into some twisted monster, Jason's body was permanently changed. His muscles are superhumanly modified to degrees high above that of a human's. He is exponentially stronger, faster, more agile, more durable, and generally sharper than that of a human. Similarly, he regenerates at a speed deemed impossible to that of an average human, and his muscles do not release toxins, allowing him to expend stamina at an indefinite amount of time. This makes him an extremely dangerous opponent, to both humans, and superhumans.
-Shapeshifting: The main 'thing' Skalios added to Jason's genes was the ability to shapeshift - copy the DNA of any humanoid by absorbing them into his form, via chopping or smashing their bodies into smaller and softer pieces, so that his body's own DNA can shoot out of his body and gobble the other DNA up. It's not a very...pretty sight to witness. Regardless, by copying the DNA, he has the ability to shift into the form of the humanoid he has absorbed, including any clothing he has absorbed, as well. Clothing is much easier to absorb, as it is much less durable than a body. Absorbing also gifts him the ability to assimilate and organize the information within the other target's brains, which will be explained further within the Weakness section. He can seamlessly shift into different forms at will, and often uses it to infiltrate places where stealth is key, or if he needs information he can't get anywhere else. Similarly, and this is Jason's main form of combat, he can shift his body into weaponry of mass-destruction. This doesn't require absorption to complete - only, it is limited by his imagination, and however much DNA his body is willing to give out to form the weaponry. Due to using blood-cells and unknown materials that were put into his bloodstream during Skalios' fuckery, Jason's weaponry constructs he creates from his body, is a deep black color, and very spiky/sharp in appearance, with red veins moving through the weaponry, representing the veins within his body.
Weakness(es):
-Voices, man!: Jason...Jason has absorbed a lot of people since he escaped Skalios, okay? While their souls are not floating around in his body, he has their memories, their experiences, their hate...their anger...their love. You get what I'm putting out? While, due to his advanced, demon-enhanced brain, he can store away the different memories and emotions for when they're needed to look over, over time, things can get warped. He can get a bit...cracked. He starts hearing voices, only for it to be the lifetimes of memories he has stored away. Usually, he has this under strict lock and key...but if it were ever to be unleashed - all of it, he'd have a hard time dealing with it. He'd be in a flat-out comatose state. Telepathy and any mind-related powers is a double-edged sword for the user. While they can get in and really mess with stuff, they would also be hit with lifetimes of memories and pain. Not fun.
-Fire: Fire and Jason does not get along all that well. He can handle extreme heat due to his durability, but once flames get hot enough and manage to begin roasting his skin, that's where it gets bad. It eats through his regeneration like a mouse through cheese, and directly attacks his DNA - and he has a lot of absorbed DNA, so it's practically eating all of his energy and fervor.
Fun Facts: -Jason enjoys old-school Rock and Roll, jazz, and rap.
-His favorite drink is Sprite - he can drink it all day.
-He actually felt like becoming a criminal again, but only once, and he discarded it immediately.
-He has nightmares every night. It's pretty entertaining to him, sometimes.
-Jason has come to terms with his...freakishness, and embraces it.
My new character;; will overwrite Crisis, unless he's ruthlessly declined and thrown away.
Heh. I dig him, Crisis was honestly too much like Batman in my opinion. Super dangerous sounding too, we had too many 'goody two shoes' and this guy would be a good in-universe example on why IASDCOM is even still around and not disbanded yet. 10/10 hope he's approved.
Alias: Marauder Real name: Zer-Ghuza "Zer" Age: 25 Gender: Male
Appearance:
A few parts of Zer's robotic body is actually retractable. Namely his helmet, shoulder pads, knee pads and wrist guards. When retracted, the objects form a small backpack like instrument on Zer's back, which can then be detached. His physiology is almost exactly like that of a humans, par his skin being a light shade of blue. His robotic face can also retract to reveal his true face. His hair is a bleached blonde and his eyes are purple.
Personality: Zer is a fun loving and naive young man. While he could tell you almost all there is to know about his home planet, he knows very little about Earth. He does love Earth's music, something which is nothing like his home planets music. He can be rather clumsy, and has been known to drop a plate or two in his absent-mindedness. He more often than not tries to befriend and change the villains he encounters, but is not afraid to use lethal force if it comes to it.
Short Biography: Zer was born on the far off planet of Jayor, a planet very similar to earth in many ways. He grew up in one of the many megacities on Jayor. He was very poor as a young lad and was captured by slavers at around age 12. He was bought by an insane and cruel scientist who tortured Zer to no end before discarding him in a ditch, missing almost all of his limbs and many parts of his face and body too. Luckily enough, he was discovered by a rather rich young man who brought Zer to his father, a wealthy doctor. The doctor nursed Zer to health before recreating body parts for him using the highly advanced robotics that Jayor had developed. Zer was born anew, and set out to join the police force on his planet as soon as he could. Unlikely for him though, the sun near Jayor began to go supernova. Escape rockets were made for and by the wealthy, Zer was lucky enough to gain a place on his new surrogate fathers ship and get off world. The wealthy made a landing on a planet just outside of the milky way, and have been trying to restart their civilization on said planet. Zer, however, made his way to Earth. He grew tired of farming and whatnot, and began to explore the galaxy. Eventually he stumbled upon earth, and made his settlement there. Albeit, it was a rather recent discovery and he doesn't understand quite a few of Earth's conventions, but he at least tries to do good in his life.
Powers, Skills & Equipment: As a cyborg, Zer's body has been greatly improved in all aspects. He can take much more damage, lift much heavier objects, run faster and see further among other things. Along with this, Zer's arms and legs are able to redesign themselves into various weapons. This includes, but is not limited to various guns and melee weapons. Zer's 'feet' also have small jets within them that enable him to fly. He is also able to analyze and learn languages as they are spoken to him.
Weakness: Zer can be overloaded with electricity which shuts down any mechanical part of his body. This essentially means he is unable to use any of his limbs and has completely vulnerable to attack.
Full Biography: Zer-Ghuza was born on the distant planet of Jayor, one which was extremely similar to Earth in many ways. Jayor was much more technologically advanced than Earth was, and had developed a space travel system similar to that of Earth's in the 60s while Earth was still in its renaissance period. The planet was very inequal though, and while the rich lived in extreme luxury, the poor lived in such squalor that many died of starvation.
Zer was unlucky enough to be one of the poor. His father and mother abandoned him at a young age and he was left to fend for himself in one of the sprawling megacities on Jayor. He survived through thievery and begging, and was doing rather well up until age 12. This was when he was snatched off the streets by slavers. He lived for about a year with the slavers. To tell the truth, it wasn't really all that bad. They didn't beat any of the children they stole and regularly fed them good meals so that they'd look better to their customers. Zer was bought by a doctor who had long since lost his medical license.
Zer was brought back to the doctors home and experimented on for about a week before being tossed out into the literal dirt. His left arm was completely cut off while his right was cut off just underneath the elbow. Both of his legs were severed at the knees and many parts of his face and body were also removed. Zer was lucky enough to be spotted by a rather rich young man passing by him. The young man took Zer back to his home and his father, a wealthy doctor, done his best to nurse Zer back to health using conventional medicines. Throughout the process, Zer kept fading in and out of consciousness and he was extremely close to death. In a last ditch attempt, the doctor used something he'd been working on for a while but never put into practice. He equipped Zer with a mechanical body that far surpassed that of any athlete on Jayor. The body enhanced Zer to a point where he didn't actually need any more medical treatment after it was fitted on him. He thanked the doctor as much as he could and became sort of a surrogate son to him.
In the mean time, Zer began training to join his local police force, hoping to stop the slavers from ever capturing any young boy like he had been. Unfortunately though, as his training came to a close, astronomers discovered that Jayors sun was essentially a ticking time bomb and would go supernova within the year. Zer's father funnelled all of his resources and money into making a private rocket, and worked with many other wealthy people he knew to ensure that they'd all be going to the same place. Zer left his home planet in sorrow, and was left to operate all of the rockets from a station onboard his fathers rocket. Of course, being mostly robot Zer did not face the physical limitations of a human, so while the rest of the crew slept in hibernation pods, Zer was left to control every rocket.
They landed on a planet just outside of Earth's solar system, and set up base there. Zer stayed there for about a year, helping to create a settlement on the planet. He left soon after, eager to explore the galaxy. He spent about a year exploring various planets before stumbling upon Earth. He was surprised to meet the friendly and interested inhabitants of a farm where he landed. The two were no strangers to aliens or superheroes, and just assumed Zer was another hero who had retired to the country like many had before. He explained to them about Jayor and the settlement on the planet far away. They were amazed at his story and explained about superheroes and whatnot to him in the meantime. In exchange for a bed and food for a week or so, Zer worked the fields for them. They explained to him how things worked on Earth and many of its conventions before he left to become a 'super hero'.
Fun facts: -Favourite band is 'The Petshop Boys' -Favourite song is 'It's a Sin' -Favourite movie is 'Enter the Dragon' -Hates bananas but loves peaches.
Okay, I have an idea. A character who lost his arm, went into a trial for a procedure they thought could help him regrow an arm but it grew back as a long, tentacle like thing. He has full control over it, it has nerve endings and muscles but no bones. He can use it as a whip, or wrap around people or objects and grab them from up to about 10 feet away (10 feet being the left of the tentacle when it's fully unravelled, normally he keeps it wrapped aroundh himself). I have a basic idea for the backstory forming in my head.
Heh, sounds pretty nice @OfficerHeadbutt, I'd make him a bit stronger in some ways though. I mean, y'know, SUPERheroes. Why not make it super extendable and give it all sorts of 2sp00ky powers? Just making sure he's somewhat 'in line' in terms of powers to everyone else. Of course, do what you wish, but just a suggestion.
I was unhappy with the character's background and I decided to remake it from the ground. Feel free to not accept.
She is russian this time Evil basement lab in the house accident + powers evil kbg trying to kill family She escape ending in the USA money making time after decades she decides to became heroine
Alias:Roulette Real name:Catherine Wila Age:Catherine doen’t age. She remains as vigorous now as she was in 1973. Gender:Female
Appearance:Catherine's appearance changes completely while she sleeps and she never looks the same twice. Apparently even her fingerprints change, so there is no way to identify Catherine physically. While sometimes her appearance is totally human, Catherine's transformations sometimes include some non-human traits. Curiously, her metamorphosis revolve around an athletic body archetype. Sometimes she can be slender and at other times a mid-weight woman, in the same way she can wake up with a voluptuous body or flat body. Likewise Catherine’s height varies the same way as her skin, hair and eyes colors.
Regardless of her appearance she is considered an attractive woman, frequently preening herself for just the right amount of bounce in her hair, or glow in her face. She wears expensive feminine clothing carefully chosen to match whatever situation she expects to be in depending on the hour of the day.
She uses a red jumpsuit made of an expandable material which adapts to the body. Additionally, the suit comes with shoulders, thighs and part of the chest reinforced with bulletproof materials. She wear long knee boots and gloves—all in the same suit’s color. She keeps more than one suit, ranging in size and heght. The suits are resistant to high and low temperatures.
Personality:Catherine usually is a lovable woman with a charming, down-to-earth attitude and a disarming sense of humor—but with those she dislikes she can be extremely acid. She’s temperamental, often showing mood swings when those she loves and protects are threatened, and in stressful situations she can have temper tantrums. She’s capable of violence and she will not hesitate to badly hurt those who deserve it. Although not shy, Catherine has a reserved space in her heart for relationships and generally tries to cultivate them as long as possible no matter the person. She has a tendency to treat an attraction to a woman as a love-at-first-sight. She used to crave fame and fortune but she knows that the days of fame are long gone.
She has adopted a deadpan attitude to all the strangeness that is her life. After decades of witnessing weird events, there is little she hasn't seen. Her greatest fear is going to sleep—meaning yet another unpredictable physical change—and she is afraid of dying during one of her comas. Sometimes, to postpone going to sleep, Catherine uses drugs. When she is far gone into amphetamines, Catherine ceases to be a friendly woman and gradually becomes a raging paranoid. She is more prone to acts of extreme violence and believes everyone is against her.
Short Biography:The Roulette is Catherine Wila, a woman who transforms every time she sleeps, each time waking up with a new appearance and new powers. Sometimes she is a powerful hero, sometimes she is nothing. Catherine began as criminal, stealing to survive as she fled from Soviet Union. Eventually, when she arrived in the United States after trying to make a living as an actress she decided to became a heroine.
Powers, Skills & Equipment:Roulette powers are unpredictable. She can sleep for weeks, sometimes months, lapsing into a sort of hibernation. While she sleeps, her body slowly transforms, and she wakes up with new powers and sometimes new appearance related to the power. Sometimes she wakes up powerful superheroine, sometimes with no power at all. When she has powers, they seem to depend on the emotional state and subconscious desires she had when she last went to sleep—and sometimes accompanied by drastic changes in her appearance. For instance, if she goes to sleep feeling cold, next time she can wake up with heat powers to compensate. If she desires to fly, she can develop flying abilities next. If she goes to sleep in a very rotten mood, she can wake up with no powers or a alien-like appearance. So, when she wakes up, Roulette usually isn't sure what her powers are this time around, and must perform several little experiments to discover them. Usually she always feature or superhuman strength, or endurance, or speed with others random powers.
While she sleeps, Roulette's body regenerates, so that she heals from any wounds, even regrowing amputated body parts. A side-effect of this regeneration is that she doesn't age. And while her sleep periods can last months, she also can stay awake for a much longer time than an ordinary human. At least one week, sometimes much longer. Catherine can't be affected by alcohol, since her metabolism while she is awake is much quicker than a normal human's. Her appetite is also superhuman, and Catherine must consume enormous quantities of food, particularly right after waking up.
She also can absorb information and knowledge while she sleeps. Catherine usually sleeps with a radio turned on, so that she wakes up with a subconscious knowledge of news and events that have transpired while she slept. She is also an expert acrobat and knows several styles of unarmed combat.
Weakness:Roulette is limited to the powers she has while awake and she can not change them freely without going through deep sleep and she can't keep the same power for two consecutive sleeps. Because of the randomness of her powers, Roulette can have super strength today and, after sleeping find that she can create bubbles or speak with butterflies. With the vast arsenal of powers also comes weaknesses. Each of the powers she randomizes sometimes has its own weaknesses—she can become a powerful human torch but she can lose her powers to the slightest rainfall or worse, she can have fire powers but without vulnerability to it, or even need to scratch the skin to generate the flame.
Full Biography:
Catherine was born in Leningrad, Soviet Russia in 1955. Her father was a scientist working in the Biopreparat, a major biological warfare agency founded in 1970. He was not only just a renowned scientist but also an American spy, he had been secretly equipped with a laboratory in the basement of his home with the goal of creating counter reagents to the Soviet’s bioweapons. Catherine's adolescence was problematic and early on she fell in love with a girl from her school. And with fear of government retaliation, she was living a double life. As Catherine held openly a relationship with a random boy from school, she also was secretly dating a girl.
In 1973, Catherine was a completely average 18-years old girl, just finishing high-school. She was making out with her secret girlfriend in her father lab when she was pushed toward one of the shelves, accidentally knocking a beaker filled with a gas. The beaker hit the ground and released a red gas that seemed harmless. Catherine's first instinct was to pick up a broom and sweep the broken glass but, to make up for the accident, her girlfriend offered to fetch the broom and as she returned, she saw Catherine body lying on the floor.
Catherine’s adolescence vanished while she slept. Nearly five weeks passed before she awoke, and he was different. She not only was half-feet higher, but looked stronger with an athletic build looking 10 years older. She was looking at herself in the bathroom mirror and wishing to not be seen by anyone when she started to fade to the point that she could see only the tiled wall in the mirror. In panic, she wished to reappear and she gradually faded in. On the same day her father brought her the bad news—it was a miracle that she had survived. Catherine’s “friend” died, her boyfriend eventually broke up with her, and her mother had requested divorce, traumatized by the event. Her father had done everything to cover up the event, but he feared the KBG. Catherine had to stop going to high school as she and her father came to an agreement that it would be better that she stayed in the house.
Three days later the KGB stormed their house, her mother had told everything about him being a spy and the “small” accident. Catherine managed to escape by becoming invisible just before seeing her father taken by the KGB. Even short of money life was a bit easier for her, she crossed to Poland by taking advantage of her invisibility and sleep disorder. It was winter when she found an abandoned shack to sleep. That was the first time she yawned. Catherine woke feeling cold, she didn’t know how long she had slept. She missed home, but she couldn’t go back—not now. She noticed she was different, her hair was black and very long, she was taller and a little more voluptuous. Before long, she found out she could raise her body temperature to the point of not only creating but projecting flames. And she used the newfound ability to hunt food as she felt an uncommon hunger that seemed to cease after 4 rabits and few fruits.
Catherine arrived in Gdansk without speaking Polish, but that didn’t stop her making money. She found that she could melt door locks by the touch and used it to steal enough money to bribe a captain to take her to Amsterdam. She continued stealing from houses to get enough money to pay two months in advance in a hotel—she was afraid to sleep in the open again. She slept in the comfort of a hotel, this time for almost a month. She woke with multifaceted eyes and dragonfly wings. She could fly, but she was a monster. The two weeks could be summed up by she sliding money under the door and receiving food through a half-open door—thankfully, she decided to take more money than needed. She slept wishing to not be seen. She woke up a week later normal—she didn’t liked the large bust she had now, though she liked her short red hair.
When she tried to explain to the hotel’s owner she found that once again she had powers. For some reason, after the man greeted Catherine and turned back, "forgetting" about her and greeting her again. The scene repeated three times until Catherine give up and leave without paying, the man didn’t care. In the street she managed to steal three wallets by simply pulling out their pocket without worrying about the outcome, when they turned around or looked away they forgot everything about her.
It took roughly one year but she finally arrived in the United States. Despite the immigration control, Catherine’s latest power gave her the ability to possess small animals, control them and appear where they were—easy to sneak around. In the United States she tried to live an ordinary life making the most of her powers. Throughout the time she lived in Los Angeles she nourished a desire to accumulate material wealth, and soon she tried her luck in the television industry. She appeared in TV shows like Star Trek, Magnum, P.I., and Hawaii Five-0. And even a TV show about superheroes saving the world called A-Team. Everyone loved the girl of a thousand faces.
Despite appearances, Catherine's life as an actress was shrouded in controversy. Her personality began to be affected by the abuse of amphetamines and working with her has become a hell. Eventually people get tired of her personality and multiple appearances and no one else would hire her. And the last one was her sexual preference which she was hiding from the press as she got involved with an actress—until then the press thought she was straight, keeping a relationship with a famous producer.
After decades making money her life changed when she saw a lady having her purse stolen. Heartfelt, she pursued and managed to catch the thief. She liked the feeling of heroism, something she had never felt before. So, she decided to become heroine. She rented three apartments in Grimmarch and bought few custom-made military suits. She took the name of Roulette, a simple tribute to the lethal game of chance.
Fun facts:
Did you ever hear of Russian Roulette?
Once she became a humanoid turtle. She took three hours to get out of bed because she had slept with her back against the bed.
In the A-Team Catherine portrayed a super with exoteleportation powers called Pop. She and Mr. Olympic saved the Republic of China in the third season. Eventually her character had a premature death at the hands of the evil Great Helmsman.
The Press labeled Catherine as bisexual, although she's lesbian.
There are three things that make Catherine life happy: whiskey, movies and a romantic date.