[The following are snippets from a series of articles.]

…Of course, despite their illegality, it's been an open secret just how many people used to summon demons. Though it was never a sweeping epidemic, it's likely that someone you know personally, whether from school, work, or your neighborhood, made contact with one at least once. One study estimated that one out of every five thousand Americans have attempted to summon a demon, though the study admits that many of these summonings either never went anywhere or were for trivial tasks. Rest assured that your local community was not, in fact, preparing to commit some horrid crime.

The mundanity of demon summoning is likely why most of these practitioners were never charged or reported. It was deemed not worth the effort to police. Even when some cases did go to court, only a few were sentenced to anything serious. The truth is that we, as a society, did not treat demons as that big of a threat in the past.

Flash forwards to today, and the landscape is entirely different. Reports of demon summonings have exploded exponentially. All information is investigated very seriously. Those charged, on average, face the maximum possible penalty. Summonings that occurred before the invasion, however, tend to have their sentences quietly reduced. Although it's unknown how many people summon demons undetected, official sources claim that very few slip past their notice. Whether you take them at their word is up to you, dear reader.

Given the circumstances, you may assume that demon activity has gone up drastically to coincide with the mass reporting. However, it's exactly the opposite. After a brief surge of incarcerations, the number of actual demon summonings has gone down with each passing year. Those who are caught get massive coverage, but they tend to be the majority of those caught. It seems that humanity as a whole has thoroughly rejected demonkind. It's possible that, within the next decade, there may be less than a hundred summonings worldwide.

That being said, the number of reportings has not shrunk as fast. The overwhelming majority of information about suspected demon activity has turned out to be incorrect. Though many are still unsurprisingly swept up in the demon panic, some have spread misinformation deliberately. Surprisingly, these malicious false reports are also punished, as they're seen as wasting valuable time and resources. So, let this be a call to…

…Many of these major cities have finally reached a sense of normalcy after all of this time, but not everyone is happy about this. Several groups have complained that help has only gone to those major cities, leaving the rest of the eastern US coast out to fend for itself. They claim that the only reason for this reconstruction is because of the effect it will have on the economy, not because American citizens need the help.

Obviously, it doesn't need to be said that aid isn't exclusively sent to the biggest cities, but it would be just as bad not to mention that only a fraction of the budget is spent on less noteworthy locations. While the main highways have been running smoothly for a while now, many minor ones have yet to be restored to working condition, making travelling off the beaten path next to impossible.

In addition to this, rural towns have been left abandoned. Residents fled from the homes that their families lived in for generations, leaving behind ghost towns. Why would they return when they know that no help is coming? Many were barely able to afford moving in the first place.

Some have argued that these places were already dying a slow and inevitable death. The demon army only expedited the process. What good would it be to send resources to something which wouldn't last? Not to mention that not everyone would move back at all. It'd be the same as just burning the money.

Though these people have a point, it is nonetheless sad to see an entire history effectively erased by the whims of one egomaniacal man. That's one of the true forgotten losses of his attack. Even if life does return to these places, it will be almost entirely unconnected from that which came before it.

Still, those wishing to travel to see these forgotten places might be in luck soon. It's been rumored that major road construction is set to begin later this year. Though the unusually cold winter has delayed the project's start, sources say that it…

…The Humanity Perfection Campaign has continued to go strong. More and more talent has poured in from all over the world, and it seems that the continued trend of more private Ultimates has continued. Criticisms of such individuals has greatly lessened as well. It seems that HPC's determination to trust talented individuals to work in a way which suits them best has paid dividends. So long as the Ultimates continue to work towards a better world, they're no longer required to stay in the spotlight (though one may argue that only the very first recruits were ever held to that standard.)

Wherever there is light, shadow is sure to follow, and some conspiracy theories have begun to pop up. It's been unfortunately common for comment sections (truly, the last bastions of logic and reason) to accuse certain or even all Ultimates of secretly being backed by demons. In particular, some Ultimates have been noted to have some sort of supernatural abilities, ones which "surely" can "only" come from demons.

The HPC has been quick to deny these claims, saying that all of their candidates have had their backgrounds thoroughly checked. If there's even the slightest inclination that their talent is derived from a deal with a demon, they are immediately disqualified from the program. Some have noted that they did not deny that some Ultimates have come into contact with a demon, just that these dealings are unrelated to their talents. Others simply call the whole statement a sham.

On the topic of "supernatural abilities," the HPC has been less unified. Some officials have stated wholeheartedly that no such abilities exist. That anyone cannot fathom someone being that good at what they've dedicated their life to speaks volumes about their character. Others, however, have said that these powers are the result of breaking the limits of what humanity is capable of, without resorting to any dark dealings. Such Ultimates represent a new era that is sure to come, they said (though many have since walked back on their claims). Either way you look at it, one has to wonder if such powers are truly so…

A/N: Hey folks. This is just a small update to give a little bit of worldbuilding fluff before the deadline to submit is over. As a reminder, the last official day to submit ha been changed from February 13th to February 20th, since a few folks have messaged me about an extension. No sense in rushing people if they're taking their time. I'm still willing to answer any lingering question you might have, so don't be afraid to ask. It's honestly thrilling hearing from people who want to know more about this stuff. I also wanted to thank everybody who's submitted so far, especially those of you who've sent in multiple characters. It's really nice to see people be excited for something I want to create. Hopefully, this helps carry that excitement forwards. Whatever the case, I hope that you have a good day, and please take care of yourself!