#Steam Flow Meter

[energyaudit]

How Helpful Is Energy Efficient Equipment

The rising level of global warming is not unknown to anyone. People from various parts of the world are taking their own possible measures so that it can bring a constructive outcome altogether. However, as per the statistics, the rise in the number of industries, especially the large-scale ones, emit huge volumes of harmful gasses everyday. This certainly brings a severe negative impact to nature. 

Considering this fact, There are companies that provide energy assessments and let you make proper analysis about the amount of energy used. This appears to be highly beneficial, especially, for the industrial sector. This is mainly because it is the industries that produce most of the harmful emissions and at the same time consume the maximum energy. Now it is not possible for one to restrict the entire procedure. Rather a better way is to implement these sustainable methods to reduce carbon emissions to a significant level.

Other than that, energy-efficient steam and hot water process equipment is also a good choice. Steam boiler is a good example. Here are some of its important benefits mentioned below.

Increased Efficiency:

As the steam boiler loses a significant amount of heat, it is required to operate intensively to attain the desired heat level to generate steam or hot water. Proper boiler insulation ensures that the heat is retained for easy and rapid heating of the boiler system. It leads to saving both time and money.

Saves Energy:

Proper boiler insulation can raise the temperature by 2° F to 4° F compared to steam boilers without or with poor insulation. Consequently, it can save up to 3% to 4% energy annually. 

Saves Expenditure:

Significant loss of heat leads to high expenditure. If steam boilers are left with poor insulation as they pass heated fluid, it requires additional energy to perform at an optimal level. Boiler insulation prevents thermal loss and thereby reducing loss of energy and expense.

Therefore,  ensure the proper conduction of these energy assessment procedures, hiring reputed companies is a must. Their well knowledgeable staff could serve these purposes the best. Also, as they are experienced in the field, they can even serve you with several expert advice so that you can avoid future risks and can act accordingly.

Take a step forward to reduced carbon emissions with energy-efficient equipment.

[iris-qt]

𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚘

🫧 ᴛʜᴇᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴛ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

🫧 ʙɢ ᴍᴜꜱɪᴄ: ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ!

🫧 ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ

🫧 ᴀ/ɴ: ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪᴄ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴏɴᴇ. ɪ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴜʏꜱ’ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ ꜱᴏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀꜰʀᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴏɴᴇ!

🫧 ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ: ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ᴜɴᴡɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴛʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ɢᴏʀɢᴇᴏᴜꜱ ᴠᴀᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ɪᴛᴀʟʏ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴅ ʀᴜɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇxɪꜱᴛᴇɴᴄᴇ: ᴛʜᴇᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴛ

Azure blue skies and endless summer breeze tails you through the rolling green countryside of San Gimignano, Italy. This was true, pure bliss. A flow of relaxation that you haven’t felt since…Merlin knows when. The stress of endless exams and finals, everlasting prefect duties, and bickering with your horrid nemesis really left a mark; as represented by your unrelenting dark circles and deep forehead lines.

But at least all of that was giving way to the Italian atmosphere and it left behind a happy girl that would donate a kidney to spend her entire summer here. Unfortunately you were only visiting for a week before school began once more; your final year. This brought a sense of dread to your heart as you would miss the enchanting castle. Your second home.

You pushed that aside as you zoomed through the countryside of this ravishing country on your cute little teal Vespa. Truth be told you’d never driven a muggle vehicle before, but there’s always a first time for everything.

And so your lack of experience with muggle vehicles was the cause of you not being aware that gas has to be filled. You thought the meter getting closer to 0 represented the dissipation of your happy mood as you were, per usual, plaguing yourself with paranoid and pessimistic thoughts. The sudden shuddering of the Vespa made you lose balance and you began veering off track, you and your precious vehicle zooming down a hill with the sheer force of gravity. You screamed for dear life, and, at last, landed in a shallow pond with an enormous splash.

You bobbed up, gasping for air, and scrambled out of the lake quite ungracefully, summer outfit ruined and soaking wet. And suddenly, you heard a scarily familiar, devilish chuckle that just so happened to find your tragic predicament amusing: your mood as drenched as your clothes.

As you slowly glanced up trembling, not knowing if your shaking was from the water, shock, pure rage, or all three, you made direct eye contact with a certain boy musing at your tragedy. His eyes were overflowing with humor as he was leaning against a tree, his tanned legs crossed over each other. He seemed to be reading a book which he put down as he had found something better worth his attention. He gracefully stands up, a complete contrast from how you scrambled out of the pond, much to your annoyance.

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, angioletto mio?” He smirks.

“Nott,” you scoffed. “Small world…or cruel fate,” you stand there, dripping wet, arms spread out like a martyr.

Of course you knew the insufferable Theodore Nott was Italian and often visited family here, but you didn’t think you’d be subjected to his presence in such a big country, especially in the less populated countryside. It was truly just cruel fate that brought this spawn of satan before your eyes.

“I didn’t know you were that desperate to see me,” Theodore cocks his head to the side, quite enjoying this arrangement. “Risking your life on a muggle vehicle zooming to my town.”

You roll your eyes, and if you were in a cartoon universe, trust that there would be steam coming out of your ears.

“Trust me Nott. I had no intention to run into a walking headache on my vacation.”

The insufferable git kept smiling, moving closer now, standing right in front of you so you could smell the usual dizzying scent of sandalwood and pine. Summer edition Theo had a hint of citrus mingled in with his intoxicatingly annoying scent.

“I already got you soaking wet, now you just have to get naked,” he laughed with the most disgustingly smug look on his face that you almost slapped off.

“Are you done?” You glared at him, ready to storm off and free yourself from the torment of his presence.

He shrugged, looking you over.

“Need help drying off?”

“I need help out of this conversation.”

“Oh stop, y/n, you can do better than that,” he grinned

You sigh very well aware you had no other option. You hold out your arms and shut your eyes waiting for his casting of the Hot Air Charm. Since you had resolved to live the simple muggle life for this vacation, your wand was locked in a vault at your hotel room.

Theo laughs, “Are you waiting for a kiss, principessa?”

You open your eyes, confused. “No, I’m waiting for you to dry me off like you said, idiot.”

He laughs again shrugging and says, “I don’t carry my wand around my domain, there’s no need.”

“Then, pray do tell me, Nott, what was your plan in helping me?”

He gives you the most shit-eating grin and grabs your hand, scaring you a bit, then begins pulling you up another grassy, verdant hill: one that isn’t hiding a body of water behind it. You have the urge to resist, but just give in. The drop from your adrenaline-rush you’d been maintaining for the past 3 days had collapsed, causing you to come down with an attitude of resolve. He dragged you up the hill, your wet sandals making squelching sounds, each one demeaning you more and more. You hated this shift in power where the perfect git was overshadowing you. You hated it. You hated him. I think.

“So why were you in the countryside? Other than wanting to see me so badly, of course.” He looks behind him and shoots his watercolor poison into your soul as he makes that unblinking eye contact. Another thing on the meter-long list of things you despise about him.

“I was in a self-deprecating mood and decided to ruin my record streak of relaxation by finding you,” you deadpanned as you rolled your eyes for extra affect.

“Y/N relaxing? You must be lying.”

He chuckled a bit as you two stopped at the top of the vast hill, looking down to a meadow of wildflowers. They glowed like colorful jewels in the blinding, comforting summer sun.

“What’re you gonna do, push me off?” You smirked, half wishing he’d do so. Maybe this was all a nightmare. A beautiful, lush, tinged with the familiar scent of Theo nightmare.

What you didn’t expect, however, was him saying:

“Precisely.”

And with a surprisingly gentle tug, he pulled you down on the top of the hill, pushed you back in a laying position before you could protest, and quite literally pushed you down the hill. You screamed as you, for the second time that day, gave all free will up to gravity, rolling down the hill at a crazy speed. You knew Nott was your unproclaimed but painfully obvious nemesis but you never thought he’d attempt murder. You finally stopped and lay there, sprawled on your back, heaving from the rush. It was kind of…fun?

Theo rolled down right next to you, laughing, as he sat upright. There was grass in his curly, brunette hair that you couldn’t help but reach out to pluck. He looked away quite shyly. Did your eyes deceive you, or did he just blush? You must have heat stroke. Good thing you had your wet clothes to keep you cool: they were significantly drier now.

You stand up and Theo starts laughing in a way you’ve never heard him laugh before. It was almost…endearing?

You put your hands on your hips teasingly and ask, “What? Do I have something on my face?”

He chuckles affectionately. “Mio angioletto, you have something…everywhere.” He bursts into laughter again. “Beware grass woman rising from the Italian hills,” he gasps through his fits of laughter.

You couldn’t help but smile so wide; his happiness was almost as contagious as his teasing.

You look down and realize the grass was sticking all over your outfit, covering you in verdant greeness. There was an itching sensation bubbling to your skin, but you ignored it. You couldn’t help but join in with his laughter as you could imagine you looked like green Chewbacca.

“Is this your sick way of tar and feathering me, Nott?”

He recovers from his laughter and stands up with you, peeling a wet blade of grass from your cheek.

“Alas, you have uncovered my motives,” he teases, grinning.

“Well, your actual motives didn’t work. I’m still sopping wet.” You wringe out the side of your shirt for dramatic affect as it produces a downpour of water.

“There’s more to my motives, mio angioletto. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” He grasps your hand again with a beautiful look on his glowing face and pulls you up to do it all over again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Until the sun is caressing the distant hills, getting ready for its nightly departure. The sky is painted shades of teal and purple; still bright but just so. The breeze is still gentle, and so is Theo’s hold on your hand, as he guides you back to his tree by the wretched pond.

Don’t ask yourself what you and him were at the moment. Don’t ask yourself how years of rivalry and pranks. Of stress related to the both of your never-relenting efforts to beat the other. Don’t ask how that all faded away, as you sat in the setting sun.

Unfortunately, it isn’t in your nature to just ignore logic. And Theo knew it. So he distanced himself from you in light of the passing moment of rolling down flower dotted hills, letting go of your hand. It was as if an igniting flame in your heart had been stifled. He sat across from you by the tree. A silence falling between you two.

The slight itching you had felt earlier had been slowly increasing, and as the fun fell away, it began grabbing your attention. The feeling was in your throat now…something wasn’t right. And that’s when you remembered something that Theo’s warm presence had melted away from your mind. As if your brain had tricked itself to forget about this important fact to permit you and Theo’s fun. You were allergic to wildflowers. If exposed to them for a long time? Horribly allergic.

You started coughing and then choking, pointing to your neck to alert Theo to the problem. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening…he had noticed your uncharacteristically red skin, but he had dismissed it by thinking it was the sun’s doing. How could he overlook this?

Your choking grew louder as you fell onto the grass, Theo scrambled around crazily not knowing what to do in his initial panic.

But then he remembered

He pulled out his wand and cast a healing spell which would diminish every affect of an allergic reaction. You started being able to breathe again and your throat cleared, along with your skin returning to its original color and texture. You were gasping in shock, slightly embarrassed that you had been in such pathetic situations in front of Theodore twice today. You were both holding each others’ arms and breathing deeply. You recovered slightly, attempting to lighten the tense mood.

“Well, if your true motive was to kill me, Nott, I’d say you almost succeeded.” You let out a weak, unconvincing laugh.

“I..I am so sorry, y/n, I genuinely didn’t know..” he looked crestfallen. More shaken than you in fact. Wait a minute…

“Hold on,” you raised an eyebrow, your shock of almost dying completely gone and replaced with a new shock. “I thought you said you didn’t have your wand?”

Theo’s eyes widened sheepishly and he grinned, looking as guilty as ever.

“Ok listen before you throw a fit-“

“I don’t throw fits, I diplomatically argue.”

“Before you throw a tantrum, let me explain.” Theo runs his fingers through his hair looking nervous, and, for the first time, failing to make eye contact.

“I just…I knew you’d leave if I just dried you off. You only stayed because you needed help and, well…” he sighs.

“Well?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about you all summer, y/n. I lay awake all night and I day dream all day. I swear I even saw you in the stars..” he gives a nervous, strained laugh.

“You never leave my thoughts, but I was sure it was just because I had to prove myself. To beat you. But you didn’t even leave my brain after school ended. You haunt me every day. When I saw you I thought I was hallucinating, like, genuinely.” He runs his hand through his hair, looking the most vulnerable he’s ever looked.

You look at him, eyes blazing with emotions you had denied yourself. Emotions that fought to be seen but you always pushed them back. You couldn’t fight back anymore. What were you even fighting against? God, you had some serious issues.

“And so you lied to make me stay?”

Theo nodded, looking to the side, up at the darkening sky.

“Maybe it was the universe that brought me here, because what are the fucking odds?”

You both laughed at that, eyes shining despite the escaping light around you.

“Theo, in my last 3 days I’ve been in your beautiful home country, I’ve visited so many places. The Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Uffizi Galleries. So many amazing places, and I’ve experienced the most inspiring ordeals. But today was, by far, my favorite day.”

Theo regains his composure after hearing that, playfully judging her with his shoulder .

“Because of me, hm?”

You roll your eyes, looking away.

“Say it, principessa..” he prompted, gently holding your face and focusing it towards him.

You dramatically sigh and admit, “Yes, Theodore Nott. Because of you.”

He smiled the most breathtaking smile. If only you could capture a picture of it, but unfortunately your camera went down with the Vespa. You lay your head on his shoulder and squeeze your eyes shut, so that his bright smile could be engraved into your mind. Definitely a core memory.

After many moments of comfortable silence, Theo perks up.

“Oh! By the way, dolcezza, I realized I said the pickup line wrong when you struggled out of the swamp.”

You rolled your eyes at his impertinence and said, “First of all, it’s a pond, Theo. And second of all I did NOT struggle. I emerged like Aphrodite in a shell.”

“Ok my little swamp monster,” he annoyingly nuzzled his nose into your hair as you fought to hold back a giggle.

“Okok let me say the line.”

“Go ahead, Theo.”

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

You cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Because you have the face of un angelo.”

He grinned his shit-eating grin as you pretended to retch at the line. Jumping up with the fireflies around you, you tagged Theo, reigniting that competitive streak you both so closely shared. You both laughed like maniacs as you raced up the hill again, fireflies dancing around you in a waltz.

[satoshi-mochida]

‘Swashbuckler action game’ En Garde! announced for PC

Gematsu Source

Fireplace Games has announced “swashbuckler action game” En Garde! for PC. It will launch via Steam in August. A demo is available now.

En Garde! began as a student project back in 2018. The reception from the community led the team to establish itself as Fireplace Games and recreate En Garde! from the ground up as a full game experience.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

From the forgotten pages of history, comes Adalia de Volador! Legendary swashbuckler. Dashing adventurer. Hero of the people.

Play as Adalia in her daring escapades full of sword-fighting, satire and shenanigans. Challenge the cruel Count-Duke and oppose tyranny with panache!

Beautifully painted locations, charismatic characters, and an astounding amount of battle banter will transport you to the golden age of swashbuckling comedy!

So, sharpen your sword, grab your boots and hat, and embark on a hilarious, action-packed spectacle!

Key Features

Fencing With Flair – Parry, riposte and lunge your way to victory! Fight with style to fill your Panache Meter and unlock special skills! But you’ll need more than your sword to win the day…

Adapt and Improvise – Challenging, ever-changing fights push you to rely on your cunning and acrobatics to disturb your enemies. Learn their weaknesses to toy with them and express your fighting style.

Experiment with the Environment – Combat areas are playgrounds full of opportunities to create mischief and gain the upper hand. Surprise, stun, or evade enemies with a variety of objects – from rolling barrels to falling chandeliers.

Arena Mode – Unlock zany game-changing modifiers and new fight situations in the arena mode. Play and replay randomized scenarios to test your skill against waves of enemies!

Theatrical Characters – A flamboyant cast dazzles the screen! Adalia and her rivals react to each of your actions, exchanging witty one-liners during the flow of the fight.

Story Episodes – Discover the tales of Adalia, with unique challenges to complete and secrets to uncover. Fight through marketplaces, dungeons and palaces: the world’s a stage for your epic duels!

Award-Winning Passion Project – The game was first prototyped as an award-winning and much-loved student project. The original team has reformed and expanded as Fireplace Games to increase the scope, sweep and grandeur of En Garde!

Watch the reveal trailer below.

Reveal Trailer

[tokidokitokyo]

茨城県

Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Ibaraki

都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan

Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!

Kanji・漢字

茨　いばら、かや、くさぶき、シ、ジ　briar, thorn

城　しろ、き、ジョウ　castle

県　ケン　prefecture

関東　かんとう　Kanto, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures

Prefectural Capital (県庁所在地) : Mito (水戸市)

Amidst sprawling fields of beautiful flowers, Ibaraki also hosts Tsukuba Science City, Japan's premier research center and the home of Japan's space agency and numerous museums. Ibaraki is known historically for being the home of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan during the Edo Period and has long been associated with notable events in Japanese history. The first Nuclear Energy Research Institute was founded here in 1956. You can see space exhibits, actual space craft, and simulations at Tsukuba Space Center.

Outside of the major cities there are many natural areas to explore in the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-national Park. Hitachi Seaside Park is famous in the spring for its carpets of blooming blue nemophila. Kairaku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Mt. Tsukuba is a famous night view spot with a view of the Kanto Plain, including Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Sky Tree, with a ropeway for convenient access. Ibaraki is also a major producer of natto.

Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット

Fukuroda Falls (Fukuroda no Taki) - 袋田の滝

Photo by Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link

One of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, Fukuroda Falls is a 120-meter tall cascading waterfall in northwestern Ibaraki Prefecture in the remote hills of the town of Daigo. It is also on the registered list of the Top 100 Waterfalls of Japan (determined by the Ministry of Environment). These falls are also called the Yodo Falls (Yodo no Taki) because the water stream falls on four large rock faces. It is also said that the renowned monk Saigyo Hoshi greatly praised the falls by saying that you should view the different beauty of the falls in all four (yo) seasons.

They are particularly attractive in early November with the peak autumn foliage as well as peak water flow. There are several different views of the waterfall, and you cannot view it in its entirety all at the same time. Within the Fukuroda Waterfall complex there are neon tunnels and elevators to take you to different levels and viewing platforms. It is said that you will be successful in love if you find a heart in the waterfall. There are also numerous hot springs nearby.

Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理

Monkfish Hot Pot - あんこう鍋

Photo by yosshi / CC BY-SA 2.0

The monkfish (also referred to as angler fish, goosefish, depending on the source I found) is a prized delicacy of Ibaraki and is best eaten fresh. Because these fish are too soft and slimy to cut up on a chopping board, they are prepared using the traditional tsurushi-giri technique, which involves cutting up the fish while suspended from a hook. In Japan, almost all parts of the monkfish are eaten, including fins, skin, gills, liver, stomach, ovaries and flesh—referred to as the “seven tools of the monkfish” in Japanese. The steamed liver is called ankimo and is considered a delicacy that may be eaten alone, or added to the hotpot soup for extra flavor. Anko nabe (monkfish hot pot) is a seasonal favorite consisting of monkfish, vegetables, and flavored broth.

Ibaraki Dialect・Ibaraki-ben・茨城弁

りんごあっけ？　ringo akke?

Standard Japanese: りんごありますか？ (ringo arimasu ka?) English: Do you have any apples?

あしにあおなじみできちった　ashi ni aonajimi dekichitta

Standard Japanese: 足に青あざができちゃった (ashi ni aoaza ga dekichatta) English: I have a bruise on my leg

ごじゃっぺなやつだ　(gojyappe na yatsu da)

Standard Japanese: いい加減な人; やくにっ立たない人 (iikagen na hito; yaku ni tatanai hito) English: He's a good-for-nothing person

「行ってもいがっぺ？」　(itte mo igappe?) 「来たらいがっぺ」　(kitara igappe)

Standard Japanese: 「行ってもいいですか？」 「来てもいいですよ」 ("itte mo ii desu ka?" "kite mo ii desu yo") English: "Is it alright if I come?" "Yes please come"

あれは犬だっぺ　(are wa inu dappe)

Standard Japanese: あれは犬です (are wa inu desu) English: That is a dog

いがい車だな　(igai kuruma da na)

Standard Japanese: 大きい車ですね (ookii kuruma desu ne) English: That's a big car, isn't it

杖がおっちょれる　(tsue ga occhoreru)

Standard Japanese: 杖が折れた (tsue ga oreta) English: The cane broke in half

カラスををおっとばす　(hato o ottobasu)

Standard Japanese: カラスを追い払う (hato o oiharau) English: Drive away the crows

その日、大事？　(sono hi, daiji?)

Standard Japanese: その日、大丈夫？ (sono hi, daijyoubu?) English: Is that day ok for you?

[reachartwork]

CLASSIFIED - FOLD-BOUNDARY AIRCRAFT PROGRAM

FB-1 "Harbinger" Fold-Boundary Experimental Aircraft

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

PROPULSION

Primary Propulsion: Modified F135-PW-100 turbofan with fold-volume-expanded architecture.

Effective Thrust: 191kN (dry) / 280kN (afterburner).

Apparent Thrust: 130kN (dry) / 190kN (afterburner).

Exhaust Management: Conventional exhaust geometry with fold-enhanced flow stabilization to maintain subsonic airflow continuity across external plasma boundaries.

Throttle Response: ~0.7 seconds from idle to max dry; ~2.3 seconds to afterburner.

SPATIAL ENGINEERING

Integrated Fold-Volume Expansions:

Main Engine Cavity: 2.3:1 spatial ratio (internal volume x2.3).

Fuel Storage: Four distributed chambers at 1.8:1 spatial ratio (effective capacity ~16,200 liters).

Ammunition/Stores Bay: 1.5:1 spatial ratio, supports 6,000 kg internal load.

Computing Space: 2.1:1 spatial ratio, with thermal isolators for core electronics.

Cumulative Plasma Boundary Intensity Threshold: 3.8 TeV/m² (manifold collapse risk at ~4.2 TeV/m²).

Notes: Distributed expansion ratios mitigate ionization-based plasma buildup in terrestrial atmospheres, particularly critical below 30,000 ft or in high-humidity environments.

COOLING SYSTEM

Thermal Management: Rotating Drum Evaporative Cooling (RDEC) System.

Drum Specifications:

Apparent Diameter: 1.2m.

Actual Diameter: 2.76m.

Surface Area: ~24.0m².

Rotation Speed: 1500 RPM (idle) to 2100 RPM (max thermal load).

Coolant: Modified fluorocarbon FC-77.

Boiling Point: ~56°C.

Coolant Capacity: 240 liters (operational duration ~120 minutes at sustained load).

Heat Dissipation:

Nominal: 220 kW.

Peak: 320 kW (coolant consumption increases).

Vapor Signature: Characteristic fluorocarbon "steam" trail forms during sustained operations or rapid maneuvering.

COMPUTATIONAL SYSTEMS

Fold-Expanded Predictive Computing Array:

Cores: 1024 RISC-V derivative cores with extrasolar manifold integration.

Clock Speed: 4.8 GHz.

Effective Performance: 42 PFLOPS (predicted peak).

Latency: 18ms (core-to-MFD response).

Prediction Horizon: ~3.1 seconds for single combatant targeting; swarm dynamics increase computational load exponentially.

Communication: Quantum coherence data relay across internal folds; hardwired backup via RF burst links.

Notes: Real-time AI-assisted targeting prioritizes swarm neutralization but offloads corridor navigation to the pilot for better response in sub-critical conditions.

PERFORMANCE ENVELOPE

Maximum Speed: Mach 2.4 (altitude-dependent).

Cruising Speed: Mach 1.1 (efficiency optimized).

Service Ceiling: 67,000 ft.

Combat Radius: 1,300 nm.

G-Limit: +9.5/-3.5.

Takeoff Distance: 340 meters (with afterburner).

Landing Distance: 450 meters (fold-assist airbrakes).

Weapon Payload:

Internal: 6,000 kg (compatible with NATO-standard ordnance).

Wing Pylons: 4 x 500 kg (external stores compromise boundary stability).

Standard Loadout:

8x AIM-120D AMRAAM.

2x AIM-9X Sidewinder.

2x GBU-39 SDB (internally stored).

OPERATIONAL NOTES

Primary Mission Profile:

Long-duration swarm suppression and precision strikes within extraterrestrial corridors.

Effective against extrasolar combatants utilizing drone tactics and maneuverable swarm behavior.

Flight Characteristics:

Tight turning radius (~650 meters at Mach 1.0) allows for corridor navigation and dogfighting in confined spaces.

Low observable to extrasolar detection systems in dry air; vapor trails and thermal blooms increase detectability in moist or high-humidity environments.

Limitations:

Coolant reserves deplete rapidly under sustained combat loads; maximum operational duration ~2 hours without refit.

Plasma boundary effects destabilize in atmospheric conditions exceeding 85% relative humidity.

High maintenance requirements for spatial integration hardware and RDEC systems.

Boundary folding imposes structural stress; airframe requires inspection every ~150 flight hours.

SUMMARY

The FB-1 "Harbinger" represents humanity’s first operational attempt to incorporate extrasolar fold-boundary technology into aerospace engineering. While limited by coolant reserves, boundary-induced stress, and vapor visibility, the Harbinger excels in its role as a swarm suppression platform. Its combination of advanced predictive systems, spatially enhanced storage, and exceptional maneuverability ensures dominance in extraterrestrial and terrestrial combat scenarios.

NOTES: Development of next-generation cooling systems and boundary field stabilizers is critical for further operational scalability and mission success in extrasolar theaters.

[liquid-luck-00]

Red Binding 3

Maribat March Day 3: Butterfly

@maribat-calendar-events @maribatserver

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~~~~~~~~~~

There was never a day to relax. Everyday brought on more and more studies, text, incantations, and even bruises. Yet she was happier than she could ever remember. She had started to learn the language used in the Order, which greatly improved her relationship with Su-Han, who was appointed her mentor. But that wasn’t the only language she had learned. Those chosen by Kwamii, were of any and every race and culture. So she picked up other languages, ranging from English and Spanish to Arabic and Swahili. Overall she learned about a dozen languages over the six months she was here.

"Guardian Yùnqì." The familiar voice of Su-Han caught her attention in the quiet library.

"Guardian Kuí." She turned towards her teacher, with a slight bow of her head. "I hope the day has been well to you."

"It has." Was his response, yet Marinette noticed his shift in his mood. His usual calm stoicism was replaced by a simmering anger just under the surface.

"Su-Han." She whispered breaking him from his growing stupor.

"I do not know how this happened, yet it has been decreed." His usually intimidating posture sagged slightly. "As of today, you shall begin to prepare for the Renewal Ceremony."

"Is that a bad thing?" Her genuine curiosity on display.

"Follow me."

She stood, leaving the books on a cart, so they would be returned to their place, and followed behind her teacher.

They took a passage that led close to the Supreme’s chamber but took a turn, one she never had reason to go down. They continued down, further and further, to a point that she wondered just how deep they were in the mountian. Soon after they came to a stop. There was a a door, no taller than three meters, and carved into the wood was a symbol she has seen countless times.

A Yin and Yang.

Inside the room was a pool of steaming water, she watched as the pool ebbed and flowed with its own tide. The crystaline torches provided such clear light that rainbows danced around the room, splitting farther on each crystal it touched. But her focus was once again on the pool of water. The water itself was such a deep blue it was a true Indigo. But the water glowed unnaturally a purple that seem to distort the cavern. It made her skin crawl, it wasn't a dark purple like Lavender, or even a soft purple like Wisteria. No this was closer to a Nightshade.

Reflexively she took a step back from the water and it's rising steam.

"You do well to be cautious." Su-Han nodded.

"What is this?" She asked, stating the obvious. "There is a heavy concentration of Magic."

"Very good, this is the Spring of Creation, also known as the Pool of Ambrosia."

"Like the elixir of the gods?"

At this Su-Han laughed, well it was more of a chuckle.

"This pool is where that name originated from. You see anyone who either drinks or bathes in the waters will have an extended life. However all magic has its cost. This pool belongs to Tikki, the Kwamii who has chosen you as its guardian."

"What does this have to do with the ceremony?"

Marinette asked watching her teacher closely.

"The ceremony is simple, whenever there is a chosen of the jewels of either creation or destruction, that chosen will perform a ritual. Water from both pools will be poured into one another revitalizing and balancing both."

"Why would they need to be balanced?" She couldn't help and ask.

At the Su-Han simply placed his hand on top of her head.

"For destruction cannot exist without creation, and creation cannot exist without destruction. You are to help balance them, ensuring that if any magic is used, it would be restored." At this he seemed more apprehensive. "You my child are still young, you should not be burdened with having to do this."

"Well it doesn’t seem that hard." She shrugged, because it didn’t.

Carrying maybe a pitcher of water from one location to another wasn’t that difficult at all. So why is he making it seem like she’s walking into a trap.

"You’re right. The ritual itself is quite simple, however the location of the Well of Destruction, is… "

"It can’t be that bad." She crossed her arms, making herself look more confident, and made a joke. "It’s not like they’re in hell."

"They might as well be." She blinked to his response not knowing if he was joking or not, yet the man never joked.

"In sending you there, I have all but signed your life to death. The Pits of Lazarus are held in the inner sanctuary of the League of Shadows, whoane move commonly known as the League of Assassins."

"I’m sorry what?" She took a step back, almost reflexively.

"There is actually a group of people who call themselves the League of Assassins?" That act was both incredulous and absurd at the same time.

"There is, and unfortunately the head of the organization is not only a very cruel man, but he also knows of your existence, Marinette."

That wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

First off why would someone so evil be the ones who are tasked with guarding such a place. Secondly, how is it that they know of her? The third reason however was what stuck to the most, the fact that Su-Han referred to her by her name, not her title, not as his apprentice, not the most endearing term he ever gives her of my child, no he referred to baher given name. This is the first time he had done so , which put a new kind of weight on her shoulders.

"can the ceremony be postpond? And if not how much time do I have to prepare?"

"You will be expected to arrive the night before the next new moon. You shall be accompanied by an instructor, and will be there for day over a fortnight."

"Are you saying I have to stay there for two weeks, 14 days, in a place filled to the brim with assassins?"

"That is correct." It was the first time she ever saw him expresses any sort of emotion, the first time she ever saw him shed a tear.

And she was absolutely mortified.

The silence mi's had streaked too long, as Tikki's voice chimed into mind urging her. Marinette, you need to answer.

She dug her heels in, straightened her posture, and took a breath, grounding her self removing everything except for what she needed to do from her mind. "If it has to be done, it’s my duty as the Guardian Yùnqì."

"I do not know if your determination is a result of you finally coming into your own, or if it is simply a façade at the moment. I can still see you as the small child who fell into the courtyard, now your wings only begin to show. I feel your metamorphosis may be close my little caterpillar. Now." He stiffened and went back to his usual self, his momentary lapse in emotion buried yet again. "Tikki would be best to guide you, as she knows where the tomes are for the ceremony."

"I don’t think I can do this Tikki." Marinette ran her

hands down her face as soon as he left the cavern.

If anyone can, you can, comeon Marinette."

Tikki floated around her before floaty at her eye level.

"I’m going to be with people who think it’s drag to kill. I’m either going to be walking on egg shells or under constant supervision, more than likely both. Mari started to pace getting further from the magical water.

"And so long as you can harness my magic, no shadow can touch you. You hold so much power, you have yet to even comprehend. You are going to be the next Grand Guardian."

"That’s if I survive this!"

"Not if, when."

"They can snuff me out if they want it. No harder than it would be to blow out a candle."

"Yes, but just like the Kuì said, you have changed so much. Mari, you have knowledge that took others decades to learn and even master. The progress gained in your studies: language, spells, rituals, defensive combat and magics. You are a child of miraculous, you are creation."

"I don’t know if I can ever truly be the grand Guardian Tikki." She all but dismissed.

Marinette extended her hand towards the Kwamii who sat in her palm.

"I am not brave, and I’m not a good fighter, and my magic is more aligned with healing."

"You are so much more." Tikki flew up to cup her cheek, giving her a hug. "You are perfect Marinette, you just lack a bit of confidence."

"It’s not like I can manifest it overnight Tikki." A small joke made its way to her lips.

"No you can’t my- little bug, but once you do, you will be an unstoppable once my little bug, but once you do you will be a butterfly."

"Everyone expects so much of me, and I don’t see it."

"It doesn’t matter if you’re walking into a room filled with guardians in training, or mountain full of assassins, remember creation did n't simply make flowers, creation also created the poisons that bloom from them." Sometimes she forgets, Tikki may be kind and gentle 98% of the time, but she is also terrifying.

"Destruction can’t exist without creation." She repeated those words, they were having a bit more understanding of them.

She took a deep breath and started to plan. A mental list formed of things that need to be done before she had to set off towards this mountain full of shadows.

"Let’s go get the to me, we can study it in the room, but before that I think it’s time to start training with the guardian Shun’itsu."

the little goddess smiled at her before disappearing from this plane once more.

You’re on the right track bug.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Permanent Taglist: @jennifer-rose123 @toodaloo-kangaroo @joydone07 @mizzy-pop @starling218 @crystalqueertea

[tinyvesselhearts]

(Egon x You) Human after all

(Thing Is: Chapter 11) Based on request for "Reader's possessed, Egon saves you, Hurt/ Comfort".

SFW but hot like my laptop right now.

From the journal alone, Egon is about to learn the following:

One: your father was a curious man. A scientist of sorts. He was fascinated by the concept of cosmic forces. Since he deemed humanity insignificant, only thing that mattered was a giant portal he was building in his barn: a door to humanity’s progress— or, as he called it— Compliance CH2. He used some restored scribbles found in the Marsh chronicles to design the gate. It took him ten years. He built it. It worked.

Two: your dad wasn’t summoning spirits per se. The creatures were alien, of all species. There’s a pattern: every time an alien (one of Yog- Sothoth’s children) was summoned, they would need a host. Like parasites, they needed to infest an organism adjusted to Earth’s conditions. Once they did, they preyed on the organism and slowly regrew it in accordance with their DNA. See, their bodies constitute loose ectoplasmic bonds which leads to another conclusion: while their hivelike minds were powerfully connected, their physical forms were weak. That’s why the PKE meter detected their presence but the proton streams didn’t work.

Three: if love means priority, your dad was shit at it.

---

Egon decides it’s for the best to stay the night at the station. There’s the issue of the mutant guest in the basement and staying within reach if somebody calls. He half expects you to change your mind and dial their number— but time flows, minutes merge into hours and the phone remains painfully quiet.

He dedicates every second to reading your father’s notes. It’s productive, informative. Fascinating, truly— but he soon realizes it doesn’t put his mind at ease. A stray thought keeps reaching to the conflict from a few hours back. He fights it. He tries to. He fails.

There’s a pressure in his chest he’s never felt before. It’s heavy, unrelenting. The cold night air must've pushed some pollen through the city. Allergy always seems to come unannounced. Thankfully, he’s aware of how his body works so— while far- fetched at best— he decides to trust this self- diagnosis and ignore the pain.

He needs to focus. He keeps reading.

~Do you honestly think I’d ever commit to someone who takes interest in ghosts?~

He's almost a hundred and seventy pages in when everything clicks. The hybrid intruder in the basement is an infected specimen, who’s grown into a semi- functioning symbiotic organism. While Egon can think of a person who would be enthralled by giving up their body for research, he doubts any reasoning would push him this far. The infected man has no ID. No records, no publicity— a recluse or a tramp. Regardless, there must be a way of helping him. To save the human and send the alien away…

~Do you honestly think I’d ever commit to someone—~

He’s on his fifth mug of tea and a third chocolate bar when he hears a loud bang downstairs.

Egon stands up. Frowns. Waits a few seconds and listens in.

There’s a muted echo of footsteps, shy and wary, then complete silence for a moment and then…

“…Hello?”

…You’re here.

Egon runs to the stairs. Hooks the rail, swings and dashes down to the garage in long strides. He looks around and there you stand, right beside the car, unsure, agitated, still. Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly off— your coat’s unfastened, pajama shirt peeks from underneath— you’re shivering, trembling, cold. It’s late at night and you didn’t even bother to grab a scarf. You must be in shock or in danger.

He wastes no time— runs the distance and stops right in front of you. You look worried, breaths are shallow and they fill the air as clouds of steam.

“What’s wrong?”

Your eyes are glossy.

“…It’s here”, you whisper, shaky. “It’s with me.”

Egon already knew— he knew the moment he saw you— he just didn’t want to believe it. He should’ve stayed. He shouldn’t have left you unguarded—

The PKE meter in his hand scans you head to toe. The contraption is beeping wildly, condensed spiritual presence detected, unmistakable and progressive. Egon shakes his head— not in denial but disbelief.

“…No. Not you”, he says. “Anyone but you.”

You let out a sob— and a laugh— tilt your head backwards and struggle to hold back tears.

“I hate everything about it. Ah… Why don’t I ever listen to wise people?... I should’ve stayed away from ghosts, the stupid books, this job, the journal—”

“Do not confuse avoiding a problem with solving it. I should’ve never left you on your own. Should’ve been wiser about the dangers, I…” Egon’s brows knit, blood threatens to simmer in his veins. “Stupid. Stupid! How could I—”

He needs to throw something on the ground because, seriously— why did he think leaving you in a vulnerable position was ever a good idea— it’s all his darn fault!— Had he urged you to stay the night here, none of this would’ve happened. He didn’t want overstep but seeing you in this state now is torture. You’re exhausted to the point of crying.

“Come with me”, he says, extending an arm. “I’ll fix it. I know what to do.”

You can’t answer but a step towards him ensues. Your hands are clenched into fists, knuckles white out of fear, pain and determination— but they’re also trembling, which Egon picks up on in an instant. You’re horrified. You’re a hostage in your own body. He takes your hand. Tugs at it and you follow.

Mid- way to the basement, your mouth forms a string of words.

“Ymg' lloig ah mgn'ghft”.

Egon whips his head around. Pulls out a translator from his pocket and it immediately spurts the translation: Your mind is worthy of Him.

Ah, yes. It’s the glorious full- blown takeover stage. That was to be expected.

Egon’s too old for this. He’s seen it all. An imposter is a lowball, truly, he’s dealt with those more times than he cared to count.

“You aren’t staying for long. Don’t get comfortable.”

She is our vessel now.

“Fallacy”, Egon’s tone is casual. “She does not belong to anyone.”

And yet you wish she would.

Egon stares at the translation. His mind is blank.

The pressure in his chest again. It’s there— it’s prominent— his palms are sweaty, air feels hot and an unpleasant cold runs down his spine. How can an Eldritch horror guess… How does it—

Your love for her clouds your judgement.

Oh. Oh.

…Is that what that is?

Eyes wide, arms stiff, Egon glances at you. Your face is distant, entirely unfazed, muscles slack, eyes barely open— but there’s something about your inexplicable awareness that’s almost unsettling. It’s not you. It’s all a trick, he knows but your mouth opens again and a string of freshly translated words appear on the screen.

Good scientists should rely on their brains, not hearts. Yours is worthy of the knowledge we offer.

No, he shouldn’t listen. Staying in place won’t help any.

In a practiced movement Egon leads you by the hand to his lab. He opens it and lets you in, then helps you sit in your chair, in relative distance from any dangerous chemicals. Once sure you’re still, he proceeds to prepare the equipment.

Whatever horror is currently inhabiting your body, it’s suspiciously obedient.

Egon rummages through his desk. There’s a distilled sample of that Class 2 Free- Floating Vapor who attacked you a while back— the one he was pissed about when you got slashed— but now that you’re merged with a similarly complex creature, Egon’s thankful he’s already went through a successful separation process. Ah. Silver linings are always clear in hindsight.

While he’s assembling the set, you keep spilling strings of unintelligible gurgles. He shouldn’t be interested in checking the translations (curiosity killed the cat) but he’s sure he can take it— no temptations could affect him at this point.

Just a peek, you know. Besides, it’s all for research.

The translator shows just one sentence:

You want her. We can make a deal.

“We have strict policies concerning fraternization with paranormal creatures”, Egon replies. “I’m not interested.”

You are. She is human, is she not?

“Not at the moment, no.”

Her mind is here no longer but the body is human. She’s too weak to understand. You aren’t.

His eyes divert from the translator. Your mind is…?

No, you’re still there. It’s all reversable, it surely is— he’s just read all about the procedure, it’s an early stage, it’s not too late. He’ll save you. He can fix this. He has to.

“What is it that you do?” Egon calmly inquires, pulling a wired helmet out of a drawer. “Are you a mind- reader? An empath? How do you collect data?”

What Yog- Sothoth knows, we all know. None of us matter in the grand scheme of things.

The Collective, then. Classic.

Egon switches on the helmet and fuels it up with a luminescent liquid. It pours underneath a plastic egg- shaped shell, sinking bunches of electrodes in the glowing goo. Great: the only thing that’s left is placing the contraption on your head, pushing a few levers and a nice, clear form of the intruder should pop right out. Capturing it would be more problematic (regular traps aren’t adjusted to this level of molecular differences) but he’ll think of something. The priority here is to make sure you’re safe.

He plugs the last wires, ready to go.

You keep talking and right when he’s about to turn to you, he glimpses at the screen.

The burden is light because our sole purpose is to die. See what we see. Have a look.

Ah, crap.

Egon hesitates— and despises himself for it. There’s no way a deal with Eldritch horror could end well— it’s a bait, a classic one, a lure meant to pull new cultists in and spread the extraterrestrial tentacles over humanity— but the possibility of getting to see how they operate first- hand is almost too good to be real.

He’d be the first paranormal researcher to maintain his consciousness throughout the ordeal. He’d witness it, feel it. Describe it in detail. Provide facts. This… Ah, it could be groundbreaking. Revolutionary. His name would ascend to an almost godlike status…

Yes. He’s strong enough. He could take it. Just a peek into the cosmic knowledge and everything changes for the better. The creature is cunning— but so is he.

His mind is set. He turns around, almost prone to sealing his fate— but he looks at you.

Your body is nothing but a physical shell. A wilted form, a stranger. Your face is lax in a way reminiscent of cadavers he’d seen during his coroner years: foggy eyelids struggle to stay up— lips are tilted, brows too low and no— no, despite the body, it is not you. The features are there but they are misplaced, devoid of emotion. They don’t fit. The beauty, the light from within, all gone.

A realization serves as a wake- up call: you’re being abused. All of a sudden, the whole shtick is too revolting to fall for.

He approaches you, scrutinized.

“Puts things into perspective”, he says, easing the helmet onto your head, “but not good enough to risk losing my sanity over. I’ll have to decline.”

He will consume you regardless. Your only choice is whether to accept the knowledge we offer—

“Pleasure to meet you. We’ll end it here.”

The moment he pushes the lever, you lash out at him.

He screams in shock. A familiar hand grabs him by the throat and pushes backwards. A wire rips.

Ah, damn it, no—

Egon smashes against the desk. Your body presses against him. Fingers are clenched around his neck— and it doesn’t hurt but the grip is firm. Piercing stare pins him to place. Your hips and chest press against his, blocking his movement and Egon feels it: every inch of you, every friction. Your breath is warm. You’re so close he could kiss you by merely dipping down his head.

He tells himself that it doesn’t affect him, it’s not you, you’re not yourself, all while seeking something of use on the counter.

He feels a screwdriver with his fingers. That’s a weapon against the body but you’re not responsible for the attack— and the ghost within uses you as a living shield. No use. There must be something else…

Before he has the chance to look, all lights go dark. An unsettling noise invades his ears, horrid chanting of a thousand voices. It’s relentless, intrusive, drilling into his head. His teeth clench but it doesn’t help any: it’s the hallucinations, this is how the Collective operates. He has to act— and act fast…

A sedative. A sedative. The vial, it should be…

Through the fog of erratic stimuli, he reaches a desperate hand into his pocket. There it is: a thin, elegant glass bottle filled with poignant liquid. He curves a thumb. The lid comes off. He presses it to your nose in a swift motion.

He can’t tell which of those are real: the sudden growl, a swirl of lights or hands sliding off of his chest. It’s all mixed with a head- blowing cacophony of screams and the incessant chanting. All Egon knows is this: he keeps clenching his teeth, shoving the chemical right at your face until your tossing about abates.

Your body weakens. Limbs go lax. Knees give in, head falls sideways. Your chest slams against his— and Egon’s still trapped in the cosmic mess— but he catches you, head, back— secures your fall as you slowly ease onto rows of white tiles.

He lays you down.

The exposure to the sedative was short. It wasn’t concentrated either. He has to act fast.

The helmet needs a quick adjustment but Egon knows what he’s doing. Wires plugged, straps fastened, he pushes the abominable lever. There’s a few sparks, a smoke from somewhere and an otherworldly glow of the luminescent goo and— just like that— a massive glob of ectoplasm evaporates from your body.

Egon can’t tell what shape or size it is. It’s unlike anything he’s seen so far. It looks incomprehensible, as if it didn’t have a form: a giant mass of eyes and limbs, a pile of half- physical slime, a stack of unstable tentacles materializing and evaporating in random places. Truly, a marvel in itself. A phenomenon to investigate. It gathers above your head. Escalates. Then disperses and dissolves into thin air.

Everything’s quiet after that.

Egon waits a moment. There’s no chanting. No distortions. His senses come back to reality: shapes, lights and colors he’s familiar with. A minute passes until he’s able to map the place. There’s his desk, the chair and the helmet. Smoke and sparks surround it.

And here, right beside him: it’s you.

You poor, poor thing…

He crouches. Gently lifts your head and arms. Places you on his knee. Waits.

He unties the straps around your head. Unplugs the wires and takes the contraption off. There you are. You’re safe. Your face looks soft and relaxed— no indication of the paranormal. You’re yourself. You’re back, you are. You could wake up any moment…

He hesitates for a split second, then wipes your forehead with one gentle stroke. Skims over your face, checking for wounds. Touches your scalp to make sure you’re not bleeding. His large, warm hand slides down your locks a few times, a thumb softly touches your chin. The movement is attentive, slow and caring— coarse because his palms are rough— but he pours every ounce of his willpower to envelop you (because you’re alive and scared—need to feel safe—have to know you’re being cared for)—

“…Egon?”

His body freezes.

Your eyes are half- lidded, brows knit, fingers hooked at his scrubs— but somehow you manage to offer him a small smile.

And— God Almighty— this is what it’s been all along— he is in love, he’s been in love for a good while now and it’s too late to snap out of it. It’s bad, blatantly obvious, overwhelming. He hasn’t realized the extent of it until he heard it from your own lips, seen it on the screen— and now that he has…

“…Hi”, he sighs, retracting his hand. “You’re back. Splendid.”

There’s a small scar right below your lip. Another on your cheek. Above your brow. An uneven line along your jaw. They’re ordinary, pretty shallow— the kinds every person has so nobody pays attention— except now, he does, because he’s thinking of ways they could’ve been prevented. He wants all of them to disappear. He wants them to heal— to kiss them away, as if sheer wishes ever worked out…

“What is happening?” You whisper trembling, voice shaky.

Egon watches your face: eyes shy away to hide dilated pupils— a forced, dry swallow attempts to calm your nerves. He’s become so good at this, at reading you. The proximity affects you and his heart aches again: the way you try to ignore it but can’t— the way your body’s anxiously shivering— it’s unbelievable how every bit of you that’s usually so outspoken and confident transforms into some startled prey.

It’s intimidating how fragile you are now that he’s close. As if mere step in the wrong direction could shy you away.

He wants to take care of you. Envelop in his adoration. You’ve been hurt, taken hostage and he doesn’t have the willpower to hold back. In a spur of the moment (and hormones, bloody mess—) Egon leans forward.

Foreheads touch. Against all reason, Egon brushes your nose with his.

Your breath catches and his entire body aches to dip down. A shuddered sigh you let out lands on his lips. It carries your scent. It tastes like tea.

He desires this kiss. Aches for it. He’s been denying himself his whole life but this time everything’s different. You seem to want it too. The eyes, the breath, the shiver. He hopes he’s right about it. He hopes it’s not fear, exhaustion or stress that makes you react this way. He hopes it’s him. Ah, he hopes—

A distant echo of your words pops in his mind:

~Do you honestly think I’d ever commit to someone who takes interest in ghosts?~

…He winces.

His eyes squeeze shut. He forces himself to pull back.

“Are you hurt?”

“I don’t know”, you manage. “I’m… it’s hazy.”

“What do you need?”

Your voice is barely a whisper.

“Closure. Egon, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said yesterday.”

“Ah. Chamomile tea, then?”

“Egon…” Your eyes are set but a smile cracks on your lips. “I’m serious. It’s all my fault. I never meant to hurt you, or walk away, or leave you there. It was shitty of me. You deserve loyalty, respect and appreciation, and I behaved like an entitled brat. Please, forgive me.”

“But there’s nothing to forgive. We’re here now, aren’t we?”

“Does it mean…?”

“…you should stay here for protection.” He says. “Your bed is made. I’d say you’ve dressed for the task.”

He watches you realize you’re in crumpled pajamas, then let out a soft laugh— a stark contrast to the remnants of sadness in your eyes. If he’s great at something, it’s antics and he’ll gladly exploit this talent until you're pure sunshine again.

“Even after yesterday?” You ask.

“Especially after yesterday.”

You look like you want to get up: back straightens, your weight slides off Egon’s lap. But then, just as he thinks that’s it, you hesitantly lean forward and nuzzle into the crook of his neck.

“I should really bring my stuff here for the long run, huh?”

It’s meant as a joke but Egon thinks that yes, indeed you should. Preferably under different circumstances.

Oh, boy. What a day. What a night. What a revelation.

You’re cradled in his arms. He’s read half of the forbidden journal. The boys are coming in a few hours.

Somehow Egon’s got a feeling tomorrow is going to be even wilder.

[nightraiderwrites]

Something Quite Holy

Summary: False does not feel things. (Or tries to, anyway)

Tws: Unreality, mentions of being burnt, vomiting, memory loss

Word count: 1062

~~~

This too, shall pass.

~

Burning, False thinks, is something quite holy. Light up the body and take away all the impurities, cleanse the evil in the soul through the fires of hell. Purge the darkness from the depths of intentions.

In another life, she might have been living in the heights of the mountains, frozen ice sticking to every surface. Fire might have been her only salvation. It might have been something akin to life. Burning fires every few meters would have kept the streets safe and warm.

Right now, though, burning is something she cannot feel. Tango’s anguish ripples outwards in waves of heat, but she only grips tighter. He screams and screams, words tumbling out of his mouth in ribbons of pain.

False can’t actually understand what he’s saying, only following along the script of comforting words spilling out of her mouth. She wraps her body around his, keeping him safe from the outside world.

Tango screams again. There’s smoke in her lungs, and fire on her sleeves. It burns her forearms, but she cannot feel it. His sobs trickle tears down his cheeks, but the sheer heat of his body turns the droplets into steam.

A distant part of False’s mind takes note of the burns trailing their ways up her arms. The part of her mind in the driver’s seat doesn’t care.

Burning, False thinks, is something quite holy. As Tango unwinds his anguish, she clutches him tighter and tighter as curls in on himself. Shed some light on your pain, she thinks. Do not suffer alone. I am here to protect you.

In another life, one where remembers her life, they might have been neighbors. Friends, even. Close enough to… Well. 

It doesn’t matter. In this life, False is holding Tango as he burns with anger, with grief, with pain, unleashing the emotion in his flames. She cannot feel the burns or the heat, only the desperate need to keep him safe.

The edges of her vision are blurring. She can her grip on him weakening, and Gem shouting. Something about idiots? Tango is still here. She needs to- to- protect-

False tips sideways and the world goes dark.

~

She swims through syrupy darkness. Her limbs feel like they aren’t really there.

In front of her, is a face that looks exactly like hers. False knows this isn’t her. It’s someone else, a ghost haunting from a past she cannot remember. She reaches out to touch it.

“I know you,” she whispers. “Why can’t I remember you?” She doesn’t reply. False didn’t expect her to.

They hang there, for a while. The woman's serene face stares at False like she's a haunted doll. Maybe she is.

False studies her face. It feels so familiar under her grasp. Distantly, she thinks she hears Tango and Gem. She wears a red and white striped shirt, under a teal jacket. Her gloves cover her entire hand, and it reminds False of a falconry gauntlet.

The woman starts drifting away from False. “Wait,” she says weakly. “Wait!” She tries swimming after her, but the darkness gets thicker. Her movements, slow and clumsy, cannot catch up.

Tendrils climb her body, pulling her into their depths. She claws at them, trying to break free the grasping vines. They pull her down and swallow her up. The last she sees of the woman with her face is the fleeting glance of ice blue eyes.

~

False opens her eyes. It’s dark, in the house. Her arms and chest are wrapped in fresh bandages.

She listens out. Judging by the breathing patterns, Tango and Gem are asleep. Quietly, she takes the blanket off and pulls a shirt on. There is a time for everything, she decides. There is a correct time for everything.

The door is new, so it doesn’t creak as she opens it and slips out. The cool night air flows through her hair as she straps her swords that are still sitting outside to her body.

Then she runs.

The plains have only been home for four days, but it already feels warmer than anywhere she’s ever lived. There is home here, among the knee high grass and flowers. She gulps down air as she runs, without a destination in mind.

The blood pumps in her veins, and she feels so alive. It’s a miracle to her that she can feel things, feel the ground as she sprints by, feel the distant pain in her back and forearms. 

False sprints through the fields, into the wild untamed green. She runs and runs, until she comes across Cleo’s grave.

Her steps slow down. They're gone.

Somehow, she doesn’t feel guilty about killing them. Though her memories are gone, there is something that tells her that if she was the one to deal the final blow, it wouldn’t be the first time. False thinks taking lives is something that should be a big deal to her, but isn’t.

The others, perhaps, are too soft. Pearl had hesitated today, allowing Cleo to taunt her. Gem had only watched. Tango’s shot had missed. His hands trembled.

False could have gotten it done sooner. It would have been quicker, with the blade in her hands. Cleo is no match for her, based on what False had seen. No one here can beat her in one on one combat.

But she remembers Pearl standing over Cleo, shovel in one hand and a heart of guilt in the other. She closes her eyes, and watches helplessly as the shovel comes down on Cleo. The shovel cracks against her head, and Pearl’s hands are soaked in blood.

The wind blows through Pearl’s veil, as False watches on helplessly. The sun sets red sets over Cleo’s dead body.

False opens her eyes and throws up. 

There are images flashing through her head, blood and white walls and disgustingly sterile rooms and needles and a knife against a throat in her hand-

She wipes her mouth. It wasn't her hand on the shovel: but it should have been. It wasn't her name on the death message: but it should have been. She needs to be the one with her hand on the knife.

Next time, she promises herself. Her sword will be the one swinging; her hand will be the one to take the life. Her name will be the one on the kill.

False opens her communicator.

~~~

Howdy! This is a character study based on a little game of mafia I've had the pleasure of playing.

[crisalidaseason]

Eighteenth entry: Get used to feeling powerless.

It comes with the job, I guess. Feeling useless. Having no way of protecting dear ones from the emotional pain despite wanting to. The sooner you learn there are things you cannot shield them from, the easier it becomes to deal with it. I can’t say if I’ll ever succeed on that.

****

Fucking Garrick and his fucking cursed tongue.

“Aotrom’s says Rhiannon, Sawyer and the others are already heading back” Ridoc pushed Liam towards the turret “Go”

“No, you climb faster than me.”

Ridoc furrowed his brows and his body language threatened to protest Liam’s decision.

“I need you to be on Aotrom’s back, Ridoc, please! I’ll be right behind you”

Ridoc huffed and began climbing the turret with expertise, his dragon already perched and waiting “Don’t do anything stupid, Liam. I better see you in the air right away”

Liam turned back to see Aetos, Xaden and a very distressed Violet start to ascend. She was speaking with pleading eyes and his heart constricted at the sight. Despite not being able to listen to shit due to the wind and wing beats of dragons nearby, he could assume what her pleas were about and he could not blame her for the desperation. Still, there was no chance he would allow Violet and his brother to fight gryphons alone, he would join no matter the protests.

“Ridoc and Quinn are already in the air” he told them after descending a few meters.

His brother looked up and nodded “You’re next!”

Liam hesitated for a moment, looking at Violet and back at his brother. He knew that logically speaking, Xaden was more than qualified to watch over her, but a part of Liam was horrified that he had to leave without making sure of her safety himself. It felt fucking wrong.

“We do not have time for this, boy” Deigh said “I am seconds away, be ready”

He groaned but climbed the rest of the way up as fast as possible, easily jumping in the air the exact second Deigh perched on the fragile structure. He took his seat and the red daggertail took flight at a nauseating speed. Using his farsight, Liam saw the rest of his squad in the distance, already heading for the safety of the midland, Aotrom still within reasonable sight though. Looking behind him, Aetos was already in the air but Tairn and Sgaeyl were yet to reach the turret.

“Let the safety of your kin be their dragon’s weight. You distract yourself”

“They’re my friends. I can’t help it”

“To wonder about their well-being is justified, but there are situations beyond your control. You either learn to live with this or guilt will consume your thoughts when tragedy inevitably strikes”

Liam did not reply, instead he looked back to the outpost, grounding on his sunroom and letting the power flow and improving his sight even more. Tairn flew over the turret at an ungodly speed and took off with a small shape between his talons. He almost sent a prayer to Zinhal at the sight of Violet out of that fucking outpost. To Liam’s utter relief, a few seconds later, Xaden and Sgaeyl were also moving towards them, nearly avoiding the horde of gryphons surrounding the fortress.

Turning back on his seat, Liam prepared for the long hours of flying with a slightly less panicked heart, but with Deigh’s words rattling inside his mind.

****

It was past midnight and the school was eerily quiet after the rush of their arrival from Montserrat died. The kitchens were oddly silent without the staff and students present, the only noise were those of his own squad preparing a meal after such a tiring flight.

“Here” Rhiannon gave him a plate of steamed sweet potato and boiled eggs “it’s all they allowed us to cook”

Liam hopped off the counter and accepted the offer, though his stomach seemed to revolt at the sight of food, the worry tainting his need for nourishment. Rhiannon smiled weakly at him upon noticing his hesitancy.

“I’ll bring her a plate” she said, pointing to an extra one wrapped in cloth “I’ll not rest until she eats something, don’t worry”

“I know” he replied “she just seemed really…”

“Miserable?” she offered, sitting on the stool next to him and picking at the eggs.

He nodded. The word still did not make justice to the state Violet was in as they landed on the flight field, eyes distant and overflowing with anticipation, anxiety…grief. She simply walked back to her dorm, without speaking with a soul on her way, ignoring everyone’s calls, the knocks on her door.

“I wish I was there with her. She helped me-” Rhiannon paused and shook her head, dropping her spoon “I would feel miserable too if I left my sister behind to fend for herself”

“Same” Liam agreed “I can’t imagine leaving Sloane behind”

He had already left her once, unintentionally, but it did not matter the circumstances. Liam knew the feeling of uncertainty, the fear of knowing your sibling was in the hands of unknown people and open to dangers and neglect. He could only imagine how desperate Violet was feeling knowing she left her sister in the midst of combat.

“I don’t want to imagine what will happen if her sister…” Rhiannon left the rest of her sentence hanging in the air.

“Lieutenant Sorrengail is an experienced rider” Sawyer said “Montserrat is higher than Chakir in altitude, too. There are chances she lives”

In all honesty, Liam had thought about all of those things and hoped that his squadmate was right. For the sake of his friend, he hoped Mira was just as difficult to kill as her sister.

“Let’s not think about this now” Ridoc said from across the room “we should focus on the most important part first: get Vi to eat”

They all finished their improvised dinner and tidied up the kitchen. Together, the four of them returned to their dormitory’s floor and stopped in front ot Violet’s door, with Rhiannon holding a plate and holding a mug of tea. She looked at Ridoc, who quickly knocked on the door.

“Vi, I brought food” Rhiannon announced.

Silence stretched and no signs of movement could be heard from behind the door.

“I know you want to be alone and you don’t need to let me - any of us - in, but please eat something”

As the silence continued, Liam felt something stir inside him. He had experienced feeling useless before, many many times, but in that moment it hit in full force and Deigh’s earlier words echoing in his head again. As much as Liam hated it, he could not protect Violet from emotional dangers. Nothing he or any of his squadmates said would shield her from the wounds of the heart.

“I can try to send it into her room” Rhiannon whispered to them “I think if I concentrate enough-”

She was interrupted by the door unlocking - which was nothing but force of habit considering the room was heavily warded - and a small crack appeared, Violet hiding partially behind the door.

“I’ll take it” her voice was weak.

She opened the door wider and carefully took the contents of Rhiannon’s hands with trembling fingers. Violet had not bathed or changed her clothes ever since arriving a few hours ago and her face was a neutral mask…except for the redness and swelling of her eyes. She dropped them quickly to her wrapped plate and her entire face shifted into deep exhaustion, as if the muscles of her face had no strength to keep the pretense.

“I’m sorry-” she began.

“It’s okay” Rhiannon said, clasping Violet’s shoulder softly “just eat a little bit, please”

“Is there anything you need?” Sawyer asked.

Violet kept her silence for a few seconds, pondering or maybe getting lost on her thoughts “Nothing that can be done by any of us”

The ugly feeling of powerlessness hit Liam again at her answer. It was a cold hard truth, one he had always hated to come to terms with whenever his mind plagued him.

“We’ll be here if you need us” Ridoc smiled at her warmly “I was told my cuddling is the best, you know where to find me”

“You can always knock on our shared wall, too” Liam chimed in.

“Thank you” The smile she gave them was far from genuine, her eyes full of a past grief and fear of the future.

There had been no knocks on his wall in the middle of the night, yet he waited for it, dozing on and off.

In the morning, a quiet ‘I can’t’ was Violet’s only reply when he knocked on the door.

Library duty was nothing but a solitary task.

Breakfast was quiet and somber as they left her seat vacant, though she never occupied it.

The spot beside him was empty as she missed formation.

Battle brief dull without the discrete commentary she reserved just for her squad’s ears.

The odd sight of their flight formation without Tairn or Andarna joining them.

The loss of her calm voice as they chatter during lunch and study sessions.

The lack of another sparring partner.

“I haven’t seen her all day” Liam said while sitting on Xaden’s desk chair “I don’t think Violet left her room at all”

His brother was leaning sideways against the wall, eyes focused on the night sky outside as if it held all the answers they needed.

“Imogen saw her practically pin Devera down in the afternoon” his brother replied “but that’s the only report I got”

“Did Devera say something?” Liam asked, his heart beating faster in anticipation.

Xaden shook his head “No news yet”

Fuck. That anticipation would fucking kill him, and it wasn’t even his sister on the lifeline. He could not begin to imagine the feelings Violet was dealing with.

“None of you have managed to talk to her?” His brother asked, neutral voice and features though Liam knew better not to believe it.

“We brought her a few meals throughout the day, but that’s it. Even Rhiannon did not manage to convince her to leave her room or talk. I don’t think anyone can right now”

Maybe his brother, but Liam honestly did not want to fight that night. He had the impression that Xaden was keeping his distance once again, that something had happened on those minutes Liam separated from them in Montserrat. In fact, something had happened before. Those two were complicated beings, a headache inducing problem sometimes, there was a clear turn of events in their lives that Liam believed could not be taken back.

He only foolishly hoped it would not end in more pain.

****

Liam felt the weight of the world lift his shoulders when Violet slipped into battle brief just minutes before the class started. After knocking on her door in the morning and having no reply, he was beginning to think it would be another absent day for her.

“Hey” she smiled at them, her eyes glossier than usual and slightly swollen.

“Vi” Rhiannon lightened up immediately, standing up and letting Violet take her usual seat between her and Liam.

All of them refrained from asking about her well-being, not sure it would be a welcome question considering all the shit happening, but Liam really wanted to know. She had been crying, clearly, but her shoulders were less tense and her entire demeanor less miserable than last time.

“She’s alive” her answer was nothing but a whisper, but the four of them heard it.

There is a collective relieved sigh from all four of them. Rhiannon held her even tighter and Liam smiled widely at her.

“I knew it” Sawyer muttered “I’m happy for you, Violet. Really”

“Thank you” she said “all of you”

“We missed you, my girl” Ridoc cheered “battle brief is dull without you”

It was honestly a relief that Violet knew about her sister before battle brief started. Markham detailed the partial destruction of the outpost during the class and all Liam could think was that if Mira Sorrengail had died, her sister would have to listen to that shit during class. He almost sent a prayer to Zinhal for protecting his friend’s heart where Liam had no power to do so, though the gods were beings he avoided speaking with.

“Jesinia is worried about you” he whispered to Violet.

She grimaced at him “I’m sorry I left you all alone with library duty”

He shook his head and nudged her slightly with his shoulder “You’d have done the same for me”

Her amber eyes were still shimmering with the recent tears, but the weight of desperation and grief did not taint them so strongly anymore “Of course”

She returned her attention towards the class and Liam’s gaze went up, to where Xaden was sitting beside Garrick. His brother’s sight set on her, not even bothering to hide.

Previous chapter

Next chapter

[king-of-men]

So at first I thought that diving into a vat of molten gold would probably be a bad way to suicide, because burns are very painful and not immediately deadly. Gold is very dense and you would not sink into it, you'd float on top - humans can float in water, molten gold is 17 times as dense. You'd bounce. (Actually if you jumped from high enough up it might not be any worse than jumping onto concrete.) And then you'd be thrashing around as though on a frying pan, waiting for the heat to finally penetrate to a major organ and kill you. And even then you probably need it to be the brain; sure, cooking the heart will kill you but not, like, instantly. There'd be enough oxygenated blood in your brain to keep you conscious for the twenty very unpleasant seconds until the heat finally got through your skull.

But then I thought that molten gold is very hot and my intuitions about heat flow might not work very well. Humans are basically water, and dropping water onto a thousand degrees with the thermal mass of gold doesn't so much boil it as instantly evaporate it. You're not going to be "covered in very painful burns", you're going to be "an expanding mass of steam", and the nerves that would report the damage are going to be vaporized. Though you probably do want to ensure you're going quite fast for the final meter or so where the air is plausibly flash-fry temperature more than instantly-evaporate temperature; air doesn't have the thermal coupling to skin that gold does either.

So yeah I end up on thinking it might be a practical suicide method after all, supposing of course that you happen to be a Roman emperor with easy access to enough gold to fill a large vat, and a need to melt it so as to dump it into the caves below your palace where the torture-worshipping enemies currently breaking your palace walls will never find it. Not to mention the fuel to heat all that thermal mass, in a city that's been besieged for a year. If all you have is a large frying pan you might want to try the lengthwise-not-crosswise thing instead.

[damien-wolfram-art]

Aesthetic Sacrifice

The Stone Village, or what was left of it, after The Tailed Beast attacks, was a sequestered historical site deep in the mountains of The Land of Earth. Most of the structures that remained were made of a special blue durable material that could only be produced through a ceremonial process that had been repeated throughout The Stone’s questionable history. This process is what created the monument that stood at the center of the village.

They called it, The Heart of Stone. Three small azure earthen humanoid shapes made up the monument. Once human themselves, they now stood frozen in time with their arms outspread and heads tilted back– maws open. The one in the center continuously swallowed ground gray stone that poured from the mountain above. From the ceremonially augmented mouths on his hands and chest billowed a blue material that could be further processed to form the most durable of structures. It pooled like glistening blue blood in a vast basin below.

In front of the trio, a new pedestal had been recently erected. Before it, watching The Blood of Stone’s unending flow with wet blue eyes, stood Deidara, dressed in a similarly colored kimono jacket.  His matching hand mouths were completely functional and the mouth on his chest was almost fully developed. He was only days away from his thirteenth year. On that day, he would stand atop the newest pedestal. His sacrifice would secure The Stone’s future for another one hundred years.

Ten meters away, Kurotsuchi watched over Deidara cheerlessly. His silky long blond hair blew in a light breeze behind him. He’d been growing into a rather handsome teenager– one who she had grown quite fond of in her years as his guardian. If only things had gone another way and he’d not been chosen as a sacrifice, then she might have been able to imagine a future with him.

Instead, she thought of him as a glorious, heralded hero who would protect her and her people long after she passed on, but even that was difficult. She wiped a tear away from her dark eye before it could roll down her cheek and averted her gaze for just a moment. When she did, Deidara vanished!

A deep rumble snapped her to attention. At first, she thought it was The Four Tailed Beast in the mountain, grinding away at stone for their construction, but it was too loud. She checked the tracks above her that wound around the village for any sign of trouble from The Five Tailed Beast and the steam train it powered– no luck. Then, there was a series of explosions and laughter from above her.

There Deidara was, soaring above her on a white clay bird of his own creation. They locked eyes for a moment– the gust from his bird’s wings blew her short black hair into her eyes. She winced and he rocketed away from her. He’d always whispered to her about how becoming an eternal monument was not his style. He'd say that he’d rather run away and make something profound of himself. She never thought he’d actually do it though.

As some of the buildings around her crumbled and burned, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. A mixture of fear, anger, excitement, and euphoria came over her. He faded into the distance for now, but she knew they’d meet again, and it would be an explosion– just as he’d always promised her.

@anannua Here's a look at The Hidden Stone in our AU. The world building for this was fun! ~

@narutokinktober

@bitchbot3000

[amandasgeekblog]

Don't Nod's Jusant Demo Review

Don't Nod recently announced its newest game Jusant by revealing its trailer during XBox Games Showcase 2023. Showing off impressively tall environments and highlighting somewhat otherworldly nature, it feels like a fresh setting for the studio. It was a beautiful and intriguing look into the surprise climbing video game due out this year. Lucky for us, Steam has a demo. Here are my thoughts.

Jusant's demo starts with the definition of the title. Jusant, a noun, is French for low tide. While cliche in an essay, I don’t mind this at all. I do not know French, and the demo likely doesn’t start at the very beginning of the game. It's low tide, and in this game, it’s implied a big unusual ebb.  One might miss that the desolate, incredibly tall, vertical climb is not your average desert. But beside the definition, there is the call of seagulls and areas of barnacles found on the climb. It’s a quiet game, in its isolation and sound. You can hear your breath, your hand as it grasps a ledge, the wind as it blows past your body. Jusant is almost devoid of music for the majority of the game, with subtle musical cues, and high impact when the music full of awe does come through. 

Besides the sounds, right off the bat, the visuals are great. The protagonist’s design has a brightness to it. The high saturation colors stand out from an arid landscape. The stylistic choice of no whites of the eyes makes the character design stand out. The interior environments seem to be an eclectic style of construction site, oceanic, and alien. These ad hoc scaffolding areas were built for all to climb because the low tide seemingly upheaved the locals' lives. No one outside of the player character is seen in the demo (save for glimpses of your little water-blob friend), but there are a few notes and text-based messages to be found. Those familiar with Don’t Nod’s massive hit Life is Strange or the lesser known Tell Me Why (available for free every Pride month) might wish for more interactivity of props. There is one “moment of reflection” as I like to call it, that is common in that genre, and it was peaceful. But if exploring via thoughts or item examination is lacking, that could be very intentional, Jusant’s genre is described as an action-puzzle climbing game on their website. However, Jusant is also tagged as an action-adventure game on Steam. So, it will have to be examined in the full game if the adventure elements are lighter.

I know, I know. Let’s get to the gameplay: climbing! Apologies in advance to those who boulder or rock climb that might suffer through my lack of knowledge and clunky wording. Another note: I used a controller, and it is highly recommended that you do. Climbing feels pretty good. The left hand is the left trigger, and the right hand is the right trigger. I wouldn’t say the controls are floaty, but I do feel like the experience is a little smoothed. The protagonist feels like a strong climber. It is easy to get a good flow in the beginning of the demo with an abundance of available handholds. The player can “look” with one of the joysticks to direct where they reach. Stamina is no worry at all in the start of the demo. Once embarking on some longer climbs or when jumping is needed, you’ll have to watch your gauge. The protagonist will also breathe a little heavier for a diegetic reminder to rest. While on a climb, simply clicking your left joystick down lets you rest just about anywhere. The character is shown shaking out the hands, which is fun and a thing I have seen real climbers do. I did not see what an actual fail state looked like, but when stamina was dire, there was heart racing and red blinking on the stamina meter. 

There’s more depth to the aspects of the gameplay, like with the length of your rope, and adding pitons along the way so you don’t fall too far and lose too much progress if you lose grip. There’s elements of rappelling and ascending that are not realistic to physics, but fun for a game. Sometimes you need to descend or do a sort of wallrunning move to reach the next set of handholds. The demo explored mostly straightforward navigational routes except for a couple trickier spots closer to the end. From the trailer it seems more puzzle elements will be introduced. For example, growing, flowering stalks can take you higher, and seemingly magically-appearing vegetation can sprout into handholds.

Don’t Nod bills this game as a meditative climbing game in nature. I do think they will deliver that. The scenes and landscapes are really vast while on the climb. There doesn’t seem to be anything to rush you on your climb, and the visuals and music are calming. You explore a desert-like landscape in the demo, but there seems to be more biomes that will be explored throughout the game.

Any negatives or issues? 

Handholds are not always the clearest, I do not have an issue with this myself but people with low vision may have trouble. A highlighted or more contrasted color scheme setting could be good for others

There was some graphical stuttering on my PC a few times (for reference I have RTX 2070, Ryzen 7 2700x). But to be honest, I don’t know much about PCs or running games.

I feel like once the panting audio to indicate lower stamina got stuck even after I rested. 

Hints were repetitive, but this is a demo, and there was a setting to turn it off, so this is all good

You might wish more in the interiors were interactive

The pros: 

Fun to climb, intuitive. Which is good, that’s the main mechanic!

Lovely style, saturated hues contrasted with expansive and more realistic landscapes.

Quiet game, relaxing. An hour passed without me noticing!

Potential to have unique lore, something different

Jusant is planned to release Fall 2023 on XBox Series X|S, Playstation 5, and Steam. Get the demo on Steam now.

[satoshi-mochida]

Multiplayer mech action game Mecha BREAK announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PC

Gematsu Source

Seasun Games has announced multiplayer mech action game Mecha BREAK for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam). A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Seasun Games:

About

Mecha BREAK is a multiplayer mech game that allows players to choose from diverse mechs, customize appearances, and battle colossal war machines on treacherous terrain. Get ready for the ultimate showdown—blitz, brawl, and blaze!

Key Features

-Gameplay Modes – Choose from three-versus-three, six-versus-six, or Battle Royale modes for intense battles and survival challenges.

Six-versus-Six Battlefield Mode – The game features different mid-sized battlegrounds like “Eye of Misra,” “Mercury Shipyards,” and “Cape Blanc Observatory.” Players are randomly assigned to these battlegrounds, forming squads to complete missions. In the six-versus-six battleground, tactical decisions are crucial, including cover, strategic retreats, and baiting enemies. Choosing the right team tactics at the right time is key to winning.

Mashmak – Form a team of three or six players to execute combat missions. Utilize your piloting skills to defeat enemy mechas, or employ strategic coordination for seamless victories and game-changing maneuvers. You’re in full control. Immerse yourself in a 48-player battleground, where you’ll encounter ambushes, hostile resistance, and the looming threat of colossal weapons. Navigate lethal pulse storms, skillfully evade pursuers, and claim victory alongside an abundance of spoils.

Three-versus-Three Arena Mode – Three-versus-Three Arena Mode offers the ideal platform to showcase your exceptional piloting skills. Navigate intense combat with agile evasion of incoming missiles, while seizing strategic moments for decisive strikes. Your precise maneuvers will be the key to victory, propelling you towards becoming an ace pilot.

-Character – Customize paint jobs and create your own unique mecha. The appearance of the mechas’ weapons can be customized. You have the ability to personalize the weapons, shields, and wings, allowing you to tailor each mech’s appearance according to your preferences. Each mecha is divided into over 120 color modules. This allows players to create unique color combinations. Through battles or purchase, players can acquire common or rare paint colors. The game also offers a wide selection of patterns and decals for you to choose from, so you can personalize your mechas to your liking.

-Battle Experience – 1) Aerial and ground combat combined for a dynamic engagement. 2) Intense close-quarters brawls. You will experience a thrilling sense of speed, firepower, and strength as you control a 12-meter-tall mecha from a third-person shooter perspective. Engage in battles against other players in various battlegrounds while accomplishing difference mission objectives.

-Mechs and Pilots – Unlock a wide array of mechas and exclusive pilots, each with their own unique backstory. Each mecha is equipped with distinctive weaponry and serves a specific role, such as sniper, brawler, attacker, defender, or support. Coordinate with your squad members to maximize your advantages and secure victory.

World Setting

The Catastrophe – Triggered by a massive coronal mass ejection, the Catastrophe occurred as supercharged particle flows impacted Earth’s magnetic field. Collisions between highly active thermal mantle plumes and the crust led to earthquakes, volcanic activities, and the eruption of EIC.

EIC – Scientifically known as “Corite,” Eruptive Inorganic Carbide (EIC) emerged from geological disasters during the Revival Era. EIC manifests in towering mineral columns and hazardous mines formed by volcanic activities. With immense technological value, this enigmatic mineral possesses wide applications in the energy and tech industries, making it vital for post-Catastrophe reconstruction. However, it also poses a severe health risk and remains humanity’s greatest threat.

Epoch of Biped Strikers – After the Catastrophe, Lunarians invented bipedal machines as the primary mode of transportation. These walking vehicles were designed to navigate lunar terrain, surpassing the limitations of traditional vehicles. Eventually, they were weaponized, leading to intense conflicts among powerful mechanized soldiers called “Strikers.” These adaptable armored units replaced conventional vehicles and showcased their dominance in resource struggles. The third-generation Strikers emerged as the elite among their kind.

BREAK – “Third Generation Strikers,” often referred to as “Mind Projection Type Strikers,” use the power of the EIC supercomputer “Cubrain” to form a neural link between the human brain and the Striker unit. This concept, known as Mind Projection, is the cornerstone of their operation. BREAK Strikers take this technology a step further. By taking into account the pilot’s physiological indicators, they surpass previous synchronization constraints. This enhancement allows the Striker to deliver a significantly improved performance on the battlefield.

Moonbow – Moonbow is a powerful independent force, operating globally utilizing their airship of the same name. They deploy the formidable BREAK Strikers to address various EIC-related crises and explore the truth behind EIC.

Conflicts – Moonbow confronts persistent threats from EIC and the malice of humanity. While BREAK Strikers are more than mere weapons, they often become a necessary means while facing unavoidable conflicts.

Marcens Pandemic – The Catastrophe released EIC debris, contaminating the Earth’s atmosphere. High EIC concentrations result in plant mineralization and the fatal Marcens Disease in animals. Regions and cities transform into lifeless “Marcens Zones” through high-purity secondary Corite crystallization. Today, these zones rapidly expand via deadly EIC Pulse Storms, while humanity remains oblivious to EIC. Is EIC a natural disaster or something more sinister?

New Terrain – The Catastrophe shifted Earth’s tectonic plates, altering its landscape. New rifts and straits were formed, while mountains rose and landforms crumbled. Islands were engulfed, and volcanoes emerged, inflicting immense devastation upon both ecosystems and societies.

New Paradigm – As a response to Corite pollution, cooperation gradually became crucial, leading to the emergence of the Culturia Alliance, the Cygnia Union, and the Thalassic Federation. Meanwhile, the Lunarians proclaimed their independence under the name of the Commonwealth of Lunar-mare amidst the chaos.

New Conquest – EIC is an indispensable resource for science and commerce. Various factions are congregating at the largest Mercens Zone, Mashmak, preparing for an intense upheaval. The Catastrophe reshaped landscapes and disrupted the global order. Amidst recovery and Corite pollution, the Vulturia Alliance, Cygnia Union, Thalassic Federation, and Commonwealth of Lunar-mare emerged. Despite risks, these factions vied for self-interests. A storm is brewing in the largest Marcens Zone, Mashmak.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

English

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[douglysium]

Steel Berserker: John Henry (WIP)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Berserker

True Name: John Henry

Nickname: Steel Berserker, Berserker, John, Johnny, Steel Drivin' Man, Steel Driver

Characteristics

Species: Servant, Heroic Spirit, Human

Gender: Male

Height: 4 feet or about 122 meters

Weight: 101 pounds or about 46 kilograms

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: Unknown

Birthday: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Boku

Likes: Work, good work ethic, never giving up, perseverance

Dislikes: Not working, taking breaks, resting, bad worth ethic, giving up

Talents: Singing, humming, having a good sense rhythm

Natural Enemy: a steam-powered rock drilling machine, people who slack on their work, lazy people

Image Color: Iron gray

Affiliations

An unknown mining company

Family Members

Unknown

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Folktales and Songs about John Henry

Region: United States of America

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Large hammer, pickaxes, mining helmet, and other mining equipment

Known Summoning Catalysts: A piece of one of his hammer heads, a pickaxe he used, and a rock from a tunnel he dug

Qualified Servant Classes

Lancer

While he is not a master of fighting and combat he can let loose a mean hammer swing. His strength is so great and his technique so masterful that he can swing just about any hammer with a force that outshines the strength of any normal war hammer. His mastery of how to use his iconic long hammer counts as a type of polearm, akin to that of a war hammer. In his Lancer form his alignment is Lawful Good.

Berserker

It appears that during at least a portion of his famous race against the infamous high-tech steam drill he became overcome with a form of madness in his unwillingness to lose to the machine, even at the cost of his own life. His Berserker form seems to be obsessed with working and completing his job and will often hyperfocus on anything he perceives to be his job, even if doing so comes at his own detriment. If he can’t complete his job it might go on a rampage.

Parameters

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Agility: C

Mana: E

Luck: C

NP: C++

Class Skills

Madness Enhancement: E+

In the case of John Henry at E rank this skill causes him to become more focused on working and completing whatever he perceives as his job. As long as he is performing the said job all his parameters, except for Mana and Luck are raised. When this happens veins can be seen bulging around his body in strain and his body becomes slightly red due to the abnormal amounts of blood flow. If something gets in the way of his work the skill’s effectiveness will increase but he is unable to talk or think about anything that doesn’t have to do with the perceived job.

John can hold a normal conversation quite easily when he is “off the clock (not working on a job)” but while he is working on something he views as a job he will become unable to talk or think about anything that doesn’t have to do with his job in some way. So a mutual understanding becomes extremely hard unless one can convince him that what they are talking about has to do with his job.

Personal Skills

Mana Burst: E

A skill that allows a servant to gain an increase in performance by infusing one’s weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. To put it simply, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of magical energy.

John Henry’s Mana Burst is only E rank so all it really does is create a small burst of energy in order to slightly increase the force of his strikes, this effect becomes more noticeable when striking with a weapon of good make.

Tunnel Navigation: C

A skill that helps prevent confusion, disorientation, and getting lost when traversing through underground caves and tunnels. At high enough ranks users of this skill will always be able to find their way back to the surface. Servants who were miners or something similar in life often may have this skill.

With this skill Steel Berserker can always backtrack his way flawlessly through tunnels and caves even if the environment radically changes or there seems to be no identifiable landmarks.

Battle Continuation: C-

A skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. It will also reduce mortality rate from injury. This skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn't know when to give up, consisting of one's strength of vitality in predicaments. It is also one of the powers of a vampire. The best result is achieved when a resilient body is combined with this skill.

John is one who does not know when to give up and will continue to try to complete a job even if it comes at the cost of his own health. The story of John Henry says that in his race against the steam hammer/drill he never gave up or wavered and pushed himself so hard that when he finished the race he died from overworking his body. He is someone who believes that he has a duty to complete every job he is given but this skill drops in effectiveness if he feels he has no job to do, as he will feel aimless and lose some of his fighting spirit. This skill can help hold superiority in prolonged battles or jobs.

Magecraft: E-

A skill that denotes servants who have knowledge about modern Thaumaturgy/Magecraft.

Surprisingly, John does seem capable of Magecraft and even has a basic understanding of it. However, his Magecraft skill ends up being extremely low ranked since he only knows how to perform reinforcement in order to enhance the strength and durability of his weapons and body and despite how difficult reinforcement is to learn he seems to lack any knowledge about other spells or how they work.

Valor: C

A skill that negates mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. It also has the bonus effect of increasing melee damage. Unfortunately, it is not usable under the effects of Madness Enhancement so it is not really worth discussing in the case of Steel Berserker. It is a skill that is supposed to raise the strength of his hammer swings.

Noble Phantasms

Steel Driver: I'll die with this hammer in my hand!- Rank C++(Anti-Fortress), Maximum Number of Targets 1~20

This Noble Phantasm is not the entirety of his hammers but rather only the ornate heads of his two hammers. It is unusually powerful because, despite not being a Divine Construct, it appears to be similar in existence to the legendary hammer Mjölnir that the famous Thunder God Thor of Norse mythology wielded. Steel Driver was seemingly inspired by the legendary hammer and was built by someone in an attempt to replicate its power. However, due to not being a true Divine Construct its power pales in comparison to the real Mjölnir. Its weakened state also means that Steel Berserker does not need to wear the Megingjörð and Járngreipr to use it. Despite the similarities to Mjölnir, the hammer is also a manifestation of John Henry’s legend as the “steel driver” given form. Whenever the hammer lands a strike it unleashes a small blast of lightning which can shatter stone with ease and launch rail spikes and specialized drills with the force of a rail gun. This also gives John a surprising amount of range in combat.

Upon releasing this Noble Phantasm’s True Name John can release this hammers’ full power. It embodies his legend as the “Steel Driving” man who helped carve out tunnels and how he raced a steam drill and won. This means that when the True Name is released John will swing his hammer(s) and, upon contact with an object, the concept of a drill will burrow through the target before a concentrated beam like explosion that is reminiscent of the black powder and explosives that were used to blast apart rock is created. As a steel driver John would pound a handheld drill being held by someone else into the rock. Eventually, the jobs of John and countless African-Americans working to dig a tunnel were put in danger with the invention of a “steam drill.” John, the strongest, fastest, and most powerful man working on the railroad, raced against the steam drill to prove that he and his fellow workers could drill a hole through rock faster than the drill could. Using two heavy hammers in each hand he was able to pound a drill into the rock so incredibly hard and so incredibly fast that some say he was able to launch the drill 14-feet into the rock with each swing despite the drill supposedly being meant to go no further than 9 feet. However, John overworked his body and died of exhaustion after beating the drill. This Noble Phantasm’s True Name release can be used to blast a hole through entire mountains or fortresses in moments but it always comes at the cost of his life. Its true function is that of a Broken Phantasm, like that of Arash’s Stella, which only adds to the ability’s power. When the True Name of John’s hammer heads are released the triquetra symbol at their center also expands in the form of a holographic-like projection and anyone hit by the hammer will have a drilling blow dealt to them. While using this Noble Phantasm John will sing to the beat of a song, typically one of the many ballads and/or “hammer songs” dedicated to him.

In life these hammer heads weren’t as strong because John was a human and by the time he tried to use their full power to beat the steam driving drill he had already burnt through most of his energy. As a servant John can use these hammer heads to their fullest.

“I’ll finish this job no matter what boss. I’LL SMASH THROUGH STONE AND ENTIRE MOUNTAINS IF I HAVE TO!! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!!! I’D RATHER DIE WITH THIS HAMMER IN MY HAND THAN GIVE UP!!! STEEEEEL DRIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!”

“One last job huh….? Don’t worry, I’ll finish it even if I die with this hammer in my hand. STEEL DRIVEEEEEEEEEEER!!!”

Miscellaneous Skills, Abilities, and Equipment

His skin, even without reinforcement magecraft, is incredibly tough and many describe it as almost being rock-like and rugged to the touch. His muscles also seem to be unnaturally tough and resilient. He has silver freckles that resemble flecks of metal such as iron or steel.

He is usually seen wearing mining clothes and equipment. Which is complete with torches, a hard hat with a headlamp, hand drills, and railroad spikes as well as pickaxes. He also carries dynamite, flashlights, and pickaxes. He carries different types of hammer heads so he can swap them in and out as needed. Sometimes he will just throw some of his extra hammer heads as heavy projectiles if needed as a way to catch opponents off guard.

He is a talented singer.

His blood pressure is absurdly high and any open wounds he receives will cause blood to spray out. He doesn’t seem to mind though.

He has an immense appetite, mostly because of how hard he is working most of the time.

Background

John Henry’s stories, like many tall tales and songs, have many different variations each with their own nuances big and small. However, as opposed to many ancient legends and myths John’s story tends to be a lot simpler. While typically, being remembered purely through tall tales would prevent a figure from being anything more than a phantom, unlike stories such as Paul Bunyan, John Henry is believed by many to have been real or at least plausible to some capacity. As opposed to something purely fantastical.

The story goes that John Henry started out life as a slave, being born into enslavement as a child. Even as a child he would dream of hammers and often played with both toy and real hammers. He was described as being “born with a hammer in his hand.” However, since as early as he could remember, he had dreams of being freed from his enslavement and this came true when the Civil War came to a close and he was freed some point afterwards. However, he quickly realized that someone needed to provide for his friends and family so that they could enjoy the fruits of their freedom so life was still not easy. Work was hard to find and racism was still rampant. John constantly looked for jobs and one thing led to another. John became obsessed with working, taking on as many jobs as possible in fear that if he didn’t one day he wouldn’t be able to support his family or himself. Overtime, this also gave him a sense of purpose, worth and pride. His entire identity and self-worth became tied to if he could work and provide. If he couldn’t work then he was simply dead weight. 

One day he came across a man who wanted a railroad dug through a mountain and any man who signed up would get 50 acres of land if they managed to complete the railroad. This kind of land could change the life of almost any black person at the time forever and could allow for John’s loved ones to live comfortably. So John signed up for the job.

Out of all the people who signed up for the job John was without dispute the strongest, fastest, and most powerful man. He could smash drills and stakes clean into the rock and earth they were digging into with one clean swing of one of his heavy hammers. Despite this, the process of digging the tunnel and putting down rails was an extremely dangerous job even for John due to the use of explosives and the risk of the tunnel or rocks within it suddenly collapsing at any time. Plus, the air was often thick with noxious gas and fumes and there was also always the possibility of other accidents. During his work John saw numerous workers dragged out of the tunnels screaming from injuries, pain, and/or trauma, and those were the lucky ones who didn’t die. Occasionally, he would witness lifeless bodies being pulled out of the tunnel. Many couldn’t even be brought home to their families and were simply thrown into makeshift graves near the mountain. Most of the people who were injured and died did so in an attempt for a better life or to support their families and that thought broke John’s heart. 

John’s strength and speed was inspirational and many of the workers rallied around him as he gave them hope that the tunnel would one day be complete and that they could get their promised land. John was also a great singer and would sing along with his coworkers to lift spirits and encourage them to work harder. The rhythm of the song also acted as a guide for the proper rhythm/pace of the work. This helped ensure that they wouldn’t work too slowly but also wouldn’t injure themselves by pushing themselves too hard. Some of these songs apparently acted as inspiration for many of the “hammer songs(a type of work song)” that revolve around John Henry. 

John’s job when building the tunnel and railroad was that of a hammerman. Which involved working with a “shaker.” What would happen is that the shaker would hold a chisel-like drill against rock while the hammerman would strike the hammer with a blow. Then the shaker would begin to rock, wiggle, and rotate the drill in order to optimize the bite of the drill and help dig into the rock as the hammerman swung away. The job of a hammerman was also known as “steel-driver” due to the fact that their job was to drive steel drills into rock. Hence, the epithet of “Steel Driving Man” that John would earn. John Henry’s skill with wielding a hammer was so great that rumors once again spread about how “he was born with a hammer in hand.”

Despite the grueling labor, the workers were progressing much faster than the company had anticipated. However, one day a salesman came to the company touting a new steam powered drill that would render human workers unnecessary. At first, the workers were ecstatic because this meant that the tunnel would be finished and they would get their land without having to risk any more lives.. However, the company announced that not only would they replace all their workers with the drill but that in doing so none of them would get paid anything or get even a little bit of the land they were promised. According to the company this is because the contract stated the workers would get compensated only if THEY finished the tunnel. Which meant any worker who died to support their friends or family would not have any compensation given to their loved ones AND if the drill finished the tunnels instead of the workers the workers themselves wouldn’t get compensation either. 

The workers were furious and John was no exception. In his anger John called the salesman a hack and a fake, stating that the human workers could dig the tunnel faster and better than any machine at the time. The salesman scoffed and asked John to prove it so he offered a wager. One single person would go into the tunnel with the drill and dig into the rock. If the human worker could dig faster than the drill then the workers got to continue working on the tunnel and get their payment but if the machine won then the machine would replace them and the company wouldn’t have to give them a cent of money or an inch of land. The salesman and the company accepted this bet and declared that the race would be held the next day. The workers had a brief gathering discussing who should race the drill and the voting was unanimous. John Henry, the fastests and strongest among them, would do it. 

So the next day came and the race began. Whoever could drill the farthest by a certain amount of time would be the winner. The steam drill whistled, wriggled, and whirled as it dug through the rock at great speed. At first, it looked like John had no chance at winning but the salesman and the company made a massive miscalculation. Yes, the machine could technically dig faster than a person but it could not shake the chippings of rock away as they fell into various parts of the machine so the drill bit it used could not drill as far and would frequently break down as it needed to be fixed. On the other hand, John, with his almost superhuman strength and amazing stamina, kept a more steady pace and slowly but surely began to get ahead of the drill. Strong as he was though, John was still just a human and became tired while the drill did not. As the drill began to catch up to him he drew upon the last of his strength declaring “I WOULD RATHER DIE WITH THIS HAMMER IN MY HAND ” when the thought of loss crossed his mind and he began to speed up once again.

When the race was said and done John had drilled a 14 foot hole into the rock while the drill only made a 9 foot hole into the rock when time was up. John had managed to win. However, John had pushed himself too far and he slowly began to die from exhaustion after he had won the race. The fellow workers gathered around him as he finally passed away holding the thought of his family and friends in his mind and his hammers in his hand. Dreaming of the better life they would have. However, John had made a mistake. He had died before the tunnel was completed which meant his family would not see the fruits of his labor which left many of them bitter and heart broken. 

Because of this while John is a story that conveys the indomitable will of the human spirit it is also a tale used as a warning. A reminder that workers should keep a proper pace and not overwork themselves lest they end up overworked or die after being reduced to a tool that is then discarded with only heartbroken family and friends left behind. This aspect became so well know that the term “John Henryism” was coined as a way to refer to “a strategy for coping with prolonged exposure to stresses such as social discrimination by expending high levels of effort which results in accumulating physiological costs” and “that African Americans sometimes attempted to control their environment through similar attempts at superhuman performance, which may involve working harder at the office or working longer hours to prove one's worth.” Nevertheless, the tunnel John Henry worked on would be completed sometime in the 1870’s and his name would be etched into the U.S. consciousness.

Appearance

John Henry is usually thought of as a tall, muscular, and strapping man but in actuality he has a very dwarf-like appearance, being short, muscular, and stout. He has a muscular build even though he has a noticeable amount of fat around his stomach area and he has a large beard. He is generally hairy and does have a head of curly hair, but most of the hair on his body seems to constantly have metal shavings or bits of rock and minerals stuck in them. He also has brown skin and freckles that shine like metal such as iron or steel. His short stature as well as his unusual strength, propensity for working in underground tunnels, and the similarities that his  Steel Driver has to the hammer wielded by the Norse god of thunder, Thor, has led some to speculate that John Henry might be distantly related to dwarves and had a dwarf somewhere in his family tree.

When working on a job veins can be seen bulging around his body in strain and his body becomes slightly red from the abnormal amounts of blood flow.

Personality

When first summoned John Henry usually bursts into tears since the exhaustion that he had when he died no longer clouds his brain and makes him immediately realize that he had failed his family and friends. To distract from his sorrow and the rage he feels, which are only intensified by his madness enhancement, he has immersed himself into work and completing jobs.

Once he composes himself he will see his master as his boss, referring to them as such, and will constantly ask for work and jobs to do. If not given any jobs to do he will go find one to do even if he needs to wander off or go find someone else to hire him to do it.

As one might expect, John has a strong commitment to hard work and he tends to have a very single-minded determination to complete and succeed in doing what he perceives as his job(s). He doesn’t care about just doing the job but also doing it “right” and will reject using anything that he considers to be cheating. An attitude that can sometimes make words harder for himself.

While he does have a strong work ethic he is also very adamant about getting paid for his work and doesn’t react kindly to people who refuse to pay him for his work or put off paying him for too long. Due to the madness enhancement he is not above attacking his own boss or others to get payment. His madness enhancement makes him unable to refuse giving up on a job once he’s begun even if it ends up hurting or killing him.

He loves to sing and has a surprisingly good voice. While working or performing a task he can usually be seen singing or humming to himself. He enjoys listening to music and his talent for rhythm and precise striking makes him a natural at playing drums.

He hates feeling weak or being unable to complete a task. His main personality flaw is that he refuses to quit a job once he’s starting it which can lead to him overworking himself or stretching himself too thin from taking too many jobs at once.

He can be very hard on himself and seems to believe that almost every bad thing that happened to him could’ve been avoided if he had just worked harder.

He is very strict about his promises and contracts and always tries to uphold his promises and deals.

Wish for the Grail

“I wish I was stronger, strong enough to finish that tunnel, strong enough to finish my job, strong enough to save my family. All my problems are because I wasn’t strong enough to keep going, I could’ve worked even harder. So I refuse to be weak and I refuse to quit even if it kills me. I could have done it all if I was just strong enough“

Voice Line Examples

“ALRIGHT, LET’S GET BACK TO WORK!”

“Smash, smash, smashing awaaaaay♫”

“I CAN’T QUIT NOW!!! Not when I have a job to do…”

“A HENRY NEVER QUOTES.”

“You got it boss♫”

“I’m busy, so go away unless you have a job.”

“This has nothing to do with my job.”

“I ain’t gonna talk about anything that isn’t related to my job.”

“SCRAM!!! You’re getting in the way of my job.”

“I have a job to do so if you don’t move out of the way I’ll move you myself.”

“I’m still waiting for my money…”

“Yahoo♫, payday. I’m so happy I could break into a song.”

“One dollar, two dollars, three dollars…”

“Well, money does make the world go round.”

“Heh, a job well done.”

“Relax? TAKE A BREAK?!?!?! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO REST WHEN THERE’S WORK TO DO!?”

“Blood pressure? Yeah it’s at a nice 140... THAT’S THE LOWEST IT’S EVER BEEN!”

“Hard work pays off♫”

“1, 2, 3, SMASH, 1, 2, 3 SMASH♫”

“It’s important to keep a good rhythm♫”

“HEY, more working less shirking!”

“I…. I suppose I could take a break if you’re paying me…”

“I like your work ethic.”

“I’ll destroy you and your terrible worth ethic.”

“The only rest I need is hard work.”

“Time to take some time off with some hard work.”

“I’m gonna put my back into this Noble Phantasm.”

Servant Interactions

Artoria(Saber) and Artoria Alter(Saber)- They both have large appetites and stress the importance of eating properly.

“HA HA HA, LOTS OF FOOD MEANS WE CAN DO LOTS A’WORK!”

“If you aren’t eating at least twice your bodyweight you aren’t eating right as I always say.”

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne(Lancer) and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne(Saver)- He recognizes Diarmuid as someone who is loyal and usually does his best to try to uphold his promises.

“Oh, I like you. You have a good work ethic and know how to uphold your end of a promise.”

Emiya(Archer)- Emiya is someone who got reduced to a tool to be used by the counterforce while John Henry is someone who tries to make himself a tool or worker for others in order to distract from his pain. This opposing behavior causes them to butt heads and Steel Berserker’s propensity to overwork or harm himself to get a job done for someone else unfortunately reminds Emiya of some of Shirou’s worst qualities.

“Let’s just make sure we don’t forget what our job is okay?”

“Just because you don’t take pride in your work doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“Who cares if this job will never be finished? That’s no reason to give up. Hard work is its reward.”

“Whatever, ya say let’s just get this job done…”

“What’s wrong with being a tool anyway? Tool’s are important and they don’t have to think about anything else other than the job they’re made for.”

“Emiya… ya think too much.”

Emiya Alter(Archer)- Emiya Alter is someone who was reduced to a tool like Emiya but unlike Emiya(Archer) he doesn’t even remember what he’s fighting for or any of his loved ones. He is almost emotionless unlike Steel Berserker and more heartless.

“Let’s just make sure we don’t forget what our job is okay?”

“I work for my family and friends. Why do you work?”

“Whatever, ya say let’s just get this job done…”

Don Quixote- He greatly respects Don Quixote’s perseverance and work ethic despite his delusions. Although, considering Steel Berserker’s own madness enhancement, it is to be expected that he might relate to those with such unrealistic dreams..

“Never give up on your dreams. With hard work anything is possible. So we only need to work even harder.”

Queen of Sheba- They both understand the importance of money and always demand proper payment. However, the Queen of Sheba usually asks for a lot more money than Steel Berserker does.

“Money does make the world turn though. What’s the point of doing all this labor if you don’t get properly compensated for your efforts… maybe we should start a union around here… that railroad company I worked for definitely could have used one…”

Sasaki Kojirō- He is impressed by the hardwork and practice that went into Kojirō’s Tsubame Gaeshi

“Man, with the power of hard work anything really is possible isn’t it? I wonder if I could have perfected my digging and steel driving technique if I had just worked as hard as you had?”

Spartacus- He sees Spartacus’ tendency to pick the most difficult route as having a strong work ethic so they at the very least aren’t enemies. Which is quite the feat for someone interacting with Spartacus. Spartacus doesn’t automatically see John as an oppressor either unless the job Steel Berserker is performing aligns him with whatever Spartacus deems to be the oppressor(s).

“Now you, my man, have a good work ethic.”

“Hey, he’s got a point, doing things the hard way builds character.”

Purachatra Jayakara(Rider)- “Just say the word and I can build you the railroad of your dreams… er, with proper payment of course.”

“I’ll build a railroad worthy of that Noble Phantasm. With proper payment of course.”

“Don’t worry, this time I’ll work hard enough to finish that railroad.”

(Purachatra Jayakara is a fanservant designed by @ChaoSen1. You can view Purachatra Jayakara here on Twitter(https://twitter.com/ChaoSen1/status/1726839256826712407) and be sure to check out his Toyhouse in case he ever puts more info on Purachatra Jayakara(https://toyhou.se/ChaoSen1/characters?page=1)).

Death Line(s)

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t strong enough…”

“I’ll work even harder next time…”

“Di-didn’t work hard enough…”

“I’ll never quit… I’ll work at 100%... until the very end.”

Fun Facts

Steel Berserker’s Magic the Gathering color alignment is Blue-Red and secondary White.

If he was in the Hunter X Hunter universe he would be an Enhancer and his Hatsu would revolve around enhancing his hammers while increasing his body’s strength and stamina.

If he had an epithet in the Epithet Erased universe it would be “Overwork.” However, he would most likely be a mundie.

His favorite Pokemon are Tinkaton, Excadrill, and Dugtrio.

His story arc would revolve around learning to not use working as an excuse to run away from his problems and how not taking proper care of yourself and overworking can hurt you and those you care about more than helping them. He would also need to learn that hard work can’t solve any and every problem, and not to blame himself for not working hard enough whenever something goes wrong. If anything he would have to reckon with the fact that sometimes working too hard can make things worse.

Sources

https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/the-legend-of-john-henry-talcott-wv.htm 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_(folklore)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594971/#:~:text=The%20John%20Henryism%20hypothesis%20posits,those%20with%20greater%20socioeconomic%20resources

https://www.ibiblio.org/john_henry/alabama.html 

https://voiceofthevalley.com/2021/08/18/when-coal-was-king-john-henry-no-1-mine-in-black-diamond/

https://www.miles2gobeforeisleep.com/blog/2017/11/24/john-henry-steel-driver-whaler-coal-miner

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/print/ExhibitHall/12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COfKWWTIbHI&ab_channel=HISTORY

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594971/#:~:text=Abstract,those%20with%20greater%20socioeconomic%20resources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henryism 

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Jual Grating Steel AIS Surabaya | cv AIS | WA 082129846666

cv AIS telah lama men Jual Steel Grating dengan berbagai aplikasi sesuai kebutuhan Project. Tagline: #jualgratingsurabaya #daftarhargagrating #hargagratingperlembar #hargagratinggalvanizedjakarta #daftarhargagratinggalvanis #hargasteelgratingperm2 #hargagrating2018 #jualgratingsurabaya #ukurangratingplate #jualplatgratingsteelkotasbyjawatimur #daftarhargagrating #hargagrating2017 #hargasteelgratingperm2 #steelgratingsurabaya #hargagrating #hargagratingperlembar #daftarhargagrating #hargagratinggalvanizedjakarta #daftarhargagratinggalvanis #beratgratingperm2 #jualgratingjakarta #jualplatgratingjakarta #jualgratinggresik #jualgratingsidoarjo #jualgratingbalikpapan #pembuatangrating #platgrating #platgriting #gratinggalvanis #platgalvanis #grating2034 #agroindustrisurabaya #indobajasurabaya #ais2034 AGRO INDUSTRI SURABAYA LEBIH DARI 5 TAHUN BERKUTAT DALAM MELAYANI KEBUTUHAN INDUSTRI, MEMBUAT KAMI TERJUN LANGSUNG DALAM MEMENUHI SEGALA BENTUK KEBUTUHAN INDUSTRI. DEMI MEMBERIKAN KEMUDAHAN DAN MEMBANTU MELANCARKAN SEGALA KEBUTUHAN USAHA ANDA. wa.me/628212986666 KAMI TELAH TERHUBUNG DENGAN SEGALA IMPORTIR, PRODUSEN, DISTRIBUTOR YANG BERKAITAN DENGAN INDUSTRI. SEHINGGA DENGAN MUDAH KAMI DAPAT MEMBERIKAN PENAWARAN PRODUK DENGAN HARGA PALING COMPETITIF DAN BISA DIPERCAYA wa.me/628212986666 KAMI JUGA MENJUAL: FLANGE: BESI ( JIS, PN, ANSI) , FLANGE SUS FITTING: ELBOW, DOUBLE NIPPLE, DOP, PLUG, REDUCER, SOCK, TEE, VERLOP RING, WATERMOOR. wa.me/628212986666 KASA, SARINGAN, MESH: MESH JEPANG, MESH TEBAL, MESH LEBAR, MESH DOUBLE, MESH KUNINGAN, MESH NYLON, SCREEN BESI, SCREEN STAINLESS, WELDED MESH, LOKET, KNITTING MESH. wa.me/628212986666 KAWAT: KWAT STAINLESSH SOFT, KAWAT STAINLESS HARD, KAWAT BAJA. wa.me/628212986666 KAWAT LAS: KAWAT LAS STAINLESS, KAWAT LAS KUNINGAN, KAWAT LAS PERAK/ TEMBAGA. MANOMATER ( PRESSURE GAUGE) : MODEL PAYUNG, RAKET, ELEKTRIK, LOW PRESSURE, DIAFRAGMA, MODEL GLYSERIN. wa.me/628212986666 THERMOMETER: TERMO PAYONG, TERMO RAKET, TERMO CAPILER, TERMO GRAPH, TERMO GRAPH, TERMO GLASS, TERMO PIPA, TERMO DIESEL, TERMO ASPAL, TERMO BATANG, TERMO ELEKTRIK, TERMO POCKET, TERMOSTAT, TERMO KONTROL, TERMO COUPLE, TERMO MAGNIT. wa.me/628212986666 MISELANU: LANGSOL, ALUMINIUM FOIL, CIRCULAR GLASS, FLEXIBLE RUBBER, GLYSERIN MINYAK, GUNTING, GAUGE SAVER, KIKIR, KLINGER, KOPLING KUNINGAN, SIPHON, BRANSLANG. PACKING: PLAT KLINGRIT, KARET PLAT, RAMIE TEFLON, PURE TEFLON, ASBES TEFLON, KEVLAR TEFLON. METER METERAN BAILEY METER, BAROMETER, FLOW INDIKATOR, FLOW SWITCH, HIDROMETER, PRESSURE SWITCH, TACHOMETER, TRANSMITTER, WATER FLOWMETER. wa.me/628212986666 PLAT: PLAT SS 201, PLAT SS202, PLAT SS 304, PLAT LUBANG BESI, PLAT LUBANG STAINLESS, PLAT LUBANG CAPSUL. PIPA: PIPA ORNAMENT NIKEL 1, PIPA SS ORNAMENT NIKEL 4, PIPA KOTAK, PIPA SS SCHEDULE, PIPA TEMBAGA BATANG, PIPA TEMBAGA COIL. SIKU, STRIP STAINLESS DAN TEMBAGA. AS ( ROUND BAR) : AS STAINLESS STEEL, AS NYLON, AS TEMBAGA, AS TEFLON, AS NOVOTEK, AS POLY ETHELINE, AS POLY PROPHILENE. VALVE/ STOP KRAN: BALL VALVE, GATE VALVE, GLOBE VALVE, KNIFE GATE VALVE, BUTTERFLY VALVE, CHECK VALVE, STRAINER VALVE, TUESN, SOLONOID VALVE, SAVETY VALVE, COCK VALVE, FLOAT VALVE, PYL GLASS VALVE, NEEDLE VALVE, STEAM TRAP, PRV, SIGHT GLASS, AIR VENT, FOOT VALVE, DIAFRAM VALVE. wa.me/628212986666 WOOL: ROCKWOOL, GLASSWOOL, FELTWOOL, ROOFMESH, ALUMUNIUM FOIL BAIK SINGLE MAUPUN DOUBLE. wa.me/628212986666 MENGERJAKAN SESUAI KEBUTUHAN ANDA UNTUK PRODUK SBB: STEEL GRATING FRP GRATING PIPA CEMENT LINING KAWAT HARMONIKA KAWAT LOKET PLAT LUBANG SCREEN BAJA https://agroindustrisurabaya.com/ @cvAGROINDUSTRISURABAYA   @AGROINDUSTRISURABAYA   SALAM KENAL RAHMAT HIDAYAT wa.me/628212986666 ALAMAT WEB SITE AGRO INDUSTRI SURABAYA https://agroindustrisurabaya.com/ https://steelgratingsurabaya.com/ https://plattimah.com/ https://ProteksiKatodik.com/ ___ https://PlatExpanded.com/ https://AISProjectsite.com/ https://WoolInsulasi.com/ https://AISversa.com/ https://AIS2034.com/ ___ https://Indobajasurabaya.com/ http://flowmetersurabaya.com/ http://AgroIndustriSentosa.com/ http://AyahIBuSenang.com/ ___ https://insulationtoptrending.blogspo... https://gratingtoptrending.blogspot.com/ https://bublefoilsurabaya.blogspot.com/ https://jualtimbaltimahkacapb.blogspo... https://agroindustrisurabaya.wordpres...

[ladyirisreviews]

Pizza Tower-Review

To say Pizza Tower was a hit would be an understatement, it's so well-received in fact, that I feel like there's not much point in me reviewing it, but I want to talk about it even if everything I say has already been said.

At least I'll get to flex my P-ranks.

(I try to use the cover art of each game I review, I gotta be thankful Steam has some sort of cover art for games that weren't released physically.)

The plot is extremely simple, our dear Peppino Spaghetti is having a hard time with his restaurant, then Pizzahead goes to him threatening to blow up his place for no real reason, and that's how our mess of an Italian gets into the pizza tower, trying to stop Pizzahead, and that's about it.

The focus of the game lies entirely in its gameplay, and lemme tell you, it is something to admire, it's the most fluid game I played in a while, Peppino has a varied moveset that makes traversing any type of terrain feel like sliding butt-naked covered in oil on a ramp made of butter, yes it felt that fluid for me.

Run-Grab, Mach-Running, Uppercut, Ground-Slam, Twirl, Dive, Wall-Climbing, Roll/Slide, Piledriver, every single move Peppino has I was able to find multiple ways of using, and they link with each other so well that I was able to pull off pretty much everything I could imagine, the only thing that stopped me was how tight the inputs could get in some places, only because I was going for ambitious routes.

(Every frame is a painting)

The levels also flow pretty well, every level has some sort of gimmick, be is a transformation of Peppino that completely changes how he controls, special enemies, types of platforms, or all 3, each stage feels completely unique and are so well made.

The levels might not look that linear at first glance but they are quite linear, which is better for the gameplay, there's a number of secrets on every level and collectibles, they are spread throughout the level very cleverly, if you aim to collect all of them, they end up feeling like an extension of the level instead of going out of the way, and that is because of how the rating and combo systems work.

(What's that eye doing there?)

After defeating an enemy, your combo starts, congratulations, you did it, you are doing a combo, but there's a meter that depletes after a couple of seconds, after which the combo ends, getting hurt also depletes the meter faster, but you can defeat other enemies or get any type of item to make the meter deplete.

So if you want to maintain your combo need to utilize everything that is on your way, enemies and collectibles, sometimes when I was playing I felt like in a frantic daze trying to keep the combo going, which made me realize why the portrayal of Peppino as a nervous wreck is so genius.

And there's one last mechanic I need to talk about, which is the escape sections.

(Just look how much he is freaking out.)

When you reach the end of the level, you get into contact with dear old John, who you sadly have to destroy to keep going, prompting the imminent collapse of the level you are currently playing and a change of music, and your objective is to get out of the level from where you entered, NOW.

Some aspects of the level change and the feeling of anxiety is palpable, getting to the point where the time is almost over and hear the music communicating that exact feeling to you is awesome, but if you manage to escape you are safe and you get a rating.

But what if there was more?

(Does the P mean perfect or pizza?)

You survived the level, but you could conquer it by collecting everything and doing a second lap to the level, which changes the song again and feels more frantic, getting to the point where you start a second lap with everything is such a cathartic feeling, I cannot describe it, the music itself is an award already.

But if you manage to do it all without dropping your combo you get a P-rank, which signifies you absolutely conquered a level, and you can get them for both normal levels and boss fights.

They don't unlock any content and you are not required to even get a good rank to finish the game, I would say that if you didn't even try to keep your combo going the game would be a pretty easy experience, just getting enough collectibles and beating the bosses until you get to the final boss.

(The main purpose of this image is to flex I got all achievements.)

And that's the brilliance of how levels and ranks are designed, the game is as hard as you want it to be, and I simply love that, the game can be a very chill game to go through or an anxiety-inducing race against the clock, it's just so cleverly designed in every way I cannot praise it enough.

SO now that I'm done gushing out about the gameplay, I quickly want to mention that the graphics are top-notch, I almost feel sorry for the devs while looking at how fluid every single animation is, no wonder it took so long to release, you know? love pours out of every orifice of the game.

(I just love this level card.)

And not to mention the music, which gives like half of the personality to every level and boss-fight, it's just incredible, really, how every single aspect of the game I look at is amazingly done, I haven't had this much fun with a platformer since a long time ago, so it goes without saying but I recommend this game to anyone.

If I gave ratings it would be an easy 10, and it's also obviously the game of the year for me so far, and I am gonna be honest, it's gonna be pretty darn hard to surpass, not only because it's so good but because I am kinda broke at the moment to play other current indie hits, but even so, if I wasn't broke it would be pretty darn hard to surpass.