#shining force 2 manual

[claire-starsword]

What if I stopped crying that SF2 doesn't have as much cool stuff to translate as the first game and just posted it anyway. Who could stop me. Anyway here's the prologue and character info from the manual.

A big island to the west of the continent of Parmecia, Grans. In this island lie the countries of Granseal and Galam, and they were allies.

A long time ago, in Grans Island, stood three demon lords. One was a fallen angel of supreme magical power, Lucifer, another was a skilled general of great wisdom, Darksol, and then there was one who surpassed both in power, the savage devil, Zeon. In the place where currently stands the castle of Granseal, a place called Arc Valley, the three fought a deadly battle to conquer the evil power that gathered there. But Zeon, who boasted being the superior force throughout the whole conflict, had his magic sealed in a jewel by Darksol, and having lost his power, sank into the ocean of flames in Arc Valley. The remaining two lords were also at the end of their strength, and were driven out of Arc Valley by the gods.

The evil power that gathers at Arc Valley was sealed in the ancient tower in the northeast of Granseal's castle. It is said that, should the seal in that tower be broken, that evil power will immediately resurrect Zeon. The tower is sealed by the two jewels in the ancient shrine... the Jewel of Darkness that represents the devils, and the Jewel of Light that represents heroes.

Well now, plenty of treasure hunters have heard rumors of these jewels, and dared to come to the ancient shrine. However, as they tried to take them, a mysterious power prevented them from even touching the jewels, and they went back home empty handed. Having heard of that, the noble thief Slade attempted it as well, and somehow! He could touch the jewels, and succeeded in getting both of them.

But, because the jewels were taken out, the seal of the ancient tower was broken. Dark clouds covered Grans Island, and lightning struck the tower as a terrible storm poured. And the shadows of devils drew near Granseal's castle...

Notes so far:

I didn't bring up Lucifer in this blog before because I thought it was a known localization problem, but I'm a nerd who spent my teen years in fansites so perhaps a have a skewed vision of how well known things are in a fanbase. Anyway! Lucifer and this lore are brought up in game in the lore dump at Tristan. It's no wonder why the western version had to do away with a name like Lucifer, but they complicated matters by replacing it with Dark Dragon's, who supposedly has nothing to do with this.

The rest of the lore itself is not that off in the official translation, but I'm already here, so:

"Arc Valley is an impure place! Evil power gathers there. One who rules over Arc Valley shall become the king among kings to the devils.”

“Lucifer, Darksol and Zeon fought as they all desired Arc Valley. Their battle was extremely fierce, scorching the land, staining the ocean, and parting the skies.”

“Zeon was victorious, and all devils called him the king among kings. The other two lords envied him, and attacked, sealing his power in a jewel.”

“With his powers lost, Zeon was swallowed by the ocean of flames in Arc Valley. Zeon's wails torn apart the mountains, and he was buried along with the valley.”

“A wise god lamented the devils' conflict, and created a righteous power. The righteous power chose a young person, and that person forged a sword at the wise god's mountain.”

“Given power by the wise god, the young one fought the two demon lords with the forged sword. The sword shone with a pure light, and the devils were driven off of Arc Valley.”

“The impure place of Arc Valley was sealed with the ancient shrine. It should never be violated, lest the great demon lord revive.”

“Should by any chance the evil power return, the power of the gods will choose another young one. Trust that righteous power! Take the sword and strike it into the devil's mouth."

[ignore the graphical differences in the english version i just used an unfinished sprite hack]

So unlike the english version, the original leaves it ambiguous if the "righteous power" created by the god is the Jewel of Light, but it's still not hard to infer that. Specifying a mountain also makes it way more obvious that the god is Volcanon, but, no surprise either. The whole lore about the sword does imply it was not meant to be the Chaos Breaker (since that one sounded specific for sealing Dark Dragon), but who knows, maybe light swords get around. Final Conflict is better anyway so it has the right to retcon whatever it wants to.

Anyway none of this is too worth noting, what I actually wanted to note was that Lucifer is the antagonist for the novel, though that's basically all I know on him.

Enough shallow lore, let's head up to shallow character bios. While I usually stick to the characters' english names, this game did the weird decision of sharing names with english Gaiden 2, so for once I'll use the JP names at first and comment on this stuff.

Protagonist (Bowie)

A boy from Granseal. He has trained to be a swordsman as a pupil of the sage Astral. As Granseal becomes isolated after the incident with the ancient tower, he sets out in a journey to deepen ties with the other species.

Species: Human Class: Swordsmen

As I've mentioned before in my playthrough, the japanese version puts a lot more emphasis on Granseal being unfamiliar with other species, even generalizing it as a human country sometimes. It makes no sense given you starting team and the countless centaurs in Galam's army, but it's there.

Sarah

A pupil of Astral's. The big sister kind of girl who enjoys taking care of others. Skilled with healing magic.

Species: Elf Class: Priest

The Gaiden 2 priest is also called Sarah in the JP version, making this a rare case where the names were already repeated in the original versions.

Huey

A pupil of Astral's. A boy with a lot of pride that relies on his leg strength to act in the battlefield.

Species: Centaur Class: Knight

The Gaiden 2 archer was the one originally called Chester.

Jaja

Yet another pupil of Astral's. Scatterbrained, but his physical strength is huge.

Species: Hobbit Class: Warrior

Yes, "Jaja". The english version was fully right to tweak it a bit, actually english Jaha is superior in all ways. Meanwhile the Gaiden 2 warrior was called Aaron in the original.

Kazun

A mage that tries to look calm and collected, but can't help being juvenile at times.

Species: Elf Class: Mage

Yet another minor name tweak I barely remember, having to pay extra attention to this. Anyway this description is everything to me.

Jippo

The true culprit behind the incident at the ancient tower. A noble thief that steals for the poor.

Species: Scavenger Class: Thief

The Gaiden 2 priest was originally called Sain. Slade is thus a name fully made up by the english versions. And it's a great name! I just wish they hadn't given it to both the best and worst character at once!

Also, Slade's species. The term スケイブン (sukeibun) seems to come from Warhammer's skaven race, which is pronounced a bit different than the word scavenger (which would be something like スカベンジャー(sukabenjaa) in katakana instead). However, the term first showed up in this series for those rat enemies at the start of Gaiden 1 and SFCD translated it as Scavenger so I'm going with that. Honestly, I'd rather just call him a ratguy.

Kiwi

A mysterious character. Somewhat of a mascot for the Shining Force!? It's unclear.

Species: Green Turtle Class: Green Turtle

I usually stick to the official class translations but, TORT has always been a weird one.

Peter

A phoenix chick. He's a boy brimming with curiosity, who was raised by the god Volcanon.

Species: Phoenix Class: Phoenik

Matilda

A wild and free ranger who loves nature and runs through the hills and fields. Skilled with a bow and arrows.

Species: Centaur Class: Ranger

The Gaiden 2 wizard was called Marian in the original. The name May was likely taken from the SF1 knight, and then romanized different, and, given to a foxling mage as well?? Good localization™

Gerhalt

A beastman with little body hair, looking just like a human. Has a strong sense of justice, and fights enemies head on.

Species: Beastman Class: Beastman

Ludo

The prince of the birdmen country, Bedoe, and a great friend of Peter's. The mobility he gets thanks to those wings is his strong point.

Species: Birdman Class: Birdman

The Gaiden 2 monk was called Bill in the original, and as most know by now, SF1's Luke was originally Lug. That's right, we went from zero guys named Luke to three of them. Still not the worst name situation yet! Hold tight to your seats!

Lloyd

A middle-aged scholar who joins the force because he wishes to drive an ancient vehicle, the Caravan.

Species: Human Class: Brass Gunner

Rohde is actually a pretty clever adaptation of "roido" that also kind of puts a "rode" pun in the middle. But the "Lloyd" romanization is so much more common and stereotypical for a studious guy I felt like pointing it out. Meanwhile, the Gaiden 2 dwarf was originally called Games. Not like the word "games", more like gah-mes. Does anyone even remember who I'm talking about? I'm having trouble remembering the guy myself, all dwarves are generic in this series but the CD ones take the cake.

Mick

A knight who lives in the town of Hassan. Timid, but shows his power once brought to a few battles.

Species: Centaur Class: Knight

Yes, Mick. They changed one letter of it.

His description here, despite repeated in guide books, is a bit off compared to the game, where he has just arrived at Hassan, and has no plans to stay. Describing him as timid is also very off from the wakuwaku yahoo funny boy we get in game.

Most you can say is that in JP he isn't as hyped in HQ, but it's still more of a focused thing than timid:

"We centaurs are the main fighters in a battle, so we can't ever let our guard down."

now you know why he has the best defense among knights. Not that my screenshot reflects that lmao. Also a rare moment of the localization adding exclamation points instead of robbing them.

Polnaref

A resident of Fairy Woods. He is rescued by the protagonist while struggling and stuck in a spring.

Species: Elf Class: Archer

Elric

A calm and courteous knight, who has been shrunk due to certain circumstances. A noble.

Species: Centaur Class: Knight

Congratulations. You have reached Worst Name Situation.

That is not a typo. He was called Elric in the original. They changed it to Eric, and then gave the og name to a different guy in the same game. Meanwhile, the Gaiden 2 knight who also got the name Eric was called Kreid in the original. Little did they know that a single game after there would an actual Erik, who I romanize with a k in a futile attempt to minimize this mess.

But it doesn't even end there. There's Shining Soul 2. In japanese, the warrior's default is Alex.

Guess what they changed it into for the english version

Twiggy

A female priest with a kind heart and a good head on her shoulders. Yet another one who has been shrunk down due to circumstances.

Species: Human Class: Priest

You read that right, human. Both this manual and every guide book I know lists both her and Taya as humans despite the ears. This happens to Ruburan as well in the Final Conflict manual (and you can note his overworld sprites lack pointy ears), but the guide book lists him as elf. The novel apparently goes around this by calling her a half-elf.

Dongo

Another one shrunk down. A rough and rowdy sort, but has a nice side as well. His destructive power is huge.

Species: Dwarf Class: Warrior

The Gaiden centaur was the one originally called Randolf.

Piper

A high-minded middle-aged mage who has been shrunk down. Has more physical strength than expected for his class.

Species: Elf Class: Mage

Janet

A resident of Fairy Woods. A girl whose skill with the bow is on par with Polnaref's.

Species: Elf Class: Archer

Higins

Captain of the army of the country of centaurs, Pacalon. His mobility and strength are nothing to complain about.

Species: Centaur Class: Paladin

I don't think i need to tell you that the Gaiden 2 ninja was actually Hanzou, right? It certainly wasn't a ninja called Higins, that's for sure.

That's not what matters here. What matters here is that a japanese onomatopoeia for horse clopping is "pacaran pacaran".

They live in clopclop town.

If I have to know this fact you have to know it as well.

Fielder

A birdboy with a strong body and wings boasting outstanding movement. He's modest and polite.

Species: Birdman Class: Birdbattler

Not exactly a name repeat, but the name Skreech is likely inspired by Gaiden 2's Shriek, who did have that name in JP as well.

Linda

A shrine maiden who turned to stone by orders of the goddess Mitula. She can control spirits of nature.

Species: Human Class: Sorcerer

Sharol

A priest of Moun, of pretty old age. Can use many kinds of healing spells.

Species: Hobbit Class: Vicar

Hobbit discourse! Some guide books call him human instead. His proportions are very different from the other hobbits/dwarves in the series so I'm willing to believe that more.

Also, I never brought it up before as I don't know much on religion but guess I'll do it now. The word used for the priest class is 僧侶 (souryo), which refers to buddhist monks. The word for the promotion, officially translated as vicar, is 司祭(shisai), which means catholic priest.

The word describing Frayja here is 神官 (shinkan), which is apparently a shinto role.

I don't think it's just my lack of religious knowledge making this look like a mess.

__

Anyway, look at that totally inconspicuous repeat of Bowie's art randomly in this page! Exactly in the position another character bio could go! And we have an even number of characters, so there was no reason to break this display of two side-by-side, right?

In case you haven't heard, Jaro is basically non-playable in the japanese version. There was an oopsie in the code as he joins, and he never stops being AI controlled like in his first battle. Guide books straight up refer to him as a NPC.

This game was A Lil' Rushed.

So yeah, my bad, Jaro doesn't get lore. Not that anyone is getting lore, but he really gets nothing. His japanese name is Falcon, if you're wondering.

Gyan

A hot headed man who can't stand still when others are in trouble. His strength is terrific.

Species: Hobbit Class: Gladiator

More hobbit discourse! Gyan calls himself a dwarf in-game, i’ll just use the english screenshot since it’s accurate.

Told you to not care about this. Some guide books do call him a dwarf as well.

Also, the bear beastman from the Gaiden games was called Teddy in the original games.

Sheela

A former pupil of Astral's. She joins the force to avenge her lover, killed by Galam's army.

Species: Human Class: Master Monk

Bacchus

He was once just junk lying around in the ancient pathway. A highly-skilled fighting machine.

Species: Robot Class: Robot

Rude, manual, rude.

The wording is a bit ambiguous here as in, maybe he was made of junk found in the pathways. But he remembers ancient times, so I doubt that's it. Unless he was already made of junk material back then, which makes this some pretty resistant garbage. I love recycling.

Oneia

A rare kind of mage, active and enthusiastic. Lives in the town of Yeel, currently in danger.

Species: Human Class: Wizard

I don't think it's that rare for mages to be enthusiastic in this setting, and he doesn't even act much like it in game, but he does seem to be confused by his own feelings in HQ:

"I usually seem gentle but, I'm thrilled when in battle. Perhaps it is in my nature to like conflict?"

Lemon

The commander of the Galam army. An enemy general who was possessed by a devil and committed one slaughter after another.

Species: Human Class: Red Baron

Mud

An inorganic creation given life, that is, a golem. Skills are yet unknown. A curious existence.

Species: Golem Class: Golem

Final name discourse. According to the dictionary "mud" is more commonly written as マッド in katakana instead of マード here, but I still don't see anything else it could be. The Gaiden birdman was called Barry in the original, so Claude is fully a localization name, though I suspect it was initially thought for the birdman since, you know, sounds like cloud.

Sage Astral

A retired sage who lives in Granseal. Teacher to the protagonist, Sarah, Chester and others. He awaits their return while helping to rebuild the country.

Astral is mostly referred to as a sage in game, or by some honorific like -sama or -dono. The localization lumped all of this into "sir", like it usually does. It's not perfect but I struggle a lot with adapting honorifics as well so I tend to go with it.

King Granseal

The king of Granseal. Has suffered greatly since the incident of one year ago, as he lost his beloved Princess Elis, and faced against the neighboring country of Galam that used to be his ally.

Princess Elis

The daughter of King Granseal. When the seal of the ancient tower broke, she was taken by King Galam, who had been possessed by a devil, and dragged to the Demon World.

Volcanon

The great god who lives in a volcano at South Parmecia. Also a father figure to the phoenix chick, Peter. He is angry at the people of the surface who revived Zeon.

Oddler

A boy met at the village of Polca. His eyes are injured, and he doesn't remember a thing from his past. At the village chief's request, he begins to travel with the protagonists. Is being targeted by the devils.

Creed

A misanthropist great devil who lives in a mansion in the Devil's Tail in the Parmecia continent. He comes to know of the demon lord Zeon's revival, and to help stop it, lends some of his warriors to the force.

Yeah. One of them.

The term I translated as great devil is 大悪魔, different from the one used for Oddeye, Cameela and Zalbard, 悪魔軍隊長, which the game adapted as Greater Devil, but is more like Devil Army Captain.

[terramythos]

TOP 5 GPOSES FROM FFXIVTOBER 2024

I had basically zero knowledge of how to use gpose in ffxiv when i started this challenge, so I used a ffxivtober prompt list to force myself to learn. I completed all 31 days and think I improved a LOT!

I super want to do more of these because it was a lot of fun. If you see any similar prompt lists in the wild send them my way ^^

Anyway, here are my Top 5 of the 31 days!

HONORABLE MENTION -- Day 6 - "Crossover"

This is the earliest day I really felt "proud" of the shot, so while it isn't top 5 I want to include it. I'm actually quite familiar with Nier, and since it's an official crossover I had a lot of material to work with. Ultimately I picked Puppet's Bunker since it has a lot of cinematic areas. I got to feel like a real smartass using a spear with a red dragon on it. And the ray of sunlight across the shot adds something extra, imo.

#5 -- Day 27 - "Murky"

I really, really love how the colors turned out here. Amaurot seemed like an ideal setting for this prompt, but I had forgotten about the eerie rays of light shining down on it in the overworld. I love how the helices in the architecture are obscured enough by fog/light so they almost look like tentacles of a sea creature... I liked both of these color filters a lot as well.

#4 -- Day 18 - "Masquerade"

This one was so fun coming up with a dynamic pose. I decided to do some scouting in The Grand Cosmos, as it's the most "masquerade ball" place in the game. I saw the dragon statue that turns into an enemy when you run by it and had the brainwave to frame it in the picture like they were Kezona's wings. Combined with the skull mask and fire horns I think the effect looks great. WOULD take his hand, 10/10.

#3 -- Day 22 - "Color Palette (Swap)"

I went for a light/sin-eater version of a Reaper for this prompt, since they're usually dark/voidsent aligned. Thanks again to @flame-of-tar-valon for inspiring the idea. I LOVE the outfit I came up with here; even went the extra mile and crafted golden jewelry purely for the glam. Since sin-eaters are basically zombies in canon, I did want to maintain some feral aspects with the appearance, so I also incorporated talons and claws to contrast the angelic imagery a bit.

I'm keeping the glam in rotation, & I might actually revisit this shot with a better background, like the Innocence/Mt. Gulg areas or even the Endwalker Alliance Raids.

#2 -- Day 29 - "Horror/Gore"

This one turned out SO cool looking, and it was the one I struggled with the most conceptually! Thanks again to @ofdarklands and @ferrocyan, whose combined help resulted in this shot. Overall I love how the colors pop out, and ESPECIALY the effect of a dark halo in the background framed by the Diabolos wings. Thrilled to have such a neat shot in the final post of the challenge!

#1 -- Day 11 - "Goth"

This is one that just turned out perfect to me. I was messing with the manual lighting adjustment, which created the second silhouette shot and totally floored me. I love how something as simple as the lighting slider can make such a great visual contrast. Add on the cool factor of the scythe and raven feathers... ough. I liked these shots so much I made them my lock screen and desktop backgrounds.

[sy-tech]

Monsters in the Night Sky

It's a tough night for Alucard. When the war is all over and the ash has settled he has nothing to keep deeply repressed emotions from rudely bubbling back up. Forcing him to confront himself, which he would rather not.

Word Count: 3388

Disclaimers: It's gonna get sad, but nothing that would be particularly triggering. Just emotional. There's also a nice bit of fluff and hinted Trephacard at the end!

The mountain winds howl outside the windows of the castle on a clear night. The stars shone brilliantly down on the Village of Belmont. The chaos of the last siege was nearly completely cleaned. Construction of simple housing now built for its inhabitants. It, by all accounts, was a fairy tale ending after the nightmare of the last year or so. Yet in the castle, high up in the prince’s room, Alucard stood awake. Pacing across the wood floor.

His face was furrowed as he ceaselessly walked from point to point like a mad dog trapped in a cage. Mumbling to himself as he approached his door. He tugged on the brass door knob, to which the door didn’t budge. Only rattled.

“Locked,” he assured himself. He turned around and looked at his bedroom vanity. Seeing his sword was still there on top, in its sheath, just as he had laid it. His pointed ears flicked. Listening for any movement outside. As expected he heard absolutely nothing. For some reason that only deepened this feeling of… dread? In his chest. He hissed under his breath in frustration. His heart, which typically had a pace just behind that of a human’s, still raced. He went to the window and looked down upon the village/ Only a few night watchmen patrolled the streets with bright orange torches in hand. The wind once again blew across the glass producing a hum on the window. He watched the edge of the woods for any strange eyes. Glowing red, yellow, maybe blue… but he saw none. Yet his heart didn’t slow. He groaned. Sitting on the edge of the bed and flopping down. Scowling at the ceiling. Arms over his chest as if he were back in Gresit again. Sleeping safely and tucked away from the world and the hell raining down upon it.

He felt his own heart thumping. Feeling the quick breaths which accompanied it. He closed his eyes and focused for a bit. Manually and painstakingly setting his breath back to a proper even pace. Breathing in, he counted. ‘1… 2… 3… 4…’ He held the breath in his lungs. Counting, yet again. ‘1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7…’ Then he let go slowly, doing his final count of 8. He rinsed and repeated this with his eyes closed. Focusing on the numbers and the feeling of the cold air filling his lungs. The sound of his exhale as his breath left his mouth. The feeling of it rushing in his nose. The wind outside matched this methodic pattern. Howling against the windows as he exhaled. Falling silent again as he drew a new breath. His anxiousness faded. Only to be replaced with… something else. He opened his eyes and crawled further onto the bed. Sitting on knees facing the window behind it. Looking at the twinkling night sky above. His eyes fixed on the moon. Half of her was cloaked in shadow, while the other shined brightly.

“First quarter,” he mumbled to himself, smiling for some reason unknown to him. The ghost of a memory began to play in his head. One, of a late night years ago, similar to this.

He laughed as he rushed onto the balcony of the castle. The night creatures below sang their nightly symphony. Here, high above the ground, he was taller than what he would ever grow. His nightgown flowed in the wind as he walked bravely across. A shadow followed the boy closely.

“Adrian, careful!” his father called from behind him. Adrian turned around huffing at the old man.

“I’m not going to fall!” he replied. Dracula shook his head and rolled his eyes. Scooping the boy up. Much to the child’s pouting dismay.

“You might catch a cold,” he reasoned. Hiding his son away from the cold winds in his cape.

His eyes caught the fist flecks of snow shining in the moonlight. Coming from the clear sky. Momentarily breaking him from his memory. He got closer to the window. It looked like the stars were falling. Being swept every which way by the wind before dissolving in the air. Has winter really come already?

Adrian scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not cold!” he pouted.

“Not yet, you should be in bed anyway.” his father replied. He whined.

“Mother said I could stay up a little longer,” he argued. Dracula raised an eyebrow, before sighing. Taking a seat at the balcony’s edge. A silent ‘Fine.’ Adrian smiled then shivered. Holding onto his father’s shirt. Snuggling closer. Earning the quiet laugh of Dracula.

“Still want to be outside?” he asked.

Alucard got up from his bed yet again. Grabbing his black and silver cape. Wrapping it around himself as he unlocked his door. Stepping out into the hallway. Walking across the ruined silken carpet. The red was faded and stained. The gold details tattered from all the battles waged in these halls. He really should get that fixed. It only served to deepen whatever was haunting him at the time.

“Yes.” Adrian mumbled. Dracula smiled, looking up at the night sky. Adrian followed his gaze, and gasped. The sky is a deep blue, highlighted in purples and streaked with white. The moon was nowhere to be found. Cloaked in shadow. Making every star and detail of the milky way just that much brighter. “It’s a new moon tonight. Perfect for stargazing,” his father mused. Adrian nodded.

Alucard floated up the stairs to the balcony. Walking out into the snow and wind. Pulling his cape tighter around himself as he took a seat at the edge. Looking up into the sky. Brows knitted together. The corners of his lips turned downward. A pang in his chest. A fist balled in the middle of the scar.

The young boy’s eyes scanned the sky. His father extended his arm using his claw to trace out the constellations most accurately.

“Up there is Hercules,” he said. Tracing the hero several times.

“That’s Hercules?” Adrian asked. Hardly seeing how the boxy constellation resembled the legendary hero he had read about. Dracula chuckled and nodded.

“Takes a little work to see him, we are far away after all. But that there…” He went on. Describing the mighty warrior in the sky as if he were looking at a painting and not a bunch of dots. The image bloomed in Adrian’s mind. The disappointment fading as he came to see what his father did in the night sky.

“If you follow across from his foot…”

“…you’ll find..” Alucard mumbled. Squinting to see through the falling snow.

“…Draco”

“The dragon?!” Adrian stood on his dad’s lap in excitement. Earning a groaning laugh from his father. “Yes, the dragon, very good.”

He stared at the starry dragon. Letting his mind make the painting he had once seen when he was little. The face of the dragon would read as calm to anyone else, but he knew the look in its slitted silver eyes as curiosity. It looked down upon the world with its long dark blue body stretched into the heavens. Watching. Learning. Its horde was knowledge it gained by observing the world below. Perfectly content in the sky. Harmless, if left unprovoked.

His father smiled as he listened to the boy describe the night dragon in the sky. “You should draw it,” Dracula urged. Adrian whimpered. “I’m not good at that,” he sat back down, frowning. “It wouldn’t look right.” he continued. Dracula patted him on the back. “Maybe not the first time, but the second? Third? Fifth?” he asked. Adrian scoffed playfully, hitting his dad’s chest. “You draw it!” Adrian laughed. Dracula smirked. “I have! I’ve gone up there and captured it in paint for you. You only have to look for it in your room.” Dracula chuckled, trapping his son under his arm to squeeze him gently. “Father!”

He huffed his breath visible in the cold air. His heart weighed by… It wasn’t exactly regret. He knew he did what he had to. He shouldn’t feel guilty for doing what he knew was right. Looking back, even his father had wanted him to put a stop to all of it. He wanted to be dead. In both body and mind. Yet a growl still escaped him.

He wasn’t truly angry. More frustrated he had to be the one to do it. That it had to happen when and how it did. That his father couldn’t look him in the eyes and gather enough of himself to see he had something worth… Tears began to fall.

Had he been brought to this world… Had his mother been given to his father just to ensure that someone would rise to stop him? Was that all his fate was? To look in the eyes he’d run to when he was scared, and watch life leave them?

A noise left his mouth. Something between a roar and anguished cry. It broke the silence that deafened him. The castle used to sing at this hour. Howls, growls, songs, all the noises of the night. This used to be his home. It was supposed to be… “Adrian?”

“Boys!” Lisa called. Dracula turned around quickly, ears perking. “Love!” he called back, getting up carefully. Adrian pouted as he was taken away from the dragon in the sky. Lisa chuckled, reaching up for him. Getting handed the young dhampir. “Your father showing you the stars?” she asked. He nodded, replying wordlessly with a frown. “Why the sad face, sweetheart?” She brushed some of his hair out of his face. “I wanna stay,” he said. Dracula chuckled. Leaning down. “It’s bedtime, for both of you.”

Alucard jumped, wiping his tears quickly as he turned back. Trevor leaning in the archway. Sypha just in front.

“What’s wrong?” she said softly, but still loud enough to be heard over the wind. He got up and went to them. Not wanting Sypha to follow him out into the cold. Knowing she would if he stayed there. Trevor watched with a knowing frown.

“Why are you up?” Alucard countered. Dodging the question for now.

“That it very much is,” Lisa agreed. Adrian whined. She stroked his back as she carried him off. Dracula following behind. He looked up at his dad. A shadow with reflective red eyes. He looked like the monsters a fairy tale would describe. Yet he made a silent plea with a pouting lip and puppy dog eyes. A plea that was met with sympathy.

“I had a nightmare. Accidentally woke her up. We both wanted to take a small walk before getting back in bed. I saw your door was open, and you never leave it open.” Trevor replied. Alucard nodded. Cursing internally at the Belmont’s observation skills and sharp memory.

“Now you answer,” Sypha added. He sighed.

“Same as you, I suppose, being haunted by monsters,” he replied.

He was laid in bed gently by his mother. The room was a bit of a mess. Toys on the ground and half finished pieces of homework on his desk. A book or two laid face down where he had gotten distracted with something else during his reading and ran off.

“Tomorrow you’re cleaning your room after breakfast.” his mother told him. Tucking the blankets up. He sighed. Nodding his head. She kneeled and kissed him on the head.

“Goodnight, my sweet Adrian” she whispered. She seemed to shine in the darkness. His father knelt at the other side of the bed still covered in shadow.

“Goodnight,” he wished. Giving him his kiss too. Lisa got up and waited at the door watching the two. Waiting.

“I don’t want to sleep, I want to see the stars. I want to see Draco.” Adrian whispered to his dad as quietly as a child can manage. Dracula motioned up to the ceiling, where the starry mural was painted. The mountains painted at the rim. Holding up his sky.

“They're right there. I brought them down for you. Draco is even right there, in the middle.” he replied just as quietly. Sure enough when Adrian searched. He found the dragon. Looking down, over him. He smiled. Dracula stood and walked out the door.

Trevor scoffed. Sypha took each of their hands leading them both down the halls and to one of the many kitchen spaces of the castle. Alucard sat down at the table. Sypha went to light the stove. Trevor sat on the table just behind Sypha, and across from Alucard.

“She's going to make us talk about it.” Trevor groaned. His head tilted and slowly turned back to Alucard.

“It makes it better!” she defended.

“Does it now?” Alucard added. Sypha huffed.

“Yes! Believe it or not we are all adults that can use words to solve problems.” She mocked sarcastically as she put an iron kettle on the burner. Trevor sighed, pushing off the table to sit in his chair. Dramatically dragging himself to do so.

“Unfortunately, she’s right.” He reluctantly admitted. Alucard hummed.

“Of course, I am.” Sypha smiled.

“It’s the benefit of community, I suppose.” Alucard shrugged.

“Mine’s nothing special. It was the… burning of the estate… again.” Trevor sighed. Placing his head on his crossed arms. Alucard tilted his head. Hair falling and revealing one of his ears.

“Is it the one where you're still a kid?” Sypha asked.

“Yeah,” Trevor agreed.

“Still a kid?” Alucard repeated under his breath.

“There’s two that reoccur, one which is reliving the moment exactly as it happened. The other is reliving it as an adult. As I am at the time of having the nightmare.” Trevor explained. Alucard nodded along. Sypha began to look in the cupboards.

“Over to the left, plenty of chamomile..” Alucard muttered. She said a quiet thank you.

“I’m not really scared by it anymore. Not once I wake up I just… get worried.” Trevor continued.

“Oh?” Sypha prompted.

“Worried about you. And him.” Trevor jabbed a finger at Alucard. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Me?” he said amused.

“Yes, you! I know you are more than capable of handling yourself. You can practically care for the entire village, crush night creatures’ skulls with your bare hands, but no one looks out for you because of it. Now I found you crying on the edge of a balcony?” Trevor lifted his head with a stern expression on his face. Sypha poured three cups. Alucard tilted his head.

“I’m perfectly fine. Better than I have been since the war, at least.” he replied.

Trevor nodded, “Sure,”

“You don’t have to be ‘Just fine’, Adrian.” Sypha added in as she set a cup of tea at each of their sides. Taking her own seat beside Trevor.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“It's over. We won. It feels like you're still waiting for danger or heartbreak. You don’t really rest. Do you?” She asks. Alucard sat for a moment not replying. Trevor hummed, leaning on his wife.

“I suppose… I got caught up in the past.” Alucard mumbles.

“Seems like something immortals do a lot.” Trevor says. Sypha hits him in the shoulder. Trevor winces.

“I, randomly, got… visited by a memory tonight.” he continued on. His companions listened as he paused. Picking his words carefully.

“It was a good one, but it made me realize just… how much…” he sighed frustrated. Trevor’s brows knitted together.

“The castle isn’t the same to you is it?” he asked.

“No,” he agreed.

“What was it like then?” Sypha asked. Alucard put his head in his hands.

“Lively. There were… all sorts of creatures who roamed the halls. Something was always active. Day or night.” He explained.

“They’d…” he trailed off. Losing his words. Ironic as he probably had the biggest vocabulary of them all. His brain just refused to formulate his thoughts at the same speed at which they came to him.

“It was never quiet was it?” Sypha urged. Alucard nodded.

“Yes, it was never quiet. I used to find it annoying. Part of the reason I started to stay in Gresit more and more often. On top of just being older and wanting my own space to haunt.” the words tumbled out of his mouth now. Thanks to Sypha.

“But, everytime I came back it was always the same. It could be moved to different places but the harpies still sang their same songs. Dragons roared and growled. And….” he stopped. His voice choked.

“Father, was always doing something. Explosions from the lab. The sound of a pen writing on paper. Him holding meetings for the castle inhabitants. Dancing with my mother in the ballroom. Something.” Tears started to fall again.

“And it's so… so… Stupid! To sit here and mourn a monster!” he cried out his hands flying to the air. Sypha and Trevor exchanged a concerned glance.

“Well… not what I was expecting,” Trevor murmured. Sypha leaned over and reached out to Alucard. Just a bit shy of reaching his hand he had set down on the table after his display of frustration.

“Do you remember what I said after it was… done?” She gently spoke. Alucard shook his head.

“If I’m honest the whole next day is a blur. I don’t remember much.” he sighed.

“It’s okay to mourn the man too.” she repeated. “You need to.”

“Why?” he asked. “He tried to kill me, himself, and everyone else.” he sobbed. Trevor got up circling the table and hugged Alucard from behind in a tight comforting squeeze. If anyone else had done such a move on him so suddenly he would’ve scratched them across the face or bit into them with his teeth.

“…He was still your family. Gave you a better childhood than my own did.” His voice was awkward and slow.

“You… said it yourself one night when we were traveling. He lost himself. You couldn’t get him back.” he finished. Adrian sobbed, hiding his face in Trevor’s arms.

“Oh Adrian,” Sypha came around the other side of the table. The small group huddled together. Alucard in the middle clinging to them for dear life. He tried to form words. To explain himself further but, none came. None needed to.

To his surprise it felt better than it ever had when he had mourned alone. Their words weren’t anything he hadn’t told himself before in the past, but for whatever reason they held more weight and impact when they were here. He wasn’t alone. He didn’t do well alone. None of his family did.

Sypha parted only slightly, grabbing one of the cups and taking a sip. A mournful smile on her face and tears streaking down from her own eyes. Trevor reached down to wipe them away. She batted at him. Shaking her head.

“Just- moodswing. It's fine.” she assured him. Alucard chuckles. Revealing half his face. Sypha snorted.

“You look like one of those diagrams on how to wrap up an orphaned bat.” She said, they all laughed.

“I’ve been called worse,” he replied. Trevor snorted.

“Oh really? I’m sure I can repeat things that will make your skin crawl.” He challenged.

“I can imagine.” Alucard looked up at Trevor who beamed down at him. Sypha departed. Dragging her chair closer. Trevor did the same soon after.

“Don’t encourage him, you'll never hear the end of it,” Sypha playfully scolded.

“Oh loosen up!” Trevor grumbled. Sitting back tea in hand. Alucard took a big gulp of his own, a smile on his face that could rival the one he had when Trevor returned to the castle after the siege. He… loved them. How could he not? But he would probably never say so. Not wanting to intrude on the family. This was more than enough for him. Them just being there. At least for now.

“I’ll tell you about a real monster.” Trevor snorted.

“In Lindenfeld…” he began. Sypha shook her head snorting. An arm crossed over her growing belly. Alucard leaned toward him more to listen. Amused.

Deep in the castle’s halls the past echoed as Trevor told the story of their travels without Alucard. Whispers of dragon roars. Skeletons rattling. Hoofs falling. Even the sweet, soft, music of Lisa and her husband dancing in the ballroom. It all began to feel like home to Alucard. To Adrian. It all began to heal once again.

TOLD YA!! It's a good old hurt//comfort fic to get me back into the saddle of actually writing. Now I'm just going to include little tid-bits of info.

I actually drew the page breaker thing you see. It's Castlevania themed. (Duh) The gemstone in the middle is bloodstone. It's an actual stone I have and it fits Alucard so very well. The red dragon in the design is obviously connected to Dracula. Not only is it inspired by the historical insignia from the Order of the Dragon, it also has elements from a folklore dragon in Romania called a Baluar. The lilies are for Lisa, while the roses and silver details are just nods to official Castlevania and Gothic artwork. I'm hoping to everything that is pure that the quality of it isn't tanked by transferring the image on my phone (Where I drew it) to my computer, via discord because all this things USB ports are broken.

I actually bothered to look up what a night sky from the Carpathian mountains might look like using this star map, and this image of the Milky Way taken at the top of the mountains.

I feature my own headcanon of how Alucard switches between his birth name and given name in this fic. I think it silly for him to straight up replace his birth name given to him by his mom to make a distinction between him and Dracula with the backwards spelling of Dracula's name. However, I can sorta understand the sentiment of wanting to use the name humans gave him. So I personally see him having people he is close to call him Adrian while Alucard is reserved for the public. He has mixed feelings about both. It also just served as a good way to separate the parallel story and the live story.

I actually made myself cry while writing this? I usually I'm not like that but something about the snow coming down outside endlessly is making me SUPER sad today I guess.

I am, unfortunately, dyslexic you have NO IDEA how many times I had to scrub "Adrain" out of this story. It. was. horrible. I swear if one of y'all finds a funky word you better let it slide. I'll come for your gloves and chew off the tip of one finger.

When this story was originally written in docs and it was only 7 pages. After being formatted for tumblr, it was 10.

That's about all I got. I hope you enjoyed if you even read this far. Have a good day/night/morning/evening, or whatever you find yourself to be in. Go drink some water. The universe knows I haven't since I started this.

[martiwikiwi]

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025 EVERYONE!!

Now, what about my art plans for 2025...

DEMON HUNTER HAGAN ARC 2!!!! MARK YOU CALENDARS ON 21ST MARCH AND GET READY!!!

DEMON HUNTER HAGAN THE VIDEOGAME. Yes. I don't know how, but I've been wanted to make a videogame for years and I'm going to do it THIS YEAR. It'll be a short thing of Chorus and Hagan in the dungeons. My idea is a classic FF game and Shining Force, so I figure it will look like a weird mix of mazes and turn based combats. I'll be working on it during the weekends.

Lots of comic sketches for those scripts I've been working on.

I wanna make lots of cute OC stuff, like lots of short comics and cards and cold porcelain figurines, and buy Sylvanian and make versions of them. Cute stuff. Spoiler: Hagan is a dalmatian. This will be considered mental health.

Talking about mental health, some very important health related plans:

Eat better. I normally save money by eating poorly but in the end that has made my physical and mental conditions worse so gotta make a plan of cooking healthy quiches and eat more fruit.

Enjoy some skating sessions. Cruising through the streets make me feel so good I totally need to keep doing the thing. But I'm taking it further. I'm learning tricks this year, specially learning how to manual and other useful stuff with both, my cruiser and my regular skateboard.

Meditate. I should be back to the meditation shit now I feel better so I can prevent some mental health stuff.

[sunstone-smiles]

Could we have day 2 what lurks in the dark with Miguel & Peter B? I’m so excited for this year’s event!

Power Outage

Author’s note: Yaaaas!!! I’m excited too! Mayday is making a cameo in the picture below, but I threw in a cameo with Lyla in the fic because it felt right Lol! I hope you enjoy Day 2 of Tickletober: What Lurks in the Dark (from Crow’s Tickletober 2023 list)!

Series: Across the Spider-Verse

Characters: Miguel O'Hara, Peter B. Parker, and Lyla

Word count: 868

Summary: Miguel’s office lights are out. That might not seem so bad at first, but something, or perhaps someone, tries to mess with him in the darkness.

—

Strange…Why is his office so dark? Usually the lights turn on as soon as he walks in. Miguel pulls up a floating screen from his watch and taps on the digital surface. ERROR comes up in red letters with a restrictive buzzer-like sound.

Great, the power must be out. Not a problem. He can override the system manually when he gets to the main system at his desk.

…If he can find his desk, that is.

Miguel grumbles out a sigh and scrolls to find another setting on his watch. He clicks the small screen on his wrist and a light beams from the device. Flashlight mode comes in handy in the most unlikely circumstances. Miguel twists his wrist so it faces outward and he begins the darkened trek to his desk.

Miguel’s not afraid of the dark, but something is making him feel…uneasy. Perhaps it’s the way the floor feels as if it’s creaking at his feet, or the cold metal walls reflecting the light back at him. Or perhaps it’s the unknown of what lurks in the dark…

No, that’s silly. 

A few steps later, Miguel spots his desk with the light from his watch. He walks towards it as usual.

Woosh.

Miguel stops his approach. He turns his head around while the light from his wrist scans the room. What sounded, yet did not feel, like a windy breeze rushed behind him. Only the metal walls reflect the light back at him.

Miguel turns his head back towards the direction of his desk. He keeps moving as if the sound was a freak coincidence, but he’s smart enough to know that ‘coincidence’ can’t be the explanation. What would have caused that—

“Gahack!” Miguel echoes through the dark when he feels a sudden poke to his side. He stumbles forward and wraps his free hand around the spot, while his other wrist beams the flashlight against his surroundings. Nothing’s there.

Then another poke hits him, then another, alternating from one side to the other as if each poke was pushing him around, until the teasing pokes cease and he suddenly feels a clawing at the back of his ribs. 

Miguel arches his back with a yelp from the tickly feeling. He clamps his jaw shut, fangs bared as they barricade the army of giggles wanting to slam down the door. He tries to shine the light behind him, but he’s unable to identify his attacker. What was going on?

“S-Show yourself!” Miguel attempts to threaten through a shaky snarl. He twists on his heels and swipes in front of him, but the concealed culprit swoops behind him and squeezes his sides. Miguel yelps again and whips around at another attempt at attacking, but the mysterious culprit bests him once more and takes the chance to dig into his belly from behind. Miguel squeaks and immediately bursts into deep laughter that could make the metal walls rumble. He flails like a startled cat clawing at the air and jumps backwards as if he was yanked in that direction by an invisible rope. The force of his jump is so sudden that Miguel ends up toppling backwards. He lands with a crash on something other than the floor. 

In an instant, the lights of his office turn on like the stage lights of a theater. Lyla materializes in front of Miguel, yet she’s looking down at the floor instead of him. Her expression shows concern. 

Miguel looks down in the same direction. The “thing” that he landed on? Well, it was none other than Peter B; it’s the ghost of the darkness in the flesh. 

Peter takes the night vision goggles, that Lyla no doubt had given him, from his eyes and perches them on top of his head like sunglasses. Peter stares up at Miguel, smiling nervously. “H-Hey Miguel. How’s it going?” 

Of course, it all makes sense now. Lyla was the one controlling the lights, while Peter did the “dirty” work to play this trick on him.

After piecing this together, Miguel snarls above Peter; he’ll deal with Lyla later. Right now, it’s Peter’s cue to run.

The spiderman below scrambles to escape his trapped state between Miguel and the floor. Miguel shifts his weight off of him, but the leader quickly grabs the other man’s leg and yanks Peter towards him.

Peter claws at the floor before flipping onto his back. “M-Miguel!” Peter puts his hands in front of him to surrender, “Let’s talk about this!” Peter then darts his head in the direction of the AI, “Lyla! Say something!”

The AI shrugs, then smiles. “You’re on your own, Peter.” She swiftly dematerializes in a flash.

“Traitor!” Peter yells at the Lyla-less air before silencing himself when he sees Miguel extend his claws above him, like a hungry tiger ready to dig into their meal.

Peter’s eyes go wide and he nervously gulps. The next thing he knows after seeing a smirk on Miguel’s lips, that claw plunges right into his belly, vibrating viciously with tickly intent.

Peter screeches with laughter and kicks his legs while Miguel enacts his revenge. “Nohohoho! Nohoho! Wahahait!!! Miguehehehel!” One could say that Peter's laughter sure lights up a room.

[lockheed-martin-unofficial]

First time writing about Concorde and his pilot, I wanted to explain how they met.

Hope you guys like my goobers. This isn’t as long as it looks, it’s 600-something words, but there are just a lot of gaps. I tried to mimic the way Metroplex communicates to Windblade because I found it really cool.

Visit 1

Power running through my systems, waking me. Have I been

asleep

this whole time?

When I come to life, it startles you. It startles me, too.

Avionics at 3%.

You shouldn’t be allowed in here. Who are you? Did you do this, or did I?

Visit 2

(You’re back.) I didn’t expect you to be, but maybe I should have.

What now? What are you doing?

Fine. I’ll give you another sign of life, since you asked so nicely.

(To prove you aren’t crazy?)

A flicker of lights and gauges.

Don’t expect more

Please.

Visit 5

What are you trying to do? Maybe you long for this as much as me? You don’t know it can’t happen.

(I worry you will leave when you find out.)

It’s amusing, watching you work. I am fully aware you have no idea what you’re doing. Maybe you are too.

Thank you for the clean/trying to help.

Visit 7

You returned again today, the first time you have stayed past closing.

It’s raining today. I can feel some of it leak through the ceiling and onto me. The cold doesn’t bother me. It offers relaxation.

What about you?

Are you cold?

Avionics at 3%.

Perhaps I can heat the cabin for you if I try.

Visit 10

Manuals? You brought manuals? For me? (To help?)

I have more. I will leave them where you can find.

Am I as hopeful as you are?

Visit 11

You have been reading what I gifted you, I can tell. Your work is getting more and more intricate, but it is clear you are unfamiliar with what you are doing.

Sometimes I guide your hand through my inner workings, hoping to lead you to where you need to be.

I love that you talk to me. I sometimes wonder if you are talking to me, or if you’re talking to yourself. Do you know I can hear you?

Visit 25

I have been growing stronger. I can feel it again. Returning to me in waves.

Avionics at 39%.

Increasing.

Visit 36

How shall I thank you? You’ve never asked for it.

I wonder often if you sense my prescense here. I wonder if I hope you can.

Visit 50

One more overnight? I appreciate what you are (doing), but I wish you wouldn’t push yourself.

Visit ???

Curious. It didn’t feel like this before.

When I was

awake

Before.

Why does it feel different, being awake?

Avionics at 76%.

Increasing.

Increasing.

Visit 62

Avionics at 89%.

Able to power: heating

lights

radio

instruments

able to ignite engines(?)

I (?) am very much alive

I: F-BTSD

no. That’s not right.

No data?

There’s something to remember. Why can’t I remember?

There’s more than this, isn’t there?

More to me than meets the eye this.

Almost as if

I

could

just

—————————

“I think we’ve made good progress with the electrical stuff, I mean- even that’s far more than I ever thought was within my skill set.” The human peers into an engine, shining a flashlight.

“But I don’t know how I’d repair an Olympus.“

Silence. A faint clicking from the fuselage? She presses her ear against it.

“Let alone three more… what are you up to?”

A slight vibration from the aircraft made her stumble back immediately, her mind immediately wandering to the possibility that she had made a mistake with the wiring, and that the aircraft was in the process of spontaneously combusting because of it. The vibration quickly develops into clangs and the straining of metal, and before long the aircraft in front of her has started changing. It contorts and folds into shape with purpose, as if the process taking place before her has been designed rather than forced. Once everything clicks into place, she is left face to face with a humanlike- albeit very large- robot, a rearrangement of the airplane she had been repairing. It stares down at her, a drowsy confusion apparent in its bright yellow eyes.

And it looks just as startled by its own existence as she is.

[spectrechosts]

Shine On! Musical Guardians! - Chapter 2

Megavolt may not have the least selfish motivations, but goddamn do the fans love her.

Full Series

"I see cleaning all the old Shining Rangers shit out of the basement is going well." Says Musical Guardian Synth-Metal, as she watches Grindcore, Ska, and Prog-Rock play with lego sets on the floor.

"Did you know we just had boxes and boxes of this shit?" Asks Grindcore, as she leafs through an instruction manual. "Magical trans-dimensional storage space, and it's filled with pallets of merch."

"No, but it sure sounds like an Azure thing to do. And we're what, reminiscing about the bad old days?"

Ska shrugs. "Hey, don't look at me. I have no stake in the shining rangers, I just see lego and play with it." She says, and Prog-Rock nods.

"Grindcore?" Synth-Metal asks derisively, and Grindcore flicks a block at her.

"Easy to be above it all when you show up in more than half the sets. They made like, two of me, I'm enjoying seeing myself as a tiny marketable figure."

"I'm not above it all." Synth-Metal says. "I'll play with a bionicle, I'm not heartless. It's just that the Shining Rangers lego sets are lame."

Phoebe comes up from the basement, another box in her arms.

"She's mad because she's always just standing around in them." She says, and Synth-Metal huffs.

"It's bullshit man, everybody else has cool shit and I just stand there because my power didn't have a visual aspect and they didn't want to put magnets in the pieces because kids would eat them or some shit." She whines.

"Here." Phoebe says, taking a package from one of the boxes and tossing it to her.

"Wait- Shining Rangers Versus Dark Ranger Megavolt???" Synth-Metal says, looking it over. "I never heard about this?"

"It never came out. Went into production before Azure realized you were a serious threat and not just making a fuss before rejoining."

"Ooohh they gave me the little force lighting bolts you can put in the minifig hands!" She squeals, sitting down and tearing the packaging open. "Are you telling me that if I held back a bit I could have had Megavolt merch!?"

"Truly, you have suffered for success." Grindcore says, putting the finishing touches on a scene of her choking out a giant alien bee-woman with her smoke.

"Oh yeah." Phoebe says. "After you came back but before you started putting us in the hospital and Azure pulled it all, Obsidian merch was flying off the shelves."

"Maaaan. I changed my mind this rules actually." Synth-Metal says, acting out a tiny fight with the Azure and Megavolt figures. "The Musical Guardians need to sell out so I can have tiny lightning hands."

"It's really inspiring, seeing how much you believe in the politics of what we're doing here beyond saving your own ass." Deadpans Prog-Rock.

"What can I say?" Says Synth-Metal, grinning. "I'm an activist."

[powdermelonkeg]

Transformers: Matrix of Leadership

Worldbuilding: Spark Types

The classification of sparks, their defining traits, and what those traits mean for the bot that possesses them.

A spark is the core lifeforce of a Cybertronian, housed in the chest area and responsible both for a bot's physical ability to move and mental ability to think. Without a spark, a Cybertronian might be forced to move with manually entered commands, but would not be "living" in any recognizable sense.

Sparks can be categorized by three different means:

Radiance: The amount of energy output. Visibly affects the color of the spark, tied to frame sustainability.

Resonance: The frequency at which energy is output, loosely tied to radiance. Invisible, largely inconsequential unless you're a combiner.

Configuration: The purpose the spark is able to fulfill.

Radiance

A spark's radiance is how bright it is. The spectrum of spark colors ranges from near-white to almost black purple, like so:

There are eight levels of brightness, called lux. A bot with a lux of 1 is the dimmest a spark can be, with a lux of 8 being the absolute brightest. The spectrum is divided up like so:

For medical use, it gets divided further into decimals. So this is a spark with a lux of 2.8

And this is one with a lux of 6.5

It can go as far down the decimal trail as you need for perfect precision, but it swiftly declines in usefulness after the first decimal place.

Spark radiance determines both the maximum capacity of weight a frame can support and how efficient a spark is at maintaining its energy. The higher the lux, the bigger and more powerful you can be, but also the more energon you need to power your systems with. It's a tradeoff.

Resonance

A spark's resonance is the frequency at which it outputs energy, typically measured by being translated to sound. This is closely correlated to, but not 1:1 tied to, a spark's radiance. A high-lux spark is more likely to output a higher-pitched frequency, while a low-lux spark is more likely to output low pitch.

Generally speaking, spark resonance has little use medically, with the exception of combiner teams; in order to support the larger frame for an extended period of time, the component sparks have to be identical in resonance, or else the non-matching one will be a sink on energy and cause the combiner to fall apart.

Resonance is measured in cycles per nanoklik: ie, how many complete waves of high frequency energy are output within the span of a single nanoklik. The range is as follows:

A combiner team could be made of of bots with varying colors between 3 and 5 lux, so long as they all have a resonance of 4 cycles per nanoklik. On the other hand, if a bot with 1 lux had a resonance of 1 cpnk, and another 1-lux bot had a resonance of 2, they wouldn't be able to sustain form.

Configuration

This is probably the most important part of a spark, as it dictates the abilities a given Cybertronian is capable of, as well as how to handle them medically. You can tell a bot's configuration at a glance by the spark chamber: the exterior has nodes along the outside that shine sparklight in lines and pinpricks like constellations, and bots of a certain configuration (excluding Aberrant) will all have the same patterns.

Configuration is by category, divided into five:

Standard: This makes up the vast majority of bots, at about an 80% rate.

Titanic: Metrotitan sparks. So rare that they're practically unheard of, maybe one every few million years.

Harmonic: Cityspeaker sparks. They closely mimic Titanic sparks, which allow the bots that bear them to communicate with the cities they live in. Less than 1% of the population, back during Cybertron's heyday.

Accordant: Sparks that are optimized to conserve energy in a sparkmeld. These are the only sparks that are viable for combiner teams. Roughly 8% of the population.

Aberrant: Any spark that has unique configuration nodes rather than a pre-set pattern. This is what makes triple changers, minicons, and a host of other bots that don't fit the normal specs for whatever reason. They need a skilled medic to handle them; most doctors prioritize preset training, and Aberrant sparks require the ability to diagnose and adapt without a template to work off of. Everyone with this sparktype is uniquely Abberant, but it most often manifests in size differences. Roughly 12% of the population.

Hi! This is part of my worldbuilding series for my own continuity that I dreamed up while I was bored at work. I'm probably going to make a dozen or so posts like this. Thanks for reading!

[tgrailwar-zero]

"Goodnight, Masters! Rest well!"

As you said goodnight to KUKULKAN, you drifted into unconsciousness.

Darkness. Nothingness.

Quiet... before the sound of footsteps.

Distant, yet near.

Not a dream, but a memory. Faded, but clearer.

Followed by a smell.

...The smell of blood permeated the air.

Corpses, slowly decaying away into data lay strewn across the streets, as bloodstained footsteps wandered forward. The source of the carnage came from one Servant.

An ASSASSIN, his blade drenched red.

He stepped in front of a glowing form.

The LAIR SERVANT.

The gaze of the LAIR SERVANT was intense. His voice tried to keep calm, but wavered ever so slightly.

LAIR SERVANT: "So, that's why you ended all of those lives? To draw me out?"

The ASSASSIN chuckled, the red glow from his eyes piercing the LAIR SERVANT.

ASSASSIN: "…'Lives'? These are a bunch of ones and zeroes that you're playin' dolls with. Killin' them was nothin' like killin' a person- twice as boring and nowhere near as hard. C'mon, you brought them back before-- do it again. I'll do it as many times as it takes, before you burn out your mana on that punk-ass Noble Phantasm of yours."

You could feel the hatred burn from the LAIR SERVANT as he raised a hand, a divine light shimmering from it.

His anger had reached its peak, and now the wrath of a Divine Spirit was imminent.

LAIR SERVANT: "This paradise… this Solar Cell… you Interlopers have come to selfishly destroy it. Destroy this paradise where nobody has to die! A place where I can forever develop the heights of my medicine, and create a true elixir of immortality!"

The LAIR SERVANT continued to burn, a divine flame sourced from a cursed bloodline beginning to leak out from his body. This was desperation. He had wasted his energy throwing wave after wave of Shadow Servants, and then reluctantly the undead corpses of the villagers that had been killed in a ploy to force the LAIR SERVANT's hand. It was an intense brutal strategy that resulted in plenty of wanton 'death', however- it was effective. And now the LAIR SERVANT, either too weak or too sentimental to conjure up the decaying data around them into more undead, was on his last legs.

However, it would be hard to tell with just a look.

ASSASSIN: "What a shame. I figured you'd have noticed by now. Thanks to my Masters, the more blood you throw at me, the more revitalized I become. Sorry."

The ASSASSIN took a step forward, fully unsheathing his blade. The mana around him distorted, burning with an otherworldly intensity. A faint form shimmer behind him, the intensity of two, burning Spirit Origins intertwining and fighting for the same cause, allowing his shine to match up against the divine light of the LAIR SERVANT.

This whole time, while the LAIR SERVANT had been trying to wear down ASSASSIN, the opposite had happened. ASSASSIN was growing stronger and healthier, staying in peak physical shape after each kill. …You're recalling something about ASSASSIN's condition…!

[ This is T-SUMMONING ] [ T-Summoning is a trait inherent to your Master status, due to the protocol you went through to reach the Solar Cell. Fusing two Spirit Origins together to create a more powerful Servant. The resulting Servant possesses the highest statistics of both fused Servants, however this power comes at an intense mana cost. This can either be ended once the Servant triggers their Noble Phantasm, runs out of mana to supply the boost, or can be stopped manually. However, either a contract needs to be made with both Servants, or a Servant's Spirit Core is captured before it's destroyed. Additionally, the maximum HP and MP is raised by 2! ] [ ASSASSIN is currently equipped with the 'PHANTOM COUNTESS' Spirit Core! ]

This was it.

The LAIR SERVANT was in your way, but once he was killed, that would be one more key- and one more path opened to the Solar Cell Core.

ASSASSIN: "Alright, Masters. Time to end this!"

( '5-option polls' function similarly to 4-option polls, with the fifth option usually involving triggering or cancelling a specific skill. If the 5th option doesn't win out, the voting percentage for that option will be evenly dispersed among the first 4, and then the success results will be calculated like if the poll had only 4 options. )

SERVANT: SLAYING ASSASSIN

T-SUMMONED: [PHANTOM COUNTESS]

Strength: C Endurance: D Agility: A (Raised from B) Mana: C (Raised from E) Luck: D (Raised from E) NP: B (Raised from C)

HP: 7/5

MP: 9/7

Maximum Damage (Strength): 7 (Increased due to the amount of blood present!) Maximum Damage (Mana): 7 (Increased due to the amount of blood present!)

Skills:

Man-Slayer (A) - A sword skill specialized in cutting down humans.

Mind's Eye (Fake) (C) - The skill to avoid danger through pure intuition.

Swordplay as Swift and Powerful as a Falcon (A) - The renowned, unmatched, unique swordsman style of ASSASSIN.

Torture Technique (A) - The deep understanding and precise execution regarding methods of torture, when using torture tools, the efficacy is increased.

Bloodsucking (C) - The act of absorbing another's blood to restore one's own vitality.

Bath of Fresh Blood (A) - This Servant becomes even more effective when drenched in blood.

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Mega CD - Shining Force CD

Title: Shining Force CD / シャイニングフォースCD

Developer/Publisher: Sega / Sonic! Software Planning / Seraphic / Rit's Co. Ltd. / Winds / Twofive

Release date: 22 July 1994

Catalogue No.: G-6036

Genre: Strategy RPG

If there is one single, great tragedy with Shining Force CD, it’s that so few people ever actually got around to playing it. At the time, the series was just getting on its feet, and the Mega CD itself was still struggling to obtain some decent sales, which it may or may not have ever gotten (depending on who you ask). This combination of sad factors led many to overlook one of the better strategy/RPGs out there. Let me echo the voices of those who stand behind this forgotten classic and sing the praises of everything Shining! Ok, maybe that’s bringing it on a bit thick; you get the picture though. Why, just look at what Sega gave us. Both Game Gear carts (Shining Force Gaiden [1992] and Shining Force Gaiden II [1993]) together on a single disc, with an extra exclusive battle. Four books, 53 battles. How can you not like this? I’ve owned and beaten all the games in this series, and after going back to it, I gained a new respect for it. Not everything is to my liking, I can say that flat out, but the package as a whole is a winner and one solid ride.

What’s not to like? For one thing, the treasured town dynamic has been removed. No longer can you explore and chat with villagers. The game has basically been reduced to the fighting sequences, with some story tossed in for good measure. The plot is now mostly told on the field, and it at least still maintains the same sense of urgency and tongue-in-cheek doomsday atmosphere that the others had. Let’s be honest, none of the bad guys in the Shining Force games have ever been truly menacing, and the CD installment doesn’t detour from that at all.

The adventure opens twenty years after the conclusion of the first Shining Force, with the land of Gardiana having been rebuilt by Luke, Lowe, and Ken; all of whom now serve Queen Anri. Ambassadors from Cypress (not the island nation, mind you) present a gift to her that explodes into a fog upon opening, sending Anri into a deep sleep. A marvelous quest to save her ensues, which culminates with the start of the second chapter, seamlessly attached. Book II’s end in turn sets the stage for the awesome final battle, in which you choose twelve warriors from both forces to end things once and for all (if you meet certain criteria, of course). Did I mention that the main heroes of both books are usable? A neat little touch, that.

Thankfully, it plays as solid as its other 16-bit brethren. I’m not, however, going to get all technical about the gameplay. It’s a Shining Force game, and I’m sure that you’ve played at least one of the other three entries available. Nothing’s changed here, and fans will be able to dive right in without even reading the manual. Newcomers should have little trouble, although they may be slightly turned off by the constant stream of battles that constitute the bulk of the game.

Let me be honest with myself for a second and not let my love for this franchise cloud my judgment. I am more than a bit disappointed by the presentation. Sure, the visuals are a huge leg up from the Game Gear, but when you already have two games done using the same engine, how hard is that? The battles are as beautiful as ever, but where are my animated cut scenes? Moreover, if this is a CD game, why aren’t there any towns? The exploration dynamic could really have been taken to a whole other level here, and it’s a shame that the developers took the short route. Switching between a shop and my HQ just wasn’t the same, and I really did miss being able to wander around. I bet Camelot knew this too and tried to make up for it with Shining Force III Scenarios 1, 2, and 3 on the Saturn.

One thing’s for sure, the soundtrack is simply GODLY. Sega knew how to take advantage of red book audio on the CD system, and this title is no exception. OST-worthy and beautifully scored, the music practically carries the game by itself. It’s by far one of my favorite soundtracks on the Mega CD.

Another plus is the continuation of the Shining tradition of new and hidden characters. As you progress through the game, new heroes will join you, and there’s a bunch that you actually have to hunt down. This has always been cool because it gives a little more replay value to the package and ensures that you won’t complete the whole thing the same way twice.

Well friends, there you have it. A great adventure that was unfortunately given the cold shoulder for too long, is now commanding upwards of $70 on eBay. That’s the price for learning things late I guess, and although Shining Force CD isn’t perfect, it’s so good you’ll forgive its flaws and revel in its strengths. The quest is long, and the characters are lovable, which should be enough to make it worth some of your time. Every Shining fan needs this one, plain and simple.

[claire-starsword]

on one hand it's not like i don't get it, because i never played Shining Force Neo and hated to watch it, and also understand how mad everyone is about the series losing the strategy roots etc etc

on the other hand it's really tragic to find even less scanned content from a game released in 2005 than the games more than a decade older. like, i can't find even the japanese manual. that's how dire it is

[syrupspinner]

i just completed bomb rush cyberfunk

the sound that plays when you clear a textbox is the spongebob footstep sound and youll never unhear that now

i love the fuck out of this game. the vibes are literally, not figuratively, everything i couldve ever wanted from a jet set radio successor. a lot of people get caught up in naganuma's music, but jsr had way more variety. the original had rob fucking zombie and future had that yoko ono song about cake or whatever. i feel like they did a excellent job keeping a cohesive vibe while still including a wider variety of songs. characterizing the gangs through their mixtapes is such a fun idea and it was done so well

the gameplay is perfect too, like every little bit is fine-tuned to be exactly what it should be. walking feels like walking and skateboarding feels like skateboarding, the way you turn feels noticeably different but in a lateral way that the game is built to accommodate

level design is phenomenal. built from the ground-up for your combo game without feeling like its forcing you onto a single route. manuals were the perfect addition so you dont feel trapped in what the game provides, and lets you get creative with a levels ingredients.

I dig the dream levels and how they twist the formula. levels are normally pretty open arenas, but these are just linear platforming challenges. it's really cool to see what these physics and moves let you do in a different environment. they're super fun for the plot too, I love the bit where red is like "I can't keep the ladder steady, I'm up here with you". no spoilers but I think it ties in super well to the backstory of the character and shines a light on their thought process - you can't get support from someone if they're on the same level as you because they're too worried about keeping themselves steady.

i love how they did achievements for this game. the only story-related achievement is for beating the final boss, and its totally possible for that to be the first one you unlock. it feels good when youve actually gotta work for the achievements, and it adds so much to the endgame. i had so much fun experimenting with the best place to do the longest manual, going back through all the stages for the pictures of the penguin guy, and just playing around for... the, uh... oh christ those are some high scores. welp, problem for the post game.

not to mention all the collectables you can get! this is the perfect amount of side content, i always get excited when i see a pickup in the distance but i never felt bogged down by the need to collect everything. and slowing down to examine the level and look around for everything is a great way to shake up how you usually play the game without feeling like youre doing something that isnt accounted for design-wise.

also, fucking thank you for the maps, and smart move that you can only get em after the main story beat in that spot. it's a shame they don't show the collectables too, cuz finding the last 2-3 is a total pain without a guide, but I'm just glad there's some mercy in finding the graffiti spots. that one in mataan is a bastard, you know the one

the game's pretty easy, i dont think there was ever a point where i lost and had to retry something, with oooooone exception. the cops are all pretty annoying, especially the turret, but not in a way that makes the game unplayable if you have heat. there are certain platforming sections that gave me trouble, like that one on top of the signpost in varsum hill, and... probably another one im forgetting. its hard to hold on to stuff i struggle with, because its just so fun to do fucking anything in this game. moving back into position and trying a jump again is just part of it, yknow?

but that exception, damn. theres one boss fight that fucked me up. it was the first time i actually died in this game. and the second, third, fifth. heres a hint: youve gotta deflect the projectiles. dont worry, you didnt miss anything, you cant reflect any other projectiles (i dont think there even are any) so there isnt some tutorial you missed. it may seem like youre supposed to get close to the machine and spray it like every other fight in the game and youre just struggling with the hitbox or something, but no youre doing the wrong thing. it may also also seem like the reflected projectiles are designed to miss because they keep just barely avoiding his head, but there youre just doing the right thing the wrong way and need to aim better. not with your camera, but by changing the angle of your player character. it may also also also seem like youre meant to use the deflected projectiles as a chance to stun him and close the gap between the two of you, because since he jumps across the map whenever you get near him, there is going to be a gap. this is also one of team reptile's clever tricks, as the stun is so short you need to dodge the projectiles to get in close (but not too close!) and only then start to reflect them. wow, this is inexplicably misleading for a game thats been really tightly designed until now. you think since i get texts all the time like "dont forget to earn points by doing tricks!" someone could communicate the brand new mechanic to me at some point

another thing with this game and communicating mechanics, nobody explains the secret things that all the different ride styles can do, so thisll be your spinny tip of the day: skateboards can balance on fire hydrants and do a trick to unscrew them and ride them up; bikes can stand in front of those garage doors with bike symbols to open them; and if you manual with the skates you can break glass. yeah i only figured out the bike one on my own. i get this is going for that good ol days vibe where there was just cool hidden shit the game doesnt tell you about, and too its credit you only need to know these if you want 100%, but i found them pretty unintuitive. like, i had my board out and fucked around with a hydrant at one point, and i didnt stumble on the secret, just because theres nothing that flags to me to consider jumping on it. this is obtuse, but not as mood-ruining as the boss fight.

also, this isnt really a complaint, i think im just confused. there are tons of spots that are designed like hidden loading screens? theyre usually transitions between parts of the map, like between the entrance and the wide-open parts of the mall. im not sure why though, because it seems like the game doesnt need them? like theres one in pyramid island separating the lower and upper parts, but... you can fall from the higher part to the lower part without a stutter. theyre both clearly loaded all times youre in the area, and the game isnt shy about loading the levels when you move from one spot to the other. is it just to stop combos from going too long? that seems strange in a game thats like, about combos. again its not a big deal at all i just dont really get it?

oh, i should talk about the plot. no spoilers, but im super into stories about the psychology of the characters, shit like repressed memories and identity. if you didn't know, I'm actually working to become a counselling psychologist, so it's really cool to see how games tackle really mental-based narratives. it's like being a plumber and appreciating the manhole design. the central theme is roots, as in where you come from and how it effects you, and they did a pretty cool job exploring how that would be handled in a sci-fi setting.

the story does a great job of having a protagonist thats important but doesnt feel shoved into the world. a lot of stories have to establish a status quo and then introduce how the protagonist is fucking with it. here, the status quo is already shaken up cuz the streets used to be between the big three, but now theres only one left. the protagonist is born from this distruption and has to work backwards to try and get out of it, all while still embracing the world around him. it really helps players get acclimated without making it feel like a hand-holding isekai

and of course you know im gonna dig the anti-cop through line. i like how there are focal characters within the force to show that while its corrupt on a systemic level, there are still individuals inside that system that arent immoral. and once they conflict with the corruption, their choices are to abandon their morals and assimilate (which is why one of those characters disappear from the narrative, they were faced with the realization but discarded it to become assimilated into the general mass of the police) or to abandon their position and fight against the corruption (the other character doing so to help our heroes survive the oppressive force).

oh, and i also dig how they specifically draw attention to how police think. the chief states that he sees all crime as bad because of the slippery slope fallacy, saying that citizens witnessing that the laws dont matter would encourage more reprehensible criminal activity like homicide or piracy. i can see how someone raised in a system that values order and obedience could develop such a black-and-white thought process, and we see how its propagated through the whole police. i also love how, even without saying it out loud, theres a point to be made about how the police are so overfunded that theyre running out of shit to justify it. yeah sic the swat team on those teenagers, who gives a fuck if youre just treated like an inevitability of society and have more money than god. theyre also so everpresent that theres little pods where i think the fuckers just wait until their inescapable silencer system picks up the slightest hint of disobedience. saying the quiet part quietly, but still saying it.

uhh what else. i also appreciate that we see what a cyberhead looks like before we learn why red is exceptional. thats just good plothole-covering, cuz if that didnt happen, i totally wouldve been like "wait are they all like that?". im trying to be vague but its the thing in the mall chapter

alright lets talk about what youre here for: what it was like to 100% this thing. my process was this: normal casual playthrough of the story, getting pickups i saw along the way and making a point to seek out all the optional characters. the second thing is to go back and tag all the graffiti spots, which you should get out of the way so you dont have to worry about the police later and so you have the rep to unlock all the oldhead-gates. after that, go back through the boroughs a third time and pick up all the pickups i missed. you should use a guide for this, those fuckers are really well hidden. by all means look around first, like i said earlier its fun to take it slow, but it devolves into "where the fuck is the last thing" pretty quickly. if its not fun, why bother, yknow? turn it from a scavenger hunt to geocaching. the fourth step is doing the other gangs' score attack challenges to unlock them as playable. I thought it'd be super hard, but theyre tough but doable if you keep a single combo through the whole thing and do the boost trick. the only thing is if you drop your combo, you gotta march your ass back to the challenger to restart, or get your phone out and wait the timer out, there's no quick restart. it's not THAT big of a deal, but I shouldn't be taking my phone out in the middle of your video game, just saying

then there's the high-score steam achievements. this is bar none the hardest part of the game. unlocking futurism in mataan just takes 5mil points, which you can do in a few minutes. the achievement asks for 16mil, more than triple that. you have unlimited time, that's still a pretty bad leap. the best way to get your score up is to up your multiplier with unique billboards and rail corners, but that only works once per combo. even if you exhaust most of a stage, you're still gonna be pretty short, with the multiplier only getting you to a couple mil. so, what do you do when you have no time limit? find a rail that loops, rubber band your joystick to the side, and go to bed.

...that's what I thought at least. I tried this in mataan and I bottomed out at about 6mil after going grocery shopping. and I gotta walk a kilometer and a half to the store and back, so it was like... a little over an hour. that doesnt sound that impressive but still i didnt wanna just wait. I feel too self-conscious about running up a power bill I split with my roommate to do it overnight, so let's try plan b and just... do it. and yeah, its still the hardest part of the game, but... its still very doable. i dropped my combo like two or three times, but i ended up with 20 million before i even realized it when i went for varsum hill, which is wayyy overshooting. the only problem area was pyramid island, and thats just because i had to march my ass back to the top when i dropped my combo. i totally overblew how much of a pain these would be

i think thats it! with a single 15-minute-or-however-long-that-fight-took exception, and disregarding the post-game optional character missions having no quick restarts, this game is fantastic from beginning to end. i know it sounds like that fight was a huge detraction, and yeah ive got problems with it, but a single blemish cant ruin a whole game. i can see myself loading this up and just fucking around with it even after ive perfected it, which is a HIGH complement from me. its got that same sauce as all the games i played as a kid, where it feels like if you only got one game per year, you could play the fuck out of until that whole time without getting bored. you know the kind of games im talking about, those jrpgs and zelda-like adventure games where it just feels like the game doesnt want you to leave. like yeah there are games where its fun to replay the campaign over and over, and this feels like one of those too dont get me wrong, but it just feels like its giving you so much to play around with, to explore and unlock and even just to fuck around and exist in the world. sure, as an adult it feels kinda nice when a game is short, cuz you know you wont have to be married to it for a year while you balance real-life shit in between the video games, but thats why it being optional is so thoughtful. also 30 hours is a totally healthy length for a game to be completed in

i guess what im saying is that bomb rush cyberfunk knows exactly what its doing. this feels like how a game from the era its paying homage to should feel, how it would be designed with the sensibilities of the time, but without subtracting from what i appreciate about modern titles. if you told me this was a remaster of an OG xbox game that added shit like autosaving, id totally buy it if i didnt know better.

im worried im underselling how much i love this game, so i guess ill just say that i love jet set radio. jsr classic has some of the best vibes in the medium, and future is straight up my favorite retro game of all time. and brc eclipses both of them combined. i would like to apologize to anyone who has any interest in working towards xbox emulation. i fear that interest in the field will somehow decrease even further now that the only xbox game worth emulating that hasnt just been ported to pc has been totally outclassed. good luck trying to top this, sega

[annajade456]

Navigating the DevOps Landscape: The Power of Code in Operations

In the intricate world of DevOps, the ability to code is not merely an asset; it's the driving force behind a successful career at the crossroads of Development and Operations. Let's explore why programming is not just beneficial but an absolute prerequisite for those charting their course in the transformative realm of DevOps.

1. Automation: Catalyst for Efficiency At the core of DevOps lies the transformative influence of automation. Proficiency in programming empowers DevOps professionals to script automated workflows, ushering in efficiencies that transcend traditional boundaries. Whether it's configuring systems or deploying applications, automation reduces errors and expedites the software delivery lifecycle.

2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Shaping Environments with Precision A foundational aspect of DevOps, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) demands coding prowess. Tools like Terraform and Ansible rely on programming skills to define and manage infrastructure through code. This approach not only enhances operational fluidity but also ensures uniformity across diverse environments.

3. Configuration Management: Synchronizing Systems Seamlessly In the DevOps arena, maintaining consistent configurations is paramount. Programming skills are pivotal in crafting scripts for tools like Puppet, Chef, or Ansible, orchestrating the synchronization of configurations across various environments. This uniformity is essential for reliable and scalable operations.

4. CI/CD Pipelines: Orchestrating Flawless Workflows Synonymous with DevOps, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) thrive on programming acumen. Configuring and customizing CI/CD tools such as Jenkins or GitLab CI becomes a streamlined process with coding proficiency. Automation of testing and deployment processes ensures a flawless and dependable delivery pipeline.

5. Scripting for Task Automation: Elevating Routine Operations Programming extends beyond grand automation; it's about refining daily operations. DevOps professionals leverage scripting skills to automate routine tasks, be it resource management, log analysis, or regular maintenance. This not only boosts operational efficiency but also minimizes the chances of manual errors.

6. Collaboration with Developers: Bridging Divides DevOps flourishes on the collaboration between development and operations teams. Programming skills serve as the bridge, enabling DevOps professionals to comprehend developers' requirements, contribute to application code, and seamlessly integrate into the development workflow. This collaborative synergy is crucial for instilling a shared responsibility across the entire software delivery spectrum.

7. Troubleshooting and Debugging: Agile Problem-Solving In the ever-evolving landscape of DevOps, challenges demand swift identification and resolution. Programming skills shine in troubleshooting and debugging scenarios. DevOps professionals proficient in coding can rapidly devise diagnostic tools and implement solutions, ensuring a robust and agile operational environment.

While expertise in scripting languages like Python, Bash, or Ruby is advantageous, adaptability to diverse languages and technologies is equally indispensable. DevOps, as both culture and practice, evolves continuously, demanding a flexible and agile approach.

In summary, programming transcends a checkbox in a DevOps professional's skill set; it's the catalyst propelling innovation, efficiency, and collaboration. Embracing coding as an essential tool equips individuals to automate processes, manage infrastructure, and collaborate seamlessly in the ever-evolving landscape of software development and operations.

[thara333]

Tomorrow's Software Landscape: The Evolution of Automation Testing

In the ever-evolving tapestry of software development, automation testing emerges as a pivotal force, promising a future marked by heightened efficiency, unwavering reliability, and an uncharted realm of innovation. This exploration delves into the compelling factors that position automation testing on the trajectory towards a transformative and luminous future.

1. Catalyzing Development Cycles: Efficiency Unleashed Automation testing stands as the driving force behind accelerated software development lifecycles. By seamlessly executing repetitive tasks, handling voluminous datasets, and executing intricate calculations with precision, automated tests pave the way for expedited development cycles, ensuring swift releases compared to their manual counterparts.

2. Pillars of Quality Assurance: Reusability and Consistency The hallmark of automation lies in the reusability of test scripts across diverse developmental stages, guaranteeing uniform testing procedures. This not only mitigates the risk of human errors but also establishes a robust foundation for quality assurance, ensuring that applications adhere to the highest quality standards.

3. Guardian of Code Changes: Regression Testing Mastery Automation testing shines brightest in the realm of regression testing. With every alteration in code, automated tests swiftly and effectively validate existing functionalities, acting as vigilant guardians against unintended consequences and upholding the integrity of the software.

4. Strategic Cost-Effectiveness: A Calculated Investment The initial investment in setting up automation frameworks and scripts pales in comparison to the long-term benefits reaped. Automated tests operate ceaselessly, resulting in optimized resource utilization and substantial cost savings over time.

5. Parallel Prowess: Maximizing Testing Efficiency The capability for parallel test execution across diverse environments and browsers elevates the efficiency of automation testing. Simultaneously addressing an array of scenarios ensures comprehensive coverage, aligning testing practices with the multifaceted nature of modern applications.

6. Collaborative CI/CD Integration: Orchestrating Continuous Improvement The seamless integration of automation with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines is a cornerstone. This integration not only fosters frequent and reliable testing but also nurtures a culture of continuous improvement and swift software delivery.

7. Scalability Dynamics: Adapting to Developmental Complexity As applications burgeon in complexity, automation seamlessly provides scalability. Its ability to handle a myriad of test cases and scenarios ensures adaptability to the evolving demands of a project without compromising operational efficiency.

8. Advanced Testing Horizons: Addressing Varied Needs Automation testing is not confined to the basics; it adeptly supports advanced practices such as performance testing, load testing, and stress testing. These practices are indispensable, ensuring applications stand resilient against varying levels of user loads without compromising performance.

9. Intelligent Automation: The Marriage of AI and ML The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) within automation testing is a testament to its evolutionary path. These sophisticated technologies elevate test script maintenance, introduce self-healing mechanisms, and contribute to the intelligent generation of test cases.

10. Skills as Currency: Meeting Industry Demand The surge in automation adoption translates into a burgeoning demand for professionals skilled in automation testing. Beyond individual skill enhancement, learning automation tools and frameworks opens the gateway to a myriad of job opportunities within the dynamic tech industry.

In conclusion, automation testing is not merely a trend but an irreversible shift in the testing paradigm. Its unparalleled efficiency, steadfast reliability, and adaptive nature constitute a linchpin in guaranteeing the delivery of high-quality software. Embracing automation testing is not just a strategic choice for the present; it's an investment charting the course for the future of software development, where velocity, quality, and innovation converge for unparalleled success.

[hopieyuh]

Food Storage Container with a Built-in Cooling System (Powered by Solar Energy).

In the fast-evolving landscape of food storage solutions, our latest product aims to redefine the way we preserve perishable items. The Food Storage Container with a Built-in Cooling System, meticulously designed and powered by solar energy, marks a groundbreaking stride towards sustainable and efficient food storage. Let's delve into the intricate details of this innovative product through the lens of the Business Model Canva.

1. Customer Segments:

Our Food Storage Container caters to a diverse range of customer segments, from households seeking sustainable storage solutions to outdoor enthusiasts in need of portable and efficient food preservation during activities such as camping or picnics, with a focus on boarding students or tenants of Central Mindanao University (CMU) who wish to preserve their food to reduce expenses, campers and ecologically minded clients who emphasized sustainability

2. Value Proposition:

Centrally rooted in our product is a steadfast commitment to offering users an unparalleled solution for extending the shelf life of perishable items. Our built-in cooling system, powered by solar energy, not only guarantees freshness but also aligns seamlessly with the escalating demand for eco-friendly and energy-efficient alternatives. With a focus on preserving, maintaining quality, and extending the consumption window of food items, our product serves as a reliable means to prevent and reduce spoilage of perishable goods. Moreover, its versatility shines through, as its utilization remains viable at any time and from any location, providing convenience and efficiency to users across diverse settings.

3. Channels:

Employing a versatile multi-channel strategy, our product seamlessly reaches customers through various avenues, encompassing online platforms and carefully chosen retail outlets. This strategic approach ensures accessibility and convenience for a diverse customer base. Our sales force, adept in marketing and advertising, spearheads our presence in both online and select retail spaces. In the online domain, we leverage web sales via our online storefront and e-commerce platform. Additionally, our presence is augmented through partner stores, strategically positioned in popular online shopping apps and dedicated appliances stores. This multi-pronged distribution strategy aligns with our commitment to reaching customers through channels that suit their preferences and lifestyles.

4. Customer Relationships:

We foster strong customer relationships by providing comprehensive support through user manuals, personalized online assistance or online guides, offering appliance maintenance, and responding promptly to customer inquiries while servicing e-commerce, ensuring satisfaction and responsive customer service. Regular updates on maintenance and new features further engage our customers.

5. Revenue Streams:

Direct selling of solar food containers to students at set prices, offering discounts, promotions, and refurbishment services for product longevity. The Food Storage Container presents a one-time purchase model with additional revenue streams through accessories like replacement cooling modules and eco-friendly cleaning solutions. This model ensures a steady income while offering customers the flexibility to enhance their product over time. 

6. Key Resources:

At the core of our operations are key resources that drive our success: cutting-edge manufacturing facilities, sustainable material sourcing, and a team of dedicated engineers committed to ongoing improvements in cooling technology. These resources are instrumental in upholding the standards of our products, ensuring both quality and innovation. Our resource portfolio encompasses a variety of elements, ranging from raw materials and skilled experts to branding, copyrights, and patents. Additionally, we leverage valuable assets such as customer databases, personal funds, and the integration of renewable light energy. This comprehensive array of resources positions us at the forefront of our industry, facilitating continuous advancement and reinforcing our commitment to excellence.

7. Key Activities:

Our core activities, including product development, rigorous quality control, and continuous exploration of eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient technologies, underscore our commitment to innovation. These efforts position us at the forefront of the industry, where regular updates and improvements exemplify our dedication to staying ahead. In terms of production, we focus on specific design variations, offering a range of colors and sizes, and ensure efficient delivery with multiple payment options like COD, COP, and Gcash. Our problem-solving initiatives are comprehensive, providing customers with a detailed appliances manual that covers aspects like product features, installation processes, diverse use cases, potential risks, and solutions to commonly faced challenges. These structured activities collectively embody our dedication to delivering a cutting-edge product while ensuring customer satisfaction through informative and solution-oriented support materials.

8. Key Partnerships:

Strategic collaborations lie at the core of our business, establishing robust partnerships with solar technology providers, environmental organizations, and retailers. These alliances not only fortify the backbone of our operations but also contribute significantly to the sustainability and extended market reach of our innovative product. Key partners encompass online platforms such as TikTok, Shopee, and Facebook, alongside crucial connections with electricians. While our key suppliers primarily consist of wholesalers, the specifics are yet to be finalized. Essential resources, both physical, including raw materials, and human, in terms of expertise, are acquired through these strategic partnerships. Key activities performed by our partners involve production, focusing on manufacturing processes, and establishing partnerships to seamlessly integrate our product into online shopping platforms. These collaborative efforts collectively propel our business towards success, emphasizing both environmental responsibility and efficient market presence.

9. Cost Structure:

Our primary expenditures encompass critical areas such as research and development, manufacturing processes, marketing campaigns, and the steadfast commitment to maintaining sustainable practices. These investments are indispensable, forming the financial backbone to ensure the creation of a high-quality, eco-friendly product that aligns with our core values. The cost structure comprises fixed and variable elements. Fixed costs range from PHP 5,500 to PHP 6,500, providing the foundation for our operations. Variable costs, on the other hand, involve allocating funds to essential components like raw materials, including an evaporator (PHP 1,000 to PHP 2,000), a small solar panel (around PHP 2,000), stainless steel for the container (PHP 1,000), and plastic containers (ranging from PHP 50 to PHP 200 per unit). Additionally, variable costs encompass man labor, with electrician services in the range of PHP 300 to PHP 800 per day. These detailed cost allocations are pivotal in sustaining our commitment to delivering an innovative and eco-conscious product to our valued customers.

In conclusion, the Food Storage Container with a Built-in Cooling System is not merely a product; it's a testament to our commitment to sustainability, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Through the lens of the Business Model Canva, we envision a future where our revolutionary food storage solution becomes a household staple, reshaping the way we think about freshness and sustainability.

[griefabyss69]

WIP - teach me how 2 kill a bad guy

Hey! This is my most recent WIP, I thought I'd share a piece of what I have so far : ) I plan on completing it and posting it to my ao3 when it's done.

I've tried a different kind of narration where it's more of an Eddie stream of consciousness than a third person telling a story, but I also haven't edited any of this yet so I'm not sure how much that comes through.

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Stranger Things - Steddie - Rated: E (for sexual content, though this post actually doesn't have any in it)

Themes: D&D, roleplaying, LARPing, getting together

Summary: Steve gets Eddie to show him how to play D&D and takes Eddie's introductory campaign in a direction he's never gone before.

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He goes and wrings his hands where he stands at the kitchen table, a big one now that they live somewhere with more space, his big D&D Manual and a few other books and a lot of paper neatly aligned across it in a way he never does.

He hates the waiting. Steve's not even late yet, he's just unable to go and do something else and focus on it while he knows he'll be showing up soon. So all he has is his mind, the one that's dutifully catching him up on all of the crazy shit his life has done lately, giving him the worst time to start actually freaking out that Steve's coming over and Eddie's sharing one of the biggest loves of his life with him.

If Steve's a dick about anything he knows he can just make him leave, but he knows it'd still hurt a lot. He can take the rejections he creates himself, the logical conclusion to acting and dressing in certain ways, but this is something Steve asked him to offer up on a platter, like offering up his neck to a vampire, and he said yes to Steve's vampire bit- he said yes to uh, Steve and D&D, not any sexy neck stuff-

Reign in your fucking metaphors, Christ.

This is more like a cat rolling over to show it's belly to someone it trusts, hoping that they don't get attacked for it, anyway. It suits better because Eddie knows exactly what it's like to have his guts gnawed on, but the bats never really seduced him into being a human juice box. Go figure.

And in the back of his mind, he knows he'd like it if Steve bit his ne-

The doorbell rings and he jumps, feeling more like a Halloween cat now, fur all pulled up and ready to hiss in his surprise. Maybe if he keeps the cat metaphors coming he can get through today without thinking about Steve's nice hair or whatever his greatest feature is supposed to be.

He tries to do that breathing thing Robin taught him that apparently works for her, but he just wheezes every time. It's probably not for smokers, or he's doing it wrong or something.

Get the fucking door, Eddie. You can do it.

So he practically rips the door off of it's hinges, except he's still got weirdness in his body from beating death and months of big injuries, so it bumps against the wall pathetically. He shakes out his hands and opens the screen door carefully, forcing a smile onto his face so he can greet the guy making his stomach regret it's existence.

"Welcome, welcome," he says, stepping out of the way and gesturing for Steve to come in. "Shoes off at the door, otherwise make yourself at home."

Steve shoots him an amused look and kicks his shoes off, using a foot to knock them together neatly.

Eddie closes the doors in a really normal way, which is a fucking relief.

"Hey," he says, always sounding so cool despite the fact that he stopped being cool like at least two years ago.

Eddie nods back at him, counting two seconds to take in how he looks before he forces himself to head back into the kitchen.

"I figured it'd be easier to set up at the table, even if the chairs were made by Satan himself," he says, looking up once he's standing by the seat he already chose.

Steve's fucking backlit by a window again, the sunset shining in on him beautifully like a blessing from an angel of hairspray or something. Bastard.

He laughs, another beautiful thing that beams out and washes over Eddie. He doesn't even need to roll over, he's already done for.

Ever since the anniversary party, it had been too hard to keep placing denial up around himself like a brick cabin, especially when Steve came around and turned it all into wet cardboard anyway, and so he's really just taking him in unfiltered, a horrible decision he didn't really get to make.

"It's not Satan's fault he only knows how to make chairs that torture people," Steve says, choosing to sit right next to Eddie. It's fine. Now he won't have to try to gaze into his beautiful eyes a totally normal amount. "I think it was nice of him to give you a housewarming gift."

Eddie chokes on a hysterical giggle, super happy to sit down and cough instead of let that come out of his mouth, shifting around to try to get comfortable on the hard wooden chair.

"You're right," he says, distributing some paper and a pencil and some dice to Steve. "I'm being ungrateful."

Steve's smile is even gorgeous when he's got his mouth closed, nice lips curving up in a complement to the rest of his nice face.

Eddie's like two seconds away from taking the largest book on this table and trying to knock himself out with it. Fucking focus!

"So, I'm sure you've picked up on some of this stuff by now," he says, pulling the manual closer and flipping it open to the first useful page. "But we're going to pretend you've only just heard of the game a minute ago and begged me to teach you. That way it'll all be linear and understandable, instead of whatever convoluted super-genuis way of describing it you've heard from the gremlins."

Steve looks at the book warily, panic briefly flashing over his face before he seems to collect himself. He's about to say something friendly and reassuring when he opens his outrageous mouth again and shoots Eddie in the dick.

"I don't remember having to beg for it," he says, smirking.

Horrible.

Maybe Steve's getting cold feet and now wants to distract him with one of the only things that possibly could draw his attention away. But Steve's not supposed to know that, so he drums his fingers on the book and desperately ignores the heat in his face.

"What can I say? I'm a generous guy," he replies, watching the edge of Steve's mouth twitch before he forces his eyes back down to the manual.

"So for learning purposes we're going to use characters I've already got, but if you like this then I'll teach you how to make one yourself. It's one of the best parts of the game, I think."

Eddie feels it when Steve stops looking at him, making him relax a little bit in relief. His stare isn't a burden but it's heavy, and makes him feel like Steve's reading his mind. Before, he would've thought that's impossible and it would've been reassuring even if the weighty stare of a hot guy was still enough to get him flustered, and Now, he knows that anything is possible if the government tortures enough people about it.

He hands Steve a character sheet and doesn't think about the ones in his room, hidden away from him because they're all a bit incriminating, both about gay shit and about Steve in particular.

"So you've played this one before?" Steve asks, looking down at it.

"Hmm?" Eddie looks up from where he was looking over the character he'd be playing, shaking his head. "No, I made that for today, just as an example."

Steve nods slowly, eyebrows furrowing as he looks over the numbers. Eddie has a bunch of photocopies of a template for this, but he's written all of the names for the abbreviated stats underneath them. Normally he wouldn't, and normally he certainly wouldn't have written other little notes on the page to give more context for what everything is for, but…

He really wants Steve to get it, and for him to like it, and maybe like Eddie. Sue him.

"Thanks for doing all of this," Steve says, putting the sheet down so he can do something cruel, like give Eddie his full attention again. "I do really appreciate it, and I know I'm going to probably be the worst you've ever seen at it."

"Nah, that's a high bar, honestly," Eddie lies, winking at him. "As long as you're patient, I'll be patient."

He's not about to fucking discourage him from this.

Steve's smile is like the sunbeams all over again, and in an act of self preservation, he gets to work, starting to explain things for real.

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Let me know if you enjoyed it!