#transparent subsistence

[ryunumber]

Chun-Li from Street Fighter

Chun-Li has a Ryu Number of 10.

(clarification below)

As with before: Chun-Li's actual Ryu Number is 1.

All appearances in the route above except Chun-Li in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 are only possible through game mods, and more specifically mods that change the gameplay a bit more than a model swap. I can't guarantee that any two mods for the same game are compatible, especially seeing as the Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow links are romhacks that replace the playable cast with those characters, but for hopefully self-evident reasons, I'm not being super strict about that.

The mods highlighted in this route are:

Palette Swap Characters for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 by tabs

Cyclops for Fraymakers by poop674

Zero from Megaman Zero for Fraymakers by BeelzeSama

Castlevania: Zero X Harpuia for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow by Shametal

Yami Yugi with summons playable in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow by Shametal

The Duelist for Slay the Spire by Nyoxide

The Bug Knight for Slay the Spire by VenIM

Hollow Knight for Don't Starve Together by WUDA and dirte737

Satori Komeiji for Don't Starve Together by Hansard

Reverie - Touhou Combinations for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth by Cuerzor

The Binding of Undertale & Deltarune for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth by Cake, Wight, and abcbadboy

Spamton for Stardew Valley by AngelOfTheWastes27 and mitchellojello

Paper Mario Partners in Stardew Valley for StardewValley by AnotherStardewValleySunday

Paper Mario for Rivals of Aether by Phoba

Hatsune Miku for Rivals of Aether by DinoBros

Hatsune Miku's Vocaloid Civilization for Sid Meier's Civilization V by Vicevirtuoso

Metal Gear Solid: Militaires Sans Frontieres Civilization: Subsistence for Sid Meier's Civilization V by Vicevirtuoso

Project M EX REMIX for Super Smash Bros. Brawl by the PMEX REMIX Team

(In the interest of transparently covering my own ass, I am not making any assertion about the quality of the above mods or the respective mod creators beyond "these mods by these people exist and are functional, probably".)

[horsesource]

"If we examine the process of 'understanding' people and ideas from the perspective of Western thought, we discover that its basis is this requirement for transparency. In order to understand and thus accept you, I have to measure you with grounds to make comparisons..I have to reduce..I understand your difference, or, in other words, without creating a hierarchy, I relate it to my norm. I admit you to existence, within my system..

This theory [of difference] has made it possible to take in, perhaps, not their existence but at least the rightful entitlement to recognition of the minorities swarming throughout the world and the defense of their status..But difference itself can still reduce things to the Transparent.

Agree not merely to the right to difference but, carrying this further, agree also to the right to opacity that is not enclosure within an impenetrable autarchy but subsistence within an irreducible singularity. Opacities can coexist and converge, weaving fabrics. To understand these truly one must focus on the texture of the weave and not on the nature of its components. For the time being, perhaps, give up this old obsession with discovering what lies at the bottom of natures..This here is the weave and it weaves no boundaries. The right to opacity would not establish autism; it would be the real foundation of Relation, in freedoms.

The opaque is not the obscure, though it is possible for it to be so and be accepted as such. It is that which cannot be reduced, which is the most perinneal gurantee of participation and confluence..

As far as my identity is concerned, I will take care of it myself. That is, I shall not allow myself to become cornered in any essence; I shall also pay attention to not mixing it into any amalgam. Rather, it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes me does not mean I relinquish it. Human behaviors are fractal in nature. If we become conscious of this and give up trying to reduce such behaviors to a transparency, this will, perhaps, contribute to lightening their load, as every individual begins not grasping his own motivations, taking himself apart in this manner. The rule of action (what is called ethics or else the ideal or just logical relation) would gain ground by not being mixed into the preconceived transparency of universal models..

I thus am able to conceive of the opacity of the other for me, without reproach for my opacity for him. To feel in solidarity with him or build with him or to like what he does, it is not necessary for me to grasp him. It is not necessary to try to become the other (to become other) nor to 'make' him in my image. These projects of transmutation--without metempsychosis--have resulted from the worse pretensions and the greatest of maganimities on the part of the West...

It is impossible to reduce anyone, no matter who, to a truth that he would not have generated on his own. That is, within the opacity of his time and place..This same opacity is also the force that drives every community: the thing that would bring us together forever and make us permanently distinctive..We clamor to the right to opacity for everyone."

Edouard Glissant

[put-me-out-of-my-destiny]

So, I've decided to try my hand at making a Devil May Cry OC. I'd like you all to meet...

...Slink.

[Image ID: A transparent PNG /. End ID]

Slink's Species

Slink is a Barghest. Barghests are a (non-canonical) species of demon best known for the fact that their forms are invisible. No life form, human or demonic, can see them. Despite being effectively transparent, they can extend this invisibility to things (and people) that they find precious by simply hiding them behind their bodies

Despite their invisibility, some things can be inferred about their appearance. If you touched a Barghest, you would find that their bodies are covered in soft, thick fur. Their presence is rather large, comparable to the size of the demon Beowulf. However, they've been known to fit into extremely small spaces, suggesting that their forms are somewhat fluid. Anyone who's seen Slink bake would be certain that he has more than two hands.

Barghests in the Underworld are persistence predators, stalking prey and wearing down their defenses before striking. Their best tool for this is their corrosive saliva, harmless to organic matter, but very effective at melting weapons and armor (clothing in general, really).

Despite their invisible exterior, their innards are actually visible. When struck, they will bleed and drop perfectly visible red orbs. When a Barghest opens their snout, their sharp fangs, long tongue, and their corrosive saliva are perfectly visible. However, Slink has taught himself to speak without opening his mouth, like a ventriloquist. He can even throw his voice. Theoretically, if someone managed to skin a Barghest, they could get a solid idea of their anatomy. However, demons usually disintegrate when they die, and to skin one alive would be very difficult.

One more power that Barghests have is, effectively, heat vision. They typically use this to cook their prey once they've been caught. They generally don't lead with it because using it gives away their position, exposing their fiery orange eyes. The arrangement of these eyes seems to vary between individual Barghests, and the number of visible eyes can depend on their mood.

While the mythological figure that I named Barghests after are often depicted as canine, and I do think Slink has a lot of canine qualities, I imagine he can purr. What kind of idiot would make a monster that can't purr?

I think a Barghest's power level would be comparable to that of a Blitz. Not a boss by any means, but a formidable opponent if you don't know what you're dealing with.

Slink's Backstory

Slink was definitely the runt of his litter, not taken care of by his own, and not strong enough to fend for himself, just barely scraping by in the Underworld.

Slink came to the human world during the events of Devil May Cry 3. Rather than participating in the invasion, he chose to live peacefully and secretly in the human world, and managed to for many years. He fed on just as many humans as he needed to, no more, sometimes less. Primarily, he subsisted on the occasional humans who tried to expose or capture him, who dared to follow him when he skipped town, who refused to just leave him alone.

This lasts until he attracted the attention of an enemy he can't shake some time between the events of Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 4. A group of demons seeking to conscript him into service to some other demon king (Berial, maybe?). He decided that because he has a problem with devils, he should call a devil hunter, and ends up anonymously reaching out to Dante.

Dante took the job, and dealt with the demons who'd been harassing Slink. However, Dante didn't need to see him to deduce that Slink is a demon. Slink was afraid that Dante would kill him, but Dante assured him that as long as he lives peacefully among the humans, he has nothing to fear, reminding Slink that his own father was a demon (very similar to Dante's talk with Brad in the third episode of the animated series).

After this, Slink decided to put down roots some blocks away from Dante's shop. In part because humans already expected strange things to happen in the area, and because most demons wouldn't dare attack that location (and those who would wouldn't be after Slink). But also, Slink was touched and inspired by Dante's compassion, and had become a little infatuated with him.

Slink didn't have the courage to approach Dante outright, but after watching the shop from afar, he noticed Dante's favoritism toward pizza, and hatched a plan. He taught himself to bake, and opened his own pizzeria off the books, selling to Dante alone, and for very cheap. Slink has little use for human currency, after all. He usually just drops the pizza off on Dante's doorstep, instructing him to leave the money in its place. Dante probably does realize what's really going on, but doesn't make it known that he does. The most he'd do is forget to leave the money just to test if Slink would make a fuss (he wouldn't).

Slink never took things any farther than this, however, if anyone in Dante's circle would approach him, it would be Trish. She too is a demon living peacefully among humans, and she'd be fascinated by such a rare and mysterious species as the Barghests. She helped him come out of his shell, and introduces him to the rest of the crew, maybe even to a more reliable source of food (in my headcanon, blood sacrificed willingly from a human to a demon is far more potent than blood taken by force).

It's definitely after this point that he gets the name Slink. From who, I'm not certain.

Slink's Personality

Slink is on the shy side, and can feel self-conscious about his strength, smarts, and courage.

Slink is extremely loyal to those who've shown him compassion, and will repay that kindness to the best of his ability.

However, he can be flighty, prone to ghost if he feels unsafe or unwanted.

He's very conflict-averse in general, and would rather run from a fight than finish it. He only feeds on humans out of necessity, and will go a while without eating if he can't find a good excuse to kill one.

Devil WILL Cry. So much, in fact.

When Slink wants his friends to perceive him, he will wrap some chains loosely around his neck. He doesn't usually wear clothes otherwise, though he does wear an apron when baking.

While he started to impress Dante, he soon discovered a genuine love for baking.

Slink and the crew

When Slink meets Trish he's very grateful, once again taken aback by the kindness of a stranger (a feeling Trish knows all too well). He'd feel comfortable around her, appreciating how calm and cool she usually is. However, Slink can be a little needy, and I don't think Trish has much patience for this.

With time, Slink gets over his crush on Dante. He's still attracted to him, but he knows there isn't much of a future between them. He gets used to that feeling, having met quite a few attractive people since the night Trish approached him. Bisexual with zero game.

Lady would be apprehensive toward him at first, but she'd trust Trish's judgement, and with time she would see that he's pretty harmless. Slink would find her intensity a little scary, but realizes he has nothing to fear from her, especially when Trish is around.

Slink would appreciate Lucia's frank way of speaking, her being confident but not aggressive. Lucia would find him inspiring, a demon of the Underworld who chose to live in peace despite his circumstances.

Slink would be very uncomfortable around Nero, he finds him too unpredictable and brash. Nero is very confrontational, while Slink is very conflict-averse. Nero doesn't really have a problem with him, though.

Slink would feel similarly about Nico, though at least with her he never feels like he has to guess how she's feeling. Nico's fascinated with him, and spends so long speculating about his true form and how he conceals it. She gets a lock of his fur to examine, only for it to 'get lost' (he stole it).

He and Kyrie are actually rather alike, they're both reserved, and compromise themselves in order to avoid conflict. Kyrie wishes she was invisible sometimes.

Finally, Vergil... Much like with Nero, Slink hates not knowing what someone's feeling, and it doesn't help that Vergil's resting expression is so haughty. He avoids him whenever possible. Vergil would ask about the demonic presence he's been feeling in the office now and then, and the crew plays completely dumb, placing bets on how long it'll be before he realizes what's going on. When he finally does, Vergil thinks Slink is a coward, and he kind of is. I think part of Vergil - a certain scrawny, black-clad, poetry-loving part - would find Slinks desire to be protected by his new friends familiar.

Feel free to ask questions about him if you have any 😊.

[sephirthoughts]

The Ghost of Shinra Manor

Chapter 2 of this

summary: It's been two years since the events of Dirge of Cerberus. Cloud visits his hometown, and investigates a rumor of a ghost, haunting Shinra Manor. If you're surprised by who it turns out to be, you are beyond my power to save, comrade.

tags: g-g-g-ghosts!!! sefikura, sephiroth x cloud, sane!sephiroth (sort of), post advent children, post dirge of cerberus, canon timeline, delusions, intermitten amnesia, low drama, enemies to…whatever the hell they have going on

warnings: references to death, PTSD, child abuse, etc. all of hojo's greatest hits, mention of animal death in the context of ethical subsistence hunting/fishing, canon-typical violence, technical nudity but i didn't describe anything so you'd have to imagine it yourself which is not on me, pervert

rating: teen and up [BE ADVISED: THIS RATING WILL CHANGE]

Part 2: Resurrection

“You!” Cloud roared, lunging forward at lightning speed, to strike a killing blow.

The arc of blue light, from his broad, silver blade passed harmlessly through the spectral neck and cut a long, deep gash in the stone wall, behind it. 

The ghost curled up in terror, hugging its head. “Please! Please, don’t!”

“Drop the fucking bullshit, Sephiroth!” Cloud said, readying another strike. “What kind of game are you playing, this time!”   

“You…know my name?”

“Fuck you!”

The next arc fanned out vertically, from floor to ceiling, cutting a deep furrow in both, and slammed into the wall, intersecting with the first gash, to make a shape like a crucifix. Dust and bits of masonry rained down around them. 

The ghost had thrown up an arm to shield himself from the strike, not that it mattered. His body was even more transparent, now, but that was all. He was otherwise unharmed.

Cloud, on the other hand, hadn’t fared as well. His face was ash grey and slick with cold sweat. The massive sword clattered loudly onto the floor, as he fell to his hands and knees, and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain in his chest had turned to piercing agony, that split his ribcage and ripped the breath from his lungs. 

“You’re hurt,” said the raspy and ethereal, but increasingly familiar voice.

“Shut...the fuck up,” Cloud panted, blood and drool running from between his lips, to spatter the stone floor with crimson.

The ghost kept its mouth obediently shut and only watched, with a look of anxiety, as he picked up the sword and used it to push himself to his feet. 

Wiping his mouth with the back of his gloved hand, Cloud raised his sword again, pointing the blade at the ghost. “What’s happening? What did you do to me!”

“N—nothing. I don’t—wait, stop!”

Cloud swung the sword again, cutting diagonally, with the same result as before. The arc of light passed through the ghost, and bisected the wall again. More dust and larger chunks of masonry crashed down from the ceiling, as Cloud fell to his knees and spit out another mouthful of blood, shaking and gasping for breath.

“You have to stop,” the ghost pleaded, in an indistinct and distorted voice, like a radio frequency cutting in and out. “You’re hurting yourself.”

Cloud struggled doggedly to his feet, again, leaning on the sword for support, as he glared down at the ghost. Something was seriously off, here. 

If Sephiroth had managed to resurrect himself, yet again, what would he be doing in the Shinra Manor basement, stark naked and barely corporeal? Shouldn’t he be concocting evil schemes to destroy the world, and popping over to make sure Cloud knew about it, every ten minutes? 

Speaking of which, he didn’t seem to recognize Cloud, at all. That could be a deception, but he’d never done anything like that. To be perfectly honest, Cloud found the idea of Sephiroth intentionally putting on this kind of humiliating display, even as a manipulation tactic, almost unthinkable. 

“Are you really Sephiroth?” he asked, at last.

The ghost nodded faintly. 

“Why are you here? How did you come back?”

“Professor Gast, brought me,” the ghost faltered, apparently confused by the question. “Did the other professor send you?”

“The other professor?”

“Hojo. He sends people, to…” he hesitated and lowered his head. “To train me.”

Cloud frowned. He remembered Aerith telling him, once, that ghosts don’t know they’re dead. They haunt a place they have an emotional attachment to, confused and disoriented, reliving scenes from their lives, while they gradually lose more and more of their memory, and go completely insane. 

So, what the hell was this? Was Sephiroth really a ghost? Had he been condemned to haunt Shinra Manor, in torment and misery, till his mind collapsed? Because he fucking deserved it.

“Sephiroth,” he said sharply. Sephiroth jolted and curled up, trembling all over. “Sephiroth. Look at me.”

After a long pause, the silver head slowly came up, and those otherworldly eyes peered out, through the stringy, disheveled hair. His face was gaunt and his eyes had dark circles under them. His perfect lips were pale and cracked. Gone was every trace of pride and entitlement, and bloodthirsty madness. All Cloud saw in those hollow eyes was fear, confusion, and pain.

“I’m so tired,” he said weakly, but he wasn’t talking to Cloud. He was looking straight through him, addressing someone who wasn’t there. “Please, don’t hurt me, anymore. Please…” 

Pain shot through Cloud’s chest, again. Different than before. This time, his heart ached with an inexplicable pang of pity for the fallen angel, lying in ruin, at his feet. This pathetic creature, that had been a hero, a god, the most powerful monster on the planet…now nothing but a hollow specter. 

Sephiroth had covered his head again, and continued whimpering. His snow-white body was even more diaphanous, now, like a specter made of silk gauze—especially his hands and bare feet. 

It occurred to Cloud that he’d never seen Sephiroth’s bare hands or feet, before. Or other parts of his body, for that matter. Without thinking, he took out his black, all-weather cloak and hung it around the wraithlike shoulders. 

Sephiroth’s whimpering went quiet. His trembling stilled. The white hand that reached out, to pull the garment tighter around him, appeared more solid than it had, only a second before.

Cloud didn’t notice any of it. He was deep in thought, debating with himself, about what to do. 

One way or another, he had to get to the bottom of why this son of a bitch was back, and in this state. He couldn’t put other lives at risk, by leaving him unsupervised, in the meantime, but he’d be damned if he hung around this fucking miserable place, while he was figuring out how to kill him for good. He sighed and shook his head. He’d just have to take him prisoner.

“Sephiroth,” he said, turning back to the huddled lump of cloak. “Can you walk?”

Sephiroth blinked slowly, then his eyes finally seemed to focus on Cloud’s face. “Walk?”

“Yes. Walk. We have to get out of here. Get up.”

Sephiroth just stared blankly at him, so Cloud grabbed his wrists and hauled him to his feet. He was startled to find that the man weighed practically nothing. Despite his outsized height and visible muscle mass, it was like pulling up a small child.

And in fact, Cloud suddenly found himself looking down into the face of a child, of no more than eight or nine. A pale and hollow-cheeked little boy, with Sephiroth’s cat eyes and silver hair, only just barely chin length. Cloud’s cloak, now much too big, covered his little body like a tent, and trailed all over the floor. Cloud leapt back, with an alarmed exclamation, but the boy had got hold of his wrist.

“Please, don’t leave me,” he said, as tears started in his huge, blue-green eyes. “I’ll be good, I promise! Please don’t let them hurt me!”

“What the fuck is going on? Why are you like this, now?” Cloud demanded, as he tried to shake the boy off (to no avail; despite his small size, his grip was like a steel clamp).

“Please, you have to help me! They’re coming!”

Cloud heard a noise and whipped around, to see that the room had changed completely. It was still one of these stone-walled basement labs, but it was well-lit and filled with glowing green mako tanks, medical equipment, and a big, steel exam table, in the center. 

He reeled, as reality spun sideways. It was that room. The room where they’d kept him and tortured him for all those years. The noise had been the door banging open, to admit two scientists in white coats, followed by a few lab techs, and a bunch of troopers, with assault rifles. One of them seemed to be carrying a heavy sledgehamer.

“Subject S is prone to tantrums. That fool Gast turned him into a spoiled brat, but we will correct his behavior, eventually,” Hojo’s grating, nasal voice said. “For now, if he’s uncooperative, he can be strapped down or sedated.”

Cloud staggered back a few steps and sat down hard against a mako tank, clutching his stomach, like he’d been shot. His face was grey and he’d broken into a cold sweat. The boy was sobbing and yanking his arm, trying to pull him back to his feet, when the troopers grabbed him.

“No! No!” he screamed, clinging desperately to Cloud. “Don’t let them hurt me! Help me! Help me!”

Cloud just stared, dazed and helpless, as they dragged him away. The boy howled and thrashed, but he was no match for all the big men, who threw away the cloak and held him down, strapping his arms and legs to the steel table. The same table Cloud had been strapped to, over and over again.

The boy’s wailing cut off in a muffled gurgling sound, as the lab techs shoved a bite-gag in his mouth, and buckled it tightly around his head. Another placed an IV needle in his arm, hooked up to a bag of clear fluid. Others stuck monitor leads all over his body.

Hojo was tapping a syringe, full of green sludge. “Of course, the subject must be kept conscious, for pain threshold assessment. I find that a solution of mako and epinephrine, in a glucose matrix, will keep him passably alert through most tests.”

The other lab-coated scientist observed and took notes, as he injected the eerily glowing liquid into the I.V. bag. The boy was still looking pleadingly at Cloud, tears streaming from his eyes, as they turned that radioactive mako-green. 

“Trooper, if you will,” Hojo said. 

The burly trooper who was lugging that sledgehammer, approached and stood at the foot of the exam table. Not a single person in the room objected, or even flinched, as he raised it above his head.

It came down on the boy’s shin, with a sickening crack. The boy thrashed and struggled, screaming into the gag, foaming at the mouth, while the heart monitor and other equipment went crazy, sounding a cacophony of alarms.

“As you can see, the subject has not lost consciousness. Ideal for self-reporting pain levels, as his healing factor is assessed, as well,” Hojo remarked blandly, as if he were teaching a class. “Trooper. The other leg.”

The man hoisted the hammer again.

“No… No! NO!!”

Dashing away the tears that had blurred his vision, Cloud leapt to his feet and charged, swinging his sword in a deadly arc, to cleave the trooper’s head in two. The blue light split the man cleanly down the center, as well as the exam table and even the lab itself.

The entire scene whirled away and dissipated, like fog in a gust of wind. 

Cloud blinked around in the suddenly much darker room. Everything was back to the way it had been, before, with his sword embedded upright in the floor, and the huge slashes he’d made, in the wall, floor, and ceiling. 

The boy was huddled on the rubble-strewn floor, approximately where he had been strapped to the table, trembling and whimpering. Cloud picked up the cloak and wrapped it back around his naked body, then took the weeping child in his arms. 

“It’s ok. It’s ok, now. I’ve got you,” he said hoarsely, as his own tears wetted the silver hair.

“What if they come back,” the boy sobbed. “They’ll take me away!”

“I won’t let them. I won’t let them hurt us, ever again.” 

He sniffled, looking timidly up at Cloud. “They hurt you, too?” 

“Yeah. But they’re all dead, now. They can’t hurt anyone, anymore.”

Cloud began to smooth the matted hair back from his forehead, then his hand froze. As if he’d only just realized what he was doing, he jerked away and stood abruptly, staring down at the ghost, which had resumed its adult form. 

This was Sephiroth, the man who murdered his mother and his friend. But his emotions were in utter chaos, at the moment, because Sephiroth was also that little boy in the lab, terrified and desperate and in pain. Just like Cloud had been, when he was held captive in this place.

How much of that had been real, though? Had Sephiroth really been tortured, as a child, in that same room, on that very same table? He knelt down again and lifted the hem of the cloak, but the leg that had been horrifically broken, a moment ago, was intact, without so much as a bruise. 

“It only hurts while I’m remembering,” Sephiroth said.

Cloud frowned. “What?”

“You were checking to see if my leg is broken, right? It only hurts while I’m remembering.”

“That thing that happened, was it real?”

He nodded. “Only, you weren’t there, before. But I’m glad you were, this time. You woke me up, before they hurt me more.”

“What usually happens?”

“They break both my legs, then my arms. The professor asks me questions to test how lucid I am. Then they put me in a mako tank to recover. I wake up from it, after that.”

Cloud could think of no way to respond to such a matter-of-fact recounting of hideous abuse, so he moved on. “How did you take me into the memory, with you?”

Sephiroth’s brow knit, in confusion. “I don’t know. I don’t know why any of this is happening.”

“Nevermind, just—don’t start crying again.”

The man dutifully blinked back his impending tears, like a chastised child. Now that Cloud thought about it, he lookedlike his adult self, but he was talking and behaving in an oddly childish manner, and didn’t seem to remember Cloud. Maybe he only appeared grown up, and had mentally regressed? 

Whatever the case, there was nothing but baseless speculation to go on, at the moment, so he decided to table the issue, and deal with the situation as it evolved.

For now, the plan hadn’t changed. He still had to keep Sephiroth under strict supervision, while he figured things out. If he really had regressed to childhood, that might actually work to Cloud’s advantage. A young, frightened Sephiroth had to be easier to deal with, than a fully matured, homicidal-lunatic Sephiroth. Right?

“We’re getting out of here,” he said, decisively. “Can you walk?”

Sephiroth nodded and staggered to his feet. 

Cloud pulled his sword out of the stone floor, where it was embedded several inches deep, and slapped it onto its holster. 

“Wait,” Sephiroth said, as Cloud made to exit the room. “You didn’t tell me your name.”

Cloud glanced back at him. “It’s Cloud.”

Sephiroth smiled, and despite his ghastly and bedraggled appearance, somehow managed to look like heaven’s gentlest angel. “Nice to meet you, Cloud.”

“Right,” Cloud snorted. “Let’s move.”

There was still no sign of monster activity, in the basement, and aside from the long and tedious climb up the ladder, they made it to the upper floor, without incident. The moment they stepped out of the room into the hallway, Sephiroth grabbed Cloud’s arm, with an icy-cold hand, to stop him.

“Be cautious,” he whispered. “The doors are all broken. The monsters must’ve got out.”

It hadn’t occurred to Cloud that it might’ve been Sephiroth, who had shut the fiends up in those rooms. He shook his hand off and moved away a step. “I broke the doors down and killed all the monsters. It was you, that trapped them in there? Why?”

“I’m not afraid of them. It's only that they’re always shrieking and throwing things at me. I watched them and learned that they can’t go through solid things, so I tricked them into chasing me into the rooms. All I had to do was hide behind the door, then slip out and shut them in.”

“Why didn’t you just kill them?”

Sephiroth lowered his eyes, almost looking ashamed. “I don’t…like killing things. When the professor locks me in the training room with monsters, I have to kill them, or I won't be allowed to come out. But I don’t like it.”

“What kind of monsters?”

“Experiments he wants to dispose of. Mostly mid-sized ones, like hellhounds, blood tastes, or makonoids. One time…there was a behemoth. But I was allowed to have a weapon for that fight, or it probably would’ve killed me.”

“You weren’t allowed have a weapon, when you fought the other monsters?”

“Only my brain and my bare hands.”

“What kind of sick shit is that?”

“The professor says it will teach me to be resourceful, and think on my feet.”

Cloud was too disgusted by that very Hojo-like reasoning to reply, and he wouldn’t know what to say, anyway. He just turned and hopped down off the landing, into the foyer. Sephiroth stepped into the air and vanished, reappearing beside him.

Cloud scowled. “How’d you take the cloak with you, when you did that?”

The man didn’t seem to hear him. He was gazing up at the half-collapsed ceiling, looking beleaguered. “What happened to the manor? When did it become like this?”

Cloud ignored him, in turn, and continued out the front door. When Sephiroth came to the doorway, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes went hazy and unfocused, and for a long moment, he stood gazing off into the middle-distance. 

“What are you doing? Come on,” Cloud prompted, impatiently. 

Sephiroth didn’t answer. He only lowered his head, looking despondent, not acknowledging or making eye contact with him. As if he couldn’t see or hear him, at all.

“For fuck’s sake.” Cloud went back, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him out the door. That seemed to snap him back out of whatever fugue he’d fallen into, just now. 

“Cloud,” he said, with a relieved smile.

Cloud’s jaw muscles twitched, to hear that voice speak his name, in that tone. But he had a theory as to why Sephiroth had been unable to pass through the door. “No more screwing around. Stop worrying about what you see, and just follow me.”

Outside, tiny, granular flakes of snow were being driven sideways in a dry, icy-cold wind. Sephiroth wrapped the cloak more securely around his naked body, so it wouldn't be blown open. He didn’t look around or ask any more questions, though. He just kept his head down and followed, as Cloud led him through the overgrown garden, toward the rusty gates. 

A little way down the dirt road, Cloud turned to cut through the woods, following his own trail homeward. He was as surefooted as a mountain goat, even on this rough, uneven terrain, in the darkness of the forest, but Sephiroth stumbled repeatedly.

Several times, he managed to fall into brambles, and every time he did, his long hair got tangled in the thorny branches, so Cloud had to pull him out again, and untangle him. Finally, he lost patience, picked him up, and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

“This is…humiliating,” Sephiroth said dejectedly, but he made no attempt to free himself. 

For the rest of the two-mile walk, neither said anything. Sephiroth just hung there, over Cloud’s shoulder, letting his long, silver hair trail in the dirt. 

It was a bit unsettling, because his body was cold, but the upside of the ghost business was, he was light as a feather. Even un-augmented, Cloud could’ve carried him easily. As a result, they made excellent time.

“Where are we?” Sephiroth asked, peering sluggishly about, when Cloud set him down, outside the cabin.

“My place.” Cloud unlocked and opened the door. “Go on.”

The six-foot seven-inch tall man had to stoop a little, to pass through the low doorway. Cloud shut the door behind them and switched on the electric lights, but Sephiroth flinched, throwing an arm up to shield his eyes, as if they were unbearably bright. Cloud sighed and turned them back off, lighting the gas lantern on the table, instead. 

“Better?” he inquired sarcastically.

“Yes, thank you,” Sephiroth answered, in earnest. “This is your home?”

“No. It’s a hunting cabin. You’re covered in dirt and shit, from falling into every fucking briar patch in the Nibel region. You bathe first.” 

So saying, Cloud opened the linen cabinet and tossed him a towel. It struck him in the chest and fell to the floor. He blinked down at it, then up at Cloud, who crossed his arms impatiently. Looking sheepish, Sephiroth bent down and picked up the towel. 

“Shower’s in there,” Cloud said, jerking his chin at the bathroom door. “Doubt I have any clothes that’ll fit you, but I’ll try to dig something up.”

Sephiroth’s hand, which had picked up the towel, just fine, passed directly through the bathroom doorknob, several times, before he managed to grasp and turn it.

Cloud felt a headache coming on. This was going to be a lot more like taking care of a kid than he’d bargained for, which was exactly what he came up here to avoid.

After his semi-spectral charge had vanished into the bathroom, he busied himself with building a fire, then rummaged around in the cabinet, till he found some baggy sweatpants, with the elastic waistband worn out, and an old t-shirt, that was a few sizes too big for him. 

Good enough. That was as much as Sephiroth should expect from him, as far as clothing. He was not a guest, he was a prisoner. Also, Cloud would be damned if he was giving the giant bastard any of his underwear to stretch out. 

At that point, it occurred to him that he still hadn’t heard the shower running. The bathroom door was open, so he went over and peered in. 

As he had suspected, Sephiroth was not bathing. He was curled up in the bathtub, apparently fast asleep, still wrapped up in Cloud’s cloak. His white face was smudged with dirt, and his silver hair was hanging over the side of the tub, onto the floor, with bits of brambles and dry leaves clinging to it.

He looked so ridiculously pitiful, that Cloud was tempted to laugh. He briefly debated just leaving him like that, but that would mean he’d have to forgo his own shower, and he wasn’t about to make that sacrifice, for this asshole.

“Sephiroth,” he said loudly. “What are you doing?”

The man jolted awake. “C—Cloud. I had trouble, turning on the water. I must’ve…fallen asleep.”

“How is your hair corporeal enough to collect dirt and leaves, but your hand can’t turn a shower knob?” Cloud groused, as he set the sweatpants and shirt on the closed lid of the toilet.

“I don’t know,” Sephiroth answered dismally. “I don’t know why I’m like this.”

Cloud pointed at the clothes. “Those are for you. Give me my cloak. I’ll turn the water on.”

Sephiroth seemed reluctant to give up the cloak, whether from modesty, or some other reason, but he shrugged it off and dutifully handed it over. Despite his semi-prurient curiosity, Cloud kept his eyes studiously above the neck, not even peeking at Sephiroth's naked body, while he turned the knob for the shower, to the middle setting. The water didn’t heat instantly, however, and came out ice-cold. Sephiroth had no reaction whatsoever, to being suddenly doused in frigid water.

“Don’t worry, it heats up fast,” Cloud explained, anyway. “When you’re done, go dry your hair by the fire. Nights get cold, up here. It’s not healthy to leave it wet.”

Without looking at him again, he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Then he thought the better of that, and reopened it, halfway. 

Some time later, he heard the water shut off, so he guessed Sephiroth had figured out the knob, after all. When the man emerged, Cloud was stirring a pot of canned chicken-noodle soup, on the stove. He turned around, to say something, and failed to suppress a snort of laughter. 

That t-shirt was shrink-wrapped to his torso, and the faded Gold Saucer logo was stretched and distorted, across his massive chest. The hem just barely reached his belly-button, and would expose his whole abdomen, if he raised his arms. The sweatpants, which were long and baggy on Cloud, fit Sephiroth like a pair of calf-length joggers, except they were visibly too loose at the waist, and hung about his hips, with the drawstring cinched, to keep them from falling off.

“Wow,” Cloud said, eyeing him up and down. “You look…really stupid.”

Sephiroth only lowered his eyes and tugged self-consciously at the hem of the shirt, which annoyed Cloud more than if he’d had something snappy to say back.

“Your hair’s dripping all over the floor,” he scolded. “Go sit by the fire, till it’s dry.”

Going obediently to the fireplace, Sephiroth sat cross-legged on the woven rug. Cloud ostensibly returned his attention to stirring the soup, but he kept turning, to steal glances at the man. He couldn’t help it.

His erstwhile greatest enemy, who he had personally killed on multiple occasions, was sitting on his rug, wearing his old clothes, and carefully rubbing his long, silver hair with a pink-striped towel. It was a bizarre situation, to say the least.

When the soup began to bubble, Cloud ladled some into an enameled tin bowl, stuck a camp spoon in it, and set it on the floor, in front of Sephiroth. “Eat. I’m going to shower.”

There were little bits of leaves in the bottom of the bathtub, because of course there were. Cloud was feeling petty, and added it to his list of grievances against his captive. Then he turned the water on steaming hot, and stood gratefully under it, letting the cold and stiffness melt from his muscles, while he considered what to do next. 

He really wanted to just kill this bastard, but it’s not like he hadn’t tried that. Until he figured out why his attacks had backlashed on him, he had to be more careful. His body was still sore all over, from the internal injuries, and he had no intention of handicapping his combat efficiency, with Sephiroth around. 

The most logical option would be to turn him over to the authorities, except that with Shinra gone, there weren’t really any authorities to turn him over to. Aside from the WRO, that is, and Cloud wouldn’t get them involved unless he had no other choice. 

His captive seemed to be docile and disoriented at the moment, but this was Sephiroth. He was a nuclear bomb on a hair-trigger, that could become extremely dangerous, at any moment. Cloud didn’t want to put any more innocent people in harm’s way.

No, he decided. He would handle Sephiroth, himself. He knew very well that he was the link that kept the prick coming back, so it was only right that he should be the one to deal with him, when he did. It was his responsibility.

He would have preferred to do it that way, all along, it’s just that every time the man appeared, he made a huge fucking scene, so everyone else got involved. This time, no one knew he was back, but Cloud. If he could figure out how to get rid of him, on his own, all the better.

If worse came to worst, they could die together, and finally put an end to this cycle of madness, he thought grimly.

When he came out of the bathroom, after his lengthy shower, in his properly sized black t-shirt and sweatpants, Sephiroth was curled up on the rug, fast asleep again. Like a big dog. 

The bowl of soup was sitting exactly where Cloud left it, untouched and long gone cold. He took it back to the stove and dumped it in the pot, to reheat it, then sat at his camp table and ate the whole pot of soup himself, with some bread and farmer’s cheese, he’d bought in town. If Sephiroth didn’t want to eat, it wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t going to force his own food on this prick.

When he was done, he washed the dishes, brushed his teeth, and piled more wood on the fire. With the gas lantern switched off, the place was illuminated only by the orange-gold glow from the fireplace, Cloud noted, with an eerie chill, that the clothing Sephiroth was wearing cast a shadow, across the floor, but his body did not.

He began to climb into bed, then hesitated. It’d freeze, tonight, if it didn’t straight-up storm, and the cabin would be cold, after the fire died down. Especially on the floor.

Sephiroth was his prisoner and probably didn't feel the cold much, anyway, but all captives were entitled to be treated with basic human decency. Even the delusional ghosts of psychotic mass-murderers. 

Ugh. Stupid conscience. Grumbling inwardly, Cloud went and pulled another wool blanket from the cedar trunk, which he laid over Sephiroth. There. That was all he was obligated to do. 

Annoyed with himself for his softness, he climbed in under his own blankets, and prepared himself for a long night. He was never able to sleep with another person in the room, and this particular person was Sephiroth, the very cause of much of his persistent insomnia. He kind of wished he’d brought a book.

That was his last coherent thought, however, because he was fast asleep, almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

A little while after Cloud had drifted off, and his breathing became soft and regular, a pair of big, pale-blue eyes, with catlike pupils, opened and fixed their gaze on his sleeping face. They remained fixed on him, unblinking, for the next six hours and fourteen minutes.

When the young man began to stir, the eyes closed, a beat before his opened—just in time for him to miss it, entirely.

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

cloud: fuck this bastard he deserves whatever hell he gets

cloud: welp, time to get him a hot shower and cook him dinner

[sburbian-sage]

In a few of your recent posts, you've mentioned that you might be out of sync with the replayernet, and honestly, I think you might be.

I know Time is pretty fucked/nonexistant out in the furthest ring, but I got my current session's Seer of Time to look over your posts, and he's estimating with his powers that you started posting around like, seven or so years ago from our perspective? How long has it felt to you?

Regardless, the game seems to have version-drifted really far from where it once was. A ton of your old posts match up with older guides I've read, but not newer ones, and are totally inaccurate to any version of the game that I've ever personally played.

I went back through a bunch of your old stuff, and here's some updates on how they usually work now:

Dream players have that purple and beige color scheme for real now, not "transparent" as you once said (never even heard of that one before).

Void players are (much more likely to be) able to get fraymotifs now, and don't always fuck up text as badly. (varies a lot between different sessions)

"Modded" sessions seem to be much less common, and whatever the "Andern Association" you mentioned in a few posts was, it seems either dissolved, or else is now so secretive that I can't find any info on it anywhere. Meanwhile, ordinary version-drift has seemingly sped up.

Many classpects in general seem to have changed a bit over time, and many have become much rarer, but it's too much to get into all at once.

There's tons of other more recent developments but I gotta go sorry ohgodwhat in my house again fuck ill get back to you soon maybe

I don't believe I ever wrote about an Andern Associations. The one post on my blog that mentions it has a frankly funked-up formatting, I think because it was submitted by someone else (instead of sent via ask) and I failed to delineate how much was my input and how much theirs. But I don't believe I wrote any of that, so it doesn't really constitute evidence that I've undergone version drift. In fact, all accounts of modded game sessions were reports from other people, so it's really not applicable to me at all.

Granted, a lot of goofy stuff does come my way, and I might be a bit too credulous, perhaps in the interest of entertaining hypotheticals because my advice is generally good in principle, even if the specifics are shaky (like that earlier post about those weird titles, the titles might not exist, but my advice for figuring out how they work is sound no matter what). And there could also be lapses in judgement. I'm subsistence farming in the The Furthest Ring, intellectual fugue states are a common worry for me, and I might have accidentally validated the existence of things that, in hindsight, have no way of being real (I officially denounce those Double Aspect or Double Class posts, I don't know why I believed and wrote up hypothetical summaries of bugged titles when the consensus is that Title attribution is never bugged, only the Titles themselves).

But speaking of unreliable askers, the fact that you haven't ever heard of "Dream's color scheme is transparent" is suspect. Not only does purple and beige as a color scheme conflict heavily with their frankly iconic transparent glass constructs, but "Dream player ascends to godhood and wakes up buck-ass naked on Skaia" is a community meme that frankly comes up way too often in discussions of the Dream Aspect.

But that's not the only thing that bugs me. You brought up Version Drift Theory, which is not A Theory The Same Way Gravity Is A Theory, but is instead a highly speculative model of, essentially, the evolution of Genesis Frogs in an attempt to explain not only bugs and glitches, but why some people's sessions are radically different from one another. It's not an authoritative truth, it's an analytical model of sorts that some people find use for, so why are you trying to convince me that Version Drift is real and I've undergone it? Especially when my concern was never that my game version is out of synch, it was that my connection to the ringservers were out of synch. I had a gap in my knowledge concerning Cherubs, because I'm often busy performing upkeep on myself and the ship, and I worried that either my computer, my connection, or maybe my browsing habits were caught lacking, and now someone in my askbox is trying to convince me that I've undergone such severe time dilation in my Ring Journey that all of my writing is now obsolete and worthless and that SBURB is now an unrecognizably different game.

I choose to believe this ask is psychological warfare on the part of a bad faith or not very reliable actor. Not only do your session reports sound wildly out of whack, but you're trying to convince me that I'm the out of touch one? This is Spriteless Behavior, I'm living in your walls, I'm summoning demons and sending them to your dwelling spire, they're going to beat you to death with hammers, I'm going to equip hammerkind so I can do the same, also I'm a mental health risk (Ring Journey) and physically disabled (glasses) and this is a level of gaslighting that probably falls under ableism, etc. etc. I am always right and may the Ohgodwhat destroy your computer such that you never imply otherwise again.

[arcstral]

𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏   𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄   𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑   𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐓

NAME.  MARTH LOWELL

BODY

HEIGHT:   174cm — 5′8.5"

STRENGTH ★★★☆☆   ( a strength once conducive to dual-wielding the falchion and binding shield without much strain. not overly impressive but he can pull his weight on the battlefield and during acts of manual labor. )

DEXTERITY ★★★★☆   ( light on his feet as expected of a duelist type swordsman. )

HEALTH ★★★★☆

ENERGY ★★★★☆   ( functional human being healthy circadian rhythm; rises early and goes to bed at a reasonable time which supplies him with a lot of energy. )

BEAUTY ★★★★★   ( in-game physical descriptors include ‘dashing’ and ‘having very sweet eyes’, spelling a gentle face that is popular with clerics, princesses, and romantics. )

STYLE ★★★☆☆   ( stately but predictable. doesn’t dress to revolutionize or make waves. )

HYGIENE ★★★★★  ( trimmed nails that are free of dirt, odorless body, and clean-shaven face. follows hygienic routines faithfully to ensure his appearance is fit for the public eye. )

SKILLS

PERCEPTION ★★★☆☆   ( a good head on his shoulders but over-trusting, placing faith in questionable former allies and leaning toward the belief that individuals- particularly, friends- must surely have reasons to commit their wrongs. )

COMMUNICATION ★★★★★   ( exceedingly transparent with his feelings and doesn’t shy away from conveying fears, dreams, or anxieties. )

PERSUASION ★★★☆☆   

MEDIATION ★★★★☆   ( naturally good at mediation, but balancing and checking the seven enclaves of a unified government help to keep it sharp. )

LITERACY ★★★★★   ( well-educated, having cultivated his reading and writing skills under a menagerie of royal tutors from an early age. )

CREATIVITY ★★★☆☆

COOKING ★★☆☆☆   ( knows the bare minimum of catching and cooking wild food in order to subsist outside of castle walls. otherwise, it’s an area of expertise he leaves faithfully to caeda. )

TECH SAVVY ★★☆☆☆  

COMBAT ★★★★☆   ( an able commander and swordsman alike; skilled spur-of-the-moment judgment, calm under pressure, and in possession of quick reflexes. )

SURVIVAL ★★★★☆   ( coming out alive from both of archanea’s wars with all his limbs, fingers, and teeth should be saying something. observed from his enemies, not too many soldiers or opposing commanders are lucky enough to say the same. )

STEALTH ★★★☆☆

STREET SMARTS ★★☆☆☆

SEDUCTION ★★☆☆☆   ( flusters easily and wouldn’t be able to seduce anyone with confidence on command. doing it without intention is a different story. he’s young, fit, and attractive so the pieces sometimes magically fall into place. )

LUCK ★★★★★   ( considers himself fortunate to possess so many wonderful allies and sources of companionship. )

HANDLING ANIMALS ★★☆☆☆  

PACIFYING CHILDREN ★★★★★   ( shown to interact in a caring and empathetic manner with children. soothing the divine dragon princess, tiki, with unerring success implicates a solid degree of talent. )

MIND

INTELLIGENCE ★★★★☆   ( capable of keeping stride with fast-moving stratagems and conversations at the war table, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent. )

HAPPINESS ★★★★☆

SPIRITUALITY ★★★★☆   ( the altean heirloom, falchion, is within itself a bequest to mankind from their guardian god so his acceptance of religion is unavoidable. takes special care not to desecrate holy temples with the muddy operations of an army. )

CONFIDENCE ★★★★☆

HUMOR ★★★★☆   ( pleasantly good-humored; can whip out witty ripostes and speak the language of less solemn individuals if need be. )

ANXIETY ★☆☆☆☆

PATIENCE ★★★★☆ ( the patience of a sage. between his two-year stint hiding in talys, and the two-year period of reconstruction that postponed his own marriage, he’s invested in any undertaking for the long haul. )

PASSION ★★★★☆   ( shows commitment to his goal of peace, an earnest belief that goodness in human hearts will prevail, that broken lands and broken people can be rebuilt in time. )

NICE ☆★☆☆☆ MEAN   ( kind of manner and speech with rare deviation. only when faced with villains that commit brazen wrongdoings does he drop courtesies. )

BRAVE ☆☆★☆☆ COWARDLY   ( seemingly impenetrable as if his courage can never falter, but inwardly feels the fearsome weight of his responsibility. the soldiers that stand at his back are unable to see their leader’s frightened face and he states that he prefers it that way. )

PACIFIST ☆☆★☆☆ VIOLENT   ( pacifistic but not pacifist. even though he’s a man that values peace, he could never achieve it without fighting and winning wars first; a sour antithesis albeit one marth has come to accept. )

THOUGHTFUL ☆★☆☆☆ IMPULSIVE   ( a high level of empathy means that he approaches topics and individuals with great consideration. impulsivity even if felt isn’t something he honors especially with a number of prudent subordinates like jagen and malledus to rein him in. )

AGREEABLE ★☆☆☆☆ CONTRARY   ( doesn’t often speak or act in opposition against others, preferring to forge an understanding or to coexist at worst. )

IDEALISTIC ☆★☆☆☆ PRAGMATIC   ( a self-aware idealist, knows that he can’t save all lives under his jurisdiction or expect humanity to likewise choose good over evil but these are ideals he yearns for regardless. )

FRUGAL ☆★☆☆☆ BIG SPENDER   ( rightfully selective with his expenditures as a ruler. a formative few years spent in talys, a kingdom without an army to call its own and less wealth compared to altea, hammered in the importance of frugality and finances. )

EXTROVERT ☆★☆☆☆ INTROVERT    ( being surrounded by people, working with people, leading people- all these actions mean that extroversion is nurtured even if it’s not nature. )

COLLECTED ★☆☆☆☆ WILD   ( in order to uphold the image of a dependable figure of authority he keeps to his composure. very few of his knights have ever seen him behave otherwise. )

ambitious / possessive / stubborn / jealous / decisive / perfectionist

SOCIAL

CHARISMA ★★★★☆   ( well-spoken and authoritative, but it’s ultimately his sincerity and purity of heart that compels others to follow. an essence that drives his most compelling speeches. )

EMPATHY ★★★☆☆ --> ★★★★☆   ( though he feels for the suffering of innocents, the traitors to his kingdom including its civilians were once observed with less understanding. war, after all, can drive a stake of hatred through any heart. )

GENEROSITY ★★★★☆   ( is willing to hand out everything found in his pocket when asked for money. )

WEALTH ★★★★★   ( wealthiest man in archanea, no doubt. )

HONEST ☆★☆☆☆ DECEPTIVE   ( generally honest. stays faithful to the truth, but will lie to spare feelings on occasion. )

LEADER   ★☆☆☆☆ FOLLOWER   ( marth is a natural prince, now king, who honors the duty he bears to others and shoulders whatever social burdens are required. in the event that a leader is required he’ll step up to the plate without batting an eye, not out of pride or any particular desire, but simple nature. )

POLITE ★☆☆☆☆ RUDE   ( extends deference to all deserving individuals no matter their origins or caste. )

POLITICAL ★☆☆☆☆ INDIFFERENT   ( his royal station is closely intertwined with politics, even if he wanted to turn a blind eye he couldn’t. a person’s value served to said politics, however, has no relation in how he regards them. )

BELIEFS

HIGHER POWER ★★☆☆☆   ( after learning the revelation that naga, archanea’s warrior deity, was in actuality the divine dragon king, the expectations and beliefs he held toward a higher power have been humbled. the heavens brought a little closer to earth, seen as more mundane than otherworldly. )

FATE/DESTINY ★★★★☆   ( destiny in the words of malledus has lead him down the path he walks now, as anri’s successor, as heir to the falchion and the duty it entails. marth’s own conviction manifests in his attitude that fate brought him and kris together. )

MAGIC ★★★★★   ( it would be difficult to deny the existence of magic when his sister is a cleric and his best friend is a collegiate mage of khadein. this is to say nothing of the malevolent magicka that hounded his army through gharnef’s imhullu. )

SOULMATES ★★★★☆   ( his belief in soulmates bears certain equivalence to his belief in fate. his beloved caeda is one such soulmate; his other half and royal guard, kris, is another. )

GOOD AND EVIL ★★★★☆   ( to marth’s understanding, good and evil though existent occurs in intricate shades, especially in the case of evil. medeus who thrice subjugated mankind and proved the enemy of marth’s bloodline had seen first humans persecute his kind over centuries. humans themselves refract similarly complicated factors in their ugliest actions, as seen in michalis and camus. marth for this reason has never crossed the threshold of hate even for his most bitter enemies, excluding gharnef. )

LUCK ★★☆☆☆   ( places an average emphasis on luck that falls in line with lamenting a rainy day or a bad hand dealt in cards. )

PRIORITIES

FAMILY ★★★★★   ( if liberating archanea and reclaiming altea was marth’s most vocal priority, alongside it was the rescue of his older sister, elice. )

FRIENDS ★★★★★ ( you won’t find a man more appreciative of his friends. )

LOVE ★★★★☆   ( love though held dear to his heart must come secondary to the crown his head wears. )

HOME ★★★★★   ( marth has never failed to fight for the salvation of his lands and the subjects that live within them. a prevailing sense of guilt at his inability to protect his home from invaders suggests just how important he finds it. )

HEALTH ★★★★☆

PRAISE ★☆☆☆☆

JUSTICE ★★★★☆   ( laws and morals should be enforced for a world to be worth living in. in that regard he has shown himself to be fair yet merciful when administering punishments for crimes. )

TRUTH ★★★★★

POWER ★★☆☆☆   ( hardin of aurelis once ceded the rights to command the battlefield to marth, judging him to be someone who wouldn’t squander a position of power for his own gain. this perception is true. power whether social or physical, tangible or intangible, holds no importance to him. )

FAME ★☆☆☆☆   ( it’s ironic that he has little care for fame. his name will turn out to be the most famous throughout archanean and ylissean history. )

WEALTH ★★☆☆☆

OTHERS' OPINIONS ★★☆☆☆   ( validation or a lack thereof doesn’t weigh on him heavily, but it’s preferable to be regarded in a positive light over a negative one. )    

[thetruearchmagos]

Happy WBW! What is life like for the average person in your world?

Hi there, and thank you so terribly much for the Ask!

So, this was a bit of a nasty question for me. The way I worldbuild, I'd never use the term 'average person' because the sheer disparity in human experiences that exist in the 12 Worlds across time and distance makes it not mean very much. I mean, in some places the average population toils on a near subsistence level in livelihoods that have scarcely changed in a century, while in others they enjoy some of the highest and most consistently improving qualities of life imaginable. Even within the United Commonwealth, the polity and society at the center of much of my Worldbuilding, there's a difference between those who reside in member states who've been in the UC since its founding, and those who've joined more recently and in a rush under the shadow of war or other catastrophes. At least in the latter case, the Commonwealth has a reliable record of trying to bridge those gaps as quickly as it can.

To speak to the most familiar and developed section of my Worldbuilding, the 'average' citizen of the modern Commonwealth is guaranteed free education to the pre-University level, as well as access to an expansive system of mixed public-private healthcare. Taxes on income and almost all consumption are nonexistent, public safety is high, and trust in government institutions from the local level all the way to the UC's own offices is high and kept high through rigorous transparency and watchful observers. With the age of the Great Wars firmly settled with the Commonwealth victorious, many have good reason to hope that these will be good times yet.

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Tenth  Word - Part 79

Transparent objects on the earth shine with the sun’s reflections, and bubbles on the surface of the sea and rivers glisten and die away with gleams of the sun’s light, while the bubbles that follow on after them act again as mirrors that reflect miniature suns. This obviously shows that those gleams, those reflected suns in transparent objects and bubbles are the reflected images of a single sun high above. They sing the sun’s existence with a myriad of voices, and point to it with their fingers of light.

In just the same way, through the all-comprehensive manifestation of the All-Living and Self-Subsistent One’s Name of the Giver of Life, the liv- ing creatures shine on the earth and in the sea through Divine Power, and then in order to make way for those to follow, utter, “O Living One!”, disappearing under the veil of the Unseen, thus indicating and testifying to the eternal Life and necessary Existence of the eternally All-Living and Self-Subsistent One. Likewise, all the evidence that bears witness to the Divine Knowledge Which the order of the universe manifests, and all the proofs that demonstrate the Divine Power Which controls the entire universe, all the realities that establish the Divine Will Which directs the universe, all the signs and miracles which prove the Prophetic missions as the channels of the Divine Speech and Revelations, and all the evidence that testifies to the seven Attributes of God Almighty45—all these unanimously indicate and bear witness to the Life of the All-Living, Self-Subsistent One. For some- thing having sight is certain to have life; hearing is a sign of life; speaking indicates the existence of life; and will or free choice demonstrates life. Thus, all-encompassing Attributes such as absolute Power, all-inclusive Will, and all-embracing Knowledge, the existence of Which is evidently demonstrated by their work in the universe, together with all the evidence that establishes their existence, bear witness to the necessary existence of the All-Living, Self-Subsistent One and testify to His perpetual Life, Which illuminates the whole universe with just one of Its shadows, giving life to the entire realm of the Hereafter with all its particles with just one manifestation.

[christophe76460]

Un foyer sans confiance mutuelle ne peut subsister. La confiance naît de la transparence. La transparence naît de la volonté de vivre dans la vérité. La vérité ne peut cohabiter avec le mensonge car il n'y a rien de commun entre les ténèbres et la lumière. J’ai une attitude de gratitude, car Dieu est si bon

[jay6639]

Expert UK Spouse Visa Consultant in Jalandhar: Your Trusted Partner for a Smooth Visa Process

Are you looking to join your spouse in the UK and need expert guidance? The process of applying for a UK spouse visa can be complex and overwhelming. However, with the help of a professional UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar, you can navigate through the process smoothly and ensure your visa application is handled professionally. If you're seeking reliable assistance, our expert services at VSS Immigration can help you secure your UK spouse visa without unnecessary delays.

Why Choose a UK Spouse Visa Consultant in Jalandhar?

Applying for a UK spouse visa involves multiple steps, from gathering documents to understanding the specific requirements set by UK immigration laws. Choosing a professional UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar can make the difference between a successful application and one that is denied.

Here are some key reasons why hiring a visa consultant is beneficial:

Accurate Documentation: One of the main reasons for visa rejections is the failure to submit the correct documents. A UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar ensures that you have all the necessary paperwork in place, reducing the chances of rejection.

Understanding Immigration Laws: UK immigration laws can be intricate and confusing. A trusted consultant stays updated with the latest rules and ensures that your application complies with current regulations.

Step-by-Step Guidance: From filling out forms to preparing for your visa interview, a UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar provides comprehensive support throughout the process.

Timely Processing: With the help of a consultant, you can avoid unnecessary delays by submitting a complete and accurate application. This ensures a faster visa processing time.

What Are the Requirements for a UK Spouse Visa?

Understanding the basic requirements is essential before applying for a UK spouse visa. A UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar will guide you through these prerequisites, making the process easier. Here are some of the primary requirements for applying:

Relationship Evidence: You must prove that you are in a genuine and subsisting relationship with your spouse. This can include marriage certificates, photos, communication logs, and proof of cohabitation.

Financial Stability: To apply for a UK spouse visa, you or your spouse must meet a minimum income threshold. This can be proven through salary slips, bank statements, and other financial documents.

English Language Requirement: Applicants must demonstrate a basic level of English proficiency, either by taking a recognized language test or providing proof of an English-language qualification.

Accommodation: The visa application requires proof that you have suitable accommodation in the UK where you and your spouse can live.

Health Surcharge: As part of the visa application process, applicants must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to gain access to the UK's healthcare system.

Working with a knowledgeable UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar ensures that all these criteria are met before submitting your application.

Why Choose VSS Immigration?

At VSS Immigration, we are committed to providing personalized and effective visa consultancy services. Our team of experienced consultants specializes in helping applicants from Jalandhar and across India apply for UK spouse visas successfully. Here's why you should choose us:

Tailored Guidance: Every visa application is unique, and we offer personalized advice tailored to your specific situation.

Experienced Professionals: Our consultants have years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the UK spouse visa process, ensuring that your application is handled by experts.

Transparent Process: We provide clear and honest communication throughout the visa process, so you know exactly what to expect at every stage.

High Success Rate: With our guidance, applicants increase their chances of securing a UK spouse visa, thanks to our meticulous attention to detail.

Common Challenges Faced During a UK Spouse Visa Application

While applying for a UK spouse visa, there are several challenges that applicants may face. A UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar can help you overcome these hurdles effectively:

Insufficient Financial Evidence: If you fail to provide adequate proof of financial stability, your application may be delayed or denied. A consultant helps you gather and submit the correct financial documents.

Incomplete Application: Missing or incomplete documents are among the top reasons for visa rejection. A professional UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar will ensure that all paperwork is completed and submitted correctly.

Visa Interview Preparation: Some applicants find the interview process intimidating. With the help of a consultant, you can prepare for the types of questions you may be asked and how to answer them effectively.

How to Get Started with Your UK Spouse Visa Application

Ready to begin your UK spouse visa application? Here are the steps you can take with the assistance of a UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar:

Consultation: Schedule a meeting with your visa consultant to assess your eligibility and discuss your specific situation.

Document Preparation: Work with your consultant to gather the necessary documents and ensure they are accurate and up to date.

Application Submission: Once all documents are ready, your consultant will assist in filling out the application form and submitting it to the appropriate UK authorities.

Visa Interview: Your UK spouse visa consultant Jalandhar will help you prepare for the visa interview, ensuring that you are well-prepared for any questions that may arise.

Follow-Up: After submitting your application, your consultant will track its status and provide updates until you receive a decision on your visa.

[goatlingsvent]

🐥 it's not "hiring random ass users" if she takes a little bit of time to actually look at applications and vet them. anyway... a good number of other pet sites are transparent with their expenses. we just want the same from Kris. and if she doesn't know how to turn a profit through her game and is barely subsisting on bare minimum revenue 12 years in? that's a skill issue. these problems existed before the boycott.

🌸

[aptechvisaglobalimmigration]

Schengen tourist visa rejection reasons from India. ​​​​​​​e

Travelling to the Schengen area may be intricate and challenging, especially for wage workers from India. Comprising 27 European nations, the area is indeed a predominant place for Indian travellers who form a patchwork of cultures and landscapes. However, getting a Schengen visa is not always straightforward. Most of the applicants get rejected, which not only disappoints them but at times is for silly mistakes on their side. A better understanding of the Schengen visa refusal reasons will help you prepare a stronger application and increase your success chances.

 1. Insufficient or Bogus Documentation

One of the most common reasons for the refusal of a Schengen visa is the submission of incomplete, incorrect, or even fraudulent documents. Whether it be an incomplete application form regarding your personal information, manipulated financial statements, or fake travel bookings, any inconsistencies will result in denial on the spot. Authentic and well-organized documentation is the most critical factor to avoid this trap.

 2. Lack of Funds

The Schengen authorities want to be assured that you can support yourself financially when staying there. If your bank statements are weak, your savings are low, or you do not have any regular means of subsistence, you will most likely be denied. Submit detailed documentation of your sound financial position, as much as possible, to convince the visa officer of your capability to meet any unforeseen circumstances and cover all expenses for the trip, including accommodation, food, and transportation.

 3. Travel Insurance

You need to have comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical emergencies, accidents, and repatriation for the duration of your stay as part of the requirements for a Schengen visa. If you fail to give valid travel insurance or present a policy that does not meet the Schengen standards, your visa application might be rejected.

 4. Unclear Travel Itinerary

A vague or unrealistic travel schedule is a sure way to raise a red flag in the minds of visa officers. Your application should contain firm details of the travel itinerary, such as dates of entry and exit, destinations, and accommodation bookings. An itinerary that is well-documented and supports your purpose of visit will go a long way in strengthening your application.

 5. Lack of Proof of Accommodation

Applicants for Schengen visas should provide confirmed hotel bookings or an invitation letter from the recipient in the Schengen area. Not being able to provide this type of evidence may be a reason for visa denial. So, make sure that whatever type of accommodation you have, is real and can be verified.

 6. Poor Ties with Your Homeland

Visa officers must be satisfied that you will return to India after your visit. An inability to satisfy any ties-whether of family, employment, or property result in the rejection of your visa application. One should highlight such commitments back home in India to reassure the authorities of safe return. 7. Criminal Record or Security Concerns A history of criminal activity or considered a security threat may face visa denial. Schengen countries will always give priority to the protection of its citizens and people on visit; hence, any history of crime or other related offences and dubious conduct will mar your application accordingly.

 8. Previous Visa Violations

If you have ever overstayed your visa in the past or other visa conditions, the chances of getting a new visa will be much lower. Be transparent about your travelling history and ensure that your application for the present visa you apply to complies with all the conditions.

9. Previous Visa Applications Rejection

A history of visa refusals, especially if they are in the near past, can raise questions about your credibility and increase the possibility of more refusals. If you had issues in the past, addressing those and making sure that this application is perfect can neutralize the associated risk.

What can be done once your visa is rejected?

In case of refusal of a Schengen visa application, a standard form is used, describing the reasons for refusal. You may appeal the decision within 15 days from the day you were refused, personally or by post. The appeal should be argumentative and provide reasons why you think the refusal was not right. In 35 days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will consider your appeal, and the Consulate must let you know about the resolution by this deadline.

Applying for a Schengen visa involves massive preparation. The more knowledge an applicant can have about commonly given reasons for the rejection of an application, the more accurate, well-documented, and complete the application will be increasing the chances of an application manifold. Only with the right approach will this dream of exploring Europe come into being. For more queries regarding Schengen Visa, you can refer to https://www.aptechvisa.com/ you can also call the Schengen Visa experts at the Aptech Visa office on 7503832132, you can also share your queries and concerns at info@aptechvisa.com and you will get a quick response from our end.

[justfinanceguid]

DK Trade : Une plateforme d'investissement suspectée d'être une arnaque

Dans le domaine du trading en ligne, le choix du courtier est crucial pour la sécurité et la réussite des investissements. DK Trade, une entreprise basée à Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines, offre une gamme d'actifs négociables, incluant des paires de devises, matières premières, indices et actions. Bien que cette société présente une façade professionnelle avec diverses plateformes de trading et des comptes démo, plusieurs éléments suscitent des préoccupations et incitent à la prudence.

Présentation de DK Trade

DK Trade propose trois types de comptes : variable, fixe et zéro, chacun conçu pour répondre à différentes stratégies de trading. Avec un compte démo, les traders peuvent s'exercer avec des fonds virtuels de 5 000 $ à 50 000 $, ce qui permettrait de tester le marché sans risque financier réel. Le dépôt minimum requis est de 10 $, et l'effet de levier maximum offert atteint 1:1000 pour les paires de devises. La société supporte diverses méthodes de paiement et offre un support client 24h/24 et 5j/7 via LiveChat, un formulaire de contact ou par téléphone. Des outils pédagogiques comme un calendrier économique et AutoChartist pour l'analyse technique sont également disponibles.

Points de vigilance

Absence de régulation

L'un des aspects les plus inquiétants de DK Trade est son absence de régulation. La société est enregistrée à Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines, une juridiction connue pour ses régulations plus souples par rapport à d'autres centres financiers. Cela signifie qu'aucune autorité externe ne supervise ses activités, ce qui peut exposer les traders à des risques accrus. En l'absence de régulation, il n'y a aucune garantie quant à la sécurité des fonds déposés ni à l'équité des conditions de trading.

Transparence et informations limitées

DK Trade manque de transparence en ce qui concerne certains aspects cruciaux de ses services. Par exemple, les informations sur les frais de dépôt et de retrait sont limitées, ce qui peut surprendre désagréablement les traders lorsqu'ils tentent de retirer leurs fonds. De plus, bien que le site web prétende offrir un support client disponible 24h/24, notre expérience a montré qu'il n'était pas toujours possible de joindre un agent en dehors des heures de bureau normales, laissant les clients sans assistance immédiate.

Témoignages et expériences négatives

De nombreux témoignages recueillis par notre cabinet d'avocats révèlent des expériences alarmantes avec DK Trade. Plusieurs investisseurs ont été manipulés pour effectuer des virements bancaires convertis ensuite en crypto-monnaies, qui ont été envoyées à des adresses de portefeuille sur la plateforme de trading. Une victime rapporte avoir perdu plus de 100 000 €, après avoir été incitée à investir par une personne se faisant passer pour un représentant de la société. Ces témoignages soulignent le danger potentiel d'investir avec des courtiers non régulés, où les mécanismes de protection des clients font souvent défaut.

Processus d'ouverture de compte et effet de levier

L'ouverture d'un compte avec DK Trade est un processus relativement simple, mais des points de vigilance subsistent. Après avoir rempli un formulaire d'inscription en ligne, les utilisateurs doivent choisir un type de compte et accepter les termes et conditions. Une vérification par email est généralement requise pour finaliser l'inscription. Une fois le compte ouvert, les traders peuvent bénéficier d'un effet de levier allant jusqu'à 1:1000 pour les paires de devises. Bien que cet effet de levier puisse sembler attrayant, il comporte également des risques élevés, surtout dans un cadre non régulé.

Outils pédagogiques et méthodes de paiement

DK Trade met à disposition des outils comme AutoChartist et un calendrier économique, mais ses ressources éducatives restent limitées. L'élargissement de ce matériel serait bénéfique pour les traders, notamment les débutants. En termes de méthodes de paiement, la société accepte diverses options, dont Visa, MasterCard, Neteller et Skrill. Toutefois, le manque de clarté sur les frais associés à ces transactions est préoccupant.

Avis suite au test de l’AMF

En effet, pour mieux comprendre ce à quoi les investisseurs doivent faire attention, nous avons réalisé un test sur le site de l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) en répondant aux questions suivantes par rapport aux témoignages : « L’investissement proposé est-il présenté à haut rendement et sans risque ? », « Votre interlocuteur propose-t-il un investissement idéal, réservé à quelques initiés ? », « Avez-vous été démarché par une personne que vous ne connaissez pas, recommandée par un proche, qui vous a contacté sur un réseau social ou après avoir laissé vos coordonnées sur internet ? », « La personne avec qui vous êtes en contact se montre-t-elle particulièrement sympathique avec un discours séduisant ? », « La personne vous pose-t-elle des questions sur vos objectifs ? », « La personne vous incite-t-elle à faire un versement rapidement ? ».

Ces questions, visant à sensibiliser les investisseurs aux signes d’arnaque potentiels, constituent un outil précieux dans la prévention des fraudes financières en ligne. En les gardant à l’esprit et en restant vigilants, nous pouvons contribuer à protéger notre patrimoine financier et à prévenir d’autres histories tragiques comme celle que nous avons partagée aujourd’hui.

[parasitologyillustrated]

A Dermatological Quandary & A Possible Formication Diagnosis (Part 2)

The patient has an infestation of mites. But what kind of mites? Mites are a diverse group of arachnid arthropods that are relatively small and can easily be overlooked. Mites are less than 1mm in size and oval in shape with a semi-transparent color that is darker after feeding, especially mites that feed on blood which will develop a more reddish to brownish color. While some mites can subsist…

[artdesannonces]

Le mystère du tableau perdu de Klimt : vendu pour 30 millions d'euros à Vienne.

Un tableau du célèbre artiste autrichien Gustav Klimt, considéré comme perdu depuis un siècle, a été vendu aux enchères à Vienne pour la somme impressionnante de 30 millions d'euros. L'œuvre inachevée, intitulée Portrait de Fraulein Lieser, a été adjugée à ce prix lors d'une vente aux enchères à Vienne.

Commandé en 1917 par une famille d'industriels juifs, un an avant la mort de Klimt, ce tableau soulève de nombreuses interrogations quant à son histoire. Qui est la femme représentée dans ce portrait ? Et qu'est-il advenu du tableau durant l'ère nazie ?

Selon les historiens de l'art Tobias Natter et Alfred Weidinger, le portrait représenterait Margarethe Constance Lieser, la fille d'Adolf Lieser. Cependant, la maison de vente aux enchères im Kinsky à Vienne suggère que le tableau pourrait également dépeindre l'une des filles de Justus Lieser et de sa femme Henriette. Cette dernière, également connue sous le nom de Lilly, était une mécène de l'art moderne, déportée par les nazis et décédée dans le camp de concentration d'Auschwitz lors de l'Holocauste.

Le tableau a été acquis dans les années 1960 par un prédécesseur légal du vendeur actuel, mais son parcours entre 1925 et cette date reste flou. Les propriétaires actuels, des Autrichiens, restent anonymes. La vente du tableau a été réalisée au nom de ces propriétaires et des successeurs légaux d'Adolf et Henriette Lieser, conformément aux Principes de Washington, un accord international visant à restituer les œuvres d'art pillées par les nazis à leurs descendants.

Malgré cette vente et les accords qui l'entourent, Erika Jakubovits, directrice exécutive de la Présidence de la Communauté juive autrichienne, estime qu'il subsiste "de nombreuses questions sans réponse" et appelle à une recherche indépendante sur cette affaire.

La restitution d'œuvres d'art revêt une grande sensibilité, et il est primordial que toute recherche soit menée avec précision et transparence, afin d'assurer des procédures équitables pour les restitutions privées futures.

[barrybulakites]

Unveiling the Earnings: The Financial Reward of an Air Force Financial Management Officer

The United States Air Force (USAF) plays a crucial role in defending the country and its interests, encompassing a vast array of positions and specializations. Among these, the role of a Financial Management Officer stands out as critical for the effective allocation and management of the Air Force's resources. In this detailed exploration, we delve into the financial remuneration of a Financial Management Officer within the USAF, providing insights into their salary, benefits, and factors influencing their earnings.

Understanding the Role

Financial Management Officers in the Air Force are tasked with a broad spectrum of responsibilities, ranging from budgeting and accounting to financial planning and analysis. Their expertise ensures that the Air Force's financial resources are managed efficiently, supporting mission readiness and operational success. This role demands a high level of precision, analytical skills, and a deep understanding of financial principles, making it both challenging and rewarding.

Salary Structure

The earnings of an Air Force Financial Management Officer are primarily based on their rank and years of service, following the standardized pay scale used across the U.S. military. This structure ensures a level of predictability and transparency in compensation, with increases in pay corresponding to promotions and time in service.

Entry-Level Earnings: An officer typically enters the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant (O-1). As of the latest figures, the base pay for an O-1 with less than two years of service is approximately $40,000 annually. However, this figure can vary slightly based on specific circumstances and does not include other forms of compensation, such as housing allowances.

Mid-Career and Senior-Level Earnings: As financial management officers progress through their careers and attain higher ranks, such as Captain (O-3) or Major (O-4), their base salary increases. For instance, a Captain with over four years of service can expect an annual base pay of around $60,000 to $70,000, while a Major with the same length of service ranges from $70,000 to $80,000 annually.

Additional Compensation

Beyond the base salary, Air Force officers receive various allowances and benefits that significantly enhance their overall compensation package:

Housing Allowance: Officers receive a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), which varies based on geographic location, rank, and whether they have dependents. This allowance is designed to cover the cost of off-base housing and can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars monthly.

Subsistence Allowance: A Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) is provided to cover the costs of meals, further supplementing an officer's income.

Healthcare and Education Benefits: Financial Management Officers have access to comprehensive healthcare services and may qualify for educational benefits under the GI Bill, covering tuition for further education and training.

Retirement Benefits: The military retirement system offers a blend of a defined benefit and contributions to a Thrift Savings Plan, ensuring long-term financial security for officers after their service.

Factors Influencing Earnings

Several factors can influence the earnings of a Financial Management Officer, including:

Location: The cost of living adjustments and housing allowances can vary significantly based on the officer's stationing, impacting overall compensation.

Experience and Education: Officers with advanced degrees or certifications in finance or accounting may access higher starting ranks and, consequently, higher pay.

Deployment: Officers deployed in combat zones may receive additional pay and tax advantages.

The role of a Financial Management Officer in the Air Force is both demanding and highly respected, offering a unique blend of challenges and rewards. While the base salary provides a solid foundation, the comprehensive benefits package and additional allowances contribute to a competitive compensation that reflects the importance and value of their service. As they advance in their careers, the financial rewards increase, highlighting the Air Force's commitment to acknowledging and rewarding the expertise and dedication of its officers.