#plant and machinery training

[sstardust4ever]

sugarcane fields

[digright]

DigRight Training

At DigRight’s newly built plant operator training centre, nestled in the heart of Kent, our state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide a dynamic learning environment, delivering a wide spectrum of courses for plant operators. From mastering the intricacies of diggers and dumpers to honing the precision required for excavators, our comprehensive NPORS training ensures you’re equipped with the expertise demanded by the industry

Business hours: 9AM-5PM Mon to Fri

Payment Methods: Debit or Credit Card, BACs or PayPal

Business Since: 2022

Contact Us;

Address: DigRight, Witchell Lee, New Tyehurst Farm, Chiddingstone Hoath, Edenbridge TN8 7DA

Phone: +447716202273

Website: https://www.digright.org.uk

Business Email: yes@digright.org.uk

[newtype-difference]

Your mission is simple: provide fire support from a distance while your comrades engage the primary target. You've been specifically chosen for this job. You've always excelled in long-range engagements, and this is a perfect opportunity to stress test the prototype long-range cannon your sponsor has been developing. You don't know the name of it, you were just given the machine and told to make it work. A piece of cake for you, given your experience.

The cannon you were told to use is heavy. Heavier than anything your suit has ever carried before. There's a twinge of worry that the servos and joints might buckle under the weight, but you trust your machine to carry you and the payload to your destination. It always has.

You arrive at your sniper's nest and prepare the cannon for firing. This thing is massive. The barrel is long, and thick, made of high-quality alloys that even you can't quite recognise. The firing mechanism and bolt action nature of it is simple, yet powerful. Setting this up on the ground is like assembling a mortar. Multiple pieces, big and small, but all forming to make something so much bigger than the sum of it's parts.

You revel in the sounds and feel of the assembly - the clicking and snapping of smaller parts, the sound of friction when metal slides on metal, the delicate nature of it all. There's no way a pilot can do this on their own without their mech, the machinery is simply too large and complex. You work alongside your suit, controlling it as the optical scanner guides your vision and thought process. It is the mind, and you are the hands.

Within minutes, you are finished the assembly. Faster than anyone else could have ever hoped to do it. There's a while longer before the mission is set to start, so you take some time to appreciate this machine of war. Trace the fingers of your mech's hands along it, and feel the grooves and imperfections through the haptic feedback of your controls. Inspect the bolt, the cartridge that holds your ammunition, the scope, everything. Everything about this is perfect to you. It's like this was made specifically for you to use. It's beautiful. It's love, and it's hurt, and it's yours.

It's almost time.

You lay the cannon on the ground, with the tripod attacked to the barrel sticking into the dirt. You use the mech as an extension of yourself in order to position yourself comfortably. Your legs fall to each side of the cannon as you lay above it, almost as if you intend to mount it. Your feet dig into the ground, preparing yourself for the inevitable recoil that firing this artillery will bring. Your knees fall to the ground, for further stability, and your body is mere inches away from touching the hardened steel of this machine below you. Your dominant hand reaches for the trigger, and your free hand holds the top of the barrel down to prevent it from flying away when you fire. You position your head perfectly in line with the scope, and you can see your allies now engaging with the target. You are ready to fire.

Your breath is shaky, heavy and getting faster. This is... exciting. You can't wait to pull the trigger and see how much damage this cannon will do. You're already thinking of names to give it, of how to modify it to make it more reliable, of how to make it yours. All yours. Your eyes are trained on the target, and you're listening to the comms channel for your order to fire, though your focus only allows you to parse half of what is being said.

Finally, you hear the order. Through half-understood chatter, you hear a loud and stern "fire". You pull the trigger.

Time slows.

First, you feel the recoil of the firing mechanism pushing back against you.

Then, the deafening, piercing sound of the combustion that propels the bullet forwards towards your target.

The cannon pushes back against you and pushes you both back several feet, leaving a trail of dug-up dirt and sediment around where you and your weapon are planted. You feel the joints of your suit scream against the strain of the sheer force, and the haptic feedback from your controls is going haywire.

Everything hurts. This hurts to use.

But it's worth it. You feel amazing. You feel alive.

A sudden gasp leaves your mouth, and you start breathing heavily. The ringing in your ears, the tingling feeling in your hands, the pain you feel must be the same way your suit feels in this moment. You are as one. You are together.

But there's no time to revel in this feeling. You have a mission to complete. Another round needs to be prepared before your comrades are struck down. This is what you're ultimately here for.

You don't even have a chance to look at the damage this cannon dealt, you simply start reaching for the next cartridge to load.

You pull back the bolt on the cannon, feeling the friction of it sliding against the body of this gargantuan weapon.

The used cartridge falls to the ground, cracked from the force of this machine, with wisps of smoke trailing off of it.

You hastily slide the fresh cartridge in, holding it in place with one hand as you push the bolt forward to lock it in place.

The strained joints of your suit ache and tremble as you use all of your strength to push, and eventually you load the next shot.

The barrel is still red hot, and dangerous to the touch, but you have no choice but to stabilise it like you did before. There's no time to worry if the heat will melt you suit's hand onto this thing. A small part of you wouldn't even mind if it did.

You readjust your sights and focus on the target again, and finally, you can admire the damage that this cannon did. It's a miracle that your shot didn't finish the job, but that's okay. You have plenty more.

This next one should do it.

Once again, your focus is trained on the comms channel, waiting for the firing order.

Breath getting faster, heavier, warmer. Heart beating out of your chest. Feeling pistons, servos, joints, every mechanism of your suit as a part of you.

"Fire"

[todaysdocument]

Some handy tips from the War Department’s “You’re Going to Employ Women” pamphlet, April 1, 1943. 

Unfortunately, this is not a joke. 

Record Group 407: Records of the Adjutant General's Office

Series: Central Decimal Correspondence Files

File Unit: 291.9 Status of Women 1-1-42 THRU 12-31-45

Transcription: 

(a pamphlet with single staple on left side, off-white paper)

You're Going to Employ Women

WAR DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON, D. C.

(In pencil along right side)  WGCS  17, 291.9,  (4-1-43)

[page 2]

(left page black and white photo)  woman filing a piece of metal

_______________careful...

(right facing page)  

(title)  When Training Women

ORIENT her more thoroughly than a man on health and safety rules, plant layout and production, company policies, job techniques.

Give her a preliminary training course to get the feel of work.

Relate her job training to past experience, usually domestic--interpret machinery operation in terms of household and kitchen appliances.

Arrange for continuous upgrading and train her for higher grade jobs.

Use community training facilities when necessary--trade schools, vocational classes in colleges and universities.

[page 3]

(Left side same woman)

_____________and conscientious...

(Right side)

(title)  When Working Woman

LIMIT her hours to 8 a day and 48 a week.

Schedule short morning and afternoon rest intervals on arduous jobs.

Have diet-balanced luncheons available--and  extra food on exhausting jobs.

Provide ample clean toilets and rest rooms--good plant ventilation free of dust, fumes and drafts--work seats and benches at proper height--clean orderly surroundings--safety devices on machinery.

Insist on proper work clothing, safe shoes.

Promote adequate local housing and transportation.

And…

[page 4]

(Left side of page)

(title)

Use a Trained Personnel Woman

She can counsel with management on training, job simplification and all general employment policies.

She understands women-worker needs.

She can give sympathetic attention to home problems.

She can be told personal difficulties that would not be confided to a man.

She can arrange for child care.

(right facing page)

-Women are pliant--adaptable.

-Women are dexterous--finger nimble.

-Women are accurate--precision workers.

-Women are good at repetitive tasks.

-Women are fine color and material observants.

Women CAN BE TRAINED TO DO ALMOST ANY JOB YOU'VE GOT.

[drnikolatesla]

One of the Greatest Inventions of All Time

Nikola Tesla has many revolutionary inventions to his credit, but he is best known for his pioneering work in the development and promotion of alternating current (AC) electrical systems. Tesla's innovations in AC technology revolutionized the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power, becoming the foundation for the modern electrical power systems that we use today.

There is a common misconception made that Tesla was the first to invent, or discover, AC, but this is not true. It is well-known that Hippolyte Pixii was the first to discover AC in 1832. Pixii was an instrument maker from Paris who built an early form of an alternating current electrical generator (based on the principle of electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday), and thus started a new industry in power transmission. Tesla was not the first to discover or invent an AC motor, but he was the first to invent a practical AC induction motor with commercial value that could outperform all other motors. It must be noted that Italian inventor Galileo Ferraris also invented an induction motor similar to Tesla's, but it had no commercial value, and he even admitted himself that it was useless. Tesla's induction motor operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction, properly utilizing a rotating magnetic field that induces a current in a stationary conductor, resulting in rotational motion. The utilization of the rotating magnetic field makes the motor more simple, robust, versatile, efficient, and cost effective in that it has less moving parts reducing the likelihood of mechanical failure (as was common in other motors).

Tesla's induction motor became a fundamental component in the field of electrical engineering and is used today in various applications, being one of the most widely used devices in the world. The motors play a crucial role in transmitting electrical power to homes and businesses. They are commonly used in power generation plants to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is then transmitted through the power grid for distribution to various locations. Induction motors are also widely employed in appliances and machinery within homes and businesses for various applications. These applications include conveyor systems, hoists, cranes, lifts, pumps, fans, ventilation systems, compressors, manufacturing machinery, wind turbines, washing machines, refrigerators, garbage disposals, microwaves, dishwashers, vacuums, air conditioners, robotics, electric vehicles, trains, power tools, printers, etc. Basically, anything that requires a spinning action for power.

The induction motor is widely considered one of the most important inventions in the history of electrical engineering. Its importance lies in its transformative impact on industries, its efficiency and reliability, and its role in the broader electrification of society.

[superbdragoncollection-stuff]

"We did it, but others told us to."

We thought it would be fun. Wars were always a civilized business after all. It was supposed to be grand, sweeping, and romantic. Two armies would clash, there would be lots of daring do, and once this grand conflict was over that was that. You didn't hold a grudge. It was a relief from the boredom of jobs at home. You got done, shook hands, picked up the dead, and that was that. We didn't have a quarrel with the other male, this was between our bosses, see? It's the way of things. We challenge a dominant power to see who is better.

We were just following orders.

We took their Jupiter bases and wondered what all the hubbub was about further inward. Something about the targets we hit. I didn't understand. Sure the bases didn't have any weapons, but this was war. We were doing our jobs.

They opened up on us at the asteroid belt, with hundred megawatt transportation lasers and mass drivers. We didn't expect that. This was supposed to be civilized! They made us fight our way through the belt, forcing us to lose ten fighters for every kilometer of space. They were using civilian equipment against us! Those lasers were for high speed transportation, those mass drivers for cargo delivery! Why did they not use proper warships? We were just doing our jobs.

The Martian colony, here we thought would be the great decisive battle. They threw dozens of ships against us. They used their megawatt lasers and mass drivers. Their reaction drives burned out anything that got close. They screamed their hate at us and we didn't understand. We were just doing our jobs.

We dropped bombs on their colonies, we seized their stations. We took them fair and square. But they were savage. Our troops landed and they were gunned down by heavy machine guns. Machine guns designed hundreds of years ago! And their designs had stayed the same. Their rifles and tanks were certainly different, but that machine gun, that Browning, had stayed the same. And they screamed at us. They called in close air support, they planted mines, they did everything they could to bleed us dry. We destroyed what the officers said to. We blew up domes. We destroyed train lines. Even those that had nothing to do with the war effort. So what? What's that got to do with us? We did it, but others ordered us to. And isn't it our right as conquerers? We were just doing our jobs.

Their anger only grew worse. As we moved, they continued to throw everything they had at us. Soldiers sacrificed themselves so their fellows could retreat in good order. They did those kamikaze runs they are so proud of. And the prisoners were angry. We gave them supplies, and still they cursed us. We tried to be nice, to compliment them on their skills, and they were silent. They called it "interrogation". We called it friendly chats.

"Why do you force us to destroy so much expensive material? Damage to private property is very uncouth, you know! It's very expensive!"

"You bombed civilian targets!" The fighter pilot snapped at us, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Your people use private machinery rather than weapons to fight us! Well you do both, but that's beside the point!"

"We didn't hide troops in civilian domes!" The pilot shouted.

"That was what we were ordered to do. It was not my doing. The commanders simply felt a show of force was necessary."

"Necessary?! You son of a--!" We had to restrain her then.

"What inspires this loyalty?" I demanded, "You fight as though more depends on you than your life! What demands such high sacrifices?"

"If it means beating baby killers!" She snarled, her head pinned by one of my soldiers. She managed to move it, "We'll throw everything we've got at you! Someday we'll defeat you! And then you'll see who's laughing!"

I was flummoxed. "Why do you do this? Why do you fight so hard? You're only doing your job!"

She seemed confused by that. "Of course I am!"

I knelt down to where three of my soldiers held her, "Yes! So why fight so hard? Why do you defy us like this? Why do you make us kill and destroy private property?"

She seemed baffled. "What do you mean? I fight because I'm part of the UN Defense Force! Why else?"

"But you don't need to fight this hard. We fight, one of us loses, we shake hands! That's war!"

She looked befuddled, "The fuck is wrong with you, *bug*? What kinda war is that? Sounds like a slapfight!"

I tried to dumb it down for her. "You plant mines. You set traps. You crash your ships into ours. What kind of war is that? What inspires this loyalty, this desire to sacrifice so much? You are but an employee of your masters. They demand no less than you doing your job, and no more. You do not need to go beyond!"

She confusedly said, "Because that's war, idiot."

By the time we reached the lunar perimeter, our force was battered beyond belief. Forces were still fighting over Mars, and the Mercury and Venus attacks had been blunted. We finally encountered their war fleet. Many of the ships were barely finished. They had been pulled out of the dock yards still with workers aboard. Why was that? Our leader hailed their fleet admiral. He congratulated them for their clever tactics and admonished them for their unsavory techniques. He gave them a list of booty to recover, requested a refuel, and gave them a time frame for when we would be on our way. The war was over, we'd made it to their homeworld. This is how the great competitive wars are always done. Something about this confused the Admiral. "This isn't a game!" They spat. "War isn't defending dots on a map! It's death! Vast organized death! Are you telling me you came all this way for FUN?!"

"No, we came here to see who is better."

"That's the same thing."

"No it isn't." Our leader said dismissively. He paused, "Tell me, what inspires this loyalty in you? Aren't you just doing your jobs?"

"What?"

"You're just following orders. So are we. What inspires this unthinking, undying loyalty? You're just following orders, as all civilized beings should. We are just following orders." The comm line went dead. The humans unleashed a terrible display of firepower. They learned a long time ago that loyalty is not simple deference. And that war is more than just orders, it is not romantic.

War is not a game to them.

[fortheloveofarchons]

Dan Heng noticed that Caelus is avoiding him

C.W.

- Caelus/Dan Heng ship - Fluff and angst - Neck kissing and biting - Vidyadhara / Dragon Dan Heng form - Dan Heng and Caelus are bad with feelings - Soft Caelus and Dan Heng - Mentioned March 7th, Pom-Pom, Himeko, Welt, Blade and Jing Yuan

.

.

.

Ever since the events of what happened in the Xianzhou Luofu, Dan Heng couldn’t help but notice that a certain someone has been avoiding him. The reveal of Dan Heng’s true form from his Vidyadhara lineage and his past incarnation as the Imbibitor Lunae shocked the whole Astral Express members. After all, Dan Heng is someone who carries the residual power left behind by his past incarnation, someone who was once a prominent figure in the history of the Xianzhou Luofu, and someone whose merits and faults are attributed to that sinner. 

Dan Heng dreamed and saw many things, including a never-ending immersia titled "Self."

He saw himself being exiled. 

He saw himself boarding an express. 

He saw himself running into the endless stars, and never looking back.

But right now, he sees someone turning away from him, avoiding his every move and gaze. 

Dan Heng remembers how the trailblazer, Caelus, stared at his Vidyadhara form, as they both become silent on that day. He remembers asking Caelus if there’s nothing he’d like to ask. But at this point, Caelus didn’t want to speak. 

Nobody can get him to open up. 

Since then, Caelus would avoid Dan Heng. 

Usually, the express members would have meals together on the train. But lately, Caelus would either eat his own meal early or that he’d sometimes skip them. While March 7th would puff her cheeks and complain that Caelus shouldn’t refuse Pom-Pom’s delicious food, Himeko and Welt could only resume their meals in silence, exchanging glances that only the two of them could understand. 

Whenever Dan Heng sends a message to Caelus, his messages would be left delivered for a few hours. Even if Caelus was so busy searching for trash cans or dealing with a bunch of side quests, being left on delivery for hours was an uncommon event as Caelus used to reply to everyone’s messages immediately. 

It didn’t help much when Caelus would often avoid Dan Heng’s path as well. One time, when Dan Heng was about to head out of the Seat of Divine Foresight after discussing certain topics with General Jing Yuan, Caelus walks into the office, and the two of them lock eyes with each other. 

Immediately, Caelus turns around and walks out of the office, shouting an apology to General Jing Yuan for casually walking into his office without knowing there was someone else inside. Dan Heng tried to chase after him, but Caelus was nowhere to be found. Later on, Jing Yuan had informed Dan Heng that Caelus had made a reschedule on their appointment. 

After all of this, Dan Heng knows for sure. 

He’s avoiding me. Definitely avoiding me. 

Dan Heng stares blankly as the door to the archives opens. He steps outside of the room tiredly, his long, glowy teal tail practically dragging along the floor, uncaring of whether he would dirty his tail and his sash on the floor. He'd often forgotten how quiet it was on the Star Rail's outer reaches, away from the hustle and bustle of the more densely packed passenger cars. Only the slight hum of the machinery and some very quiet ambient music from the speakers remain. 

Walking around the hallway of the express, he finally encounters Caelus, who is sitting at the back of the Passenger Cabin, an isolated area of the place that is just next to Welt’s locked room. 

With dim lights from the whale-shaped lamps, some potted plants, and two cosy red lounge chairs, not many passengers would venture there unless they needed to recuperate from social activities. 

Caelus, being oblivious to his surroundings, is playing a game on his phone. He sits hunched over his phone, his thumbs moving and pressing deftly against the screen. His brow furrows in concentration, his eyes locked on the bright display, oblivious to the world around him. 

“Yes!” Caelus gives himself a fist bump for his declared victory, and continues to keep himself glued to the screen.

Unbeknownst to him, Dan Heng watches from a distance, his gaze fixed intently on his profile. A furrow of concern mars his eyebrows as he observes Caelus’s absorbed demeanour, a nagging worry gnawing at the corners of their mind. 

A sinking feeling settles in Dan Heng’s stomach. He can’t help but wonder– is Caelus truly unaware of his presence, or is he purposefully ignoring him, retreating into the safety of his visual cocoon to avoid him? 

Enough is enough. This has to stop.

With a resolute sigh, Dan Heng walks up to Caelus, his eyes glowing in bright teal with determination. 

“Caelus.” Dan Heng immediately grabs his phone, covering the screen with his hand. “We need to talk.” 

“Hey! I was about to win–” Caelus’s eyes widen in surprise from seeing Dan Heng, his mouth immediately shut tight. 

In his phone, a red screen pops up, chanting the same words over and over again. 

GAME OVER! GAME OVER! 

“Oh, hey Dan Heng.” Caelus immediately stands up from his seat, shoving his phone in his pocket. “I… Sorry, you must’ve heard that noise on my phone. I guess it must be kinda late, we should get some sleep now.” 

Caelus attempts to shimmy his way out of Dan Heng’s proximity, but his long tail immediately encircles around Caelus’s thigh, rendering him partially immobile to escape. It doesn’t help Caelus much either when Dan Heng wraps Caelus’s waist with his arm, forcing him to look into his bright teal eyes.  

“Hey, Dan Heng…” Caelus tries to remove himself. “What’s with all of this?”  

“Why…” Caelus notices that Dan Heng’s voice is cracked with desperation. “Why have you been avoiding me?” 

“Whaaaaaaaat?” Caelus distorts his voice into an alto, eyes darting anywhere else but Dan Heng’s. “Of course not, I mean– We’re the Astral Express gang, why would I simply avoid–” 

“Caelus!” 

That immediately made Caelus shut his mouth, finally looking at Dan Heng. Just then, Caelus’s eyes are glossy from seeing all of the details of Dan Heng. With Dan Heng’s long black hair laying on both sides of his shoulders, his striking red eyeliners, his green horns, and his outfit having a cutout on the chest that accentuates the contour of his skin, immediately made Caelus’s ears blush in a bright hue of red. 

When did Dan Heng look this beautiful? 

No– He’s always been this beautiful. 

“I know I wasn’t upfront about my past,” Dan Heng could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes. His eyes conveyed vulnerability that Caelus saw only when they were together. “But… I promise that I would never leave the express, and I promise that I would never hurt any of you. I never like to cling to my past, because I didn’t want my past to drag you guys down with me.” 

“Dan Heng…” 

“I guess I just want to say that I can understand why you would avoid me.” Dan Heng continues, his tail clutching onto Caelus’s thigh even tighter. “I wasn’t upfront with you guys, and I’d stubbornly do things my way. But all I really want to say is that… you, and everyone else on the express mean so much to me. The unrest within me seeks an escape, and the express is my choice. So please, don’t ignore or avoid me. I’d rather you yell at me rather than avoiding me like a stranger.” 

Caelus slowly reaches his hand out, gently stroking Dan Heng’s arm without thinking. Dan Heng body shivers under Caelus’s touch, yet doesn’t retract himself.  

“I’m sorry.” Caelus finally mutters a sentence. “I just… I was a bit… What do I call that word? Peeved, I guess.” 

“Peeved?” Dan Heng blinks his eyes in confusion. “About what?” 

Choices of dialogues appear in front of Caelus’s eyes. 

► (Confess to Dan Heng about how much he frustrates you and bite his neck)

► (Tell him he’s handsome and how much you care about him) 

► (Come on… you wanna do all of it right? Come on, do it!!) 

Hmm...

[pillotalkin]

My Little Pony: Chaos is Magic pt 3 ( pt 1 | pt 2 )

Thorny Rose (Amy) and Twin Tails (Tails) are close friends of Sonic Speeds', and fellow trainee knights. The three of them began training at the same time, fueled by their shared determination to protect the peace of Equestria. More details below the cut!

Thorny Rose, being an Earth pony, possesses great strength, which allows her to use heavier equipment than the Pegasi or Unicorn trainees can. Her weapon of choice is a hefty hammer imbued with magic that summon winds or grow plants, which she wields with a level of skill even her Earth pony peers can't seem to match. She is training to be a royal guard alongside Sonic Speeds, as she wishes to use her might to defend Equestria and the people she loves from any harm that may come their way. She's protective, and proud, and not afraid to speak her mind. At one point in their friendship she fostered feelings of love for Sonic Speeds, but he was clear about his disinterest, and she moved on quickly, having more pertinent things to worry about. Now, she merely admires him- and chastises him when his ego gets him in trouble. She's had to save him from sticky situations more than once.

Twin Tails, though still fairly young, has great talent in mechanics and engineering, so rather than undergoing physical training to join the guard himself, he instead works towards improving the technology of the Equestrian army. He studies more closely under Prince Brilliant Mind than most of the other trainees, as the Prince has a similar talent, being the one responsible for developing much of the weaponry, armor, and other machinery currently being utilized by the royal guard and Equestrian army. Twin Tails idolizes the prince for his intellect and ingenuity and longs to be as great an inventor one day, but he also looks up to Sonic Speeds, who has been like an older brother to him for much of his life, quite a bit. His lack of physical might at times makes him feel inferior to his friends who are training to fight for Equestria on the frontlines, but he puts his all into supporting them with his magic-imbued inventions.

When Sonic Speeds is sent on his quest to find Midnight Star, his friends stay behind in the royal city, worriedly awaiting his return.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Thanks so much for doing all this, I love what you do for enjoyers of ttrpgs!!

What I'm looking for is epistolary or long-distance, asynchronous games for multiple players. I know you've done lists of 2-player games that people can play in their own time (writing letters or journal entries back and forth, stating your actions in a message then waiting for the other player, etc) but I was wondering if there were any I could play with 3 or more players with different timezones & schedules at once.

Genre and playstyle are flexible, we love trying new mechanics! I've struggled to find games to fit this myself, so I hope you can have a little more luck. You're awesome for taking these requests and finding so many different games for people!

THEME: Asynch & Epistolary for 3 or More.

Hello friend! First of all, I’m going to send you to my Epistolary (Part 3) post because that was specifically for 3 or more players, as well as my first epistolary post because there were a number there that could also be played with a number of people.

But don't worry, there's more!

Angels of the Railway Stations, by Speak the Sky.

There’s only so much you can do alone, but you’re not alone. There’s only so much that can be done with any one meeting, but life is more than one meeting. As you go through the stages of Arrival, Stopover, and Departure, take notes of everything in the form of a letter to be sent on with the train when it leaves the station. These letters should give your fellow angels more context to help the traveller in need along the way. They’re also your only way to communicate with your colleagues and comrades.

Angels of the Railway Stations is an epistolary game for 2+ players in which you play a liminal community of lonely angels. Help lonely travellers in a world undergoing a great upheaval, then write about what you see and do to pass it on to the next angel down the line.

All of the rules for this game can fit on one page, and require you to rely on other players to determine what each of your passengers need and help them get to where they need to go - on time. Angels of the Railway Station references a game called Black Engines, which does not actually exist, which means that many parts of this game will require your play group to fill in the blanks. That being said, I think Angels of the Railway Station has plenty of potential when it comes to telling emotional stories.

Intersecting Orbits, by Ell Schulman.

For as long as there have been Orbiters, there has been the Interference. Spikes in data that have no business being there, garbled words, ghosts in the machinery. Few people believe truly in the existence of the Interference as an entity.The Interference does not care what they believe.

The planet below is alive. There are deep oceans and high mountains and biomes we do not have names for. There are plants and animals that do not conform to systems we know.

There are people who look up at the stars and wonder who else is out there.There is so much to explore. 

Intersecting Orbits is a game for three players, two of whom play Orbiters sending messages back and forth and one of whom plays the Interference who intercepts those messages and removes words from them. 

Using a deck of cards, the two Orbiters will try to communicate to each-other about something that is going on. Meanwhile, the Interference uses 2d6 to determine how many words of the message they can remove. You can probably use this method either by sending letters to each-other, or by writing e-mails or sending texts, so I think this game is definitely flexible in terms of how quickly you want to send messages to each-other, and how long you want the game to run.

Chronicle, by a.fell.

The world is coming to an end. It has been foretold, and so it shall be. We cannot stop it; we only wait, and observe, and recall.

This is a game to create a chronicle of a world, and to find the world again in the last seconds of its life. The game is different depending on which path you choose to take.

You will not play together. You might not play at the same time, or in the same place. You might not even know each other before you play this game.

When you play The Chronicler, you will play alone, across time, across worlds. There is foretelling that an end is coming. You are here to ensure that your life, your people, and your world, survive. The Witnesses will find your artifacts an unknowable amount of time later. They will observe, they will wonder, they will remember their own lives, and they will know you. The world they know is empty, and soon they, too, will be gone. But they will carry these moments with them.

Chronicle uses a tarot deck (or something similar) as an oracle, and requires some form of map for the Chronicler to add to. The Chronicler will draw from this deck to create the events, artifacts and messages from this world. Most of the Chronicler’s work is done by the time the Witnesses come into play, who will travel across the map, pick up artifacts left behind by the Chronicler, and use their own oracle decks to recall personal memories. Eventually, a cataclysm will fall, and the game will end.

Leaving Cambridge, by Nora Katz.

You were together once, a lifetime ago, in a place called Cambridge. It was a place you held dear—a place that you called home, even if just for a moment. But something strange or sinister happened, and now you are all gone, dispersed across countries, continents, and maybe even worlds. There are stories untold and things unsaid. This is your chance to say them. 

“Leaving Cambridge” is an intimate, asynchronous storytelling game that takes place through letters exchanged between a group of people who have parted ways. Over the course of a real-life calendar year, a group of players write letters to each other, piecing together what happened to them, trying to reconcile their checkered pasts with their current realities. As the letters arrive, this group of people will come to understand each other, and themselves, with more clarity—and, most likely, more questions. 

Leaving Cambridge is a setting-agnostic game, so you can set it at any time period and any technology level, as long as it is possible that all of the players at some point went to Cambridge together.. What remains true is that you were once friends, but you have since grown apart. You will draw from a deck of cards, with red cards reflecting memories you share and black cards representing your emotions. Writing will happen over four seasons, with an inciting reason for you to get back in touch with each-other, and generative prompts that encourage your characters to reveal pieces of themselves the longer that they write.

I’d Also Recommend…

When I Lived Here, by a grumpy little critter.

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

What subjects are actually taught at the academy? I've heard of recreational mathematics, thermodynamics, and touch telepathy, but what other courses are there?

What subjects do young Gallifreyans and Time Lords learn?

For once, we can be very very detailed about this!

🔬 Fundamental and Advanced Sciences

Quantum Mechanics: Introduced early in Gallifreyan education, this subject uses multidimensional geometry to solve complex problems, exploring the interplay between abstract concepts and physical realities.

Thermodynamics: This subject explores the principles of energy conversion between heat and other forms of energy, crucial for understanding the energetic dynamics of time-travel technology.

Cybernetics: Focuses on the study and construction of systems with regulatory functions, integrating technological and biological processes for the creation and maintenance of cybernetic beings and advanced machinery.

Matrix Diagnostics: Covers the techniques and tools used for diagnosing and maintaining the Matrix, a vast repository of Time Lord knowledge and consciousness. [See: How does the Matrix work?]

⏲️ Specialised Temporal Studies

Basic Temporal Theory: Introduces the concepts of time and its properties, laying the groundwork for more advanced temporal manipulation studies.

Advanced Temporal Theory: Offered to students with intellectual perseverance, diving deeper into complex temporal phenomena and manipulation techniques.

Temporal Engineering: Encompasses engineering principles to temporal mechanics, essential for practical time manipulation.

TT Capsule Construction and Design: Focuses on the design and construction techniques specific to Time Travel Capsules, integrating advanced dimensional engineering and Veteran and Vintage Timeships.

TT Capsule Operation and Maintenance: Includes Space-Time Navigation, covering the operational aspects and routine maintenance of TARDISes.

Engineering Theory: The study of spaceship construction in general from different cultures.

Stellar Engineering and Cosmic Science: Deals with the manipulation and understanding of cosmic phenomena.

Dimensional Science: Studies the properties and manipulation of various dimensions beyond the standard three-dimensional space.

Dimensional Engineering: Applies engineering principles to manipulate and control various dimensions for practical uses.

Spatial Cartography: Teaches the mapping of space and the intricate layers of multiple dimensions.

Temporal Protocol and The Laws of Time: Ensures that all actions taken by Time Lords are in accordance with Gallifreyan law and temporal ethics.

Temporal Classics: Studies classic temporal theories and their applications through history.

🧠 Psychic and Telepathic Disciplines

Touch Telepathy: Teaches advanced communication techniques using innate psychic abilities.

Telepathic Defence: Includes mind-shielding techniques to protect students from psychic intrusions.

Psychic Field Manipulation: Standard training that covers manipulating one's psychic environment, including the science of Temporal Stasis.

🎨 Arts and General Studies

Super-logic: A complex form of logic used to solve problems that are beyond traditional logical frameworks.

Recreational Mathematics: This probably includes the study of happy prime numbers and other 'fun' maths (is there such a thing?), blending leisure with learning.

Art: Covers various forms of Gallifreyan art, including the creation and study of stasis cube art.

Gallifreyan History: Covers Gallifrey's past, including studying cosmic influences like those of the Assyrians.

Future History: Involves the study of fixed points in history, such as the Cro-magnon period on Earth.

Vector Justice: Teaches the principles of fairness and justice as practised by the ancient organisation known as the Vectors.

Botany and Biology: This field covers the study of Gallifreyan and alien plant and animal life, incorporating advanced biophysical studies.

Medicine: Includes tri-bio-physics and other medical sciences.

Languages: Teaches the linguistic skills necessary to communicate across thousands of different languages.

Music: Explores musical theory and practice, including the traditional harp lessons.

Detachment and Physical Inactivity: Focuses on mental and physical disciplines required to maintain objectivity and calm in all situations.

📚 The Culture of Learning

The Academy isn't just about academic achievement but also about instilling a deep-seated ethos of service and responsibility towards time and the wider universe. It's complemented by:

The Codex of Disciplines: A guide to the ethical and practical aspects of time travel and interaction with both time and the multitude of species across the universe.

Competitive and Collaborative Learning: From zero-gravity hyperball teams to Academy Sprint Championships, Time Lords are encouraged to excel in both individual and team endeavours.

Hope that helped! 😃

-------------------------------------------------------

》📫Got a question / submission? 》😆Jokes |🫀Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts 》📚Complete list of Q+A 》📜Masterpost If you like what GIL does, please consider buying a coffee or tipping below to help make future projects, including complete biology and language guides.

[drcyrusbortel]

The Assistant

It's not an interrogation. They just want to properly debrief you.

That was what Rex had said, and Hunter had nodded along. And Omega trusted both with her life.

Unfortunately, it seemed that nobody had told the intelligence officer in the nondescript - Alderaanian? - uniform, or the designers of the dimly lit durasteel cubicle that he had chosen as a venue for his... debriefing.

The spook fired up his holorecorder and set it on the table, bathing them in an eerie blue glow.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we? What's the first thing you remember?"

=/=

…a beige-and-red helmet filling her mind with ideas and attitudes, facts and figures, instincts and reflexes, pouring composite memories and unlived experience and rote understanding into a meticulously engineered personality imprint stamped upon optimized wetware… 

The words came to her, unbidden, as she looked around the flash-training center. Walls of pure white adorned with a magnificent ultraviolet mosaic of Academian Vor Nui’s Great Lecture, as vivid as day in her mind’s eye, stared back at her. The other rigs were empty, odd considering the high facility overhead…

The door dilated, and a pair of tall, slender Kaminoans - adorned with the insignia of very senior scientific officers - glided into the room.  

She snapped to attention, rattled off her serial number, and reported herself fit for service to the scientists towering over her.

The younger Kaminoan was first to speak. 

“I am Doctor Nala Se. This is Chief Scientist Ko Sai. We are part of the senior scientific staff providing support to Kaminoan Industries’ flagship Republic Military Project. Can you describe your training?”

She blinked. Medicine. Genetics. Bioengineering. 

And much, much, more. 

A vague disquiet stirred in her chest, as she looked down at herself. Biologically five standard. Small batch production. Nonstandard flash training. Modified mass production clone, alternative template, or composite?

“Modified mass production product.” Nala Se noted. “Please proceed.”  

She almost felt dizzy, but complied with the directive, describing her scientific background even as a small part of her seemed to yearn for service of the Galactic Republic, its Constitution, and its elected officials. 

Ko Sai smiled as she completed her report. “Excellent. You will be a most useful addition to Nala Se and her team.”

“Indeed.” Nala Se said. “As you know, Kaminoan Industries, in concert with the Government of Kamino, has embarked on the greatest industrial undertaking in Kaminoan history - the creation of a military force for the Galactic Republic.”

Ko Sai continued. “In essence, we have been tasked with converting a considerable infusion of financial capital into material capital, and in particular, human capital.”

“The economy of Kamino is to be totally remade in service of this goal. Extremely large investments into plant, machinery, and associated support and defense infrastructure are ongoing across Kamino and Her Colonies.” Nala Se bent down, bringing herself eye to eye with the human. “Commensurate investments are being made into new creche production - Kaminoan and human - to provide the necessary labor. You, and others like you, are part of this human capital accumulation.”

She nodded, understanding. 

“You will be working under Nala Se in support of our contracts for Clone Army research, development, production, and sustainment. You answer to her, and ultimately to me. You are property of Kaminoan Industries.” Ko Sai looked thoughtful. “You are not property of the Galactic Republic.”

Nala Se gestured to the door. “Please follow me. We must vacate the room for the next cohort. You are the last one.”

She obeyed, and followed Nala Se out the room. 

=/=

[horsesarecreatures]

Hey, uhm, about that „horse riding is harmful – but they need exercise!“ thread: what is never talked about in these discussions (this is my impression) is how priviliged it is that we can even abstain from using horses for transportation and farming.

And while our lifes have become much more comfortable since machines have replaced horses in these fields, I would argue that this shift has been very bad for nature as a whole. Even if someone does not believe in climate change, they could still see how it was bad that we built (and are building) asphalt streets and railroad tracks through wildlife habitats. And big machinery driving over soil compresses the earth unnecessarily, which makes it more difficult for plants to regrow. This would not be a problem if we still used horses.

I’m also wondering what people who are against horse owning would say to people who live in circumstances where they are still dependent on their animals. People who maybe live somewhere were the infrastructure needed in order to be able to use fossil fueled vehicles is not yet present. Or people who are just poor. Should they also stop riding and driving horses?

All of that being said, let’s imagine the consequences of gradually stopping all horse ownership. All horses currently living with humans as pets will stay with their owners and be cared for until they die, procreation will be prevented. (The alternative would of course be to release them into the wild, but deciding on WHERE to do so is very difficult and let’s just not do that in this scenario, as to not disturb already established ecosystems). Horse breeds which have been living with humans for the past thousands of years will go extinct. All the knowledge about how to feed horses, about horse behaviour and how to interact with them and about how to safely train them to be driven and ridden in a sustainable way will only exist in books within a hundred years. We are talking about skills that, at the end of the day, are more efficiently learned if there are teachers whom actually are practicing the craft. Humanity as a whole lives a bit more removed from nature – although, that is just how I see it.

I hope it’s okay for me to unload my thoughts on this onto you – I’m too shy to write under the post directly, but I really want to get this out of my head.

I live in germany by the way and I own a little pony mare. I don’t actually know her breed, it must have not been documented when she was born. She probably is a german riding pony with a healthy dose of arabian blood in her. I’ve riden and worked with horses for 14 years now and owned my mare for 5. I bought her when she was 11 years old and noone had really cared for her for two years. She spend that time on a pasture with other horses and was slightly malnourished and apathetic then. These days her fur is sparkling and her muscles have developed nicely and she expresses more happiness overall.

Hey, I don't know about the original poster as I don't follow them, but @acti-veg actually addresses your first point quite frequently. There are many people who cannot afford to not eat meat, abstain from medications that have been tested on animals, use horses for farming or transportation, etc. But the definition of veganism is, "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” If a person cannot avoid some form of animal exploitation because of their health or inability to make an alternative living, this does not preclude them from being a vegan as long as they do their best to limit their reliance on animals in other areas.

I agree that industrialization has led to many advancements in society at the detriment of nature and biodiversity. But I would also point out that if people switched back to horses today, at our current population, that would also not be sustainable. There is not enough land to keep them properly without adding more to deforestation, and plowing with horses is less precise and worse for the soil than some up and coming alternatives, like laser weeding and using robotic seed planting, which can eliminate the need to plowing entirely.

You are right that if people stopped breeding horses many breeds would go extinct and knowledge in how to care for them would be lost. This is a downside that has to be balanced against the upsides, like no more halter horse monstrosities, no more horses being dumped & shipped to slaughter, and the potential for farmland to be re-wilded which would increase biodiversity.

It's totally ok to share your thoughts here, and your pony sounds super cute!

[calebwittebane]

so fucking funny when my brain is like. hey bitch. i see youre going to sleep well heres the thing. im gonna give you some dreams now. picture this. imagine youre staying in a truly bizarre, labyrinth-like hotel thats not even rly divided into rooms, its just like, heres your pile of shit, loose furniture, make yourself at home. anyway theres creatures roaming the place. they can stun you and cause you profound pain. ohh yeah reminder you feel pain in dreams. full sensory experience. remember that. anyway you contact the hotel owner to gently point out a civil engineering safety regulation issue in the building (unrelated to the already mentioned flaws). he seems grateful. it hurts you when you try to speak, btw.

there are, also, flocks of small birds stuck in time, everywhere, dont touch them or theyll crash into what from their perspective is a solid object moving at light speed, and theyll be obliterated. okay so the hotel owner is like thanks for the tip i will get that checked out. Surprise! youre a demon whos been on the run. the hotel owner is your uncle and also a demon hunter whos been Waiting for you. you were supposed to be outside of the solar system, but looks like not only were you paying a visit to earth, you were foolish and arrogant enough to disguise yourself as a human and pull this kind of stupid stunt! well, thats not fucking good.

you dont know what he plans to do, so you do your best to escape His Twisted Hotel Realm. its not easy, but thanks to your ability to fly and to briefly become invisible and able to phase through solid matter, you manage to get out. youre out in the city now. its a Twisted Fucked Up version of warsaw. i mean like Continent Sized. whatever. youre gonna try to get to a train station and then figure out the rest. you take off flying in a direction that seems right.

well, flying is hard. its tiresome. and there are power lines everywhere. get above the power lines level you idiot. oh oops theyre at Every Altitude. gotta make sure you dont fly into them. so dont fly too fast. but you have to maintain a good speed, otherwise youll lose lift. oough oof ouch, you touched some of those wires, that sure hurt! well, this will be an ordeal.

oh geeze! it seems like youve flown into Gargantuan Horrifying Industrial Zone. its the part of the city thats all Mind Bendingly Huge machinery, excavators, pipes, endless fields of moving parts, saws, pumps, i mean theres nowhere to land. theres like, Walking Coal Excavators. walking moving coal plants. huge collapsing exploding structures--everything is so gargantuan, red-hot, horrible and dangerous, theres shit exploding and collapsing all the time. there are fires everywhere. oil spilling. toxic smoke. and of course power lines at every altitude. and enormous moving parts. well good luck flying through this Zone.

oh well! you try. you have powers after all. you try to fly through this Zone. a walking power plant almost crushes you with its incomprehensibly huge, rusty, titan limbs and machinery. maintaining invincibility while flying is Really hard and at a certain level of exhaustion its likely to malfunction, and if it does at a bad moment, youll be obliterated painfully.

well it happens. it hurts. but instead of dying you clip thru the ground into Huge Underground Tunne Network where the workers live and work and navigate the place. you try to hide in storages and unused tunnels and shit, but thing is, due to how Enormous all the shit upstairs is, the whole tthing is like a living organism. when a walking coal plant passes above, the tunnels contract and loosen up and give in, and some of them get squeezed completely. the workers know how to navigate this, but you dont, so you get painfully squished by a contracting tunnel. youre too exhausted to turn invincible.

well you decide trying to blend in is your best chance. best you can do with how tired you are is take the form of a young worker and pretend to be a new guy. some other workers (theyre all like combination coal miners and prisoners) immediately fall in love with you and try to hook up with you. you accept their advances to get information. they tell you about a train line running thru the zone that can take you to the outskirts. next one is tomorrow. you accept that as your best bet. after hours of grueling work and a painful experience all around, you get on the train. its old and falling apart. hard to tell where its going exactly. it breaks down. youre stranded. where are you? you dont know.

ugh! this wouldnt be happening if you werent a demon. which btw other workers figured out that you are. they start drowning you in a bucket of water. you start laughing at them. its not funny. you hurt all over. you want to die, but you never will. youre cursed to live through your own painful horrifying death endlessly, over and over.

also youre 10 and your parents are fighting

[ukrainenews]

The wall of a major dam in southern Ukraine collapsed Tuesday, triggering floods, endangering Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and threatening drinking water supplies as both sides in the war rushed to evacuate residents and blamed each other for the destruction.

Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River in an area that Moscow controls, while Russian officials blamed Ukrainian bombardment in the contested area. It was not possible to verify the claims.

The potentially far-reaching environmental and social consequences of the disaster quickly became clear as homes, streets and businesses flooded downstream and emergency crews began evacuations; officials raced to check cooling systems at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; and authorities expressed concern about supplies of drinking water to the south in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Both Russian and Ukrainian authorities brought in trains and buses for residents. About 22,000 people live in areas at risk of flooding in Russian-controlled areas, while 16,000 live in the most critical zone in Ukrainian-held territory, according to official tallies. Neither side reported any deaths or injuries.

The dam break added a stunning new dimension to Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month. Ukrainian forces were widely seen to be moving forward with a long-anticipated counteroffensive in patches along more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of front line in the east and south.

It was not immediately clear whether either side benefits from the damage to the dam, since both Russian-controlled and Ukrainian-held lands are at risk. The damage could also hinder Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south and distract its government, while Russia depends on the dam to supply water to Crimea.

Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security Program at Chatham House think tank in London, said apportioning blame is difficult but “there are all sorts of reasons why Russia would do this.”

“There were reports (last fall) of Russians having mined the reservoir. The question we should pose is why the Ukrainians would do this to themselves, given this is Ukrainian territory,” she said.

Experts have previously said the dam was suffering from disrepair. David Helms, a retired American scientist who has monitored the reservoir since the start of the war, said in an e-mail that it wasn’t clear if the damage was deliberate or simple neglect from Russian forces occupying the facility.

But Helms reserved judgement, also noting a Russian history of attacking dams.

Authorities, experts and residents have expressed concern for months about water flows through — and over — the Kakhovka dam. After heavy rains and snow melt last month, water levels rose beyond normal levels, flooding nearby villages. Satellite images showed water washing over damaged sluice gates.

Amid official outrage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council. He alleged Russian forces set off a blast inside the dam structure at 2:50 a.m. (2350 GMT Monday) and said about 80 settlements were in danger. Zelenskyy said in October his government had information that Russia had mined the dam and power plant.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it “a deliberate act of sabotage by the Ukrainian side … aimed at cutting water supplies to Crimea.”

Both sides warned of a looming environmental disaster. Ukraine’s Presidential Office said some 150 metric tons of oil escaped from the dam machinery and that another 300 metric tons could still leak out.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s President’s Office, posted a video showing swans swimming near an administrative building in the flooded streets of Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka, a city in the Kherson region where some 45,000 people lived before the war. Other footage he posted showed flood waters reaching the second floor of the building.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry urged residents of 10 villages on the Dnieper’s right bank and parts of the city of Kherson downriver to gather essential documents and pets, turn off appliances, and leave, while cautioning against possible disinformation.

The Russian-installed mayor of occupied Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, said it was being evacuated as water poured into the city.

Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom said in a Telegram statement that the damage to the dam “could have negative consequences” for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is Europe’s biggest, but wrote that for now the situation is “controllable.”

The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement there was “no immediate risk to the safety of the plant,” which requires water for its cooling system.

It said that IAEA staff on site have been told the dam level is falling by 5 centimeters (2 inches) an hour. At that rate, the supply from the reservoir should last a few days, it said.

The plant also has alternative sources of water, including a large cooling pond than can provide water “for some months,” the statement said.

Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that the dam’s failure could unleash 18 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water and flood Kherson and dozens of other areas where thousands of people live.

The World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development, a Ukrainian nongovernmental organization, estimated that nearly 100 villages and towns would be flooded. It also reckoned that the water level would start dropping only after five-seven days.

A total collapse in the dam would wash away much of the broad river’s left bank, according to the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Working Group, an organization of environmental activists and experts documenting the war’s environmental effects.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that “a global ecological disaster is playing out now, online, and thousands of animals and ecosystems will be destroyed in the next few hours.”

Video posted online showed floodwaters inundating a long roadway; another showed a beaver scurrying for high ground from rising waters.

The incident also drew international condemnation, including from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who said the “outrageous act … demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

Ukraine controls five of the six dams along the Dnieper, which runs from its northern border with Belarus down to the Black Sea and is crucial for the country’s drinking water and power supply.

Ukraine’s state hydro power generating company wrote in a statement that “The station cannot be restored.” Ukrhydroenergo also claimed Russia blew up the station from inside the engine room.

Leontyev, the Russian-appointed mayor, said numerous Ukrainian strikes on the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant destroyed its valves, and “water from the Kakhovka reservoir began to uncontrollably flow downstream.” Leontyev added that damage to the station was beyond repair, and it would have to be rebuilt.

Ukraine and Russia have previously accused each other of targeting the dam with attacks.

[fairerhousethanprose]

The Sarah Poems

We give each other a year to find reasons to live, but it’s not even day one and I have a handful, more than enough for the both of us: last night the train heavy on its tracks yowled in such a discordant way you would’ve laughed your ass off, this marvel of man- made machinery, its tons of machismo, honking most undignified. Who will notice if we’re gone? How about this: my money plant actually withers when my bank account nears $0. Coincidence? I think not. What about all the dogs we could rescue and the ones we can’t if we’re not here? Think of the sweet mutts who took a shovel to the head and still survived. Who will love them like you will love them? And you haven’t seen the curiosity of hens, how they bawk and preen and peck and bully, the small miracle that is an egg every morning, still warm. Today the nesting box latch broke and the hens got loose. There’s nothing like the bliss of a silly bird who thinks she’s outfoxed her keeper, puffed there on the maple stump, grooming her wings, her triumphant saddles. The birds escape more than I care to admit, and one day I’m sure I’ll find them gone, like when Dorothea flew over my head and out into the street and I ran like I hadn’t since middle school gym class, my lungs barely burning for the adrenaline, me yelling after this chicken in front of God and my neighbors in a city that hasn’t even roused yet, me versus the hen who can’t be reasoned with: But the stray cats will eat you! The hawks will too! You’re everyone’s food! Sarah, maybe we should be like the hen who thought I might eat her but was tired from the chase and scared of what’s next, who chose instead to trust the arms around her would carry her back home, who laid her head on my wrist, whose heartbeat begged my hand for mercy. Have mercy on me, I don’t want to live in a world without you.

[aer-arts]

Decided to reintroduce the fossil fighters Trio over here

Fish is originally a scout who specializes in exploring underwater ecosystems, however after being woken up and sent to earth to search for the totems in the ocean, the gained a fascination with fossil fighters and are now trying to become one by using their human form to not draw too much attention to themselves, despite the fact their disguise technology doesn’t work correctly half the time regardless of how many times they gets Roach to fix it 

After getting use to life on Earth, they eventually get a job doing search and rescue along side Finch, along with doing assorted tasks around the park, wether it’s moving stuff, clearing debris, etc.

Their battle form is a close ranged water type with an ability that greatly boosts attack when not affected by support effects

Backstory: Fish was born in a small coastal town on the dinaurian home planet. Their maternal grandmother was part of the royal family, however she estranged herself because she didn’t like politics. Their mother runs a saltwater filtration plant that helps provide drinking water for larger cities, and their father, who’s a plesiosaur descended subspecies, is a seaweed farmer. Growing up Fish mostly just helped their parents out.  One day while exploring they accidentally snuck into a military base, the soldiers stationed there found them entertaining and were impressed by Fish’s physical prowess. Eventually they were invited to train at the military school in the capital, and after barely managing to convince their mother they did. While in school they met Roach (was exploring the vents and fell into their workshop) and the two of them became friends. Around the time Fish was 18, the day before their graduation, the Guhnash incident occurred and everyone had to evacuate the planet, Fish survived but their parents didn’t. While on the mothership Fish would go on to be a royal guard, however they were eventually relocated to the Scouting department due to being the only dinaurian onboard adapted to aquatic expeditions. 

Roach is a highly respected dinaurian engineer who helped with the creation and maintenance of the technology that allows dinaurian to take battle forms. After being awakened from stone sleep he’s taken a fascination to human technology and would much rather screw around with that than do his actual job, along with continuing to make unconventional dinomatons of varying effectiveness. After getting used to life on earth he was eventually hired by the fossil center to help maintain servers and various other machinery vital to keeping everything up and running

His battle form resembles a robotic Radox with freaky mechanical legs. He’s a mid ranged neutral type with an ability that nullifies all support effects.

Backstory: Him and Raptin are sons of two dinaurian elites and lived in the dinaurian capital. Like their parents they were expected to go through school and work directly for the royal family. Roach was always more successful then Raptin, being a natural prodigy when it came to engineering, this along with their parents expectations strained their relationship and resulted in Raptin developing an inferiority complex, which Roach always blamed himself for. One day, Fish ended up falling into their workshop, which initially scared Roach. While they didn’t actually get along at first, they came to become close friends. Fish taught Roach how to have fun and that he’s allowed to do things because he wants to. Additionally Roach greatly admired Fish’s free spirited nature, and each of them inspired the other to work harder so they could work together when they were done with school. However, disaster struck when he was 18, and he was forced to evacuate the planet due to Guhnash, he escaped alongside Raptin but neither of their parents survived. While on the mothership he continued his role as an engineer, making sure the ship worked alongside helping develop weapons that could potentially defeat Guhnash. Eventually some scientist obtained a fragment of Guhnash tissue and started a research project on it, though it was located on a separate ship due to safety concerns, Roach was invited to be the top engineer for this top secret project and he accepted. However things went horribly wrong and the sample blew up, causing the ship to crash onto earth. Roach was caught directly in the blast, severely scarring him and damaging his nervous system, however he made it to a stone sleep pod and activated it before he could succumb to his wounds. He would’ve been found on the secret island after the events of the first game, and woken up and given proper medical treatment

Finch is a former college athlete (she played baseball) who lost her scholarship after having to get her leg amputated. Despite this she’s still doing fine physically, she just can’t run like she used to. However, by pure coincidence, Dr. Diggins offered her a job at the Vivosaur Island fossil park, where she had previously worked part time. So currently she works search and rescue, helping people who get stuck in areas of the park. 

During the events of the first game she was actually off island visiting family, but literally no one told her about what had happened until she got back and she was incredibly confused as to wtf a dinaurian is and still doesn’t fully believe they’re aliens. Despite this she was hired by the park staff to keep an eye on Fish (and by extension Roach) and keep them out of trouble and help them adjust and learn about human culture. Despite the pretenses they met on, she ended up becoming close friends with the two dinaurians and she kinda just helps enable their shenanigans while exploiting every loophole to keep them out of trouble

She’s the most abrasive of trio, she can be impulsive and has an ego cause she thinks she’s cool. But once she manages to make a friend she genuinely cares for them and would fist fight a T Rex for them if needed. She tends to make comedic jabs and tease people, but that just means she likes you

her leg was amputated after an accident while getting her flying license, essentially she fell of a ptera and shattered the bone to the point where it wasn’t going to heal well enough to be useable, despite this she’s adapted well and is doing fine

I love these guys a lot and they bring me a ton of comfort, I definitely plan on drawing them more but I kinda have to wait for the motivation to hit as I’m currently focused on the great sea cast. These guys don’t really have a set story, it’s mostly just them screwing around in my mostly fanon take of Fossil Island, because Fossil Fighters is a childhood game of mine that I hold dear to my heart