#Specialty Excavators

[puckettrents]

Mini Excavators, Standard Excavators & Specialty Excavators: Popular Rentals

Excavators are versatile machines that are widely used in construction, mining, and other industries. They are commonly rented due to their high cost of purchase and maintenance. In this blog, we will explore the differences between Mini Excavators, Standard Excavators, and Specialty Excavators and their popularity as rental machines.

Mini Excavators

Mini Excavators are small, compact machines that are designed for small-scale projects or tight spaces. They are typically less than six metric tons and come with a variety of attachments such as buckets, hammers, and augers. Due to their size and versatility, they are a popular rental choice for landscaping, plumbing, and electrical projects.

Standard Excavators

Standard Excavators are medium-sized machines that range from six to thirty-five metric tons. They are equipped with a hydraulic system that allows them to move large amounts of material quickly. Standard Excavators are popular rentals for large-scale construction projects, such as digging foundations, grading land, and demolishing buildings.

Specialty Excavators

Specialty Excavators are designed for specific tasks such as demolition, dredging, and forestry. These machines come with specialized attachments and features that make them ideal for specific projects. For example, a demolition excavator might have a hydraulic crusher attachment for breaking up concrete structures, while a dredging excavator may have a long reach arm to reach the bottom of a body of water. Specialty Excavators are popular rentals for specialized projects where a standard excavator would not be efficient or safe.

Popularity of Rentals

Excavators are expensive machines that require regular maintenance and upkeep. As a result, they are often rented rather than purchased. The popularity of excavator rentals is due to the cost savings, flexibility, and convenience they offer. Renting allows contractors to use the latest equipment without the financial burden of ownership, and they only pay for the machine when they need it. Rentals also offer flexibility since contractors can choose the right size and type of excavator for the project without committing to a long-term investment.

In conclusion, Mini Excavators, Standard Excavators, and Specialty Excavators are popular rentals due to their versatility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Whether you are a contractor, landscaper, or DIY enthusiast, renting an excavator can help you complete your project safely, quickly, and efficiently. To know more visit https://puckettrents.com/ or call us at 601-939-5151.

Original Source: Mini Excavators, Standard Excavators & Specialty Excavators: Popular Rentals

[pekoehoneyncream]

Ghoaptober # 26

Prompt: Blood

Words: 1000

TW: Depiction of Trans Man Having a Period (sfw)

This version of Ghoaptober was created by @spadesandshovels

Crazy to think there's only five more prompts to go. Don't know what I'm gonna do with myself during November.

Enjoy!

“Tav,” Gaz tugged him off to the side, putting their backs to the wall and bending his head in close to murmur into Soap’s ear, “You’re bleeding through your shorts, bro.” 

“Am fuckin’ no’,” Soap snaps, his tone pleading. He twists and pulls his shorts off-centre and sees that Gaz was right, there’s blood seeping through the seat of his pants, “Mary, Jesus, Joseph, an’ the ass that took ‘em all tae Bethlehem, Ah bled through mah fuckin’ trews.”

Untwisting himself, Soap presses his back to the wall again and covers his face with his hands, hiding the mortified blush that he can feel creeping up his neck. 

“S’all good,” Gaz assures, shrugging out of his track jacket and hugging his arms around Soap briefly to securely tie it around his waist, letting the body of it hang down to cover Soap’s ass, “Go change, I can handle the rest of this on my own.” 

“‘hank ye, Ky.” Soap says sincerely, catching Gaz around the waist to pull him into an open one-armed hug, affectionately bonking their heads together. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Gaz plants a hand on Soap’s face and shoves him off, but can’t hide the small pleased smile that’s playing about his mouth, “Ge’ outta here.” 

Soap speeds his way back into the barracks building, walking at a clip that was a jog in everything but name. He would've sprinted, but he couldn’t risk some up jumped prick with something to prove stopping him for a reprimand right now.

Bursting into his bunk, he slammed the door shut and engaged the rarely used lock. He whipped Gaz’s jacket off and frantically searched for any signs that he’s accidentally stained it too. It was blessedly free of any marks and Soap heaves a relieved breath, he’s still going to launder it before giving it back, but if he’d bled on it Gaz would have been getting a whole new jacket. 

He yanks off his shorts and examines the scene of the crime. A small area of the seat and the line of the crotch are soaked with blood, it's thankfully still wet so he grabs a towel and rag he doesn’t care about, then rummages about until he unearths a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Spreading out the towel he sits himself on one end and drops the shorts on the free space leftover, not bothering to take off the boxers he’s wearing, he already knows there’ll be no saving them. Soap goes about dripping the peroxide over the bloody marks in the fabric, watching it foam and bubble, then daubing off the excess when it stopped reacting. Being careful not to rub and smear around the blood, the skill rusty but not lost to him. When the stain has lifted as much as it's going to, he bundles up the shorts and throws them into the small separate basket of laundry that he keeps for things that needed pretreatments before going through the wash. 

With a sigh Soap heaves himself back onto his feet, then goes to excavate the specialty boxers his older sister had gifted him, they had a detached gusset for pads and a pouch in the front for packers. Emerging triumphant from the back of his drawers, boxers in hand, he tossed them onto his cot and knelt to search its underbelly for his shoebox of menstrual products. Squeezing free the box, he cracks it open to find it well stocked. 

With dust.

Dust and expired Midol. 

Soap drops his head into his hands with a despairing groan. He hasn’t had a bleeding period in over a year, and of course he never restocked from the last one. The feeling of a drop of blood sliding down his thigh coaxes him out of his state of frozen misery, and he does an undignified knee-walk back over to the towel he hadn’t picked up and collapses onto it. 

What the fuck does he do now? He could stuff his undies with a rag and waddle to the commissary, but he really didn’t the schmuck running the cash to question why he was buying pads, nor did he really want to use the dirt cheap pads that the commissary was no doubt stocked with. He could go to a shop off base, but he’d need to sign out and he’d still have to waddle about with rags in his knickers. 

A chime comes from his laundry basket. He hadn’t emptied his fuckin' pockets. 

God damn it all. 

He flops over to the basket and divests the shorts of all his things, dropping everything but his phone carelessly onto his bed to deal with later, then dropping himself back onto his towel. Wishing he could deal with himself later too. 

“On my way” The message from Ghost reads. Gaz had no doubt told him, the helpful little snitch. 

Soap sends back a simple “Okay”.

He contemplates getting something a little more substantial than just his bloody briefs to cover his lower half, but he really doesn’t want to stain anything else today and Ghost has seen him in worse states. 

“Locked” Another message dings in from Ghost.

Tilting his head, Soap can see the break in light that comes in from under his door showing that someone is stood on the other side. How the fuck Ghost knows his door’s locked without jiggling the handle, Soap will never know. 

“Ah didnae give ye tha’ key jus’ tae weigh doon y’ur keyring,” He calls and in the next instant Ghost is inside, with the door securely shut behind him, looming over Soap’s sprawled body.

“Halo, mo chridhe,” Soap offers, not bothering to move. 

“Hey, Johnny,” Ghost rumbles, his voice rosy with affection, “heard you didn’t have the best morning,” 

“Aye,” Soap sighs, “Cannae say Ah did,”

“Would these help?” Ghost reveals a package of the commissary’s shite pads, “I know they’re not great, but it’s a stopgap while we go to the shops for something nicer.” 

“Simon,” Soap says with great seriousness, watching Ghost's eyes widen, “Ah love ye.”

Ghost’s eyes relax and crinkle into a smile, “Love you too, Johnny.”

Thank You For Reading!

I don't know if y'all know, but I do take prompts and requests, feel free to shout into my ask box. I'd love to hear from you!

PekoeHoneynCream's Masterlist

[ltwilliammowett]

What the hell do you do?

I'm just a freelancer sepulchral archaeologist. That means I specialise in death, documenting and analysing graves, mausoleums, tombs and so on. If necessary, I can also make them fresh for new residents, but renovations and restorations cost extra, as does a detailed excavation report. I also take care of mummies and special burial sites and their remains. Especially execution sites and mystical graves (horse's feet in a man's torso, vampire graves etc.) are one of my specialties - chronologically I am then set from the antiquity to the early 19th century.

Well, and on the side, I'm doing a degree in Maritime History.

[ask-gardenview]

TOONS! I HAVE RECOVERED FROM MY LAST INJURY, BUT GAINED ANOTHER. I HAVE BEEN POISONED AFTER DRINKING A SMALL AMOUNT OF ICHOR. I'M DIZZY, BUT ALIVE! ALL IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE!

COLLECTOR TOON, WHAT ITEM DO YOU HAVE THE HIGHEST STOCK OF?

TWIN TOONS, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE YOUR SEPARATION? ALSO, WHEN YOU WERE TOGETHER, HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH ARGUMENTS WHEN YOU COULDN'T WALK AWAY?

SHRIMP TOON, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ACTUALLY LIKE DOING?

SHELL TOON, WHO WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE BEST PARTNER TO BRING WHEN EXCAVATING FOSSILS? WERE THEY GOOD FOR PRODUCTIVITY OR CONVERSATING?

ROBOT TOON, DO YOU RUN ON BATTERIES, OR DO YOU HAVE TO CHARGE YOURSELF?

FLOWER TOON, IS IT TRUE YOU HAVE TO STAND ON A BOX TO REACH THE TABLE OF YOUR SHOP?

MOON TOON, WHAT DREAMS DO YOU GIVE THE BOX TOON THAT HE THINKS OF AS NIGHTMARES?

TISSUE TOON, DO YOU ENJOY CLEANING OR IS IT A CASE OF GERMOPHOBIA/OCD?

MUSIC TOON, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG, ALSO, HAS YOUR KEY EVER BEEN BROKEN?

DETECTIVE TOON, HOW MANY CASES HAVE YOU SOLVED AS OF NOW?

-🧫🐩

"Wh- DON'T DRINK ICHOR?? Th- sorry. I- hm. well.. I.. wish you a fast recovery. As for the dreams..? Well.. hm. I don't actually remember. I try to manage everyone's dreams, and that's 21 people.. hard to keep track of the specifics.."

"Highest stock..? Gumballs. So. Many. Gumballs."

"Well we're back together now, but while we were split, he wouldn't leave my side.." / "We don't argue much, but when we do, we just.. don't talk to eachother.."

"UH- NO!!!! I HATE EVERYTHING!!!!"

"Well I usually went on my own, since it's kind of my specialty, right? And everyone else just happened to be busy when I was doing it.. I did take Pebble with me once, though. He ran off with a fossil and I haven't seen it since.."

"I have batteries for emergencies, but I usually just charge myself at night."

"-No!! Blasphemy. I'm not that small!!"

"I do it as.. kind of a hobby? But it gets so messy around here sometimes it's unbearable, I have to do something!" "I think I already mentioned my favorite song once, and yeah, my key broke once.. Glisten helped me fix it, though."

"Ah, i've lost count. So many." (-🔍)

[xitty]

New Eden profiles:

+1cm & +1kg for both Ibara and Jun.

Nagisa: Hobby: exchange/socializing*, reading (archaeology), excavations Specialty: acting *a word used here means "(cultural) exchange, interaction, interchange, mingling"

Hiyori: Hobby: shopping, cafés Specialty: to be loved, to love, identification/discerning (?)

Ibara: Hobby: strategy, investment Specialty: information gathering, survival

Jun: Hobby: muscle training, fishing, gaming, reading (manga) Specialty: improvisation (posing and dancing)

[ms-katonic-of-tamriel]

Veilguard

Still haven't played it but I am thinking the New Year may change that because I am already thinking a potential fic.

Specifically Age of the Dragon sequel.

It's set about 14 years after Corypheus's death, and Elisif will be 44 by this point, Empress of Tamriel, obviously not participating personally as she's got a country to run, a superpower no less, and she's had other kids in the intervening years who aren't even teenagers yet, she can't just leave them and as Empress she is too well-protected for portal accidents... and makes state visits rarely. Also with Embassies everywhere, she wouldn't stay a mysterious stranger with no resources for long.

However, you know who is the perfect adventuring age by this point?

MAIA AND THE TWINS. Maia's 20. The twins are 18. Maia enrolled in the Arcane university age 16, did a four year MThaum, just graduated, now on a gap year in Tevinter, partly to help cement diplomatic relations and partly to get a handle on Tevinter magical techniques. The twins were sent to live in the Reach at age 13 because Kaie wanted to actually acquaint them with the country and their heritage and Cicero could cope with the hormones no longer. Lia's been training with the ReachGuard since age 14, while Ria has been training with Auntie Keirine.

Meaning we've even got the VG mage specialties covered - Evoker for Maia, Spellblade for Lia, Death Caller for Ria. And of course they're all trained Thu'um-wielders.

The twins went with Maia to keep her company and also because they were curious too and Kaie was keen to find out just what Tevinter was like and more about the magic. All three, thanks to their Inquisition days, remember how to speak basic Thedosian, kept their hand in with books in the language, practice with visitors from time to time and pick up more once actually there.

Needless to say, Dorian's been back there for some time and is happy to host them at his Minrathous town house. Ralof there too with Frodnar, now 30ish and Dorian's officially adopted heir - both men took Dorian's name. Dorian and Ralof both in their forties too.

Miraak is Tamrielic Ambassador to Tevinter - switched countries once the idea to have Maia study there got floated. Lucien and Ria the Elder are both with him - Lucien is now his legal husband and very keen to find out more on Kal-Sharok, Orzammar having exhausted its knowledge. Maybe Kieran's there too.

Don't know how the plot would actually work, especially without Solas. But I can see Maia going on some academic excavation and unleashing something she shouldn't.

Cicero not involved, he's in his sixties and retired, looking after the twins' cats. But Eola's only in her forties, and the Black Rose is actually looking younger what with being part-Daedra now, so guess what they're both candidates for being involved.

Alistair might well show up, he's definitely watching. Perhaps he's sent Barbas along as eyes and ears. And we know Morrigan's canonically involved.

Just need to get round to playing the thing now.

[forget-me-maybe]

So I need to hear more about this 1930’s professor situation!

Alright, the story was born from that I wanted to put Rolan in a suit on a train reading a newspaper. I jumped on that particular train of thought and here we are.

Without spoiling too much it's basically Rolan's a grumpy archeology professor at the University of Baldur's Gate, Maeve (Tav) is doing her master or perhaps a PhD (I think PhD but I'm not sure yet) and gets Rolan as a mentor. They're both highly unhappy with this situation. Rolan just wants to do his research in peace and Maeve would've preferred any other mentor to Rolan.

Rolan's specialty is 'the erased ages', the ages of magic and gods that are long forgotten in this AU. They go to Waterdeep (by train!!!) to excavate an old temple. Adventure happens!

And of course, relentless pining ensues.

Maybe they kiss. 🤷‍♀️

[pocketseizure]

Best Wells in Tears of the Kingdom #4

The Popla Foothills South Well is hidden in a small alcove of land along the shore of the lake south of the waterlogged ruins of Deya Village. Most players will discover this well in the process of activating the nearby Skyview Tower, which requires Link to enter the Popla Foothills Excavation Site to free Elmerson, the technician in charge of maintaining the towers.

This well is one of the many secret bases of a traveling chef named Aurie Taamu. Aurie Taamu’s specialty is experimenting with ingredients to achieve special effects in cooking. In the notebooks he’s left underground, Aurie Taamu describes dishes used to create resistance against extreme temperatures, as well as dishes that grant weather-related attack boosts. The notebook in the Popla Foothills South Well details ingredients that create a glow-in-the-dark effect that’s useful for Link’s exploration of the Depths.

Along with these notebooks, Aurie Taamu is also the author of the textbooks used in Ashai’s cooking class in Gerudo Town. This is where things get interesting! If you become close to Cara, Isha’s apprentice at the Starlight Memories Jewelry Shop, she’ll tell you that Isha and Ashai were once in a love triangle with Aurie Taamu.

This makes the text of his notebook in the southern Popla Foothills well all the more intriguing: “The road of a gourmand is fraught with thorns. It’s why I choose to travel alone. This life does have its share of lonely nights. That’s when you need to shine a light to keep the darkness at bay.”

Perhaps because of the mistakes he made in the past, Aurie Taamu is able to close his meditations on life, love, and cooking by offering a solid piece of advice. “There is no shame in not knowing,” he writes, “for beyond that lies the joy of knowing.”

[princecharmingtobe]

While taking a long sick nap today I found myself thinking about how I would go about making an Animal Crossing-like game.

First of all we're going full furry, no humans in this game. During character creation the player will get to choose to be any of the available species in the game (maybe even go so far as letting them pick and choose characteristics to make hybrids?).

The premise would be a pretty familiar one: The player moves to a new village after receiving an offer for cheap/free housing, but it is scarcely populated and very rundown. They learn that the person who runs the village is actually a dragon, a very rare and powerful being even in this world. However, dragons are known to go into deep slumbers every several hundred years, from which pretty much nothing can wake them. While this dragon was in their extended slumber the village sort of fell apart. Now having awoken, they are trying to rebuild, hence the offering of cheap/free housing. As more people move in, the village can grow and flourish, and the player can help guide that growth.

Instead of stores being run by specific designated NPCs, they would instead be run by the villagers that move in, based on the villagers' hobbies/interests. Villagers' personalities would be made up of about three factors: 1. General personality type. This is akin to AC's personality types. 2. Primary Hobby. This is something the villager does for fun, and will determine what sort of activities they partake in around the village, what they like to talk about, and what kind of shop they may help run. A particular villager will always have the same primary hobby. 3. Passing interest. This is a secondary hobby which changes over time. It has mostly the same affect as the primary hobby, except they will not take over a business based on it. They may however work part time at a related business if they don't already run one.

Hobbies would include things like fishing, gardening, fashion, decoration, cooking, bug catching, excavation (archeology/paleontology), etc. With most of those having a shop or building related to them. The only buildings with designated NPCs that are always available would be the town hall, general store, and museum. The general store would be available from the start and would offer a wide variety of items, but with a small daily selection. As you help create new shops for new residents to take over, you will unlock a wider variety of daily items. Specialty shops will also pay more for items related to their specialty, so a garden store will pay more for flowers than the general store, a bait shop will pay more for fish, etc.

The first villager with a particular hobby to move in will take over the related store and be its primary owner for the time they live there. If a second villager moves in with the same hobby, or a passing interest, and no shop to take over themself, they may work part time at the store, allowing the owner to take time off. Otherwise the owner will always be in the store during work hours, and the store may be closed on certain days or if the owner is sick. If the owner moves away, an available villager with the same hobby will take over the store. Otherwise the store will close until a new suitable owner moves in. Newly arriving villagers may be weighted toward those who can take over empty stores, and there will be more available housing than there are stores, so a fully populated village should rarely struggle with empty stores.

Villagers will have plenty to say, not only about themselves but each other as well. They will be able to develop friendships, rivalries, and even romantic relationships with each other. The player may see them doing activities together, sharing in each other's hobbies, attending festivals together, etc. if one moves away the other may be heartbroken, and may even decide to move as well to be with them. The player can also have different types of relationships. All villagers will start with a neutral disposition toward the player, and how the player interacts with them will change it. Villagers won't necessarily always be friendly, you can end up with your own rivals. Debating if the player should be able to engage in romantic relationships or not... if so, it may weigh against the villager in question wanting to move away, or they may ask the player's opinion about it before deciding?

Villagers may also be able to influence the villager in some ways based on their hobbies and such. For example, a gardener may plant flowers and even trees around town, a decorator may place outdoor furniture, etc. These can of course be picked up by the player if they don't like them or they're in the way, and it may be limited to like once per day per character so the village doesn't get spammed with junk.

The player may also be able to place things similar to public works in the village that villagers can interact with. For example, a villager with the excavation hobby may request a dig site, where they can go and, well... dig! And maybe the player could also use it once per day to get an extra item as well. Fishers might request a dock where you're more likely to catch rare fish, gardeners may request a community garden, etc.

There would be material gathering and crafting. Even from certain catchable creatures. Keeping certain types of fish may allow you to collect roe, certain bugs may let you collect silk, or honey, etc.

[greatwyrmgold]

Since you mentioned that you don't think every strawhat needs to be a fighter, how do you feel about Robin's comparative lack of one on one fights in the series? Many fans were unhappy that she doesn't get to see much action (presumably because her powerset means most foes are either completely immune to it or would get taken out immeadiately) but based on what you've posted that's not automatically something you'd have an issue with

On one hand, I like Robin and want to see her using her skills more often, and getting more fight scenes seems more likely than getting an extended sequence of Robin carefully excavating an archaeological site or whatever. So getting to see her in more action scenes would be nice.

On another hand, you're right that I don't think every Straw Hat needs to be a fighter; they just need their own specialty, their own role that they play in the crew. Robin has more to offer than her combat and archaeological skills. For instance, she can keep calm in pretty much any situation that doesn't trigger her specific trauma buttons; every other Straw Hat (except possibly Jinbei) is far less reliable. And her powers are flexible enough to have plenty of utility outside of combat. And so on.

On the third hand, her powers are flexible yet well-defined in a way that makes it very easy to think of interesting things to do with them. (Some of which are similar to things one of my other favorite characters does with her powers.) Barring the occasional sight gag, Eiichiro Oda is unlikely to actually explore those possibilities outside of action scenes. So if I want to see those possibilities realized, I can either hope she gets more action scenes or start writing fanfiction.

I could go on (Robin has a lot of hands), but I think you get the idea. In principle, there's nothing wrong with Robin not getting into many fights. However, there are things I'd like to see from Robin that I'm unlikely to receive if she doesn't get into more fights.

[creepylunaofmars]

Psychonauts/Transformers OC

Just a heads up my Transformers knowledge is very rusty and I'm just starting to get back into it but if I don't write this out now I will take psychic damage.

Name Psychout

Faction Psychonaut, formerly a Decepticon

Alternate Mode Psi-Jet

Specialties Confusion, hypnosis, invisibility

How is she psychic? Got ejected into space during an explosion on her ship and ended up debris on the meteorite that would end up crashing in Whispering Rock. Several thousand years stuck in a meteorite of basically pure psitanium and then being buried on earth with a large chunk of it led to the psychoactive mineral growing inside the cybertronian. Not only did this just barely keep her from going offline but it also imbued her with psychic abilities.

How is she a Psychonaut? During an excavation for psitanium in the off season the staff at Whisper Rock Psychic Summer Camp found what appeared to be a very large and very badly damaged robot embedded in a massive chunk of the mineral.

Otto Mentallis, in his usual hubris, worked with now lab partner Gisu to rebuild the bot. It was long and difficult but he wasn't considered an expert engineer for nothing... also... the psitanium in the bot almost seemed alive. Touching it he could swear he caught glimpses of how to put her back together, pieces that shouldn't have fit would be modified when their backs were turned... it was as if the psitanium wanted the bot fixed.

When she was first reactivated she didn't do much of anything expect study what was around her. Her cerebral processor had been badly damaged, leaving her memory core almost completely wiped with only brief flashes of her past left. She was almost like a child and had to be taught a lot by the psychonauts, think the Iron Giant. When it was discovered she was psychic she went to Whispering Rock to learn (the campers were thrilled to have a giant robot amongst them), switched out her old damaged mesh with a sleeker design and scanned the Psychonauts' jet (The Pelican) for her alt mode. Now she usually acts as the transportation on missions as well as crowd control, also volunteers at Whispering Rock as security in the summer.

What's she like? As she had to relearn a lot about living and was surrounded by humans at the time she has a lot more human way of thinking, the fact that she's 1000s of years old almost seems like a joke now that she has a human mind's frame of time. Interning with Helmut Fullbear while she was sort of still emulating personalities she thought were cool lead to her becoming a big fan of the arts, especially 60s psychedelia and the theater. Not the greatest with tech she will admit, any cybertronian terminology would probably go right over her head. These combined with a naturally laid back, lazy and slightly spacey personality may lead other bots to think that she less than bright. They shouldn't be fooled, she's good at reading (Books? Minds? People? Situations? She ain't telling.) and is a very quick learner.

What little she does remember from her pass gives her quite a bit of guilt towards using violent methods. She hits like a crashing plane but due to this guilt she utilizes stealth as much as possible, even specializing in the stealth side of psychic powers rather than more battle based ones. You shouldn't push her though, she still has a mean streak buried somewhere deep down.

Above all else though she's caring and trying to make up for the sins of a past she can only glimpse shadows of, the her before as much a stranger as any she'd pass in the street but still laying unbearably heavy hands on her shoulders.

Relationships?

Otto and Gisu: As they were the ones who rebuilt her and were the main interactions she had she sees them as family. Otto finds the fact that a 1000s year old robot views him, a man at best in his 60s, as a father figure both hilarious and endearing. Gisu and Psychout have a strong sibling bond and are often exchanging gossip or doing levitation tricks around the Questionable Area.

Sasha and Milla: Were away on a long mission when she was being rebuilt and didn't hear much about her. When Sasha returned he thought she was a very impressive invention of Otto's and that the talk of her being from space was a joke. Geeked out hard when he realized everyone was being serious, while it was disappointing that she didn't remember anything of her culture/people she was still living proof that aliens were real! Milla was also amazed by proof of aliens but she was more so interested in the new point of view a robotic organism could bring. Found her journey into the world of art fascinating, even if the bot's singing left a lot to be desired.

Raz and Lili: They were still kids when Psychout came onto the scene and like many kids to them nothing is cooler than a giant robot. They were also the first to get over the awe and treat her more like a person so they hold a special place in her heart. Let's Raz climb all over her for acrobatic stunts and does a lot of gardening for Lili's more dangerous plants.

How does she feel about the Autbot/Decepticon conflict? Mixed. On one hand that's her species and she feels like she should be learning about both sides, on the other hand she feels like since her past was wiped out of her that she doesn't have a horse in this race. Is quite aware of how fragile humans are compared to cybertronians and how many tend to end up squished in battles so if she does show up its mostly to get humans out of the path of tumbling bots. Though the first time she was directly engaged by other bots she ended up headbutting Megatron right in the chin and putting Bulkhead in a trance while trying to save a bus full of people so she's not sure she has a choice in sitting out the conflict much longer.

[grem-archive]

Might I ask WHY Mr. Jones is having his archaeological license revoked?

aight so first off, not to knock his indiana rizz, but what type of buffoon wears a leather jacket in the field? absolute dipshittery.

he's too broad fr like this man is just a walking encyclopedia. all the professors i know are very smart, but generally they're all very specialized by the time they get to the point of teaching. my primate anatomy professor's specialty was spinal development in children. ur telling me indie is going from pre-columbian south america, to ancient egypt, india, medieval christian artifacts, and then to china? i'm envious but...

and he's more a treasure hunter than anything? rather than naming and recording a site based on a hypothesis or questions had, finding possible evidence, and deciding to do survey and then excavations (if necessary),,,, indie is basically looking for very specific types of artifacts. famous things belonging to famous people or important symbolic or ritual artifacts. i mean c'mon. the holy grail? a golden fertility idol? also this man does basically ZERO recording of anything which made me want to cry because man filling out artifact tags and bags and making sure you have everything in context CORRECTLY...AAAAAAA!!! 90% or more of archaeology is not this way.

to use my own experience as an example: we were attempting to answer questions about the daily lives of settlers at jamestown, finding those ordinary stories. my favorite artifacts to expose from the screens were pieces of clay pipes and things like shards of glass. like case bottle glass that can relatively date a unit to 1652 or later because of previous knowledge guiding us, telling us this type of glass wasn't used before then? beautiful even in its state of decay. shards of pipes that can tell us where they're from by their color (a red virginian clay versus the white 'kaolin' clay of england)? and some even have decoration that we can mend? maker's marks even??? "star maker" pipes my beloved! they tell us about trade at the time. the importance of something seemingly as mundane as the tobacco trade.

bestie. we got excited to find evidence of a ditch that was mentioned tangentially in just one or two historical records. we are not looking for the fantastic on purpose. usually.

there is so much i could say on fictional archaeologists like indiana jones in terms of accuracy, but honestly? that takes the fun out of it. since those movies have come out there has been an abundance of real archaeologists that have debunked his behavior. even i still enjoyed the action of the movie! just take him with a grain of salt :D

[lollo-sw-br]

Guardians SW One-Shots:

Loddie Mi-rae (Todd 's Guardians) The Diamond Tunnel

Loddie Mi-rae, is Todd's Guardian, she loves to dig, build things and get muddy, just like Todd, the Super Wing she protects, Loddie was doing some digging at an archaeological site near the center of town next to Liah and Lesllie and while looking for ancient artifacts Lesllie heard on your metal detector.

- Loddie, Liah, look at this! - said Lesllie

- Did you find anything? - asked Liah

- The detector found presence of rare metals here - said Lesllie - Loddie, can you dig down so we can take a closer look?

- Digging is my specialty - said Loddie - It will be easy!

Loddie was digging with his Wingenergy and when he finished both guardians had their jaws dropped.

- Wow! It's a tunnel of Diamonds! - said Lesllie

- This is the greatest discovery I've ever made in my life! - said Liah

- Todd Will freak out when he sees this - said Loddie

- Ellie too! - Lesllie said - Too bad she's on a mission with Jett

- Lollo and Grand Albert will also miss this wonder - said Liah - They are studying the secrets of the oldest Pyramids in Egypt

- I have an idea! - said Loddie - Todd is unoccupied and can help us with this tunnel full of Diamonds

- I'll take care of it! - said Liah - Todd, can you hear me?

Liah turned on her communicator watch to talk to Todd that by revealing your face immediately replied

- Liah, I hear you! - Todd said - What happened?

- Me, Loddie and Lesllie were at the archeological site and we discovered something incredible - said Liah - A tunnel of Diamonds!

- A tunnel of Diamonds? - said Todd - That's awesome! Do you need my help?

- Yes Todd - said Liah - we need your digger to take a closer look.

- Ok Liah - said Todd - I'm on my way

- We are waiting for you - said Liah - Liah hanging up!

Liah turned off the clock and it didn't take long for Todd to arrive at the scene, Liah, Loddie and Lesllie were happy to see him with the excavation vehicle and soon greeted them

- Hi girls! I hear they have an underground discovery - said Todd - Come in and let's explore the diamonds in this tunnel!

The Guardians entered the vehicle and soon Todd spoke

- Open your belts girls - Todd said - Let's go!

- Let's go! - they all said

Leonor and Lonally

Leonor and Lonally saw the tunnel opened by Loddie and Todd and were already thinking of some mischief

- A Tunnel of Diamonds? - said Leonor - don't worry Lonally, Let's gather as many diamonds as you can! Hahahahaha

- Let's get a lot of diamonds and take them to our hideout! - Lonally said

- I have an idea! - said Leonor - let's disguise ourselves as archaeologists and

inside the tunnel

Todd entered the tunnel and soon found several deposits of diamonds scattered and stopped towards a source that in the center of the tunnel

- Let's stop here Todd - said Loddie - Let's take some pictures and collect samples

- Good idea Loddie! - Todd agreed.

- The camera is here Loddie - said Lesllie taking the camera from the Surprise Bag

- I brought an empty bag to put samples in - Liah said, taking an empty package

- Let's start exploring! - said Loddie

While Loddie and Todd were looking for diamonds, Leslie was photographing others to show her sisters and her Super Wing when she got back.

- Liah look! - said Loddie showing a very beautiful diamond!

- How beautiful! - said Loddie - I'll try to take it as a sample!

- Good idea Loddie - said Liah

Loddie dug the diamond out easily and put it in Liah's box.

- we already have pictures - said Lesllie

- Let's go back, it's getting late - said Liah

- You're right Liah - Todd said - let's go!

As everyone separates, getting ready to go, Leonor and Lonally arrive Disguised as archaeologists

- Hello young people - said Leonor - Could you hand us this diamond? For science!

- These archaeologists look familiar! - thought Liah

Leonor took Loddie's diamond by force and ran until she bumped into a rock that made Leonor's hat fly away revealing her face.

- I knew it! - said Liah - It's Leonor!

- And and also! - Lonally said, taking off her disguise.

- Lonally, I already suspected! - said Liah - You came for the diamonds, didn't you?

- Yea, that diamond is ours! - said Leonor - let's get out of here!

- Let's go after them Todd! - said Liah

They all got into the vehicle and Todd accelerated as fast as he could and still couldn't reach the two

- I can't go any faster! - said Todd

- Leave it to me! - said Liah getting out of the vehicle going behind it - hold on guys, Liah Super Speed!

Liah converted her Wingenergy and became super fast, managing to make the vehicle reach the two.

- Surprise Bag! - said Lesllie - Lasso in action!

Leslle managed to get the diamond easily and Leonor, already irritated, told Lonally

- Lonally, Get the diamond! - Leonor ordered - Quickly!

- I'm not making it! - Lonally said

- I dont care? - said Leonor - get him now Lonally

- Sorry girls, but today is not your day. Super Push! - said Liah Pushing the two away

- We'll be back soon Guardians! - said Leonor going to heaven - Keep my words!

- Super Wings and Guardians Super Wings! - said everyone - We deliver!

World Palace

- What you discovered was amazing! - said Lilith - From now on the Diamond Tunnel will be protected by Loddie and preserved for archaeological studies

- Thank you so much Majesty! - said Loddie - I will take good care of the Tunnel that will be called "Glittering Tunnel"

- Perfect Loddie - agreed Lilith - now he will be seen as WingsView heritage!

The end...

[ochipi]

What do archaeologists study in University?

Reaaally depends. You learn ethical code, how to recognize soil types, what soil colors mean, what tools are used for what, some very basic human anatomy, …

You’re shown loads of pictures from previous examples, learn basic history for your local area (I’m European so American history is completely irrelevant in uni classes), some material workshops (ceramics, animal bone, glass…), some landscape stuff …

And when it’s Thesis time you study about something time/artifact type/location related subject by your choice in assistance of a professor which may or may not become a specialty which you may or may not be able to use in the field (like me not knowing if I should regret doing Germanic archaeology). But most of all that’s just teaching you where to look for information, handling artifacts and info and writing it down in a scientific manner. Because you will be expected to write. Most combine field and desk archaeology, but some are really bad at one of the other and will stick with that one (people writing about archaeological stuff they’ve never seen in real life is impressive to me).

Often they’ll make you combine archaeology with other classes from the Faculty of arts. I had art history from the start the whole 5 years, but many have it as their second option, besides doing history courses. I went for national history from the Middle Ages to the early modern era, and was taught how to transcribe gothic etc texts. Very useful when dealing with monasteries or just your family tree. Some take up philosophy, some languages….

Really depends.

But all in all, for real, archaeology is taught in the field. Feeling the different soil types and mixtures, how that influences drainage, excavation of human remains are taught by doing it, not from pictures. Interpretation can only be done by doing the dig. No one can give you theoretical examples that you can re use.

Woah this answer went everywhere and I had to type this fast. I hope it makes sense? If not you can ask additional Q’s!

[anamedblog]

Turkish Delights, Macun, and more Sweet Treats…

Beate Böhlendorf-Arslan, ANAMED Senior Fellow (2022–2023)

Fig. 1. Photo by author.

Turkish cuisine is versatile, and Turkish desserts are especially versatile. What is commonly known as “Anatolian sweets” in Europe, and called “Turkish honey” or “Turkish nougat,” is only one of the sugary offshoots of the delicious dessert in Turkey.

Almost every foreign visitor to Istanbul tries baklava, the delicacy made of thin layers of dough, nuts or pistachios, and sugar syrup, which comes in various shapes. By the way, fresh baklava with pistachios is especially delicious if served with a portion of damla sakız dondurma (mastic ice cream). On a particularly hot summer day, I recommend having it with a slice of kesme dondurma (“sliced ice cream”), an ice cream so firm that it must be eaten with a knife and fork.

Dessert lovers should also try other pastry specialties that come in a variety of shapes and flavors. The numerous and sometimes very old shops on Istiklal Caddesi sell specialties with flowery names such as bülbül yuvası (nightingale's nest), hanım göbeği (lady's belly), sütlü nuriye (nuriye—a woman's given name—with milk), vezir parmaği (vizier's finger) or kadayif. Commonly known and loved as a typical souvenir is Turkish delight (Fig. 1), lokum, made with nuts or fruit juice, or rose water. As delicious as these sweet treats are, Anatolian cuisine has much more to offer.

If you are looking for a more exotic souvenir, try the macun from Manisa, a soft candy that is a bit sticky on the palate but tastes very aromatic (Figs. 2 and 3). Manisa mesir paste is made out of spices mixed with various herbs such as cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, black cumin, mustard seed, aniseed, coriander, ginger, turmeric, coconut, fennel, cubeb, cassis, fructus, myroba, vanilla, piper longum, cardamon, galingale, fructus cassiae fistule, saffron, cumin, rose hip, myrrh, licorice, rhizoa zeoariae, lemon peel, orange peel, thistle seed, linseed, locust, opium poppy, stinging nettle, white pepper, grape seed, chaste berry seed, dried rosemary, erica leaf, melissa, fructus myrobalani nigri, and hibiscus. The consumption of these candies is said to have a healing effect. According to legend, the wife of the Ottoman sultan Yavuz Selim, Hafsa Sultan, fell ill during her stay in Manisa. As there was no cure, Merkez Effendi, the head of the madrasa of the Sultan's mosque, prepared a paste of herbs and spices. After eating this paste, Hafsa Sultan recovered. Following her recovery, she ordered this paste to be spread from the minarets of the sultan's mosque. This tradition has been maintained in Manisa since 1539.

Fig. 2- 3 Photo by author.

The traditional lollipops that can be bought fresh in the streets of Istanbul, but also in villages like Behram/Assos and many other places in Turkey, are prepared in a similar way. However, they do not contain a variety of herbs and spices but only fruit juices or tree resin (damla sakiz or mastic) and a lot of sugar (Fig. 4). The seller dips a wooden stick into the sugar mass and turns the stick several times so that the gluey mass wraps around the stick. Now the lollipop is ready!

Fig. 4. Assos excavation archive, Aykan Özener.

Other than these sweet souvenirs and shelf-stable desserts, Turkish cuisine has equally tasty creamy desserts to offer that you should not miss out on.

Milk dishes are especially delicious. Even something as common as rice pudding (sütlaç) has a special Turkish twist to it. It is prepared with regular rice, not the round-grain rice used in other countries. Turkish rice pudding is not firm but rather creamy. Most importantly, it is placed in the oven in a second step after cooking, causing the top layer of milk to caramelize (Fig. 5). Tasting it is highly recommended!

Fig. 5. Photo by author.

The more adventurous Istanbul travelers should definitely try tavuk göğüsü (a dessert literally called “chicken breast”). Tavuk göğüsü consists of finely pureed chicken breast cooked in sweetened milk and rice flour as a starch to thicken the milk (Fig. 6). The dessert is usually served with cinnamon. Sometimes it is grilled in the oven, resulting in a caramelized top and tasting almost more delicious than the unbaked version (Fig. 7). This preparation is called kazandibi (“bottom of the pot”). I often had the pleasure of treating foreign visitors who were not vegetarians or vegans to a tavuk göğüsü and then having them guess what the dessert was after the meal. Nobody had any idea that there was meat in the dessert!

Fig. 6-7 wikimedia

Regarding possible historic roots, tavuk göğüsü bears no resemblance to the pullus tractogalatus (chicken in milk porridge) described by the Roman cook Apicius in the 3rd or 4th century CE. In this dish, the chicken (or fish) was first cooked in white wine and olive oil, boned, and then the mouthfuls of chopped meat were doused in a porridge made from chicken broth, milk, honey, and grape juice. It is possible that Europeans brought the white meat and milk dish back to Europe during the Crusades, having learned it from the Arabs. A similar dish to tavuk göğüsü, blanc mange, was eaten by nobles and wealthy people in the European Middle Ages. In the oldest German cookbook from around 1350, the Buoch von guoter spise, there is a recipe that calls for rice ground into flour, milk, and a chicken breast to be cooked together. Other recipes used fish instead of chicken. For the nobility, however, blanc mange was not a dessert but a main dish.

Another famous dessert, aşure, has different roots. According to the legend, when Noah saw the land again with his ark, he cooked a pudding from the remaining supplies, namely cereals and dried fruits. In the ancient Greek pantheon, wheat symbolized the earth goddess Demeter, pomegranates represented her daughter Persephone, queen of the underworld, almonds were sacred to Aphrodite, and raisins were sacred to the god Dionysus. Interestingly, the eastern Romans, as inhabitants of Byzantium, also knew of such a pudding, which they called kollyba (or kolivia). It is said that kollyba was the food that the Virgin Mary was fed as a child in the temple by angels from heaven, as depicted on a wall mosaic in the Chora Church in Istanbul (fig. 8). There are different recipes to prepare kollyba, whose main ingredient is boiled wheat mixed with various dried fruits. It is served as a common Lenten food and was therefore commonly eaten in monasteries. Kollyba was also prepared as a dish for the commemoration of the dead. For the Greeks, aşure is also known as barvara (Βαρβάρα), named after the feast of Saint Barbara that is celebrated on the 4th of December. During this festival, it is cooked and shared with neighbors.

Fig. 8. Photo by author.

The ingredients for aşure (but also for varvara or kollyba) are wheat grains, white beans, and chickpeas, and sometimes also rice and barley, that are cooked until soft. After draining, the aşure is sweetened with honey or sugar. In addition, aşure also contains some or all of the following: sesame seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, cinnamon, sugar, pekmez, pomegranate seeds, raisins, sultanas, dried apricots, figs, dates, grated orange or lemon peel, cardamom, cloves, black cumin, mastic, rose water, or even anise (Fig. 9). Every family in Turkey (as well as in Greece, the Balkans, and the Middle East) has its own recipe, but the one thing they have in common is that they always make a big pot to share with others. So, if you have a chance to try a homemade aşure, do not miss out on it. Otherwise, try my favorite Anatolian sweet at one of the many muhallebecisi (pudding maker) in Istanbul!

Fig. 9. wikimedia

Afiyet olsun!

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Further readings/bibliography:

Apicius, De re coquiniaria

Anagnostiakis, Ilias, ed. Flavours and Delights. Tastes and Pleasures of Ancient and Byzantine Cuisine. Athens: Armos, 2013.

Baş, Nejla. Mutfağımızdaki Tehlike. Istanbul: Ser Kitap, 2019.

Papanikola-Bakirtzi, Dimitri, ed. Byzantinōn diatrophē kai mageireiai/Food and Cooking in Byzantium. Athens: Museum of Byzntine Culture, 2005.

Waksman, Sylvie Y., ed. Multidisciplinary Approaches to Food and Foodways in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean. Lyon: MOM Editions, 2020.

www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/genel/neyenir

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelsulz

[ancientstuff]

Roman archaeology isn't my specialty by a country mile, but I don't think we see much of this kind of funerary archaeology being excavated lately. Unlike other places (I'm looking at you, Egypt).