#snowblast

[rescuebabiesau]

What if the Sparklings were Mosaic?

So I promised @itzbeearts that I would get back to their ask about my sparklings from my Rescue Babies AU as mosaical forms (hopefully I understood that correctly-)

But! It also gave me excuse to redraw their references with an updated style from the last time! So Snowblast will start us off—

Snowy would be an ice mosaic. Not quite water, not quite air, he is a figure that would send a chill running through the room as soon as he enters (though not from fright, he is quite warm-hearted, actually!) His body appears composed of shards of ice and is quite cold, so mind his sharp edges!

Downpour mimics her "Father's" water element, but essentially has her crest and limbs be replaced with water which makes her a lot more clumsy, as they are not the giant, sturdy pillars of metal she's used to.

Jolt mimics her "father's" element of electricity, as she already has that ability back home. However, her mosaic form is a lot more "wild" in nature, taking on more of a draconic form rather than humanoid.

Jack was probably my favorite because he's the only sparkling from that AU to not have an elemental power or dinobot mode to base off of. His "Ghost" element is a reference to his title as the "Miscarried Sparkling" (He was considered miscarried before emerging months later as the older twin to Jolt)

His powers consist of intangibility, voice projection, telekinesis, and mist manipulation. He would primarily avoid dangerous situations, but he'd do well in helping provide cover for the others if they needed to escape human eye.

Do not mock my horrible attempt at his vehicle mode, I don't draw cars like... at all (ironic given my time in this fandom XD)

I may do a part 2 for the other ones, but these four are up! You're welcome XD

[ziggityzigg]

Choa and Snowblast because i love them

[aecholapis]

Part 2

Acidsplicer: Senza Fare Sul Serio - Malika Ayane Andiamo A Commandare - Fabio Rovazzi El Tiburón - Henry Mendez Stadt - Cassandra Steen ft. Adel Tawil I'm Still Standing - Elton John Survivor - Destiny's Child Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna Tik Tok - Kesha Shots Fiyerd - Lost Pause, pepper 12345 (sorry for the LP mention, guys, but the remix deserves to be here) Sandstorm - Darude Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley Can-can - Offenbach

Snowblast: Phendrana Drifts Depths - Metroid Prime - remix by Kamex Buoy Base Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy Ark Mall - Astral Chain - mix by Baron von Lag Running on Air - Nathan Trent Feeling Good - Michael Bublé

Azurian: Slide Into the Void - The Stupendium ft. Cami-Cat I've Seen Hell - North & South Trying to Get Lost - Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Main Theme - Fire Emblem Three Houses The Crest of Flames - Fire Emblem Three Houses The Spirit Dais - Fire Emblem Three Houses Agnus Dei - Samuel Barber (+Adagio For Strings by Tiësto) Miserere Mei, Deus - Allegri

Viridian: My Quiet Forest Home - Astral Chain A Funeral of Flowers - Fire Emblem Three Houses This Wandering Day - Janet Roddick Bedroom Dreams - The Tourist Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues ギアナ制作 「かみのみかくし」 秋赤音 × 神木円

Azimuth: Black Sheep - Poor Mans Poison Give and Take - Poor Mans Poison Providence - Poor Mans Poison Pressure Cracks - Poor Mans Poison Woe to the People of Order - cover by Cami Cat Brianna and Roger Theme - Outlander Loss Of A Twin - Eagle Eye

Exopulse: If This Ship Sinks - Jonathan Young Legion Assault - Astral Chain - mix by Baron von Lag The entire Starlink: Battle for Atlas OST The Subnautica OST (1 and 2)

Monochromator: Done With Everything - Line So Thin My Demons - Starset - cover by Caleb Hyles Bring Me to Life - Evanescence Zombie - The Cranberries - cover by Peyton Parrish Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel - cover by Peyton Parrish Nothing Else Matters - Metallica Madness - Astral Chain (!) It gets a little unsettling now (!) Valhalla - Metroid Prime 3 River Twygz Bed - Super Paper Mario (seriously, beware of the distortion) The Junkyards - Portal Stories: Mel The Junkyard Offices - Portal Stories: Mel Dark Agon Wastes - Metroid Prime 2 Dark Torvus Bog - Metroid Prime 2 Dark Sanctuary Fortress - Metroid Prime 2 Dark Energy Controller - Metroid Prime 2 Xeno Research Area - Metroid Prime 3 Lower Maridia - Super Metroid - cover by SlashBib

Aegis: Back To You - Lost Frequencies, Elley Duhé, X Ambassadors Better Alone - Led by Lanterns Let Me Go - Avril Lavigne ft. Chad Kroeger Alone - Cami Cat What Could Have Been - Sting ft. Ray Chan The Final Shot - Astral Chain This Too Shall Pass - Scott Buckley

Songs I put on loop while thinking about or drawing my OCs - Part 1

Helios: Icarus - Deus Ex: Human Revolution Collapsing Sun - Brandon Lau Angel On Fire - Halsey Imposter Syndrome - London Music Works Epilogue - Everest Your Majesty - The Crown If You Should Fall - Craig Armstrong Hey - Andreas Bourani Imádlak - Katona Ernesztina Divenire - Ludovico Einaudi This is Our Planet - Our Planet Hope for Tomorrow - Daemon X Machina Fragments of Hope - Astral Chain Aegis Research Institute - Astral Chain - Combat Mix by Baron Von Lag Natural Light - Portal Stories: Mel The Luminoth - Metroid Prime 2 Torvus Bog - Metroid Prime 2 Skytown - Metroid Prime 3 Lost in the Sky - Metroid Prime 3 - Skytown Remix by myr Azeleza - Red_OWLdeer Adiemus - Adiemus The Final Attack - Astral Chain The IXION OST The Interstellar OST Too many Fire Emblem Three Houses tracks to list them all

And the legendary God Shattering Star cover by Joe Zieja and Jules Conroy because I headcanon his voice to be similar to Claude's from FE3H for some reason and since Joe is his VA I can vividly imagine Helios singing this cover. It would be so funny. Let the small copter go ham with his vocal cords.

Ironwing and Altitude (partially): Speechless - Aladdin - cover by Peyton Parrish My Mother Told Me - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - cover by Peyton Parrish Edge Of Night - The Lord of the Rings - cover by Peyton Parrish Helgafjell - Peyton Parrish ft. David Michael Frank Drengr of Ragnarök - Peyton Parrish ft. Jonathan Young Svarteboka - Gåte ft. Djerv Skarvane - Gåte The Rise of Vikingr album

Nightjet: Silent Guardians - Hyrule Warriors Bryyo Cliffside - Metroid Prime 3 Lower Norfair Mashup - Metroid - mashup by Axell The Swampert Chasing Daybreak (Thunder) - Fire Emblem Three Houses Victor's Hollow - Octopath Traveler - cover by Jules Conroy Oniro Mou - Yianna Terzi Palästinalied - Estampie Небо - Слободан Тркуља Brothers in Arms - Daemon X Machina Title Theme - Metroid Prime 3

Railjet: Runaway Train - Self Deception ;-) Asturias (Leyenda) - Isaac Albéniz - cover by Ana Vidović Gerudo Valley - Ocarina of Time - cover by Matt Sellick Victor's Hollow - Octopath Traveler Highlands Theme - Octopath Traveler Among Stately Peaks - Octopath Traveler Homunculus Delta - Astral Chain Grand War - Daemon X Machina Title Theme - Metroid Prime Trilogy - cover by Wingus Dingus

Firecry and his siblings: Kiss from a Rose - Seal - cover by Jonathan Young, Caleb Hyles, RichaadEB Idolize - Caleb Hyles Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson (Glee version) - cover by Anna Pantsu ft. Caleb Hyles Fight Fire With Gasoline - Self Deception Weight of the World - Self Deception State of Elysium - Self Deception Legends - Self Deception Starlight Brigade - TWRP ft. Dan Avidan (please watch the music video, it's so good) The Starship Velociraptor album (same as Anvil)

Anvil and his former mining team: Kiss from a Rose - Seal - cover by Jonathan Young, Caleb Hyles, RichaadEB Storm the Castle - Jonathan Young Divided - Jonathan Young Damage Done - Jonathan Young ft. RichaadEB Land of Broken Dreams - Jonathan Young ft. Caleb Hyles Land of the Living - Jonathan Young Unholy - cover by Jonathan Young ft. Lauren Babic (¬‿¬) The Starship Velociraptor album All of Jonathan Young's sea shanty covers

Cryoslope and his former underwater mining team: Chemical Worker's Song - Ron Angel - cover by Colm McGuinness Here's a Health to the Company - Assassin's Creed IV - cover by Colm McGuinness Scarborough Fair - cover by Colm McGuinness The Foggy Dew - cover by Colm McGuinness Islander - Bruce Moss- cover by Derina Harvey Band Lost On You - LP Song of the Sea - Mirella Díez Morán Into the Unknown - Subnautica Abandon Ship - Subnautica Torvus Hydrodynamo - Metroid Prime 2 Troubled Water - Portal Stories: Mel Transitional Period (funnel) - Portal Stories: Mel Live Fire Exercise - Portal Stories: Mel

Dataduct and the Throttlecons: Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson (Glee version) - cover by Anna Pantsu ft. Caleb Hyles Magnum Bullets - Night Runner ft. Dan Avidan (another great music video) Promise - Voyager Loco - Manian Tonight - Yüksek

Carbonlight: Children of the Omnissiah - Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus (Guillaume David) Noosphere - Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus Millennial Rage - Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus Tenebre Rosso Sangue - Ultrakill Title Theme - Metroid Prime - cover by Amie Waters Menu Theme - Metroid Prime 2 VS. Emperor Ing (Phase 1) - Metroid Prime 2 VS. Emperor Ing (Phase 2) - Metroid Prime 2 System Corruption - Portal Stories: Mel (Harry Callaghan) Track 10 - Asphalt 6 VS. Jena Anderson (all phases) - Astral Chain The Creation of Noah - Astral Chain Inside Noah - Astral Chain VS. Noah (all phases) - Astral Chain Symphony No. 9 (New World Symphony) - Dvořák Ecstasy of Gold - Ennio Morricone Arms of Immortal - Daemon X Machina The entire Mechanicus OST

[tohwitchesduels]

LOSERS BATTLES OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 27: Skara vs Emira Blight

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Skara:

Skara specializes in the bard track. For the purposes of this tournament, I allow Skara to have a powerset established by MoringMark's comics due to him fleshing out her capabilities in the "A Hint of Blue" comic storyline and his comics being beloved by the fan base. And not only. Her instrument of choice is lyra.

Skara is established to be an excellent strategist in ASIAS and she's an experienced athlete in both grudgby and flyer derby. She also did show some fiery spirit in LR and judging by her becoming a new teacher at Hexside, she seems to be quite proficient in magic, granted usually in battles she didn't showcase impressive feats.

During this battle, Palismen are not allowed.

Skara doesn't have an issue with Emira, but there are some things unsaid with Amity and she may perhaps need to vent out during this battle if not also slightly project. Nonetheless, Skara does not plan on losing.

One of the tools I'm willing to give Skara regardless of everything is flying boots. She can use them for transportation and aerial attacks even when she doesn't possess a palisman during the battle and she can use them to save herself from fall damage if she ever is knocked out midair.

Another tool I'm willing to give her is the bag of tentacles she used in Once Upon a Swap to prank people, she can occasionally throw some of them at the battlefield to create tentacle traps. Skara doesn't control them though so the tentacles could attack her as well.

Arrow Strike - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release a single arrow using her magic which can be used offensively. The arrow is strong enough to pierce through magical barriers. Requires an instrument.

Arrow Storm - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release multiple arrows at once using her magic for offensive purposes. Requires an instrument.

Beat Box Shockwave - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release a shockwave all around herself by beatboxing. She can utilise it to push away anything coming her way, including even her opponents. The range however isn't particularly big though.

Willpower Increase - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara by playing her instrument can regain her strength and clear her mind. Can be used to refresh herself during the battle. Requires an instrument.

Sonic Whistle - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara by whistling can release sonic waves that can be used to distract or even immobilize her opponents due to the noise hurting the ears of everyone hearing her whistle. It however won't work on deaf opponents.

Thunder Wave - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can create a thunderstorm with lightning directly striking her opponents. It's Skara's strongest offensive capability. Requires her instrument. Skara can release multiple lightnings one after another dealing even more damage to her enemies. Skara can also choose where her lightning strikes too.

Thunder Strike - inspired by Skara utilising her palismen in LR, I decided to give Skara the ability to be able to charge up either her fist or maybe a leg or even her entire body with electric energy to increase the force in which she would hit her enemies.

Snow Spell - as demonstrated in Something Ventured, Someone Framed, Skara learned how to create snow. She will usually display it as a simple snowball or snowblast attack

Fire Spell - as demonstrated in Something Ventured, Someone Framed, Skara to create snow can also create fire. She will usually use this ability specifically to throw a single fireball.

Link to more of Skara's capabilities here

Emira Blight:

Emira Blight naturally specializes in Healing and Illusion magic, hardly showing spells beyond those.

One must remember that Emira can be smart, clever, and mischievous but also level-headed. She prefers to outsmart and outwit her opponents during battle, can be pretty sneaky, and has good reflexes.

Palismen are not allowed during this battle.

Emira remembers Skara as Amity's former friend, who was nicer than her old clique of bullies. She knows that Skara herself never really hurt Amity, that Amity left them and the two ended their "friendship" while still on good terms so there's no bad blood, just a test of skill on Emira's part.

Telekinesis - Emira can move objects with ease using it, granted the objects usually were small and not the size and weight of the person so she can use them directly on her opponent, but she can pick up random stuff from the arena to use them as projectiles and be decently quick with them (the only instance I recall of Emira using telekinesis is her swapping the books constantly in her debut).

Snow Magic - Emira showed capacity in snow magic, creating a snow hand to attack Amity. I can also imagine her creating simple blasts of snow during combat or as a distraction.

Healing Magic - Emira knows a healing spell that allows her to heal wounds. For this tournament, I will enable Emira to be able to heal her own wounds even though she never demonstrated to be capable of using said magic on herself in the show. Emira's healing spells however take a lot of time and concentration for the time being so while she can heal herself, she would need a minute or two for that with no interruptions when it comes to serious injuries. However, she can quickly heal minor ones. She can also heal other people of course.

Restraining Magic - Emira is capable of creating a lasso made out of light that can be used to restrain her enemies. She attempted it with Slitherbeast granted at the time she also had Edric's help and Slitherbeast proved to be too strong for her, so it's hard to tell whether or not Emira's restraining spell is overall very effective, as it certainly isn't if her opponent is particularly large and strong.

Glamour - Emira is capable of altering her appearance with her illusion magic. She usually uses concealment stones for passive altering of her appearance which is usually used to enhance Emira's looks (like braiding her hair or removing zits) but Emira showcased in illusion class to be able to alter her appearance by herself, extending her legs ridiculously. Thus this power is upgraded for Emira to be capable of somewhat shape-shifting into extending her limbs however she likes.

Illusion Casting - Emira naturally knows illusion magic and creates whatever illusion she likes. Her illusions can interact and affect the real world and be touched and she can create multiple at a time. Usually, it will extend to an object or imaginary living being. However, her illusions can be fragile and enough force can cast them out.

Illusion Clone - Emira is capable of creating a clone of anyone she desires, granted it's usually one clone at a time as proven in EGF when she created a clone of Eda. The clone could potentially mimic the abilities of the people they took shape from but it's more than often just an illusion. They could also take upon the personality of anyone they were cloned from.

Camouflage - Now I'm not sure whether or not Emira can cast it on her own or if it requires a team effort, but in LR once Bump made a stand against the EC, all the other students would appear after the illusion of camouflage was dispelled, so I'll allow all illusion casters that were part of this to be capable to at least hide out of sight temporarily, so Emira now can use this ability to stay hidden for short time during the battle.

Link to more of Emira's capabilities here

Return to Masterpost

[marbleleague]

2024 Snow Drag Podium: 🥇Jump & Bounce - Jungle Jumpers 🥈Snowblast & Snowdrift - Snowballs 🥉Yellow Eye & Green Eye - Crazy Cat's Eyes

[sdj-official-fictive]

'aight,

and one last thing for now

if i actually gave the skills spells they were attached to, i'd do it persona style

some would be like, "Cupid's arrow" or "snowblast," but most would be like, "arame" or "fricol"

Oh! I see :>

[the-black-and-red-femme]

Predaking smiled watching her, seeing the joy in her optics was what made all of it worth it.

Snowblast nodded a little, she let the nurses finish up as she headed back into the scrub room leaning on the sink of little just from being tired as she washed off her servos. She just wanted to curl up on the berth in her office for a few minutes before even thinking of going home.

Life without them

The arc was gone, and with it all the hope they had for finding a means to save Cybertron.

Elita, Chromia, Jetfire, Redalert and Shadowfangs were all that stood between the Decepticons and their conquest for Cybertron.

Shadowfangs slowly approached their leader and touched her arm. “It isn’t safe here.” She said quietly, we need to make shelter and quickly.” She murmured, not wanting to be caught in a fight with the seekers.

@twowheelerarcee

[xtruss]

At the U.S. Army’s Camp Century on the Greenland ice sheet, an Army truck equipped with a railroad wheel conversion rides on 1,300 feet of track under the snow. Visual: Robert W. Gerdel Papers, Ohio State University

The Golden Age of Offbeat Arctic Research! The Odd Arctic Military Projects Spawned By The Cold War

The Cold War Spawned Some Odd Military Projects That Were Doomed To Fail, From Atomic Subways To A City Under The Ice.

— September 19, 2024 | Paul Bierman, Undark Magazine | Smithsonian Magazine

In Recent Years, the Arctic has become a magnet for climate change anxiety, with scientists nervously monitoring the Greenland ice sheet for signs of melting and fretting over rampant environmental degradation. It wasn’t always that way.

At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, as the fear of nuclear Armageddon hung over American and Soviet citizens, ­idealistic scientists and engineers saw the vast Arctic region as a place of unlimited potential for creating a bold new future. Greenland emerged as the most tantalizing proving ground for their research.

Scientists and engineers working for and with the U.S. military cooked up a rash of audacious cold-region projects — some innovative, many spit-balled, and most quickly abandoned. They were the stuff of science fiction: disposing of nuclear waste by letting it melt through the ice; moving people, supplies, and missiles below the ice using subways, some perhaps atomic powered; testing hovercraft to zip over impassable crevasses; making furniture from a frozen mix of ice and soil; and even building a nuclear-powered city under the ice sheet.

Today, many of their ideas, and the fever dreams that spawned them, survive only in the yellowed pages and covers of magazines like “Real: the exciting magazine For Men” and dozens of obscure Army technical reports.

Karl And Bernhard Philberth, both physicists and ordained priests, thought Greenland’s ice sheet the perfect repository for nuclear waste. Not all the waste — first they’d reprocess spent reactor fuel so that the long-lived nuclides would be recycled. The remaining, mostly short-lived radionuclides would be fused into glass or ceramic and surrounded by a few inches of lead for transport. They imagined several million radioactive medicine balls about 16 inches in diameter scattered over a small area of the ice sheet (about 300 square miles) far from the coast.

Because the balls were so radioactive, and thus warm, they would melt their way into the ice, each with the energy of a bit less than two dozen 100-watt incandescent light bulbs — a reasonable leap from Karl Philberth’s expertise designing heated ice drills that worked by melting their way through glaciers. The hope was that by the time the ice carrying the balls emerged at the coast thousands or tens of thousands of years later, the radioactivity would have decayed away. One of the physicists later reported that the idea was shown to him by God, in a vision.

What I Left Out is a recurring feature in which book authors are invited to share anecdotes and narratives that, for whatever reason, did not make it into their final manuscripts. In this installment, author and geoscientist Paul Bierman shares a story that didn’t make it into his recent book, “When the Ice Is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals About Earth’s Tumultuous History and Perilous Future” (W.W. Norton & Company).

Top Left: U.S. Army test of the Snowblast in Greenland in the 1950s, a machine designed to smooth snow runways. Visual: U.S. Army. Top Right: A U.S. Air Force C-119, Flying Boxcar, delivering a bulldozer to northern Greenland. Visual: U.S. Air Force. Bottom: Lead canister carrying the fuel rods from the U.S. Army’s Camp Century nuclear reactor in Greenland, during decommissioning in 1960s. Visual: Jon Fresch/U.S. Army

Of Course, the plan had plenty of unknowns and led to heated discussion at scientific meetings when it was presented — what, for example, would happen if the balls got crushed or caught up in flows of meltwater near the base of the ice sheet. And would the radioactive balls warm the ice so much that the ice flowed faster at the base, speeding the balls’ trip to the coast?

Logistical challenges, scientific doubt, and politics sunk the project. Producing millions of radioactive glass balls wasn’t yet practical, and the Danes, who at the time controlled Greenland, were never keen on allowing nuclear waste disposal on what they saw as their island. Some skeptics even worried about climate change melting the ice. Nonetheless, the Philberths made visits to the ice sheet and published peer-reviewed scientific papers about their waste dream.

Arctic Military imagination predates the Cold War. In 1943, that imagination spawned the Kee Bird — a mystical creature. An early description appears in a poem by A/C Warren M. Kniskern published in the Army’s weekly magazine for enlisted men, YANK. The bird taunts men across the Arctic with its call “Kee Kee Keerist, but it’s cold!” Its name was widely applied. Most well-known, a B-29 bomber named Kee Bird that took off from Alaska with a heading toward the North Pole, but then got badly lost and put down on a frozen Greenland lake in 1947 as it ran out of fuel. An ambitious plan to fly the nearly pristine plane off the ice in the mid-1990s was thwarted by fire. But the Kee bird lineage was by no means extinct.

In February 1955, Real magazine published the story of the U.S. military’s first base inside Greenland’s ice sheet. Visual: Real Magazine

In 1959, The Detroit Free Press, under the headline “The Crazy, Mixed-Up Keebird Can’t Fly,” reported that the Army was testing a new over-snow vehicle. This Keebird was not a flying machine but rather a snowmobile/tractor/airplane chimera that would cut travel time across the ice sheet by a factor of 10 or more. Unlike similar but utilitarian contraptions of the 1930s, developed in the central plains of North America and Russia and equipped with short skis, boxy bodies, and propellors that pushed them along, this new single-propped version was built for sheer speed.

The prototype hit 40 miles per hour at the Army’s testing facility in Houghton, Michigan, thanks to the “almost friction-proof” Teflon coating on its 25-foot-long skis and a 300-horsepower airplane engine that spun the propellor. The goal was for the machine to hit a hundred miles per hour but after several failed tests, and a few technical publications, it warranted only the one syndicated newspaper article written by Jean Hanmer Pearson, who was a military pilot in World War II before she became a journalist and one of the first women to set foot on the South Pole. The Soviet version, known as an “airsleigh”, was short, stout, and armed with weapons for Arctic combat. There’s no record the Army’s Keebird carrying weapons.

In 1964, the Army tested a distant relative of the Keebird in Greenland. The Carabao, which floated over the ground and over water or snow on a cushion of air, was developed by Bell Aerosystems Company and had been previously tested in tropical locales, including southern Florida. It carried two men and 1,000 pounds of cargo, and had a top speed of 60 miles per hour. The air cushion vehicle skimmed over crevasses but was grounded by even moderate winds, an all-too-common occurrence on the ice sheet.

Top: Kee Bird, a B-29 bomber that got badly lost and put down on a frozen Greenland lake in 1947. Visual: U.S. Air Force. Bottom: U.S. Army test of the Carabao air cushion vehicle over snow in Greenland, in the 1960s. Visual: U.S. Army

Another Problem: The craft went uphill fine, but going downhill was another matter because it had no brakes. Unsurprisingly, the Carabao — its namesake a Philippine water buffalo — proved to be unsuited for ice travel despite the claim that: “All this is no mere pipe-dream following an overdose of science-fiction. The acknowledged experts are thinking hard about the future use of hovercraft in Polar travel.” Despite all the hard thinking, hovercraft have yet to catch on and are still rarely used for Arctic travel and research.

IN 1956, Colliers, a weekly magazine once read by millions of Americans, published an article titled “Subways Under the Icecap.” It was a sensationalized report of Army activities in Greenland and opened with a photograph of an enlisted soldier holding a pick. Behind him, a 250-foot tunnel, mostly excavated by hand and lit only by lanterns, probed the Greenland ice sheet. Colliers included a simple map and a stylistic cut-away showing an imaginary rail line slicing across northwestern Greenland. But the Army’s ice tunnels ended only about a thousand feet from where they started — doomed by the fragility of their icy walls, which crept inward up to several feet each year, closing the tunnels like a healing wound. The subway never happened.

That didn’t stop the Army from proposing Project Iceworm — a top-secret plan that might represent peak weirdness. A network of tunnels would crisscross northern Greenland over an area about the size of Alabama. Hundreds of missiles, topped with nuclear warheads, would roll through the tunnels on trains, pop up at firing points, and if needed, respond to Soviet aggression by many annihilating many Eastern Block targets. Greenland was much closer to Europe than North America, allowing a prompt strategic response, and the snow provided cover and blast protection. Iceworm would be a giant under-snow shell game of sorts, which the Army would power using portable nuclear reactors.

A tunnel cut into the Greenland ice sheet by the Army in the 1950s, mostly using hand tools. The tunnel was a prototype for a subway system — in part to move nuclear missiles under the ice — that never came to fruition. Visual: U.S. Army via United Press Associations

Except it wasn’t a game. The Army hired the Spur and Siding Constructors Company of Detroit, Michigan, to scope out and price the rail project. A 1965 report, complete with maps of stations and sidings where trains would sit when not in use, concluded that contractors could build a railroad stretching 22 miles over land and 138 miles inside the ice sheet for a mere $47 million (or roughly $470 million today). The company suggested studying nuclear-powered locomotives because they reduced the risk of heat from diesel engines melting the frozen tunnels. Never mind that no one had ever built a nuclear locomotive or run rails through tunnels crossing constantly shifting crevasses.

But in the end, Iceworm amounted only to a single railcar, 1,300 feet of track, and an abandoned military truck on railroad wheels.

The Split personality of Arctic permafrost frustrated Army engineers. When frozen in the winter, it was stable but difficult to excavate. But in the summer, under the warmth of 24-hour sunshine, the top foot or two of soil melted, creating an impassable quagmire for people and vehicles. When the permafrost under airstrips melted, the pavement buckled, and the resulting potholes could damage landing gear. The military responded by painting Arctic runways white to reflect the constant summer sunshine and keep the underlying permafrost cool — a potentially good idea grounded in physics that was stymied by the fact that the paint reduced the braking ability of planes.

The military engineers, ever optimistic, put a more positive spin on permafrost. Trying to use native materials in the Arctic, where transportation costs were exceptionally high, they made a synthetic version of permafrost that they nicknamed permacrete – a mashup of the words permafrost and concrete. First, they mixed the optimal amount of water and dry soil. Then, after allowing the mix to freeze solid in molds, they made beams, bricks, tunnel linings, and even a chair. But permacrete never caught on as a building material, likely because one warm day was all it would take to turn even the most robust construction project into a puddle of mud.

U.S. Army engineers test permacrete strength in a tunnel cut into the frozen soil beneath the Greenland ice sheet in the 1960s. A permacrete chair is in the front right. Visual: Jon Fresch/U.S. Army

The Army’s most ambitious Arctic dream actually came true. In 1959, engineers began building Camp Century, known by many as the City Under the Ice. A 138-mile ice road led to the camp that was about 100 miles inland from the edge of the ice sheet. Almost a vertical mile of ice separated the camp from the rock and soil below.

Camp Century contained several dozen massive trenches, one more than a thousand feet long, all carved into the ice sheet by giant snowplows and then covered with metal arches and more snow. Inside were heated bunkrooms for several hundred men, a mess hall, and a portable nuclear power plant. The first of its kind, the reactor provided unlimited hot showers and plenty of electrical power.

The camp was ephemeral. In less than a decade, flowing ice crushed Century — but not before scientists and engineers drilled the first deep ice core that eventually penetrated the full thickness of Greenland’s ice sheet. In 1966, the last season the Army occupied Camp Century, drillers recovered more than 11 feet of frozen soil from beneath the ice — another first.

A two page diagram of Camp Century published in the 1960s by Pilote, a French comics magazine. Visual: Pilote

Top: In the 1960s, a plow excavates the trenches that will hold Camp Century. Visual: Robert W. Gerdel Papers, Ohio State University. Bottom: Men install metal roofing forms over a completed trench at Camp Century, which are later covered with snow. Visual: Robert W. Gerdel Papers, Ohio State University

One module of a portable nuclear reactor being moved into Camp Century. The first of its kind, the reactor provided unlimited hot showers and plenty of electrical power to the camp. Visual: Jon Fresch/U.S. Army

Little studied, the Camp Century soil vanished in 1993, but was rediscovered by Danish scientists in 2018, safely frozen in Copenhagen. Samples revealed that the soil contained abundant plant and insect fossils, unambiguous evidence that large parts of Greenland were free of ice some 400,000 years ago, when the Earth was about the same temperature as today but had almost 30 percent less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

In half century or so since the demise of Camp Century, global warming has begun melting large amounts of Greenland’s ice. The past 10 years are the warmest on record, and the ice sheet is shrinking a bit more every year. That’s science, not fiction, and a world away from the heady optimism of the Cold War dreamers who once envisioned a future embedded in ice.

— Paul Bierman is a Geoscientist and a Professor of Environmental Science and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. He is the author, most recently, of “When the Ice Is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals About Earth’s Tumultuous History and Perilous Future,” a study of Greenland, the Cold War, and the collection and analysis of the world’s first deep ice core. Bierman’s research in Greenland is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

[valleyledger]

17th Annual Emmaus Arts SnowBlast Winter Arts Festival

The Emmaus Arts Commission (EAC) will host its 17th Annual SnowBlast Winter Arts Festival on Saturday, March 9, 2024 from 12-4pm at the Triangle Park in Emmaus. The SnowBlast is an outdoor event that celebrates the local arts while bringing community members together to enjoy this wonderful time of year. SnowBlast 2024 will feature over 35 local artists, arts-related vendors, live music from…

[rescuebabiesau]

Art dump of some of my recent brain-to-"paper" transfers :)

[ziggityzigg]

Snowblast can’t fly after a recent vet(dragon vet?) visit

Edit: I FORGOT TO TAG @spacenintendogs

[aecholapis]

10, 13, and 42 for the oc asks?

Sure! This one's a bit shorter.

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

The holder of the most complicated design title may be Ironwing but Altitude is a close second and he has only been referenced in asks about his brother or his bf so far which is why I think he should be the answer to this question. The biggest issue I have with him is the placement of his colors, not the design itself.

Dramatic, sociable, an absolute blast to have around, Altitude is the kind of person you'd want to invite to any kind of gathering for he will breathe life into it. He has a bright personality and an equally lively appearance to match.

His base form is a simple propeller plane, nothing special. Cybertron's atmosphere is comparatively thin and makes it nigh impossible for him or his brother to fly. They are bound to walk through their floating home city state Vos but they can fly just fine under a certain... altitude, hehe.

Like his brother, Altitude doesn't have an outlandish robot design either. They use extra parts to make themselves appear more formal in Azimuth's case and fancy in Altitude's. Sometimes, the actor walks around with his costume on (superficially added kibble) and refuses to take it down even when it inconveniences him.

They share colors too: black, white, green, red and a flash of pink to complete the look. Altitude sports orange parts as well while Azimuth has more blue and purple on his frame. The twins are walking fashion disasters and sometimes tricky to draw due to their odd color schemes.

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

There are a bunch! Munchy and Chomper for example. They are two sparkeaters @cyber-streak-2 has shared custody over and both are generally timid, although when they're at ease they might play a trick on mecha they know well. They're relatively young and are still testing out boundaries. Exopulse and Azimuth have to be patient with them.

It doesn't help that they're considered to be preternatural creatures by Cybertroniankind and that their ghastly appearance is hard to hide. They gotta use those creepy vibes to spook a mechanism or two.

(Old, unfinished sketch of Chomper)

Another noticeable troublemaker is Sparkattack :) Sparky needs enrichment.

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?

Not Helios haha, please don't mention the sun when he's around. No! Nooo! Helios come bACK-

Acidsplicer harbors a healthy amount of curiosity regarding the world and history happens to be a part of it. Reading is only one of her thousand unsuccessful hobbies but it is something she attempts to get into over and over and over again.

She lacks the patience to read through any book longer than a novella. Either because she keeps interrupting her reading by doing something else besides or If she can't finish it in one day or one sitting, she will have a hard time returning to it because there are always so many more things she should be doing instead.

It must be said that she would love short stories about Greek mythology. She's not a literary nerd, but rather an artist and she will seek the beauty in prose. Beauty which she can memorize and illustrate in a painting or form in a sculpture. According to her, literature does not always do it justice.

Like numerous heroes in ancient greek mythology, she is obsessed with being the best at something. She knows how to use every tool she comes across and has a broad basic knowledge, however, she cannot recognize how valuable this knowledge is and will complain about her inability to master a skill.

This is in no way connected to the myth of Pygmalion and she will never find her Galatea/something she is good at.

But yeah, she'd like Greek mythology.

Snowblast would be less interested in it, but if Acidsplicer recommended him anything, he'd become interested in it too.

[tohwitchesduels]

FIRST ROUND OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 6: Luz Noceda vs Skara

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

Information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Skara:

Skara specializes in the bard track. For the purposes of this tournament, I allow Skara to have a powerset established by MoringMark's comics due to him fleshing out her capabilities in the "A Hint of Blue" comic storyline and his comics being beloved by the fan base. And not only. Her instrument of choice is lyra.

Skara is established to be an excellent ASIAS strategist and an experienced athlete in both grudgby and flyer derby. She also did show some fiery spirit in LR and judging by her becoming a new teacher at Hexside, she seems to be quite proficient in magic, granted usually in battles she didn't showcase impressive feats.

Skara has no real issue with Luz, but she can get very competitive during this battle and she also has pressure from Boscha to take out Luz since she doesn't want to face such a loser in the finale.

Skara possesses a Palisman and shows she is capable of staff wielding. She seems to be a decent flyer but was also the first to be taken out during the flyer derby match, suggesting she doesn't have enough skill or defenses to shield herself from being knocked out in midair or performing any serious aerial attacks.

One of the tools I'm willing to give Skara regardless of everything is flying boots. She can use them for transportation and aerial attacks even when she doesn't possess a palisman during the battle and she can use them to save herself from fall damage if she ever is knocked out midair.

Another tool I'm willing to give her is the bag of tentacles she used in Once Upon a Swap to prank people, she can occasionally throw some of them at the battlefield to create tentacle traps. Skara doesn't control them though so the tentacles could attack her as well.

Arrow Strike - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release a single arrow using her magic which can be used offensively. The arrow is strong enough to pierce through magical barriers. Requires an instrument.

Arrow Storm - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release multiple arrows at once using her magic for offensive purposes. Requires an instrument.

Beat Box Shockwave - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can release a shockwave all around herself by beatboxing. She can utilise it to push away anything coming her way, including even her opponents. The range however isn't particularly big though.

Willpower Increase - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara by playing her instrument can regain her strength and clear her mind. Can be used to refresh herself during the battle. Requires an instrument.

Sonic Whistle - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara by whistling can release sonic waves that can be used to distract or even immobilize her opponents due to the noise hurting the ears of everyone hearing her whistle. It however won't work on deaf opponents.

Thunder Wave - MoringMark exclusive ability. Skara can create a thunderstorm with lightning directly striking her opponents. It's Skara's strongest offensive capability. Requires her instrument. Skara can release multiple lightnings one after another dealing even more damage to her enemies. Skara can also choose where her lightning strikes too.

Snow Spell - as demonstrated in Something Ventured, Someone Framed, Skara learned how to create snow. She will usually display it as a simple snowball or snowblast attack.

Fire Spell - as demonstrated in Something Ventured, Someone Framed, Skara to create snow can also create fire. She will usually use this ability specifically to throw a single fireball.

Link to more of Skara's abilities here

Luz Noceda:

I'm going only to mention spells by names here, here's are the links for more exposition on Luz's capabilities (part 1, part 2, part 3).

Luz has no real ill will towards Skara, but she does not intend on losing for the sake of both proving herself and meeting her friends especially Amity in the finale as she promised her a friendly and romantic rematch between them, so Skara is going down.

Luz Noceda, the protagonist of our story, is one and only. Unlike other competitors, Luz is a rare example of a jack of all trades who does not specialize in one specific magical track and studies all of them. Normally, Luz specializes in glyphs but according to the lore of my own tournament which happens after the final battle with Belos, Luz no longer has access to glyphs. However, she now does have a magical staff that allows her to still be able to cast spells just fine as proven by Owlbert in Young Blood, Old Souls. Now, since my rules specify how at times you're not allowed to use palismen in the battle, Luz is capable of avoiding this rule thanks to String Bean's shape-shifting nature, as String Bean possibly could transform into an accessory that would allow Luz to cast a spell like everyone is none the wiser, or maybe even shape-shift into an instrument to mimic bard magic (even though Luz has no vibration based spells). Outside of that Luz would also have access to some other supporting artifacts.

When it comes to Luz's fighting style, she in general prefers to outsmart and outpower her opponents with the raw strength of her magic. Luz has come far ever since she started to learn magic, currently with String Bean by her side she certainly is now more accustomed to spell-casting. Luz is quite proficient with magic now coming up with new creative ways to utilise her magic. She also now has more experience in combat meaning she's more willing to take down her opponents head-on. Luz can however be pretty reckless and impulsive when approaching her opponents, biting more than she can chew and sometimes jumping without thinking. Luz can however be quick on her feet and easily recover and come up with new ways to get an upper hand during battles.

Luz possesses now her own palisman as we all know it which happens to be none other than String Bean. String Bean showed that with her presence, Luz could be even stronger than she used to be, and Luz had plenty of experience with Owlbert beforehand to know how to use a witch's staff. Luz is a true aerial ace as Eda's Requiem episode proves as she could've won the race if it wasn't for King. She of course also knows how to correctly cast spells with staff alone and can use it in combat. String Bean also has a unique ability of shape-shifting, which allows her to take on features of other creatures and use them to her advantage. Granted she can't change size with the ability so all animals will be miniature, but it can come in handy nonetheless, and she could possibly change String Bean into other objects (like jewelry or instruments) in case she can't use witch's staff.

Luz shall be allowed a multitude of tools to help her out during battles. One of them happens to be a crystal ball from her oracle class. Luz can use it to conjure up a single ghost that can be used to help Luz aid in the battle and also predict Luz's future. The ghost is usually chill but rather helpful. It's intangible meaning it's immune to physical attacks for the most part (but can be dispelled with special attacks) and can phase through solid objects to get to its opponents and be capable of touching them to inflict harm.

Another tool Luz would be allowed to use is tea leaves from oracle class which would also help her learn about her opponents, what they're capable of, and what they're going to do.

Luz is also equipped with a training wand in case she needs another source of magic to cast spells from. It's like a hidden dagger if someone would take her sword (as in her staff, I'm clearly alluding to Sasha Waybright's example) away.

Another tool Luz is free to use is her iconic bat which Luz can use for offensive purposes. Luz is allowed to have and use other weapons like a mace and a sword to aid her in the time of her need.

And of course, how could I not forget that Luz also has fireworks to help her in a fight to add more to her firepower.

Luz also has brought snakes to her battle as she managed to tame them just enough so they would not attack her but certainly would attack her opponents. They're not venomous though considering now pressed any charges when Luz brought them to school. She will bring a few of them.

Another animal that Luz would bring with her to the battlefield are spiders. They're mostly used to just scare people during the fight by pouring them all over her opponents. Can be used as a great distraction. She has quite a big number of them and she can even naturally attract them as seen in TtT. The spiders are also not harmful and Luz is not phased by them either.

Smoke Potion - Another tool Luz would be granted to use is a smoke potion she could brew as seen in the First Day. Luz could potentially utilize it as a smokescreen or suffocation attempt.

Light Orb

Light Bomb

Ultimate Illumination

Multiple Light Orbs

Hologram Projection

Illusion Casting

Illusion creature creation and command

Telekinesis

Object Creation

Disintegration Spell

Invisibility

Partial Invisibility

Ice Platform

Ice Wall

Ice Spike

Ice Slide

Ice Bat

Ice Construct

Ice Sword

Freeze

Ice Spike Prison

Ice Spike Stream

Ice Blast

Iceberg

Ice Stream

Ice Spikes

Ice Shield

Ice Bullet

Snow Construct

Snow Storm

Icicle Assault

Ice Bridge

Ice Enchantment

Majestic Tree

Thorn Bolt

Tree Assault

Vine Trap

Hanging Vine Trap

Vine Transport

Vine Grab

Vine Attack

Vine Shield

Vine Platform

Jungle Grab

Plant Creature Creation

Plant Enchantment

Plant Bomb

Fire Ball

Fire Enchantment

Fire Sphere

Temperature Raise

Fire Shield

Fire Stream

Fire Explosion

Fire Geyser

Fire Propulsion

Fire Ejection

Combustion

Fire Rainbow

Fire Tornado

Spicy Toss

Safety Hover

Steam Cloud

Sleeping Cloud

Tornado Spell

Water Spell

Teleportation

Flash Step

Laser Strike

Mega Beam

Explosion

Return to the masterpost

[marbleleague]

“It’s not exactly challenging what people are saying, is it? ’Solid at the individual events, but melting in the team events’,” Snowy quoted from Buzzyna’s own marble sports coverage outlet.  Snowblast forced a stubborn smile. “Better than when people said we wouldn’t qualify. And better than when they said we’d do poorly at everything. You know —”  Snowy made a vague conciliatory gesture. “I think I get your point,” they mumbled. 

PME's newest article- a flashback to ML23 and the Maze event- is now out!

[teighveepao]

SNOWBLASTER 🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

ISADEUCE SHIP NAMES IDEAS... GO!!! (My persona is associated with Snow White so you can try and go off that too!!) please try and reblog ur answers so I can reply to them, as I am unable to reply in the comments!!

Tagging: @cloudiepuffs @kyupidos @cthesea-si @gimmeurmoneyagh @bunniehunn

@thehollowwriter @qsoap @h0neybane @moonyasnow @babyghoul138

@justm3di0cr3 @beneathsakurashade @luciferzstar @the-rini-rush @teighveepao

@moon--18 @quartzelfgf @rainesol @tsubomisno1fan @butlerspade @unity-obj

@4necdote @pansexualdemonslayer @ramshackleperfect @quimichi @kieriex

@midnightmah07 @imafrealinrainbow478484 @oya-oya-okay @twtysevapr

@skrimpyskimpy @omi-the-zombi @ishouldrllykillmyself @fell-e

@screamintoad @anonymousplant @kawaii-queen-kaiju

[kianga-snowstorm]

Snow Warband Beach Vacation

A story in pictures