Subject: Pykrete!
Author:
Posted on: 2017-12-11 22:09:00 UTC
Pykrete is the best fact I ever learnt from a Horrible Histories book.
[Stares up at the Warship Habakkuk in something close to awe]
Hey, Scape... there's only one of you, and I've got 18 Snow-Givers left. But if we joined forces, we could absolutely destroy the rest of the Board (with snowballs, obvs).
Whaddayasay?
hS
... is it snowing where you are? Because this is really weird.
Also goes for anyone else. Do we... /have/ any other UK Boarders left? Of course I assume the entirety of North America is buried under a lovely soft blanket (except California, which is just on fire).
hS
Alaska is melting. We still have snow on the ground, mind you, but I have no idea why. It should have long melted away, what with it being, like, over 40 degrees Fahrenheit for the past three days. And extreme wind gusts blowing through Anchorage. Look at you guys, having freak snowfalls. Please give us our snow back. We miss it. :(
Anyway, what I'm saying is, I'll have to scrape together some snow before I can join the fight below. It may or may not have some ice chunks. Probably wont. Maybe.
[Chucks a snowball in World-Jumper's face] There you go! You're welcome. :D
hS
A little at Dijon, more in Champagne-Ardennes (forgotten backwater). Nothing now, but the week-end ended up quite white. A bit weird we're seeing more snow than my brother doing his studies at ontreal this year.
Just... give me five minutes first.
[Runs off at super-speed and builds an army of snowmen; runs back] Ha!
...
... why aren't they moving?
...
... oh.
Wait, what's that song the children keep singing?
#There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around..#
... I can work with this.
[Digs out EVERY SINGLE PERMISSION GIVER HAT that has ever been abandoned; places them firmly on the heads of the snowmen... who promptly start gathering up snowballs]
I call them... Snow-Givers.
Come on, if you think you're 'ard enough!
hS
Ah yes! Once again I've had the urge to make more Board memes/art! (I say "art" because it doesn't really have much of a punch line and it won't be made in Walfas.)
So far I have hS and myself, as these are the only two I know the appearance of for 100%. If you are part of the snow fight and wish to be included in the pictures, reply with something of what you look like (doesn't have to be a photo, color drawing will also do) so that I can add y'all to the pictures.
-Twistey
Her name's Habakkuk.
Methinks th'art slightly outmassed. =]
Here's a link to Habakkuk's website. >=]
Pykrete is the best fact I ever learnt from a Horrible Histories book.
[Stares up at the Warship Habakkuk in something close to awe]
Hey, Scape... there's only one of you, and I've got 18 Snow-Givers left. But if we joined forces, we could absolutely destroy the rest of the Board (with snowballs, obvs).
Whaddayasay?
hS
Perhaps we should engineer some bombers for them - how does a payload of blue ice sound to you? >=]
I mean, except for Zing, they're all ground-bound... also, on a more practical note, I feel snow may be unsuited for constructing engines. Though perhaps giant snow-formed paper aeroplanes...? [Sets a handful of SGs to work on a prototype]
The blue ice, however, would be rather /too/ cruel. Best stick to snowballs.
hS
Combine high-efficiency solar panels, pykrete construction for the bodywork, and silver wiring along the wing and tail vanes for heat dissipation, and you can definitely have a low-heat flight solution similar to that Project Helios thing that was wandering around recently. Indeed, it'd be able to transfer a lot of heat away from everything - one feels that the array of propellors would also be useful in this regard, as heat from the motors could be transferred out through the whole mass structure and radiated out through dedicated points that aided its profile.
If this seems elaborate, well, you're the one who made magic hats into heavily armed snowbeings. You started it. =]
I didn't do the magic hat thing; that's straight from Frosty the Snowman. You can't blame me for classic christmas songs.
Now, if there was a song that went:
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you design me a solar-powered pykrete bomber with dedicated heat redistribution systems to prevent it melting while in flight?"
... you might have a point!
[Picks up a snowball and tosses it casually from one hand to the other]
hS
Rudolph the engineer
Had a knack for making stuff
Despite his big ideas
Rudolph kinda had it rough
All of the other reindeer
Treated him with great distrust
Just because his inventions
Turned that one elf into dust...
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came and said
"Rudolph with your mind so bright
Won't you fix my sleigh tonight?"
That's how the North Pole Air Force
Solar bombers came to be,
And Air Chief Marshal Rudolph
Will go down in history
Will go down in hiiiii-stooooooor-reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Hey, why don't you throw some of those snowballs at hS, guys?
- TOmash
o-o-Why don't I throw some snowballs at hS, guys?-o-o
[SG Leto begins pelting Huinesoron with snowballs - until SG Nenya cannons into it, breaking it into pieces]
o-o-Owwwwwww...-o-o
[SG Leto is out of commission. Current Snow-Giver status: 18/19 operational.]
[hS, still covered in snow, races around at super-speed and resculpts the SGs to be unhackable.]
((Oh, look - we have a points system.))
((Also: there are 22 departed PGs by my count; however, Jay and Acacia never needed hats, and Desdendelle's hat went to Zing. So, 19.))
((Also, SGs have nothing in common with the PGs whose hats they are wearing. Names are used for convenience only, and reflect nothing of the people who used to be on the Board.))
((hS))
[borrows Animus's force staff]
[baps a nearby SG on the back of the head, probably breaking them to bits]
[gives Animus his staff back]
(( said force staff more or less one-shot a Rubric Marine with a whack to the back of the head at one point. It technically requires a psyker, so ... let's assume I am one temporarily. ))
(( Animus is Granz's character ))
- Tomash
[Half a dozen behatted snowfolk surround Tomash and sustain a furious volley of snowballs, buffetting him around the field.]
Snow-Giver status update: 17/19 operational. 6 groundside; 7 idle aboard pykrete aircraft carrier Habukkuk; 4 designing frozen aeroplanes.
Boarder status: Huinesoron elven speedster; Tomash psyker; Scapegrace Admiral of the Fleet; Zingenmir Kryptonian speedster. All others per baseline.
hS
*watches as some RAF planes fly by.*
So you had an aircraft carrier huh?
*watches a commercial plane land nearby*
And that's my ride. Bye!
Nova
[ducks down, still getting hit by snowballs]
[gathers up some snow]
[stands up, throws a snowball at one of the SG's hats, glowing slightly]
[gets hit by a whole mass of return fire]
[is rather wet and covered in snow]
Oof.
(( due to Shenanagins, that snowball should hit the hat (absent special circumstances). Whether that does anything is up to you ))
- Tomash
[Snow-Giver GreyLadyBast looks around curiously. Spotting the snowball incoming, it tries to dodge - but the snowball inexplicably curves in midair and strikes its target. The hat of GreyLadyBast flies spinning up into the air - then comes down squarely on the still-glowing snowball]
[The snowball stops in midair as the Snow-Giver crumbles. It bobs for a second. Then a glowing psychic field spreads around it, gathering up snowballs and flinging them at both Tomash and Huinesoron]
[Blinks; blinkblinks] I... sentient psychic snowball, huh? Did not call that one, gotta admit.
[Scrambles out of the wreck of the Habukkuk (yeah, it took me a minute to realise Nova had bombed it into oblivion, but I got there eventually) and looks around] Snow-Giver Nenya! Give me a count!
o-o-Snow-Giver status: 14/19 operational (Bast lost to the snowball, 2 more in the overkill-ridden RAF attack on the Habukkuk). 5 groundside, 4 with the prototypes, 5 in the wreckage of the Habukkuk.-o-o
... we can work with that. Snow-Givers - to the planes!
[At the research site, SG Sedri turns in alarm]
o-o-The planes are not yet ready to--o-o
I don't care! We need to keep Nova from getting away - we need to deal with Tomash - and we need to put an end to that psychic snowball!
[Three snow/ice planes, each loaded with two Snow-Givers, lift clumsily from the ground. One is a paper dart writ large; it takes aim at Tomash. One is a high-tech solar-powered extravaganza; it targets the zipping, glowing snowball. The last consists of two SGs standing in a tray and waving big wings up and down; it lumbers off towards Nova's plane.]
Excellent. Soon, victory will be-
[Is hit in the face by a snowball from the Psy-ball]
Ow.
hS
[tries to shut that down]
[succeeds, mostly]
(it's still hurling snow, but less often and less enthusiastically)
The dart flies overhead. The SGs on board dump a bunch of snow on me. I'm kinda covered in snow, and will probably need a moment to figure out how to get out of this.
The dart heads off into the distance, dipping somewhat lower and .. crashes into the ground?
- Tomash
Snow-Giver status: 13/19 operational. But for temporarily immobilising Tomash, a worthy sacrifice.
[The 5 groundside SGs converge on Tomash, bombarding him to keep him off-balance and preventing him from recovering]
[The North Pole Air Force solar bomber swoops overhead and snatches up the Psy-ball; being weakened by Tomash's attack, it is relatively easy to capture. The plane banks in midair and heads back to the wreck of the Habukkuk with its captive.]
Yes, yes... bring it to me, my loyal ones!
hS
[nearly clears of an arm]
[gets pelted with a pile of snowballs, undoing most of the work]
Hey, folks, a little - yow - help here?
- Tomash
(I love sparring with hS. It's fun.)
*dons BJ Blazkowicz cosplay and grabs a Nerf gun* Haha! Let's go!
*...has second thoughts*
*dons decoy cosplay (except a couple risky accessories, of course) and grabs a flamethrower* Haha! This'll be amazing against snow!
*runs off to fight*
-Twistey
[One of the Snow-Givers surrounding Tomash is instantly immolated by Twistey's flamethrower] Retreat! Retreat!
[The SGs fall back; waves at the planes still overhead] Concentrate all fire on the flamethrower!
[The Solar Bomber starts dropping snowballs on Twistey; this includes the Psy-Ball, which immediately starts throwing snow anywhere and everywhere; hS watches grimly]
What've I got? Uh... SG DML, update me.
o-o-Snow-Giver status: 12/19 operational. 4 retreating from Tomash, 2 on the Bomber, 2 on the Flappy Plane, 4 in the Habukkuk.-o-o
Okay. We need... I think we need a wall. Build me a wall. And... and send someone to get the Flappy Plane back in the air, it's embarassing.
[Two SGs start building a wall from the remains of the Habukkuk; the other two head off towards the Flappy Plane, which is lying on the ground flapping pathetically]
hS
*starts defending myself with the flamethrower, slowly advancing towards the Solar Bomber.*
*heavy breath* Take out his biggest weapon... that way it'll stop attacking everyone.
*yelling at hS to test his patience* Hey, Mr. Build A Wall! I thought you didn't like our President! Hahaaaaa!
*makes a dash for the Solar Bomber* For Wolfenstein!
-Twistey
...going to turn into another round of PPC Hunger Games.
Say, can't that random generator also be tweaked so its events are custom-made?
I think I did a PPC HQ arena once, completely changing everything in there? And-
Wait. This was just a ploy to get me talking, wasn't it? Everyone knows nerd-sniping is my only weakness! [Flings snowballs at Ix and looks around frantically for a Snow-Giver]
hS
[Tasks two Snow-Givers with peppering Makkara with snowballs; works frenetically to build an ammunition stockpile]
hS
Not literally, but back when I had troubles with public transportation in winter, my dad bought me this coat.
It was some sort of down ski-jacket that was waterproof, and it was so big that I could squat on a bench and get my knees to my chest inside it, so personal tent.
[Grabs a shovel and starts burying Makkara's personal tenturtle in a mound of snow] Muahaha.
hS
Then again, own personal ice cave, I'll probably suffocate after falling asleep from boredom.
Now to plan our defence against the next attackers...
[Sets to work trying to build a wall, but the Snow-Givers keep blundering into it and knocking it back down]
... -_-
hS
Makkura suddenly flies up from the snowpile, shedding her coat, and pelts the entire battlefield with golf-ball sized hail.
See, she died from the cold and did a Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians.
Then someone from DMS promptly slew her in a shower of glitter.
Okay, that's everything I could scrape together from what's left outside my building. We got a bit of a flurry a couple days ago, that's it. {= )
~Neshomeh
I'm supposed to do the ambushing, not you! [Hits Nesh with a retaliatory snowball then flees behind the Snow-Givers]
(We've been beset by constant rain since the snow ended, so it's all pretty much gone here. Not that I'm going to let that stop me...)
hS
*Makes tiny snowman as the snow melts* Ends up looking like one of Calvin's snow creatures as it meets its demise.
It was below 0 C here at night for a couple of days, but the precipitation went south of us.
Snow in Connecticut!
[Grabs a snowball; looks up at Thoth... and up... and up] Huh. Space Marines are kind of big, aren't they?
...
Oh, well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall! [Snowballs Thoth inna face]
hS
Up here on USEast? I'm used to it. :-D.
It's a bloody winter wonderland up here. Speaking of which...
*Chucks snowball at hS when his back is turned.*
I live literally 100 yards from the sea. There is simply too much salt in the air for snow to form unless conditions are exactly right, at which point the entire county grinds to a halt and everyone has a massive panic. =]
'Help help snow' managed to beat out 'world entirely on fire' on the Beeb for the first time in a week or so. Panic is ongoing everywhere except your neck of the woods (and Storme's, I would never forget him... :( )
Look, so you know what's coming next, right? I mean... right? It's obvious.
...
...
...
[Stuffs a handful of slush down the back of Scape's coat]
You can't say I didn't warn you.
hS
Snow?
Snow?
Hmmmm.
Snoooow?
Never heard the word, no, never. Is that like that stuff they put in ice cream? Is there a factory for it or something?
Maybe we should get in on that.
Here, let me show you! [Chucks a snowball in Larfen's face] See? Lovely!
hS
I THINK IT'S BITING ME
GET IT OFFF
WHAT IS THIS SENSATION? IT'S A BIT LIKE WHEN I DRINK COKE OR A COLD DRINK, BUT MORE
[hopelessly spasms on the ground, clawing at face]
North Carolina winters mostly consist of ice from freezing rain, though. :/
[Picks up a snowball; hesitates] Y'know, I'm kind of overstretched here, with Zing and Tomash/Makkara clobbering me. I could probably stop snowballing everyone who comes along...
...
...
... nah. [Lobs a snowball at epl and flees]
hS
The fires are currently limited to Southern California (and way out of season), although just two months ago I needed a gas mask to walk outside. We probably won't see another fire here until next year, because everything flammable has already burned.
... I'm willing to provide emergency extinguishing material at bargain prices. Delivery will be by long-range catapult, and...
Nah, that's way too complicated, you'll never go for that. [Gives up and just chucks a snowball at leafeyes' back]
hS
I don't actually know how much, since I haven't gone out to look, but there's a clearly visible layer.
And Austin (where I normally study) had a bit of snow on Friday, which resulted in any class before 10 AM getting canceled.
- Somash
[Lurks near the door with a giant snowball to ambush Tomash when he emerges]
...
...
This is going to get very cold very fast, isn't it?
hS
It's above freezing tonight.
- Tomash
But /I shall not give in/!!!
For some reason.
hS
They're ganging up on me!
[Pelts Makkara with a flurry of snowballs; runs off and hastily builds a snowman replica of himself; hides behind snow!Huinesoron] It's genius, they'll never figure it out.
hS
[gets hit my snow from somewhere]
[grabs some of snow!hS and looks for someone to retaliate against]
Also, I hope you brought an umbrella. It's been raining all morning at least.
- Tomash
[Pelts Tomash with snowballs from close range] Freedo- wait, wrong battle cry. Uh... shoulderrrrrrr!
(We also have horrible horrible rain. But snow is more fun. ^_^)
hS
Hey, that was my arm!
[forms more of the snow replica into snowballs, throws at hS. Inevitably, half of them miss hilariously despite the close range.]
Aaaaaaarm!
- Tomash
Aaaaaaaaaahhh! [Runs away]
I need a plan, I need a plan, I need a--
[Is pelted in the back of the head by multiple snowballs, and also possibly by a bucket of water and a super-speed whirlwind]
This is not a plan! [Starts flinging snowballs indiscriminately]
hS
Curse you Eagleshadow! I'll have my revenge for this!
... One moment, please.
[puts down gathered snow]
[takes off glasses]
[tries to clean them]
[tries again]
[puts glasses back on]
Ok, there we go. Revenge!
[gathers up snow]
[throws several snowballs at hS]
- Tomash
[Dodges about half of the snowballs; gets spattered by the rest]
This calls for a... a tactical retreat. Yeah. I need to consolidate my forces.
...
I don't have any forces.
...
I can fix that.
[Runs off up-thread]
hS
It snowed quite a bit yesterday, but now it's about three inches left. It hasn't snowed hard here for years...
Yeah, I think you've still got more than us; ours is turning to slush now.
[Scoops up a handful of snow and lobs it at OpinionedAngel's head; runs off back to Britain]
hS
A rare, never-before-seen picture of Huinesoron.
[Builds a quick snow-lizard] Look! A self portrait!
[Waits for Ix to come over and then flings it]
hS
...my mind pretty much just went, "You're the Flash now?"
Then again, if it's cold enough, it slows speedsters down, so...maybe there's something to the lizard idea. Maybe.
~Z
PS: No snow here, of course. We haven't even hit below zero (Celsius) temperatures yet. Canada got some snow last month, though, which was cool to see pictures of...
/very generously does not gather up sand to throw at people. That would be cruel. And really dangerous. Also, it doesn't exactly stay in balls all that well...and it sticks to your hands.../
[Sneaks off to Hoth and steals a snowdrift to drop on Zingenmir's head] You're welcome! ^_^
hS, the fastest hS alive
What d'you mean, 'you're welcome', now the room's even colderrrrr--
/becomes the Flash as well purely so as to be able to vibrate in place and thus warm up/
Right, then. This is definitely my supervillain origin story: time to figure out how to make some snow out of the ocean water and drop it on your head!
~Z
[Spins round really fast to create a vortex, draw down high-altitude air to the ground, and spontaneously crystallize the atmospheric moisture into more snow] Ha!
hS, overcomplicating since '03
/creates a HURRICANE by adding whirlwinds and...stuff...which works to make a hurricane because...look, technobabble!/
Yeah, I'm not the type of speedster who can do the comic book technobabble all the time, but when it comes down to it? I can run.
~Z, skating over technobabble since...uh...2008? 2009? Don't think I was really all that into technobabble-using things before that
[Muffled voice from the depths] Maybe I should switch heroes. I wonder if Aquaman's powers work on snow...?
Wait. Hang on. [Facepalms] Elf. [Climbs on top of the snow and runs across it] As Legolas showed, snow is a /mortal/ problem. [Scoops up snowballs and flings them at Zing on the fly]
hS, fastest elf alive
/rises into the air because I can fly now because if you're a speedster Elf then I'm now a speedster Kryptonian. Ha./ /melts some snowballs with laser vision and dodges others in mid-air/
...oh, wait. Freeze breath, or whatever the official term is. /starts using it to encourage more snow to fall/
(over-powered? Over-powered. Also redundant in terms of speed now. But fun.)
~Z, of the house of...Zing-Mir? This could use some work. And a check for Glitter. But the dog isn't starting to act like a CAF, so I'm probably fine
[Runs around the extra snowfall and whirlwinds it back at Zing; hurriedly grabs some snowballs and uses Noldorin skill to carve them at super-speed into marvellous crystalline sculptures; starts throwing them] Look, I've not got a lot going for me, I might as well make it look pretty.
hS
We got a bit of snow yesterday, but it was all just flurries and none of it stuck.
The lake in my neighborhood did freeze over, though! But other than that, it looks like it ought to be T-shirts and shorts weather. We even still have geese around here—normally they've left for warmer climates by now.
I miss getting three feet of snow in December. :(
This is actually the first time we've had decent snow in a good five years, so I am sharing the love! [Assembles a seriously oversized trebuchet and starts flinging snow in Ix's direction]
... hang on, was that Louis/iana/ or Louis/ville/?
Eh. I'll do both. Sorry, wrong one!
[Continues firing]
hS
*pops up, sputtering*
Ohhh, you asked for it.
*scoops snow together into a snow trebuchet, prepares to launch at hS*
[Builds an igloo to shelter in; sits smugly in igloo] Hah!
[Igloo promptly collapses around him; scrabbles to the surface] Aw, come /on/!
[Peppers Iximaz with snowball]
(For a brief, glorious moment there you were the PPC's newest holiday: Iximas.)
hS
Of course, it's only the very far northern, elevated parts of Arizona that ever do.
In my area, we did go from night temperatures in the fifties down to the thirties in a single day. Which also means I went from a zero coats day to a two coats day in a single work week. Very embarrassing. The best part, though, is that this should hopefully drive the last straggling bark scorpions underground until spring now. Although I did see one crushed to death in the squirrel monkey door just yesterday . . .
—doctorlit, scorpion hunter
What good is cold weather without snow? Let me get that for you.
[Cobbles together a steam-powered rocket to deliver a cubic meter of snow right on top of doc's head]
... wait. Americans.
[Hastily redesigns rocket to carry 27 cubic feet of snow instead]
Much better.
hS
I don't know about the UK, but the Netherlands are covered in snow. And if I look out the window, it's still snowing. It's also quite foggy.
In light of the fact that my country has for some stupid reason chosen to cut ties with yours, it is my solemn duty to do this:
[Lobs a rather misshapen snowball across the Channel at GT]
Take that!
hS
[Throws snowball in the general direction of the UK, hoping to hit something]
That's for landing a snowball in my food!
Serves you right - I bet it was /foreign/ food, wasn't it? From... Hollfranmany, or whatever that European country is call-
[Any further comments are cut off by a sudden fall of snow from the tree, dislodged by the snowball]
hS
And no, I do not have snow. We have plenty of rain though if you want it.
Nova
The Forgotten Brit.
... I will /not/ include you in the general snowballing I am currently carryi g out.
...
...
...
Ah, who am I kidding? [Flings a snowball at Storme's head and runs away cackling]
hS
*Charges after hS*
Seriously, sorry. (Though in fairness, you haven't been around much this month.) It's been sort of alternating snow and rain here, so the ground is just a muck of slush.
hS
I haven't really been on the board for the last few months.
It's still raining here.