Losar System

Cooking the Solar System from the Inside Out

(yeah lol it does kinda look like it says Loser)

For this system layout, I have taken the Solar System planet's orbital distance in astronomical units, and taken the reciprocal.

The major planets, in order of increasing distance from Los, are Enutpen, Sunaru, Nrutas, Retipuj, Sram, Thrae, Sunev, and Yrucrem.

Read more about them below the cut:

The Losar system formed through a very different mechanism to our solar system. I'm not sure entirely about the specifics, but the arrangement is not dissimilar to the Kepler-90 system, in which 6 super-earth-mass planets are extremely compact and close to their parent star, with a low-mass and a high-mass gas giant at the outer part of the solar system. Perhaps as Retipuj formed, it migrated inward, carrying with it the ice and gas necessary to form the super-earth-mass planetary cores which accreted into Enutpen and Sunaru, or perhaps there was some kind of switcharoo where the Hot Ice Giants started out on more distant orbits, before crossing orbits with Retipuj and then being coralled into lower orbits.

Either way, some kind of migration is necessary, since Enutpen and Sunaru are volatile-rich, and the outer planets are comparatively volatile-poor.

I've excluded Pluto (or "Otulp") and the other dwarf planets, not because I don't like them or think they count as planets, but because I think by the time you're accounting for every large object in the Solar system in the Losar system, it just gets really implausible. also I bet some objects end up inside of the Sun. Plus, this kind of thought experiment is playing the same kind of planetary dynamics game that splitters are playing when they say Pluto's not a planet. Suffice to say, there are definitely lots of interesting small worlds in the Losar system, but they don't have 1:1 analogues with Solar system planets.

There are only five large moons in the entire system. Aside from Retipuj, satellites and rings are not stable around any of the Hot Giants. If satellites were initially formed around the Hot Giants, they would have either crashed into the planets or were ejected into one of the asteroid belts.

The first civilization to arise in the Losar system are the Sunevians, suspiciously great-ape-like feathered aliens who walk on their upper limbs and use their lower limbs as graspers. Sunev is an oceanic world with one large australia-sized landmass and a great number of volcanic islands. The ocean is relatively shallow, with a lot of coral reefs across the planet. The world is kept warm due to an atmosphere with an Earthlike composition but over twice the atmospheric pressure. Its slow retrograde rotation period results in day/night cycles which are more like seasons, and there is plenty of time during the warm nights to peek through the relatively dense cloud cover into the nearly empty sky. Early or late in the night, one might be able to see Thrae and Noom, or Sram, or if they catch it at just the right time, they might see the incredibly bright spectacle of Retipuj or even Nrutas peek out of the treeline, brighter than any planet or star. On a really good sunset across the ocean with clear skies, some observers report seeing additional super-bright red stars next to the red Sun, but these are thought to be some kind of weather phenomenon reflecting sunlight.

In rare moments of clear skies at night, away from light pollution, one might see many faint hazy spectacles. The zodiacal light (meteoroids orbiting beyond Yrucrem) shines as a faint haze across the ecliptic. The milky way too, shines as a glittery patchy cloud across the sky. But sometimes, every few hours, early in the night, there is a bright patch near the sun, brighter than the zodiacal light. A mystery for ages, but this is now known to be the cometary tail of Enutpen. Sunaru's tail is also detectable, but substantially fainter.

Sunaru and Enutpen were the first planets to be discovered, and were detected within a week of one another by early Losar observers. After the invention of the astronomical telescope, a reflector, observers got very bored during the daytime months. That is, until someone figured out a safe way of pointing towards the Sun. At a cadence of 52 and 103 hours, little black dots would march across the Losar disk. 52 hours was also the cadence of the brightening and dimming of the twilight zodiacal light. And suddenly, two brand new planets were discovered!

Millions of years later on the cold ice-age planet Thrae, astronomers would have an easier time with Enutpen and Sunaru, having known them to be planets since antiquity, due to their apparitions during total solar eclipses. Thrae's comparative cloudlessness also helps.

Sunev has three tiny asteroid moons, which was a helpful jumpstart to Sunevian space exploration, providing early wins for all four space programs. But these little asteroids were not truly other worlds, merely refueling outposts on the way to the rest of the Losar system.

Every few years, there would be a perfect alignment between Sunev and the Hot Giants to allow for a grand tour to be completed using only flybys of the gas giants, with minimal propellant expenditure. The first grand tour attempt got no further than Retipuj--contact was lost due to overheating before the probe made its Nrutas flyby. Specially developed solar flyby probes had to be developed that could survive hotter temperatures before the Hot Giants could be properly explored. These probes would resemble the Parker Solar Probe in some ways, albeit with very different scientific instruments designed for planetary science as opposed to Oilehphysics. Nrutas, Sunaru, and Enutpen turned out all to be much less massive than originally thought, having been puffed up to a larger diameter by being cooked by solar radiation. Nrutas, thought to be the king of the planets, turned out to be merely puffing up its crest to appear regal, so to speak.

Retipuj's moons were incredibly interesting. Retipuj turned out to have 8 satellites--four tiny inner asteroid moons, and four large satellite planets. Otsillac, the innermost turned out to be a volcanic world, yellow-brown in color and pitted with dull-red volcanoes, and a thin atmosphere constantly replenished by volcanic plumes. The next three are in a Ecalpal Resonance of 1:2:4. Being both larger than Otsillac (and, in fact, Yrucrem) and in a more eccentric orbit, Edymenag was even more volcanically active, with a molten surface and exposed mantle. The smaller and more distant Aporue and Oi turned out to be less active, with only a few active volcanoes and many extinct ones. Oi was the least active--although the most recent eruptions were only half a million years old, it was practically dead. It was also the only one with a substantial amount of impact craters, and like Thrae's satellite, Noom, there is likely some volatile ices stuck in the permanent darkness of polar craters.

Hot Giant exploration was best appreciated by specialists, but the other outer planets were much more appreciated. Sram was thought to be warm enough to potentially support liquid water, but its atmosphere ended up being 1/20th of the pressure initially expected, the majority of it having been blown away into space by the Losar winds and the Enutpen tail. But Thrae was a sweet spot--it may have had a thinner atmosphere, but that was compensated by being nearer to Los. In addition, a giant impact it sustained billions of years ago lead to it having a powerful magnetic dynamo to survive the onslaught of the Losar and Enutpen winds. Thrae was a habitable biosphere of similar complexity to Sunev's, albeit with deeper oceans and all the alien horrors that comes with the territory.

Even Yrucrem turned out to be a surprise--despite a dull appearance in telescopes, it was found to have cryovolcanoes and pockets of subsurface oceans, which could potentially support a biosphere. It's a dark brown color due to ice having been aged by solar radiation, with white spots and rays spraying out from recent asteroid impacts and cryovolcanic plumes. The small planets of the trans-Yrucrem asteroid belt were a similar treasure trove, although the nearest large trans-Yrucrem planets were a dozen au away, and requiring RTG power sources. Initial flyby probes to the Trans-Yrucrem-Objects required both being capable of surviving the oppressive heat of Los-shine near Retipuj, and the cold of deep deep space, in order to take advantage of Sunev-Thrae-Sunev-Retipuj gravity assists.

The Sunevians never had a chance to discover the deepest secrets of the Losar system. Their planet froze over due to anthropogenic aerosol production intended to reverse anthropogenic carbon emission, civilization fell, and it never recovered.

But millions of years later, perhaps the Thraelings have a chance to discover, whether through direct imaging or through analyzing the weirdly arrayed orbits of certain trans-yrucrem objects, the four Cold Giant planets, and the distant brown dwarf companion of the Losar system...

Via print:

2

And now they meet....

“I take it you’re Melinoe?” Morpheus sounded as thrilled as he felt when he walked into the training room the next morning to meet the woman who would be his partner, or at least until he could find a way to get rid of her.  At least she wasn’t bad to look at, and from her outfit she was there to do serious work.  At least they hadn’t put him with one of the females that was more concerned about her appearances than whether they got the job done; that was at least a bonus.  However as his eyes swept her body from her long coffee colored hair that was pulled up in a plait, across her curves, and down to her long legs that were toned from workouts and the rigors of their job, Morpheus had to admit that at least the scenery would be enjoyable while he was forced into this position.

“I am.  That would make you Morpheus.  I’d say it’s a pleasure, but your reputation does proceed you.  I’ve already been warned, you’re not going to scare me off or get rid of me.  We’re stuck together, so let’s see if the other part of your reputation is correct.  Hand to hand first, then we can do weapons. Let’s see what you got.” Melinoe gave him a wink as she smirked over at him.  She was prepared for anything he could throw at her.  Overnight she’d done some research on the assassin she’d now be paired up with, and had gotten a good feel for who he was and how he operated.  To say he was generally disliked would be a significant understatement, even amongst their superiors.  While he was adept and lethal, he had an attitude that few could stomach.  The number of reprimands in his file was impressive for him still to be in the service.  He’d impressed someone along the line, or maybe slept his way into keeping his job.  She couldn’t deny that he was nice to look at - tall, dark hair, and grey eyes that seemed to be scrutinizing her, chiseled jaw and cheekbones, and he didn’t have to wear tight clothes to see his musculature.  Yes, sleeping his way to keeping on the force was a possibility. 

“I guess I won’t have to wonder where I stand with you.”  Morpheus was actually impressed, not even one single attempt to flirt, and she was direct.  He had to respect that, even if it slightly amused him.  The tall female was attractive, which normally meant flirtatious.  Now he had a good idea why he’d been paired up with her, maybe he wouldn’t hate this quite as much as he’d anticipated.  The thought made him smirk as he considered exactly how to put her to the test.

“Not at all, killer.  And don’t think that the nice cheekbones, strong jaw, and ability to smolder are going to get you anywhere.  I’ve been told I’m immune.”  She gave him a tight smile and another wink as she pulled on her training gloves: tight leather fingerless gloves that had padding in the palm.  “Don’t take it easy on me, and I will do the same.  I want to see what you’ve got, and how much of your weight I’m going to have to carry.”  Now it was she that was smirking as she kept from looking at him, something she was sure he was not used to.

“Excuse me?  MY weight that YOU are going to have to carry?”  Now Morpheus had to scoff as his eyes rolled.  There was no way she’d be carrying any of his weight.  More than likely, he’d be carrying her weight, and although she was far from fat, he imagined he’d be tired from carrying her weight on every mission.  There were few in the service that could keep up with him, let alone fight to his level.  He dropped his equipment bag to the side of the area that they were going to be using and began to pull on his own gloves, keeping an eye on her as well.

“I believe that IS what I said.” Melinoe was glad she didn’t have to hide her smile at the indignation in his voice as she dug more of her gear out of her own bag.  “I won’t play nice to save your ego.  I’ve heard it gets enough puffing up off the job, I don’t plan to do any more of it while we’re on the job.” She tossed a few things to the side and then turned to stand and face him.

Before Melinoe could come to full standing, Morpheus had her by the bicep and shoved up against the wall, with his body against hers, keeping her there.  Those grey eyes of his seemed to have gone ice cold and his expression was dead serious; she had to hand it to him that he was intimidating when angered.  “I don’t know just who you think you are, but commenting on what I do off the job is none of your business.  And my ego doesn’t need to be puffed up any, by you or anyone else, my performance speaks for itself.” She’d hit a sore spot without even meaning to, but he wasn’t going to let it slide either way.  This is why he preferred working alone. No asshole coworker to annoy you, or get you injured or killed.

Her green eyes met his evenly and with a hint of amusement in them.  “Is that so?  And yet, you lose your cool so easily over the statement.  Hiding something, Morpheus?”  Her eyes dropped to where their bodies met and then back to his eyes.  “Or compensating for something?  I don’t care, but don’t you ever grab me that way again if you want all your body parts to remain in their original and current positions.”  Melinoe’s chin lifted defiantly and her eyes narrowed.  “Now back the fuck up and let me go, or I will make you.”  The coldness in her voice made ice feel like the tropics and the set of her jaw made it clear she was not in a joking mood.  He too had taken a step too far.

“Fine!” He took one step back, releasing her as his fingers splayed wide on both hands, his head tipping to the side, and his own eyes narrowing.  “Don’t start a war you can’t finish.  As you said, Melinoe, we are stuck together.  We can fight each other and the nightmares, or we can fight together.  You choose.”  He was fighting grinding his teeth as he stood there staring at her.

“You made the first move, Morpheus.  I’d say it’s up to you if there’s a truce, or hostilities continue.  I’m not going to back down if challenged, and I won’t pull punches.  Don’t think you can steam roll over me because others cower at you.  They picked me for a reason.”  The corners of her mouth ticked up, he’d have to call the truce between them and apologize. She wasn’t going to be made to apologize or back down, that wasn’t her style.

It was at that moment a messenger came into the room.  “Ema!  Ema!  I have a message from Krios.  It is in regards to your last mission.  Something’s happened.  He is going to need to speak with you after training!.”  The messenger held out a scroll to her, bowing deeply as she reached for it.  “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am.  I was told it could not wait and was of the utmost importance.”  Morpheus’s eyes narrowed as he watched, something was off about the interaction, and what had he called her?

“Right!  Well, then it is best that you didn’t.”  Her tone was clipped, but Melinoe was not chastising or upset sounding.  It was clear on her face that something about what the messenger had just said was troubling, and she was not wanting to reveal more in front of him.  “Thank you for delivering it to me.  Morpheus and I will be in to see the Prime as soon as training is completed.  Let him know that it was delivered.  Thank You.”  She inclined her head and waited until the messenger had exited the room before breaking the seal on the scroll.  As she read, a feeling of dread filled her.  It seemed that she and Morpheus were not going to get much of a period to get acquainted. 

Morpheus waited for Melinoe to share what was within the scroll.  As he did, he went back over what the messenger had said.  He’d called her “Ema”.  The name sounded familiar, but he was having a problem placing it.  There was also that the messenger had shown a reverence to her that he didn’t even receive.  And why would Krios contact her directly, the Prime rarely spoke to agents.  Who had he been paired up with?  What had the Dream Gods done?

“It looks like we aren’t going to get much time to get to know one another before we are going to have to undertake our first mission.  A pair of nightmares that have been preying on dreamers and brutally killing them from within has resurfaced, or one of them has.  I killed the other one in my last mission. I had hoped both were dead, but apparently the one was just badly wounded and laying low for the last couple weeks.”  Frustration bled through her voice as she filled Morpheus in.  Having to admit to not defeating the one nightmare was not something she liked doing, but she wanted it all out on the table. “Apparently the remaining one struck someone just taking a nap, not even someone asleep for the night.  So, since it was my last solo mission, it has become our first joint mission.”

Now would be the test if he could control his own mouth, or if they would forever be at odds with one another.  While he didn’t want a partner, fighting with her while trying to defeat the nightmares wouldn’t benefit either of them.  Best thing was to call a truce and work together.  “A truce it is then, if you’re agreeable to forgiving my earlier slight.”  Once she had inclined her head to indicate that she did, he continued, “I guess we should get down to training then if we’re going to be thrown into it that fast.  Learning one another’s fighting style is going to help when we’re taking on an adversary, especially one that is out for revenge for you killing its partner.”

okay it turns out writing fic is hard so i have made a PHOTOSTORY of the Dark Lokius fic that i would write if i wasn't lazy and a coward:

Person A is an assassin android, built to be a perfect killer. Person B is their target, who is actually a god of life living in human guise for a chance to learn about humans. When Person A finds Person B impossible to kill, they kidnap them and hold them prisoner, studying Person B and trying to figure out a way to kill them, but due to the extended proximity to a life god, Person A starts to become human and struggle with emotions and things they’ve never felt before.

Building Futuristic Worlds: A Comprehensive Guide to Crafting Transport Systems for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing

Hey there! Here's yet another world-building article where I detail how to enrich your story world in unique ways. Transportation systems in fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian worlds often get overlooked when world-building. So let's go into some details about how a unique transportation system can be built

First, lets go over inspiration. Mixing different types of transport is an excellent way to get started creating something unique. To get pretty weird with the example, let's say we have a uni-cycle in a rolling bubble under the sea. The rider would have to cycle to move the bubble to its destination. Please don't ask me how they get in or out. A hatch at the top? Maybe the bubble exterior is gelatinous and can be walked through?

Next, let's go over geography. Different terrain will determine the type of transport you'll need to create. Got a vast mountain range? May I suggest teleportation? I'm not too fond of driving in high locations. Underground tunnels might work well too. Bonus points if the tunnels are unstable and cause conflict for your protagonist. 

Now for the fun stuff: add unique and exciting elements to your transport system. In a fantasy world, you might have enchanted gargoyles pulling carriages through the sky. In science and fiction, hovercraft may shift between sky and underwater depending on traffic.

Finally, we'll talk about currency. Do you need one-time magical tokens to board earned through questing? Or do you have to buy your ticket with the meager credits you get from your job at the sardine factory? Please don't ask why we have a sardine factory in a sci-fi environment. I'll add that to the list of things I need to figure out. 

In conclusion, it's your world; do what you will with it. Take or leave the sardines. Mix and match if you need inspiration. Think about why this transport is required. What purpose does it serve? Who needs to use it? Bonus question, what would make it the worst way someone might get around but still has to? What would make it the most magical experience hardly anyone gets to have? Those are some things you might want to think about. Happy world-building. 

-Indigo

Need more? Check out my other articles!

Losing my mind.

Okay, I read a short story about a group of scientists/researchers/explorers out on the ocean who are looking for a particular spot where they can either time travel or get to another dimension (?). They go through whatever the portal is and release a dolphin that they have on board that's supposed to like conduct research somehow (?). The dolphin is attacked and killed by these creatures that LOOK like dolphins but are actually fish/reptiles (?). I think then the scientists end up on land where they find remains of a creature or a living creature that LOOKS human but isn't (????). I have to stop googling this I'm going crazy.

What fucking story did I read?

Fucking stories I did not read:

any of the Uplift series by David Brin

Dolphin's Way by Gordon R. Dickson

Sister Planet by Poul Anderson

ever since i got to talking with friends about astrology i've been fascinated by how a system having THREE suns from the get-go might affect religion, science & general history.

(the 3rd sun in question is a red dwarf 1/5th of a lightyear out they didn't even realise was part of the same system until relatively recently)

You're a dimensional traveler. You're mostly a researcher, for an organization that knows about other dimensions. It's not something the average person in almost any dimension actually knows about, but there are a few pocket realms, where dimensional travelers can meet.

Its strange going on research trips. They always put you in the body that you would have had if you had grown up in that world. You've felt what it would be like to exist in a body that's been a medieval peasant its entire life, and likewise you've known what it's like to be in a body that's never left a spaceship.

The strangest time was when you were in a body from an entirely mechanical world, where no biological life existed. It was horrifying ar first, being a machine that didn't breath or eat, you felt like you were being drowned, and felt like your skin was missing. And the worst was so desolate, knowing there was nothing but wasteland outside the cities. But the more you stayed there the more normal it felt, as empty as it was, the beings there only knew humans, only knew life, as a bad memory, and era long forgotten.

You've been to a world with superheros, it was right after you left the machine dimension. It wasn't like your childhood fantasies, wasn't like what the people of your world dreamed of. A superhuman is a horrifying thing to witness as a moral, and the fact that an alien thinks of itself as a farm boy from Kansas, can be more horrifying then it think of itself as an alien, horrifying to the shoplifter and the media pirate, horrifying to the protester, horrifying to the radical. It's scary for such creatures to uphold mortal law. You couldn't give those people any weapons to fight back with, but you could tell them that you were from a world without superheros, and tell them that is was possible, and it wasn't more dangerous like they thought it would be, it was safer.

You've met people you've wanted to take back with you. People who you could have. There was a time when you were in a world with limited technology, and powerful magic. You befriended a eunuch priestess there, a priestess of a god whose temples were being burned, where her faith was being replaced with a monotheistic one, one that would have her killed for more reasons then one. She fled from city to city, as more cities were being taken by the new faith, where she became illegal in more and more places. You offered to take her to your world but she said no, she needed to be with her people in the end, and even if she went, you realized she'd be no more accepted there then she is where she lived.

And you've seen better worlds. You've seen a post revolution America, seen how much more advanced it is. And seen the old churches of that world converted back into pagan temples, and seen cities where office buildings were all apartments, and city halls had become meusums, explaining to people what governments were when humanity had governments. You've seen things be possible you didn't think were. Yet you had to leave. You always had to leave.

You've been to a world where humans didn't experience romantic or sexual attraction, and didn't have libidos or erotic sensation. It was strange, you felt empty at first, you missed those feelings so much. You went with your partner, and you couldn't feel anything about them, there was no feeling of lust when looking at their naked body, and worse off there was no feeling of romance when you looked into their eyes. But you still liked eachother as humans, you were good freinds even when you weren't able to love eachother, you still talked for hours, still cared about eachother. And you cuddled, because without romance freinds would just cuddle in that world. When you came back to your own world, and the attraction came back, it felt weird and wrong at first.

You've been to so many places you've had to leave behind. You've been to a world of endless forest night, where monsters preyed on humans, and you've sat with humans who've learned how to survive despite everything. You've seen a world of endless city, stretching across a planet, and you had to leave it, you always have to leave it behind, even though you could explore it forever. You've been to a world where the internet was all that existed, where there was no physical realm, just websites and chatrooms, the image of a screen being all you could see, and being there for awhile without a body, just getting to talk to people, and see how they spent their days, it made you love the body you had, but still care for those without them.

One of your most deadly missions was to go to a world of demons. To live in that empty world, that world with no light, no hope, where every soul knew it was forever damned. But the demons still had to live, still had to spend their days doing their best, still had freinds, despite the fact that they knew redemption was beyond them. And you were one too, and despite how you expected there to be nothing when you were thrown into that void, you were still you.

You're more appreciative of your own world now. Seeing people on the street and the subway, they're still human, anywhere you go. You've asked the organization for an interdimensional internet device, you really want to be able to still talk to some people you've, you think people deserve that, to be talked to. Mabye people actually are good?

Picture this; #476

In an effort to travel to another universe a scientist ends up swapping lives with their other self. Now they have a whole family they never had relying on them and no idea of what fate befell their double.

The artist I paid came through and this is the final, most wicked result! Give them a look on Twitter!  https://twitter.com/ratopomboart (NSFW art acc in link)

@6robotmonster6 B A S K, also lore below

The Fox is one of the Contract Circuit’s latest rising stars, part of a stable of corporate gladiators that duel each other and those of rival companies to the death for fame and fortune!

Though a fairly recent newcomer with only several months of experience, The Fox has distinguished himself for his mixture of underhanded tactics and showmanship, evoking the imagery and alleged cunning of a long extinct animal within The World of Progress.

His catchphrase is “THE FOX FUCKS”, pronounced in a thick scottish/cockney accent so as to sound like “THE FOX FOCKS!” and his preferred melee weapon is a custom MAC-brand knife.

His public persona is bombastic and intelligent, yet manipulative, it and his Powercell suit more than making up for his short stature as he likes to state a mixture of well-informed facts, half-truths and the occasional outright slander both in the name of a paycheck and to please the suits, all in a very suave and natural-sounding manner. 

Privately he enjoys Sasoran animation and comic books, alongside the bodies of his groupies, be it sexually, cannibalistically or both, being fond of torture and using his boyish good looks and manipulations to goad others, potentially even higher-ranked company Operatives, into bed.

He ensures this fact is kept secret between him and the receiving parties, resorting to gentle words with a pinch of blackmail if possible, or apologizing profusely to brush off getting a bit “overzealous” during BDSM.

Along with this fact, he defies the typical Contract Circuit hothead stereotype by being quite knowledgable and helpful to any Operative squad he is assigned to, some of which found him suspicious for it.

Yet even with all this, SLA owns the media, and even if he is somehow caught at his worst on-camera, it’s nothing his agent cannot sweep under the rug.

In-fact, his only real concern is surviving long enough to become legend or dying as flavour-of-the-year like so many before him.

Toronto, 1er février 2049+  L'inspecteur de police regardait les quatre cadavres sur les tables d'autopsie : une étudiante, un cuisinier, une avocate et un peintre en bâtiment. Quatre personnes que rien, en apparence, ne semblait relier. Toustes originaires de milieux différents, mais toustes mort·te·s d'un arrêt cardiaque à la même heure alors qu'iels étaient chez elleux, un casque de réalité virtuelle, très à la mode depuis des années, sur la tête. Les expert·te·s informatiques venaient tout juste de l'informer de la découverte récente d'un lien entre les défunts : un jeu indépendant baptisé "One For All". Connu pour offrir une expérience de vie virtuelle unique en son genre et permettant à ses utilisateur·ice·s d'éprouver toutes sortes de sensations plus vraies que nature telles que la douleur, la faim, le plaisir ou encore la peur pour sa vie, One For All, semblait avoir intégré une fonctionnalité supplémentaire que personne n'avait jusqu'à maintenant découverte. Derrière l'offre alléchante et bien réelle d'un monde dans lequel tout est possible, un monde dans lequel la seconde chance est permise, se cachait en réalité une règle gardée secrète : si le personnage incarné venait à perdre toutes ses vies, alors, saon joueur·se périrait aussi. Ainsi, les quatre personnes étendues face à l'inspecteur étaient pareilles à quelque Icar moderne, à avoir voulu voler trop près du soleil, iels en avaient payé le prix fort.

Le détective lisait maintenant le descriptif du jeu sur l'une des nombreuses plateformes le proposant au téléchargement. "Êtes-vous prêt à découvrir qui vous êtes vraiment ? One For All vous offre la chance d'être qui vous désirez, sans limites. Gloire et pouvoir aux plus fort·e·s, les restes et la mort pour les plus faibles." Dans ce jeu, pas d'offre premium risquant de favoriser les plus riches, chacun·e devrait faire ses preuves comme les autres. Son rapport finalement terminé, l'inspecteur le fit remonter jusqu'au chef du département de la Police, qui avec un sourire, lui annonça qu'il délirait, qu'un simple jeu vidéo ne pouvait pas être la cause du décès. L'affaire fut classée. Du moins officiellement, car ces quatre mort·te·s qui n'étaient pas les premier·ère·s, ne furent pas non plus les dernier·ère·s et si tout avait commencé sur des bêta-testeur·se·s sur les premières versions, de plus en plus de joueur·se·s lambdas étaient concerné·e·s. Aujourd'hui One For All est sous surveillance et si son aspect meurtrier en est la cause principale, ce n'est pas la seule car  l'addiction générée par le jeu, souvent démesurée, est également particulièrement inquiétante voir elle-même mortelle.

Alors, allez-vous télécharger le jeu, mettre votre casque et vous joindre à l'aventure ?

Petite Chronologie : 2019 - Première Pandémie mondiale. Elle dure 2 ans et montre les faiblesses des différents systèmes politiques. 2030 - Seconde Pandémie mondiale. Elle dure 2 ans et prouve que les gouvernements n'ont pas appris de leurs erreurs. Les citoyen·ne·s, au contraire, semblent rapidement prendre les bonnes décisions pour endiguer l'épidémie par elleux-mêmes. 2034 - Création du HUB, évolution d'internet, permettant de vivre une expérience immersive grâce à la réalité virtuelle. 2041 - Troisième Pandémie mondiale. Elle dure une seule année, mais est excessivement meurtrière, emportant 30% de la population mondiale. Elle créer un gouffre entre les pays et les peuples. 2047 - Lancement de la version Alpha du jeu One For All. Les joueur·se·s sont bloqué·e·s dans le jeu et ne peuvent pas en sortir. Celleux qui meurent à l'intérieur meurent également IRL. Les survivant·e·s sont déconnecté·e·s de force un an après, juste avant l'ouverture du OFA pour toustes. Les joueur·se·s ayant été déplacé·e·s par les développeur·se·s et ayant été porté·e·s disparu·e·s reviennent d'entre les morts. Décembre 2048 - Lancement de OFA. Accessible à toustes, en téléchargement sur bien des plateformes. L'engouement est présent et le jeu prend vite de l'ampleur ! Février 2049 - Mois actuel du forum.

Hi folks, Nik here! Over the last few years (wow its been more than one) it's been my pleasure to bring to you the story of the Proxima universe, and share with you all of the thought and care and work that has gone into it. It is an absolute honor to be considered for the Turtledoves this year, and if you enjoyed the story enough, please do consider voting in the Best Spaceflight and Technology poll, as well as for Best Character - if you'd be so kind! I can't wait to bring to you the sequel to Proxima, and a new interim project I've been working on with some friends. See you all soon!

Know Your Voles

Burrowing fuzz-bearing critters may seem creepy, but did you know voles are an important part of the ecosystem? Yes, even if they dig up a few of your tubers every spring! Here''s some fun facts about our tiny roommates!

Every garden cittervole eats thousands of insects and arachnids per moon, including mites and tuber-beetles that are dangerous pests!

Most Voles don't lay eggs, and instead give live birth! This does not mean they are closely related to snakes, however. That's just an old wives' tale!

Voles are social creatures that raise their young, just like we do! Vole mothers even feed their young with a special sweat they produce from patches on the belly

Voles are not downy! The fuzzy covering that keeps them warm is called 'fur' and, while structurally similar to down, it is a more primitive and less differentiated structure.

Vole jaws can move side-to-side, an ability they use to "chew" through solid wood to make burrows in tree stumps or, yes, your house. Some voles can even bite through metal given sufficient time and inclination.

Despite this, you can keep voles out of your home with a spritz of diluted longberry oil. Voles are sensitive to the flavor-compound capsaicin and avoid it.

For more information about voles and how to handle them ethically, contact your local office of Civilian Logistics, Administration and Welfare for our informative pamphlet packed with scientific facts, handy tips and tricks, recipes, and a field identification guide.