i_speak_softly | Fifty-Ninth Theory [Voice/Action]

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Fifty-Ninth Theory [Voice/Action]

[After the experiment ended, and as summer came to Luceti, Don settled into a new routine. In the morning, he leaves his house, walks up the path to the barracks, and takes the teleporter to the beach. He runs several miles along the sand, then dives into the sea and swims back the same distance. Then he practices some magic, manipulating Wind or Water in any place that strikes his fancy, or moving to a rocky part of the shore to work with Earth.]

[By late morning he's home again, and after lunch he heads out to the smithy. He spends several hours in a back room, working on mysterious projects, then emerges again. He often visits the library afterwards, and in the evenings he can be found around the village, studying a book. Then home to sleep, and he starts all over again.]

[Today Don's projects are finished. He hauls the pieces out of the smithy, across the plaza, and into a clearing behind the playground, where he assembles them. Later, the following five structures can be found:]

[The first is a crazy assortment of reflective surfaces. Placed strategically among them are shallow metal bowls, which have been filled with kindling. A carefully-carved plaque beside this object reads: FIRE.]

[The second consists mainly of buckets on wheels, and buckets on a vertical conveyor belt, all installed in a kind of basin. The sign next to this one reads: WATER.]

[The third is a kind of Rube Goldberg machine. It's not clear what it does, but it appears it can be triggered by tilting the seesaw at one end of it. It is labelled: EARTH.]

[The fourth is a rack holding metal pipes of varying lengths, and glass jugs of differing sizes, and clusters of smaller metal rods hanging from strings. The plaque here says: WIND.]

[The fifth structure is different, and stands a bit apart from the others. It's a small hut, plain on the outside, with only a door in one side and a tiny hole in the other. There's a complicated canopy-like structure shading the door, so that even when it's opened the hut is still dim inside. The sign outside reads: SUNRISE, SUMMER SOLSTICE.]

[After completing his handiwork, Don will rest at the foot of a nearby tree, and pull out his journal.]

Earth. Fire. Water. Wind. What do they mean in your culture?

((Choose your own adventure!
A. Meet Don on his daily routine, any day that isn't ridiculously forward- or back-dated.
B. Catch Don while he's assembling these structures.
C. Come upon the structures sans-Don, and try them out. They are designed to become interesting when triggered by the corresponding element: flames reflect off the surfaces, water turns the wheels, a rock dropped on (or raised under) the seesaw starts the machine, and wind plays the instruments.
D. Explore the fifth structure. It does nothing interesting until June 20, when, if Don's calculations are correct, the rising sun will shine through the small hole and illuminate the inside.* Visitors will then be able to see what Don painted there: careful reproductions of constellations, and complicated equations describing various astronomical phenomena.
E. Answer Don's voice post. You know, if you want to do the obvious thing.))

((*Except that the calendar calls for thunderstorms that day, so sunrise may get rained out.))

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[Upon finding the fire sculpture, there's a bit too much evil glee on the pyro's face. Kindling. Now to just find a lighter or Ace. Alternately someone stop him. Marco is not someone who should be allowed to play with fire, even supervised.]

[No one appears. Have fun, Marco.]

((Feel free to invite someone else to thread with!))

In my world... magic, usually. Some people have the ability to cast elemental magic.

Is it something they're born with? Or do they learn it?

Well, yes and no. Nobody used to have it or learn it... [ except in very specific circumstances ] ... but in the past few years, some people discovered they were able to use it.

[That's very strange.]

Any idea what caused that?

[Ami would be very interested in each of the setups, but her habits aren't very conducive to getting her out to see them, and she catches Don's journal post instead.

It makes her pause a moment before replying. Right now, top of her mind thinking of fire is worrying about the senshi of flame on the special mission. But she moves away from the personal.]

They're the basic elements in certain philosophies. They're considered very important.

[He'll pretend to know nothing about this.]

What's their significance?

They're said to have connections to personality, which parts of a body are stronger or weaker, even predisposition to certain fates.

[This of course is not very scientific, hence the 'said to have', nothing more than discussing the philosophy itself, without comment.]

Are the correspondences thought to be functional, or only descriptive?

By now, it's probably considered a bit of both. It's a very old belief.

[Which makes her wonder...]

Do you believe it could have merit?

I find it hard to believe there are only four kinds of people.

Of course everyone is different, but we still put them into categories in other aspects as well.

True.

Does this system usually work, in your experience?

Sometimes. But any type of system to say what someone is like will break down sometime. People aren't that simple. [At least, she'd like to hope she isn't. She knows perfectly well that she's often brushed into the intellectual, studious category.]

Do you think there's any value in the idea? Anything useful about it?

Only historically. It's outdated by now. We have more reliable theories about these subjects in modern psychology and medicine.

[Ever the logical doctor, Ami.]

A disproven hypothesis. Like saying the world is flat.

[She finds among her close friends, much of it holds true in their personalities. But it's still not precisely scientific.]

Something like that, yes. I think it's important to be open to discarding any theory that doesn't hold up against new knowledge and evidence.

[The basis of the scientific method.]

Have you had to do that often?

[She deflects with a slight joke.]

I'm speaking with a turtle, aren't I? I never would have imagined that back home.

[He - is surprised she went there.]

Yes, but you probably took the non-existence of talking turtles for granted. It wasn't a theory.

[It's a good example of having to rethink preconceived notions. She hadn't meant it to be offensive.]

I just think it's important to be open to re-evaluate what we take for granted.

In more ways than one.

We'll have our - regular meeting this week? Now that the experiment is over?

I'll make sure to be available. [She can find a way to cover any time at the clinic she needs to, hopefully.]

I'll see you soon, then.

[Having gotten bored and wandered out of the house to see what she could see, Sally comes upon Don constructing...something. Something elaborate and zany, to be sure. She comes up to get a better look, stops, and stares mutely for a long moment.]

I confess. I've got no idea what you're doing.

Neither do I, right now. [He picks up a hollow length of pipe and blows across the end, frowning at the note it produces.] Would you happen to have any musical talent?

I've been told I have a remarkable talent for singing along to The Kinks at karaoke night, but that's about as far as it goes. [She picks up a piece of metal and turns it over in her hands.] What are you trying to do? Make modern art?

Make scientific art.

[With a "here goes nothing" shrug, he fires up his welder and attaches the pipe to the framework.]

Scientific art. [She watches the welding (at a safe distance) with interest.] Never heard of it, but it looks like quite a project. Anything I can help with?

[He gestures at a mess of metal and fishing line.]

How are you at detangling?

Oh, all that takes is a bit of patience. [She picks up the mess and examines it.] Buggered if I know how you got it into this state, though. [But she takes a seat and works on finding the beginning of the line so she can start unraveling the knots.]

Duffel bags. Great for carrying things, not so good at keeping them organized.

I'll bet. Where did you get all this stuff?

[A blank look.]

It's just junk.

[She looks around at it. Well, fair enough.]

I guess it is. [Aha; making some headway on the fishing line.] Do you often make "scientific art"?

No. I'm only named for an artist; I didn't get any of the talent.

Well, you've certainly got plenty of raw material. I'm sure you'll figure something out.

[He smiles.]

Do you want to build something?

Do I - [Huh. She thinks about it for a moment.] I'm...not sure what I'd build. Suppose I could try...

[Don gestures to his pile of yet-unused parts. Go for it.]

[Sally shrugs, passes the untangled fishing line back to Don, and starts sorting through the pile of stuff.]

I seem to be picking up new hobbies left and right these days. Good way to pass the time, at least.

Oh?

[Don approves of hobbies. Luceti can get kind of dull, after all.]

[Those are awfully eye-catching structures going up over there. Ondorus wanders over to watch from a short distance, not speaking up until the current one is completed.]

These are very impressive creations. Are they purely decorative?

Fun, too. I hope.

[He stands up from his latest creation, focuses a moment, and magically raises water from the basin into one of the buckets. As any observer might expect, the wheel turns so that the now-heavier bucket is at the bottom.]

[Ondorus chuckles, walking closer and watching the device work. His eyes drift to the first one after a moment, and he leans down to examine the mirrors.]

[Don notes Ondorus' interest.]

Do you have Fire magic?

I do.

[He takes it as a hint, looking over the structure for a moment before lifting a hand and waving it forward; a small fireball shoots forward, lighting a bowl.

...oh that is neat.]

[The fire reflects off the mirrors; the mirrors reflect off each other; there are leaping flames everywhere.]

Is that Eferin, or something else?

[It's exquisite work, and an good representation of the essence of the element, Ondorus thinks.

A headshake.]

The magic of my own world. Of the spirits here, I have spoken only with Nala.

[He nods.]

A good one to start with.

I thought her gift would be the most immediately useful.

[He stands up and glances at the sky for a moment, thinking.]

After that week, I don't yet regret the choice.

[Don tilts his head curiously, inviting Ondorus to elaborate on this.]

[…

oh. Shrug.]

That was my first experience with a Shift. Nothing too eventful happened to me, but having witnessed some of the effects, I can see why a reliable source of healing magic would be needed.

[Sympathy.]

They're not usually like that. Is everything okay now? For you and your friends?

More or less.

[He's pretty sure his roommate was rattled by it, but that's not his information to dispense.]

I'm more worried about future experiments than bothered by the outcome of this one. Thank you for your concern, though.

I can't tell you much. Aside from being regularly recurring and sometimes repeating, there's no pattern to them.

"The four elements represent the four primordial forces of nature. Ancient civilizations thought that all of creation could be divided into the four elements; Earth representing solid objects, Water representing liquids, Air representing gasses, and Fire representing energy. They also ascribed spiritual and magical significance to them, and that's the part that lingers in a lot of cultures today: Earth represents home, the family, and dedication; Water represents emotions and feelings, Air represents logic and intellect, and Fire represents passion and actions."

I paused for a minute, then continued-

"They also shape a lot of magic. Including mine. I'm an air-and-fire kind of guy, personally."

An interesting combination. Would you say you're logically passionate or passionately logical?

"I can be emotionally volatile, but I'm also perceptive and capable of quickly sorting out information and devising plans. Wascally-wabbit plans."

I paused a minute, then added

"Also, they're my preferred varieties of magic."

Edited 2012-06-18 08:19 (UTC)

[And yet you're not here trying out his sculptures. 8| ]

If you have to combine elements to describe everyone, is that a flaw in the system, or is it strength by simplicity?

Individually? Mm, I wouldn't say they're anything special. Fire is fire and water is water, after all.

They are four of the six elemental fonons, though - ah, basically just building blocks of the world. Everything is made up of a balanced combination of different matter and fonons, and with practice, people can learn to manipulate the elements for different purposes.

... Six?

Yeah, six. Darkness, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Light.

There's also technically a seventh fonon - Sound. But it's a mutation of sorts. There's only a few people who can handle it properly without some pretty disastrous side effects.

Why is Darkness considered an element?

Any reason why it shouldn't be?

Don't know how it works on your world. But from what I've learned, every fonon-- ah, element has a completely different frequency and particle size. Darkness has its own unique properties outside of the other five, so it's easily separated.

Darkness is just the absence of light. It isn't any kind of particle.

[Scientifically, anyway.]

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[voice] A little late, hope you don't mind

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