ataraxion | audio

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So, most 'a you already know that a few of us did some exploring of the deeper parts of the ship last month, and found a painting that seemed dead set on stalking us through the hallways. Jaye put up pictures of the thing if you missed that somehow. If anyone with chemistry skills has some free time, I've got a bottle here with some of the paint, or whatever it is, that I flaked off of one instance of the painting, since we thought it might be helpful to know what exactly a moving mural is made of. Lemme know if you're interested.

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Yeah, well, pictures moving on their own isn't so entirely unheard of, thanks. But your someone wouldn't happen to be a certain smiling face, would it?

Sure, obviously, but someone still had to put it there in the first place. And from what I've heard, Smiley's the one who did that. Dunno how, but if the technology's all there in the walls, then all you have to do is send someone with more engineering experience than any of us had to go look at it.

Only what if it's not technology?

If you mean magic, I'd still call that a form of technology, just one I'm not familiar with. I take it it's a little different in each universe that has something like that, so whether or not the murals' origins an' how they move can be determined by looking at the wall or the paint prob'ly depends on what kind of "magic" it is.

So, what's it for you, some kinda energy force you pull on? Words having power? Somethin' else?

[sob he got so jaded, so fast.]

Well, listen to him. Look, if it is magic, and if it works the way our paintings do, then it's going to be in the paint, just as you said. I mean, yeah, you could do it with tugging along the image, or enchanting it, but it would be seriously flat and ugly, so they do enchanted inks and paints and then all the paintings can move and talk and follow you along a corridor--though usually within frames.

And that's not technology, thanks, it's incredibly different.

Incredibly different, huh? What makes it so different?

Well, for starters, it's magic?

That really doesn't answer it for me. I've seen plenty that you could prob'ly call magic that still has an explanation. How's it work?

It works by magic. I mean, there's principles and theories and things to it, and equal exchanges, and laws, and balances--but in the end, it's magic.

Or d'you mean you want the specifics of what's done to the paint? I dunno if I could rattle off the charms for you--it's not as if we make it ourselves, it's purchased in shops.

I guess I'm asking 'bout theory. What makes your magic work? So, not "what charms make a painting move?" but "what about charms makes enchanting paint possible?"

That make sense?

Because it's a charm, and it's magic. It works with bits in the paint--maybe you'd call them mollycules, or whatever--maybe it makes 'em more active--but in the end, it's just magic that makes magic work.

A painting moves because it's been charmed to do it, and painted with the right sort of paint. A photograph moves because it's been developed in the proper solution. You can't think about it in the same way you think about your muggle technology and sciences and all, it doesn't work the same way. It's completely different.

So it just works, an' you don't know why or how.

[Well that's fine, he's the same way about most of the technology he uses anyway, though at least he has a basic grasp of what electricity and holograms are.]

Can't expect everyone to know all the theory behind somethin' like that, anyway. Guess I'm just curious.

No-o, that's not what I said. Look, what the theory comes down to in the end is it's magic. There's things that happen because of magic--it's magic working on particles, or mollycules, or it's magic rearranging bits of things in the air to make it cold and snowy, or it's magic making something lighter for a second so it levitates--but it's always magic, in the end. You can't take it apart.

Is that seriously so difficult to believe?

Yeah, it is, 'cause stuff doesn't come outta nowhere. Saying "it's magic" an' leaving it at that is lazy. Maybe not for you, but for whoever studies the theory parts of it.

Though, okay. Does your magic work here just like it did at home for you?

Well. Suddenly the truth is lazy.

[but man MUGGLES JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND sigh giving up on this for now]

More or less it works the same, yeah. There's things that can't be done--I can't summon things if they aren't here, and there's doors I can't unlock--and I'm not going to try moving anywhere further than a single room in case I get space-splinched or something.

So if it works the same here as there, more or less, why can't everyone do the same kinda magic? Or is it just a matter of training?

Because everyone here isn't a wizard? You have to have magic to be able to use it, and if you haven't got it, you can't learn it.

There's one little untrained baby wizard here, at least, but just one--and that's got nothing to do with where we are and everything to do with him, and his brilliance, handsomeness, et cetera.

Ah, so it's somethin' you're born with that not everyone has. See, you didn't ever say that part.

Yeah, as it's magic, and that's how it works pretty nearly everywhere. I didn't think I'd have to say.

Well, since magic the way you're talking about isn't something that exists in my world, an' since I've only talked to maybe two magic users since I got here, it didn't seem right to assume things.

Ah, but it might, and it might just be a secret. Just because you don't know about it doesn't make it not real.

Until I do know about it, I don't see any reason to act like it exists. You could go assumin' all kinds of things with that logic.

Well, so could you, in reverse, by assuming that it's not real. But fair enough, perhaps your world is boring. Perhaps there isn't any magic to it at all. Except that defies the logic and reality of my world, so then I think we sort of have to accept that both of the truths of our world are true here and can coexist, science and magic, together, and don't negate one another.

Yeah?

If you can do your magic here an' it works for you, then great. I'm not gonna complain. An' hell, I'm no wizard, an' no scientist either, so it's not like I expect to understand it. I was just curious 'cause it's nothin' like I've ever heard of. That's all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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