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Video: Experiments In Electricity

[It is not often Combeferre has been spending a great deal of time alone, lately. He's slipped by the medical bay a few times, observing the doctors at work and taking notes, along with looking at some of the relevant passages in the texts he's found, has been spending time with Eponine, most of it, and, in general, has not really brought out his old friends for quite a bit of time.

Now, today, he's appearing on the network surrounded by a tangle of wires, some low level batteries and a few small lightbulbs, along with a scattering of the more common moths from his collection, and is squinting at the screen as the video feed begins, then looking up, almost surprised, as he remembers he's here for a reason.]

Ah, yes. It has been a while since I have had anything along these lines to ask, but I've been visited by the bestowers of ideas in a dream, and I would very much like to learn whether or not what I've been dreaming about is even possible.

[So saying, he's reaching a gloved hand to very gently pick up a moth in one hand, and a tiny lightbulb in another.]

Is it possible, does one suppose, to create some sort of electrical light source, out of the more common, and less well preserved members of my collection? It has occurred to me that a new reading light would be quite nice, and that, if I might follow up on the thought that came to me in my dream, that making it up out of miniature lights contained within these common moths would certainly be a nice idea.

I am, however, uncertain of the execution in beginning, and would as soon not waste my very old, and rather dear, friends if this is not to work. Does anyone have experience in this sort of an experiment?

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[there's a long pause at the beginning, as if he thought better of what he planned to say and changed his mind several times over before]

In theory it shouldn't be too difficult to do so, but I cannot be sure of the light it would provide.

[Somehow, Combeferre can imagine the face he might be getting here. One of those LOOKS, which manages to convey the extent of how odd his friends must think he is. From Feuilly, they are vaguely concerning, really.]

Mm that IS most likely true. They are not quite transparent any of them. Something along the lines of wiring the wings, perhaps, if one traced wires through the veins but...

[Your friend is weird. Sadly weird.]

[It's a good testament of how odd Feuilly thinks of it, even if his voice does remains neutral. He's used to the occasional odd idea coming from Combeferre but even this is rather strange compared to previous ones]

The wings wouldn't be too delicate for such, would they?

[What does it make him for trying to be Helpful then?]

[Space. Space did this to him. Well, that, and Combeferre has some time to waste, so he's spending it doing weird things with bugs and science. He needs a new hobby.]

Not ordinarily, though they are rather old... And it may be hard to get lights small enough. At least they are not my best samples of each species though. It may be worth trying.

[A supportive friend, of course. And also helpful.]

And...this IS all just a bit insane. Boredom I suppose?

[The oddities that happen when one has time to spare. Maybe they should begin that book club sooner rather than later.]

We would not know without trying. I'm sure something of the sort exists.

[A supportive friend whose also mildly curious about the electronics part himself.]

I would not think anything else.

[Is that amusement in his voice? Most definitely.]

[That is probably the best idea in the world, ever. Something obviously needs done here.]

THAT is certainly true. Perhaps...if you were interested, we might look into it together?

[Run away. Run away, now.]

Ah good. It IS good to know you do not think I am entirely insane just yet.

[Acom

[It really is especially before Combeferre gets even weirder ideas to their combined dismay]

I would love to.

[CAN'T SAY NO, IT'S HIS SUGGESTION. Curse being incredibly interested as well. And knowing him experiments without backup would happen the minute they're not paying attention. Better to take one for the team and make sure he doesn't blow a hole in the side of the ship or set their floor on fire.]

... [WELL.] Not not yet.

[Really. Combeferre should not be left to his own devices when it comes down to technology and insects or...much of anything else. He grins though, at the agreement.]

And we might yet find something besides moths to use to make a real try of things. I think it would keep the spirit of it at least.

[Experiments can be controlled with more people, that is true. Usually. And they're within the rules set out for Combeferre's little experiments at home long ago.

Blowing a hole there WOULD be very bad. Jehan's already mentioned that and he tried to write it off. So far.]

Perhaps I can keep the image after all.

[Sometimes Feuilly really does question his choices.]

I would suppose something that of that sort would be better to start with.

[At least with him to keep an eye out for when certain someones get caught up in their experimenting, blown holes or singed eyebrows shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully.]

Mm. Perhaps.

[Well, if it helps, he will at least be protecting his friend from further potential space crazy, right? At least from inhaling any electrocuted mothwing resultant fumes.]

Yees at least for that. Then we can work out the proper way to go about it before illuminating all of them as they deserve.

[It WOULD be good to keep both eyebrows for a while now that the left has mostly grown back in, after all.]

And it will be time to spend with you, much more importantly. I would very much like the option.

[Small favors but helpful nevertheless. But neither of them inhaling whatever moth fumes the experiment would have caused sounds like a great idea to him.]

Indeed. I would not want you to irreparably damage them in the process.

[Yes exactly. At least wait until they're mostly even once more to go galavanting off to explode more things that does not include himself and his neighbors.]

And I with you, experiment aside.

[Moth fumes! Why, those might make a good basis for medical treatments someday. One never knows, right? Perhaps powdered ones make for good headache relief or something of the sort. Someday he'll have to try THOSE out.]

Ah, that WOULD be preferable if possible. I suppose, if not, I do have the better samples of each of these, but even so.

[He's now going to stroke a moth wing lovingly, with a deadpan expression on his face there.]

Excellent then! Science shall await us, yes?

[Oh dear.]

Even so, I would think they would service a better purpose once a better grasp of understanding was had.

[Aaand there he goes proving Feuilly's point.]

Indeed it does. Whenever you are ready, my friend.

[You know. Maybe. They could be used in tinctures or...well, who knows? They might also be poisoned, and/or disgusting but then again, Combeferre's medically safe medicines are already pretty horrific tasting so moth wings MIGHT improve them. One never knows!]

Most likely, yes. In their ornamental forms at least.

[Because, let's face it, some of it IS for the display and reminders of home and comfort. Combeferre does eyedart during the answer though.]

Mm I will need to consult some of the books here, and find supplies before going mad with wiring. I can begin looking tomorrow, though?

[One would prefer to assume that moths powdered to even a fine powder would be detrimental to their health, vile or not thank you.]

I would not assume otherwise.

[Exactly. Also it would be Weird even for him. ...Though if Feuilly's quite honest that scale seems to have changed quite a bit with the addition of space.]

Mm, I would like to do some reading beforehand as well. Tomorrow then.

[Well, it is a fairly reasonable assumption, anyway. That said, it might be worth looking into. People make medicines that started as treebark or fungi now. Still, it is not something he intends to jump straight into.]

Ah, I would not assume anything else, myself, though I might explore additional possibilities. Perhaps ingestion of them, in small amounts, or for use as some sort of a medicinal ointment.

I doubt that many would consider the former so wonderful of an idea, and I do not know that I would want to test it out on such old specimens as these, but there are now places in Earth, or have been, and I assume on other worlds, and in other places too, where insects have been used as a food source. Micro-proteins, I think they are called. It allows for the idea that they will not likely kill anyone, at least, if ingested, but those so old as this...I doubt that it would be pleasant.

[Space has given Combeferre infinite possibilities to explore, which, yes, has made him slightly odder as his mind has been expanded. That said, it IS a good idea to put the moths away now, probably, so perhaps he ought to start that.]

Ah, then I will try not to read everything all at once myself. The thought of halving reading but finding all the information does appeal. It has been too long, I think, since I have properly attempted Science. Having you along to work with me will make it even better.

[He'll take your word for it. But yes, let's save that for another day. Spacing them out would be a good idea with all the time they have to experiment.]

Using instead of discarding, I've come across similar ideas myself. It's a fascinating concept [even if it's not the most appealing]. But perhaps it could be something to explore later with something more pleasant first.

[He's teasing for the most part. Nevertheless the sheer amount of possibilities for them both vastly outweighs the oddities which, given the amount of time he's been here are understandable and are nothing compared. We have science to perform Ferre, the moths can watch. wait. The moths can wait.]

More time to experiment as well I would think. I will do my best then to be as much of a help as I can then.

[They do have all the time in the world to consider those ideas, yes. And Combeferre is rather happy to avoid the actual act of ingesting said "micro proteins" for a while, as it is.]

Yes, those! It seems that there are a good many ways to do that, too. Energy sources such as fuels, or electricity generation, or...it seems to depend on what is being used and the main purpose or idea. And certainly, the more pleasant to get things started. More encouraging that way, I should think.

[The moths can watch? Combeferre is perfect fine with...aww. Well, all right. He can live with allowing them to wait. It is not as though anyone is going to attempt to steal dead moths, or like they are going to deteriorate into a smelly disgusting mess in the same ways that his medical school experiments had been at risk of.]

Oh certainly that. And yes, I do not think I could have found a better fellow researcher.

[And he does mean that, honestly. Joly might have had the same training that he did, and the deep interest in new advancing technology, and Combeferre misses him, but Joly is an overly cautious lab partner most of the time, and prone to fussing. With Feuilly, there is little chance of that, and a bit more sensibility that suits Combeferre far better, really.]

We have the chance to do such great things here. I am excited for that, you know.

[Indeed they do. Which makes avoiding that for a while seems like a good idea to him.]

It would seem so. Plenty of choices to begin with as well depending on our start.

[Watching while they're waiting. Just what he needed. Thank goodness they don't smell as well. He's not sure that trifecta could be handled well.

He is glad however, that the video isn't on so his small pleased smile skips notice. But yes, he'd agree that Joly seems more suited to the doing (abet with more fussing) than the experimenting]

I look forward to it.

[It is the sort of activity that must be driven into necessity, either by need or boredom, but not for any first time attempts or anything. Besides, old expired moths might be especially far from tasty.]

Oh rather. It is almost overwhelming here. Do you know, I tried returning to medicine at first here? It became apparent that I have missed so very much that catching up is proving...almost frustrating in the face of pure science to deal with too. I think that I would sooner look to science now, and aid them in medical if there are emergencies.

[He'll spare you that at least, yes. At least the eyes of dead moths are unseeing. It is not as though he'll have a luna moth on that handmade leash or anything, or make you pet it, geez, Feuilly.]

So do I. It is a chance, and so much of one, to learn what I never had time for in the scope of life. I hardly know where to more seriously begin. Perhaps there is a book of experiments or theories to begin.

[There are a lot of strange new ideas in this post, but one in particular resonates deeply with Shrieky.]

Did you just say that those dead moths you're holding are your dear friends?

[MOST CURIOUS.]

[It is probably the strangest thing in this whole post, really. Not that Combeferre is not incredibly strange as it is, though he at least has the decency to flush a little at the question.]

I did say that. They are...well, I meant it in much more of a figurative sense. They are precious to me and I've spent a lot of time collecting and working with them, and they are something from home. So...in a sense they are friends, yes.

So you are really only friends by necessity, because you've been working with the dead moths for so long?

[he says this, like he suspects some kind of illicit collusion is implied. Like the moths are Combeferres trusted colleagues.

MOST CURIOUS AGAIN.]

Well....

[He HAS had colleagues he's trusted far less than his dead moths, certainly. It's not SO bad as a point of reference, upon consideration.]

I...suppose it is somewhat like that. They fascinated me and I collected them and I've spent much time using them in my experiments that it is rather close to that, really.

Everything you say raises further questions. Why do dead moths fascinate you? What experiments could you possibly have performed on them?

[He flops his head to one side, resting his cheek on the back of his hand and frowning forlornly at Combeferre.]

I've eaten a few moths, in my time, but they are never delicious.

That...is a question most humans have for me, even at home.

[Combeferre wants to make it clear that people in general aren't like this where he's from. After all, Shrieky presumably might end up running into his friends at some point, and it would not be fair for him to make the entire group look bad. He's considering the answer, rather thoughtfully.]

Well, not so much dead ones. I...rather like the live ones too, even a little better, but they're harder to study. I think though..they were the first insect I practiced drawing, when I got into the habit at school. There were moths among the specimens in my teacher's case, and the moth seemed...small enough to not be SO detailed for a start.

[There's a moment as Combeferre shakes his head and snorts.]

Well, it was a fairly idiotic assumption but I suppose, since then, they've fascinated me, if that makes sense...

Hmm..

[He's pausing, tilting his head to the side, considering that.] I suppose frogs and other sorts of animals might find them that way, but no, I...cannot imagine they would be very tasty either.

Ahhh, no! Live moths, butterflies, crickets, are all quite lovely. I believe I understand now...

[They're beautiful, but they can fly and you are trapped, so he can understand somewhat. Dead ones are still enough to examine. To take apart and understand. It is interesting, he can't take anything from that.]

Did you draw many things, in your world? Was that what you did? Recorded the creatures around you?

[It reminds him of Everett, with his vast books and drawings of beasts that Shrieky had never seen before.]

[Combeferre's found someone who shares his love of the natural world, or at least gets it, anyway. It's proved to be kind of rare here. And yes, the dead ones are easier to look at, and, well, it's easier by far, to know he is not hurting them with that. He's beaming at the answer anyway.]

Yes! They most certainly are. There are so many kinds of moth that I think I am most interested in them, but I would never deny butterflies or crickets their due. Or, at home we have cicadas,who bury themselves in the ground until they are adults and ready to come out, and then they sing. Well, they sound a bit like crickets chirping, actually. I've never quite come to like them as much, but they are pretty interesting.

I did draw many things. I wanted to understand them, and everything around me, as much as I could. I did keep it up, but that was not my job, no, just...an important early step.

[And his observations of nature have helped quite a lot, and given him ideas of things to try, scientific discoveries to be made, and all the rest. Close study had kept his mind on every detail possible.]

It taught me how to notice things, and I still like to draw them for knowledge's own sake, but I was a doctor at the children's hospital. Sometimes knowing how nature worked, all sorts of it, was a good way to uncover new ideas or ways to help my patients that were under my nose.

Of course, whenever I could, whenever I can, I like to make my drawings still, or read about the creatures around me. It has been a bit disappointing here, to be away from so many insects or birds or animals. I miss nature very much, even though they have a lot of books here that anyone interested in them may borrow. There is something about the real thing, being able to see, and maybe touch it, that I miss.

[Combeferre's book and paper collection at home did have quite a lot of books and drawings like those, actually, yes. The perks of being a dork. ]

The heat would undoubtedly deteriorate the specimens over time, but if the light is low, it could create a nice glow to read by.

[She's not going to judge. Everyone has a hobby.]

[Combeferre DOES feel better that she does not seem to think he is insane for thinking about this, and he looks relieved.]

Ah, that IS one of the questions I had. Thank you.

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Video: Experiments In Electricity

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