the blair map project
Hello. Sirius & I had a go at mapping the ship, & it went a bit wrong.
Not wrong like the boggart went wrong. Don't worry. Everything is fine, except our map, although to be safe everyone should avoid the lounge on 005 near the 070s rooms for a day or two while we sort it. It's possible that the spellwork is off. But as we're actually very good at this (I promise) the more likely explanation is that something else is off.
If things had gone according to plan, it would have been a map that was anchored to the ship & able to move with the corridors & so on. It's hard to explain what happened, but we have it recorded.
ATTACHMENT:
***
[The video starts (as so many videos taken by wizards historically do) focused on the floor - but only for a moment. Sickening swoopy pitch of someone turning their device around, with brief camera-against-a-hand darkness, before--
A nice bright lounge, just like every other lounge - sofas maybe looking a little more plump but otherwise, totally nondescript. Except here’s Remus, not waving, and--]
Oh, come on. [--Sirius, holding the camera. The picture jiggles around a little, in disappointment.] At least do the introduction to our brilliant life’s work. Well, part of life’s.
[And; and this is really what’s interesting here. Behind Remus, behind overstuffed sofas - traced all across the blank grey and white walls of the lounge - are these lines, loads and loads of lines. Better than a mural, this is rooms and corridors and grav couches and empty space. A map of the Tranquility, traced out in painstaking architectural perfection, all around the room, like the skeleton of the ship in panorama.]
Five jumps. Five million identical empty rooms. [ Only one of those is an exaggeration. Both sound a bit distracted, as he's frowning at notes instead of putting on a performance. Why is he on this side of the camera. ] Two unnamed wizards present... [ This is where a fancy name would go, if it had one. It doesn't. ] A great big map.
[ He looks up at Sirius' face to see if that was good enough, then down at the camera lens. He doesn't wave, but he does cross his eyes and stick out his tongue for a second and a half. ]
Are you ready?
Always!
[The triumphant proclamation is accompanied by Sirius toggling his device (and the recording) to the other hand, so he can get at his wand more properly. Mostly the picture is of the floor now. And there are some things that remain secret, so whatever spell to activate the thing that is mumbled -
And then, a confused silence, brief, before the indistinct chatter of did we say it wrong, no we couldn’t’ve, we’re geniuses, starts up - and then that, too, cuts off abruptly, and the video swings back up, because -
Because the map is exploding out from itself. The neat ordered lines of corridors and rooms, all of it is unraveling, spooling outwards, black on black. Hallways stretch out of their places; living quarters distend, sagging - like spindled fingers, reaching, like thick ribbons, the lines of the map expanding from their boundaries, stretching onto the ceiling, spilling and crawling onto the floor. Black, and more black, and more black, filling in the walls, and it keeps going, and going.
The tone of the background noise has taken on more urgency now, still indistinct - what the hell, bloody shit, did you say it wrong, did you say it wrong - there’s little zaps of magic, brief frantic spellwork, all of it caught in the periphery of the camera - and none of it does nothing to stop the growth of the map, the map is still growing, an inexorable spill of black - Sirius backs up as the lines have nearly reached them, and then -
All at once, the lines retreat, like ink being sucked down a drain, but quicker. One smooth slick slide back, winding up, all of the lines returning back to one central point, to a small space high on one of the walls - which is not a point at all, but a square shape: a room. The boundaries of its walls look thick at first, as all the rest of the lines flow back into it - but shape thins out, absorbing everything, every bit of black, until it’s the only thing drawn on the wall. The single box, outlined in black. Empty.
The video stays focused there a moment, on the still lines. There is a very quiet the bloody fuck - . Then it clicks off.]
***
It still looks like that. We've been watching it for a while & nothing has changed. If anyone has any ideas, we would love to hear them.
Not wrong like the boggart went wrong. Don't worry. Everything is fine, except our map, although to be safe everyone should avoid the lounge on 005 near the 070s rooms for a day or two while we sort it. It's possible that the spellwork is off. But as we're actually very good at this (I promise) the more likely explanation is that something else is off.
If things had gone according to plan, it would have been a map that was anchored to the ship & able to move with the corridors & so on. It's hard to explain what happened, but we have it recorded.
ATTACHMENT:
***
[The video starts (as so many videos taken by wizards historically do) focused on the floor - but only for a moment. Sickening swoopy pitch of someone turning their device around, with brief camera-against-a-hand darkness, before--
A nice bright lounge, just like every other lounge - sofas maybe looking a little more plump but otherwise, totally nondescript. Except here’s Remus, not waving, and--]
Oh, come on. [--Sirius, holding the camera. The picture jiggles around a little, in disappointment.] At least do the introduction to our brilliant life’s work. Well, part of life’s.
[And; and this is really what’s interesting here. Behind Remus, behind overstuffed sofas - traced all across the blank grey and white walls of the lounge - are these lines, loads and loads of lines. Better than a mural, this is rooms and corridors and grav couches and empty space. A map of the Tranquility, traced out in painstaking architectural perfection, all around the room, like the skeleton of the ship in panorama.]
Five jumps. Five million identical empty rooms. [ Only one of those is an exaggeration. Both sound a bit distracted, as he's frowning at notes instead of putting on a performance. Why is he on this side of the camera. ] Two unnamed wizards present... [ This is where a fancy name would go, if it had one. It doesn't. ] A great big map.
[ He looks up at Sirius' face to see if that was good enough, then down at the camera lens. He doesn't wave, but he does cross his eyes and stick out his tongue for a second and a half. ]
Are you ready?
Always!
[The triumphant proclamation is accompanied by Sirius toggling his device (and the recording) to the other hand, so he can get at his wand more properly. Mostly the picture is of the floor now. And there are some things that remain secret, so whatever spell to activate the thing that is mumbled -
And then, a confused silence, brief, before the indistinct chatter of did we say it wrong, no we couldn’t’ve, we’re geniuses, starts up - and then that, too, cuts off abruptly, and the video swings back up, because -
Because the map is exploding out from itself. The neat ordered lines of corridors and rooms, all of it is unraveling, spooling outwards, black on black. Hallways stretch out of their places; living quarters distend, sagging - like spindled fingers, reaching, like thick ribbons, the lines of the map expanding from their boundaries, stretching onto the ceiling, spilling and crawling onto the floor. Black, and more black, and more black, filling in the walls, and it keeps going, and going.
The tone of the background noise has taken on more urgency now, still indistinct - what the hell, bloody shit, did you say it wrong, did you say it wrong - there’s little zaps of magic, brief frantic spellwork, all of it caught in the periphery of the camera - and none of it does nothing to stop the growth of the map, the map is still growing, an inexorable spill of black - Sirius backs up as the lines have nearly reached them, and then -
All at once, the lines retreat, like ink being sucked down a drain, but quicker. One smooth slick slide back, winding up, all of the lines returning back to one central point, to a small space high on one of the walls - which is not a point at all, but a square shape: a room. The boundaries of its walls look thick at first, as all the rest of the lines flow back into it - but shape thins out, absorbing everything, every bit of black, until it’s the only thing drawn on the wall. The single box, outlined in black. Empty.
The video stays focused there a moment, on the still lines. There is a very quiet the bloody fuck - . Then it clicks off.]
***
It still looks like that. We've been watching it for a while & nothing has changed. If anyone has any ideas, we would love to hear them.
private.
It showed people. The little people dots blew up like the rest of it, though, and I didn't see any names. Maybe if we can look at the frames.
private; 1/2
Right then.
private;
private until otherwise stated;
Mob seems to have plenty else to talk about at any rate.
would you two be willing to have me in, if you ever try it again?
no subject
You'll have to ask your godfather.
[ He's teasing. He wouldn't mind & assumes Sirius won't either. ]
no subject
[of COURSE]
2/2 (uNPRivate even)
I can show you, they've got to have some in the media library. once you're able to take a break from the map.
[Surely this is part of the ruse. Surely uncles Sirius and Remus know video games.]
since we're all unprivated now
if its in the media library
[Please take this to mean that no your dear uncles don't know video games. No such thing as wizard pinball either.]
i dunno about a break though
im either going to stay here forever or get very depressed from looking at it and fuck off somewhere
have not yet which decided which
no subject
I wager there are a few girls who would miss you if you went with forever
no subject
like something out of a story where people area wlays sitting around staring moodily at some enchanted object
then again i do get bored rather easily
[only partly true]
and i do like girls
& possibly video games
sppose i could have a go for a bit anyways
no subject
[ He's trying to be helpful, not knowing how familiar Harry is with the impossibility of getting Sirius to stay in the goddamn house. ]
Prepare your video games.
no subject
Also you'll let me know if the map does anything, won't you? Inquiring nephews want to know. They might turn out useful. They saved a wizarding society once upon a time you know.
no subject
as were surrounded by the bloody things
inquiring nephews turned out to be useful & saved a wizarding society
or maps did
only joking i know the answer
no subject
we discovered about Peter that way actually
no subject
When I see Peter Pettigrew next I am going to kick through his skull and push him out into the void of space unless someone gives me a very good reason not to, like, he will be more miserable alive than dead is not something that Sirius writes, even if he thinks it, with great conviction. Peter is complicated.
Instead:]
oh
[Conscious of the implications of pauses, he's quick to add:]
bully for us then
glad it came in useful
ceeception continues also double-checking this is/switching to private;
[The implications aren't anything less than Harry expects. He doesn't want to talk about it much more.]
Wouldn't be surprise if it comes in useful here too
Eventually.
Maybe we can remake one of your smaller map pieces, just the corridors or other really dodgy important places, and keep an eye on things
private forwards and back more threads for the blanket
a warning of risk
[ha ha good joke we're all Gryffindors here like anyone would skip the dodgy bits instead of going right for them]
think wel leave it as is for a bit now & watch to see what happens
which is looking to be NOTHING but for the sake of knowing here we are looking at nothing
[looking at nothing: better than thinking about Peter.]
no subject
Can I come by at lunch and have a look
[Most things are better than thinking about Peter. Fuck Peter.]
no subject
you can have as many looks as you like
the bit about avoiding the 005 lounge wasnt for YOU youre perfectly all right to hang around