othellovonryan | (no subject)

Hm. Suppose you're right. What's supposed to be "alive" or "dead" in this box, then?

[and that thought occurs to her just after he says it: Wait. The people might be available, but what about the mechanism?]

[so she looks about at the monitors.]

You've got a mechanism for taking in that information, right? Our "checks". Can you pull it up for me on one of these viewing ports, Donnie?

[she tilts her head, acknowledging the end of what he's saying.] After all - can't say it's "working" or "not working" until someone observes it, right?

Is it me or is it someone else.

[A more insistent knocking.]

Of course I have a means of taking in that information.

[He pulls up a screen and]

[Its]

[Its all just a swirl of pink and A Specific Kind Of Teal. (snek)]

See? Its working perfectly fine.

How can you tell that's "working"? It looks like a bunch of colorful swirls to me. Surely there's a device, or something. It's not like you to leave something vague and undefined, is it?

[speaking of which.]

Do you mind if I take the box and have a look at it?

Its data points. I can process it. Its probably just going too fast for you to process.

[The problem of robotics: A robot will not be able to notice a problem with its programming without something else to fix the problem.]

That happens a lot with people.

I trust you, so you can.

Edited 2023-02-14 00:27 (UTC)

Try me, sometime.

[but first, she's going to pick up the box. give it a cursory reminder/reassurance of a knock.]

[and then she's going to take it over to the pumpkin carriage.]

[and she's going to - no. wait. if she does this straight it'll end up in her crafting inventory, that's how the heart works.]

[okay. she's going to ... can she make an actual axe out of some of what's lying around? there's a saw here, right? and she has spare wood with her. she should anyway. she's going to make an axe that doesn't auto-inventory everything, first, or try to.]

Do you understand quantum mechanics?

[There is definitely some saws and another things made for breaking. Donnie likes toys that break things.]

[she pauses.]

Not by that name, no. But there's a lot of concepts I bet my world uses different words for than you'd be used to putting to them. I doubt you know anything about "Trismegistan sorcery", either, but I bet if I explained some of how it works, you'd find yourself nodding along, finding something you know like it. Tell me about it and I'll tell you if the substance of it rings any familiar bells.

[she's going to make A Toy That Might Break a Box, then. vrrr vrrrr sshhhhhhhh]

Its the branch of mechanics that deals with the mathematical description of the motion and interaction of subatomic particles, incorporating the concepts of quantization of energy, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, and the correspondence principle.

Subatomic is the pieces of what makes up the smallest possible building blocks of the world we can try to interact with.

[The box is really not hard to break. She honestly may have just been able to punch it.]

[There is an electric charge of blue light and the very familiar figure of Leo, albeit made of blue light. Not blinding, thankfully.]

Finally! Ugh, did that box have to be so cramped? [Cracking his neck, stretching out his arms.]

Higher ups said you needed to be there.

And yet! You let her free me anyway.

Edited 2023-02-14 00:50 (UTC)

Oh. Hey, Leon.

[yeah, that makes sense. blue glow, blue box.]

You know why Donnie looks more like you than usual, like this? Or what's up with the checks and balances monitor? Just out of curiosity. Been trying to figure it out a while now, maybe a fresh pair of eyes knows something we don't.

... anyway, most of those words went of my head, I'm afraid. But something about "the uncertainty principle" and "the smallest building blocks of the universe" - not that sounds like something I know a little about.

Oh, you know, Donnie associates certain traits with certain brothers and he uses us as a way to like interact with the world and stuff. Its kind of adorable.

I am attractive, not adorable!

See? Adorable.

[Donnie huffs and rolls his eyes, and tossing a wrench at Leo's head, which he dodges.]

As for the checks and balances, that's because old snakey messed with Sacrifice and then SOMEONE decided to use repressed information from a millennium old alien hivemind like it doesn't infect everything it touches. [Now its Leo's turn to huff.] Its like...an outside observer thing? Dee has trouble recognizing it, but we're not fully Dee. [He meets Cat's eyes and then he looks at the chain that's around Donnie.]

And what do you know about the building blocks of the universe? [He does glance at Cat with some interest. He doesn't stop working on the plans though.]

I know that I built my Name around being able to dictate terms to them. Not that such a thing means much in here, I've already learned that.

But ... more importantly, it's a matter of forces tugging each other this way and that, right? Making "bets" as to which way the world's going to spin today, and the chain reactions that follow from there.

[she pauses for a beat, then meets eyes with "Leon" again.]

So "Mikey" is "Dr. Feelings". You have a different name in here too? [and then she tilts her head at Circuit!Donnie's chain.] I saw you eye that. Didn't know if I should leave it be or not - I respect Donnie's ability to make his own decisions, but that one ... I just didn't know if that's one of his, or not.

And since, as you said, his ability to make that call for himself's a little unreliable right now - I'd rather clear up the blockage, or burn out the infection, or whichever, first. Got any idea how I can help Donnie help himself with that?

Which way the world is going to spin today... [He reaches for another screen and]

[The chain stops him short.] ...this may be a subject we need to talk about another day.

Nah, I'm Leo. Mikey has a Dr. Feelings persona back home, when he plays therapist. Donnie and him have lots of talks.

Eyeing what? Leo, I told you to not mess with my stuff. [He glares over at Leo.]

I'm not, I'm not! I would never mess with anything of yours. [He holds his hands up in surrender until Donnie huffs and looks back to his projects again.]

[Leo looks at Cat pointedly.] I would never mess with anything of Donnie's. [He lowers his hands.] Freeing up his connection to the family ninpo is helping. I'm one of those. Why its one of those shoe horn cats.

Schrodinger's cat!

That nerd thing, yeah. But Donnie did basically invite you to push with the whole minecraft schtick.

[she frowns.] .... yeah, another day, maybe ...

[she slides her attention back to "Leo", although she's talking as much to "Donnie", too, as she does.] I don't want to mess with Donnie's stuff, either. I just want to get His Bitslessness to stop sticking his hands in it while Donnie's looking the other way.

Having a second set of eyes to give me a few pointers on which is which is definitely helping. Thanks, Leon. Or Donnie's mental image of Leon, that he uses to help figure out if he's doing something Leon wouldn't mind.

You know how I can get my hands on that mechanism we're looking at, in that monitor? See if I can't do something about fixing it so Donnie can do his job of actually figuring out how the whole universe works more effectively?

[For as big as the lab is, that chain is very short.]

Yeah, its weird, but honestly not surprising. [Shrug! No big deal, probably fine.] Sacrifice is the one His Bitslessness got into, but....eugh boy, that is not going to be a fun room if you're not prepared.

The Kraang grossness has dug into other stuff. Relations, and Selfishness are usually the big ones for keeping Donnie from going full mad scientist, but they've been cut off almost entirely and Protectiveness slash Contingency is just going off the deep end-

Actually, scratch that last one. Raphie's online again, that'll probably be fine if the other two are helped.

[she nods, and hefts her Totally Made For Breaking Bits Device, whatever it is, in the hand she isn't leaning against the carriage with.]

Then show me how to get to them and let me do what I can. I doubt Donnie's got all week, and I want to get that chain off him.

[she pauses to think about it.]

Let's start with Selfishness. I know how to be selfish pretty well.

[Leo sighs dramatically, hand going to his temple, shaking his head.]

What chain?

[Leo gestures at Donnie. See what he's dealing with?] Make a doorway and put some selfishness in it. We're in Donnie's head, so emotions, memories, information are totally up for grabs for crafting doorways. He responds pretty readily to understanding, you know.

Right. Apologies, Leon ... and sorry, Donnie. This is about to get touchy.

[she sighs. then goes over to Circuits!Donnie and picks him up, spinning him around and pulling him taut to the chain, quite possibly.]

I'm getting extremely tired of talking and not getting anywhere. Show me where the bad decisions get made so I can go make some bad decisions of my own, all right?

[Donnie starts as he's turned around and grimaces. The chain is pulled taut, but]

[Touch isn't so bad.]

[There is no sensory issues when you're in his soul.]

I don't make bad decisions! If I did, I'd tell you, but I don't.

Part of the room is confidence and trust. Make a door, you can get supplies here. Oh, I'd also grab some herbicide.

[she takes a breath, then nods, sets Donnie back down, pats him on the shoulder and gives it a squeeze.]

Yeah, you do, because guess what, Donnie - we all make mistakes. But you know how to fix them when you do, anyway, don't you?

Show me the place where things get fixed. Not the place where the plans get made. The place where I can find the part of you that'll help me make it work. If you can't get me there, tell me where it is, and I'll figure it out. I'm smart. You can count on me to manage that.

Herbicide, huh?

[well, she'll look for something that passes for it, then - not that she's ever used such a thing before. and while she's at it - hm.]

Hey, Donnie. Do you know one of the first lessons I learned, growing up?

Scoff, I do not make mistakes, but if I DID, I would be amazing at apologies.

[Sorry, Leo is going to laugh. He's got a more realistic view.]

And this IS where things get fixed. This is where I make the machines and inventions. Sure, Protectiveness specializes in security plans, a little better at judging how people will react, but I'm still the one who makes things and fixes them. Its what I bring to people.

But if you're trying to get somewhere, I already gave you the means to get there. You've had them since the very start, that's the whole point of meeting people halfway. You're supposed to do your part to, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Some people struggle and that's fine.

Herbicide. [He gestures to where there's some experiments with flora. Plenty of nasty chemicals for herbicide and some plans to refer to.]

What is it? [He moves closer to the table, rubbing at his neck.]

[she considers.]

[she grins.]

Something I learned from a woman who ate a god.

[she grabs a table, like she was contemplating doing already, and affixes a knob to it via Crafting Table, as she props it up against the nearest wall.]

[ta-da. it's a "door".]

"A wall's just a door that doesn't know it's a door yet."

[Gods, I'm going to look so fucking stupid if this doesn't work, Catherine says to herself immediately after.]

[and then she runs at the wall, that has the "door" she just made attached to it, and prays.]

[She runs at the door!]

[She goes through the door!!!]

[And]

[Appears right back in this room.]

[That door is glowing blue anyway.]

...I think you misunderstood the mechanics.

Feeling clever is how you got here, Cat.

Ahhhhh, dammit.

Suppose I deserved that, [she says, as she shuts the door, with a wry grimace.]

[well, if feeling clever isn't her at her most selfish, what -]

[ah. (she thinks of Akua. "Bleeding yourself again, darling? There'll be no more of that. I won't allow it.")]

[selfishness isn't cleverness, for her. not really. selfishness is deciding the weight of fixing it's all on her and she can't let anyone else take the weight of the blow. which, yeah, maybe that's Sacrifice, for Donnie - but Sacrifice is a throne of corpses, for her. not the slow carving-up of her life for her life's work that is her deepest, most selfish act, always and forever.]

Right, then, [she sighs, and straightens.] Let's try that again. [and this time, she cuts into her hand, drawing blood, and draws the sigil of Sve Noc - her goddesses - on the door.]

Then let's try another lesson I learned. Cho Sve Noc - "the mighty take."

[Cat can probably hear the way Leo breathes in sharply and any glance back is definitely not]

[A good time face. More Highly Traumatized Face at that last bit.]

[There was, for a moment, a flickering of grey.]

[Before it settles on a very distinct pink color.]

[she hisses in a breath.]

I skipped ahead a few steps, didn't I? This is what I get for trying to game the pivot.

Fine. [she gives Leo a grin.] Do what you can to keep him safe, will you? Won't be the last time I had to fix things the hard way, you know.

[and then she's squaring her shoulders - mind the limp - and going through the door anyway.]

(no subject)

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