video | un: fashonti

[thaumewturge]

[It's a video because Rhel accidentally found the video button and, frankly, could not be arsed to turn it off of video so hey, Libra, enjoy the bespectacled blue-green haired catwoman on your screens!

And please pay no attention the fact that she has been here only a short time and already her Zodiac-provided apartment looks a bit of a mess, what with her bag and its contents and her Alpha mammet scattered on the bed, and the Litwick from the gate hopping around in the background for this entire little deal.

A smile!]

I think I've got this so it will send this to anyone using Libra...My name is Rhel Fashonti, late of Eorzea, for those of who I haven't yet met. I have a question or two that I am hoping someone here can answer. I did use the...Gubal? No, that's in Drav--the Google, but the answers it gave me are a bit unbelievable.

[She actually pulls out a notepad she'd gotten to write down some of this stuff because it is just absolutely bonkers to her what Google said.]

Is it truly only Hyurs--humans--here? Nothing else at all? And most are not capable of magic? Does this world truly lack any form of aether? You've discovered every ilm of your star, save for the lowest depths of the sea? [Flipping to the next page...] Some of these aren't terribly important, they can wait...ah! Yes.

Is your moon truly just a giant lump of rock in the sky? And you're certain?

[This is a valid question, okay? Everyone thought Dalamud was lump of rock and look at how that turned out.]

[[ooc: I do have a spoiler opt-out post if you would like to make sure I know to avoid Endwalker spoilers with you! I will try to do so anyway but]]

Comments

[kokaiwanai]

... I see.

[Well. He did ask. There's a lot to unpack there, but why don't we just throw away the whole suitcase!]

... I can see why you would be concerned. As far as we know, the moon is in fact just a lump of rock. I'm prepared to eat my words in the future if it turns out that there's something going on with it, but...

[... He sincerely hopes the moon just. Stays a distant lump of rock. Please, universe, let him have this.]

[thaumewturge]

I will hold you to that, and perhaps start preparing for that likely inevitability. It is never just a lump a rock, no matter what the rock is.

[kokaiwanai]

[Face in hands.]

And here I thought the thing to worry about would be the sun... Even if that wouldn't be my lifetime...

[thaumewturge]

The sun?

[kokaiwanai]

We're likely all going to be dead by the time it happens, but it'll eventually expand enough to engulf the orbits of the two planets closest to it and render this one inhabitable.

[He'll also drop a couple of reputable links detailing stars and their lifespans, because those will almost certainly explain it better than he can!]

[thaumewturge]

Oh.

[Hm. Nope, not gonna look. Not today.]

...oh, yes. Planet?

[kokaiwanai]

I... suppose it's what you'd call a star, judging by earlier? They can be primarily made of rock, or primarily made of other things like gas.

"Star" around here generally refers to heated balls of plasma that give off light.

[thaumewturge]

Plasma? There can be stars made of gas?

[kokaiwanai]

[Article about plasma! Because this is Too Science For Kakyoin to explain.]

Apparently those are called 'failed stars' because a lot of the elements are the same as can be found in the luminous variety of stars.

[... This is going to get confusing.]

[thaumewturge]

[There's a small pause as Rhel notes that article and adds it to one of her lists.]

I see. And is this common knowledge or highly specific?

[kokaiwanai]

We're definitely getting into more specific knowledge. The reason I'm sending so many articles is because we only cover so much in high school science here.

[The last part's a little sheepish.]

[thaumewturge]

No, no, that's fine. I was simply wondering if I should read them now or just whenever I felt like it.

[Which would likely be never. Stars are exhausting.]

High school?

[kokaiwanai]

It's the standard education here for people 15 to 18.

[thaumewturge]

Standard? What about earlier?

[kokaiwanai]

Elementary school and middle school. The former is considered primary education, the latter and high school are secondary education. All of that is compulsory.

[He'll not get into his opinions on how schools are run, that's a whole other can of worms he doesn't feel like opening today.]

[thaumewturge]

Compulsory? But how do they ensure that the child goes? How do the parents pay for it? What if the child has no interest in more than the most basic of an education?

[kokaiwanai]

[THAT... IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS AT ONCE and Kakyoin's just uncomfortably quiet for a few moments before clearing his throat a bit.]

... I don't know how they actually ensure children going, honestly? Haven't really had much reason to think about that. [Parents told him he had to go, so he went. Simple as that!] As for the second thing--uh. Parents don't pay for it not beyond paying taxes at least, it's usually the local government that does, I'm pretty sure. [Please don't ask him about further funding, he clearly has no idea.] Homeschooling is an option, and so are schools run by religious organizations but I couldn't tell you anything about either of those.

[He's just... not addressing that last question.]

[thaumewturge]

[Rhel can tell she's overwhelming the poor boy, so she will stop with the cavalcade of questions, though she is scribbling down notes to check into this later. Poor Kakyoin.]

I see. There's nothing like that at all where I'm from, or at least not in any of the countries I know of. [Maybe Sharlayn has it but she honestly never asked.] I was a teacher of thaumaturgy before...well, let's just say before several things started happening all at once, so to hear that there is compulsory education is astounding.

[kokaiwanai]

[Oh, look at how Kakyoin's eyes light up with curiosity at that.]

Thaumaturgy? What does that entail?

[thaumewturge]

[Oh she perks right up.]

It's a school of magic, seemingly straightfoward--especially compared to arcanmia, which involves arcane geometry--but is in actuality a careful dance of astral energies--active, burning, like fire in most people's minds--and umbral energies--static, unchanging, similar to the most common forms of ice. Those two elements make up the core of our skills, alongside thunder and good old-fashioned magic explosions.