1, video & text | the principle of mentalism

[summerbloom]

[ It seems like today is basically newbie central because there's another puzzled looking girl on the network today. Except... she doesn't really seem to realize that she is, in fact, on the network? The video feed just shows her face (thankfully not from too unflattering an angle) with an expression of total confusion as she visibly fiddles with the phone. But then she catches on that she is in fact recording and after a short – ]

Hwahh–!

[ – of surprise, the feed goes dead. Uh...

Not too long afterwards, another message pops up, apparently from the same user. It's, thankfully, less of a disaster than the (apparently accidental) video message. ]

To the residents of Genessia City,

Hello and well met! I'm very pleased to be introducing myself to all of you. Please forgive me for sending a letter in lieu of a personal introduction. But from what I understand, everyone will be able to see this message!

My name is Sophie Summerhelm and I'm a new arrival here in the city. I'm a traveling alchemist hailing from Adelheld and I hope to be able to put my skills to use in helping everyone should any trouble come up! If possible, I would like to ask if there are any schools or institutes already studying alchemy here or if there is anyone I should contact.

Thank you very much for your help! I hope I'm able to meet and make friends with everyone properly over the next few days.

Sincerely,
Sophie Summerhelm

Comments

text (couldn't resist)

[cool_skeleton]

HI SOPHIE!! FROM THAT BRIEF GLIMPSE OF VIDEO YOU POSTED BEFORE THIS, I CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE I MET YOUR TWIN OR CLONE!! WHO IS ALSO INTO ALCHEMY. I THINK YOU TWO WOULD BE GREAT FRIENDS!! SHE HAS HER OWN PLACE CALLED THE ALCHEMAGIA WORKSHOP!!

ALSO, CHECK OUTIE POULTICES, POTIONS, AND PINPRICKS, OR P3 FOR SHORT!! THE OWNER HAS NO SOUL, LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT MAYBE YOU COULD ASSIST???

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[summerbloom]

[ Alche...magia? That's a bit different from what she's used to practicing, but by the sounds of things it's some sort of fusion of alchemy and traditional magic. Well, she's very good at one of those things, so surely it won't be too much of a problem. ... Probably. ]

Thank you very much for letting me know! I'll be sure to head over there as soon as possible. Whereabouts can I find them? Since I'm a new arrival, I'm still in "Genessia City", but I'm happy to travel if that's required!

Before I forget, would you mind telling me the name of the people I should be looking out for? Thanks so much again for your help!

Re: text

[cool_skeleton]

I'LL PING THE CORDS RIGHT NOW!!

[Ringing blips would appear on her phone, with the precision and wonder of modern convenience for both locations.]

BOTH IN FAYREN, THE GREATEST CITY!! MAG THE MAGNIFICENT RUNS P3!! A.W. HAS, UM...

I DON'T KNOW! BUT SHE'S VERY HELPFUL!!

[He's not the best at getting names.]

YOU'RE VERY WELCOME!! THE GREAT GUARDIAN PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS HERE TO HELP!!

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[summerbloom]

[ It takes a bit for Sophie's response to come through, because she's rather busy ooh-ing and ahh-ing in amazement over those coordinates – it'd be one thing for him to spell out the location in words, but having them blipped to her phone like that in barely an instant really is astounding. Technology!!! She just can't get enough of it!!! ]

I have just one more question! If you call yourself a "Guardian", does that mean the city belongs to you, in some way? Or are you some sort of soldier, like a royal guard appointee?

Re: text

[cool_skeleton]

YES!! SORT OF!! IT'S MY CITY IN THAT I'M ITS ELECTED GUARDIAN, BUT THAT'S MORE OF A METAPHOR. I DON'T OWN ANY LAND, LIKE THAT RANCH I HAVE IN WINDGATE. I DO LIVE IN THE GUARDIAN TOWER, THOUGH!! I'M PRETTY SURE THAT ONE'S MINE FOR NOW!!! YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUTIE IF YOU EVER WANT TO HANG OUT!!

YES!!!

[That gets 3 exclamation points because "royal guard" brings up sweet nostalgia.]

OR, RATHER, I TELL ALL THE OTHER GUARDS, ROYAL OR OTHERWISE, WHAT TO DO, SO IT'S MORE LIKE I'M THEIR CAPTAIN!! EVEN IF SOMETIMES THEY'D RATHER LISTEN TO NOBLES WHO PAY THEM MORE. I'M STILL WORKING ON THAT!

[liveofftheland]

This would be so useful if we had it at home.

[summerbloom]

It's amazing, isn't it? As soon as I send it, everyone else can see it! I wonder if there's a way to make letters that delivery themselves just as quick back home...

[liveofftheland]

I'm surprised it hasn't caused the extinction of paper.

[summerbloom]

You'd think...! Maybe paper has lots of different applications here, aside from correspondence. I'm sure people must still enjoy reading books, after all!

[brbgettingwrench]

I believe for that type of thing, Fayren will be your best bet. But I have been wondering, can you tell me a bit more about what alchemy is and what it can do?

[summerbloom]

Oh wow, I'd love to! It can get a little complicated, but basically, alchemy is the process of breaking down materials into their base components and transmuting those components into something new and different! It starts with [ and i'm just going to stop here and assure you that there is a very long and complicated textwall all about alchemy here but i'm going to spare both myself and you the agony of being subjected to it.

trust me though. it's very long and super complicated. she just cares about alchemy so much. ]

And that's basically all there is to it! Well, I simplified some of it a bit, so I hope it was easy to understand!

[ Simplified. That enormous lecture was simplified. ]

[brbgettingwrench]

It was very easy to understand. I mostly asked because worlds seem to have differences and I was curious if Alchemy was different from world to world too. Seems like it's really quite similar no matter where.

I kind of wish my friends were here. I'm sure they would have loved to have a conversation with you about it.

[summerbloom]

I think if the world itself was a lot different, then alchemy probably would be too! But if it has the same materials and the same sort of universal laws then I'm sure it'd stay the same. Just like how I'm sure things like mathematics are the same in lots of different worlds.

Did you not arrive here with your friends? That's such a shame! I hope you'll be able to see them again as soon as possible.

[yep_stilldead]

Dear Sophie,

It's nice to make your acquaintance! Truth be told, I'm still getting the hang of using these modern contraptions, and I have a feeling it will take a long while before I'm as comfortable exchanging letters like this as I am with just talking face-to-face.

My name is Ivy. I'm a bit excited to hear that you're an alchemist! I know almost nothing about alchemy, so it could be terribly fun to learn what that's all about. If you get any good information on school, perhaps we could be classmates!

I look forward to sharing a new friendship,
Ivy Wakefield

[summerbloom]

Miss Ivy,

It's wonderful to meet you! Isn't it strange, being able to send letter rights away like this? I've never seen anything like it! I hope once I get back home, I might be able to create something similar for my own world. Just imagine how useful it would be!

I'm still in the process of investigating the place we're now calling our home, but I'll be sure to let you know right away as soon as my investigations bear fruit! In the meantime, if you're interested in alchemy, then please ask me anything! I'd be happy to tell you everything I know.

Your new friend,
Sophie Summerhelm

[yep_stilldead]

Dear Sophie,

Thank you for your letter! Of course, the hardest part about trying to ask about alchemy is that I don't even know enough to know what a good question is. What sorts of things can you do with alchemy? Could you make something like this letter-writing gadget?

Your friend,
Ivy Wakefield

[summerbloom]

Miss Ivy,

Well, to start with, alchemy is all about breaking things down into their base components and then creating something new from them, sometimes with the attributes of the things you created it from. If I had to really put it simply... hm! I think I'd say that if you've ever brewed yourself a nice pot of tea, then that's something like alchemy. And so is cooking! You combine all these individual parts into something that's completely new and different but still carrying the traits of the pieces you used to make it.

So with that in mind, I think I would have to research how this letter-sending machine is created first, before I could remake it with alchemy. I definitely think it'd be possible if I tried hard enough though! Does that answer your question?

Your friend,
Sophie Summerhelm

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[immortalsoul]

An alchemist?! Me too!

It's nice to meet you! My name is Silicon. I'm from the country of Sevia, in the desert? Have you heard of it?

[Silicon isn't too familiar with the geography of her world. She was sheltered up in that tower.]

I have an alchemy workshop in Fayren. You're welcome to come by and pick up anything that you need, Ms Sophie!

text

[summerbloom]

It's wonderful to meet another alchemist, Miss Silicon! I'm afraid I haven't heard of your country, but I've spent most of my time very focused on Adelheld, which is the country I was born in. Maybe one day I'd be able to come and visit you there, though!

By any chance, are you the owner of the Alchemagia Workshop? It was mentioned to me a little while ago and I'm just bursting with excitement to see it for myself. There aren't very many alchemists with their own workspaces or workshops in my country so I think it would be something really special to see what another alchemist's workshop is like!

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[immortalsoul]

I haven't heard of Adelheld either! Truthfully, though, I'm quite ignorant to geography. For all I know, our countries are neighbors.

And yes, that is me! Alchemy isn't outlawed here, so I hope to share it with everyone. I wasn't quite sure what to include in a workshop that doesn't have to be kept secret. I'll send you the address! I have a sign up front, but I wrote it in Sevian script out of habit.

text

[summerbloom]

[ The idea of alchemy being outlawed stuns Sophie into silence for a moment. It's unthinkable – and hearing it makes her want to visit this girl even more than she already did. If she'd been having to work in secret back home, then Sophie can't imagine the sort of dampener that would've put on what should be joyful work. Now that she's here in Genessia, she should be enjoying all of it! ]

Then as soon as I'm settled, I'll come and see you right away! I don't have many of my supplies on me, but I do have some of my notebooks. So maybe we can compare recipes and processes and see if we can't become better alchemists together!

text

[anamnestik]

[LETTERS! Sure, they're typed over the devices... And yes, it's just a different use of the texting function... But Eliot is overwhelmed with a pleasant nostalgia. As a child, writing formal letters like this would have been a dream. He can't resist but join the fun.]

To Ms Sophie Summerhelm,

What a lovely greeting! Thank you so very much for taking the time to introduce yourself to us all. I'm sorry to say that I know nothing of alchemy as I am now. However, should you need a discussion partner, I can make myself more suitable for it.

My name is Eliot Durant, and I run an archiving business here in Genessia. I do hope that you're settling in okay. Should you ever need anything, I am happy to assist. Have you had time to explore the other four cities? I'm afraid that this entire situation is quite overwhelming at first, isn't it? I imagine being told to settle into a new home when you've been kidnapped is stressful. If there is anything you require to make the adjustment easier, please don't hesitate to ask. Friends help friends~!

I'd best limit my questions, or it'll be troublesome to reply, won't it? My apologies.

Wishing you the best.

Eliot Durant (❛▿❛✿)

text

[summerbloom]

Mister Eliot,

I'm afraid I haven't had the chance to explore just yet! I was very lucky and arrived here with a group of my friends, so for the most part, we've been tracking each other down and trying to settle ourselves in here. We've all been roomed together, so it wasn't too hard, but I want to make sure everyone feels settled and safe before I leave to explore.

When you say you run an archiving business though, what does that mean exactly? I'm looking forward to learning more about the city, so I might come to you if I have any questions!

Sincerely,
Sophie Summerhelm

[anamnestik]

Ms Sophie Summerhelm,

My, how wonderful! It's good to hear fortune has favored you in that manner. I do hope that your accommodations will be comfortable. This world has an odd way of supplying for your first month, so I'm sure you'll all be alright.

My archive collects and stores information about Genessia. For example, I task myself with collecting the newspapers and categorizing articles. Sometimes an event will seem insignificant at the time, but will have grander consequence later on.

Should you have any pressing questions, I am generally able to assist. Please do not hesitate to reach out, or to use the archive for researching purposes.

Sincerely,
Eliot Durant (❛▿❛✿)

[summerbloom]

Mister Eliot,

If it wouldn't cause you any trouble, I'd love to come and visit to make use of your archive! I've always loved going over books for research and it sounds like you have an incredible amount of information stored away about this place. I'd love to go over as much of it as I can and really kick my learning into gear!

Do you have specific times your archive is open to the public? Or otherwise, is there a day and a time that suits you best for a visit?

Sincerely,
Sophie Summerhelm