(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Yes. There is only one ocean.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Clouds. The sun. on its edges, rivers, farms, and people. All the way above it is here.

"So it's just a giant loop, right? We're below the ocean and the ocean's below here. Is that why it would take so long to reach the bottom if you fell off? Because you'd fall forever?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

The cliffs ARE the side of the jar. A narrow mouth, here, near the waterfall.

"And the jar pinches in at the bottom to provide space for all the oceans and farmland and everything."

Originally Posted by ericthered

That's not quite it either, but yes. They think. and argue faster than you can follow.

I wonder if the tube we're in is curved. Probably not; the gravity wouldn't fit properly.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Vasic. Lots and Lots of Vasic.

"And the Vasic just keeps going? Nobody ever made it passed all that stone?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

When its a cliff, or bedrock, its strong. When its used to build buildings in chunks, its just stone.

Hm. Interesting.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"So it's just a giant loop, right? We're below the ocean and the ocean's below here. Is that why it would take so long to reach the bottom if you fell off? Because you'd fall forever?"

Yes, big loop. No, you hit the ocean if you fall.

"And the jar pinches in at the bottom to provide space for all the oceans and farmland and everything."

Yes! Yes! Beaming smiling faces.

"And the Vasic just keeps going? Nobody ever made it passed all that stone?"

Digging vasic is hard. We would know.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Yes, big loop. No, you hit the ocean if you fall.

"Has anyone ever found anything that's fallen from bottom to top? I mean, besides the waterfall?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Digging vasic is hard. We would know.

"How deep do the mines go?"

I'm getting the impression that there's tons of Vasic extending from every direction from the tube. All that mass should be drawing everything towards it. Maybe the Vasic pushes everything "downwards". That could make a big loop.

"Why do things fall down?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Has anyone ever found anything that's fallen from bottom to top? I mean, besides the waterfall?"

The barrel. People have sent things through in a barrel. Not all at once. but in stages.

"How deep do the mines go?"

Maybe three times as far as Bumundo is long? not very far.

"Why do things fall down?"

Because they do? They laugh at him. Its how gravity works!

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The barrel. People have sent things through in a barrel. Not all at once. but in stages.

"How do you mean 'in stages'? Do they only put some of what they're sending at a time? Or does the barrel make stops along the way down?"

"Does the barrel get scorched by the sun?"

"Is the barrel special or is it just a barrel?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Maybe three times as far as Bumundo is long? not very far.

That's, what, an hour's walk? That's pretty thick even if it's a steep slope downward.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Because they do? They laugh at him. Its how gravity works!

I'm getting a bit tired of being laughed at. I'll try to explain. "Where I come from, the world's a big ball; so big it seems flat when unless you're far above it. Everything gets pulled to the middle of the ball. This is because things pull everything towards them. Big things pull harder than small things, so you only really see meaningful effects if it's really big, like the world."

"Here, the mass is all on the edge, but everything isn't being pulled to the edge. That does not make sense."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"How do you mean 'in stages'? Do they only put some of what they're sending at a time? Or does the barrel make stops along the way down?"

"Does the barrel get scorched by the sun?"

"Is the barrel special or is it just a barrel?"

If you don't catch it after the waterfall it will burn up in the sun. So you put a bunch through the ocean and watch in the waterfall. Then you put one from the top of the jar way out away from the sun.



They make the barrels to make the trip. The ones you stick through the falls are tough and heavy so they sink and survive. The ones from here to the bottom are just barrels... or any object really. Sometimes the Hawkin drop corpses from the sky.

That's, what, an hour's walk? That's pretty thick even if it's a steep slope downward.

I'd say the whole path is about a half-hour walk. So yeah, the vasic is pretty thick.

I'm getting a bit tired of being laughed at. I'll try to explain. "Where I come from, the world's a big ball; so big it seems flat when unless you're far above it. Everything gets pulled to the middle of the ball. This is because things pull everything towards them. Big things pull harder than small things, so you only really see meaningful effects if it's really big, like the world."

"Here, the mass is all on the edge, but everything isn't being pulled to the edge. That does not make sense."

They get a kick out of the idea that two people standing on the opposite side of his world are upside-down compared to each other. They do seem to believe him though, and have a word for "world" that works in this context.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

If you don't catch it after the waterfall it will burn up in the sun. So you put a bunch through the ocean and watch in the waterfall. Then you put one from the top of the jar way out away from the sun.

"So they, the barrel droppers, know the relative location of the sun? And the waterfall, it passes close by the sun? Does that mean that they can't see the waterfall's stream from the bottom?"

"What do they drop in the barrels anyway?"

"Do any of the barrels go missing, or do they arrive in a position on a schedule?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

They make the barrels to make the trip. The ones you stick through the falls are tough and heavy so they sink and survive. The ones from here to the bottom are just barrels... or any object really. Sometimes the Hawkin drop corpses from the sky.

I shudder at the thought that maybe sometimes they aren't yet corpses before they're dropped.

Originally Posted by ericthered

I'd say the whole path is about a half-hour walk. So yeah, the vasic is pretty thick.

2.7 km if it had a sharp slope, 5.4 km if it's just straight out... Has to be pretty thick if they aren't anywhere near close to the edge.

Originally Posted by ericthered

They get a kick out of the idea that two people standing on the opposite side of his world are upside-down compared to each other. They do seem to believe him though, and have a word for "world" that works in this context.

Thank god there wasn't more laughter; Julian was about ready to explode!

"Are things heavier at the bottom?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"So they, the barrel droppers, know the relative location of the sun? And the waterfall, it passes close by the sun? Does that mean that they can't see the waterfall's stream from the bottom?"

The waterfall drops directly into the sun. That's where the clouds come from. They only see the big whirlpool that feeds the waterfall, not the waterfall itself at the bottom.

"What do they drop in the barrels anyway?"

Messages and Frogs. The frogs die most of the time.

"Do any of the barrels go missing, or do they arrive in a position on a schedule?"

Most of the barrels through the waterfall go missing. Its hard to aim them, and if they end up in the waterfall they go through the sun. They come out mostly when expect though. The ones dropped from up here arrive mostly where expected on schedule.

"Are things heavier at the bottom?"

No.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

The waterfall drops directly into the sun. That's where the clouds come from. They only see the big whirlpool that feeds the waterfall, not the waterfall itself at the bottom.

Yep, about what I figured.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Messages and Frogs. The frogs die most of the time.

"Why frogs? Are people curious what happens to life that goes through the whirlpool or by the sun?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Most of the barrels through the waterfall go missing. Its hard to aim them, and if they end up in the waterfall they go through the sun. They come out mostly when expect though. The ones dropped from up here arrive mostly where expected on schedule.

"And the schedule is about a day long?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

No.

Well so much for there being a massive object below the bottom pulling everything downwards.

Maybe the sun is pulling everything down, and the gravitational influence extends all the way up to the bottom. There should be a way to test if the forces converge to a point; perhaps a pendulum...

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"Why frogs? Are people curious what happens to life that goes through the whirlpool or by the sun?"

They want to know if people could make it. And frogs are everywhere. At the bottom of the world, with the rain and the rivers.

"And the schedule is about a day long?"

Maybe? They are not sure. Its at least one cycle of a vasic stone.