kirabug's idea files

Day 776:

Okay, so here’s an example of how weird and messed up the gravity is here. (I am so glad to have this camera rock thing.)

Yes, that’s a block of cinderblock bricks balanced on top of a torch. Not just balanced on a snuffed torch, mind. Balanced on the flame and smoke from a torch.

There’s no way these kinds of physics would fly on Earth. I’m not even sure they should be possible. And yet, here I am.

So either this is all a fever dream and even the photo thingie doesn’t exist, or someone in the Physics department at my alma mater has some explaining to do.

Anyway, I’m going out to the mountain to reassess that health hazard tomorrow. Tonight I sleep and worry some more about rocks and physics.

Day 775:

I was attacked by one of those odd people with the bald heads and the purple cloaks. They got away, but they dropped a strange rock. It was sort of gem-like, with two facet-like sides that made it look like it would be a decent paperweight for the cave.

(Can I call it “the office” if it’s got a bunch of paperwork-like stuff in it but it’s made of stone and the paper in question is mashed bamboo?)

Anyway, didn’t think anything of it until the sun hit one of the shiny facet surfaces and a light beam shot out of the other faceted side similar to a crystal prism… but this time it etched the view that was coming in the sunny side onto the table.

Which involved a bit of smoke and drama but we’re not going there right now.

So apparently the purple people have cameras? At least they do as long as they also have something to etch the image onto that isn’t, say, a large dark oak table? That now has a picture of a large dark oak table on it?

I aimed it at a different place in my room and here’s what I got.

So that’s a thing.

It does take a long time, like at least 2 minutes, so it’s not nearly as convenient as actual photography… but still, hey, I can finally include some pictures of this place instead of just descriptions.

Day 774:

I needed a break from the usual nonsense, so I connected one of the lakes to the river. It makes my map look better, like this place actually makes sense.

I still haven’t figured out how it can rain for days and days here and the water levels never get higher. For that matter I haven’t figured out how I can accidentally dig a hole in the bottom of a lake into a cavern, have the entire lake start draining into the cavern, and the lake’s water level doesn’t drop.

I need a physicist. Someone in fluid dynamics or something.

Anyway, one lake connected, one to go, feeling good about myself.

Day 773:

Did I mention the mountains? I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned the mountains.

They’re in my way.

Yeah, I know, that’s how life goes. First you get stranded on a planetesimal in the middle of nowhere for no obvious reason, then it turns out that the nearest sources of sand and other critical survival elements are surrounded by mountains.

Fortunately, I am a miner. So I have all intention of getting these mountains out of my way even if it means I have to carve them down single-handedly.

Which it might.

But, I mean, not like there’s a whole lot else to do.

Anyway, I’m trying to make the paths between here and where I’m going clearer, and that may mean removing one or more mountains.

Things happen, you know?

Day 772:

I’m still working on clearing the sand from the lake so I can make some glass. On the way there, I’ve discovered the remnants of what must have been a forest fire.

The trees — if you can call them that — are mostly stumps, though a few still have branches. Some of the stumps are quite tall, but still not what one would call “trees”. And despite the obvious “burnt all my branches off” design of them, they don’t have scorch marks or anything else indicative of a fire.

But then again, when my bridges kept catching fire near the lava lake, they didn’t have scorch marks anywhere near there, either, even when the trees were on fire.

This place is so weird.

Anyway, no guilt for harvesting the mostly-dead trees, which means extra wood and a clearer path to the sand.