Flashback Literary Paradise

[Minnim]

15th of Fall, 469 AV

Minnim held out a hand to the golem as if to coax it, his voice thin and his eyes tired.

"Animation for Beginners." He repeated himself clearly, articulating each word with a click of his tongue. Nader-Canoch wasn't his greatest language to start with, but when speaking to a Sahovan golem, this seemed overly relevant.

There was a silence which normally might be occupied by thought that was oddly absent. It turned to the left minimally, and then back to the right. It paused, computing slowly.

"..."

And then it froze. Nothing came from the golem- not movement or speech. It had given up on the task. Minnim threw his hands up, temper lost. He moved around the golem, pushing his way into the shelves of the great library. The animaton jumped back to life and followed him, its wheels moving quietly with only the occasional squeak.

Minnim ignored the bot. It was best, he decided, for him to just continue on and find his own book in the vast library rather than wait millenia for the golem. His Wizard would call him back soon, and then he would have no more time for the library for a long while.

He moved up and down the isles, scanning the books as quickly as possible. Advanced Geology, Alchemy, Antidotes...

Eventually, after at least a hamdful of chimes, the topics led him to animation. He skipped over a few books on more specific topics, such as types of golems, animalistic animations, and non-sentient animations. What he was looking for was basic; he just wanted a quick guide.

He did come across one, finally, with "The Novice Guide to Animation" scribbled in a curly script on the spine. Minnim reached for the book, then paused, glancing at his hands. They were stained with dirt from his earlier work, and the smell of death was obvious even to him. He nervously glanced around, searching for the hidden Watcher golems he knew must be there. Retracting his hand, Minnim pointed to the book.

"The Novice Guide to Animation." He requested.

"..."

The thing paused, allowing Minnim to groan in frustration before lifting its prongs up to the shelf and retrieving the book. He sighed in relief, then waved at the golem to follow him back to the front of the library so that the pair could examine their find.

[Minnim]

Once Minnim was seated, he gave the golem the command to open the book. It did so almost carelessly. The golem's prongs flipped the cover down with a quick thump, and a flutter of wind.

There was the first page- no introduction, no author's note, not even a title page. It simply began. Though it was odd, Minnim could appreciate the simplicity, and the illusion of candor. He read over the first paragraph quickly, scanning it for appropriate information for his skill level.

 

Chapter one

Animation is the magical process of giving life to a lifeless object. To achieve this, there are many steps which must be followed carefully, and thoroughly. These steps can be very broadly summarized as the following:

Creating a Life Principle (Page 5)
Establishing Directives (Page 22)
Bestowing Intelligence (Page 47)

The page went on after that, giving a table of contents for other steps, such as how to make the animation see, hear, or walk, or research questions that the author had left. Minnim skipped over them. He didn't really need those lessons, he reasoned. He just needed to be able to start learning the theory of it all.

So, Minnim gestured to the Golem, and the book was flipped to page 5. He retrieved the brand new, blank journal from his bag, placing it on the table in front of him, and followed it with a quill and a tiny well of black ink. He experimentally dipped the quill into the ink and produced a splotch on the very first page. It sunk in quickly, spreading throughout the manufactured cracks in the page. Perfect.

And so he began.

[Minnim]

 

Creating a Life Principle

Two circles must be made initially. One will contain the object, the other, the lifeform it is to be modeled after. A line will connect these circles, allowing the soulcore, and other layers of life, to be passed from one to the other.

Generally, the Animator himself is the model for the life principle, although other life forms may be used for animations which are not so humanoid in nature.

Minnim frowned, his pen slowing as he copied the words over. The Animator himself as the model? Wouldn't that take away a piece of your soul? What would happen to that piece if the animation were destroyed?

In his mind, animators, dusty and crumbled, gathered together speaking with hollow, monotone voices and gesturing with partial fingers. Minnim shivered at the thought. There must have been a way to prevent such internal decay though, he reasoned. Archiwizard Mashaen was the greatest and likely oldest Animator on Sahova (and Mizahar) and he was as well-preserved as the day he turned. He even had a good retention rate on bodies, as far as Minnim knew.

Subconsciously, Minnim eliminated the line about the Animator being the main model, leaving the line blank and skipping over it to continue on down the page.

 

Creating a Life Principle

A Life Principle consists of many parts. The most basic component of a life principle is the soulcore. The soulcore is the basis of living, and what creates an identity in the Chavi.

Minnim copied the word carefully. Soulcore. Then, with a sweep of his wrist for emphasis, underlined the word. He penned the definition as "a basis for life". He didn't understand what the Chavi was, no matter how many times anyone explained it, so he left that portion out. It probably wasn't that important anyway- just magic theory. He then copied down the other concepts of the Life Principle: the Persona, a set of personal instructions and behaviors; the Astral Body, which allowed the Animation to interact with the world; and the awakening, in which the Animation finally gained control of itself.

Minnim read over his notes with a frown. He had foolishly put the entire portion on Life Principles into one paragraph, thinking it would be good to associate each step with the others. This had worked, but also made it very difficult to find what he was looking for quickly. Minnim turned the page of the journal carefully, trying his best not to taint the fragile paper. This effort only backfired, as the title of the page, "Life Principles" smeared across the back of his hand.

Minnim swore softly, though the sound echoed in the quiet room, and gestured to the golem to turn the page of his book once again. He would have to try and rewrite it some other time. For now, there was plenty more to do.

[Minnim]

 

Establishing Directives

Directives are, in many ways, the most important pieces in an animation. Directives give the animation purpose, telling it what to do and when, but also encompass safety and preservation. Directives are established within the Persona (see: Parts of a Life Principle, page 6) and cannot be changed after the awakening, so they must be considered carefully.

Directives typically fall into one of the following categories:
- Loyalty
- Pass Keys (for both activation, shut-down, and authentication)
- Preservation of the Animation or Animator
- Non-violence

Minnim flipped his own journal to the next page, starting fresh. If the directives were so important, then they deserved their own space, where they could stand out. He copied the list of the common directive categories, but even as he did so, he realized he didn't place too much weight in them. Certainly, they were things to remember, but was he really going to need to know them? They seemed rather common sense, and he imagined that he would form his own methods over time.

Finally, he scribbled "within the Persona" next to the list, and drew a thick arrow to it. It looked slightly sloppy, but it was accurate to how he felt about it, so he didn't bother to fix it. That will be enough, he decided. Learning from his past mistakes, Minnim blew on the ink gently to dry it before flipping the page. He was glad he did, since the fat arrow leaked across the paper when he blew on it. That could've ruined his entire page! Luckily, he had avoided it this time.

Time to move on, he thought. With a sigh and a rustle of paper, Minnim did just that.

[Minnim]

 

Bestowing Intelligence

Intelligence comes in many levels, but all animations form this knowledge in the same manner. First, factual information is imparted. This may be as simple as a single name or as complex as language.
Then, sensory information may be given, such as sensing pressure or perceiving sight.

The last step, lumped here with bestowing intelligence, is truly its own. The Animator must awaken the animation by giving it an astral body.
This allows the connection to be completed between the soulcore and the new physical form. Immediately, the Animation is functional.

Minnim copied down the last one (or two) steps into his book. He did not number them, as he felt the seperation of them was ambiguous and, perhaps only a personal preference. He would learn later, he decided, and then find out for himself how it felt.

Setting down the quill, Minnim sighed and leaned back in his seat, cracking his neck with a twist. Although there were no indications of time in such a timeless place as Sahova, the passage of it was clearly felt. His bones ached insistently as he hoisted himself out of the chair. The golem sat silently, almost as if staring at the Nuit while he stretched. Minnim stared directly back at it, with no response.

Minnim shuddered. No matter how long he stayed, he simply couldn't get used to the eerieness of the bots. Perhaps I will understand better when I make one of my own. He thought in comfort.

"You may return the book." He told the golem. Then, to himself, he muttered, "It's time to get back to work."

[Alija]

ENJOY YOUR GRADES

Skill	XP
Animation	2XP
Copying	3XP
Observation	1XP
Organization	2XP

• Animation: Giving life to a lifeless object
• Animation: Two circles, for the object and lifeform
• Animation: Using the Animator as the model
• Animation: Directives are established within the Persona
• Animation: Bestowing intelligence
• Avoiding touching old books by using a golem
• Copying: Drying ink by blowing on it
• Life Principle: Soulcore, Persona, Astral Body and Awakening
• Sahova: The Great Library

Short, but an interesting read - I felt I learnt a little about animation too. I can't wait to see what Minnim does with this magic!

Feel free to PM me if you have questions or problems with the grades, and don't forget to mark this thread as graded in the request thread!