Science Rules! The Science and Knowledge Expo Kicks into Full Force!

[stringmods]

▼ Consider the Following......

 

Who: Anyone
Where: The entire city
When: June 8th-15th
Summary: Science and Knowledge Exop in the Leo Ward.
Warnings: That depends who is there. Remember to mark your titles clearly if any warnings need to be issued!

▼ You know what rules?

 

Science. Science and the inquiring mind has kept humanity on the path of progress for hundreds of thousands of years. What could make science rule harder?

A science showcase, of course! What better way spark the curiosity of the young and old by showing off the scientific achievements of the community. You have your things for the kids, your potato batteries and baking soda volcanoes and what-have-you, you have your higher-brow showcases of what the Department of Wands has been working on, your informative panels delving into biology, physics, chemistry and astronomy. There's even free food, including some molecular gastronomy creations for the...adventurous. There are even topics your average Visitor wouldn't think fell under the realms of science.

Such as? Why, like how Personas work (with explanations that aren't just "It's Magic") or discussions about demons, where they might come from, how they're different and similar to humans, how they use magic, and so on.

What kind of things will you and your friends discover? Perhaps you or someone you know is setting up an exhibit?

Regardless, enjoy the science fair and have fun!

[OOC: You are allowed to start a thread if you want your character to have a booth / hold a topic in a private room, or just do threads where you go around visiting. Projects and seminars are varied! Share your knowledge! Enjoy the science! Eat some really strange food! Try not to mix too much baking soda with vinegar!]

Comments

Persona Presenation (WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON)

[hinoto_ri]

One of the large auditoriums is filled with students, teachers, civilians and scientists. In front, a rather nervous young lady who couldn't be more than twenty-five, is dressed in the MAGI scientific garb. She gives a small bow before she beings her powerpoint presentation.

"Hello! Thank you for coming! I hope I will be able to enlighten you on what we know about persona and persona users!"

The lights dim, and she begins to explain as the slides pass one by one.









































Once it is done she stands around, waiting for someone to raise their arm.

[bladedskies]

Hey, it's that one quiet jackass girl from Phoenix, raising her hand in the back. How 'bout that?

"And what if you're more used to fighting without the Persona?"

Haseo certainly is. It doesn't help that her Persona is, well...a weakened, distorted derivative of the death goddess she once held a contract with. Seriously, what does that say about her mind?

[hinoto_ri]

Well at least someone wants to ask questions, so she doesn't mind at all!

"That's perfectly fine!" she explains. "It would be folly to simply ignore what skills you already know and toss them aside just because you have a new power...rather the trick is to use Persona as an additional aid. But remember that training with your Persona is what really makes them stronger!"

[bladedskies]

Okay, so Haseo isn't actually that much of a jackass. Not anymore, anyway. Sleeping properly and not having a nervous breakdown due to a friend's disappearance...yeah, that helps.

"I see. Thanks." This is gonna give her some stuff to mull over, she thinks...

[unbroken_chain]

"Um, some of the Personas I've seen are literally just normal creatures from my home world - is that normal?"

[hinoto_ri]

"Yes! What may be normal to you may be imaginary in another universe. Since the Velvet Room is not confined to a time, place or universe, it somehow gathers from all of the collective unconsciousness."

[unbroken_chain]

Kotoha mulls that over before asking another question.

"Is it possible for someone or something you personally know to be your Persona?"

[otakuro]

A person near the front of the room raises his hand. If he is called upon, he will immediately sling forth a question, his general attitude presenting as if he is beginning the first of a long list of questions. Atsuro came prepared.

"If Nyarlathotep and Philemon are both manifestations - personifications - of aspects of humanity, then Nyaralthotep can't reasonably be defeated, right? This seems pretty clear, but it can't hurt to make sure."

[hinoto_ri]

Maiko thought about it before answering. A few others nodded at the question, also curious.

"That is a tricky question. As you mentioned, it is true that it is an aspect of humanity, it cannot be completely defeated. That would require all of mankind to renounce anger, vengeance, and ignorance. I think we can all agree with me that it would be only wishful thinking for that to come to pass. However, we do think that while we can't eliminate him completely, we can do the next best thing -- find a way to banish his physical form, or at least make him dormant. Prove that humanity won't let it be controlled by him and take the future in our own hands."

[otakuro]

"Er. ...And at the risk of sounding ignorant, how is that supposed to happen?"

He was relatively certain, though he had never been in the position to check, that Nyarlathotep probably wasn't susceptible to exorcisms. Nothing ever was, really, if one went by the movies.

"...I think he's weak to cats in H.P. Lovecraft, if that helps at all."

[bondsofsuffering]

Hizumi raises his hand as well, albeit rather lazily.

"Just for clarification, you said that Philemon asks Persona users to pass a test in order to obtain the Persona in the first place. Is this about our resolve to help, or something else entirely?"

[hinoto_ri]

"There are different reports, but the most common one seems to be asking for your name."

Wait, what? Before he could ask what she meant by that however, Maiko went on.

"As we understand it, the reason is because Philemon's domain is in the human collective subconsciousness, where all souls gather. It takes a particularly strong force of will to be able to remember who you are in a sea of perhaps more than centillions."

[bondsofsuffering]

Well, when you put it like that, it does make a certain amount of sense.

"What kinds of other reports were there? Anything significantly different?"

[badass_reporter]

While she's technically here on assignment as a reporter, Neige can't help but raise her hand with a more personal question in mind. (In fact, she came to this particular presentation mostly because she wanted to...)

"Is it possible for someone to use Common Persona when they haven't woken their Soul Persona yet? Assuming that person is capable of having a Persona in the first place."

[hinoto_ri]

"Yes, although most awaken their Soul Persona first. However, even if it is dormant, you still have the ability to see the Velvet Room and visit it. Ergo, awakening a Common Persona is possible for that reason. We have noticed that Soul Persona tend to answer the call when you are experiencing that bout of extreme emotion I mentioned first."

[princessofheart]

Kairi quietly raises her hand, face scrunched a little in thought.

"Excuse me, what exactly is the 'great cataclysm' that you mentioned in your slideshow? I don't think I've ever heard of it before now."

Or she at least didn't remember ever being told about it or discussing it, though it might be her own fault for not attending school and choosing to work instead.

[hinoto_ri]

"Ahhh that," she began nervously, fidgeting her glasses as a few others looked at Kairi confused that she didn't know about this. "That is a term given to what happened ten years ago, when we lost contact with the rest of the world."

[terminally_clever]

You left something out.

[hinoto_ri]

The scientist looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean?"

[trainwrecking]

A tired looking redhead raises his hand and shuffles the notebook in his hand. Hopefully notetaking is acceptable.

"You mentioned a cataclysm... Do you know any more about that event? And... ah, if a Persona is a manifestation of your personality, is it possible for it to change?"

[hinoto_ri]

"We don't know much, unfortunately." From the sound of her voice, this had been a source of frustration for a long while. "Even in attempting to probe our own memories, nothing conclusive has been found. All we know is that ten years ago, something happened. Whatever it was, we ended up being stuck in Hinoto-ri....thankfully that also meant nothing out there could get in here too."

At the other question, she tilted her head, tapping her cheek.

"Well...there's no real conclusive evidence, but we believe it is possible, yes."

[screwattack]

Samus had no doubt in her mind that Nyarlathotep was bad news, and trusting anyone associated with him would be foolish. That being said, she didn't have much information about the godlike being, and even less about Philemon, the one who had sent her on this insane bounty after Nyarlathotep in the first place.

So when it was time for questions, the bounty hunter in her PED Suit is raising her hand and her voice.

"I'd like to know if you have any information about the collective mission several visitors were sent on a few months ago... Philemon requested a personal manhunt on Nyarlathotep, a task that, in retrospect, was impossible to complete with the current level of power we possess. Do you have any explanation for Philemon's motives for the near-suicide mission, or the source of their apparent rivalry? Is there any way to contact either of them?"

[hinoto_ri]

"Not that we know of," she said with a sigh. "I personally have more than my share of questions to ask. As for why he sent you there..."

She tapped her notebook idly as she spoke.

"Their rivalry makes sense from a historical standpoint; two extremes have always been part of mankind's mythology; good and evil, up and down, left and right, heaven and hell...one can expect them to push and shove each other in a similar fashion. Perhaps Nyarlathotep was causing a disturbance that could have caused even more damage if you hadn't shown up...or perhaps he wanted you to witness something. It is hard to understand how either move and act. I'm sorry if it's not the answer you were seeking..."

[doesasordered]

[Yeah okay this guy has a question.]

Ah... How sure of these findings are you?

[hinoto_ri]

Considering that this is scientific research into the...ah...more paranormal, there will always be a margin of error no matter how hard we try. Why do you ask?