Science You Cannot Possibly Comprehend, Monday, Period 5

[allhopeliesinme.livejournal.com]

Doom was not in a throne this week. Sorry, you weren't always going to see him being a total pimp. Sometimes you were going to see him being an awesome scientist.

As the students entered the science lab, where all future classes would take place, they would see Doom standing on a flat, metal platform on the ground. There were two more next to him as well. "As I mentioned last week, I created mechanical time travel before anyone else in my world. I am now aware of future beings who travelled before my time, but their technology owes much to mine."

And then Doom launched into a very detailed explanation of how time travel works (and how to stick to a singular timeline even though every choice you make creates alternate realities) and how you can mechanically control the timestream.

Seriously, you'd have to be among the ten smartest people on Doom's world to fully grasp his instructions... which weren't even complete. Because did he really want students knowing how his time travel technology worked? No.

"Now that you'e heard the theory and been heard much about the construction of my Time Platform, you have three choices. You can choose to merely experience time travel. The completed platform I stand on is calibrated to send anyone who stands upon it to the end of class. Please note the time shown on the lab's clock and your watches or any time device you own that does not self correct before you step through. Then note the time on the clock when you have reached the end of class."

"This second platform is partially completed. The components within it already are calibrated to ensure you join the rest of us at the end of class. There is no way to change that. And it is likely that if you attempt to study what has already been built, it would be akin to a dog staring at the inner workings of a computer. Team together and finish the work if you believe you can."

"The third platform is merely a shell. You will have the rest of the class period - a mere thirty minutes - to work together to build an entire platform from the provided parts and instruction from earlier. Please note that you will fail. But in failing Doom's challenge, you, like so many others, may still learn important lessons."

"One way or another, you will see me at the end of class," Doom said. The Platform he was standing on began to glow, and then a glowing plane lifted from the platform, up and then back down Doom's body. Suddenly, he was gone. Well, from this moment in time, at least. See you at the end of class!

Comments

Listen to the Lecture

[allhopeliesinme.livejournal.com]

Attempt to take notes! DO IT!

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was taking notes, and was totally that guy who kept raising his hand to try to encourage Doom to slow down. It was adorable how he expected to make progress with that.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[allhopeliesinme.livejournal.com]

Doom saw Topher's hand each and every time. It did not slow him down.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[pursuedthestars]

Jim didn't take notes. He listened intently and knew taking notes wasn't going to really make a difference because Doom wasn't one to coddle them through learning his theories.

So, he listened and picked up a few things here and there.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[toomuchmoop.livejournal.com]

Pffffffft.

Danny had built and destroyed so many time machines that he'd actually lost count. The temptation to just kick back and relax was strong with this one, but so was a sense of self-preservation. Doom was obviously coo-coo, and probably just a few snaps away from going full-on Evil on everyone, so Danny decided he could at least be civil and scribble down notes.

At least, he tried to. He got distracted doodling in the margins, and the doodles became a full-on comic about using his mega time machine knowledge to impress the cream out of Plum, and then they'd go on adventures through time and space (but never both at the same time).

The story was pretty intense, indicated by the fact that he was leaning forward, one arm curled in a vain attempt to shield his work, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth slightly in concentration.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[notyetplatypus.livejournal.com]

Chaz tried to follow with what Doom was saying, but he mostly just kept coming up with every reason why time travel shouldn't work. His sense of self-preservation made it clear to him that it would be a very bad idea to bring any of them up in this class.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[ultron_junior]

Victor's pen flew as he took notes. Technically he didn't need them -- thank you, literal photographic memory -- but he wanted the documentation for his own future reference.

It was nice for him to have a class that was actually somewhat challenging, even if Doom was still evil.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[voiceoverdue]

Cecil tried! He figured the regular stuff (what there was) he'd remember, so he wrote down all the biggest and niftiest-sounding words, and added arrows and runes to show how they related to each other. He even added a nifty diagram of the platform with as many parts labeled as he could.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[tigerundercover]

Raven did not attempt to take notes. She drew a fairly detailed sketch of what she would do to Charles next time she saw him for signing her up for this class.

Seriously, it was right there in the title. She wasn't going to comprehend this stuff.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[solarhippie]

Karolina did her best to take notes!

It was largely a total failure and made her hand cramp, but at least she'd tried.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[selfhelphero]

Billy tried to take notes for about a few minutes and then just gave up. Time travel was too dangerous for him to think about anyway.