Iku Quest Otto - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Clever how? Would the music be enough, even if no one had any idea where it had come from? If no one even knew that they, as people, existed?"

>"It might, it might," says Suwako.

>_

[UncertainJakutten]

Hmm, I'm getting a theory. It's not just that poltiergeists reminds you that things that don't live have spirits, but some SPECIFIC things not alive have spirits. Say, shadows, or music.

And when Bhava-Agra's shadow was taken, a whole lot of people started to speculate about shadows (partially due to us). Which in turn probably sustains the spectre.

Just an idea.

[DracoOmega]

It's possible. On the other hand, the spectre felt sustained after taking Bhava-Agra's shadow long before nearly anyone noticed that its shadow was even unusual, so I'm not certain it can be purely a result of people talking/thinking about the role shadows play. I think it may simply be that she had an impact on the world obvious enough that everyone stopped and took notice of it. This implies that returning the shadow might not actually increase her sense of insufficiency, and that this sense of insufficiency would eventually return on its own, whether she kept the shadow or not. It's not holding the shadow itself that's doing anything. Remember, she felt sustained by taking the tree and rock shadows for a little while. And then this was no longer enough.

Of course, the worrisome thing is, does this also imply that she needs to keep going around causing havoc with shadows in order to continue to exist? There must be some other alternative...

>"But presumably it wouldn't be as effective as if people knew who was doing it, and could see it with their own eyes?"
>"Would they need to play music, so long as they were out and about in the world, and people could confirm their existence?"

[Hello Purvis]

I>"But presumably it wouldn't be as effective as if people knew who was doing it, and could see it with their own eyes?"
>"Would they need to play music, so long as they were out and about in the world, and people could confirm their existence?"

>"Probably not," says Suwako, nodding despite watching the puddle.
>"If they didn't make noise, they wouldn't be very good poltergeists, would they?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, not all poltergeists are noisy, surely? Music may be how they sustain their existence, but I cannot imagine that alone is universal among their kind."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, not all poltergeists are noisy, surely? Music may be how they sustain their existence, but I cannot imagine that alone is universal among their kind."

>"When was all noise music?" Suwako says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I simply thought that was what you meant, given the question of mine you responded to with that."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I simply thought that was what you meant, given the question of mine you responded to with that."

>"You should listen better," Suwako says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Do you mean noise in the sense of stirring things up, then? And not simply in the sense of sound?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you mean noise in the sense of stirring things up, then? And not simply in the sense of sound?"

>"They're the same thing, when poltergeists are involved," says Suwako, as she peers closer into the puddle.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Forgive me, but I'm not sure I see how. Them simply speaking with someone creates sound, but a quiet conversation hardly need stir anything up at all."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Forgive me, but I'm not sure I see how. Them simply speaking with someone creates sound, but a quiet conversation hardly need stir anything up at all."

>"Doesn't it?" Suwako says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, no more than such a conversation might between humans, or anyone else for that matter. Any person's mere existence has some effect on the world around them. It would be nearly impossible to be otherwise. Poltergeists would seem to be no different in that regard."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, no more than such a conversation might between humans, or anyone else for that matter. Any person's mere existence has some effect on the world around them. It would be nearly impossible to be otherwise. Poltergeists would seem to be no different in that regard."

>Suwako simply shakes her head.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Am I... missing your point entirely?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Am I... missing your point entirely?"

>"A bit," she says. "There's more ways to cause a stir with noise than just being loud, you know. Just, loudness is best for them."

>_

[Marokuu]

>"As if someone spread a rumor? they wouldn't have to be loud but it might stir people up... in a way"

[DracoOmega]

>"Best for the Prismrivers? Or best for any poltergeist?"
>"Would it be a fair statement to say that a poltergeist's existence is strengthened by any way they can make the world take notice of them? Be that by music, or word, or deed. The more notice the better?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"As if someone spread a rumor? they wouldn't have to be loud but it might stir people up... in a way"

>"Mm, yes," says Suwako.

>"Best for the Prismrivers? Or best for any poltergeist?"
>"Would it be a fair statement to say that a poltergeist's existence is strengthened by any way they can make the world take notice of them? Be that by music, or word, or deed. The more notice the better?"

>"Poltergeists exist to make noise," says Suwako, "But anything helps."

>_

[Marokuu]

>"What if, for speculation's sake, a poltergeist started making mysterious piles of rocks in noticable places. Would that sustain it?"

[DracoOmega]

>"But, essentially, if a poltergeist sought to avoid any and all notice from anyone else in the world... they would effectively be working to end their own existence, would they not?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"What if, for speculation's sake, a poltergeist started making mysterious piles of rocks in noticable places. Would that sustain it?"

>"Probably not," says Suwako.

>"But, essentially, if a poltergeist sought to avoid any and all notice from anyone else in the world... they would effectively be working to end their own existence, would they not?"

>She nods.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Does the specific manner in which a poltergeist makes noise matter, as long as a noticeable amount of noise is made? Or perhaps saying a poltergeist 'causes ripples' would be more appropriate, given your current preoccupation."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Does the specific manner in which a poltergeist makes noise matter, as long as a noticeable amount of noise is made? Or perhaps saying a poltergeist 'causes ripples' would be more appropriate, given your current preoccupation."

>"It might, it might not," says Suwako.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Does it matter from poltergeist to poltergeist, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Does it matter from poltergeist to poltergeist, then?"

>"Well," says Suwako, "The violinist wouldn't be very happy with a trumpet, would she?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I suppose not. So while the specific ripple cause may not matter, the poltergeist is going to have their own preferences."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I suppose not. So while the specific ripple cause may not matter, the poltergeist is going to have their own preferences."

>She nods again.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

So where do we go from here? Are we happy returning to Feisty Geist with the information we have? I'd love to ask more but everything I can think of would be more than what she wants us to say.

[Mr. Sacchi]

I should really stop lurking, huh?

Well, if you can think of something to ask of her that wouldn't expose the 'geist then go ahead, afterall, we're looking for information. But if not I think we're fine with what we've got.

Haven't had much time to give this as much thought as it needs. However, this is what I came up with.

As far as I understood from Suwako (God speech is always amazingly annoying to comprehend for me) poltergeists need people thinking and talking about them to be created, and to live. And as far as I can remember, when she stole the shadow of both the tree and the rock the sense of emptiness vanished for a awhile, that's probably because people started to think and talk about it, but as time went on, their desire to talk about such things vanished. And the feeling came back.

When she stole Bhava-agra's shadow, the feeling didn't vanish, I think that's because people are causing a stir about the islands falling, but not because SOMEONE made them fall. Or something like that. That's as far I could understand.

Anything wrong there? >_>''