The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it (open)

[youwonscience]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Cosima
RECIPIENT: Mainly the research division, though if you want your character to hear, she's not filtering super selectively
WHAT: Cosima's new acquisition
WHEN: Nowish (time it however you need to if you want to tag in, it's nebulous)
WHERE: She's in Kirkwall, you're where you are
NOTES: none for now

Hey, fellow researchers. I think I've met a lot of you by now, but if I haven't, I'm Cosima. I've recently managed to acquire a new research instrument that I'm pretty sure arrived through a rift -- Adasse found it based on some sketches, credit where credit is due -- and I've tried it out enough to be pretty confident it works the way I expect it to.

I've talked to a couple people about microscopes before, but. Basically, I can effectively magnify things too small to be seen with the naked eye, at least to a point.

So, first of all, I've already got some ideas for applications, but if the heads of my projects have anything they want me to prioritize, please let me know. And if anyone would like me to train them on how to use the instrument, I'm totally happy to let people who are trained use it under my supervision.

[Do not break her microscope, guys, she is so excited.]

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

I would love to learn how to use it, when you've the time.

[youwonscience]

Of course. I'm going to be interested to see whether some basic germ theory of disease holds up with nonmagical ailments in Thedas, for one thing.

[justice_is_blond]

I'd be interested in finding out more of what those mean.

[His voice is a little amused.]

When and where would be best for you?

[aceso]

Oh, Cosima, this could certainly be applied to our red lyrium research!

[youwonscience]

I thought so too! I really want to see what sort of structure's going on -- maybe with regular lyrium first, to give us a baseline.

[aceso]

Yes, that sounds perfect. Look to the original first, then see how the red differs. I would advise looking at the blue outside our research laboratory, just to ensure it does not become corrupted from proximity to the other. But this device sounds amazing. Whenever you are next going to be in our lab, you will bring it, yes?

[thunderproof]

That sounds amazing.

❰ adalia isn't technically involved in any of the divisions yet, though she'll gravitate toward forces when she can, but seeing tiny things yes please. you can take the girl out of the research library but you can't take the research library out of the girl. ❱

Could you teach me to use it? Please please please with a cherry on top?

[youwonscience]

Absolutely. You got anything particular in mind to magnify? Granted, it has to be something you can make fairly thin samples of.

[thunderproof]

Ah, no, I hadn't really thought that far ahead... Oh!

❰ adalia's voice pitches up in excitement, and there's a noise coming through the crystal like someone's bouncing up and down. ❱

I have a dragon! He's a baby, so eventually he'll start to shed scales so he can grow, would that work? It'd take a bit, but!

[aestivation]

A system of lenses?

[ it's all that he can picture, but a spyglass or a spectacle piece only get one so far — ]

[youwonscience]

Yeah, exactly. There are a few different lenses involved -- some are fixed, and a few you can rotate through to change the magnification's scale. The device's got a mirror at the base, so you can reflect light up through what you're viewing.

[aestivation]

Clever. [ a moment to consider it. fine glass is dear to come by, even so: ] If it can be replicated, it may be of value beyond its immediate use. Does its delicacy allow much inspection of the artifact itself?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Oh my god. Oh my god. Modern technology. Holy shit. I don't even wanna touch it and mess anything up but can I come see it and bask in the modernity of it?

[youwonscience]

[She laughs, warm.]

Totally. I mean, it's good it's not too modern, fuck knows what I would have done if it had an electric lamp instead of a mirror, but definitely still technology.

It's not commercial peanut butter or anything, but hopefully it'll last longer.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yeah, okay, fair point, but still way more modern than anyone else here's ever seen. Write a paper on how it works, become famous, revolutionize medicine in Thedas. Reap the rewards, man.

......Shit now I'm craving peanut butter.

[winterwinds]

So you can see things even smaller than you can see with a magnifying lens?

[youwonscience]

Yeah, exactly. Same principle on a different scale. With largely the same purpose, too; you can see underlying structure that's not obvious without magnification.

[provenforce]

I'd like to see it. I had a broken one, back on Jakku. Only two of the four magnifications worked, but it did what I needed it for.

[youwonscience]

Oh, awesome. For sure. This one's got three compound lenses, but all of them are miraculously in working order.

What'd you use yours for?

[provenforce]

Usually fixing circuit boards. There wasn't much else to look at up close on Jakku, besides sand. But I could get more for a working piece of tech, and circuit boards are always the hardest thing to fix if you can't precisely see what you're doing.

[circleprodigy]

I would be very interested in learning how to use such a vital instrument.

And to be a little redundant to the above, I'd certainly want to see the results of comparing the red lyrium to the original version, when you have the time.

[youwonscience]

I figured you'd be near the top of the training list. But yeah, I'll keep you informed about what we find. I think a lot of people will be interested if it turns up anything.

Private

[circleprodigy]

It's not entirely in our hands anymore, as I've given it over to the Elven Artifacts project, but I would also be very curious to see what you might uncover about the orb found in the Blackmarsh. It's inert, but it once enabled a group to enter the Fade. Whatever you could learn of it through your microscope could be very interesting.

[foxsays]

This is the thing that lets you work as you do at home? I would love to see it!

[youwonscience]

You totally should. It's not quite what I'm used to working with, but a huge jump ahead from magnifying lenses I can get here. I've already looked at some herbs, and a basic cheek swab from myself since I know what that's generally supposed to look like.