Back in February, I mentioned a strange definition of Faeries as "secular," and although I was roundly shouted down as thinking too much about semantics in comments, the idea stuck with me. It finally crystalized into something real the other day when it was pointed out to me that iron (traditional bane of the fae folk) is the mid-point on the curve of nuclear energy reactions, and so is the "heaviest element that is produced exothermically through fusion and the lightest through fission." Since it's easiest for fission to occur/be induced in a heavy atom and it's easiest for fusion to occur/be induced in a light atom, iron is pretty much the midpoint of innefficiency between the two.
What does all of this mean? It means that the Fae are, in fact, small-scale fission or fusion reactions (some of each, probably, which would nicely explain the Seelie/Unseelie divide) that have taken on a solid and vaguely humanoid form and have attained consciousness.
Nuclear rods and cooling towers bind the fae into service a little more forcefully and a lot more efficiently than a saucer of milk, but it makes them go a little bit mad in the process; in a certain frame of reference, the destruction caused by a nuke is the maddened frenzy of the fae folk who used to be imprisoned inside. Chernobyl? Three Mile Island? Well, you had to know that they'd try to break free...
Ok, it's ridiculously stupid not-even-pseudo-science, but this is the sort of thing I'm talking about when I say "secular." Must continue with this line of thought... Wonder how lead plays into it...
Comments (13)
You missed the most important part of that sentence:
"The nucleus of iron has the highest binding energy per nucleon..."
Therefore, iron is the most stable element. Stable doesn't sound like magic or fae to me.
Posted by The Last Oni | June 17, 2005 5:31 AM
Posted on June 17, 2005 05:31
Which is why cold iron is deadly to fairies, such was his point.
Posted by Erik | June 17, 2005 5:59 AM
Posted on June 17, 2005 05:59
Sounds like a good start for a changeling campaign freedom for the fae!
Posted by gus | June 17, 2005 7:44 AM
Posted on June 17, 2005 07:44
"Brought to you by the same people who thought up 'Midichlorions.'"
Posted by Ben | June 17, 2005 9:12 AM
Posted on June 17, 2005 09:12
Ogre - Yes, Erik is right as to what I was going for; iron's bad for fae exactly because it is so stable. Iron is shit at producing nuclear reactions, ergo fae avoid it for it is not of them. It's far less efficient than they are.
Ben - Ouch. Just, ouch.
Posted by Jason | June 17, 2005 12:09 PM
Posted on June 17, 2005 12:09
Jason, by rights don't I have dibs on this idea as much as on the last one, lol?
Actually, this sounds very similar to (SPOILERS)
the main antagonist of the Top Ten spinoff book, "Smax". The dragon, it turned out, was called "Morningbright" because it was, literally, a dragon-shaped star with a rather maligant personality. So it was eventually killed by slamming a big iron spike into it, which caused Morningbright's energy to cease fusing, broke some bonds...and turned it into a big, three eyed mushroom cloud. Once again, science saves the day.
But damn, Jason...the faerie apocalypse. Fae created by nuclear explosions, resulting in a resurgence during the Trinity tests, and later on into the major reactor meltdowns. Hell...Hiroshima and Nagasaki! Think of the massive numbers of Japanese fae! Coexistance with humans and their part in WWII! Fae in Russian communism!
Heh. Thanks, Jason. You gave me something to think about at work tonight.
Posted by Bard | June 17, 2005 1:33 PM
Posted on June 17, 2005 13:33
Exactly, Derek. Exactly.
Posted by Jason | June 17, 2005 2:53 PM
Posted on June 17, 2005 14:53
No pain intended. But then again, perhaps midichlorions are the source of fairy magic! And those midichlorions are released by fission/fusion reactions, causing tremendous damage and...
No, wait, that's beta particles. Never mind.
Everything I know is a lie.
Posted by Ben | June 17, 2005 7:49 PM
Posted on June 17, 2005 19:49
Yes but you were going for is horrible I-don't-even-have-a-word-for-it-science. I like the simpler version not turning Fae into nuclear reactors. Especially since coming near them would cause slow painful death for people which is rather counter to much of fae lore. Usually your cells don't rupture and your eyes melt.
Posted by The Last Oni | June 18, 2005 11:13 AM
Posted on June 18, 2005 11:13
But the fae are so beautiful that they drive men insane. And a strike from their glowing green elf-shot leaves you to die a slow, painful, delerious death.
Slow, painful, delerious death. Glowing green energy.
People who wither and die after returning from faerie for "longing of the fae".
I will quote Warren Ellis:
"...he tipped the bullets with mercury. Mercury was a by-product of the silver mine. The people said that the Dead Ranger shot to wound, and the bad men he shot died from shame. They never realized the bullets were poisoned."
Posted by Bard | June 18, 2005 11:56 AM
Posted on June 18, 2005 11:56
Well, you know, I wasn't intentionally going for pseudo-science, it's just that when you bring the fae folk and intelligent nuclear reactions into the equation, you're pretty much talking about something that's not real science by default, aren't you?
I dunno, just seems to me that it's a cool twist on the idea, something worth exploring in the future. I've got a rough idea of a comic to go along with it...
Posted by Jason | June 20, 2005 12:50 AM
Posted on June 20, 2005 00:50
That all depends on WHICH fae you are talking about. It just wounds ridiculous, and pairs arcane majesty with one of the more horrifying things that exist.
Posted by The Last Oni | June 22, 2005 6:37 PM
Posted on June 22, 2005 18:37
Well, you are a little more phobic about nuclear things than many other people...
That said, horrifying is sort of what I was going for. I'm probably coming off a little pithier than I meant to, but yes, exactly. Beautiful and terrible and awesomely powerful and majestically horrible. It's those sort of fae that I have in mind, not, you know, leprechauns.
Posted by Jason | June 22, 2005 11:53 PM
Posted on June 22, 2005 23:53