Re: Frumious Bandersnatch Quarters
"And we still don't know if it's a single projector, several little ones or a hundred tiny ones," Arc said.
"That image is 5-stories high and a little over that wide! It isn't that we don't have the technology to do that ourselves, just that no one has had a reason to do anything on that scale. We have other ways of doing it, maybe not better but easier for us."
"Which is why I've been thinking things over as we went. There's a certain feeling of alieness to this place, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was."
"So, here's what I've come up with."
"First of all, these aliens are/were humanoid. I've got two reasons for saying that. First, form follows function. Why don't we have narrow hallways or low ceilings or cramped living quarters? Mostly that's because we don't need them any more. We've become the dominant life form on our world. By developing intelligence, we've been able to bend our environment to our needs, rather than having to scavenge for what we need."
"This hallway is wide enough to let two of us stand side by side... or pass each other going in different directions. That holds true for the aliens. This is confirmed by the width of the doorways. No need to be that wide if they were small burrowing creatures. No need for them to be so high... same reason."
"The second reason is practicality. Why build a bunch of boxes all stuck together? Mainly, I think that's because it's easier to make a flat sheet of metal or plastic or whatever these walls are than it is to make them curved or rippled or whatever."
"It looks like they either found a large cave or overhang in this area and simply built it out. Remember, too, that technological development is almost never straight across the board. They may not have had the ability to spray gunnite or equivalent over a mesh framework. For that matter, maybe there was a reason they couldn't set up such a framework. After all, they'd be working in a low gravity vacuum."
"Based on the furniture, their anatomy might be a little different, but I'm guessing they walk upright, have two legs and two arms, and are about the same height as we are. The labs tell us that. We don't have to reach up to the tables or bend down to use them."
"Next reason is style or ascetics. There's a reason we like symmetry. We have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two arms, two legs, two lungs, two kidneys, etc. Things that are symmetrical to us are pleasing. It takes special... ummm, education to appreciate asymmetrical items."
"When we first observed those outside windows, we had no idea if each window represented a separate compartment or they were all in the same big room. Now that we're inside, we know the answer to that. But! I point out that those windows are not stacked one above the other. They are staggered. That might be because they are trying to disguise the appearance from the outside."
"Now, take a look at the mural again. It's all forests and trees and bushes and flowers. Doesn't it seem like that would be a reminder of home? But why no mountain, why no hills and plains, no rivers and lakes? It makes me think these aliens might have been bird people. They once lived in those trees but they've lost the power of flight."
"That leaves mental make-up. The way these rooms have been left suggests they are a meticulous species. Absolutely nothing of a personal nature has been left behind. No small knickknacks, nothing to indicate that anyone had actually lived in these quarters."
"And that just doesn't make any sense, since clearly the labs had been used. While I could say that they wanted separation between home and work, I just don't see someone from a lower level coming up here to work in these labs."
"The hidden storage room doors are another indicator. It wasn't done for secrecy... it was done for aesthetics. They didn't want the 'closet' intruding into their work space."
"So, let's try to keep a more open mind. Don't make humanocentric assumptions about what we'll find."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Sat 30 Oct 2021.
