[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

TOOL TIME! Minerva makes a set of Animated tools (Class)

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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 10th, 2012, 7:05 pm

74th Day of Spring, 512 AV
Evening

Tock was finally back on her feet. Well, in a manner of speaking. After spending four days in an Infirmary bed, she was able to get around now, and that meant getting back to classes. She was eager to get back to her Animation class especially. After the last few weeks of discussing philosophy and spirituality and blah, blah, blah, they should finally be ready to start making things. And considering she was coming to class with not one, but two animated gadgets of her own already, she was confident she could convince the teacher to let her get involved in the hands-on work.

Well, she damn well better.

She piloted her crutches into the classroom, among the chatting students waiting for the teacher to arrive. A hush fell over the room when they saw the contraption she was riding in, strapped in place with leather straps across her chest and over her shoulders. Using her thumbs on the spring-mounted metal plates that were attached to the front of the supports, she steered towards the back of the room, the crutches lurching with each shaky step. Her classmates stared for a moment, then out came the burst of questions.

"Did you build that?"

"How long did it take?"

"What kind of response controls does it have?"

"What did you use for the Source?"

"What's its weight capacity?"

"Is it sentient?"

Not one person asked about her broken foot. They just wanted to know about the Automaton.

She loved her classmates.

Grinning wide, she opened her mouth to answer the questions, but before she could, the Professor arrived.

The class grew quiet when Professor Claudia entered the room. She was rather strict, standing straight-backed, with her brown hair pulled into a severe bun. As was her routine, she strode across the front of the classroom to her desk. Her chair pulled itself out for her, and she sat down. She was wearing a fur shawl, which hopped off her shoulders as soon as she sat, crawling across the table and curling itself into a ball on the corner of the desk. It was Animated with the personality of a cat, and started grooming itself and smoothing its fur, while Professor Claudia looked at her class.

Her eyes scanned the students, who were all still half-turned in their chairs to stare at Minerva's machine. The Professor looked up at Minerva, who was still strapped into her pet, and simply watched her for a moment. She had a stare that could make anyone uncomfortable. She pushed her glasses up her nose with the tip of a finger, then crooked that same finger to beckon Minerva to the front of the class.

Minerva swallowed.

She'd been called up to the front on the first day of class. She had been sitting in the back, carving out a small wooden wheel, and getting wood shavings all over her desk. The Professor had beckoned her to the front of the room with that same crook of her finger, and the look on the woman's face had made Minerva quite sure that she was in trouble.

Minerva had walked up to the front of the class, half-completed wheel in one hand, chisel in the other, trailing a line of wood shavings that fell from her apron as she walked. She'd never been in school before. She hadn't gotten any schooling back home. Just her Granddad's teaching in his shop. But that had been work learning, not book learning. So she didn't know what to expect here.

The Professor had held her hand out expectantly, palm up. Minerva hadn't known what she wanted. The Professor had then cleared her throat and flicked her fingers in a demanding motion. Minerva had placed the small wheel in her hand, wondering what the problem was.

The Professor had then put the wheel into a drawer (which had slid open all on its own, then closed again), and said, "You can have it back at the end of the class." Minerva had stared at the closed drawer, then looked at the teacher, then back at the drawer. No one had
ever done something like that to her before. She wanted her project back!

But the teacher's cold stare had been... disconcerting. Minerva had been used to people asserting their authority with either shouts or fists. But this woman... she was so cold, so sure of herself, and had such poise and pure
authority about her, that all Minerva had been able to do was nod, and return to her seat.

She had even swept up her wood shavings before going home that night.


That hadn't been the last time Minerva had been summoned before Professor Claudia, and it wouldn't be the last. She just hoped her crutches weren't going to be confiscated. She touched the metal discs to pilot the device to the front of the room, stopping before the teacher's desk. The shawl/cat arched its back and hissed at her invention, but Claudia just watched her calmly.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Minerva quickly said, "I done broke my foot, an' I need 'em ta..." Claudia just arched an eyebrow, and that small gesture alone was enough to silence the normally uncontainable gadgeteer.

Professor Claudia was the only person she'd met in her life that could actually shut her up.
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 13th, 2012, 2:41 am

Tock stood there, or rather hung there in her crutches, for a long moment of silence. She had never been so bothered by silence as she was when Professor Claudia was the one being silent. She wanted to say something, but she knew she wasn't supposed to. She just had to wait.

Finally, Professor Claudia spoke. "Tell us about your creation, Minerva," she said. Tock beamed, and began a rather lengthy and exuberant explanation of the process she used. Professor Claudia listened, nodding here and there. After Tock had gone through her basic explanation, Professor Claudia asked, "Did you give it a personality?"

Tock blinked, caught off guard by the question. The whole class was listening intently; they knew the Professor had a lesson coming, depending on Tock's answer.

"Nah," she said, scratching the back of her head. "Jus' basic autotomic response..." she indicated the control discs.

"Why?" Professor Claudia asked. Tock blinked. This was a test.

Sue swallowed, and replied, "Well, she didn't need one. Woulda got in the way... She's gotta be able to move the way I want 'er. If'n she 'ad a mind of 'er own, she might not move where I done needs 'er ta go..."

One of the other students raised his hand and asked, "Couldn't you have given it a personality, and just commanded it to obedience?"

Professor Claudia looked around the room and asked, "Anyone? Would that have worked?" There were some slight murmurs, but no one answered. Professor Claudia looked at Tock and said, "Miss Zipporah? Your reasoning?"

Tock swallowed again. Professor Claudia made her uncomfortable. "Well," she said, scratching the back of her head, "she wouldn't move right, 'en. Like, ya ride a 'orse, the 'orse don't always go jus' 'ow ya want 'er. Sometimes she gets spooked, o' stubborn, o' if'n yer not payin' 'nough attention, she might wander off somewhere. I done needed 'ese ta be like MY legs, not 'er own legs..."

Professor Claudia nodded, and asked, "So which principle we've studied this semester have you demonstrated?"

Tock frowned. She was horrible at remembering the principles. She was good at using them, but she had trouble remembering all their names. It took her a moment before she said hesitantly, "Intentional limitations?"

Professor Claudia nodded, and stood up, drawing a diagram on the chalk board. "Intentional limitations," she said, "as you all know, keep us in control. Sometimes it is possible for an Automaton to be too smart, and even programming obedience may not be enough to maintain complete control. Miss Zipporah has successfully demonstrated why in her creation." She finished her sketch, a diagram of a pair of Animation circles. In one, she had drawn several symbols that were textbook representations of the core Animation principles: the soul, the mind, the body, the heart, and the Directives. She circled the symbols for the body and the Directives with a line of chalk.

"Sometimes, one principle can have dominance over another in a Life Principle," she explained. "In a truly sentient Golem, all should be equal. But Miss Zipporah's creation demonstrates an example where certain principles can stand in dominance over the others. In this case, basic Automation and Control are all that were needed. These crutches don't need to think, feel, or possess any deeper spiritual fulfillment. They can exist as they are, and serve their purpose. In this case, accentuating the unneeded principles would simply have filled the device with unnecessary components, which would likely as not cause problems. Always remember, simplicity is often best."

She turned to Tock and nodded. "Well done, Miss Zipporah," she said.

Tock felt a proud grin spread across her face.
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 13th, 2012, 5:54 am

With the discussion of Animation principles done, Professor Claudia directed Minerva back to her seat. "Now, class," she said, striding forward to stand in front of her desk, and clasping her hands together at her waist. "I know you're all quite eager to get into some actual hands on Animation, especially after Miss Zipporah's 'demonstration'." The class tensed with anticipation. Tock wasn't the only one who wanted to actually make something soon. "But there's one last, very important lesson before we get started today..." There was a collective groan of disappointment.

"Who remembers what we were discussing the other day about the moral implications of creating a Soulcore?" she asked, walking across the row of desks and peering down at the students. Minerva sighed, slumping into her seat. Today was apparently going to be another philosophy day. "Anyone?"

Tock reluctantly took out her quill and paper, and started taking notes. When no one spoke up to answer the teacher's question, she called out, "Minerva?" Tock looked up, blinking. She'd just been the center of attention. Why did she need to get called on again.

"Err..." she mumbled, scratching her head. She'd just written an essay about this. "Ahh... ya can't use evil souls," she said.

"I see," Professor Claudia replied. "And how do you define 'evil'?" she asked.

Minerva shrunk down in her seat. This was another of those questions. One that simply never had a right answer. "Umm..." she said, stopping to think about it. "People what kill an' 'urt people, an' steal an' stuff..."

Professor Claudia didn't sound impressed with that answer. "And what of a man who steals simply because his family is starving?" she asked. "Or a man who kills in battle, defending his homeland from viscous invaders?"

Tock frowned, knowing that there was no answer that would satisfy her teacher. She hated this philosophy stuff. "Well, not 'ose guys, obviously," she replied with a shrug. Could they get to the building stuff parts now?

"So if it's so obvious," Professor Claudia asked her, "then tell me, how will you be sure your creations always have a good soul?"

Minerva paused for a moment, scratching her head, then replied, "I's just gonna use my own soul!" She grinned, and there was some mild laughter from around the room. She thought she heard someone whisper something about crazy redheaded automatons, but she ignored the comment.

Professor Claudia stepped closer, staring Minerva down with that look that made her squirm in her seat. "And what if," she continued, "you need to program a Golem with skills you do not yourself possess? If you need an alternate source to provide the memories and knowledge?"

Minerva tried to think, looking back up at her teacher with a lost expression. "Well..." she said, trying to figure out a good answer. "If'n I use my soul first, o' the soul o' someone I knows is good, like a good friend o' somethin', 'en 'at one can 'as dominance. An' she'll squish the evil stuff right out!" She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping that answer would get her out of the center of attention.

The Professor turned to the class and asked, "And what principle does that represent?" There was silence for a moment, and Tock feared she'd be called on again. Luckily, someone else raised his hand and called out an answer.

"Source Priority Dominance," he said. Tock heaved a sigh of relief.

The Professor nodded, "Correct." She returned to the board, and sketched a set of variables on it. "An advanced enough Animator can utilize a nearly unlimited number of Sources. However, each one can be sculpted to only apply to a certain aspect of the construct." She sketched out a circle with six figures in it, each representing a different Source soul. Then she drew a wide, round rune around them all. She tapped on it with the chalk and said, "This is what is known as the Dominant Source. Often, it can be a source that is used for no other purpose than to rule the others. It is also usually imperative that no matter what order the other Sources are drawn in, the Dominant Source be the one used to create the Soulcore."

Tock spoke up, making the connection. "Oy, so," she said, "'e's like the leader o' the pack. The Bossman, what tells the rest o' 'em what ta do."

Professor Claudia nodded, "An apt analogy. Very good, Minerva."
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 13th, 2012, 9:01 pm

The Professor finally declared it was time for the Animations to begin, and the class practically cheered. Only a few of the students would be Animating anything today. Some still needed to finish preparing the bodies of the things they would be animating, while others simply weren't ready yet to run an Animation on their own. They would be observing, taking notes, and in some cases acting as a secondary source while someone else controlled the Animation process.

Tock was definitely animating something today. She was more than ready.

She started off with her hammer. She had been working on it the day she arrived in Zeltiva, but had since gotten sidetracked with other projects. The design was extremely simple. The hammer had a hole drilled through the handle, and she had affixed an axle to it. On each end if the axle, she had attached wooden wheels (one of which had spent a day in Professor Claudia's desk drawer before she got it back). In the time since then, she had smoothed out the motion, until the hammer was well balanced. It could roll smoothly across the ground on the wheel, though the hammer head dragged on the ground a bit. That would be fixed once she taught it good posture.

The Professor kept a variety of caged pets in the back of the room, since animals were often good sources cor inexperienced Animators. There were birds, rats, insects, snakes, hamsters, and a variety of other small animals. There were also a pair of cats that were allowed to roam free, often hopping up on the students' desks during class time. Plus there was a small dog, which was kept in a penned off area near the back, where it had enough room to run around a bit.

The most common punishment for students having turned in late assignments was to be forced to clean out all the animal cages and walk the dog. When she had heard about this, Minerva had made SURE never to turn in a late assignment. She had already lost ONE apprenticeship due to a cat puke related incident. She didn't want a repeat of that!

She asked one of her classmates to bring the dog out, since she would have trouble doing it with her crutches, and she doubted Processor Claudia would appreciate her using Grippy to fetch the mutt. The dog was placed in a small cage, where he sat obediently; he was used to this by now. Tock then climbed down from her crutches and started drawing the chalk circles that would power the Animation. The Professor watched, going around the room to check on the other students, and pointing out corrections to anyone who had a gap or flaw in their circles. The side of the room used for this was large enough for half a dozen Animation circles at a time, with room to spare for the other students to stand back and watch. Some of the circles were larger than others, when they needed to have room for a person to sit in. Others were as small as a bread box, just enough room to fit a small animal cage.

Tock worked carefully, crouched down with her injured foot stretched out to the side. She finished quickly, earning a nod from the teacher. The dog was placed in one circle, the hammer in the other. The wheeled hammer drew some stares and comments from her classmates, none of whom were working on something quite so strange looking.

"Well, Miss Zipporah," Professor Claudia said once she was ready to begin. "Tell us what we're animating today..."
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 13th, 2012, 9:44 pm

"Izza 'ammer," Tock replied, as if this should have been obvious. Several of her classmates laughed.

Professor Claudia didn't seem amused. She crossed her arms and asked, "And what sort of purpose is to be served by placing a dog's soul into a wheeled hammer?"

"Oy, 'at's jus' ta make 'im friendly!" Tock replied with a huge grin. "Dominant Principles, like we was jus' sayin'." The dog seemed to know they were talking about him, and stood up in the cage, eagerly wagging his tail and letting out a happy bark. The students giggled.

The teacher still held Tock in a stern gaze. "And you have still not explained the purpose," she repeated. "A friendly hammer sounds, at the very least, potentially dangerous."

Tock shook her head. "Naw," she replied. "I's gonna train 'im ta build stuff! So's as I can 'as 'im nailin' stuff fer me..."

"I assume you will be including a Directive of nonviolence?" the Processor asked.

"'Course..." Tock lied. She intended to do no such thing. She wanted Naily to be able to smash some toes, if need be. But only when commanded. She had installed a small leather strip in the handle, and a set of glass lenses, to act as ears and eyes. The hammer would be able to respond to verbal commands and hand gestures. It wouldn't truly understand language, but that was part of why she was using a dog's mind. She would be able to train it to obey her commands.

The Professor nodded. "Proceed."
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 4:16 am

Most of the other students were very inexperienced in Animation. For several of them, this was their first attempt. It therefore took them awhile to find the spiritual energy of their Source. Tock, on the other hand, had performed multiple Animations already. She was fast approaching a competent enough skill level that she wouldn't need the class anymore. After adding a drop of blood to power the magic, she closed her eyes, sending her mind through the Astral realm to seek out the soul in the circle before her. First it required touching her own, seeking out those depths that were at the core of her being. A lot of people had trouble with that part; you had to understand yourself, in order to touch your own soul.

Tock understood herself. She knew her goals, her dreams, and her abilities. She knew the darkness of her past, and the love of her Granddad. She had no illusions about herself, and accepted her flaws, her temper, her oddities. It was easy for her to find her soul.

She then sent that part of herself out, her body beginning to glow. This drew gasps from some of the students who hadn't actually seen the Animation process in action yet. She held a hand out towards the caged dog, and found his soul as well. She tugged on it, drawing it out, and causing it to writhe and grow. It expanded from his body, causing him to glow. She then began channeling the Djed flow that would draw forth a single drop of spiritual energy from the dog, and implant it in her Automaton. Before the other students had managed to complete their meditation phase, she had implanted the Soulcore.

The Professor nodded in approval, and moved on to help the less experienced students. Tock sat, quiet in her meditative trance, her hands held out to control the flow of Djed from Source to Creation. She channeled the dog's simple mind, its instincts, and its personality. She imbued a very simple set of Directives: Loyalty to and Love for Minerva, and Obedience to her commands. She would be able to give the Automaton directions just like someone could command a trained dog, ordering it to perform simple tasks. Yet instead of things like 'sit', 'fetch', and 'roll over', she trained it to obey commands like 'pound', 'pull', and 'smash'.

When that phase was complete, she tied off the Djed weaves, and lifted the caged dog from the circle. The next phase required commands that the dog's mind couldn't provide. Tock sat herself in the circle, carefully stretching out her leg to keep her broken foot comfortable. The Automaton didn't need to know much, so this phase was rather quick. She taught it what nails were, and imbued her knowledge of driving them into wood. She had done this so many times that the memories came easily. Along with the knowledge of the task, she imbued a simple desire to perform the task. It would be fun for the Automaton. Like a dog fetching a stick, it would enjoy it, as if it were a game. She couldn't yet, at her current skill level, transmit complex information or elaborate emotions, so she merely gave the Automaton the most simple urge to perform the task it was created for. It would live a simple, carefree existence, following at her heel and enjoying those moments of work.

The physical movements she had to teach it were also quite simple. Unlike a walking Automaton, this one only needed to roll. The movements were so simple she was able to transmit them much faster than if she had given it legs. The only other motion it had was swinging the hammer, by rocking the body back and forth on the axle. These two simple motions, rolling and swinging, were so basic that she was done faster than anyone expected.

She released the Djed to allow the newly formed soul to be drawn fully inside the creation. She then opened her eyes and snapped her fingers, giving the creation its True Name. "Naily," she said, "wake up!" A last spark of Djed flew from her fingertips into the Automaton, and the glows faded from around their bodies.
Last edited by Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 5:41 pm

"Naily?" one of her classmates asked, making a face and holding back laughter. "What kind of name is 'Naily'?"

Tock frowned at him and held up her hands, "Oy, 'at's a good name! Whadda YOU know?" There was some laughter from the class, and she scowled. "'E's gonna be NAILIN' stuff, aye? Get it?" The snickers gradually died off, and Tock just shook her head and turned towards her awakened pet.

She snapped her fingers and whistled, as one would to summon a dog. "Oy, c'mere Naily," she said. "Good boy, c'mere!" The hammer shifted, its head bobbing up and down slightly, then it rolled over to Tock and nuzzled against her. She petted it lovingly, grinning wide.

The Professor stepped over to examine the Automaton, arching an eyebrow. "Miss Zipporah," she said, "is it working according to specification?"

Grinning and rubbing at the hammer's claw as if scratching behind a puppy's ears she replied, "Aye! 'E's a sweet'eart!" The wooden wheels squeaked a bit as the hammer shifted into her touch, and the squeaking almost sounded like a puppy's eager panting.

The Professor cleared her throat, and Tock looked up at her. "Oy, aye, right," she said, getting up carefully, balancing on one foot. She left her crutches for now, and hopped over to one of the tables. Naily followed her eagerly, staying right on her heels. She lifted him up and placed him on the table. "I needs a piece o' wood," she said, pulling her regular hammer off her belt. The teacher looked at her and arched an eyebrow, and Tock raised her hands in a shrug and said, "Oy, ya wanna see what 'e can does, I needs some wood! I didn't bring none wit' me..." She always brought her tools to class, but building materials was another story.

The teacher sighed, and sent one of the other students down the hall. They didn't keep building materials in the Animation lab, since the construction itself was done elsewhere. The student returned shortly with a length of wood, which he handed to Tock. She pressed a nail to the wood, and Naily rolled forward eagerly, bobbing his head in anticipation. "No," she told him waving a finger at him. "Stay!" His wheels squeaking in a sad whimper, he held still, though he still wiggled a bit, ready to roll forward.

Tock nailed a half dozen nails into the wood, only setting each one in far enough that it wouldn't fall out. They jutted out of the wood, waiting to be driven in. She leaned back, patted Naily on his head, and said, "Okay Naily, pound 'ose nails, boy! Go git 'em!" The hammer happily rolled forward, stopping in front of the first nail. He then rocked back and forth on his axle, pounding the nail in with several quick strokes. Once it was flush with the wood, he rolled down to the next one, and continued on down the line until there were none left.

"Good boy!" Tock said, giving him rubs and scratching behind his claw. "Who's a good boy? You is... yes you is, uh-huh!" She didn't notice the... strange stares her classmates were giving her. But she was very proud of her new baby. He'd done a good job!
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 5:53 pm

The Professor had her run the Automaton through a few other commands, ensuring that it was obedient. She also let it roll across the ground among the students, watching it carefully to make sure it didn't hurt anyone. Tock had programmed it to be friendly and lovable, and it wouldn't hurt anyone unless she told it to 'smash toes'. Which she would only do if she needed to defend herself from an intruder at home or something. Which was perfectly normal... other people had guard dogs, didn't they?

She took the hammer home that night and introduced him to Bitey, her pet Automaton spider. "Now ya play nice, you two!" she told them, setting the hammer down near the spider. The hammer wiggled his head at the spider, while Bitey crouched down defensively, its wooden legs clawing at the ground near Naily. She watched them carefully, ready to pull them apart if they started fighting. Naily rolled forward as if to sniff the spider (if she had given him a sense of smell), and Bitey flicked his fangs at Naily, then scurried off to hide under the bed.

Tock grinned. "Yer friends!" she said, clapping and giggling with glee.
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 6:26 pm

The next day, Tock headed to class in her crutches, leaving her babies at home. It broke her heart that she couldn't bring them with her, but Professor Claudia wasn't fond of stray Automatons running around her classroom. She was sure the boys would get along just fine, though. They wouldn't be lonely, now that they had each other.

She went to her Gadgeteering class first. Her next invention need some slightly more complex moving parts, so she needed Professor Beadle's help with it. Luckily, everything she needed was pretty standard, and she wouldn't need to customize much of anything.

"W-what is on the agenda today, my dear?" Beadle asked her when she came to class. Her last invention, Grippy the extendable hand, was still holstered on her hip. She got infinite use out of him. Her new tool would have a more limited purpose, but would still be VERY handy.

"I need ta put legs on 'is," she said, holding up her axe.

Beadle looked at the axe and blinked. "I see..." he said. "I'm not quite... quite sure that is a good idea, m-my dear..."

Tock blinked and frowned at her axe, wondering what was wrong with it. She looked it over, and didn't see any flaws in the handle. "Why not?" she asked.

Beadle cleared his throat and said, "Well... a walking axe c-could be... dangerous..."

Tock stared at him like he was stupid, then it clicked. "Oh! Oy, 'e ain't fer HURTIN' people, mate! Jus' fer choppin' wood..."

Beadle rubbed his hand across his face and shook his head. "Still... I... I'll need to clear something like that with the administration..."

Oh... Crap. Tock forced a laugh and set the axe aside. "No worries, mate!" she said. "I can just make somethin' else!"

Pfft, as if.
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[East Wing] Does Everybody Know What Time It Is? (Solo)

Postby Minerva Agatha Zipporah on May 14th, 2012, 7:06 pm

Tock spent the class session assembling a variety of separate parts. She took some measurements of her axe (subtly), and etched out some numbers on paper. She then pulled out some of Beadle's books, and checked the specifications for torque-to-weight ratios on rotational devices.

Her axe had a fairly heavy head. She had to work out the weight, measure the length of the handle, and use those measurements to figure out how many pounds of force it would generate on a swing. Then she had to work out how much torque was needed on the recoil springs to draw the axe back. Beadle was busy helping Marcus with his newest creations (another model, this time of a water wheel that he claimed could operate on a much swifter river than existing ones), so she was left relatively alone while she worked. Eventually, though, she needed Beadle to check over her numbers.

"It's... ahh..." she said, scratching her head and trying to think of a good lie, "fer 'aulin' water. Needs ta 'ave good torque fer turnin' the well crank." Beadle nodded, looking the numbers over. Since she hadn't shown him the full blueprints, he didn't see what the overall design was.

He offered a few pointers, and she went over her calculations again. Eventually she worked out how strong of a spring would be needed to twist back the axe and raise it again after each swing, based on the weight. She also worked out how strong of a spring would be needed to give the swing a proper amount of force, to be sure it could penetrate wood. It wouldn't do to make an axe that swung itself too weakly to chop a tree down.

Once she had the numbers worked out, she could get to work. She started gathering parts from the Gadgeteering lab, picking out springs that had enough torque for what she'd found she needed. She also gathered some iron rods, joints, and gears, and began assembly.

She assembled a clamp that would hold the axe handle, and attached it to an axle with springs on either side. When the handle was pulled back, the springs would tighten, and upon release, the axe would swing forward with full force. Once she Animated it, the axe would be able to pull itself back, and even without the springs it would be able to swing forward under its own power. Adding the springs added extra force to that swing, giving it the strength it needed. The combination of the Automaton's motion and the torque from the springs would give it quite a hearty swing.

She attached two joints, one on either side of the axle. To these she attached iron legs, and secured another pair of joints at the end as knees. A second set of iron rods would attach to the bottom, and she would assemble feet below those. Though she didn't quite complete all the assembly in class that day. She didn't really want Beadle to see her end result.

She would bring her creation home that night to finish the assembly. Though first she had another Animation lecture to attend.
Minerva Agatha Zipporah
Quirky Gadgeteer
 
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