Imagenae <unbreak>101</unbreak>: So Simple Even a Ghost Could Get It

Imagenae <unbreak>101</unbreak>: So Simple Even a Ghost Could Get It

If you're an imagenae who often hosts off-world tourists, you've definitely been there. A curious visitor looks you in the eye and asks, "What exactly is an imagenae?" and you just turn bright red and try every trick in the book to dodge the question. Not every ghost is a star graduate from Graphia Academy, after all. According to the Intelligentsia Guild, 95% of intelligent life in the cosmos knows next to nothing about their own species' science. Even so, since we're still here breathing on the soil of Planarcadia, "understanding ourselves" remains a worthy pursuit. Imagenae are intelligent life forms driven by an internal core, fueled by the Wishpower of the Phantasmoon and human hearts, with bodies composed of discrete matter. Their appearance and "lore" are decided by the artist who drew them and the trends of the era. Putting aside the complexity of Wishpower as an energy source, I'll give you a brief look at what these creatures under the Phantasmoon are really like. The Core as Primary Drive The core is the most vital part of an imagenae. In a way, researching the "core" is even more daunting than studying Wishpower. The consensus is that it functions like a massive engine, proving crucial for every action the imagenae takes. It also doubles as a skeleton. Without it, the imagenae's body simply cannot hold its shape. Looking at the oldest records of imagenae and observations of aberrations (the local term for uncontrollable, degenerated imagenae), it's clear that cores can form naturally. In environments rich with energy or Wishpower, stray matter can aggregate into core-like objects. These exhibit traits similar to a Pathstrider, incorporating surrounding matter to build a body and take action. (Some scholars argue this matter alone isn't enough to account for their mass, but we'll touch on that debate later.) In the Cindearth Age, Graphia invented and shared the art of imagenesis, which eventually became the process we know today. Since it takes massive amounts of Wishpower to drive an imagenae, creating a core for a new one usually requires official permission. Once the artwork is done and injected with enough Wishpower, a core forms the very instant before the creature comes to life. The core itself is essentially a cluster of condensed matter, similar to the internal structure of imagenae. What draws it together and empowers it is its primary drive, fueled by the powers of the Path of the Phantasmoon. In other words, from the moment they are born, imagenae are creatures that walk the Paths. As for how the IPC's recent imagenae production lines manage to bypass the stringent requirements for core generation, that's a trade secret covered by patents. Therefore, they cannot be disclosed here. Body and Internal Structure Biologically, all imagenae are the same species, masses of matter held by a core and driven by Wishpower, with no real internal organs. However, depending on the artist's mindset or the public's perception, things can change. For example, under X-rays, orchs appear to have skeletons. The newer mechatrons even have internal systems that match their blueprints. But keep in mind, these are just mimicry. Whether it's orchs or mechatrons, those "bones" don't actually provide physical support or movement. They're no different from any other part of an imagenae's body. While it's hard to categorize any creation of the Elation, physically speaking, they're not really "humanoid." It's more accurate to think of them as cousins to the jelly-like Baviru or the Shapeless. Because an imagenae's matter dissipates so fast after death, studying their structure is a bit of a mystery. But don't go getting any ideas about vivisection! Aside from being a massive violation of ethics and Planarcadia's human rights laws, it's a waste of time. Criminals who've tried it found nothing but ordinary particles, no different from a lump of carbon or a glass of water. It's only when they're part of a whole that they become "imagenated matter." Speaking of "matter," after an artist completes their work, where does it all come from the moment an imagenae is born? This question has stumped experts for years. The two main theories are the "Path Space Theory" and the "Discrete Matter Theory." The first suggests imagenae pull mass from Aha's Path Space at birth and return it when they die. The second argues the core just sucks up stray matter from the surroundings. Some radical thinkers even claim Wishpower converts energy directly into mass. Ever since Planarcadia returned to the real world, scholars have been at each other's throats over this. Lately, some have even made the wild claim that both theories are right. If you want to know the real secret, you'll have to ask that enigmatic Laughter. Lore and Design Folks outside Planarcadia often have the wrong idea. They think giving an imagenae a mighty "lore" or making it huge makes it powerful. But can their bodies even handle that much energy? The thundercoils powering Planarcadia are already at the absolute limit of what a core can sustain. As Planarcadia loses its imagination for grand things and moves toward realism, creating large imagenae has become even harder. Besides, any "lore" you give them needs the right amount of Wishpower to actually work. For example, if an artist tries to make an imagenae that's invincible and has rocket punches using only their own Wishpower, the core probably won't form at all. At best, you'd get an incomplete creature. The sanitarium in Duomension City is full of these "defective" beings born from selfish whims. It's now a serious crime under the Faekind Protection Act, right up there with trying to create a human imagenae. On a small scale, a new imagenae looks just like what the artist drew. But on a larger scale, certain forms are just "better" at holding Wishpower. Artists draw what people love, and those popular designs soak up Wishpower more easily. When buff cats are in, the Wishpower follows. But now that everyone wants "tiny kittens," those muscular lightpaws are left out in the cold, starving for Wishpower. There's a lot of debate on how the moonlulls evolved from rabbits into humanoids. But for most folks, "changing trends" or "shifting art styles" is all the explanation they need for how imagenae change over time. So, did you get all that?