Stealing science for a story

[neotoma]

So the other week I was listening to the radio, and up came a story about a new theory about how homing pigeons may use 'sound maps' to navigate. This is going right into the Big Bang -- I'd already thought the angels use infrasound to communicate over long distances, but the idea that they use the sounds created by seismic energy from deflected deep ocean sounds to orientate themselves is just too fun to resist.

Yeah, I'm such a nerd.

Otoh, this explains how angels communicate, and it will also explain how the traditionalist/isolationist communities of angels hide themselves. They simply sing at wavelengths that don't travel as far as other angels, so they've limited the distance their communications travels. Of course, the research centers probably have listening stations in those areas specifically to pick up the infrasound, but it probably takes the researchers a lot of time to go through and translate the songs, even with the help of the friendly angels, so they're behind on what's going on in the isolationist communities.

Also, I'll have to remember this because it might eventually be a neat thing to put in an original SF story...

Comments

[neotoma]

Well, even as an adult, he can either bury someone in technical jargon, or in weird analogies, so it's kind of six of one, half a dozen of the others.

lol. It probably doesn't help that the angel reserves in India probably overlap with elephant territories... and maybe the Laurentian Angel Research Center has a zoo in its territory. In other words, the Canadians have elephants! Why can't we?! Never mind that elephants are not really suited for mid-Atlantic Appalachia. :)

[hannah]

Open communication has never been one of his major life goals.

Are angels held in the same sort of social position in India as elephants - useful, clever animals that are sometimes useful and sometimes ceremonial?

[neotoma]

Oh god, getting Gabriel to talk is impossible. And it's not like he's a spacetoaster like Castiel, either! He's just all lies and misdirection and showers of glitter so you don't see the real him, wtf... he's difficult to write and keep him close to canon, iow.

Angels in India are called devas, and are creatures that sometimes are sacred because a god inhabits them, but usually are just there, taking up resources that desperately poor people could also use?

[hannah]

You could try reading some nonfiction on espionage and spywork. It might help. And it's not so much as getting him to talk as it is getting him to say what he really means, not just what's entertaining.

Castiel is kind, and trusting, and caring, and he doesn't know how to be an angel.

[neotoma]

Well, I do have that book on Roald Dahl's stint as an intelligence operative in WW2 when British Intelligence basically used him as a honeypot in DC around here somewhere...

Yeah, Gabriel isn't dishonest so much as he'd much rather be colorful and eccentric than himself, because himself is very lonely and vulnerable...

Castiel is a *spacetoaster*.

[hannah]

Acting handbooks and guides, too. He's always been into showmanship as ways and means to mask himself, and is very into playing the part.

Castiel is too angel to be a human and too human to be an angel, and perhaps to cope, tries to shut down as much as is possible while still managing to function. Turns out, it's a lot.

[neotoma]

the acting handbooks are a good idea, but with the due date being so close I'll have to wing it.

Well, Castiel suffers a lot from having been raised with only a juvenile angel as a role model of his own species -- his other role models being research scientists who were researching him...

[hannah]

I'll be more than happy to help out with whatever characterization aspects you need.

He has the weirdest Enochian accent.