Editing Genius The Transgression/Chapter Four:Special Rules and Systems (section)

== Aesthetics: ==

How a wonder looks can be as important to a genius as what it does. This is not just a matter of style or fashion; a genius' view of the world shapes what he creates, and what he can create. To many geniuses, the artistry behind their creations is as important as their function.

Of course, some of a genius' aesthetic is just style. The ezine Alloy Blend is a popular online destination for geniuses interested in the latest mad science fashions (and for completely mundane people who don't realize how over-their-heads they are), and many smaller circulations exist for different styles and aesthetics.

Popular aesthetics change over time, but to geniuses, these aren't just fashion statements: an aesthetic is everything a genius wants to be true and real and good about the wonders she creates.

To an unmada, an aesthetic is even more important. It is a picture of their philosophy, of what they think is true. A medical Etherite who rejects the vulgar fallacies of modern genetic science simply cannot build a wonder that resembles a modern genetic research lab: if he tried, his Inspiration would leave him.

Mechanically, attempts by an unmada to "disguise" a wonder, to make it resemble someone else's aesthetic or a different aesthetic entirely, incurs a -1 penalty in the building phase. If the aesthetic fundamentally violates the genius' approach to Inspiration or wonder-working, the penalty becomes -5 and building the wonder also requires a dot of Willpower.

Geniuses are welcome to select one of the aesthetics below or to create their own. Some geniuses combine different styles, while others try to stick with functional creations, and others still are defined more by their "medium"―something like "sonics" or "mirrors"―than by a formal aesthetic.

=== Alembic: ===

Sometimes called Technomancer, this aesthetic replaces the normal trappings of science and technology with a "magical" look, ranging from traditional alchemical laboratories (hence the term) to glowing "runes of power." The latter was considered half-baked before it premiered by many older geniuses, though the traditional "dirty mortar and pestle" look is popular with some Progenitors and Scholastics. Geniuses with a specific cultural or ethnic identity or a specific interest in ancient cultures focus on specific Alembic styles, such as Egyptian or ancient Chinese. It is also the most common Oracle aesthetic, alongside Crystal Future.

Some geniuses who favor this style sincerely believe in the unity of science and "magic" (however they define it); others are playing around with semiotics and what it means to be a wonder-worker.

=== Black Plastic: ===

A modern organic style that came about around the same time as Digital Chrome, Black Plastic encourages an organic look to its technology (even the non-organic stuff), usually casting everything in asymmetric black rubber that is designed to unsettle viewers. Black Plastic is a perennial favorite, with its popularity oscillating but remaining fairly constant in the Peerage. Progenitors are very fond of this aesthetic; they often incorporate insect motifs into their creations. A combination of Black Plastic and Trash Praxis has recently become popular; its most common nickname is Crawling Rusty Meat.

=== Brutalist: ===

An outgrowth of the Functionalist anti-movement of the 70s, which basically said "Stop dressing up your fucking wonders and just make sure they work," the Brutalist doctrine goes one step further, encouraging a deliberately functional and inelegant look. Wonders in this school are made from pre-fab parts, if possible, because that's cheaper, or unpainted (or camouflage) custom parts if necessary. Components look stripped down, ugly, and exposed. The Brutalist style is popular with Navigators and some Mechanists, and with many militaristic and survivalist geniuses. Exposed metal and clashing combinations of alloys and polymers are common in this style.

=== Clockwork: ===

One of the oldest aesthetics that is self-consciously an aesthetic, clockwork is exactly like it sounds: geniuses who adhere to this style favor mechanical devices if at all possible, using springs and muscles for power and intricate assemblages of gears for moving parts. For Axioms where this maxim might seem inapplicable, such as Apokalypsi, Inspired employ clever mirrors and prisms. This aesthetic is of course most popular with Mechanists, though it is also popular with many older and more traditional Inspired. An older variant, called Baroque, mixes Clockwork with rococo fashions; it is little-practiced today.

=== Crystal Future: ===

"Crystal Future" refers to the images of the future or of "lost" but advanced civilizations popular from the 19th century well into the mid or late 20th. In this Utopian vision, the streets are clean, machinery is powered by crystals or other nebulous sources, and everyone wears togas and seems very calm all the time. Its practitioners are an equal mix of sincere devotees and snickering parodists. This aesthetic is still popular in Lemuria, especially among Oracles, as well as certain Etherites and those Mechanists focused on Apokalypsi or Katastrofi. Among the Peerage, this aesthetic has a faintly sinister reputation, despite its squeaky-clean appearance, as many of Lemuria's Secret Masters maintained this style before they were wiped out.

=== Extropic: ===

The current "far future" style, with the hard edge of reality coupled with the optimistic vision of a transhuman future, is termed Extropic. In this aesthetic, the genius focuses on advanced speculative science such as nanotechnology, gene-line body alteration, and digital consciousness. Extropy is as much a philosophy as an aesthetic, and the actual appearance of wonders varies, though effort is put into making technology appear elegant, unobtrusive, and functional. But the core of the Extropic aesthetic is not the appearance, but an approach to technology that focuses on cutting-edge research and the blurring of the concept of "human."

=== Macedon: ===

Another perennial aesthetic, dating back at least to 15th century Italians imagining what Aristotle's wonders might have looked like, Macedon sees surges in popularity every few decades. The current return to the spotlight is probably the fault of "Greek-punk" movies and video games, just as the previous jump began during Hollywood's Golden Age of sword-and-sandal flicks. The Macedon aesthetic uses as its starting-point the steam-powered machines of Hero of Alexandria. Stylistic elements include the use of bronze instead of more advanced metals, Hellenic friezes, and intricate mirrors to engage in long-distance communication and attack. Variant styles, based on the ancient bronze-steam-and-glass wonders of Persia, Egypt, and India have also seen intermittent popularity; these styles are distinguished from their Alembic equivalents by being more explicitly technological, often sporting exposed Antikythera-style clockwork.

=== Digital Chrome: ===

"Cyberpunk" stylings are called Digital Chrome by mad scientists. Typical affectations include heavy chrome or plastic cybernetics, thick plugs bolted into flesh, and chunky, bulky communication devices, coupled with bright colors, neon, and vinyl. Digital Chrome was the look back in the 80s, though it has since declined in popularity. It now sits between modern and properly retro, and has few new adherents, though geniuses who catalyzed in the midst of that era (now in middle age) still sport the look. The colonization of the Grid may see a resurrection of the style.

=== Oscilloscope: ===

A popular style during the "golden age of science fiction" and a little bit beyond―from the late 40s to the late 70s―"Oscilloscope" was the first aesthetic that actually received a name, rather than "that style that the geniuses in California are into now" or whatever. Oscilloscope style focuses on plastic, aluminum, chrome, atomic power, jets, and radio technology. Expect big computers, angular machinery in that off-beige "old PC" color, and track suits. It is deeply uncool among modern geniuses, and practically marks one as an Atomist, for whom the Jet Age and Space Age dreams have yet to die. A few young geniuses have begun wearing this style ironically, or mixing it with Extropic, but the Oscilloscope aesthetic is still associated with earlier generations.

=== Home Grown: ===

While this aesthetic got its start among underwater-themed geniuses, it has spread onto land with the rise of modern biotechnology. The Home Grown look features organic components, subtle curves, and bioluminescent illumination, giving it a warmer and more humane appearance than Black Plastic. It is popular among ecologically-minded geniuses in the Peerage as well as some Oracles, and is well-regarded among geniuses for whom the biological sciences are of primary interest. Experiments with overlapping Home Grown and Alembic led to a short-lived fad that is now referred to (contemptuously) as Fairy Princess.

=== Pod People: ===

This term was originally an insult, though many of its practitioners have co-opted the term as their own. Pod People aesthetic includes a sleek, refined look, usually in all-white or some other solid color, with rounded edges, a "finished" appearance (in contrast to the rough appearance of many wonders), and a user-friendly interface with as few buttons, gadgets, and doo-dads as possible. (A one-panel comic in Alloy Blend shows the standard Pod People ray gun: a smooth-cornered hand-held white rectangle with a single black button labeled "Kill.") This aesthetic also favors small, elegant devices, and practitioners often try to make handheld wonders as small and unobtrusive as possible. Pod People aesthetic is sometimes held in low regard, especially by Steampunks and Functionals; its adherents are thought to spend too much time polishing their devices to look pretty, and not enough time working out the bugs. The style is most popular among Directors and some Progenitors; it is extremely rare in Lemuria.

=== Ray Gun: ===

The most common term for the "retro-future" look that dominated mad science (and some sane science) from the 1930s to the 1950s. Common elements of Ray Gun styling include fins and "fiddly bits" on Skafoi devices, Jacob's ladders, big cylindrical robots, and a focus on electricity and chemistry. (Chrome and atomic power are generally considered late Ray Gun or Oscilloscope) Ray gun fashions are, of course, huge among Etherites, though it also has many adherents among Directors, who favor the classic image of power and confidence it provides. Googie is a sort of West Coast "beachfront" ray gun style in pastel colors and eye-assaulting fonts; Raygun Gothic mixes the classic Ray Gun look with baroque spires and exposed metal.

=== Steampunk: ===

If Oscilloscope is not quite retro and Digital Chrome is just past its sell-by date, Steampunk is the current too cool-for-school "big thing." All the kids are doing it: brass goggles, clanking mechanical servants, radium guns, and rivet-covered work uniforms are currently all the rage among the postgrads. (The Martian Empire is confused, but happy, that they are now "totally hip"). Steampunk is deliberately retro and it reflects a past that never was: even the geniuses who lived in the Victorian era dressed practically or in traditional fashion, rather than the "brass rivet" look, and many wonders from that era actually affected a Baroque look (which was, in its own time, deliberately retro and reflecting a 17th century aesthetic that also never existed). Steampunk aesthetic is popular in the Peerage, particular among Scholastics. In Lemuria, it has begun to eclipse Ray Gun styles for Etherites.

=== Trash Praxis: ===

First appearing in the 80s, Trash Praxis (named after the now-defunct magazine of the same name) is the name for a style based on scavenging whatever one can in order to build one's wonders. Trash Praxis is popular among geniuses in impoverished nations (though they aren't making a damn fashion statement) and with the poor, the disaffected, and the self-styled punks of the modern world. The Dumpster Diver Merit is nearly a prerequisite for this aesthetic. It is rare in Lemuria, but many Artificers and no-nonsense Navigators like the brutal effect of a wonder built out of trash and discarded normal machinery.

=== Universal: ===

Named for the movie studio, not any sense of universal style, this aesthetic dates from an era before geniuses thought much about "aesthetics" and just used what was at hand. In fact, it was nearly the last such style before the 20th century ushered in a new sort of self-awareness among the Inspired. Resembling Frankenstein's laboratory from the movies (hence the name), this bubbling, crackling, cluttered look was common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially among remote geniuses who were forced to use and re-use specimens. An elegant aesthetic for a more civilized age, Universal has mostly been usurped by Steampunk, Alembic, and other deliberately "retro" stylings on one side, and more modern functional aesthetics like Oscilloscope or Brutalist on the other. Nonetheless, it was so common in Europe and America for so long that old labs (some labs have been in continuous use for centuries) still feature the stitched homunculi, sizzling Jacob's ladders, and stained beakers that came to symbolize "mad science" in the minds of a century of movie-goers.