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

=== 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.