Pocket Dimensions - Gravity

The first lesson in orienteering yourself within your very own Pocket Dimension, just as with any universe, is to understand the basics.

If I drop something, which way will it go?

Which way even is down here?

How did that end up under the engine?

Here I shall do what I can to answer some of these questions and help you get set for the road that lies ahead, lest you make the mistake of dropping something and find it embedded in the side of your own head.

So, let's discuss gravity.

Gravity in the real world is pretty self-evident: You drop thing, thing fall down and you could be forgiven for assuming this fundamental law would remain unchanged.

But in your new dimension, things are a little less straight-forward.

Down is relative.

In times of calm you can look at the floor and confidently exclaim, "Harken, chair! Upon yonder floor you shall reside! Thy legs to remain steadfast while I take rest as mine legs are full of ache from aeons 'pon helm!"

And rest you may, for as the pocket dimension rests, it becomes synchronised with it's mother universe more securely.

But smited be the one who does not heed the warning rumbles of the Gods, for in their hands lie the true laws of your new reality and you are but playthings in the eyes of the almighty

While the mechanics of gravity may not be fully understood in our parent universe, in the universe of the boat, gravity can be simplified as a function of 'D + θ' (Where D is the 'Meta Down' of your pocket universe (Floorward) and θ is angle of position of your pocket universe) and it's undulating resonance transmitted through the fundamental waves that permeate the plane your universe exists upon alongside the Heel variable.

So on a heavy heel to port, upon steady waves, Down could be converted over to 20° from Meta Down, but when the waves are steeper, Down occupies a more fluctuating position, between, for example, 15° and 25° to port.

Of course, depending on the direction of the waves and your universe upon them, this line of fluctuation can expand into a conic cycle of uncertainty, where objects, instead of falling straight down, can spiral towards their Centre-of-Down, producing what can be dubbed the 'Area of Uncertain Agony', named after it's effects on feet and shins.

This means, for those who wish to transit such a universe safely, the uncertain state of Down should be a subject of constant awareness.

The properties of Down shifting suddenly by a few degrees on an unsuspecting person can result in bruised shins and heads, as well as broken noses and toes if the effect is great enough.

Loose items should be secured away while Down remains stable, so as when its properties shift, you may prevent a micro-meteor storm.

As a last preventative measure against the 'Down-Shifts' should be plenty of grab rails on which to grip during times of extreme instability and for particularly clumsy travellers, I would recommend shin-guards.

I would be remiss if I were to leave it at that, as simple as it may seem, but you see, this universe also contains pockets of uncertainty, where The God's humour really comes into its own.

I am talking about the phenomenon known as 'micro-Down'.

Let's turn to an example situation:

You have opened a hatch to the Underworld of the Bilge temporarily. Everything is fastened down securely and Down is in moderate flux.

There is a slight sheen of water in the Underworld, condensation build-up or rain that clung to you when you descended from the surface after your deck shift.

You take a seat opposite the hole briefly and pull your phone from within its waterproof bag to check the time.

At that exact moment, a shift in Down occurs and the phone is wrenched from within your grasp and flies towards the opposite wall.

"Oh no!" you exclaim, "The wall shall surely dent the protective casing! But at least it is safe from the portal to the Beneath!"

It tumbles towards the wall, passing above the hole as it does.

But woe! Despite your assessment, its angle shifts and down into the depths it plunges, wet and silent. Screen blinking a sorrowful goodbye before moisture takes the life from within.

The 'Forces of Fuck', as described above, are a name given to the anomalous pockets of Bastard Energy that permeate any uncertain environment with somewhat lackadaisical laws of physics and their density has a direct relation to present severity of a situation.

These forces should always be taken into account when your universe is in motion as failure to do so will almost certainly result in the loss of something, be it a tool, device or your own physical safety.

Many a man has hopped out onto the deck to tighten a fastening with his shiny new spanner, just to momentarily lend a little too much trust to their state of stability, realising only just in time to witness as the tool cartwheels through the air and delves beneath the waves, lost forever.

Anything you cannot afford to lose, but is a necessity should be water-proofed and, if practicable, fastened to a string or fishing wire, else you too share the same grief of watching your shiny new phone take its final dive to be claimed by the appetite of an ever-hungry ocean.

These forces do not just relate to Gravity and Down though, as shall become obvious in future posts.

Bastard Energy is amorphous and exuded by the reality-field of boats in vast quantities.

Do not mistake it for malice though, the weather alone provides more than enough to cover any Godly disdain you may accrue.

I hope this information proves helpful for you on your travels and do not let it dissuade you from pursuing your passion.

This new universe may come with new challenges, but pays for them with the ever-precious commodity we seem to find ourselves in less and less possession of as years pass:

Time.