orogeny
noun Geology.
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Cosmic Entity C sat at its reality shaper and opened up the planet it was working on. It was going to be its masterpiece. A true marvel of form and function. It was even going to get Cosmic Entity B to give it some life, maybe even a sentient species if everything went well.
As C looked though, he saw something off. A mountain range, organized in a perfect circle. It had not made those mountains. They were not even anywhere close to a tectonic shelf. And a circle? There was no way it would make such an amateur mistake.
“F, get in here!” C shouted into the cosmic void.
Cosmic Entity F, C’s direct offspring, entered the chamber.
“Yes, Parent? What may I do for you?”
“Did you place this mountain range?”
F looked and immediately looked far too proud of itself. “Yes, Parent, I did. It will add considerable aesthetic appeal to your planet.”
C let its displeasure be known vocally. “Why would you do this? This mountain range is all wrong. No natural formations will ever grow in such a perfect manner. And their location is extremely improper. Do you know what this will do to the planet?”
“It..will make it more pleasing to the outside viewer?” F said slowly. It shrank back from its Parent’s obvious anger.
“No! It will increase planetary instability by 2%!”
“That does not seem that bad, Parent.”
“It is. It is a considerable amount. It will shorten the lifespan of the planet by nearly 20 million years.”
F looked ashamed, minimizing its surface area as much as possible. “I…I thought—”
“You were not thinking.” C said. “That is clear. Think now. I have the mountains placed so they will form properly, along tectonic lines. How will these mountains form? They cannot. At least, not without making it obvious to the future residents that there was outside influence on their planet’s formation. Is that what you want? Do you want mortals knowing about us?”
“N-no?”
“That is correct, you do not. And furthermore, look at the effect these mountains will have on the air currents. Just watch.”
C played a simulation of planet formation. The planet started normally, as a smooth molten ball. Then geological processes started. Plates shifted, mountains rose. Air currents formed and were highlighted. Then F’s mountain range began to form, seemingly out of nowhere. The air currents were displaced and sent into chaos. Storms formed and dissipated long before they should have. Pockets of near vacuum seemed to crop up at random. It was horrible. Even after millennia, the air currents never fully stabilized.
F watched in horror as the viewer displayed the results of its careless attempts to make C’s planet better. It withered under the gaze of its Parent.
“Do you see now?” C asked, ending the simulation. “Do you see what your careless addition did?”
“Y-yes, Parent. I see. I am sorry. I will remove the range immediately.”
“Good, good. When you are finished, come back here. I admit, part of this is my fault. I should have begun your education many stellar cycles ago. I will rectify this by beginning your education.”
F wriggled in excitement. “Do you mean it? I will finally begin to learn planet making?”
“Yes. It will be many cycles before you are ready for mountain formations, but you are my offspring. I am sure you will be an excellent planet maker.”
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It's funny where some words take you, isn't it? I would've never thought a word about geological processes could lead down the path it did. But hey, that's what makes life interesting, isn't it?
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