Written by G. C. Quincy, Head Spectrologist of the
Scientific Society for Spectrological Studies
Spectra are an occurrence most are acquainted with: They seemingly manipulate and fidget with objects in our lives, for no apparent reason and for the most startling whims.
It’s therefore natural to wish to be more knowledgeable about them, which is the reason of this guide. In here, the reader will find accurate descriptions of the most frequently encountered Spectra, written in a way amenable to the layman.
Spectra are, unlike their name suggests, natural phenomena rather than spirits of once-living things. They are responsible for uncountable strange occurrences with effects varying from “a simple curiosity” to “rather unpleasant.”
It should be noted, however, that spectra lack a will. They react to input, but all current knowledge indicates that there’s no intent behind their antics; rather, their effects appear to be a simple result of their existence.
As to their origin, there’s a level of disagreement amongst experts, though two main theories prevail, both stemming from the fact that spectra only seem to inhabit artificial objects. They’re dubbed the “Egregore” and “Residue” Theory, respectively.
According to the former, spectra are a result of gathered human thought: If many people agree on an object and its purpose, those shared beliefs will congeal into the object. The latter, however, poses that the simple act of creating an object leaves a “residue” of the will put into creating it. Should this residue be significant enough, it will create a spectra.
Lastly, though invisible to the naked eye, recent advances in optics have metaphorically and literally shone a light on their appearance. With a correct setup of lenses and differently colored lights, its possible to imprint an image of a specter onto a gauze film coated with a copper-silver mixture.
A counting specter, when first encountered, can be one of the most bothersome to deal with. It holds an obsession with numerical and geometric patterns, and so will manipulate the artefact in order to showcase said patterns, thus making it impossible to accurately perform calculations within it.
It can, however, be trained to instead help the user. By verbally explaining mathematical patterns found within the calculations used, it can be convinced to instead follow these in place of regular sequences. In this manner, one may even automate their accounts, since the specter will quite happily handle them.
Still, this process is person-specific, meaning that should the abacus change hands, the specter will most likely not be helpful to the new owner.
A subtypes of this specter type exists, whereby it is only interested in a single bead rather than the entire device. In this case, one can rid themselves of the specter by carefully removing the bead and placing it on a wooden bar or horizontally strung string (If the bead is left alone, the specter will probably move onto a different, in-use bead).
No known examples exist of two instances of this spirit-type taking to the same object. Thus, to quickly distinguish between them, one can move one bead of each line at once, followed by a fifteen second wait, then repeating this process for each column of beads. If during this proces only one bead is moved, then one is most likely dealing with the smaller version of this specter. In the opposite case of multiple beads being moved, one can be certain that the abacus is affected by the larger version.
Through rigorous testing, it has been concluded that Logophantasma Abaci possesses the intelligence of, roughly, a 1-year-old person. This comes from its ability to reply to simple yes/no questions by symbolically using the beads of the abacus (e.g. “One bead moved, yes; two beads moved, no”).
Unlike a child, however, it is able to reply to most questions within the field of mathematics, being able to accurately decide whether problems have a solution or not (Provided this answer existed once the abacus it inhabits was made). It is also able to recall answers told to it later, though with less clarity if they aren’t numerical in nature.
As the name quite unoriginally shows, this specter type takes an interest in a blackboard, like the ones commonly found in classrooms. Due to this, it’s often the first specter type encountered by children.
Interestingly, it has only been found in blackboards belonging to a classroom, be it one of a university or lower education, and it has been known to disappear should the object be moved into a private space (Or one not intended to teach).
Unlike other spectra, this type has shown itself to be quite co-operative, as it’s often seen supplementing a lesson with sudden diagrams, explanations, charts, and other such things. In a few rare instances, it’s even been seen taking on a visible avatar in the form of a simplified chalk drawing of a person.
Blackboard spectra are, in addition, the most intelligent known to date, having been proven capable of performing deductive and inductive reasoning, recalling information (provided it was previously written on their surface), as well as maintaining conversations with various speakers. Notably, this specter type does not require to learn a language, instead matching that of whomever it’s interacting with.
It should be noted, however, that they do not seem to be truly conscious, as they lack distinct personalities or inner thought of any kind, instead being limited to processing information provided to them by way of writing on their surface or speaking in their proximity.
Though insofar this might seem like an exceedingly wonderful specter type, their fickleness and capricious nature should also be noted: Logophantasma Cretae have a tendency to appear only in the presence of specific professors, or only when certain topics are discussed. They are also quite opinionated, and have often been observed arguing against the material of a lecture.
A sitting specter is one that, upon encounter, can be quite puzzling. Its only effect is that of making a person feel “rather impolite” when taking taking rest on their seat.
Thus, their detection can be difficult for those not aware of its existence, as they tend to take to chairs and seats that are not isolated; that is, those where one can easily and quickly change seats and thus disregard the feeling that made one move in the first place.
Three subtypes of Synaisthimaphantasma Sella exist, those being the ones that take to one-person seats (i.e. an armchair or similar), those who take to multiple-person seats (i.e. benches and sofas), and those who take to vehicle seats. They are, respectively, denominated by the letters “O,” “M,” and “V”
O-Sitting Spectra are most often found in theaters, restaurants, or other public spaces where multiple people sit simultaneously. As such, the aforementioned phenomenon occurs in which a person will simply change seats and pay no further mind. If no other seats are available where the person wishes, they will either move somewhere else entirely or, if possible, swap the seat itself with a nearby available one.
The “M” category is most notable due to the effect they have on one’s one instincts and intent. They take to only one spot in their multiple-person seat, and will “move” slightly if those on its neighbouring spots need more space. Since they occupy only a portion of their seat, rather than one feeling impolite when sitting where they are, one will intuitively seat on the “available” places, and should all of those be occupied, they will feel no need to sit on the object at all.
Finally, “V” types are almost identical to their “O” counterparts, barring for the difference that if one politely asks for their seat, they shall “leave” it, thus allowing the person to take their space.
Thanks to modern technology, it has been discovered that this kind of specter holds a surprisingly humanoid shape, that being a 3-dimensional silhouette of the average man or woman in the area, sitting in place with their hands resting on their lap. Some have been observed cross-legged, though this does not seem to hold any relationship with their demeanor. Of note: “V” types will instead appear standing up when asked for their seat.
Though an exceedingly rare type of specter, this one is ubiquitously known amongst Spectrological circles. This is, of course, due to its exclusivity to them: Encyclopaedic Spectra present themselves only within books found in libraries of Spectrology-related institutions, such as universities and laboratories.
Its effect, too, is one of the most peculiar and fascinating, as it limits itself to taking any one book in the local collection, and edits its contents to be a categorization of the library it’s in.
The first dozen of pages are invariably dedicated to self-description: It will specify its own year of printing, physical dimensions, source of the paper, design on both covers, as well as a short chronicle of the book since its creation to its arrival to the library.
Notably, it also re-titles itself to any variation of “The Most Thorough Foursie Encyclopaedia of Writings Found in the Library of,” followed by the current name of the library. (“Foursie” is a jargon term used to refer to members of the Scientific Society for Spectrological Studies, originated from the organization’s acronym: “4S”).
Once its “introductory section” is complete, the rest of the book is dedicated to providing the same information (As well as author and title, which it skips for itself) about every other volume within the library. It will also provide the precise current location of them, be they in or outside of the library itself.
As useful as a Logophantasma Index may be, it’s also a risk to the contents of books nearby, and can prove quite difficult to handle: If a book is permanently removed from its library, it will “shed” the corresponding pages. In the same manner, if it lacks the paper necessary for its description, it will take them from nearby books.
In addition, any information found originally in the object it takes to will be permanently lost, thus forcing Spectrological institutions to keep unique or otherwise frail volumes entirely outside libraries, since their contents would be at risk inside such places.