[Most people didn't climb into the fireplace for fun when they were toddlers.]
For me?
Hmmm. [The question doesn't surprise him: the repetition is to buy himself a moment to consider. He's so rarely had to put it into words. He bows his head for a moment, chewing on his lower lip and tapping the twig against the fingers of his other hand.] For me, it's more like... using a limb than anything else. There's intention and then execution, though the two flow into each other fairly seamlessly. I suspect that's simply a matter of experience.
But what it feels like... when I turn my attention on something with intention to light it, I can sense a potentiality, almost like, like a smell or a texture, that something's flammable. Like there's... there's a thousand tiny switches on a thing, and with as much focus as it takes to turn on a light switch, I can turn them on. It's harder, like the switch is stiff or old, if the thing has a high combustion point or if it's very cold...
Oh, it's an imperfect analogy by a long shot. And it's different when I just want to -- [rather than explain, he flicks his fingers up and summons a small flame, simply floating in the air above his index finger. He flicks the finger down again and the flame disappears.] When I do that it's like I'm putting something out there and then setting it off.
no subject
For me?
Hmmm. [The question doesn't surprise him: the repetition is to buy himself a moment to consider. He's so rarely had to put it into words. He bows his head for a moment, chewing on his lower lip and tapping the twig against the fingers of his other hand.] For me, it's more like... using a limb than anything else. There's intention and then execution, though the two flow into each other fairly seamlessly. I suspect that's simply a matter of experience.
But what it feels like... when I turn my attention on something with intention to light it, I can sense a potentiality, almost like, like a smell or a texture, that something's flammable. Like there's... there's a thousand tiny switches on a thing, and with as much focus as it takes to turn on a light switch, I can turn them on. It's harder, like the switch is stiff or old, if the thing has a high combustion point or if it's very cold...
Oh, it's an imperfect analogy by a long shot. And it's different when I just want to -- [rather than explain, he flicks his fingers up and summons a small flame, simply floating in the air above his index finger. He flicks the finger down again and the flame disappears.] When I do that it's like I'm putting something out there and then setting it off.
Does that help at all?