Absinthite

Absinthite is an unusual material created as the result of The Garbage Man utilizing his dimensional shift power.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Absinthite is a very fine powder made of tiny, transparent crystals, with an overall texture similar to that of powdered sugar. These crystals have a cubic geometry and appear to be a translucent lime green color when exposed to light. Notably, microscopy has revealed that there are very few crystals with any sort of defect; in other words, when the crystals are broken during their creation process, they cleave perfectly along crystal lattice lines without deviation. Other than the scent of ozone which seems to dissipate shortly after the material is created, absinthite has a faint metallic odor; whether this is a result of some other contaminant or the material itself remains unknown.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Miko Slaus-Braun's experiments in the wake of The Garbage Man's daring theft of the Menger Catalyst have indicated that absinthite is slightly triboluminescent and gives off small amounts of radiation, but is otherwise chemically inert.
Because it is radioactive, Slaus-Braun has not deigned to grind the substance into a finer powder, as this might create a serious risk of contamination in the form of inhalable radioactive fomites. While the scientists of the Manifold are only at the beginning of their understanding with regards to the dangers of radioactive materials, experiments at facilities such as the Northwoods Botanical Research Facility and the Nacreous Archipelago have served to make those studying possible radioactive materials more cautious.

Miko Slaus-Braun by Artbreeder

Origin & Source

Absinthite is produced when The Garbage Man uses his dimensional shift power to move objects across the two additional spatial dimensions of the Manifold Sky. In the moment an object appears or disappears from space, faint tendrils of the powdery substance can sometimes be seen emanating from the borders of the affected region of space.

Cyrus A. Vinge by Artbreeder

Civilans who have witnessed this process have claimed that The Garbage Man must be using some sort of 'fairy dust' to accomplish his feats of inexplicable summoning and teleportation. This is not the case. Instead, absinthite appears to be some sort of byproduct of the 'pushing' process itself, as though molecules cleanly cut by the ability are suddenly recombining with other cut molecules present in the newly-summoned materials - perhaps upon exposure to some as-of-yet undiscovered material which floats outside the bounds of the Manifold, in the Celestial Realms.

History & Usage

Everyday use

Spoilers for stories in The Garbage Man Arc ahead!

Absinthite is the only known substance that The Garbage Man cannot use dimensional shift on, a property which is also conferred onto any volume of space loosely surrounded in the material (in the manner of a field-proof cage). This makes the substance useful in the fight against the 125 Hands, as Slaus-Braun can integrate it into the resin channels in the Keysuit's armor to create an anti-shifter vehicle.

Industrial Use

Slaus-Braun speculates that The Garbage Man may be planning to expose the Menger Catalyst to absinthite in an effort to unlock some other, unknown property of the substance. As the Menger Catalyst purportedly has both infinite surface area and infinitely fine edges, it would also catalyze any reactions the powder might have with environmental factors which would otherwise remain undiscovered.

Environmental Impact

As of yet, it remains unknown whether absinthite can be broken down by any naturally-occuring processes. The volume of powder has not been known to diminish while in the possession of the few individuals who have identified it, and the substance itself is known to resist attack by sunlight, radiation, and corrosive chemicals. It is further unknown what would happen should absinthite in quantity make its way into the food cycle, as nobody has dared intentionally ingest absinthite to find out. Unfortunately, this unreactivity may mean that absinthite might build up over time should individuals other than The Garbage Man learn how to perform dimensional shifts, creating - with extensive enough production - an increasing among of unusuable, apparently inert powder clogging up the ecosphere (i.e. contributing to animal starvation when it is mistaken for food).

Type

Metaphysical

Rarity

Unique (only produced by The Garbage Man)

Odor

Ozone; metallic

Color

Translucent/transparent green

Boiling / Condensation Point

Unknown

Melting / Freezing Point

Unknown

Common State

Fine, crystalline powder