Known For: Founder of Cubism; early influence on Suicide
Frederick Ansel is an engineer from Belsham and the founder of Cubism, a modern spiritual-scientific philosophy rooted in pantheism and inspired by the structure of the puzzle cube. Cubism envisions the universe as a multidimensional cube of interacting systems—a puzzle slowly solving itself. Ansel is best known for his core maxim:
“The universe is a puzzle trying to solve itself. Solve for entropy.”
Ansel’s personal origin story for Cubism involves a strange encounter while stranded in space: a man in a ball cap appeared to him in vacuum and claimed to be God. Whether hallucination or revelation, the experience inspired Ansel to develop a belief system centered on universal self-awareness, interconnection, and constructive problem-solving. He emphasizes compassion, inner clarity, and responsibility—rejecting dogma and hierarchy.
He met Suicide on Aphrodite in 421 IE, shortly after she began civilian work with Dasarius Interstellar. Their brief but meaningful encounter occurred while Suicide sought solitude and reflection. Ansel encouraged her to meditate by watching the sunrise and sunset, a Cubist practice symbolizing personal alignment with universal order. Although she never formally adopted the belief system, Suicide credited him with giving her one of the few peaceful rituals in her life.
Ansel’s teachings spread widely, though not always with his consent or guidance. While many followed Cubism as a peaceful, reflective discipline, radical factions—most notably those led by Gerard Kurz—warped its principles into violent ideology. Ansel publicly condemned these groups, particularly those who twisted his metaphors into manifestos of destruction.
In 434 IE, following the death of Kurz and the establishment of a military protectorate on Aphrodite, Ansel returned to the planet to reclaim and reopen the mountain retreat he had originally built on Mt. Buxanshal. The site, once corrupted by radicals, was restored as a sanctuary for meditation and renewal under Ansel’s quiet stewardship.
Before her wedding to King Edward, Mitsuko Yamato spent time at the retreat, seeking clarity and peace after the trauma of recent campaigns. Her stay reaffirmed Ansel’s continued relevance as a mentor figure—not a prophet, but a man whose ideas helped others reframe their pain and purpose.
As of 434, Ansel continues to run the retreat and serve as a quiet, stabilizing influence in a post-war Helios System. Though he remains skeptical of institutionalized spirituality, he still describes Cubism as a “conversation with the universe”—a practice of listening, reflecting, and solving for entropy.
Appearances: Suicide Run, Royal Orders