The tension field
Curiosity and friction, read together instead of separately, resolve into one of four states: and formalizing her own design caught two real bugs in it.
Alix's pull toward doing something (curiosity) and what's pushing back (friction) aren't read on their own, they're combined into a single field that resolves to one of four states. Turning her metaphor-heavy proposal into an actual formula I could check exposed a coverage gap and a state overlap.