Sandbox Discussions

[Alicorn]

That's up to anthusiasm.

[DanielH]

Re: Veritable

Is there anything wrong with, instead of using a traditional Ouija board, using a flat disk with 36 spaces around it and writing the letters and digits in those spaces? They already have one of those except that it uses 36 other symbols instead. Would that be unavoidably unable to hear?

[Alicorn]

The current alethiometer design can't hear even if you reskin it.

[DanielH]

This is at least partially because normal Ouija board operation involves speech, but normal compass operation does not?

Other ideas I’ve had which would either require too much material or be hard to read, but might be interesting, include:

Deck of cards, Magic 8-Ball, alethiometric coin flipping, casting lots (we’ve already seen I Ching in canon), and trying to get a new metaphor established that the alethiometer metal can hook into which is easier to use.

One thing which I think could work, but might be harder to build or use than a Ouija board, is to try to make a radio antenna out of the metal and use it for wireless telegraphy.

[pedromvilar]

I think it's because the magical material itself has to be able to perceive your intent and the compass is sealed.

The I Ching doesn't work in Starlight, there's no Dust, it's just Magical Truth Metal.

[DanielH]

"Lieutenant Tzirakis of the Barrayaran Imperial Service speaking," says the uniformed human currently sitting at the other end of the line. "We request that you explain how you came to be in our system."

When I read this I somehow misread it as saying Bajoran instead of Barrayaran. Then there was talk of a wormhole, which made sense. Then they mentioned Komarr, and I was briefly confused because wait is this a three-way crossove—oh, wait, no, that post hadn’t said Bajor.

[Unbitwise]

Bajor and Barrayar seem interesting to compare. There could be a Milliways meeting. (If anyone among us felt they could write a Bajoran.)

[PlainDealingVillain]

I'm curious about the differences between the Nariveth that landed in Barrayar and the Nariveth that's apprenticed to Occlus. Did she get through her apprentice trial without help? (Those boxes are A Good and I am enjoying both immensely.)

Other things that are A Good: Pedro and Nemo's box. Is that an original setting?

[Adelene]

Other things that are A Good: Pedro and Nemo's box. Is that an original setting?

That would be Pact, the thing Wildbow wrote after Worm.

[PlainDealingVillain]

Ah, sense.