trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[kaolinandbone]

Lioncourt curls one hand around the light end of the pen, then grits her teeth and clicks the button.

There is a distinct lack of ignition.

She sits back in her chair, takes a sip of her tea, and sighs.

"Well, it would appear we have another discarded hypothesis."

[from_scratch]

"Apparently. UV's just the most obvious thing, though, it could be something else."

[kaolinandbone]

"Quite possibly. "

She taps her fingers on the table.

"While we're discussing my local magic, I should let you know that conjurors have been known to exist in my world on occasion, every few centuries or so. Even the specialized ones tend to have wars fought over them. I would reccommend keeping your ability to create whatever you want secret, though the wings and tail already rather preclude normal social contact."

[from_scratch]

"I could cut 'em off if I expect to need to interact with anyone."

[kaolinandbone]

"That seems rather convenient. It's not painful to you? And you can simply replace them later?"

[from_scratch]

"I made them without nerves where they attach, the wound'll heal very fast, and yeah, I can just re-make them whenever."

[kaolinandbone]

"Quite sensible." The girl smiles, then her gaze drops back to the penlight in her hand.

"Incidentally, how does this device function? Is it magical or technological? It doesn't seem to do anything when I press the button: how are you certain that it's working correctly?"

[from_scratch]

"It's technological, I know it works because I made it, and UV light is invisible by itself."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella coughs. "Apologies, I didn't mean to slight your craftsmanship."

She turns the penlight over in her fingers, examining its plastic casing more closely.

"It appears that you have access to technology beyond my own. Would you object to producing a few more technological artifacts that you would consider 'common' in your own world?"

[from_scratch]

"Anything in particular? A lot of them will have finite power supplies without an attached way to generate more electricity. Technology runs on lightning."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella looks down at the small device in her hand.

"This runs on electricity? I've always thought of electricians as purveyors of amusing tricks, more akin to stage magicians than scientists. I did hear that there was recently a demonstration of a brilliantly white arc-lamp in one of the new Moric universities, but I had put it down to propaganda."

[from_scratch]

"Electricity is the future! Invest wisely." Pause. "Unless your laws of physics are different or something. How long have 'electricians' been doing their thing, here?" He makes another little penlight; this one lights up with a visible laser dot. "That works..."

[kaolinandbone]

"Electricity has been known in some form or another since before I was born, but we've only known that electricity was lightning for about the last thirty. I remember the headlines. While I'm aware of sparks being created by electricity, I would be tremendously surprised if someone had actually managed to generate and contain enough charge to maintain a continuous arc. I take it your world managed to overcome that problem?"

[from_scratch]

"Yep. I have enough engineering knowhow to put down a nice modern electrical grid from scratch, in fact. Assuming your laws of physics are the same, but batteries work, at least."

[kaolinandbone]

Lioncourt eyes the penlight with newfound respect. "You have an entire battery of cells in this single device? That's quite the feat of miniaturization."

[from_scratch]

"Mostly efficiency, not miniaturization. It's one little thing."

[kaolinandbone]

Lioncourt raises an eyebrow. "Nonetheless, quite remarkable. What exactly is electricity capable of in your world, beyond producing light? If you were able to produce sufficient quantities of charge, then you might actually be able to put electric force to useful work."

[from_scratch]

"Kitchen appliances. Vehicles. Computing."

[kaolinandbone]

"Computing?"

Lioncourt frowns.

"The last time I checked, computing was a job you did for the Admiralty involving calculating extremely precise navigation tables. Are you saying that electricity in your world is capable of mental work?"

[from_scratch]

"Oh yes. Machines - appropriately programmed - can, say, translate from one language to another."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella manages to set her teacup back down without spilling any.

[from_scratch]

"Appropriate programming here of course represents tons of skilled labor, but still."

[kaolinandbone]

"But you only have to do the skilled labour once, correct? And then anyone can use the resulting tool, much like one does not have to be a blacksmith in order to use a hammer?"

[from_scratch]

"Yep. Unfortunately your local languages have never been programmed into a translator, so this isn't immediately useful to you - like, they resemble some Earth languages but not to the point of good mutual intelligibility. Unless there's an actual Japanese and an actual Greek and so on floating around too there would be massive frontloading to get it into a computer."

[kaolinandbone]

Isabella is grinning, now.

"Yes, but what other tasks do computers commonly automate in your world?"