BoM/TWS Message Forum

First of all, I apologize for skipping yesterday, but it's for a good reason.

(Warning: Self-promotion)

Notice the briefcase is now filled? That's the reason why.

(Self-promotion ends)

That said, "Os Velhos Truques do Stellae"  shows just how much "Jeff" can do even when not trained as a field agent. I wanted to show off a few new prodigies, as well as some of his Kenandandran gadgetry, all the while taking the story to where I wanted it to. Having him suddenly act as a translator was interesting (and Seuzz found it interesting too), but it required a little nerfing.

This is a good example of how you can work with prodigies. Naturally, being the masters of language, Viritrilbians would develop this prodigy to their full extent. However, one of the traits of Sulva is mimicry, and therefore they can appear as if they're polyglots when they can't. The chapter should explain how the prodigy works.

As for the gadgets: the first is basically something that currently exists in real life - portable translators. (You might've seen them, the size of a smartphone, or even as a smartphone app!) The trick here is to make it "maybe magic, maybe mundane" to justify that he has such an app even at a time when he shouldn't. That way, you can justify something currently existing as something quasi-magical posing as advanced tech, or the opposite. (That said, Seuzz wasn't too happy with it at first, and it was only as I explained the trick when he finally accepted it.) The second is already known to long-time readers, but cleverly reworked. Perhaps too cleverly reworked...

The cliffhanger should also spoil a little bit of what's going to happen, but I'll let the next chapter show it better. I must say I'm proud of how this all worked out, because it has a good combination of exposition, action and innovation.