Forum:Agatha's Locket


 * He might have used a similar device himself in the past- remember, he . Of course, that begs the question of why he dismissed the possibility of someone suddenly sparking out of nowhere...
 * He hid Gil's spark, not supressed it, which suggests more mundane methods. On the locket, I think he did repair it. However, that still leaves two possibilities. 1. He was unaware of what it did and may have suspected that it had something to do with Heterodyning. 2. He figured out what it did and deliberately intended to suppress Agatha's spark --mnenyver 16:24, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I didn't seriously think that was what had happened. I do think 2 is more likely, since he brought it along to confront, and hopefully contain, someone potentially dangerous. As a means of making her less dangerous, it would have had obvious value. If he didn't know it could do that, why bother? -Acacia 02:52, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I'd like to think the Baron did it to be nice, but you're right, 2 seems more likely. Do you think von Zinzer ever told him that that locket killed his brother? (Not that that was necessarily the cause.) --mnenyver 03:55, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I didn't get that impression, but it's certainly possible. Presumably he was searched before being shipped off to der Kestle, and that must have been how the Baron got hold of it. He might or might not have demanded to know how he'd got it, and Moloch might or might not have told any given part of the story, since somehow I don't think he was in the right state of mind to be thorough. -Acacia 04:19, 3 March 2008 (UTC)


 * On a slightly different topic, I'd like to offer a theory as to how the Locket works. Using this as my basis for evidence, http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/fun/freestuff/cutouts/locket.pdf, I believe the Locket works on a sonic level, by disrupting the thought process, and especially the process of Heterodyning, by emitting sounds at a sub or supersonic level - producing Agatha's headaches whenever she attempts to either concentrate, or slip into the "madness place." Note in the interior the eight tuning forks, which I believe are activated by the four oscillating hammers. Also of interest is the graduated slider mechanism, which I think helps to explain how the locket is capable of performing different functions, changing from a Spark-blocking mechanism to a Possession-blocking mechanism. My working guess is that the slider mechanism adjusts the sound, probably the frequency, to produce the different effects. -- Vikingkingq


 * Precisely. ;) So the only questions left are, 1) how did it change when all the metal arced? and 2) how/why would it affect Omar von Zinzer, since he's not a Heterodyne? Also interesting, and possibly related, is that sound is used in Lucrezia's Summoning Machine. --mnenyver 13:54, 18 March 2008 (UTC)


 * 1.No idea. It's especially hard to tell, since Moloch threw it onto the floor, which further damaged it. 2. Don't know, possibly an anti-theft mechanism of some sort. 3. There, I think I know where we're at. A unifying principle of the Other technology seems to be the use of harmonic resonances to establish obedience - the Wasps creating an instant reaction to the unique vocal pattern of a Mongfish, the sound made by the Hive Engine in preparation for the creation of the swarm, the sound made in reaction to the Other by the Wasp Weasels, etc. My guess is that Lucrezia's interest in sound stemmed from her desire to understand why the good guys, namely the Heterodynes, always win. Somehow, she hit upon the unique sound characteristics of the Heterodynes, from their ability to inspire the loyalty of the people of Mechanicsburg to their ability to "Heterodyne" and improve the mental efficiency of "the madness place." Other technology seems to mimic or pervert the same process, in order to create the Mongfish Voice Effect on the sleeper revenants and the geisterdamen. Vikingkingq


 * Of course, for 2), there's always the "Omar was a revenant" theory. After all, if it was a deliberately-included feature, Barry would definitely have mentioned it and Punch and Judy would have checked the hospitals. Not the thieves' market. -Acacia 20:52, 18 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Um... Vikingkingq's theory on the nature of the locket's function is probably off the mark. If the locket was a sonic brain-scrambler, Krosp probably couldn't stand to be anywhere near it. Cats can hear much higher-pitched sounds, up to 70 kHz, which is 1.6 octaves above the range of a human, and even 1 octave above the range of a dog. Kalaong 09:28, 30 August 2008 (UTC)