Alfheimr Renaissance

It's already been too many days with the wedding feast, but at least it's not a feast all the time in the traditional sense, so I'm finishing my three prototype carbon grain microphones to get some alone time, because Jane is right; "The telegraph is so last season." So I should spend some time and try to solve all the problems for a proper telephone.

I've already built simpler telephone boxes, and since my goal is not a wooden box on the wall with a funnel, I've made a more modern wooden handset that hangs on the side of a wall mounted box. It's simply because that is a damn good design with my limitations. Neither the box or handset is 'beautiful', but will be replaced once I solve all electrical and mechanical issues. The bells and a crank generator is a solved problem, and so is the battery and hook for disconnecting the battery and switching the lines to from the bell. The most important component to get good enough is the microphone itself, and there has been a bit of experimenting with carbon grain microphones in the last month. These are not what I consider very good, but my attempts to make something better have not been successful, and by adapting the battery voltage and transformer it works. We have to live with crackling noises and low fidelity sound. At least I've figured out how to probably filter out the signal from the handset's microphone to its speaker by passing the signals through the improved small transformer, where the opposite phase seems to eliminate the signal enough. That feels like one of those details that should be easy to figure out and 'it should work', but can be complicated and time-consuming to get right. Technically, I could finish two of these today, and hang them up here and in the guest mansion, and let the guests try them out, but it is best to wait. The guests have gotten enough surprises, and it will be fun to show them something better for my future wedding with Kari. I really want proper telephones to some places on this island. It would be nice to be able to call the guest mansion, Unn, the Academy, and so on. Frankly, it is good sense to make a good telephone network here on these islands, and solve all the issues and make improvements, before I try to introduce it anywhere else.

I have talked to Iselin and Kari about playing some music for the guests and they agree it will be nice if there is a separate playlist, and with a certain listening table arrangement and atmosphere, and I agree that listening to it in basically darkness might be a good idea. The playlist are mostly instrumental music and 'simpler' songs such as Sissel Kyrkjebø's 'O helga natt', but I've included a couple of 'Two steps from hell' as a more impressive finale, and due to a request, Frozen's 'Let it go' is played before.

So we inform the guests that I will let them hear some special music, which is not from Alfheimr, and at least most of them now know what that truly means. Whatever they hear or experience, just listen and be quiet so they don't disturb the other guests until it's finish, because the volume will be low. After asking for permission, Asta ran and fetched Lifa, and the mansion is basically empty as everyone is here in the feast hall and extra chairs have been brought. The musicians are especially curious. We turn the light down and hope they will have a unusual experience. I sit at my usual place, and I have Iselin and Kari flanking me on either side with Ciara and Caecilia in her 'Elsa' outfits beside them, and Alith with Hillevi on either side. Since I'll be using my mobile phone, I've also put up my 'Game master' screen to hide what I'm doing, although it have gotten a prettier piece of cloth decorating it, and it will distract people from noticing the in the ceiling hung up bluetooth speaker.

Only a couple of small lanterns are lit, and with my GM screen in front of me, it feels like I'm being the GM for a roleplaying game, and in a way, I am playing a character. I give everyone another brief introduction that music in other places is often different, and there are ways musicians can save a performance to be able to listen to it another time, and there is much more variety in instruments and sound possibilities than they know. I hear some reactions as I unlock the mobile phone, and our faces are lit up by the screen light from below and I start the playlist, and then the music starts. Iselin and Kari lift my arms and put them on their shoulders as they lean into me, and we just sit there and enjoy the music. Of course there is some whispering between people as song after song plays.

When the music is over, and as we light up again, I hope they all have appreciate the experience. Not surprising, many wish they could hear more and some are in tears from a magical experience. The big topic of conversation for the rest of the evening is the music, and the musicians who have performed during the week are quite devastated by the experience. I did forewarned them of what they were going to experience, and that we have appreciate their performance and that they are very skilled. They have played a lot and made good music, even though some songs with throat-singing isn't really my taste. Baugeid definitely wants to hear more Midgård music, and she is in tears because she may never hear such music again, and played by so many incredibly skilled musicians. A symphonic orchestra is a new experience, and I get why some believe I've let them listen to music that the gods listen to right now, because recording sound is just too way out there. Baugeid is definitely more musically interested than Caecilia is, and less sex focused.

I lie exhausted with my arms around 'Anna' and 'Elsa'. Of course Iselin immediately liked Jane's idea, and it was sexy and fun. I'm just some what bothered by the film's Anna and Elsa being sisters and considering what Iselin and Caecilia have done, that feels ... wrong. I've promised to watch 'Frozen' with both Iselin and Caecilia, but Jane showed them a part from it, from where Elsa starts singing 'Let it go', until Anna and Kristoff leave the barn. Jane needed my help with the translation, and the Swedish translation of the lyrics is in the film as I don't enjoy dubbed speech. Jane has explained that the film is an advanced form of her sketching and painting, where hundreds of people work for years to make a film, and Jane has shown a simple flip book style animation. Not surprising, they loved everything and how magically beautiful it is, and so 'realistic' even though it's obviously not real, like a beautiful saga made real. And they liked the song.

It was Jane's idea that Iselin and Caecilia should make it special tonight for me, and Iselin changed into a dress similar to the one Anna wore in the movie and changed her hair. Funnily enough, earlier this fall, Jane had been inspired to design that particular dress for Iselin because she had seen similarities in the manner and look between Iselin and Anna. Iselin really wants a dress like Elsa's from the movie, with bare shoulders, and Caecilia wants one too. Iselin also wants to see Caecilia in one, and Jane wants my women to become interested in design and more variety in clothes, and Iselin is now a Furstess. So it will happen.

Luckily Iselin and Caecilia warned Ciara, Alith and so on about Caecilia's version of 'Let it Go', since Caecilia didn't keep her volume down, and she accompanied herself on her harp thing while Iselin danced. Lucky it's only Ciara who sleeps in this part of the building. Frankly, Caecilia did that song really well and with a lot of feeling.