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Welcome! 03/05/2016
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Drasvin
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Posts posted by Drasvin
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15 minutes ago, Scotty said:That really depends, if she wasn't awakened by an Immortal, she might have awakened naturally and unlocked the wizard trait. I guess another question would be, could the magic analysis wand be able to tell whether a person with magic potential could be a wizard or not? I mean yeah Edward said that someone is born with the distinction of being a wizard, but we know from Susan, Diane and Sarah, that people are born with innate talents for magic, does that mean that Susan could have been a wizard if an immortal hadn't marked her or she didn't have her angst-induced awakening. Maybe those with the wizard gene could still awaken as not wizards if the conditions are right?
I think the analysis wand would be able to detect the wizardry trait, at least it can be used in some related manner, and Mr Verres was certain that Elliot and Ellen weren't wizards. Though unless Mr. Verres (or the Q&A team) tells us, it's impossible to know for certain. Also I don't think innate talents are linked to wizardry. Innate talents are traits, typically passed down through bloodlines, that shape the kinds of spells a person will gain through normal spell accumulation (which it's been implied that wizards still get normal spell accumulation. They just can learn other people's spells in addition to what they normally get), whereas wizardry is a trait, seemingly sometimes passed down through bloodlines in some cases, that allows for new avenues of spell accumulation. I just don't think the method or conditions of the awakening affect one's chance at being a wizard. Admittedly we haven't gotten much information about wizards, it doesn't seem to gel with what little we do know, namely that it's a trait that people are born with and either are or aren't.
I just got a semi-random thought in my head. Do we know for certain that Nanase isn't a wizard? If wizardly spell accumulation is via reading the spellbook of another, have we seen Nanase read a spellbook other than her own? Maybe that is the 'blood of queens' that the griffins were picking up on? It would make sense if wizards made the backbone of royal families in a magically-active, monarchical society. Before royal inheritance was codified, the crown went to whoever had enough power to take it. In real life, power was determined by armies, but in a more magically inclined world, powerful magic users might be able to sway such a determination and while a wizard is not necessarily more powerful than a non-wizard mage, a wizard will have access to greater versatility and variety, allowing for more focused and detailed solutions to problems that a typical mage might not have a good spell for.
1 hour ago, Scotty said:Back on the subject of Tedd, he was expected to be a powerful wizard, which could come from the idea of 2 wizards having a child, but considering Tedd's abilities and the fact that he obviously didn't turn out to be a wizard in the sense that is known to many, I'm wondering if there was something else that either Edward or Noriko had that was passed along to Tedd that became dominant in him. I said "either Edward or Noriko" because I wouldn't be 100% sure which one would have it, maybe it's because both had the right genetics to form this "dangerous rarity", I at least suspect that Noriko's family lineage is part of the reason, we just don't know much if anything about Edward's side of the family.
Well if wizardry and such are genetic, or quasi-genetic, then his 'dangerous rarity'-ness certainly came from both of his parents, since given just how rare it is it would have to be a recessive trait (or Magic is being weird and strange again, but that line of thinking isn't conducive to good logic or theory-crafting) and one that isn't present in a lot of the gene pool or is somehow suppressed by other genes or factors.
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1 minute ago, Scotty said:Yeah, that's certainly possible too, and I guess considering Mama Kitsune's pressure on Nanase to keep studying might be an indication that it was how their family learned magic. Nanase could be bucking the trend by being awakened differently from the rest of her family through an immortal so she's getting her own spells just by using magic.
Makes sense, though I'll note that the method of awakening doesn't determine whether or not a person is a wizard. A person has to be born with that quality, kinda like a genetic trait. So Nanase might simply not have the wizard 'gene' or some such, despite such being common in her family's heritage. She is still a very powerful magic user, though.
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10 hours ago, Scotty said:I guess it really depends on how easily a wizard can learn a spell, do they just need to see it in action once, or do they need to study it being used multiple times. If all it takes is one look then wizards could easily become the most powerful magic users pretty quickly, but if they need to see it several times then I can see only the most dedicated becoming powerful because they took the time to watch someone or something, and if that person/thing is an enemy then it'd be more difficult.
Given the old symbolism and stereotypes associated with wizards, my guess it they learn spells by reading other people's spellbooks. Granted, such ideas might be from before one of the system changes mentioned in Squirrel Prophet, but the concept is simple, iconic, and would help moderate the power levels of wizards (or at least the power versatility). It could also create some interesting drama, with a wizard hunting down spellbooks with rare and powerful spells, maybe even getting into awesome magical duels to obtain said spellbooks.
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2 hours ago, hkmaly said:... I think it was the "mind" which was mentioned as possibly not being applicable. Being both plural and singular sounds impossible. On the other hand, Magic might really be that weird and hard-to-describe
True, but it's Magic.It can warp they very fabric of reality. If it wants to be both singular and plural at the same time, I'm sure it can.
"All are one and one is all."
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On 5/21/2016 at 7:44 PM, Scotty said:Once we see a vampire that looks like Ryan Reynolds, I'll certainly agree with that, but as it is we've seen 3 aberrations and while the France vampire is probably the most human looking of the three, there are still features that set him apart. Until we see a vampire that can easily blend in with a crowd without drawing attention (bodysnatchers not included because you can't see them anyway, at least in Sirleck's case) the idea that their form is a consequence of their desire to use magic for malevolent purposes still stands.
The opposite can certainly be true though, if someone desires to do good with their magic, they would likely be granted with a form suited to them as well, Nanase's Guardian form could be seen as an example of this, I'm not entirely sure I'd go so far to say there could be a permanent form for those that do good as while I can see an aberrations form being a type of "you've chosen this path so this is how you'll live it" consequence, I don't think magic would force someone good to basically cease being able to live a relatively normal life by changing their form permanently, can you imagine how Nanase would feel if she was stuck being in her guardian form forever? Nah, magic would grant the good people the ability to control when they can use their forms.
I think the problem with the idea of the aberrations' monstrous forms being a punishment is that the idea is assigning morality to Magic, an eldritch, unfathomably vast mentality that could be singular, plural, neither, or all of the above simultaneously. From what we know, Magic has a flair for the dramatic, a desire to be special( or at least to not be mainstream), and allows access to power regardless of the morality of the person seeking that power. When Magic grants power to an individual, that power is inline with the person's personality, deep desires, or bloodline affinity (Assuming Magic doesn't get confused, like in Elliot's case), though not necessarily the aspects that the person wants Magic to draw from, like when Nanase kept getting sneaking spells when she was afraid of getting outed as a lesbian. Also, in Squirrel prophet, when Magic acted to give the good guys a hint to prevent a system change, it decided to do so in an admittedly half-hearted manner, intentionally giving our heroes poor odds of success.
To me, it seems the Magic doesn't care if the heroes succeed or not, just that the events are dramatic and interesting (kinda like Pandora, but broader and with a better appreciation of natural pacing). That said, the monstrous forms of aberrations/vampires could be a consequence of that. Not as a punishment, but as a reflection of the magic users and a tool to ratchet up the drama. The monsters being monstrous makes for more interesting and dramatic events. We also have official confirmation that some aberrations only have monsterous forms when using their powers, which would allow for a degree of tension building when the action is slower and sneakier.
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Well according to an article on the Escapist, the Tetris movie (and by extension the trilogy) is going to be an "epic sci-fi thriller." Doesn't say much though, as Sci-fi covers a wide range of things, from space opera to cyberpunk and more. Could be interesting, and potentially coherent, if they make it a VR/cyberspace movie with the character's getting trapped in a game of Tetris or something.
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14 hours ago, Kazzellin said:Then again, I'm also wondering if it's possible that Tedd can use his insight to see how the spells the vampires wove to make them what they are function, so Raven can just go "disenchant" at the right part. "Oh look, you're back to being a regular magic user. Care to surrender?" ;P
I doubt t would work that way. I'm not saying that Tedd can't use his insight on the magic that makes the vampires vampires nor that Raven can't unravel that magic if given the 'weak point.' Becoming a vampire in EGS fundamentally changes a person. From what I recall, it's been said they can't go back to being a normal human, voluntarily or otherwise. So if Tedd and Raven working together were able to 'disenchant' a vampire's vampire-ness, said vampire would probably just die if not simply cease to exist.
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1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:8 hours ago, ijuin said:Nukes may have a lot less blast damage than large relativistic kinetic impactors, but they have the advantage of poisoning whatever happens to survive the blasts, and the poison can linger for centuries. Impactors sufficiently massive that absolutely nothing survives anywhere (not even in mile-underground bunkers) may be too heavy to bother with, since by that point we are talking about enough energy to melt the top mile of the Earth's crust planetwide.
Pfffft. Sissies. In Doc Smith's Lensman series, when they really wanted someone dead, they hit them with planetary masses of antimatter moving at seventeen times the speed of light.
Hmm. That seems a tad excessive. Then again, There's no kill like overkill.
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3 hours ago, hkmaly said:3 hours ago, InfiniteRemnant said:4 hours ago, The Old Hack said:Pandora, of course, is many things. But a 'manageable risk' is not one of them.
people who have Names To Run Away From Very Fast rarely are.
"Run?" I suppose you mean it metaphorically, because running don't get you far enough fast enough.
... actually, you may need rocket to get far enough, considering what Pandora plans.
Depending on why one would be trying to get away from Pandora, running might be a viable option, though it would be more a question of endurance than speed. Can you run from her long enough for her to lose interest and move on to the next play-thing?
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16 hours ago, hkmaly said:Weeeell, Uryuoms should be very happy Earth Immortals have rules. And even in limits of empower and guide, how long do you think Uryuom would last if they attacked Earth and say Pandora decided she doesn't want them in same universe as Adrian?
Could give a whole new meaning to the term "guided missile".
If the Uryuoms declared full-scale war on Earth, I imagine it would depend on two factors.
One) How quickly can the Uryuoms bring their military down on Earth societies.
Two) How quickly the Immortals that care enough to intervene can kit humans out with magical powers and direct them how to use them.
I don't know how divergent Ellen's SL reality was from the main-line EGS, but the uryuoms had the technology to visit Earth and join in combat as far back as the American Revolution in that would, and them deciding to join in is implied as the major point of divergence. So uryuoms are going to have a supreme technological advantage against humans in the hypothetical war. One area humans might have an advantage against alien invasion is magical abilities. Uryuom magic appears to be limited to their transformation abilities and such, while Earth magic runs a very wide gamut, especially with spells like Elliot's Cheerleadra form and Nanase's Guardian Form.
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2 hours ago, ijuin said:You bring up a good point--Voltaire also seems to have no qualms about mortals dying for the fulfillment of his plans, so it definitely fits his style. The Pithos mark may have been a deliberate misdirection if so.
If Volty is responsible for that, it's likely to be misdirection, though it could be calling Pandora out. We do know that Pandora has been marking people without their knowledge or consent. So it's likely that she was the one who marked Dex. Voltaire might have noticed that Pandora marked poor Dex, and planted the amulet to control him, using the pithos mark as a kind of 'I know that you're the one who did this' towards Pandora. There's also the fact that Noah is Adrian's ward, and if Noah died, it would likely upset Mr. Raven, which would upset Pandora, because she cares deeply for her son, even if she has an odd way of showing it. And if Pandora gets upset enough, she might make a mistake and break one of the Laws of the Immortals. Though that's assuming that Voltaire's plan is actively trying to stop Pandora instead of simply being at odds with her shenanigans.
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I just had a thought regarding this comic. What if Pandora wasn't the one controlling Dex? What if it was Voltaire? I know the urn symbol on the pendant hints towards Pandora with the old roots of the Pandora's Box myth, but I'm not sure we've had a definitive yea or nea if that is what the symbol means.
Meanwhile, Dex was mentioning 'for the greater good.' Pandora doesn't really seem like the type to care about the greater good. She cares about her son and things being interesting. I imagine she could use 'for the greater good' as means to manipulate someone into doing something interesting, but what we've seen of her direct action, she prefers to nudge things into motion and then let them develop organically (much more interesting that way).
Voltaire, on the other hand, is certainly willing to use 'for the greater good' to advance his agenda as seen in this comic. I don't know what he would have gained from killing everyone at the dojo, but little is known about Volty's plans or end goal.
Matoyak, Scrapyard_Dragon, hkmaly and 2 others reacted to this -
6 minutes ago, hkmaly said:Ummm ... you know, the sanctioned programming languages might be worse with safeties as well. We can assume TF Gun have safeties on safe level, but other CMDs? We have no idea.
Good point. Thinking about it. The Uryuom military might have weaponized versions of the CMD. Would be incredibly deadly when lethality is needed, though potentially have non-lethal settings if only pacification is needed.
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2 minutes ago, hkmaly said:Yes, it certainly does, although they were only mentioned indirectly.
That's good. So we don't have to worry about someone using the TF Gun (Or another Uryuom CMD) for murder, unless said person knows enough about the ins and outs of the device in order to disable the safeties.
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Don't worry too much Nanase. Some people are just really that nice.
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3 hours ago, The Old Hack said:The Demonic Duck, in the comic store, with the TF gun.
The Mall-Goblin, in the mall, with a shopping bag.
While I know it's a joke, my brain got wondering. Doesn't the TF Gun have safeties that prevent it from bestowing a lethal transformation? It follows the rule of transformations being convenient, but I think the TF Gun having safeties like that has been explicitly mentioned. I don't remember where, and don't really feel like diving into the archive to find one little fact.
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6 minutes ago, Don Edwards said:Galileo wasn't executed. He was tried for heresy (and placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life) basically for saying it was PROVEN that the earth moves around the sun and for rather blatantly insulting certain prominent clergymen who held to the geocentric theory. The church didn't have any objection to either theory - but did not consider either to be PROVEN, and objected strenuously to overly-confident assertions of what was still questionable.
(In fact the proof that Galileo offered was inadequate - because the instruments of the time were insufficiently accurate and precise.)
Huh...I thought he was executed for some reason. I guess that's what I get for working from memory instead of checking my facts.
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7 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:2 hours ago, The Old Hack said:Bah. Eratosthenes was a wuss. If he had been a real man like Galileo he'd have waited until Christians came into power so he could have been threatened with burning at the stake for saying the Earth was round.
Be fair. Any entrenched power structure acts to destroy threats to its status quo.
Not always. It certainly happens, but I'm not sure the tendency. Galileo for instance wasn't exactly executed for the heliocentric model. The church was fine with him publishing his theory, though asked him to include a nod to the prevailing theory. What ultimately got Galileo executed was that he acted like a jerk. When he included the mention of the geocentric model, it was with insulting, condescending tone. He also ended up insulting the pope at one point, who at the time was the main (maybe even only) person on Galileo's side.
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16 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:Elliot is forgetting he can break character if he wants.
He can, but he needs to actively break character, requiring focus and such. It doesn't take a lot of effort but it does require an effort. If he doesn't make that effort, the mind-affecting aspects can drive his actions, like when Mild-mannered Elliot would use mild, family-friendly cursing or Heidi would impulsively give Carol a kiss. The secret identities are very powerful and subtle magic that can change his thought processes, emotion, and personality, while leaving him with the knowledge that his thoughts are shifted and the ability to 'break character' if needed. Remember that when he was in his mild-mannered form, he was getting all flustered about Justin, even though he knew he had the capacity to break character.
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42 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:I wasn't assuming, I was speculating. Just seemed like everyone was ganging up on what I'd thought was a pretty cool speculation. Besides, once it occurred to me, I just couldn't resist sharing the mental image of young-looking Elf Adrian wearing low-slung breeches, riding a wolf and weilding a crescent moon short-sword with a feral grin on his face. ;-)
Everyone tearing to tear apart the speculation is likely out of fear or something similar. At least I know I'm concerned of what would happen if Sirleck managed to get ahold of Adrian. Mr. Raven is one of the lifelines for the main group if things start to go sour. Losing him has dire prospects for down the road. There's been no mention of how easy or difficult it would be to remove a body snatcher from a host that isn't brain dead. It could be possible that the only way to separate them without harming the host would be to convince the snatcher to detach. Hopefully it wouldn't be that dire, but I can certainly see that as a desirable quality that a body snatcher would cultivate in order to discourage those that would seek to destroy them.
Also if anything happened to Adrian, Pandora would flip. Her son appears to be the only tenuous link of morality she has left. If something happens to him, what's going to stop her from going on a rampage and destroying as much stuff as she can before the other immortals manage to wrestle her down? Of course, even if Sirleck isn't planning on possessing Adrian, whatever he does is likely to anger Pandora, and she can throw some massive tantrums.
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3 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:Well, sure, we're not sure that Adrian doesn't spend his weekends doing Elfquest cosplay, either. You can speculate all sorts of things into existence. Has there been any indication in-comic that elves can resist or sense body-snatchers?
...I can almost imagine him doing that...almost.
He would likely be able to sense body-snatchers if he's in his elven form, as he has stated his magic senses are sharper in that form (His ears can taste magic). In his old man form, it's more debatable. His passive magic sense in that form is sharp enough to know when an immortal is impersonating Agent Wolf, due to the fact that Wolf is one of the most powerful wizards in the mid-western United States and immortal magic cannot be sensed at all. So he might be able to sense Sirleck, but maybe not well enough to identify the threat.
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10 minutes ago, Aura Guardian said:Falcon? Maltese, perhaps? ... Seriously, why is the MacGuffin THERE... oof.
It's a false lead. Obviously Mr. Star won't be important later. He even said so himself.
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3 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:Hmm, he can sense there's *something* there, but he was still surprised by Adrian being an elf later on. So if you went looking for an elf by such means, you might have to sort through who-knows-how-many other creatures of various sorts.
Specifically he sensed something that was highly unnatural. There are likely to be other beings that have such an unnatural signature, but it would surely help to narrow down potential targets. That with cross-referencing and other legwork would help confirm whether or not a given target is an elf. Not with 100% certainty without something like a direct confrontation or getting really lucky, but likely close enough to move forward in maneuvering. Elves are likely rare, so it would take a lot of money and time to find one to take, but if the body snatcher wants an extremely long-lived and powerful host, the cost would certainly be worth it.
9 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:That could be more of a problem. However, I suspect Sirleck would think himself clever enough to avoid triggering such restrictions and still get what he wanted.
Sirleck certainly thinks himself clever, but he's also cautious and scared to death of immortals. There is also the fact that the elf's immortal parents might keep an eye on their progeny. Pandora certainly does, and while she's not the best example of normal immortal behavior, it shows that such an emotional attachment is possible. Maybe such an emotional attachment is the norm among immortals that make half-mortal children, and Sirleck hopes to use that to further distract Helena and Demetrius from Elliot to give Magus a chance to do the thing he needs to do so Sirleck can steal Magus's body.
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2 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:Maybe because he didn't know of any? They likely do not advertise their heritage. Recall, in the confrontation with Abraham, Adrien took it as given that revealing he was "the bastard son of a human and an Immortal" would lead Abraham to want to destroy him as much as he wanted to kill Ellen. It would probably make them targets for a lot of other stuff, too.
True, elves likely don't advertise their heritage, but they can be sensed by mortal magic. So all it would take is to find a capable paranormal detective with loose morals and a lot of time to comb the country for one. Given, if they are targets for monster hunters or such, then that would make for unsavory hosts.
Also the immortal restrictions would likely still apply even with a vampire/aberration possessing the elf, so the body snatcher would have to really toe the line to avoid bringing a good portion of the immortal community down on his head.
STORY: Wednesday, May 25, 2016
in Comic Discussion
Posted
It is an enchantment, the page you linked even calls it an enchantment. It's just a Uryuom enchantment, which interacts differently with Uryuoms and greater chimeras than creatures not of uryuom decent. To non-uryuoms, it still applies an enchantment.