Don Edwards

One of her magical abilities is persuasion, as I recall... Unfortunately, if there's any human on the planet immune to that power, it's gonna be Mom.

I have driven in ice storms in three states. I don't recommend it - if you have a viable alternative, do that instead. That said: it's worse in areas that rarely gets such things (such as Seattle where I lived for 30+ years, Portland OR that I was driving through during one, and Dallas where the Professor is) than in areas where they are fairly common (such as Indiana where I went to college). There are several reasons why the areas that rarely get them get it worse. Three big ones: 1) Almost nobody knows how to drive in them 2) Almost nobody - not road maintenance crews, not emergency services, not electric line crews, not city buses - has specialized equipment to deal with them. (Seattle buses typically need chains for one 24-hour period, or less, every five to eight years; guess what they usually aren't carrying when that time arrives, particularly if it starts in mid-afternoon.) 3) Ice at 31.5 degrees Fahrenheit is much slicker than ice at 0 Fahrenheit.

"Mom, I recently learned something that I need to talk to you about... but... there are a bunch of other people's secrets involved in how I learned it, so if you think I'm not telling you everything, you're right."

I endorse the decision for everyone to stay put.

There's also the thing that she's been keeping a lot of secrets about herself, and now she's found someone that she can tell them to. Pressure release ==> perhaps a bit more sharing than she would engage in if this were all perfectly normal to her.

So, why was The Human waving his hand around like that?

Adrian is approximately (best estimate) 600 years old. He was born in Europe. He has living descendants. Statistically, something over half of the people in the world with European ancestry in the past 600 years should be descended from him. (If he were a thousand years old, it wouldn't be "something over half" - it would be "essentially all".) I doubt he was the first Elf. And I doubt that Elves happened only in Europe. IMHO, pretty much everyone in the world has at least one Immortal ancestor, and most have more than one.

It's been recognized that keeping magic secret is not plausible, but DGB is not exactly pushing it into the limelight at a rapid pace either. And even when general awareness of magic does start to come out, people who have magic might still prefer to put off revealing their situation.

Biologically, with no magic involved, the fact that Adrian has sired at least two children (Diane, and some distant ancestor of Susan) is pretty much proof that the Immortals' chromosomes are pretty close to human, and the count is exactly the same. Of course, "with no magic involved" and "Immortals" don't go together very well. But then Susan is several-generations-away descended from an Immortal, and there's no indication of either of her parents being aware of magic. So either there's no magic involved in her specific case, or it's self-activating magic, or there's something her parents haven't told her.

Just don't forget that a sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

Mainly for Old Hack. On another forum a Danish expression was mentioned. "Do not sell diamonds for goldfish." Can you clarify what that's supposed to mean? Is there anything to it other than the relative values of the two items?

True in many contexts. I've suggested that the only way "supply chain" is a valid and accurate concept is if it's followed by "link fence". If you follow things around enough, our supply of computer chips is dependent on an adequate supply of wood. And potatoes. But with communications networks being what they are, our supply of both of those things is now dependent on our supply of computer chips.

Or maybe a "packing for the trip to Damascus" event...

I kind of doubt if her large drop trap is big enough. That cat might weigh 50 pounds. Her knowledge of where cats that aren't panthers are likely to hide, though, might actually be useful - if they don't already have someone with that knowledge on hand.

I don't think it will take all that long... seems that a certain rather prominent mouse owns one of those game systems.

Because someone had magically turned him female, obviously. "Who?" and "Why?" and "When?" and "How?" - might remain unanswered questions (from Noah's perspective) for a while. Along with how Elliot learned of the Diamond's existence.

Which could just be "I think I know who it is." And then Noah could run through all the people that he is aware she knows... which may or may not include Ellen...

So is that one version the only interesting tea? Or does she like several of the mint teas?

I note that the wand is pointed more or less in the general direction of Sarah. So it could be directional (with a generous allowance for poor aim).

https://www.gocomics.com/9chickweedlane/2006/09/23

Much prefer having my body over yours, Prof, and I have my right arm in a sling with no idea why my shoulder has hurt so much for the last four days. (I can do left-handed mouse, but left-handed typing is awkward.) May all your {censored} get resolved favorably, and soon.

No evidence that Abraham was the source of the curse. His master was bitten by a werewolf and thus became one; apprentice Abraham made the Diamond in an attempt to save the master - but failed, in the sense that when the Diamond split the master into a full-time human and a full-time werewolf, the werewolf promptly attacked and killed the human. I don't recall anything suggesting that the werewolf who killed Blaike was, or wasn't, one of the werewolves in Abraham's origin story.

ChronosCat, that second link says 2023 but its url says 2022.

Usually, when people close venetian blinds, the toward-the-room edge of each slat is down. And it's obvious that they are designed that way. There would be several advantages - including both blocking sunlight better and conserving heat better in winter - if that edge were UP. Some venetian blinds close up sufficiently to be better than when closed down - but not all, and most of even those won't close up completely.

Best estimate we had on Pandora's age before she reset was "at least 600." And she was approximately 200 when Adrian was born.