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      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!

Dabat

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Posts posted by Dabat

  6. Posted

    4 hours ago, Scotty said:

    It always referred to itself as "we" so either it's a collective intelligence among whales, or there was an agreement among them to have one of them make contact

    True enough. Though I've also wondered from time to time if the whale wasn't Pandora. I don't think it is, but I wouldn't put it past her.

     

    4 hours ago, Scotty said:

    Magic has a flair for the dramatic and may troll people as well, I wouldn't really call it kind, maybe capricious.

    Kind perhaps wasn't the right word, but I certainly would not call it cruel. Capricious is fitting.

     

    4 hours ago, Scotty said:

    The spells people get are a reflection of their personality combined with how they use, two people that have the same interests might get the same initial spell, but if they use them differently, any new spells would be different

    I had forgotten that spells could modify themselves. That opens up a few new doors for research (in universe). I wonder if spells like the Guardian Form can be modified.

     

    4 hours ago, Scotty said:

    Uryuom's power is an internal energy and so their home planet wouldn't need a Will

    Which brings up the question of if Uryuoms (and more specifically specifically Lespuko) are natural reservoirs of magic, or if they are simply better at metabolizing (for lack of a better word) their own body's natural magical power.

     

    I do want to say that I am not trying to be pedantic, I am simply stuck with a very inquisitive mind and when I am interested in something I can't *NOT* ask questions like this. I either voice them or they go round and round in my head until something else takes the attention. Thanks for being a springboard.

  7. Posted

    32 minutes ago, Scotty said:

    The whale that contacted Tedd said that they maintain the health of the world by feeding on excess energy, so they seem to exist as a counter to whatever produces it. The thing is though, it talks about the buildup as if something is producing magic at a rate that the whales can't keep up with, which suggests that the whales aren't aware of the other half of the world and that the reason for the buildup isn't because of increased production, but of a blockage of flow.

    But the whale did know that there was something special about Tedd and referred to her as a "Dangerous Rarity" so I'm guessing the whales are possibly aware of the Will of Magic and system changes. Maybe the whales are older than Pandora's current incarnation and witnessed the last system change?

    If I were a whale that ate magic and I was contacting someone who used magic, I'd tell her I was helpful too. I agree it is possible the whales do not know about the other side of the world, but it is also possible it considered the information about the other side of the world to be irrelevant to their warning. Either way, it seems that the whales (well, whale, we only saw one, and it may have been acting alone) either have a lot of empathy for Tedd, or will likely be somehow harmed by a magical reset.

     

    Other then that, as far as magic goes, there are a few things we do know.

    -Magic has a will, it has something it wants. It seems to want to be used, but not widely known.

    -Magic is kind. While it can be terribly destructive. It normally either kills you or leaves no lasting damage. Spells that should be tremendously dangerous, like TF magic, are safe.

    -Summons/constructs come from somewhere, and it has been hinted (or rather, lack of hinting seems to indicate) that place is not what Ed Verres has called 'the spirit world'. And that constructs of a similar flavor are similar enough that Mr. Verres was able to determine type based on partial descriptions ('fire' people and the bloodgrem)

    -Spells do not seem to be unique, perhaps it is because of human psychology, but there do seem to be a limited number of them.

    -Magic seems to be different by species, or at least the world a person species comes from.

    -Magic, or the free energy that powers magical spells, moves, much like a undersea current.

    Anything I missed?

  8. Posted

    4 minutes ago, Scotty said:

    That doesn't make much sense considering there are "whales" that consume excess energy on the main half.

    It does make you wonder how the energy is produced to begin with, is it a byproduct of another process? Is it the same as how humans and other animals breath oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, and then plants take in the carbon dioxide and give off oxygen? If the "whales" eat magic, what do they give off as waste and then what takes the waste and turns it back into magic?

    On the flip side it could be that the whales are non-terrestrial and are simply attracted through space to the the buildup of excess magical energy on our side of the world. Since they have shown that they can't eat it all, Magic might have just written off whatever they eat as a loss.

     

    Well, my great-grandmother was a fairly prominent occultist around the turn of the last century. I could tell you what she thought magic was, it would likely have no relation to what is going on in the comic though.

  9. Posted

    1 hour ago, Scotty said:

    That's why I figure that either each half of the world has their own Will of magic, or there's just the one Will but it can manipulate how magic works in each half independently, with the magic energy flowing between being the only constant.

    Or both halves have the same will, but 'free' magical energy is finite. Our side is supposed to be the one where excess magical energy is produced and the other is supposed to be the one to use it up.

  11. Posted

    11 minutes ago, mlooney said:

    Ok, I need to check, I think the OT14 has an Elliot -> Tedd link, if it doesn't going to add that ASAP

    Aside for shipping, I do think that Elliot is on the right track, with one major assumption, that "The Will of Magic" in fact can notice what is going on mundanely in the world.  If all WoM can notice is magic use in the world, we might have a problem.

    Sorry. I'm blanking. OT14?

  12. Posted

    11 minutes ago, Aura Guardian said:

    Reminds me of Smiling Jack's commentary about cell phone cameras and the Masquerade. He's quite right, something's got to give. And The Will Of Magic is the only thing that reasonably can.

    The majority of my characters in that setting, both LARP and tabletop, were prepared just in case that did happen. I wonder how Elliot's revelation will affect the comic's story. Because he's right. Eventually Magic is either going to have to put up or shut up. A world wide phenomena like that couldn't stay hidden in an age of instantaneous communication, not forever.

     

    EDIT: I dun't spel gude.

  16. Posted

    2 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

    If it does, he'd also be without his Modern Dress And Knowledge spell.  He'd be stuck speaking Old English or some equivalent, and no longer know about how modern stuff like cars and locks work.

     

    Is he English? I could of sworn he was French? ... Though now that I try to recall, I have no idea why I thought he was.

  17. Posted

    I had assumed Magic would keep working the same, but Tedd's right. If the interaction changes the tech might not work on humans anymore, or even Grace. I also wonder what would happen to Abraham in his stone form. Does the spell just end?

     

    Also I love the how Dan is drawing Tedd's eyes right now. They work so well at making her look angry and upset.

  20. Posted

    11 hours ago, hkmaly said:

    It's less disconnect and more shortage of terms.

    There is magic the universal force. Magic analyzer wand is able to measure it. The results are labelled according to what that reading means for humans, but you get readings from Uryuom as well.

    Then there is the Will of Magic, who have some objectives and flair for drama ... for humans on this half of universe. So, either it for some reason have different rules and objectives for different species, or it really can only influence humans and Uryuoms actually have their own, with considerably less objectives.

    When Andrea was talking about magic, she was talking about the force.  The whale used the term magic energy. Magic reset can't do anything with the clog, because that's already existing energy which can't just disappear.

    Meaning, the will of magic might not be as powerful as it seems - or as it poses to be.

     

     

    Pretty much. When I said "Universal Force" I was meaning universal force in the physics sense. The energy that powers magic may very well be some universal force, or a known natural force expressed in an unknown way. But the entity(ies) that people refer to as "The Will Of Magic", which seems to be the arbiter of when and how magical forces can be used, is not.

  21. Posted

    7 minutes ago, Scotty said:

    The thing that stands out for me is way back at the end of the first Sister arc, just before Ellen zaps Tedd, Edward comments that it was disturbing seeing one's son as a girl. which I'll agree does sound transphobic. But shortly after we see Edward thinking to himself that maybe he should have picked a gender neutral name when Tedd was born, that doesn't sound transphobic to me, more like feeling it would be easier if the name wasn't awkward to say when referring to a daughter or a son. I just can't imagine someone who's transphobic thinking that.

    I don't think that Mr. Verres is transphobic, at least not to the degree where I'd actually call it transphobic. I fully believe Mr. Verres loves his child as much as a father can. I've outed myself on this forum before, so I don't terribly mind saying again that I am intersex. Now, maybe I am projecting some, but I feel like I know exactly where Tedd is right now (at least with regards to family and who he can talk to). I know that my parents love me unconditionally, but there were a lot of awkward moments while I was still figuring things out. My parents will, and have, supported me in anything I will do, but at the same time they are not who I turn to for gender advice.

     

    Incidently, i recently learned I can't give more than ten likes a day. :(

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  22. Posted

    2 hours ago, hkmaly said:

     

    Magic can be universal force and STILL have different rules for how different species can use it. It would even explain why some things won't change in magic reset: interaction between two spells will remain same, but interaction between human and spell - like when human would cast that spell - would change.

     

     

    I think we have a disconnect here. It would be possible for magic to be a universal force and simply be expressed differently by different species were it not for the fact it can (and will) change at will and do so by individual species, that is the definition of a non-universal force. Universal forces are just that, universal. They can't change without a change to the entire universe, and they don't care that they can't change. While magic is choosing to be expressed, and how. Now, magic is probably powered by the interaction of some as-of-yet unknown universal force(s), with magic itself being the arbiter of how and when those forces can be used. That means magic is extremely powerful, and perhaps even a universal entity, but not a universal force.

  23. Posted

    17 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

    Oh dear Lord. I just thought of something. If Tedd is angry at the unfairness of the world and Magic in general, how must she be feeling about her father right now. Mr. Verres' transphobia has already served to drive a wedge between the two of them, and now the fact that he has turned out to be right about magic all along (if for the wrong reasons) must make it even harder for Tedd to deal with him. I am not looking forward to their next meeting. :(

    I said as much in the thread about the previous comic, though not in those exact words. From what little we saw about Tedd before school today, I got the feeling she was actively avoiding Grace and her father (though for different reasons). Normally if someone has been/is/will be interacting with someone else, Dan will give some indication that the other person is there. But if I recall correctly Tedd was drawn to be totally alone.

    The Old Hack reacted to this

  24. Posted

    29 minutes ago, ijuin said:

    I think that Uryuoms being exempt may be due to the Magic Reset being a Terran-local phenomenon--it only affects Earth species. Given the very presence of Uryuoms on Earth at all, coupled with the size of the universe, there are almost certainly millions of sapient species in existence across the universe. (Fermi paradox argument) Assuming that the whole universe does not metaphysically revolve around Earth or humans, then the more species in the universe, the less likely that the whole universe would change just due to the actions of humans on Earth. Earth is just a trillionth of a trillionth of a single universe, and the affairs of the inhabitants of one pale blue dot should not be expected to make a difference to the rest.

    Also, note that the Emissary and Pandora spoke of a change in how magic works "for humans". Humans are a species who can acquire the use of magic, but who can also live perfectly well without it. However, some beings (Immortals, Uryuoms, etc.) have magic so incorporated into their very nature that ripping it out would probably mean instant death for them. Given that Magic seems to be deliberately merciful in preventing injury from being inherent to its use (e.g. all of the growth/shrinking/transformation safeguards), it seems uncharacteristic that Magic would rip the life force out of whole species during a Reset.

    I understand that, but that raises other questions, all of the non-earthlings we have seen, the Uryuoms and The Deathless Army of Rage, seem to have magic (the Deathless got to earth somehow, and they don't seem like a technological species) seems to point to magic being some form of a universal force. Tedd has certainly been studying it that way. But this indicates that magic is not a universal force, but rather one that changes from species to species. We only know how magic works for for Humans and Uryuoms, but Uryuoms coming to earth, even living their entire lives on earth, don't learn magic the way humans do it would seem to support the "universal force that is expressed differently by different species" hypothesis. But humans losing access to their magic while Uryuoms (and Uryuom hybrids) not doing so would indicate that magic is instead an abnormal force that concentrates itself deliberately. Perhaps it's even that magic is less a universal force, but one where different species have their magic provided by different entities, and Human-Magic-Entity CAN'T give or take away Deathless Army magic and vis-versa. If either of those is true, that indicates that magic is something that can be communicated with, anything communicated with can be reasoned with... Even bargained with. And THAT information would be game changing.

     

    Please note. I am not being pedantic here. I am not trying to say "THIS IS HOW DAN MUST WRITE!!!11!". I just can't always turn my 'science brain' off, and if I were in Tedd's shoes (once I calmed down) these are the questions I would be asking as well as the likely hypotheses I would draw from the information at hand. Besides some speculation on my part, meta-wise we know that the a good portion of this is true, but the characters in the comic don't.

     

     

     

    14 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

    Interesting point, ijuin.  It does make me wonder, if we'd gotten to the point of space travel, would a reset caused by the actions of humans on Earth affect humans who live on another planet?  Perhaps the more spread out humans become, the smaller a percent any one planet's population would be, and the less likely any one world of humans could do anything to cause a magic reset for the rest -- but the fact that what's happening in NaperMoperville is going to affect the rest of the planet is an argument against that.

     

    From what we've seen, it looks like it would affect all humans in one fell swoop, but maybe it could pick and choose, who knows?

    ijuin and The Old Hack reacted to this

  25. Posted

    2 minutes ago, The Old Hack said:

    Thank you.

    And yes, that last sounds entirely reasonable. I have in fact at times sat down hard on my urge to say things for this exact reason. Calming down and analysing them for later, sober discussion seems like the better idea here. Or alternately, venting at someone you trust who is better able to handle the overflow.

    We're veering into speculation territory here, but this does come back to what you and I were talking about yesterday. Grace wont be loosing anything if magic gets pissy and changes the rules (though if I were Tedd, the first question I'd ask once I calmed down is *why* Grace wont lose her magic. If magic is an elemental force, even one with a will behind it, shouldn't its change affect everyone equally?). And Grace will likely try and be helpful and point out that Tedd will still have the TF gun even if she looses the rest of her magic... Which likely would have worked on Tedd six months ago, hell, it likely would have worked on Tedd six days ago. But now that Tedd is marked, and understands the concept of gender fluid, she's realized that she's not just some weirdo with a fetish. She need to figure out if she's actually happier living as female with occasional trips to male rather than vis-versa.

     

    We're talking foundation of identity revelations here, she has a right to be upset and confused. And all of this isn't even getting into her lost dream of sharing magic with everyone.

    The Old Hack reacted to this