np NP, Thursday August 4, 2016

[Scotty 1,061]

http://www.egscomics.com/egsnp.php?id=494

I think someone did theorize this. Cookies for them.

[ijuin 572]

I wonder if Good Tom will get a spell for saving kitties next?

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

The idea that someone with super powers or magic would use those abilities for petty or silly pursuits is an old story.
But it can be fun to watch it play out.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

This story. I can't. It's just too cute. Every time I see more of Pandora, I have a harder time seeing her as a villain.

Also, Good Tom.

47 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

The idea that someone with super powers or magic would use those abilities for petty or silly pursuits is an old story.
But it can be fun to watch it play out.

Bah. You just say that because it wasn't a spell to save hippos or crocodiles. Puppies are important.

[hkmaly 490]

2 hours ago, Scotty said:

I think someone did theorize this. Cookies for them.

Not me, but in hindsight it seems obvious - and consistent with the "Pandora certainly marked LOT more people than shown" which I keep theorizing.

... seems even more likely when Pandora just said she can mark anyone. Although, "worth my time" suggests she can't just walk through crowd and mark everyone around.

(I will be disappointed if this storyline would show less than 6 marks)

1 hour ago, ijuin said:

I wonder if Good Tom will get a spell for saving kitties next?

You mean after awakening?

Very likely. In fact, it's quite in character for him to have a minor angst-induced awakening caused by failure to save some kitty. And logically, he will get spell for saving kitties from that.

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

The idea that someone with super powers or magic would use those abilities for petty or silly pursuits is an old story.

Well, there are only two possibilities how to make story about super powers.

First, they will be used for petty or silly pursuits and it would be funny story.

Second, they will be used for "taking over the world" (or city or something) or preventing that and it would be action story.

Both are as old as stories in general, although it used to be magic, wishes or gifts from gods before it was superpowers.

You may also use the powers for boring stuff, but such story would be boring so it's unlikely someone would write it.

 

[Scotty 1,061]

2 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

Not me, but in hindsight it seems obvious - and consistent with the "Pandora certainly marked LOT more people than shown" which I keep theorizing.

... seems even more likely when Pandora just said she can mark anyone. Although, "worth my time" suggests she can't just walk through crowd and mark everyone around.

You know what though? Grace might be wrong about Catalina. The Paw mark in that list could be a puppy paw.

[hkmaly 490]

11 minutes ago, Scotty said:

15 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

Not me, but in hindsight it seems obvious - and consistent with the "Pandora certainly marked LOT more people than shown" which I keep theorizing.

... seems even more likely when Pandora just said she can mark anyone. Although, "worth my time" suggests she can't just walk through crowd and mark everyone around.

You know what though? Grace might be wrong about Catalina. The Paw mark in that list could be a puppy paw.

... technically true. I mean, I don't think Grace is wrong (although the paw MIGHT be a puppy paw) but it is possible.

(The commentary I thought about trying to hide Catalina's identity, but decided it wasn't worth it. Her silhouette is pretty recognizable, and having Grace avoid referring to her would have gotten ridiculous. MIGHT be red herring, although I don't think it is.)

[Stature 96]

Mark my woof - if it will not be a red herring later on, it has no paw-pose.

[Scotty 1,061]

2 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

... technically true. I mean, I don't think Grace is wrong (although the paw MIGHT be a puppy paw) but it is possible.

As far as we know, Grace was just shown the marks, and not told who has them. She knows Dex's mark for sure because she's seen it on him, she can then assume the flame is Justin's because of the fiery aura he had when he used his spell, the size change mark would be Rhoda's because of the boar, she hasn't actually seen or heard of Catalina doing anything cat-like other than just her normal behaviour based on how the MNHS gang describe her so she would come to the conclusion that Catalina would be prime for a cat-like mark and spell. Now that I've seen this NP, I'm thinking Dan threw us a red herring in Squirrel Prophet.

[Tom Sewell 268]

Once again, which October is this?

The "master plan" suggests that Pandora's motive is to expose magic, the "apocalypse" she promised to create to make the world she thinks Adrian is asking for. She knows that Moperville has more than normal ambient magical energy, so that almost anyone should be able to use the potential spell she activates with a mark. That doesn't mean she created the clog, but maybe she did.

Or maybe her "master plan" as of the October before last October is just to have some fun creating a chaotic situation more likely to surprise her.

Let's all hope she didn't mark Bad Tom.

[Don Edwards 548]

I don't think it's been realized that Rhoda was doing size-change magic on the boar.

And it's possible that the shapes of at least some of the marks do not relate to the accompanying spell. Susan's mark was the traditional female symbol, which has no apparent connection to summoning magical copies of objects.

[Tom Sewell 268]

9 minutes ago, Don Edwards said:

Susan's mark was the traditional female symbol, which has no apparent connection to summoning magical copies of objects.

Susan got to choose her symbol.  Pandora is trying to get people to learn about magic. Giving them clues in the shape of her marks would  point them toward the right ideas.

 

[Cpt. Obvious 73]

8 minutes ago, Scotty said:

....she hasn't actually seen or heard of Catalina doing anything cat-like other than just her normal behaviour based on how the MNHS gang describe her so she would come to the conclusion that Catalina would be prime for a cat-like mark and spell. ...

And for some reason my brain suddenly decided that I think Catalina's "cat-like" power is the ability to sleep for 18 hours a day...
 

Anyone got a good deal for a new or a low mileage used brain? I'm afraid mine is a bit defective...
 

[Scotty 1,061]

Just now, Don Edwards said:

I don't think it's been realized that Rhoda was doing size-change magic on the boar.

And it's possible that the shapes of at least some of the marks do not relate to the accompanying spell. Susan's mark was the traditional female symbol, which has no apparent connection to summoning magical copies of objects.

They haven't completely confirmed it by asking Rhoda to show them her back. But they've connected the dots which makes sense to them.

Susan got to pick her mark because Helena and Demetrius let her choose, the marks doesn't HAVE to fit the spell it gives, and Pandora has shown that she can choose the mark herself to troll someone, but for the most part it seems the mark would be associated with the spell by default.

[Vorlonagent 442]

I'd expect that Catalina knows about Rhoda's ability, but nobody else.  If Catalina has gotten her "catgirl" Mark yet (likely), Rhoda probably knows about that.

[Scotty 1,061]

2 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

I'd expect that Catalina knows about Rhoda's ability, but nobody else.  If Catalina has gotten her "catgirl" Mark yet (likely), Rhoda probably knows about that.

This would certainly explain why we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary happen to Catalina. As I said before, she's always had cat-like behaviour so it would be easy for anyone to assume she'd get cat related spells.

[Aura Guardian 57]

With this, has Pandora changed from villain to hero? Anyone got odds?

[mlooney 3,417]

Some how the idea of a demi-goddess of chaos having a "master plan" is sort of, well, an alignment violation.   No XP for you this adventure!

 

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Aura Guardian said:

With this, has Pandora changed from villain to hero? Anyone got odds?

How many times have I said she's chaotic, which does not always mean evil?  I think it's one of my standard lines about Pandora.

 

[PSadlon 88]

That

was

AWESOME!!!

[mlooney 3,417]

Well, if you are going to talk about awesome and puppies, you have to include this, from season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Spike: What's this? Sittin' around watching the telly while there's evil still afoot? It's not very industrious of you. I say we go out there and kick a little demon ass! What, can't go without your Buffy, is that it? Let's find her! She is the chosen one, after all. Come on! Vampires! Grrr! Nasty! Let's annihilate them, for justice, and for... the safety of puppies... and Christmas, right? Let's fight that evil! Let's kill something! Oh, come on!

 

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

8 hours ago, Cpt. Obvious said:

Catalina's "cat-like" power is the ability to sleep for 18 hours a day

Impressive.  Without assistance from illness or medication, I can't break 12 hours of sleeping in a 24 hour period.

[Scotty 1,061]

7 hours ago, mlooney said:

How many times have I said she's chaotic, which does not always mean evil?  I think it's one of my standard lines about Pandora.

 

It's a good thing I caught that you said "one of my" despite my just waking up, I was soo gonna call you out and say "I'm pretty sure your standard line of late has involved how hot Pandora is."

[Maplestrip 20]

I know someone has theorized this in the past, but regardless, I think this is mostly accurate:

[Tobyc 22]

12 hours ago, Scotty said:

I think someone did theorize this. Cookies for them.

I know I did. Does it matter if I can't prove it anymore?