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Tom Sewell

Miscellaneous Questions

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Is the DGB really part of the FBI?

Yes, Wolf and Cranium have FBI badges, but they might be part of their cover. No civilian is supposed to know the DGB exists. Even if they are in the FBI, the DGB could be an organization they are detached or seconded to. Given that the DGB handles extraterrestrial matters, it could very well be a multinational organization--which could mean that Noriko is still a part of it even if she's really in Europe.

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3 hours ago, Tom Sewell said:

Is the DGB really part of the FBI?

Yes, Wolf and Cranium have FBI badges, but they might be part of their cover. No civilian is supposed to know the DGB exists. Even if they are in the FBI, the DGB could be an organization they are detached or seconded to. Given that the DGB handles extraterrestrial matters, it could very well be a multinational organization--which could mean that Noriko is still a part of it even if she's really in Europe.

The X Files  was about FBI agents (Mulder and Scully) who investigated unexplained things, it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that Dan was influenced by that series when he created Edward and the organization he's part of. The fact that DGB been interacting with extra terrestrials  also suggests influence from Men in Black. But they could still be a branch of the FBI

Considering Adrian had stated that Noriko ended up putting her career ahead of her family, it wouldn't surprise me if she had put in for transfer to an overseas position, working with other countries versions of DGB.

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How available is cross-universe travel?

One very good excuse for Noriko to be unavailable is that she's spending a great deal of time in other worlds. A parallel universe also supplies a potential excuse for the apparently-identical-but-not-a-twin Diane's existence in the Moperverse.

And imagine the roaming charges for cross-universal calls.

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31 minutes ago, Tom Sewell said:

How available is cross-universe travel?

One very good excuse for Noriko to be unavailable is that she's spending a great deal of time in other worlds. A parallel universe also supplies a potential excuse for the apparently-identical-but-not-a-twin Diane's existence in the Moperverse.

And imagine the roaming charges for cross-universal calls.

Considering Nioi used a magic item to create a portal back to her universe, I would imagine that skilled magic users could do so as well. Tara also mentioned there are specific places in Moperville where portals to the other half of the world can be made, but they probably still require a skilled magic user to activate them which Tara and Andrea are. Whether or not people in the prime universe/world are capable is unknown though, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that Edward, Wolf or Cranium are capable, but it could be possible. I did theorize that maybe Nanase's family originated in the other half of the world which would explain how she could be seen as royalty by Tara and Andrea but thats just a theory.

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"DGB" when it was first introduced did not signify where Edward was working.  That was established as the FBI early on.  "DGB" was the code Edward used for telling Tedd to stay out of what ever was being discussed, because it was "Dad's Government Business".

It was a very early comic, but I will try to find it.

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Yes, DGB is not the official government title for where Edward Verres works.  It has become fan convention to use this TLA to refer to them, because we've nothing better in canon so far.  At this point, we're so used to it that I suspect many of us will continue to use DGB even if Dan does give them an official title someday.

(TLA = Three Letter Acronym)

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Has Grace's family kept in touch?

The only communication we've seen so far was the video call on Grace's birthday, but that doesn't mean that's the only one they've made.  I'd like to think that Grace gets to talk with her family on a regular basis, even if there may be some subjects they can't discuss openly.  I'd really like to see her visit them, or them visit her!

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8 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

Has Grace's family kept in touch?

The only communication we've seen so far was the video call on Grace's birthday, but that doesn't mean that's the only one they've made.  I'd like to think that Grace gets to talk with her family on a regular basis, even if there may be some subjects they can't discuss openly.  I'd really like to see her visit them, or them visit her!

Especially considering Grace asked Dr Sciuridae to stay in touch after the events of Painted Black. I would imagine he's checked in to see how she's handling school and most likely got in touch on Christmas.....Hmmm, I know the past Christmas was more focused on Elliot and Sarah and their breaking up, but there might have been a missed opportunity to have given us an update on Grace's family for the holidays.

I know it's only September, but I wonder if we can get Dan to diverge from his tradition of doing Ellen+Nanase Christmas sketchbooks to do a Sciuridae family Christmas photo or something.

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32 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Has any mention been made of Ellen's frequent catnapping since she started school?

Doesn't seem to be, the catnapping was only due to her bad sleeping habits (staying up late, getting up early, etc) before she started school, Once school started for her (and I would imagine once her and Nanase became a couple) she would have kept better sleep patterns.

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How can Grace have tails without tearing holes in her pants?

This is actually a question The Shive brought up in a commentary once, but I don't know if He got around to answering it. My guess is that Grace usually wears low-rise pants under loose tops which hang down past the top of her pants. In all creatures with butt cracks, tails emerge just at the top, and Grace's tail or tails should be able to clear the rise, especially if she bends over. High-rise thongs like the ones I sighted about a decade ago peering over low-rise pants would pose a problem, but I don't think they're in style any more.

Possibly the DGB has some need for tail-friendly non-uryuom clothing, so maybe Edward ordered some.

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13 minutes ago, Tom Sewell said:

How can Grace have tails without tearing holes in her pants?

This is actually a question The Shive brought up in a commentary once, but I don't know if He got around to answering it. My guess is that Grace usually wears low-rise pants under loose tops which hang down past the top of her pants. In all creatures with butt cracks, tails emerge just at the top, and Grace's tail or tails should be able to clear the rise, especially if she bends over. High-rise thongs like the ones I sighted about a decade ago peering over low-rise pants would pose a problem, but I don't think they're in style any more.

Possibly the DGB has some need for tail-friendly non-uryuom clothing, so maybe Edward ordered some.

Maybe Edward got Grace a set of pants that are made of the same material as the Uryuom suits, I wonder if there's some sort of nanotech involved in those that allows them to conform so snuggly to the body and be so stretchy and accomodating to various forms and letting stuff like tails and claws through without tearing, they literally are 1 size fits all.

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2 hours ago, Scotty said:

Maybe Edward got Grace a set of pants that are made of the same material as the Uryuom suits, I wonder if there's some sort of nanotech involved in those that allows them to conform so snuggly to the body and be so stretchy and accomodating to various forms and letting stuff like tails and claws through without tearing, they literally are 1 size fits all.

I think it's more likely uryuom magic tech. Nanotech wouldn't just make one-size-fits-all clothes possible. Self-replicating nanotech could lead to Grey Goo.

I wonder if The Shive has any familiarity with Cannon God Exaxxiona manga which features a lot of nanotech, including some extremely sexy morphing robots. And really awesome guns.

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4 hours ago, Tom Sewell said:

How can Grace have tails without tearing holes in her pants?

A fly on the back side of the pants would do the trick.

Cleverly tailored to make the seam appear continuous when the tail is not being displayed would be best.
Possibly held together with Velcro instead of buttons or a zipper.

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4 hours ago, Tom Sewell said:

I wonder if The Shive has any familiarity with Cannon God Exaxxiona manga which features a lot of nanotech, including some extremely sexy morphing robots. And really awesome guns.

I assume you're referring to the one that got edited out of the U.S. version ... :o

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2 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

I assume you're referring to the one that got edited out of the U.S. version

I've seen the entire series. I think it ran to seven volumes but only five were published in the US.

Provided Grace has enough time, a zipper or velcro-closed opening would work, but if she has to morph tail(s) fast, no. Besides, zippers and velcro would chaff and get caught in her fur. A loose flap in back would work, but it would look odd; the loose shirt sounds like a simpler and more normal-looking arrangement. 

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Who's doing the magic research that's soo close to figuring it out that the Will of Magic is considering changing the system to prevent it?

Disco Wizard has already ruled out Tedd despite the fact that Tedd's research is in figuring it out, it's possible that what Tedd's learning is stuff that Edward and DGB already knows and Edward at the very least can prevent Tedd from going too far if he deems it too dangerous. As it stands Edward probably allows Tedd to do his research because it not only gave him something to focus on when he was in his withdrawn phase, but Edward probably believes that despite Tedd's apparent lack of magic potential, his talent for understanding magic and technology might make Tedd worthy of a position in DGB.

Who else could be doing research into magic then?

Luke's group? Don't know too much about them yet, at a glance it looked like they were trying to find out more about magic but then it turned out they might have been more interested in meeting Cheerleadra.

Charlotte? She's got forums dedicated to spooky stuff, she might be inadvertently aiding in research into magic, though I am thinking after the Not_Tengu incident and hanging out with Ellen and Nanase, she might have decided to lay off posting stuff to the forums, though I guess any of the forum members might have picked up the torch and continued the work.

After the incident with Abraham and Pandora's appearance on TV shortly after there was an increase in the number of tourists and paranormal enthusiasts to Moperville, any of them could be doing it. Fortunately, I don't think it's Rich and Larry.

What about Rhoda and Catalina? They've been marked, they know about each other's spells and have had a few months to figure out stuff by now, we're only now seeing the extent of what they know and learn 3 months prior to the current events and it's suggested that Catalina might be approaching Elliot about it at school soon. Rhoda might approach Ellen, heck Rhoda might be thinking that if Elliot is magical, Ellen probably is too, and the fact that her and Grace showed up on the same day might make her think Grace is special too, especially considering Grace abruptly changed the subject after Rhoda asked why Ellen was going to MSHS instead of MNHS with Elliot. Anyway, I'm not entirely serious it's Catalina and Rhoda but who knows.

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As Arthur said, the real danger is not of people learning about magic per se, but rather of it becoming known that any idiot can Awaken if they are determined enough. Both Magic and DGB want to prevent the kind of scenario mentioned in Pandora's former-life memory, where armies (or gangs) of Mages decide to terrorize and/or subjugate Muggles on a large scale.

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11 hours ago, Scotty said:

Who's doing the magic research that's soo close to figuring it out that the Will of Magic is considering changing the system to prevent it?

I don't think it's any specific person (as opposed to the number of people), and I don't think "figuring it out" necessarily involves anything the main characters don't already know. My interpretation is that the undesirable situation is where a large number of people know things like what awakening is and what magic marks are and who makes them (things which some people already know, but so far not too many).
It could be that there's some particular thing(s) magic doesn't want anyone to know (like greater detail about how it works than what we already know, or certain ways of getting magic), or that there's some particular person/people magic doesn't want to know about magic, but we don't yet have any indication that either of those things is the case.

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My take on it is that magic (effectively - taking this literally may be over-personification) wants to be special. If too high a percentage of people have it and pretty much everyone knows about it, it stops being special.

At this point I think that even in Moperville, an estimate that 5 people per thousand are uryuom, seyunolu, or magic-using is likely to be rather higher than reality.

How well magic is understood by the fraction who know about it, probably doesn't matter nearly as much as how large that fraction is.

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That's one of the possibilities that I've considered; another is that there's some limited resource needed and there isn't enough for everyone.  Perhaps there's a limited supply of matter for summons and enlarging transformations and such; the griffins consider Nanase's avatar spell to be rare, so perhaps magic on this side of the world limits its matter use by making magic in general rare, whereas on the other side it only makes summoning spells (and others that require significant amounts of extra matter) rare. (Magic energy is another possible resource for this.)

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