Nanase and Her Fox - 12 - HD
Added 2023-10-07 03:00:02 +0000 UTCLearning opportunity!
Commentary
One could easily think the reason Ashley is in this story is because we're going to be exploring trades to make spells cost less, which is definitely something she should take advantage of as part of her training.
Instead, it's something I realized after the story had already started, and the ACTUAL reason Ashley is here is because I thought it would be fun to have her around.
As per usual, however, I'm going to claim it was all planned in advance.
Comments
A magic user's first spell is rarely really useful for anything besides practicing magic. It's supremely useful for that, given it's the only option at that point. Most of the magic using EGS characters are blessed with magic marks or had learned magic before the comic began, so we really didn't get to see that. But I suspect we will with Ashley. Absent other factors, I'd guess information would be cheaper than light. That could just be my experience with this world. That said, I also suspect that rarely is it truly absent other factors. Regarding Luke's spell, one obvious possible way to reduce the cost is to ask for permission and actually get it before casting. That way, you're not fighting any magic resistance they may have that could be blocking it. That said, I doubt that's the case in EGS, or Luke looking at Tedd likely wouldn't have been as painful as it was. Also, it doesn't really feel trade-like.
Some Ed
2023-10-09 08:19:44 +0000 UTCYes, but I have like 20 flashlights plus the one on my phone, so not-useful.
Opus the Poet
2023-10-08 03:24:24 +0000 UTCEven if Kevin had full information about why humans make innuendos, I suspect he'd still miss most of them. He doesn't have the same set of instincts/urges. If bees could talk, and they had the same awkwardly intense feelings about gathering pollen as we do about sex, then their conversations would probably be full of innuendos about flowers and pollen. But if a bee said "that house looks... VERY purple", a human would probably struggle to get the joke. Their mind wouldn't immediately "go there" with thoughts of a colorful purple flower containing lots of pollen.
Dan Merget
2023-10-07 15:57:09 +0000 UTCThere's Ellen's flashlight spell, that should be cheap.
David Fenger
2023-10-07 05:08:08 +0000 UTCI suspect that Arthur didn't include much if anything beyond what he felt was necessary for Kevin to be able to do his job. Well, ok, there's the whole flying bit, but it's possible to justify that, and what engineer hasn't included *some* barely justifiable functionality in some of the stuff they made, especially when the overall goal of the thing seemed to be beyond them? "This I know how to do, and I can say it's needed, and it gives me something to do while I figure out the rest of this stuff."
Some Ed
2023-10-07 04:36:47 +0000 UTCSo far, Ashley has been a treat to have around
PhaineOfCatz
2023-10-07 04:35:27 +0000 UTCUnfortunately for Ashley, in this case, appropriate turns out to mean appropriate. - Fox is right out. Sure, its costs can be reduced, but they start incredibly high. - Sarah's spell is right out. I don't know what trades would be available to make it cost less, but it feels like it's best known for being a really expensive spell with no outward effects (so it could be cast frequently without people noticing and take huge bites out of the mana buildup.) - Cheerleada is right out. It would totally help with her boyfriend's alibis to have another person who could do the spell, but superheroism doesn't come cheap in virtually any world. Ok, sure, PS238 has them in droves, but that story is almost entirely focused on superheroes, so of course they're more plentiful there. Having them in droves doesn't really address how much each cost in world or in terms of character points or some sort of energy. - Transformation spells in general feel to me like they'd be relatively expensive. I mean, to most spells, not the two monsters I already listed. In this world, it sounds like transformations are cheaper than Fox, but I'd expect they're still on the pricey side. In some other worlds, they could be more expensive than Fox. (For example, if Fox was a summon, instead of effectively creating temporary mass.) - Luke's spell is probably relatively cheap, since he's just getting information. If there are trades to make it cheaper, it's likely the sort of thing that Kevin's talking about. It's also something I feel like Ashley would find boring. It wouldn't be as scary for her, because it would tell her that her boyfriend and his friends are strong and she knows they're protective of their friends which includes her.
Some Ed
2023-10-07 04:33:51 +0000 UTCKevin’s awareness of certain things is limited to what would and wouldn’t need to be reported to Human Resources, and does not necessarily include full comprehension of why it’s an issue (only that it is one). This is BASICALLY the basis for him expecting people to wear clothes, and why he knew the “sans accessories” option was an issue.
Dan Shive
2023-10-07 04:06:41 +0000 UTCKevin seems...innocent.
Stephen Gilberg
2023-10-07 03:02:50 +0000 UTC
