Hmmm, looks like it's time for...

Arhra Explains, Issue 2!
Q: So a certain event awakened everyone?
A: Not exactly, no. Essentially, some people have the abilities to become mages but, like a can full of gasoline, they need a spark to achieve their potential.

Some are... leakier and easier to ignite. Contents under pressure I suppose you could say? Bigger cans?

Q: What?
A: People with a lot of potential magic, like yourselves, often don't need much to nudge them into full blown magery!

Q: What is the 'spark'?
A: Generally, magic begets magic. Exposure to concentrations of magic can activate magical potential. Things like the forced activation talismans deliberately exaggerate this effect. Devices and Familiars can also do this, although more benignly and a quick activation is only really common if the person had a lot of magic potential.

Q: Why hasn't it happened until now?
A: Quick history lesson! There was another world. I suppose you could think of it as the Spirit World, or Underhill. Magical phenomena were more common there, meaning a mage potentiate who wandered over there would frequently get triggered.

The war between Ancient Verda and Autekka destroyed most of the links between worlds. The scarcity of mages and the devastation also meant a rapid decline in the numbers of triggering events. Naturally occuring outbreaks of magic also sharply dropped off. Perhaps the world had some sort of immune response?

Recently though, something has changed. The links are healing and the way is becoming traversable again, if dangerous.

Q: So is this where the Devices and Familiars came from?
A: Some of them, yes. Others have been here and dormant the whole time.

Q: Why haven't there been any experienced mages then?
A: My, that is suspicious, isn't it? I guess modern Verda and Autekka are still busy with their own issues?

Q: Modern?
A: You can rebuild a lot in a millenium you know.

Q: Are all Autekkan abilities reliant on their Device?
A: Nope! A Device can just automatically cast some of the owner's simpler spells. It borrows some of their mana to do so. Devices also handle some elements of the more advanced spells. With enough experience, the Autekkan mages should be able to cast all their spells without any help from their Devices at all.

Q: What about Familiars?
A: They will tell you to use gorram Magic Missile and you will gorram do so! They have a bond with their owner, so they're good at recognising where your skills lie and how to bring them out. Their role is to attach themselves to a budding mage and nurture and develop those skills. In the meantime, they'll help protect you with some of their own magic.

Q: So, how do I learn spells?
A: You'll be able to throw off your simpler spells after a little nudging from your Familiar/Device. For the aforementioned nudging, use of koans and/or slapping is optional. Hurried instructions are also a popular option. Also, things to the effect of "Crap, I need a shield now!" are effective motivators.

More complex spells will need a little more experimentation and practice. That will be fun to see. Similarly, your ability to efficiently process mana, the ammount you can throw around and the size of your reserves will tend to increase with time as you exercise your talents.

Any more questions?

It's becoming apparent to me what a lucky choice it was to make Kowaiza's familiar an unhelpful jerk-- lets me BS around the details I don't know.

Should we be calling these things "Guardians?" Should our familiars actually know what's up, or do they just know "Magic's going down, get the kid to the park?" Not that Picky would be so straight forward about such things, since he's a jerk, but it might help the kids at home.

Really, I need to come up with a list of questions at some point. I'll wait until this first night is over, though. Maybe things'll be more clear then.

Yeah, that is a good idea.

Guardians is acceptable. Although, it's debatable whether whatever they were supposed to be guarding still exists.

You know, I was tempted to have a bit of a bossy, emotional Familiar when I was working on a Verda concept.

I was going to call him Zakouru. Because YOU CANNOT REFUSE ZAKOURU!

*crickets chirp*

...

Ok, so, in this last post, Menarker didn't really give me too much of an excuse to post these, but I swore to myself that I'd post this after his next post.

My first jab at his relationship with his cat.

And my second, more esoteric, take on Mero and Menarker's relationship. Ok, not so much "esoteric" as "perverted," but whatever.

Sorry, but the first one is the first thing that came to my mind after your second post. Also, I applaud your considering the attention spans of your fellow posters in your posts, Mern. Your long posts weren't bad, but your last is much easier to digest. And easier to digest posts are more likely to be understood.

Oh, right, and, on an unrelated note, I have no idea what Zankouru is. I apologise for my lack of understanding. I can only watch so much.

Ha, that first one is hilarious.

On the second one, I see your meme and I'll raise you a meme. No particular reason, I just stumbled on it for the first time today!

Anyway, on Zakouru, perhaps if I break it up?

ZA KOURU!

Or "Za korllu!" to get closer to how it would be pronounced.

Or, to ruin the joke by explaining it and incidentally steal hours of your life, click here. Although I guess you would get it just by looking at the URL?

I am a terrible person.

EDITNESS: Well, its time for some answers, so you'll probably want to ask some questions! Probably easiest if we can get some big questions here in this thread for the benefit of people who aren't at this little meeting. Then you'll have enough information to help you decide how your Familiar/Device might present it.

Mero: "And after we save the MacGuffin and save the world, I wanna live in Menarker's personal house, caring after your every needs, until you grows old with age, and sneak in your clothing whenever I'm not peeking at you in the shower..."

Menarker: "Now you're talking about things that I don't understand that's starting to creep me out."

:3
Well, apparently the name Mero translate to Love. <3


You guys should try reading the manga MxO from the website OneManga. I based Mero's relationship a little bit off of there.

Anyhow, I'm glad to see my choice to split my posts in smaller bits easier for everyone. ^^

Incidently, I should let you know that that these "long posts" are standard size for me. My longest SINGLE post in a roleplay was 20 pages long. Although I was the GM of the story then. It was memed in that forum as "THE POST". But it was well done according to them... But considering when everyone else did 5 pages posts during that roleplay... and yes, pages filled up in a hurry. ^^

Good times. ^^

I said, "YOU CANNOT REFUSE ZAKOURU!" to Mike and he understood instantly. I feel dumb.

Question! Do the mudmen leave a glowing beam in the air, or is more of a star? I tried to draw what I meant, but the gimp locked up on me and I didn't feel like trying again.

I will read MxO if it isn't too long.

It's about 100 chapters, so it's a fair sized one, but nothing remotely close to the ones like Naruto or One Piece with 400+ chapters. It would have been more but the company felt they weren't making enough money on it to make ends meet and gave a faked ending. It's a shame, cause I felt it actually was a good series.

Personally, I didn't particularly mind the length, merely the mild sense of disjoint with the scenecuts. I think it's just a tempo break right now, as we're trying to do the "action first/explaination later" style intro with the current scene.

Speaking of scenes, the park looks like it's heating up nicely now. I'll probably post again with meeting Arhra and AB's characters later tonight.

Wait, Alex did what now?

Or did you mean Krylo's character, Rei? The one with the sword out?