An All Too Familiar Conversation (part 11)

Can I suggest someone to write a Redline-Zero snippet? My hands are unworthy.

But that doesn't follow. The Ease with which a person does a crime shouldn't matter with regards to punishment: only the crime itself. I mean, we don't have stricter laws regarding strong men committing assault do we?

With great power comes great responsibility?

As I said, it's "fair" in the way that Animal Farm was "fair"

"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Or in other words, like Registered Mutants from Alpha Complex (Paranoia)

Or like Sanctioned Psykers in the Imperium of Man.

I don't really think any of them paint a prettier picture about Future Halkeginia [/captainovbious]

At least Friend Computer actually cares, I mean it's a bit quirky but it thinks it's doing the right thing in protecting us from the Commie Mutant Traitors that live Outside. [/deliberatelyignoringthepoint]

No, but there's a different standard with crimes with a firearm. You could extend this to anyone who learns their magic: anyone who can wield magic as a lethal weapon is always armed.

Even the dastardly villains who learn to use their magic for healing b/c they can switch to harm just as easily as they can heal (sarcasm)

The totalitarian government of Future!Halkeginia is terrified of the mages, but at the same time magic greases the gears of society. It's indispensable and in its own way just as powerful as technology, and Big Brother knows that power like that could lead the mages into thinking like the dead and gone nobility of centuries past. Cue test tube mages and indoctrination, although to the government's credit it actually tries to treat mages fairly after they're "proper citizens".

Deadguy's analogy is closest. And yes, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Also it appears they are forced to live as shaolin monks, regardless of their own achievments in life.

Will your next snippet cover more on the situation of the Void Mages in future!Halkeginia?

After all the talk about mage inequality, what would happen if a Dragon Age mage was summoned? Especially if its Anders from the end of DA2 just before/as [spoiler]Hawke stabs him[/spoiler]. Merrill also has potential, though she's going to be very surprised by the human-elf dynamic in Halkeginia.

Alternatively, Fenris could be summoned, but I can't see that ending well.

I was just going through my (embarrassingly large) collection of what my dad calls 'irredeemably funny' comedy movies. It's largely dominated by guys like Jim Carrey and movies like the Producers. Anyway, my eye was caught by one of my favorite comedies, and it gave me an epic, if somewhat cracky, idea.

What if Louise summoned Stanley Ipkiss, complete with The Mask (from the movie of that name)? Forget Gandalfr runes, The Mask is hax enough to dominate Halgenkia without them.

Better yet, have Louise just summon The Mask itself, without Stanley. At first she's horribly ashamed at her seeming failure, but then the sun goes down and she dons the mask, turning into an unstoppable supermage who is an awful lot like her mother.

Just as a question, are mages ever allowed near positions of power in your Original Halkeginia thing?

Linking back to my analogy. The Imperium inducts the most powerful (and stable) Psykers into the ranks of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Astartes. Hell the Adeptus Astra Telepathica (The Imperium's council of Magi, basically) has a permanent seat in the Senatorum Imperialis itself IIRC. Is there anything like that in your universe?

I want to her to summon Bottles from Banjo Kazooie just so he can teach her all the void magics w/o the need for the Founder's Prayer book. People look around confused as to why the Valliere is collecting Musical Notes that appear all over the school out of nowhere and only she pick up. When the others try to they just pass right through their hands

So Louise summons a... game mechanic?

Interesting.

Not really to the first, maybe to the second. I'm still ironing out what role a void mage would play in an arcanophobic society like Future!Halkeginia.

Yes and yes. Explanations are also being ironed out. If I'm not careful I'm going to write the idea into a plot hole. And that's terrible.

Already suggested, but go ahead and write it. A summon like the Mask would make for a crazy awesome story.

I'm not sure if I can. If I write anything, it won't be more than a snippet, because all my knowledge of ZnT comes from the first few episodes of the anime (which I only half-remember), a lot of fanfic and the discussions here. I don't know the series well enough to write a full-fledged fic (even if I wasn't already busy with My Little Avengers).

Still, maybe when I get a chance I'll write a snippet.

Louise winds up summoning the Warner brothers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27z5jdDNNYA&feature=related
It can only end in frustraition.

Just to be clear, is the cognitive dissonance something you are deliberately going for in the story or are you actually trying to justify it as somehow not being institutionalized fantasy-racism?

Because the former is well within artistic license but the second is something I will laugh at you for.

Guess who's been playing Chrono Trigger recently...


“I’m not sure this thing is ready for a test run yet, Professor Colbert,” Lucca said, a note of worry in her voice as she looked up at the machine she and the teacher had built together.

“Nonsense, my dear,” Colbert replied, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet with his excitement. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And in any event, we did build this according to your plans, after all. You said that this technology is very common on your world.”

“Well, yes…” Lucca admitted, nervously biting on her lower lip as she looked at the internal combustion engine she and the professor had built together.

Creating a simple motor should have been a snap for Lucca the Great, but the tools and materials she had at hand were frustratingly primitive. She honestly wasn’t sure whether it would work properly.

Lucca had a very healthy opinion of her own intellect, especially when it came to machine, but she also took any chance of mechanical accidents very seriously. After all, her mother would still be crippled as a result of just such an incident if Lucca hadn’t been able to alter history to prevent it.

“We’ll activate it and then make sure to keep a good distance away, just in case something goes wrong,” Colbert said, obviously too eager to let Lucca’s misgivings deter him.

“Well, all right…”

***

“I still don’t see why you want to talk to my familiar,” Louise grumped as she walked through the halls of the academy with Kirche.

“Some of the fire magic she used to defeat Guiche’s golems were unlike anything I’ve ever heard of before,” Kirche replied eagerly. “I’m especially interested in that ‘nay-pom’ spell she unleashed.”

Louise grumbled something inaudible, caught between annoyance and pleasure but trying to show only the annoyance. On the one hand, it was nice to have people coming to her, the so-called Zero, with requests. It actually made her feel a little bit powerful and respected.

On the other hand, Lucca was her familiar, yet everyone else seemed to be monopolizing the girl’s time with one thing or another. Louise desperately wanted to search for one of the Gates that Lucca had told her about and see if they could reach “The End of Time”, but she couldn’t start her search in earnest until Professor Colbert was done with her familiar.

If that Spekkio creature there could tell Lucca which element she is and unlock her magical potential so easily, then maybe he could do something similar for me, Louise thought hopefully. We’ll see if anyone dares to call me a Zero after—

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of a loud boom from down the hall. Louise and Kirche traded looks.

“If you’re here, then what did that?” the fire mage asked.

“Why you…!” Louise growled, her hands balling into fists before it occurred to her. “Wait a minute! That came from the direction of Professor Colbert’s workshop!”

Without another world, the two girls sprinted the rest of the way to their destination, throwing open the door to the teacher’s workspace.

“Professor! Familiar! Are you two all right?” Louise asked, looking around the room in horror.

The place was a disaster. The “engine” that the two had spent so long building had clearly blown itself to pieces, taking much of the rest of the room with it.

“We’re fine,” Lucca said, as she and Colbert climbed out of a pile of debris that had once been a large workbench and several tools. The both of them were covered in a layer of black soot. “Just a little…accident.”

Kirche smirked. “You know, I’m starting to understand how you ended up with her as your familiar!”

“Shut up!” Louise barked.

See here: http://forums.spacebattles.com/showpost.php?p=5715524&postcount=6439

It was suggested that Louise tries it on when the Mask is summoned, but nothing happens. A few hours later, Siesta arrives as per request(see: order)from Louise for a maid. Louise, disgusted with her failure, throws it at Siesta and demands she take it.

Then it activates. "Heeeere's Siesta!"

As amusing as Mask!Siesta is, I was thinking a somewhat more serious interpretation. Most people in Halgenkia would produce results more akin to Dorian (the movie's villain) then the goofy living cartoon that Stanley got. Louise with the mask on would be terrifying. And can you imagine if someone like Wardes got a hold of it? *shudder*

So this would basically result in a crazy awesome version of Atma! Louise? And Wardes with The Mask...

You've just doomed all Halkeginia.

It's the first, as I've already said. Which did you think it was?