03/14/11 [10-02] Research, Politics, Teaching, and Protection.

[joshofspam]

It seems like Gadel is rather focused on the idea that important people have magic. Well that is her peoples view n such things by majority it seems.

It's rather a wonder how these first few people started in the beggening of the agency when they didn't have any magic backing them up. I would take it as rather hard to just rely on the collars and swords for the beginning when they were just doing research.

From what we have already seen of the fey, I would take it that some research ending rather badly.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

As I understand it... doesn't the Princess have magic, just a lack of time and availability to practice to the level needed to defend the country?

Or was I misunderstanding something?

[Darc_Sowers]

She has magic. Does most of the agency know that? No, only a select few do. Is Doodle one of those few? No way, baby.  Remember, Doodle is an American who's there temporarily.

None of the characters are omniscient. They only know what they know and have personally experienced. Some will even give out false info because their expectations and background are coloring their view of the world. Gadel is a good example. It's your job as the reader to put the pieces together in order to discover the truth.

We've already shown that RCSI didn't tell its agents about what's actually been happening in Astoria. RCSI has a few more secrets up its sleeves.  

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Heh. And here I was going to find a link to explain the details I meant. Darnit. ;-]

Thanks, Darc, though. I do appreciate your providing this info, here.

[Darc_Sowers]

Hey, if you want to find a link backing the both of us up, I'm all for it. I keep forgetting that the Main side of the site hasn't seen much of Moraine yet.   Killer queen, baby!

Thanks, Llearch. I'd like to be on the forum more, but I'm never sure what to say, really. Especially not on each page. I tend to think more in terms of scenes and issues. I find it's easier for me to keep track of the story that way.  

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I feel much the same way, at least in regards to knowing what to say.

... on the other hand, as evidenced by my post count, this has not apparently stopped me in any way. *grin*

The page where Moraine shows her stuff is here, but the page I was actually thinking about was somewhere around here, or possibly the scene before it, or the one before that. As you say, nothing specific was said... but Queen Moraine does, indeed, have magic, and has declined to use it.

Re-reading that sequence, I'm inclined to think that she hasn't thought things through as well as she should. The devil's distinction between command and control[1], the definition of power[2] - all of these run through my head when I see that. Kinda sad, in a way, and yet... she's majorly powerful, but no way of using that power without damage.

I also have to wonder - was the ghost in his own home, too? What sort of power is required to remove a ghost from the house where he grew up?

Well, other than the obvious answer, which we were shown...


[1] As explained to a sort of a terrorist[3] in one of the books I've read, "I'm in command, you're in control. You can imagine how pleased I am about this situation."
[2] "Power" meaning "control over"; Moraine, either Princess or Queen, has a lot of magic at her command. What she does not have is any control over it. Training would resolve that, but her firm desire to not touch it anymore obviates that solution. IMHO, the wrong answer, but it's her call, so...
[3] "I'm not a terrorist!" "Well, you've succeeded in terrifying the heck out of me."

[Darc_Sowers]

Or maybe this page?  Either way, she's a powerful lady. I really don't want to get into this too much because telling all the answers now would ruin some of my future plans. And I'd rather not do that. *nervous Darc is nervous* But... let's see what I can say without giving too much away.

Moraine was young when all that happened - late teens/early twenties. That was also the first time she'd seen magic or touched it. And she tapped into a lot all at once. I don't know about you, but that would freak me out. I wouldn't want to do that again either.  

Moraine has a lot of natural ability. And someone with natural ability sometimes ends up doing things they didn't intend on doing. When she tapped into all her power at once and routed that power through Roderick, most of her power stayed bound in him. He says here that he can still feel the effects of the magic. And again here. He's pretty much become a magical battery for Moraine. It didn't hurt either of them, but it has stopped her from tapping into all her magic at once and blowing herself up. She can tap into her full power if Roderick is nearby, but he's currently MIA.

The page with her and Marcus happened seven years later. She had no interest in doing magic and didn't have a need. RCSI was doing its job. But, Roderick had just disappeared and she was more than a little upset (let's just say they liked each other, a lot). She was also about to be crowned queen. She was a little stressed. And, Marcus got caught in the crossfire.

That all happened in the 1940s. It's currently 2000 in the comic. Moraine has figured a few things out and grown into her role. She's now a strong, determined woman who's master herself emotionally as well as magically. It's been over 50 years. She did study. She's also learned how important oaths and promises are - whether it's her giving them or someone giving them to her. Max mentioned his oath a few times in Issue 8. It's not just about his feelings of honor or duty. He's actually bound by it magically. I'm starting to hint to that a bit in the issue I'm working on now. It'll come up again and be explained fully when Ruby takes her oath.

Moraine made Marcus promise that "if any member of my family touches that much magic again... I want RCSI to remove us from the picture. Permanently." And,  she made him promise that this is binding for all of RCSI. As a result, the last thing she wants is for most of RCSI to know just how much magic she can touch and control. Only the ones she truly trust get to know that secret.

I'm sure there are a lot of holes that can be poked through here since I'm not giving all the details, but I'd appreciate it if we didn't just now. Trust me, it'll work out. I just can't tell  everything right now.

As for the ghost... ghosts in the Hunter world are not really sentient. They're memories and emotions that haven't fully crossed over after death. Sometimes they hook themselves to houses, other times to people and families. The person whose memories became that ghost didn't grow up in the Palace. They just had a really big grudge towards Moraine's family. As for removing ghosts, they do the same things we try in real life. If the ghost is considered non-dangerous, it's left alone.

Again, sorry about being vague.

Edited because of typos. Evil typos!

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Heh. Your input is (hugely) appreciated. And, honestly, if you wish to be vague and mysterious, I'd be all for your right to do so - it's your story, you may wish to change some of it to work better as you go along with it and learn more about storytelling, etc etc. And that's definitely your call, not anyone else's.

Having said that, the details you've pointed out are enlightening, and thank you for taking the time to do so.


... and now back to our usual random guesswork ;-]

[Darc_Sowers]

Thanks. I really appreciate it! I'm always nervous mentioning upcoming plot and stories. Past experiences have made me a little gun shy.

Heh, the storytelling has to get better eventually. It can't get much worse. Though I probably shouldn't say that and tempt Murphy's Law. Murphy always finds a way. 

[Gyr]

It can't get much worse.

Oh gods, that's almost as bad as What could possibly go wrong?

[Darc_Sowers]

Two words... doggie logs.    You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Holly herself isn't a short, fuzzy personification of Murphy. She does cause chaos and confusion, after all.

Good luck on the interview, Hun!