2014/07/21 - [DMFA #1502] Hot-headed

[Merlin]

Hooooo boy! Destania's intent on making friends right, left and centre, ain't she?


Now, considering the speculation from the last comic thread has now been immediately contradicated... Amber... tell me the truth. You love throwing us for a loop, don't you?

[Amber Williams]

...I'd respond but I'm too busy dying of laughter from your icon. 

[Anri]

Couldn't help but notice Dee's quill pen, too.

[Chairtastic]

Oh, Destania.  Evil, high pain tolerance, a bit more evil.

It's going to take an entire continent of adventurers to take you down, isn't it blue girl?

[ZacAttac21]

Hooooo boy! Destania's intent on making friends right, left and centre, ain't she?


Now, considering the speculation from the last comic thread has now been immediately contradicated... Amber... tell me the truth. You love throwing us for a loop, don't you?

Hey, we were almost on the right track...

[HaDDea]

Oh, Destania - willing to do so much evil for such stupid, petty reasons. Revenge is all you live for now, isn't it. I wonder what you would do if you managed to succeed in both of your plans.

OTOH: is Riva a kyoot little phoenix? yiss! yiss! whosanadorable ickle firebird? *continues fawning over bebbeh Riva*

[Tapewolf]

...I'd respond but I'm too busy dying of laughter from your icon. 

Sadly it rotates so that doesn't leave us much the wiser...

[lemurvid]

Couldn't help but notice Dee's quill pen, too.

Man, that's cold!

[ZacAttac21]

...I'd respond but I'm too busy dying of laughter from your icon.  

Sadly it rotates so that doesn't leave us much the wiser...

Good thing they're all hilarious, then.

[Merlin]

...I'd respond but I'm too busy dying of laughter from your icon. 

Sadly it rotates so that doesn't leave us much the wiser...

WELL at least we know it wasn't this one



since i just drew that now
for the laughs

[Tapewolf]

Should the Oracles be telling him all this instead of making up some kind of allegory about fish?  Or are they being this candid because they don't truly know what's going on?

[Naldru]

Should the Oracles be telling him all this instead of making up some kind of allegory about fish?  Or are they being this candid because they don't truly know what's going on?

The oracles aren't actually making a prediction.  He asked to talk to Riva.  They let him talk to Riva.  All statements by babies are cryptic.

[Eboreg]

Should the Oracles be telling him all this instead of making up some kind of allegory about fish?  Or are they being this candid because they don't truly know what's going on?

Technically speaking they aren't making any predictions. They're just stating what any normal person would know about the situation at this point. Also, with regards to the Katbox note, I do wonder if Dee just used some element resistance or decided "f*** it" and had a glorious feast of her own pain.

OTOH: is Riva a kyoot little phoenix? yiss! yiss! whosanadorable ickle firebird? *continues fawning over bebbeh Riva*

Awww! What a kyoot widdle homicide victim.

[Howl]

Maybe Riva was one of Mab's friends. That makes her prediction valid without giving the bucket to another main cast member.

[Jasonrevall]

It does take some kind of mad dedication and hatred to be willing to set your head on fire for a possibility of killing someone you don't like.

That is one determined succubus right there.

[Zebra Bug]

Um, back when we first saw the adventurer group speak to the Oracle we hypothesized that it may be Destania in disguise. I still didn't see it coming though. Such a impressive plot twist.

[VAE]

There's awesome, there's crazy awesome, and then there's this.
I'm liking Destania more and more.

[ArchTeryx]

If the Demonology 101 entry is still current, the next move by the Phoenix A tribe would be to try and identify Destania as the one who defiled the temple, murdered one of their own and impersonated an oracle (probably the worst of the three wrongs).  After that, they'd send Pandora in for a little chat.

Only trouble is, Destania is already completely crackers.  Finding out the time and means of her death would just cause her to laugh in Pandora's face, "murder" her too, and redouble her efforts to take Abel, Alexei and/or Fa'lina with her.

[Hariman]

Huh. Suddenly I remember that Abel once lit himself of fire with little ill effect.

I also remember that one question of Dan's that was answered by the students of SAIA was "Are Cubi resistant to the elements?", or something similar.

Howl: Ambaaargh has mentioned more than once that she might or might not actually kill anyone. Of course, that's also an author teasing and keeping her fans in the dark/confused/unsure, but it's still up in the air if anyone will die, or if they'll come back.

[ZacAttac21]

Huh. Suddenly I remember that Abel once lit himself of fire with little ill effect.

I also remember that one question of Dan's that was answered by the students of SAIA was "Are Cubi resistant to the elements?", or something similar.

I just assumed it takes magic to resist the elements, and as stated, magic is turned "off" at the temple. *shrug*

[Hariman]

Huh. Suddenly I remember that Abel once lit himself of fire with little ill effect.

I also remember that one question of Dan's that was answered by the students of SAIA was "Are Cubi resistant to the elements?", or something similar.

I just assumed it takes magic to resist the elements, and as stated, magic is turned "off" at the temple. *shrug*

That's a good point.

Methinks that Destania is going to do a lot more damage before someone stops her.

[HaDDea]

Howl: Ambaaargh has mentioned more than once that she might or might not actually kill anyone. Of course, that's also an author teasing and keeping her fans in the dark/confused/unsure, but it's still up in the air if anyone will die, or if they'll come back.

Seeing as soulstealing/soul magic appears to be a major plot element, and a major theme is that the use of such magic is overall detrimental, I doubt anyone will be coming back - leastways not without some cost to themselves (sanity/personality shift?).

Besides, once people can get res'd easily, the sting of death being a Big Deal disappears. one of the major drama points with Mab is that she might theoretically have the power to keep her linear friends alive, Da Rules won't not let her, and she's bummed out about it - ergo she's trying to keep them alive by more mundane means.

I wonder how Cyra feels about Destania's shenanigans...

[VAE]

If the Demonology 101 entry is still current, the next move by the Phoenix A tribe would be to try and identify Destania as the one who defiled the temple, murdered one of their own and impersonated an oracle (probably the worst of the three wrongs).  After that, they'd send Pandora in for a little chat.

Only trouble is, Destania is already completely crackers.  Finding out the time and means of her death would just cause her to laugh in Pandora's face, "murder" her too, and redouble her efforts to take Abel, Alexei and/or Fa'lina with her.

It's better than that. Knowing that you literally can't die before a set time makes some really, really insane schemes viable - and given her goals pretty much boil down to making a bunch of dragons die sooner than her, it meshes well.

[HaDDea]

If the Demonology 101 entry is still current, the next move by the Phoenix A tribe would be to try and identify Destania as the one who defiled the temple, murdered one of their own and impersonated an oracle (probably the worst of the three wrongs).  After that, they'd send Pandora in for a little chat.

Only trouble is, Destania is already completely crackers.  Finding out the time and means of her death would just cause her to laugh in Pandora's face, "murder" her too, and redouble her efforts to take Abel, Alexei and/or Fa'lina with her.

It's better than that. Knowing that you literally can't die before a set time makes some really, really insane schemes viable - and given her goals pretty much boil down to making a bunch of dragons die sooner than her, it meshes well.

Well, seeing as the Phoenix Oracles likely know Destania's intentions (I'm going off the conversation between Pyroduck and Da'), and Pandora's sole purpose is to punish defilers of the Oracles, perhaps then she would not tell Destania the time and manner of her death, but perhaps something more sinister - such as if her plans to destroy the dragons is going to fail, or something that will crush and humiliate her - like she will perish protecting Abel's life. That seems to be what Pandora tells you - a prophecy you cannot escape, but will go mad desperately trying to claw your way out of.

[ZacAttac21]

Well, seeing as the Phoenix Oracles likely know Destania's intentions (I'm going off the conversation between Pyroduck and Da')...

Nope. On this page, Da' specifically says that something is blocking her from seeing Pyro's future. Therefore, one could assume that Dee is able to block her own future from the Oracles' sight. And that would include her future plans.

[HaDDea]

Well, seeing as the Phoenix Oracles likely know Destania's intentions (I'm going off the conversation between Pyroduck and Da')...

Nope. On this page, Da' specifically says that something is blocking her from seeing Pyro's future. Therefore, one could assume that Dee is able to block her own future from the Oracles' sight. And that would include her future plans.

I was under the impression that the reason why Lost Lake was under blockage was because of the combined efforts of Cyra and Falina to protect the place for Cyra's descendants' sake (Some Fae meddling may also be at work). Da' does specify that there aren't many things that have the sort of power required to block Phoenix Sight, and I have doubts that Destania's personal powers, while they are no doubt considerable, are quite that large. The Twinks might possibly have some sort of capability (not much has been revealed in-comic about them).

However, the blockages seem to be linked to the location, not to individuals. Dee would have to stay within those No-Sight zones for her future to remain hidden from view. And just because Phoenix Sight does not work in these zones does not mean other forms of scrying will not - Hizell seemed to be able to look easily enough at Lost Lake. Given her enjoyment of the Personal Touch in her work, i think it would be relatively easy for Pandora to find Dee while outside a No-Sight zone or even perhaps to observe her while inside one, and to plan accordingly.

[ArchTeryx]

Well, seeing as the Phoenix Oracles likely know Destania's intentions (I'm going off the conversation between Pyroduck and Da')...

Given her enjoyment of the Personal Touch in her work, i think it would be relatively easy for Pandora to find Dee while outside a No-Sight zone or even perhaps to observe her while inside one, and to plan accordingly.

Oh, I have little doubt that the Oracles are REALLY motivated to figure out who's aping them - they may be immune from murder, but not from completely lost credibility. Once word gets out that an imposter is bumping off Oracles and posing as them, who exactly is going to believe anything that comes out of the beaks of the real ones?

But again, I reiterate: Pandora's Paradox only works if the person isn't already completely batsh*t, and Destania's all the way to the back of the batcave already.  I doubt there's anything Pandora could tell her that she couldn't blow off, or simply incorporate into her plans. She's basically a shapeshifting Xanatos.

[Kibin]

One major problem with Pandora's Paradox: It likely requires at the minimum reading someone's future, to find out when they're actually going to die.

Cyra's clan has problems in future sight apparently, and it's likely not always linked to location. After all, Destania impersonated an oracle, and they know nothing about it except good old detective work. So... Pandora would have no clue at all when Destania is fated to die in the first place.

It could also be that the problems with Lost Lake specifically is due to Mab. Who can do anything they want, except have omniscience(that's Pip's thing). Alternatively, it's just because Dan's been there long enough.

[ArchTeryx]

One major problem with Pandora's Paradox: It likely requires at the minimum reading someone's future, to find out when they're actually going to die.

Cyra's clan has problems in future sight apparently, and it's likely not always linked to location. After all, Destania impersonated an oracle, and they know nothing about it except good old detective work. So... Pandora would have no clue at all when Destania is fated to die in the first place...

If Destania's managed to neutralize Pandora AND blind the Oracles, then their pacifism is going to be very sorely tested.  They won't get their own Feather Fingers dirty, but this is a direct threat to their previously unchallenged role in Furrae, not to mention an equal threat to their adopted child Pyroduck.  I'd think they'd want to seek out and neutralize Destania at all costs.

They just became players in this Xanatos Gambit whether they like it or not, but the Phoenix A tribe are collectively the smartest creatures on Furrae.  They'll get creative about making sure that, having been forced into the game, they'll win it.

[Eboreg]

Well, I guess Abel is off the hook since you wouldn't kill an oracle and take her place if you wanted to tell someone the truth.