El Goonish Shive VII: The Comic is 20 Years Old, but the Cast is Still 18

[Anonymouswizard]

...that does leave the hole of why Diane was recognized as a potential vampire slayer and not Royalty, but Diane had yet to awaken any magical abilities by then...

Maybe its a combination of power level and immortal blood?

Darn, I need to go and find that comic now.

Okay, so Tara states that Nanase's aura radiates royalty. From this I see three possibilities:

1. Griffons can only sense royalty if your aura is sufficiently strong.
2. Only certain Immortal/Ancient/Fairy bloodlines give the trait that Tara associates with royalty, and Pandora's doesn't.
3. Tara is not as good at reading this stuff as she presents herself as.

My guess would be number 2, and royalty is based on a certain magical affinity.

[Kish]

I think it's probably as simple as "powerful magic=royalty."

The unicorn identified Rhoda as royalty, after all. Which does imply that Susan's magic isn't over the threshold, but she's less interested in studying or using her magic than a lot of characters, so she hasn't been exercising it nearly as much as Nanase or Rhoda.

[Fyraltari]

The odd thing is that Lionowl over there assumed they had very little chance of meeting royalty on "our" side of the world.

So unless they don't know how common magic/wizards are, maybe the people the griffins identify as royals actually are descendant of a royal bloodline from the other side of the world. Like some prince lived on "our" side in exile for a while and had a child or two a long time ago?

[Gnoman]

I think it is just numbers.

https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2018-02-02

I don't remember if it is explained what percentage of wizards are seers, but seers are supposed to be 1 in 7,000,000. If the griffin world runs on the same percentages, and has a fraction of the population Earth does, then "Wizard" is probably extremely rare, even if we assume that seers are 1 in 10 or even 1 in 100 wizards.

[Windscion]

Pretty sure it is never explained how many wizards there are. The only reason we have any clue about the numbers of seers is because the Will of Magic told us.
Space!Whale described Tedd as a far more dangerous rarity ... than spellcasters. Yeah, that means nothing.
Without the ability to cast spells directly, it seems likely that seers are far more likely than wizards to not know what they can do. Making them seem even rarer than they actually are.
Still, if Tedd can craft a wand to make wands that make wands ... "dangerous" is a good word to use.

[Anonymouswizard]

Tedd's also, IIRC, implied to be unusual for a seer. I think their innate understanding of spells isn't part of the standard package, and I'm not sure on the enchantment cancelling being normal either.

Tedd's not only a seer, they're a seer born into two lines of incredibly powerful spellcasters. Who knows how many traits they've inherited from immortal ancestors. Plus the Will of Magic wanted to tell Van something about Tedd but not the other way around, which is still likely nowhere near paying off (unless we're due for a sudden visit from Noriko in a few arcs).

Yeah, Tedd is weird and I really want to see how a Griffon reacts to them. Also how one reacts to Arthur, to give us an example of a more standard seer.

As to the wand making, yeah. It's dangerous and we're very lucky that Tedd is mostly focused on temporary transformation. That could be bad if misused, but what if Tedd created a way to put Sarah's spell in a wand? We've already got confirmation that yes, people with it can and do intrude on other people's privacy.

[Kish]

The odd thing is that Lionowl over there assumed they had very little chance of meeting royalty on "our" side of the world.

So unless they don't know how common magic/wizards are, maybe the people the griffins identify as royals actually are descendant of a royal bloodline from the other side of the world. Like some prince lived on "our" side in exile for a while and had a child or two a long time ago?

I suspect the answer is that the griffin knew, correctly, that there are very few royals on our side of the world, and didn't realize that "any powerful magic user" was going to trigger its "royalty" sense; it figured as long as it only saw people like Mr. Edward Verres, not Duchess Meghan of Sussex, it wouldn't be compelled to attack.

Like the other two griffons struggled with the idea that Nanase wasn't a princess--it's not that they think in terms of "we say royalty, they say magic power," it's that they think in terms of, "You're a princess...no, really, you aren't?"

I can't find the section where Pandora talked to the Egyptian not-a-god. Did he say all magic-users descended from immortals, or was it just wizards?

[Aeson]

I can't find the section where Pandora talked to the Egyptian not-a-god. Did he say all magic-users descended from immortals, or was it just wizards?

Wizards, seers, those with magic affinities...

Strictly speaking, 'all magic-users' would include those with magic marks and, technically, anyone who can make use of a self-powered magic wand or other magical device, so there's room for 'magic-users' who aren't descended from an immortal. Of course, with immortals having interacted with humans for thousands or potentially tens of thousands of years, chances are that the overwhelming majority of the human population could reasonably be assumed to have some trace of immortal blood - when you're talking about hypothetical ancestors hundreds of generations or more removed, chances are pretty good that they're either related to approximately everybody or that they're related to absolutely nobody living.

[Kish]

Wizards, seers, those with magic affinities...

Strictly speaking, 'all magic-users' would include those with magic marks

Which is those with magic affinities, just to point out.

So, yeah. The blood component of "royalty" on griffon-world is synonymous with descent from an ancient/immortal, whether any of the griffons we've met so far realize that or not. No need to theorize mortal princes.

[Windscion]

Which is those with magic affinities, just to point out.

Affinities or a strong desire. And anyone can have desire.

[Celestia]

Affinities or a strong desire. And anyone can have desire.

Or a punny name.

[Windscion]

Or a punny name.

Ah yes, the Boaty McBoatface clause.

[Maat Mons]

So, if you were offered a magic mark, knew about name-based affinities, and had time to legally change your name before getting the mark, what name would you go with?

Max Power?
Marry Sue?
Fabio Casanova?
Lucy Fehr?
Biggus Dickus?

[Radar]

So, if you were offered a magic mark, knew about name-based affinities, and had time to legally change your name before getting the mark, what name would you go with?

Max Power?
Marry Sue?
Fabio Casanova?
Lucy Fehr?
Biggus Dickus?

Lucky McFourleafclover

[Rater202]

So, if you were offered a magic mark, knew about name-based affinities, and had time to legally change your name before getting the mark, what name would you go with?

Max Power?
Marry Sue?
Fabio Casanova?
Lucy Fehr?
Biggus Dickus?

I do believe that there's a commentary or q&a explicitly stating that that wouldn't work.

Unless your new name has some deep personal meaning to it, but then the lines are blurred between a name-based affinity or just general personality-based spells.

[Fyraltari]

I just realized that name-related magic happens because magic can't really relate to humans, but it knows their names so it assumes that the humans knew something it doesn't when they named themself or their children something that has a particular meaning and Magic just rolls with it.

[Anonymouswizard]

So, if you were offered a magic mark, knew about name-based affinities, and had time to legally change your name before getting the mark, what name would you go with?

Max Power?
Marry Sue?
Fabio Casanova?
Lucy Fehr?
Biggus Dickus?

Canis Repellis. I have my reasons.

[KillianHawkeye]

Tedd's also, IIRC, implied to be unusual for a seer. I think their innate understanding of spells isn't part of the standard package, and I'm not sure on the enchantment cancelling being normal either.

I thought the "innate understanding of spells" was the whole point of seers. Their role is to understand what's up when magic changes and spread the word.

[Rater202]

I thought the "innate understanding of spells" was the whole point of seers. Their role is to understand what's up when magic changes and spread the word.

Yeah, but Tedd's is better than average. Assuming that Arthur is average, that is.

It's been implied that Tedd is more than just a seer though. BothPandora and Arthur have pointed out that he's capable of much more than other Seers/Arthur himself, we still don't have an explanation of that glowing thing he does, and Pandora did say that Tedd will use spells after confirming that he can't use them currently and we still don't know what's up with that. (and it can't just be his mark or wands since he can do that now.)

[Anonymouswizard]

I thought the "innate understanding of spells" was the whole point of seers. Their role is to understand what's up when magic changes and spread the word.

I thought that was because the Will Of Magic downloaded the cheat sheet into everybody's brain after the change.

[Lizard Lord]

Yeah, but Tedd's is better than average. Assuming that Arthur is average, that is.

It's been implied that Tedd is more than just a seer though. BothPandora and Arthur have pointed out that he's capable of much more than other Seers/Arthur himself, we still don't have an explanation of that glowing thing he does, and Pandora did say that Tedd will use spells after confirming that he can't use them currently and we still don't know what's up with that. (and it can't just be his mark or wands since he can do that now.)

He can make fully customized wands now, but I didn't think he could when Pandora said that.

[Anonymouswizard]

He can make fully customized wands now, but I didn't think he could when Pandora said that.

They kind of could? Like, the watches were pretty much funny shaped wands.

[Lizard Lord]

They kind of could? Like, the watches were pretty much funny shaped wands.

I thought before he could just copy spells made by the tf gun and put those in watches/wands where now he can basically create new spells by cystomizing ones he has seen so heavily that they are unrecognizable and putting those in wands.

[Rater202]

I thought before he could just copy spells made by the tf gun and put those in watches/wands where now he can basically create new spells by cystomizing ones he has seen so heavily that they are unrecognizable and putting those in wands.

No. Tedd has been putting customized spells into the watches all along.

He even invented a ne way of fine-tuning spells, which he did before Pandora told him he was a seer.

[Vinyadan]

To be honest, I don't think there's anything unique about Tedd's innate abilities: he is a seer and has access to Uryom science (plus a general interest in technology), which led him to configure interfaces and to a very in-depth understanding of how things can be used.

The strong light he emitted to Mr Supersight could have been a seer thing (possibly a subset of extreme magic resistance, or, imho more likely, the visual representation of infinite magical energy) or Pandora being a jerk (Luke assumed that he just witnessed the aura of something invibile to normal eyes).

And he can cast spells because of his mark and magic items. In particular, his internal magical storage knows no bounds, so he doesn't need to worry about draining it, ambient magic, or the item's energy storage. This means that he can improve and cast any spell he sees or tweaks without any energy limit, as long as he has an item with the spell on it, which he can produce himself. I think Pandora meant that Tedd could make spells no one who isn't a seer could ever cast.

[Rater202]

To be honest, I don't think there's anything unique about Tedd's innate abilities: he is a seer and has access to Uryom science (plus a general interest in technology), which led him to configure interfaces and to a very in-depth understanding of how things can be used.

The strong light he emitted to Mr Supersight could have been a seer thing (possibly a subset of extreme magic resistance, or, imho more likely, the visual representation of infinite magical energy) or Pandora being a jerk (Luke assumed that he just witnessed the aura of something invibile to normal eyes).

And he can cast spells because of his mark and magic items. In particular, his internal magical storage knows no bounds, so he doesn't need to worry about draining it, ambient magic, or the item's energy storage. This means that he can improve and cast any spell he sees or tweaks without any energy limit, as long as he has an item with the spell on it, which he can produce himself. I think Pandora meant that Tedd could make spells no one who isn't a seer could ever cast.

1: When we talk about glowing, we're not talking about his aura. We're talking about how he literally glows in the visible spectrum twice in the story, once in the Grace's Birthday Arc and once whn he realizes that grace is genuinely in love with him.

And the second time people commented on it.

2: Tedd had a magic mark, access to wands, and Uryuom tech when Pandora spoke to him. She very clearly said "you can't use spells" which means that wands and marks don't cont as spell use.

Which was established earlier on, in the card game arc, when Tedd said that using the magic mark must not count because its' not "his" spell.

But can't is present tense, and shortly afterward Pandora says that Tedd will use spells. That's future tense. Either there's some way to turn Seers into spellcasters or there's something about Tedd that's more than just being a seer.

And right now, Tedd doesn't have anything he didn't already have. He's just better at it.

[Vinyadan]

Oh, that glow? I read it as a way of the comic medium to convey an emotion through a visual clue meant for the reader, but humourously perceived by other comic characters, like Susan's magical hair wind. Then again, after Hammerchlorians, it's completely possible that it will be the starting point of a 15-year long arc (and the page where Tedd glows during the tournament has commentary takes note of previous occurrences, which makes it seem serious).

About Pandora, if we refer to the same page, she says "And these abilities... they're perfect for you! And even if magic changes, you'll still have them!", which implies that he already has them. Then she says which abilities she means: "The ability to see and undersand magic, to resist any spell, and shrug off any enchantment... ...to take any spell you've witnessed and make it your own, improve it, share it... and know that you, you will be able to cast it, for you are a well of power! Where others tremble and suckle at ambient energy, you have need for none... for you are mighty, with power and mind to bend worlds to your will!"

So I think she's saying that Tedd has the ability to edit spells while knowing that he will be able to cast that spell, future tense because the casting comes after the editing. In other words, imho "know" isn't an imperative, but part of the group "to take, make, improve, share, know". The way the panels are divided and the uneven use of the ellipses (...) makes it seem otherwise (for example, within panel 5 we have ellipses both at the end of a balloon and at the start of the following one, but but between panel 6 and 7 the ellipsis is only at the end of the second balloon in p.6 and not present at the beginning of the balloon at p. 7, in spite of them clearly being part of the same sentence, and I think it's the same thing that happened between the second balloon of panel 5 and the first one in panel 6).

The fact that it's actually pretty hard to decypher is one of the reasons this page fell somewhat flat for me, considering all that was transpiring.

She previously says that Tedd can use spells, but she also says that he cannot cast them on his own. "A seer is a type of wizard. You cannot cast spells on your own, but you can learn spells, and you can use them. You already have been." I think it means that he can cast spells, but not on his own; he needs an implement.

[Rater202]

Calling it: y the end of the week, barring a delay, we're going to find out that Uryuom's come from the other side of the world...

...And that they, or at least Chimeras, arne't particularly well liked by other denizens.

[Windscion]

What the hell is that? Some chicken griffin? And why is Liam looking so smug?

From EGS Twitter: "The motivations of Liam vary wildly depending on which remix of Kaepora Gaeboara's theme I'm listening to."

Well that's not very reassuring, is it?

[Fyraltari]

What the hell is that? Some chicken griffin? And why is Liam looking so smug?

Looks more like a parrot to me.
The previous page had Liam worry which of the two guards was after him. This one must be the better option, as far as he's concerned.