1.8.9
on July 3, 2020
at 4:00 am
sorry, last-panel guy, I blew your lighting budget on all these sweet sunbeams and glowing particle effects
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
sorry, last-panel guy, I blew your lighting budget on all these sweet sunbeams and glowing particle effects
Haha, they maybe can’t face collector … but might be able to stall for a bit.
Hope Falst stopps starring and starts acting X3
hey falst! whatcha doin there buddy? spying on our power trio i see
The Sorcerer and the Wizard discuss the mechanical differences between Intelligence and Charisma based arcane-casting.
So Alinua is so talented she doesn’t even need runic circles to cast spells?
To me, the difference between how Erin and Alinua use magic is akin to the difference between wizards and sorcerers in D&D.
Wizards meticulously study magic, going into theory in incredible detail, while magic is intrinsic to a sorcerer’s being and therefore more intuitive. The end result is the same, but the methods differ greatly.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, considering the circumstances the two of them gained their abilities.
Nice analogy.
I would lok at them and claim they are both right. Depending on how magic works, in most systems the carefully crafted spell or ritualistic magic can be more powerful and/or longe lasting than more dynamic magics, when the situation allows for it. But is not the best for everything. More dynamic methods of spellcasting are often faster and if the caster is talented, can even alter what they are doing as the situation changes. If you have an avalanche coming down on your head, the avalanche isn’t going to wait for you to draw a carefully crafted shield spell. I think both types have thier uses and place.
When the sorcerer and wizard discuss about magic methods.
As a programmer I totally agree with Erin, shortcuts are really dangerous even if you think you know what you are doing.
ok but what if the God of computers were literally living inside you? I think you could probably manage some shortcuts then
What do you mean? I’ve been working on the fly, and I’ve created DOZENS of programs — and NEARLY HALF of them work!
Have you SEEN the League of Legends client? Classic example of the ‘ah I’ll streamline it later’, now it’s just ten years of complete garbage Scratch-standard code typed by an army of caffeinated salamanders thrown at a keyboard, held together by wishful thinking, duct tape, and literal spaghetti.
It actually opens a separate program for EVERY SINGLE ACTION the player makes. You could use one single Ember app for the whole ‘champion selection’ stage, but instead there are like fifteen. It’s amazing that it even works at all…
In conclusion, yes, shortcuts bad, do things properly the first time.
https://euw.leagueoflegends.com/en-gb/news/dev/introducing-the-client-cleanup-campaign/
army of caffeinated salamanders is definitely accurate
they’ve just been shouting at each other the whole time kendal was gone
Wait, that’s not Kendal wearing a hood? Or is this a parallel version and we’re about to have universe hopping shenanigans?
I highly doubt that this story is going to feature time/parallel universe travel shenanigans
It’d be fun though!
Kendal has very blue eyes and the guy under the hood has very yellow eyes (with maybe a tinge of orange), so I am pretty sure their not supposed to be the same person. Also, the guy under the hood’s hands look significantly less human than Kendal’s do. Possibly he’s a new a party member? (They would need to add two more to get a five person band.)
Skeleton wants to grow more skeleton
Help the distinguished spooky enby along and give them some milk
This is the first I’ve heard of magic in Aurora that requires spoken words; up until now I thought it was all either runes etched into an inanimate object or mental willpower exerted by a mage. Perhaps similar to great rune tattoos, the incantations can help the mage channel the magic more easily? Or perhaps, the incantations are for specificity, to help the mage focus on the specific spell they’re trying to perform.
Yet another excellent theory from Walter, Lord of the Comments Section, Official Theorizer. We assistant theorizers can only hope to learn from your perceptiveness. (Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic here, but the sentiment stands.)
Yeah, I don’t want to be seen as The Supreme Authority on Aurora Speculations, Hypotheses, and Theories; I welcome discourse from others, and even if I’m the chattiest of the Aurora theorists, I’m far from being the only one
But really, I do post most or all of my thoughts; meanwhile in Castle Walter, squadrons of neurons are being dispatched to evaluate something I hadn’t given a second thought. (This metaphor or whatever you want to call it is getting really silly. :P)
Anyhow, I have a theory as well…
So…Erin is an all powerful dude right? Like he can control al the elements? So maybe he thinks in the argument “be careful” because of how he manages his magic, (you know, for example, all that VD told him about what happened in the past when all the primordials exploded and made him a cage or something idk)but Alinua sees it another way because she simply controls life magic?
Well, I don’t know about their reasoning but that is what seems to me…feedback pls (also keep in mind I haven’t read the lore pages so I may be a horribly wrong, and if so, pls explain my error)
That actually hadn’t occurred to me, neat theory!
I was thinking more social factors: Erin’s at an academy, where they do things professionally, so to speak, and they have lots of amateur mages who need to work at not blowing things up or otherwise causing damage with their rookie abilities. Alinua is a hermit, so no one has been telling her what to do. Additionally, her magic is Chimeric, which makes it very powerful, and probably also more intuitive than Erin’s field of magic. And since she got her mysterious powerup (Unlike Any Seen on Earth), she says that the magic ‘isn’t fighting her anymore’- which also points to sorcerer-style intuitive magic.
Probs the way I’d put it is that having been taught in the academy, safety and control over the magic a person is using at any given moment cannot be stressed enough. So even if Erin has the ability to use all of the elements, he originally didn’t have much of a clue how to properly and safely use them I’d bet, and by this point sticking a a safety measure on whatever magic he uses regardless of element is probably second nature for him. Alinua by contrast has what’s been described as a more natural talent for life magic, which means she can get a deeper perspective of the functioning of an organism. For comparison, you can probably teach a person how to sing and how to make music completely by themselves with difficulty, but chances are you will have a student who it just comes naturally to. Wasn’t there a comment on the page where Erin looks at Kendall’s arm with life magic noting on how his life magic looks a lot more artificial than Alinua’s? That’s kinda what I’m getting at here.
Honestly i think of you more as a guide than a supreme authority. You’re more of a general ringleader who keeps us on track and helps people new to this accommodate. Also you’re more recognised and heard, which helps alot. Kind of like a mascot for the comment section theorists :p
‘Mascot’ to me carries negative connotations; I prefer to see myself as a guiding figure in a healthy group project/discussion (as rare as those are), sort of like a council member of theorists who ended up sort of accidentally gaining some prestige by bringing ideas forth that are widely considered good.
Again, I’m very humble and modest, and I’m not at all used to being seen in a position of leadership…
Would you then prefer Head Council Member?
Story keeps trying to tell us that it’s the Collector, so story telling convention demands that it isn’t. I blame Falst.
Erin and Alinua arguing about magic is one of new favourite things, right up there with Beatrice appearing in the sky dangling Virgil. (It makes more sense in the context I drew it in.)
I definitely agree with Mat above, it seems Alinua and Erin have a wizard/sorcerer type of difference in their casting.
Is it weird that I’m in both camps of “always be careful” and “just feel it out”?
I just realized: Alinua is a Sorcerer (maybe a WArlock), Erin is a classic Mage, and Kendal is a Paladin/Fighter type.
We got an Elf, a Human, and an angel dude!
*Sorcerer-Druid-something, perhaps?
Erin is a bit of an unintentional Warlock…
It occurs to me that “the overwhelming need to do EVERY sidequest” (per Bill Erak’s comment from the previous page) is the classic solution for “you guys might be a bit underleveled for her right now” (per the alt-text of this page).
I mean, maybe a little dip.
*cracks knuckes* OK! reviewing what we know of falst based on the twitter posts, foreshadowing from the trope talks and what we’ve seen of him in the comic so far, i firmly believe he’s going to be a loner by nature. at least at first. He’s also guarding some kind of green crystal, which based on the discussion he seems pretty firm on spying on, is somehow going to link back to him in some way. Maybe people are after it and him both and are using the chimera to draw him out or force his hand?
Either way i think the next conversation with floof squad is going to be centred on ‘It’s none of your business, leave it alone’
Sorry i don’t have much today, not alot to go on right now really..
It’ll be nice to see his true form (i.e. what he looks like in this, the prettiest and most detailed of Red’s drawing styles) after knowing that he’s the guy that showed up in so many Trope Talks.
On a similar note, in some Trope Talks where he appears (most notably the Reformed Villains one), he’s accompanied by a figure with long and slightly floofy red hair (I mean, come on, this is a humanoid Aurora character we’re talking about here) and one missing eye. This one-eyed person also shows up towards the bottom of the sketches page, and in one depiction their right arm seems to be covered in fire as they smirk. My guess is that the one-eyed person is a fire mage who starts out as an antagonist to our soon-to-be band of four; for what reasons, I don’t know.
Friendly debate between two mages, one a human and one an op magical being. Fight!
The edgier Kendal is, the worse he looks. Stop covering your eyes, bro. Let that hair flow
Erin and Aliuna are a classic case of Wizard meets Sorcerer. XD
“I think thats everything so until next time, I’ve been Red;”
“Get out of my library.”
“Cool,” *teleports away* “let me know when you figure this one out wizard boy! Uh, and this has been an overly sarcastic podcast.”
Interesting! I appreciate this distinction between “normal” and “ritual” casting – an interesting way to give either a clear use.
“Infinite are the arguments of mages” – A Wizard of Earthsea
Nice to see these two getting to know one another outside of the main plot line. If Erin’s attitude is repeated in the academy then even more reasons not to go there, they’d hate Alinua’s methods and that’s before they learn of her Chimeric plague survival.
I wonder whether it is chimeras doing the terrorising or if it’s the hooded clawed guy in the final panel.
TL;DR: The mcNicetats siblings argue about feels vs brains, which has taken a… gorey turn. Vashn’t tells them about the Chimera mum ripoff. Omnious creepy person is spying on them.
Alt TL:DR: Possessed Floof and Life Floof act like a wizard and a sorcerer respectively, arguing about the scientific method versus winging it. Sword Floof explains the exploit he and Pan Knockoff our planning. Life Floof asks if it’s Chimera Mom, definitely not cause she has a crush on her or anything, and Sword Floof doesn’t know if he wants it to be her cause they need to grind out all the side quests before they can fight the finale boss, this is a first playthrough that they clearly are trying to achieve the good ending in, not a speed run to the Chimera Mom. They already bypassed the chance to clip through the world pre storm destruction so this run would be moot if it was a speedrun anyway
Oh and the Sneaky Hooded Rogue NPC spying cutscene is initiated
Hey Erin, maybe Alinua just has more experience than you. Just because you’re the Wizard Avatar doesn’t mean you’re the best at all forms of magic.
Evil Tree:
Rereading this after the death of the reply function and after I read the Earthsea series for the first time; I was not expecting that here! I fucking love that series; to anyone who read the first book (A Wizard of Earthsea, as mentioned), read the rest of the series. You will not be disappointed.
CANTRIP he said CANTRIP
alt text:
I think you guys might be a bit underleveled for her right now
Image source: hey
Erin and Ali share thoughts on healing spells
When Kendal reappears, and of his chat tells
The nice chat and pointers went well after all
But there’re monsters in the woods, at whose beck and call?
there was 100% a tumblr post about this difference between school-taught and self taught mages and I KNOW you’ve read it red. glad to see it given a more authentic incarnation :))