A question

[connie_maheswaran]

[Yes, it is rather easy to send one of these out when you have the internet back home. Connie was a little vexed that there was no network quite like that here, but she'd make do].

Ok, I know that most of the people here have a lot of questions about how things work and how to fight and all, and so far there have been plenty of you who have graciously given us answers and time (I'm very grateful to specific people here like Mr. Crackshell and Webigail and Princess Deetz, but many of you really helped, thank you). I have a different type of question though.

For those of you who live here and work, how easy is it to do all of your magical studies and keep a stable job? Back home I have to be attending college, but I'll be living on campus. That's different from working here and living AND learning about magic.

Basically, how do you budget your time? Any tips?

Comments

[strangeandunusual]

I am, but there are so many others that no one really uses it as a title. It'd be like me calling you Warrior Connie, or calling the guy who fixed my Dad's phone Telephone Jim. It's just a job, really. I'm not actually in charge of anything.

[strangeandunusual]

Of course you'd be my Town Crier, you've got the biggest mouth. I hereby dub thee Lawrence the Loud.

[creepyoldguy]

And that means they’ll never be alone. It’s a rare thing.

[connie_maheswaran]

[Connie laughs a little] Telephone Jim, hehe...

All right. I was just trying to sort of make sure we made distinctions of title, since it seems the princesses are pretty important.

Also? I don't think I'd really mind being called "warrior Connie," but that's just the silly side of me talking.

[connie_maheswaran]

Here's hoping they won't get sick of each other in death then?

[That sounds like something that could happen, given how things seemed to work in his world].

[creepyoldguy]

Le gasp.

No, no, no. Those two are a perfect pair of boring.

[creepyoldguy]

Ooooh, a title! Look at me coming up in the world!

[connie_maheswaran]

I think I'm suspicious about what you consider boring, Sloggoth.

[creepyoldguy]

Shoggoth: if you're gonna use the surname, you gotta get it proper-like.

[Read some Lovecraft, kiddo.]

And boring is Pottery Barn and Farmers' Market suburbia.

[connie_maheswaran]

I was just checking! I notice you like to give people nicknames based on their names.

[Luckily, Connie would only mispronounce it once: she hated doing something wrong like that, even if it was on purpose].

Are those things bad? Do we not like Suburbia?

[creepyoldguy]

I literally can't say my preferred name, annnnnd typically saying my Name has consequences, so people tend to give me nicknames, so, I do tend to give nicknames too.

[A fangy smile.]

There's only a select few people I bother with their actual names.

Oh, Suburbia is basically the most boring place on the planet---ask Lydia about it, she'll tell ya.

[connie_maheswaran]

Oh, I see. Ok. That makes sense, in a demon-y kind of way. Actually, in the books I've read magic sort of works that way too.

Are they people you actually like?

Oh. I mean, I would say I live in a boring place, but I go to Beach City when I can, and well, it stopped being that a LONG time ago.

[strangeandunusual]

[the fact that she made Connie laugh is encouraging, and Lydia grins]

Well, then, you can call me Princess Lydia if I can call you Warrior Connie. I'm never above being a little silly. Besides, we're all important here. I wouldn't be able to do what I do if I didn't have everyone in the other classes looking out for me. Princesses are the only ones who can heal, yeah, but we're also the most vulnerable to the Corrosion. It's like ... what's that Chinese thing? Yin and yang!

[creepyoldguy]

Mm. You could say that.

[Don't mind him polishing his fingernails on his shirt. He used proper names with people he adored, and a few people he absolutely despised.]

Suburbia is land of the Karens. Nothing interesting, the things that are interesting are ignored.

[strangeandunusual]

Two if you count being gallery handyman, B.J.

[wink]

[creepyoldguy]

OH! Oh! Oh! That's right! I'm gonna need a fancy-schmancy jacket so I can put ribbons on it designating all my new hoity-toity titles, so everyone can be jealous of me and wish they were half as a-ma-zing as me!

[And you can practically hear his mind click and chunk as he switches gears.]

OR A TOOL BELT. HOLY SCHMOKES, I SHOULD GET ONE OF THOSE!

Or both! I could manage both.

[connie_maheswaran]

In that case, I'll call you that when Shoggoth isn't listening, so he won't get on your case too much about it.

Right, of course! I mean, what good is anyone without their team! You'd be surprised how hard it is to hammer that into the head of people who think their part is crucial. They might mean well, but without a team, you're just asking for trouble.

[Connie thought about this a moment].

How have your teams been doing, against this Corrosion stuff? What's their rate of success?

[connie_maheswaran]

So its a denotation thing. I get it.

[Sort of. What was this about "Karens?"]

I don't think you could ignore some of the things in my world, even if they were sprinkled into a backdrop that's relatively tranquil.

I actually looked @ the Mission board for this b/c I am lame

[strangeandunusual]

[she cackled] Oh my gosh, please call him that as often as possible, that's hilarious. He's ... on my team. Definitely. I trust him. But that doesn't mean I can't have fun teasing him.

It's ... hm. Well, we've cleared the entire Jungle, and that only took us about five months or so ... and then we weren't able to get to anything new until fairly recently. But the Bayou missions seem to be going well too ... sometimes we fail, though. I'd say our rate of success is about ... fifty percent, give or take. But a lot of that has to do with the nature of some of the magic. Fairies and Mystics in particular have pretty unpredictable powers. My friend Fenton tried to summon a big book full of camping information on his first mission, and instead he got a blank book big enough to use as a tent. We turned it into a big scrapbook when we got home, but .... yeah.

[she's probably seen the book in question: it's in the apartment lobby, filling up steadily with photos of the Apprentices and all the places they've been]

[creepyoldguy]

[Connie could try asking, but, it was doubtful the demon would explain in ways that made any sense.]

Depends on what plane of existence the things were happening in. Or on.

[strangeandunusual]

Your regular jacket would be fancy if you washed it more. I'm just saying.

[she DID hear those gears, and it was amusing as heck.]

If you wear a fancy jacket while you're fixing things, you're going to mess it up. Maybe not both at the same time. If you actually know how to use some tools, I might be able to get you a belt. Counts as a business expense.

[connie_maheswaran]

[Connie made a face].

Well that just makes things sound much more complicated.

[creepyoldguy]

It takes forever to empty out the pockets.

[Huh. Lydia did bring up a good point.]

Sure, I know how to use tools! In theory. Haven't actually ever had to use tools, given the whole demonic powers thing, but, how hard could it be?

No problem cross referencing, that definitely can help

[connie_maheswaran]

Oh, I will. I bet most people call him Betelgueist, but I figured Shoggoth sounded way more interesting. No, I bet. He speaks pretty highly of you.

Right. The jungle. Cleared. I'm writing some of this down so I can remember for next time. So the class of Faerie and Mystics have unstable early magic. I've met Fenton, I'll ask him about it the next time I see him.

How do the other classes rate as far as magic and its nature goes?

[creepyoldguy]

It is complex.