50% chance of destruction. Decent odds.
-3am Edit- I couldn’t sleep and I’ve been going through some tutorials on Unreal Engine, so I thought I’d try making a sarnothi house.
↓ Transcript
ANDI: Can I get a moment to process this "Amanda can make weapons" thing please God please?
AVERY (VO): Of course.
ANDI: Thanks.
AMANDA: Can I really make stuff with this?
SELKIE: Yeah! That's what I'm tryings to learn!
SELKIE: Echoes make buildings and machines and stuff. Mister Pohl helps build houses for people who need it!
AMANDA: Really? It's NOT murder-magic?
SELKIE: Only, like, halfs murder. I think.
AVERY (VO): Of course.
ANDI: Thanks.
AMANDA: Can I really make stuff with this?
SELKIE: Yeah! That's what I'm tryings to learn!
SELKIE: Echoes make buildings and machines and stuff. Mister Pohl helps build houses for people who need it!
AMANDA: Really? It's NOT murder-magic?
SELKIE: Only, like, halfs murder. I think.
The difference between a tool and a weapon is intent.
Never tell me the odds!
I love Selkie’s joyous nature overcoming her jealousy here. “Yeah, we’re gonna be able to build things for people with MAGIC; it’s gonna be so rad!”
I can sympathize. I’m an engineer, adding magic to my repertory would be friggin’ AWESOME.
It’s probably half that, and half her trying to show Amanda that she shouldn’t be freaked out by the currently uncontrollable murder beams shooting from her eyes.
Plus Amanda finally stopped hurting people in anger; I can’t imagine how scared she is of doing it by accident.
Amanda’s creativity could be a real good fit for this, and it in turn could serve as a great outlet—-
But I’ll admit to being glad she’s already working on that anger of hers, and worried at leaving a vindictive kiddo with such power… (her n selkie both haha.) ah well~
To be fair, a nail gun can build a house and could also be used for murder. It’s not the FIRST choice for that second job, but it’ll do
I was going to comment in a similar way: But I was thinking more like “a knife in the hands of a surgeon is a cure…”
To quote Isaac from Castlevania a hammer can be used to build a house or crack a skull.
Yep. “Chainsaw” was the example I was going to go with.
“A chainsaw in the hands of a surgeon helps birth babies” you mean?
There is a distinction. A tool can be misused as a weapon. A weapon is misused as a tool only with considerable imagination– “Wedge the door open would you? There’s a Kalashnikov in the corner”.
I like how Selkie has seen the need to step in with Pohl’s morality training here, and divert the focus of the situation. Andi’s panicking about weaponry, Amanda is mad…. Time for Selkie to NOT be evil scientist for a minute, and switch on Empath Mode. “No, we can build things and help people, that’s what we SHOULD do, and that’s what I’M learning to do!”
I think Amanda GENUINELY wants to be a “good kid”, she just struggles with her past and anger, just as Selkie did. It will take a lot of work, but I feel like the new shared “superpower” will help bond them even more.. and if she gets to join in lessons with Pohl.. he’s such a great guy in general. I’ve loved how he’s helped shift Selkie’s attitude.
Pohl is an amazing character who gets to be in the action but not part of the action. He gets to invest emotionally, but only as much as he wants. Amanda is a victim of her own upbringing and seems to be observing/learning how she can be more in control of her emotions. That’s kind of an inversion of Selkie’s situation where she’s often the victim of others emotional outbursts. Such a great comic. Thanks Dave!
Although not as cozy as hobbit hole this medieval helmet style building should make a fine home underwater. Also thumbs up for dabbling in the dark arts of UE!
I heard a saying years ago, “Mastery brings forgetfulness. If you want an explanation of how to walk, ask a baby, not an adult.” I wonder if, despite her natural ability, Amanda will be better able to help Selkie hone her own powers than the adults, simply because they’re so new to her (Amanda) as well.