Comic for Monday, November 8th, 2021
Tyler’s side effects were considerably worse than Amy’s, though there’s more than reason for that – as it’s rather complicated I figured it was a little too much tackle in depth. The magic he just used was well beyond the typical use of Eidos Key’s ability to complete magic, combined with his own lack of understanding resulted in significant strain; combined with being snapped back into reality after starting to process fragments of Eidos data, and the wear and tear that starting to process Eidos data was already eroding his senses. While it’s likely he would have been able to survive considerably longer than Amy there, her lack of adaption to that realm (being a far less talented mage) in this case drastically reduces any side effects she experienced, though it’d still be a little rough.
The magic Tyler uses to destroy the autocaster is fairly similar to what Mione uses (as that’s likely where he got the magic), though more thorough and less combat oriented (Tyler would struggle to use this as range with the same proficiency Mione does). Mione could break something down further than she usually does, it’s just that when she’s using it disarm guns and things, and really only matters that they fall into a couple pieces, where as Tyler rendered this thing down to basically dust – as he says, thoroughly following the spirit of his agreement, while being unsure why Mium wanted him to destroy it or what needed to be destroyed, he just opted to obliterate it. Though similar in a way to what Mium does in effect, it’s fairly different in how they get to there (and Mium’s tends to be even more thorough)… Mium’s, as we can guess by import of it being Mium, is not strictly speaking magic in the same way as what Tyler just did.
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I feel like Past’s author comment suggests that Tyler’s real reason for behaving as he has on this page is due to him really not being up for doing otherwise. Basically, he needs to go and recharge. But he also needs to not seem weak, because this world is kind of like that.
It’s also possibly worth keeping in mind that he got a bit better look at Mium than either wanted. When the friendly eldritch horror tells you it’s time to get a new phone, it’s time to get a new phone.
If I’m right, Tyler’s next stop is a store to get a new phone, and he’ll pick the one with the best general autocaster they have. After all, he won’t want to have to tell Mium, “No, I don’t have an autocaster. You made me destroy the last one.” but he also won’t admit that a mage of his caliber might see them as something that could save him or those he cares about in a pinch. He’ll then probably report in to whomever his boss is right now. Kahlek? The Consul? Probably not Yoav Cao. But after that, he could opt for some of that rest he was already supposed to be getting.
It could also be worth pointing out that he’s likely especially wanting to build trust with Team Peter right now in the hopes of being able to get a legit “Get out of the Palace Beyond free” card that he can keep.
I actually would have very money that Yoav Cao was Tyler’s boss. You’re thinking the whole promotion to family Mehr thing changed that? Or I missed something else?
I’m also not sure about the “get out free” card. Tyler doesn’t strike me as having plans that specific. Where as Team Peter plans contingencies in painful detail, Tyler seems to take a very high level, “this style of tactic usually works, the details will work themselves out” approach.
I was thinking the whole “called off the normal job to be actively at war”. Yoav Cao seems to be in charge of damned near everything in whatever city the main story takes place. Such an individual would be very difficult to re-direct to being the general for a war.
Now, as the person also seems to be one of the country’s leader’s primary aides, the city is very important to the country industrially, socially, and politically, he’s certainly going to be involved with the war. But actually running it seems to be a bit too much for one person to add to the rest of his duties, and the duties seem to be too numerous to just delegate at a moments’ notice.
Q: I’m confused. What happened to Mium? Is he still stuck in that other place between dimensions? Or did he pop out somewhere else in the world?
It is likely he is still there. On the last page he said he wasn’t ready to leave yet, he was just going to exert some effort to save the humans with him (Tyler and Amy). It is likely that Mium can stay in the realm largely indefinitely. He does not actually seem to need to breath, eat, or sleep, and likely can read Eidos data naturally, so being in that in-between world is probably not particularly harmful to him.
I don’t know if I’d say stuck though, as I suspect he has a plan to get out. And probably four other plans if that one doesn’t work. They just take more time, Tyler and Amy wouldn’t survive there that long.
It’s my impression that Mium’s fueled by some form of ration bar that Ila really doesn’t care for. It’s unclear to me whether it’s because it’s low in sugar, or if it’s just that there’s something fundamentally different about how their bodies power themselves, and thus fundamentally different in what they think tastes good.
That said, I’d guess he has one or two in his pockets, and he does’t go through them all that quickly.
I agree with the thought that he has at least one and possible multiple ways out. Even in his worst case scenario, it’s worth remembering that he already *is* out, and several different places. It’s just that the only places he’s out in Malsa are stationary. His worst case scenario is he sends someone such as Eliana to get him out.
Given Mium’s willingness to optimize for power conservation over “comfort”, I suspect a bar or two would last him a very long time.
Second line of Amy’s closeup.
What I see is:
We may not have get another
I think you intended either:
We may not have another
OR
We may not get another
Love the comic, been reading this for years!
Fixed, thanks. Always glad to hear.
Panel 10: Following the spirit of an agreement rather than the letter of one is how you build trust.
Fixed, thanks.
Tyler is always an interesting one. Every other character is playing 4d chess and scheming. Tyler’s scheme is… to make friends with people.
Part of that may be Tyler realizing that while he is a valuable piece on the board, he certainly isn’t the best player of the game. And people are less likely to sacrifice pieces they like.
Funny, I think if he’d tried to investigate it before destroying it, Mium might have respected him for it somewhat. But dealing in good faith *is* a very good way to ensure that your allies remain such, and Tyler knows who he really wants in his corner when this all comes down.
to quote a line i learned from Danny Phantom: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend, For now.
I would think Mr. that’s-not-military-hardware-either would at least understand honoring the letter of the deal rather than the spirit.
… I’m more surprised he worded it so ambiguously. Good judge of character, I guess.
Mium plans for betrayal. Multiple pathways that Tyler may have followed were accounted for. Tyler deliberately chose the one that increases his trust score with Mium.
I’m sure the primary goal in requesting the device’s destruction wasn’t testing Tyler, but I’m also sure that it factored in.
Mium can be hard to read sometimes. I feel like Tyler’s choice will absolutely gain trust from Peter. But if Vium wasn’t an accident… Mium wouldn’t be able to explicitly hold Tyler’s obedience against him until having an official break with Peter, but it’s possible that Mium might feel differently about it than you expect.
Still, Tyler would have the perfect verbal defense if Mium did take issue with his obedience, so even if Tyler was aware that Mium might be somewhere near the last “useful days” of his “lifespan”, it was still probably the right call. Tyler has a track record of going along with allies on things. What else could Mium reasonably expect? If Mium thought he would follow the letter rather than the spirit, that deviation from his expected behavior could be a sign that Mium wasn’t ready to take on the world as much as he thought.
That said, if Mium had wanted the letter obeyed but not the spirit… he’s possibly smart enough to recognize on his own that meant he didn’t understand people as well as he thought. If Tyler’s choice got Mium to delay overt rebellion by even a few days, it could be that it was worth it.
Also, we’d probably never know, unless Past said something in the comments about it. Mium isn’t the sort to monologue at the slow speed that he needs to communicate with humans. He’s probably not the sort to monologue at machine speed, either, but we don’t get to see those interactions so much.
I think that’s a bit different. Mium is a (mostly) purely rational being that models human behavior based on his data. If Tyler shows a pattern of being faithful to agreements to the best of his ability, Mium will predict he will keep doing that (within reason). This is what Tyler would refer to as trust, and Mium would refer to as predicting his behavior.
I’ve been trying to formulate a reply, and you’ve done it better than I was coming up with.
I don’t see Mium as being disappointed with predictable behavior, regardless of how humans characterize it. That Tyler’s behavior can be seen as both noble (honest? trustworthy? ) from a human perspective, and also predictable, really just makes him an awesome dude to have as a friend.