Answers, 4

[sythyry]

chipuni -- What were some of the best /Impractical Uses of Destroc/?

I got interrupted before I had gotten too far in the book, and after the interruption I had to take the book to the librarian and apologize for its scorchedness and its need of healing. Neither was I taking careful notes. Here are some that I remember.

• Using Destroc to cause temporary but very large wounds in a medical patient, for the purpose of performing surgery. (In no instance has this been demonstrated to be as easy as the corresponding Healoc spell).
• Using Destroc Locador to remove sections of the Trans-Glenthanian Highway which passed through a truly dangerous forest. In effect, it became a teleport gate, but a remarkably unharmonic and ineffective one, which not only made the Highway useless, but required the closing of all other teleport gates in the Glenthanades.

  For offworlders: it is not considered wise to have teleport gates too close together here, because, otherwise, you might come visiting. While I daresay that most of you are perfectly delightful people, our civilization is not as tolerant of outsiders as yours -- I know this because so many of you urge me to be tolerant in ways that seem excessive to me -- and you might not be as well welcomed as you deserve.

• At times, one speaks a sentence and immediately regrets it. A sufficiently potent Mutoc Tempador spell will allow one to change the recent past and speak a different sentence. A comparable Destroc Tempador spell will destroy a bit of the recent past. The regrettable sentence was, retroactively, not spoken ... but instead, the conversation simply stopped dead for the time that it would have been spoken. The first time that this spell was used, the caster's lover knew immediately that Something Was Up, and got angrier than she would have been had the sentence been said.
• Never, never spont a Destroc Corpador contraception spell, no matter how eager you are. In fact, the more eager you are, the less you should spont one. Although the effects listed in the book did generally prevent conception. (In many cases they were curable.)
• For that matter, don't use Destroc to whittle iron the way you would wood. It works fine, but destroys a fortune in metal shavings.

Comments

[dracosphynx.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are some Destroc Mentador uses, but I can't remember them at the moment.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

You scare me!

[sugerhound.livejournal.com]

You never know, on the off chance something unsavoury from the outside finds its way onto the tree Desctoc mentador might be the only option.
We should be thankful Lord Flokin and "Here" take such pleasure in the removal of the beasts, I'd hate to have to research that branch of magic no matter what the cause might be.

[serenainverse.livejournal.com]

I once had an acquaintance attempt, as a joke, to use a Destroc Magiador spell to destroy itself as it was being cast..

Note the use of the word 'had'.

What happens when you skim

[rowyn]

... and don't use Destroc to iron ... er, remove wrinkles from clothing, either.

Re: What happens when you skim

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

(briefly pictures caffeinewabbit falling into the WorldTree universe and stressing out about what one dresses in to interviews with the Countess)

[striderhlc.livejournal.com]

At times, one speaks a sentence and immediately regrets it. A sufficiently potent Mutoc Tempador spell will allow one to change the recent past and speak a different sentence. A comparable Destroc Tempador spell will destroy a bit of the recent past. The regrettable sentence was, retroactively, not spoken ... but instead, the conversation simply stopped dead for the time that it would have been spoken. The first time that this spell was used, the caster's lover knew immediately that Something Was Up, and got angrier than she would have been had the sentence been said.

I suppose the moral of this part of the story, at least, is "Don't use Destroc where 3 minutes of looking sheepish and awkwardly staring at your feet will do?" :)

- HC

[tempralisis.livejournal.com]

Couldn't you just boost the power and change the nature of the spell a little and completely destroy the time when the scentence was spoken? That way there is no several second pause. Kinda like snipping a section from a cloth, and stretching the remaining cloth to cover the hole.

...might need Mutoc.

-Tau