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NextEstablishment856 t1_je5p1sx wrote

"Fast, cheap, or good. You only get two." That's what they say.

Thing is, most wizards don't do fast or cheap. They spend days, even weeks, designing a spell, and they always demand the best ingredients for it. You give them a problem, they take forever to tell you to go halfway round the world for the pieces of a solution.

And yeah, it's a good solution, but by the time you have it, you have new problems. Old one may even have solved itself. It's why only the most desperate folks go to the Guild for help.

Meanwhile, I'm out here. I give you a solution before you leave my shop, and it's all done with stuff from the corner store. And here's the kicker: it may not be the perfect answer the Guildies would give, they may not say it's good, but it's good enough.

Example time, this minor lord drops by, has a banquet coming up, king is supposed to drop in. Only his kitchen has a rat problem suddenly. The early snow likely drove them inside.

I have him get some ham, flower petals (I recommended rose, but let him know any would do. He went with carnations), and a bit of brick dust. I had plenty of fairy bits (I keep traps for common ones, like grigs and pixies, year round. Most spells, you don't need a specific kind) that I added. Done before the hour was up. He laid it out, it drew the rats in, and POOF they turn into teaspoons for the next three days. Staff would pick them up and they got shipped away before they turned back.

Sure, it's not the solution he'd expected, but it got the job done, and in time for the banquet. He wasn't seen spending tons of time with a wizards (which is rightly seen as suspicious behavior), and he didn't have to drop a frigging mint to get rid of some rats with magic.

And off the record, sometimes, you get a little bonus with my spells. Don't tell anyone, but there's a rumor he gifted out some "commemorative teaspoons" to other nobles.

So if you need it to be perfect, money is no object, and time is irrelevant, you can go to the Guild. For anything you have to face in your real life, talk to me.

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MHarbourgirl t1_je657nz wrote

I nearly inhaled my coffee at 'commemorative teaspoons'. OMG, dude, I really hope you can expand on this. This could go places, the way you've started it. And I shamelessly admit that I would read the shit out of a whole book or six if you did.

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Rauntu t1_je7bmnj wrote

Same! My sides took a trip in orbit for there a moment.

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Knilight t1_je8tn1l wrote

I would expect something like this in a Terry Pratchett book. It's so good.

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Hidesuru t1_jea7ogx wrote

I got a little bit of dresdin files (sp?) Out of this. Love it.

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Homo_Rebus t1_je6bd1k wrote

"and brother i shit you not, he turned the rats into spoons! Funniest shit i ever seen"

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cocoagiant t1_je7g1wh wrote

This has a lot of potential.

I could see it being kind of like the Fred, the Vampire Accountant Series by Drew Hayes.

It might be niche but I really like stories which go into the logistical issues of magic.

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NextEstablishment856 t1_je7gh0k wrote

I may have to check that out.

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cocoagiant t1_je7gzbs wrote

The writing isn't great but the concept is a good one.

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MLockeTM t1_jea20kq wrote

In scale of Discworld to the trashfire which is Dresden files, just how bad is the writing? If it's at least readable, might give it a shot, the series sounds fun as all hell.

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cocoagiant t1_jearv97 wrote

I would consider Dresden (at least books 4 onward) perfectly decent writing. Butcher is also a very good worldbuilder.

Hayes' prose is fine but his world building is not super consistent. His characters also aren't super well fleshed out.

It doesn't take away from enjoyment if you aren't an overthinker like me.

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MLockeTM t1_jeb3vla wrote

Oh, I commented on another reply - I agree on the world building part. The world Butcher created is absolutely amazing, and I've bought and read every single book on the series, despite of hating the style he writes in. I can't describe it, and I know it's just me, but something about the way he writes is just grating to me.

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FawksyBoxes t1_jeaqrkn wrote

O.o if Dresden files is a trash fire... What does that make Twilight on your scale?

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MLockeTM t1_jeb3es3 wrote

An affront to literature?

Nah, to be fair, there's something about Butchers writing style, that makes Dresden files just god awful to read to me, personally. But I buy every single one anyhow, because I absolutely love the world he's built.

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SirShartington t1_je8hrby wrote

Trudi Canavan's Age of the Five really scratched that itch for me.

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NotAEvilGynecologist t1_je7c34h wrote

This feels Dresden-ish. You were also vague enough that this could fit into an urban fantasy setting with modern, supernatural nobility. But really this whole prompt seems built to make Dresden Files type responses.

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eternal42 t1_je8vc98 wrote

He leaves a nice negative space for us to fill in our own ideas of what the actual world looks like

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5thhorseman_ t1_je9geql wrote

> But really this whole prompt seems built to make Dresden Files type responses.

Or Discworld style, as it's canon that its mages are deeply into theatrics and many spells can be carried out very simply - consider the Rite of Ask-Ente or Grandma Weatherwax's repertoire.

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edwarddragonpaw t1_je9evls wrote

I wanna read a more of this. Like a story adventure or something

The one power that is truly king Common sense

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MrRedoot55 t1_jeay8cr wrote

It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.

Good job.

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