Sentynel wrote: I've never seen anyone be offended by "oh my god", religious or not.

mmm, only one or two of my friends get offended..ish if I say it.
but i thought it was best to be safe, just in case. :D

Whitehall surely is stronger. She could summon her Afrit directly while Nat needed a pentacle. Also remember her fist glowing. JW was more experienced too. And she was'nt all that bad & greedy like the others (though Nat scores higher on that point)

Well, Whitwell is only stronger from years and years of experience.

Ianna wrote: Well, Whitwell is only stronger from years and years of experience.

Well, yeah, but that's how most magicians get strong. In fact, that's how most people get strong. At anything.

Until they shrivel up and die of exhaustion, you mean.

Ianna wrote: Until they shrivel up and die of exhaustion, you mean.

But everyone (mortal) dies eventually, right? And I don't think that Whitwell and Mandrake could stand to shrivel up any further. Whitwell is a bony harridan and Mandrake is as weak as a newborn kitten.

Well, no.

Bartimaeus has described several times how exhausting it is to be a magician. So, if the politics don't get them, the summoning will.

Basically our equivalent of a career in Law or Medicine or something. Only worse. *snerk*

Probably more like medicine because one mistake or so and you're out.

At least in medicine a demon doesn't come out and eat you if you have bad penmanship (like my doctor does). And in medicine the equipment doesn't argue back at you or actively plan your demise. And you don't need a fake name. And you're not automatically put in charge of the government. And you can't shoot fireballs from your hands unless you already could before you became a doctor. And you're never in danger from someone trapping you inside a giant mansion and summoning a giant stethoscope or something to kill you all.

But other than that, it's exactly like medicine.

We were comparing it to the stress levels and difficulty of the job.

If you're a doctor, especially a surgeon, and cut the wrong thing someone is dead.

You have patients out to sue you.

So what if you're not put in charge of the government automatically? Neither are magicians, afterall Makepeace was a writer.

Magicians can't shoot fireballs, Stroud said its an invisible enitiy.

I think they would fight for a few hours then get bored and just decide to draw. Then when John turns his back, Jessica attacks. Well, come on, you know she would, if she wanted to win,

Considering the book, it states that John beleives himself the strongest of the top 7 government officials, with the possible exception of Whitwell. In all, id put my money on John, considering that he had 5-6 major djinn on standby and multiple other lesser djinn for menial tasks, wheras it only really mentions Whitwell as having two (shubit and the afrit....though im inclined to beleive that they are the same, as they are both described as bears >_>). Besides, nowhere does it say that John could not have summoned an Afrit, just that he didnt. Summoning 5-6 djinn at once infers that you have the power to summon 1-2 afrits at once, and in the end, I beleive his youthful energy would have one out.

It would be nat that would win[what is lol]

Agree with Phoebus i do

Talking like Yoda, you are.

YODA!
Yoda's awesome!

lol. Oh, and i go w/ nat.

Queezle7 wrote: YODA!
Yoda's awesome!

Speak the truth, you do. Awesome, he is. Get laughed at in class, I do. For speaking like this, it was.

I'd say Nathaniel. He's got more spirit slaves at his service. However Shubbit may be powerful four djinns and two foliots + any random additional summons that might be done for the fights sake would strenghen him enough. He's a better magician as Bartimaeus puts it.