"You don't have to make them feel the feelings, you can just go to see a sportsball. If the sportsball is any good that day, at least. Getting much off just one person the feelings have to be about you but you don't have to be paying attention. Does have to be in person for daeva."

"Oh, that definitely seems like an overall improvement on neutral, to me. What are some other options I have?"

"Dryad! That's what it sounds like it is complete with being a tree some of the time. Mana from taking care of alive things, have a garden or make the neighbors a casserole or get a cat. Sylph! Floaty air spirits, hang out where there's spirits from people being dead or something for mana. Undine! Made of shapeshifty water all the way through, very good at purifying water and get mana to do it too. Taura, that is like a centaur but less specific, looks like you would be an... alpaca taura if you would be one. Mana from being a tremendous hippie about an environment, or alternately historical preservationy behavior. Vanir, those are icey folks, get mana from being unconventional or resisting temptations. Elf, looks like you would be the Sun kind of elf, meditate for your mana. Orc, lots of people have orc ancestors because of how orcs get mana from having children. Mimi, animal-person kind of like me but I am instead an oread, you would be a fox mimi, fastest recharge of anybody from getting pats on the head and things like that. Pixie, tiny little flower fey, mana from growing flowers. That looks like it for things you can be, which sound funnest?"

"Hmmmm...say more about vanir and mimi?"

"Vanir turn blue or white or grey. Impervious to cold, they feel it but it does them no harm, extensible to plants and creatures close enough too. Sometimes accumulate ice buildup in horn shapes or spike shapes or scale shapes. No aging past some random point eighteen to twenty five. If something gets you, you explode into little bits of ice everywhere and regrow again in the nearest permafrost zone to pop up alive three months later. Mana recharge is like - everyone says Coke and you say root beer, ta-da; or, everyone is bundled up for Christmas and you say tank top, this too, or, you want the new shoes but you win the fight with your you and do not buy the new shoes, poof, mana."

"Hmmmm, I'm not sure about the idea of being a different color, even if it is just a bit paler, I like the color scheme I already have—and come to think of it, while there's some appeal of the mimi method of mana from physical affection, I can already tell that it would offend my sense of dignity that it's only one-way. I think I'll go with daeva; it's the one that not only appeals but has no niggling downside. What can you say about the different types of magic learning?"

"Not uncommon for mimi to meet up with each other and make it not one-way. Daeva it is though. Not locked in till you are all done for sure with all the things.

"Over here we have warlock, sorceress, and academic. Warlocks pick patrons! Patrons send warlocks on errands and give power for paychecks, fastest growth. Sorceresses are best at elemental magics, and get more power by paracticing with magic more. Academics learn it all out of books, takes longest but get a little extra oomph out of it."

"Are there any things that can only be done through a particular school, or is it just a matter of how long it takes?"

"Sorceresses are alone among witches in doing all elementalisms. You will not have enough power to pick up every kind of magic today but you are quite oomphy and could do it eventually, if you want, only if you sorcer. Warlocks get free magical presents but those are come-by-able other which ways."

"What are the elements? Is it just, like, the four classical ones?"

"Those and also nature things and metal and psionics. And technically turning yourself into hugeass kaiju but you do not get to do that one if you are a daeva, you must be instead or also something beastful."

Psionics! She is excited about that possibility for normal reasons entirely unrelated to having read an excessive amount of romantic fanfiction where lovers are soulbonded and can read each other's thoughts.

...but you can have one elementalism no matter what, and none of those others sound like deciding considerations. Wait, unless...

"Is there healing magic, and if so, is it classified under 'nature things' or are there other methods anyone can do?"

"Alchemy is most of your normal healing. There is also a rune for it and some hexes things people do. Naturalism is not so much a healing magic."

"Good to know! From the sound of those things I think I'm leaning academic; if immortality weren't on the table I'd be going fastest growth for sure, but since it is 'most total power' is sounding more appealing. Curious why you have to pick only one, though—is it just because each method takes up too much time to get anywhere if you try to split, or is it an inherent limitation of the power?"

"You can pick two growing options if you are Neutral or part Neutral - or, you will really be one thing, for affinities and suchlike, but can moonlight as another for getting more magic. Costs points though."

"Part Neutral? And, affinities—I'm guessing those are types of magic that the different schools are best at? What are some examples, besides sorcery and elementalism?"

"Hybrids are things! You can be more races than one if you like. Races and also classes have affinities that make magic less pointy to buy. Or more pointy to accept, for the bad stuff you are paid to take. Academics have affinity for Alchemy, Runes, Witchery, Aethernautics, and Portals. Warlocks for Hexes, Curses, Necromancy, Consortation, and Divination. Sorceresses for all elementalisms and also Familiarity."

"Oh wow this opens up so many additional questions! I guess I should start with, while I'm still digesting the 'magic is real' reveal—Necromancy, is that just reanimating bodies, or are ghosts real? Is there an afterlife?"

"Ghosts are real! Lots of afterlives, necromancers can sometimes tote a ghost where they wish it to afterlive."

"Do non-witches go to afterlives too? Are any of them hells and is anyone doing something about that if so?"

"There is Hell, wherefrom hail Consortation demons. There are also angels and whatnots, some warlocks work for those. I do not know exact statuses of projects of angels."

"Unfortunate. Unless they just have bad PR and the whole 'lake of fire, eternal torture, all the murderers and so on accumulated in one place' thing is made up, I suppose. What about, hmmmm...what are Witchery and Aethernautics? What's the difference between Curses and Hexes?"

"Have not visited Hell to know how it differs from its brochures. Witchery is having witchy clothes! We are all related way back when and our umpteenth grandma did a little something to let us have those. Adding ranks in it lets you have the classic broomstick, look snazzier, turn your hat into a pocket dimension - more details on all this available on request, I am going shallow first. Aethernautics is mostly about where all the rocks and lights in the sky are, breathing in space like Batman, eventually planar travel shenanigans. Curses is what it sounds like, Hexes is transmutations and only called hexes for some reason."

"What about Runes, what uses are there for that? What kinds of information can be learned through Divination?"

"Runes do lots of different things and also those things' opposites too! Luck charms, birth control, heavy-ifying things, antimagic, copy relics, and more. Divination is good at identifying 'who is that' or 'what is that' or 'how are you doing', mapping where you are at, chat app in your head, tell if the future is bright or not so..."