Book 2 – Page 33

[Fantabulastic]

So I just pre ordered book 2 but I've never seen a book 1 available for sale. Did I miss it some how?

[BCCroaker]

Bah. Two weeks. I think it's safe to say that the last frame sent a little chill down my spine. The camera angle in particular. Props to Xin for that zoom-out.

Also, did anyone else get a major Spock-vibe from Maggie in this strip?

Parson: "I don't want this."
Maggie: "Irrelevant. You are needed."

Seems very... logical.

Indeed; the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one

Also Parson has been able to swear since he threw his sword into the volcano at the end of book 1.

[Kidrik]

Tin-foil hat time.


Jack will make it appear Wanda dies causing the decrypted to become "barbarians" inducing Jetstone to end turn?

[Wakky]

Parson seems to be getting thinner, his hair is getting messier, and he's getting a bit whiny. Is he turning into an Emo?

[Lawd]

I like these pages. Conversations about Duty and how Erflings think are always a thing I enjoy. Also, nifty composition that show the height difference between Parson and Maggie, befitting with the rank-theme of this page.

[cdrcjsn]

So there is some concern in GK against Wanda's decrypted. They don't trust her. Interesting.

Possible "ugly" ideas:
1) Hire casters from the magic kingdom and have them appear in the Jetstone capital
2) Two caster link between Maggie/Sizemore to do ??? at range.
3) Hire Charlie through a combination of money and blackmail.

But considering that Parson wants to involve Jack...it's probably none of the above.

[x1372]

Nice page. Time for "random speculation that has probably been done to death"

We now know that a caster link can be done at a distance, at least in some form. Charlie did it to end GK's turn. Maybe that's something special that only works with the arkendish... or maybe it can be done in some way using the pliers (or even the hammer) as a focus.

I wonder what happens if, through some epic foolamancy-croakamany link, Jetstone's archers are made to look decrypted...and foolamancy makes them look like they're shooting Jetstone's troops. The heavies might take down their own units, and the ones necessary to take out Wanda's air force.

Or maybe we'll get our first look at what Sizemore's been doing lately. Aside from some brief conversations about him in the magic kingdom, he hasn't shown up yet this book. He could easily be a wildcard... anywhere. Especially if he can link with someone and start rearranging the terrain again.

[doran]

Maybe Parson is going use Foolmancy to do some Titan spoofing - making them in favour of the decrypted.

[Skyler]

So I just pre ordered book 2 but I've never seen a book 1 available for sale. Did I miss it some how?

I just signed up for the toolbox for book 2. Wondering the same thing about book 1, but I may not have been around when it was offered.

[Fug]

There are at least three dwagons circling the tower at GK. There is also a 4th flying unit. Is it a dwagon that is a littler further away or an Archon that did not head out to battle? It may be important that they have a surviving archon or two (to scout for Stanley's dwagon taming expeditions).

[Sara_is_Cool]

I think Parson natural retconjured the ability to swear into Erfworld.

Has anyone at all used "boop" since the start of Book 2 and the subsequent text-updates? For that matter, did anyone else use boop in the summer updates or at all since the end of Book 1? This is a serious question.

What besides retconjurmancy has been shown as able to redefine the base laws of Erfworld? (Well, it probably can't redefine the base laws, probably just the variables expressed in those laws, i.e. censor_var = false, twoll_special = regen //titan's note: check to make sure regen is the "generate again" function)

Parson's astounding ability to swear as he pleases is great and all, but his total indifference to violating a fundamental law is not in character with what has been shown. Why would mister "LOL, Tri-cano glitch is legal" not be fascinated by this? Initially it could be excused by his poignant defiance and purposeful, willful ignoring of the will of the titans for making him a monster, but when his head cooled off? When he went back to working out what things do?

The only explanation is that Parson no longer remembers a time when he couldn't swear in Erfworld. That's right, the first arbitrary rule he noticed ever is one he has no longer experienced.

This can't have been the first time something like this has happened, either. Look at all the times little things in the comic have changed. How does this fit in with the theme of "its the little things that make the difference sometimes"? (in-universe, i'm not going meta here) Its foreshadowing of the big reveal that not only is time relative on erfworld, its fluid! Imagine the forums exploding with the simple addition of Sylvia cursing under her breath in frustration in the background and our sudden realization of how long its been since someone said boop. The perfect reveal! Oh, Rob, you sly dog! We thought "dogs bowels" was just getting creative with the filter, not plausable deniablity of its continued existance!

But what is the mechanism for these changes? Well, the only "on-screen" example is from Parson, and it implies taking a stand against the erfworld itself, planting your flag at the site of a great event. These "event-flags", if you will, retroactively change the rules once triggered. Let's hope Parson goes for 100% completion!

(also, I think predictomancy works by detecting these event-flags, so that once they're triggered the recalculation of events up to that point (needed to get back on track with retroactive events) has to include knowledge that these flags must be planted.

[HandofShadows]

"Got a real ugly idea already."

For some reason, those simple words fill me with dread. When Parson says something like that, it's the Erfworld equivalent of a knell of doom.

I am with this 100%. This is going to get very messy and a lot of the crap is going to fall on Jetstone.

[hajo]

"Got a real ugly idea already."

Nice cliffhanger

Maybe Wanda's group can counter-attack and torch Jetstone's tower, as originally planned ?

[Menlo Marseilles]

Has anyone at all used "boop" since the start of Book 2 and the subsequent text-updates? For that matter, did anyone else use boop in the summer updates or at all since the end of Book 1? This is a serious question.

Nobody else ever used "boop". It's not a word in Language - Wanda and Stanley didn't know what to make of it when he was saying it at first. Other swears are probably equally foreign to them, which is why nobody else ever questioned that he switched to different ones. I don't think something like what you're proposing is necessary to explain what we're seeing here.

[The Black Hand]

"Got a real ugly idea already."

For some reason, those simple words fill me with dread. When Parson says something like that, it's the Erfworld equivalent of a knell of doom.

I am with this 100%. This is going to get very messy and a lot of the crap is going to fall on Jetstone.

It's probably acidic as all hell too, so Jetstone's gonna get seriously burned.

[KeiranHalcyon31]

What? Jack didn't make the cover art?

[Menlo Marseilles]

So I just pre ordered book 2 but I've never seen a book 1 available for sale. Did I miss it some how?

I just signed up for the toolbox for book 2. Wondering the same thing about book 1, but I may not have been around when it was offered.

Book 1 has never been offered - getting it published has been a longer haul than Rob expected, and he mentioned before that the first issue of Book 2 would probably be going on sale first.

[Sara_is_Cool]

I don't think something like what you're proposing is necessary to explain what we're seeing here.

Yes, that's probably true. Honestly, "boop" as a word makes little sense, and is more protrayed as an always dirty equivalent of "smurf". It's just some random placeholder for the word itself, but its hard to tell if erfworlders know the actual word and work out what boop means this time from context or if they just know that when they try to use the actual word it comes out as boop and consequently don't know what it really sounds like. (which is unecessarily complex, but ties more directly into the institutionalized mind control so prevalent on erf)

My proposal is by no means required as an explanation, but its my pet one because I find it the most interesting. That's really what I look for in a story.

Edit!: Still, i'm trying to go back through the archives and do my own footwork, since the burden of proof is on the one making the claim, and so far my point of "boop hasn't shown up since Book 1" seems to stand. Its nifty if nothing else. Tell me if you find contradictory evidence

edit2: good lord i misspelled smurf. truly, the end is nigh

[elddonnemar]

What? Jack didn't make the cover art?

There quite a few characters that didn't make it on to the cover art, but Jack's there. He's between Wanda and Jillian, looking wistful. He's just invisible, see.

[oslecamo2]

Parson: You're making me think, Jetstone...You wouldn't like me when I get thinking...

Cut to the end of the day, Jetstone reduced to a smoldering pile of ruins, Trems and co captured while Wanda cackles madly in the skies.

Trems: Ok, that definetely explains why Jillian was in such an hurry to leave.

Be afraid, Erfworld, be very afraid! Hamster's back on command, and if Hamster says he has an ugly idea, it means it will be UGLY!

Shame we need to wait 2 weeks for new update, but well, I can completely understand the authors needing some time to plan the next issue.