Book 2 – Text Updates 042

[justamessenger]

1. GREAT UPDATE! I admire Slately for finally finding the right path to save his Side. Making Tramennis king is going to be a significant paradigm shift for JS and the rest of the Royals, whether they know it or not.

2. Tramennis seems more like Julius Caesar to me, given the dimpled chin and lack of a unibrow. The hair is different, yes, but don't forget that Julius Caesar's hair was also curly...and the *real* Caesar would make a far more formidable opponent than any of the others.

3. Stuff on the table: a) yeah, that is a lightsaber next to the *scimitar* (not katana). b) There are also two handguns of some type. c) grenades (looks like two). d. Nobody else has mentioned this: a bundle of sticks of dynamite . In short, yes, Ace Hardware is the MAN!

4. Regarding Ace: It seems that the stage is being set for Slately, leading his very own version of the Charge of the Light Brigade, will be taking Ace along as punishment. Given that he is leading a suicidal attach on GK forces, and that he is going to see to it that Ace is punished for his perceived misdeeds, it seems a near-certainty that Ace is going to be in this next engagement.

[joosy]

I'd just like to point out how brilliant this turn of phrase is:

"So who cares if he's [Tramennis] a— If his Signamancy is less...than manly." Slately cleared his throat. "I certainly don't. Any more. He ought to lead."

It allows Slately to admit that his bias against Tram was the result of homophobia but without using the word "homosexuality" -- which is a word that logically should not exist in Erfworld since it is a world without procreative sex where sexual activity is purely for personal pleasure. Brilliant.

And here I go to be contrarian. Because your interpretation is spot-on, were Slately an Earth character. But like you said, there's no reason why homophobia should exist at all in Erfworld. There's not even a clearly delineated notion of "regular" gender roles, for crying out loud!

So I'll interpret Slately as referring merely to Trem's less-than-imposing physique.

As a gay man I can attest to my own father struggling to define me to others without using 'that word'. It sounds very similar to Slately's own search for a proper descriptor. I have suggested that my father just refer to me as one of "those people" to his fellow John Birchers but I have yet to hear him use it.

Also it looks like this may also put the nail in Don King's coffin, so to speak, as it may push loyalty of all present firmly into Caesar's camp. It would be interesting to find out where Bunny's true loyalty's lie as well.

[Dr Pepper]

Perhaps casters are like cereal prizes. You have to keep popping the other units and then every so often, there's something shiny in there.

[peteratjet]

Gaius Iulius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico is still studied by contemporary military strategists.

Actually, I think he looks a lot more like Octavius, who styled himself Augustus Caesar if I'm not mistaken.

Some Augustuses are less manly



than others

[Selexor]

And that, boys and girls, is how Slately evolved from an annoying little royal snob into a gorram KING.

I'll admit it freely - I was actually looking forward to seeing Slately get his comeuppance at the end of Decrypted!Antium's spear. He'd been a rude bastard and an elitist and, worst of all, utterly naive about the motivations of everyone around him. If people rated Stanley as Too Dumb To Live then Slately was the only one capable of out-stupiding him.

Now? Seeing that little man burn out in a Decrypted-Dust-Stained blaze of glory is pretty much the number one thing I want to see happen. In one strip, Slately earned the right to have the most epic croakscene since Bogroll's sacrifice on the tower of Efdup.

That's the mark of a great story - you find a character that might as well have not existed for 99% of the tale so far, and then in that last little gasp, you catch yourself cheering them on. Fantastic stuff.

[Decorus]

When you pop a Command unit you will either get a Warlord or you will get a caster. Its entirely random what kind of caster you will get.
Its entirely possible to choose what unit you pop since Charlie obviously can pop only Archons, The Tool can pop dwagons, Jillian was choosing to only pop Aerial units etc....

[justamessenger]

Oh, by the way, that bust of Octavius doesn't depict him with long hair. As with pretty much every Roman man, the hair was cropped short, the long bit is a head covering of some type.

Sort of like this different statue of him:

[abb3w]

C'mon now, this is just a bit farcical. You are emphasizing the "familiar" portion of that quote and concluding that since Stupidworld has homophobia that Erf must. But if Parson was vehemently against homophobia and felt that homophobes were dangerous radicals, the "safe" portion of that quote would be violated.

True... given that initial "if" premise.

However, Parson was willing to make dubious jokes about homosexuality in his web comic, which would appear to contradict the supposition of such hypothetical vehemence. He's probably not a profound bigot nor outright homophobic himself; merely a normal heterosexually oriented American male who was more interested in girls.

Besides, "safe" is obviously a secondary consideration, given his interactions with Stanley.

[Scaramouche]

There is a gun on the table.

I won’t find it fantastic or think it absurd/
When the gun in the first act goes off in the third...

So ... it's a CHEKOV'S gun on the table! Victory.

[Lightbender]

I must have missed it somehow, when/where did Ace make a lightsaber? I see the grenades, and of course there's that jetpack.

[the_tick_rules]

maybe that's a sword reflecting light? an activated lightsabre is not a smart thing to leave on when not in use. Unless I'm looking at a different object than you.

[name lips]

OK, so Slately is now doomed... I wonder if he'll be decrypted.

Trem will escape. I wonder how many of his casters will escape with him? I know we all want Parson to get access to Ace Hardware, but I have a feeling that it won't happen. I think it will be Trem with his 4 casters against Parson with his 3 casters (plus mathamancy bracer for 4).

And Trem will have something no side, except perhaps Charlie's, has ever had. Think about this for a second.

A smart person without a dumb person giving him orders.

Parson is still commanded by Stanley. For dramatic purposes this will probably continue -- how does the brilliant Parson win battles while hampered by the moronic Stanley? It's like a sitcom!

But Trem... will now be in complete control of his side, with no dumb, proud, old-fashioned father holding him back. He is willing to learn from his mistakes, to think outside the box, to use strategies he sees Parson using...

And he's also willing to talk with Charlie. Imagine Charlie + Trem arrayed against Parson. That's a worthy battle right there.

[Ansan Gotti]

Absolutely fantastic update, although I agree that "and/or" is jarring. That's technical writing, not literary writing.

The update doesn't make me love Slately, although I have a tiny bit more respect for him now. I'm mostly just looking forward to the story removing him from the equation so that we can get somewhere more interesting with Tramennis.

Don King is so done, though.

[allaces14400]

I can only imagine what use Parson might be able to put Ace's hardware to. God knows he thinks outside the box more than Slately does. Mayhap Wanda will get her caster puppet afterall.

One can only hope.

[the_tick_rules]

we're assuming he gets the casters, they'll be leaving with Tram if that plans goes off right?

[allaces14400]

The plan's seen at least two revisions thus far. I'd say anything's possible. And for anything one side plans, the other may be able to exploit. The case could be made that such is the distilled essence of warfare.

Or I could be completely off base.

[atalex]

Here's what I can see happening: In addition to Chekhov's Jetpack, we now have Chekhov's Grenade. I see Slately and Ace, contemptuous of each other but stuck together at the end, fighting against hopeless odds, when Slately mentions his fear of being Decrypted and Ace reveals that the little green bauble with the ring at the top can totally destroy their bodies, leaving nothing for Decryption and taking out any GK troops nearby. Slately takes the grenade, Ace pulls the pin, and they both put their hands over it and over each other's hands and wait for the explosion. Just like Vasquez and Gorman at the end of Aliens -- two enemies bravely facing death together.

Or maybe not.

[the_tick_rules]

I hope it's the holy hand grenade.

[Squall83]

This update was really touching. I didn't think Slately would soften up at all. I loved reading it!

[JustDoug]

So Slately's failure to find a euphemism he was willing to speak aloud is clearly meant to indicate that he fears Tram is a man who loves men. The next logical consequence of this is that Tram's man-crush on Lord Hamster isn't just a man-crush. Is Tram really at risk of falling in love with the architect of his brothers' downfall, soon-to-be his father's downfall, approaching his side's downfall.

I sense slashfic in the offing. Not that I want to. Really. I really, really don't.