Book 2 – Page 58

[WaterMonkey314]

I dunno if I'm just paranoid, but something about Maggie's expression and her last line makes me feel like something ominous will happen... does she normally get that certain about things?

[the_tick_rules]

She does have a squad of thinkamancers ready to protect him, that's a pretty safe thing. Especially since they have the advantage of nobody in MK hostile to the idea having any idea. But as mentioned earlier the laws of drama make this sure thing somewhat improbable.

[gazes_also]

I dunno if I'm just paranoid, but something about Maggie's expression and her last line makes me feel like something ominous will happen... does she normally get that certain about things?

Maggie is playing her own game. The Thinkamancers all want to destroy Charlie and she sees Parson as the best chance to do that. As a result she is prepared to have the thinkamancers actively side with GK inside TMK even if it means going against the rest of the casters and starting a civil war.

[Oberon]

Oooh, we have 3 different knight eye colors; blue(standard), tan on the helmless guy-the same as Maggies?, and maybe red(could be the faceplate) which might indicate some kind of brezerker special, possibly from the dollamancer?

Loving the detail on the helms, sets them apart, and gives them a bit more character than the grunts. I'm wondering if the knights are popped as such or just higher-level soldiers given the title of knight.

Knight seems to be a class of unit you are popped with. As per the archons being "knight class units." This doesn't mean that it also couldn't be a class you can be promoted into, as with Stanley the piker becoming Stanley the warlord, instead of simply being popped as a warlord.

War will also be brought to the Magic Kingdom !

Correction: War will be fought through the Magic Kingdom!

That's also a LOT of Jetstone troops there in Panel 1... Ironically if they attacked now, with Wanda in the basement, they'd probably wipe out the dwagons with relative ease.

I dunno about that. There were a lot of Jetstone units defending the approach to the dungeons. And we saw them fall and turn in sequence.

I'm vaguely worried about Parson's earlier statement about a three foot fall, with some bad luck, being able to kill a unit. Of course I won't hesitate to exclaim,

I WARNED YOU ABOUT STAIRS, BRO
I TOLD YOU DOG!

Sweet Dirtamancer and Hella Parson?

Hey Oberon, I made you an avatar from today's update. =D

Um, thanks?

Ya know, the joke will be on you when Oberon will, in fact, use that avatar, and as a sig "I'm with stupid --->".

I would like to state for the record that I in fact updated my avatar while reading page 3 of the response forum, before seeing this on page 4... I then replaced it with the prettified job Pres Allosaurus made.

From Maggie's word choice and satisfied smile, I'm pretty sure she trying to prevent him from getting to Spacerock in a way that she can't be ordered to fix. Mighty clever, that old girl.

A doctor once said about the show House "When you hear the sound of hoof-beats, you don't predict zebras are on the way." If Maggie wanted to prevent Parson from reaching Spacerock, then why wouldn't she simply say "no go" when Parson asked her "Go? Or no go, Maggie?"

I was hoping he'd use it. I've no problem with Oberon - it's just a lighthearted poke-of-opportunity at his posting style.

That sig would add another layer to the joke, though.

I am aware that my writing is often read more darkly than I intend it, even when I do intend to contradict someone else. I sometimes attempt to work on it, but telling someone I think they are wrong doesn't seem to evoke fluffy bunnies, no matter how politely couched. I can be just as ready to debate facts or theories in person, but the facial expressions and other body language speak miles that I'm not actually mad at the person I'm conversing with. Text just doesn't do that.

[Guppy]

Parson's decision to head over in person to Spacerock might not seem very rational -- because it isn't rational, and Parson knows it.

That's a question still very much up for debate. Aside from his personal Chief Warlord bonus, I've been wondering if all that magic gear he's carrying is the key. Casters are personally weak but enormously powerful force-multipliers. If it lets him function as a extra "caster" for GK, it could be enough to turn the tide.

[No one in particular]

Turn the tide? Gobwin Knob is WINNING. Turning the tide at this point would be a BAD thing!

[Dr Pepper]

I wonder if Sizemore piped in Muzak into his tunnel and if so.. would would the playlist be?

Hall of the Mountain King

The Underground

Working in a Coal Mine

Spud Patrol

Where the Down Boys Go

Subterranian Homesick Blues

The Funkiest Worm in the World

Mario Brothers Theme

And if Janis injects herself: White Rabbit

[MarbitChow]

I wonder if Sizemore piped in Muzak into his tunnel and if so.. would would the playlist be?

(With apologies to Pink Floyd...)

(Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run,
Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run, Run.)

You better gear your hero in
Your favourite artifacts
Armed with cheesy exploits
and serious OMG HAX

Racing down the tunnel
to the Caster's Home
Carved by spell and shovel
out of rock and loam

With your foes in shambles
While your foolamancer rambles
Watch the Hamster hurdle
Through the door
He's gonna run...

[Almaseti]

Is that Empress Sanaki I see among the thinkamancers?

[JustDoug]

(With apologies to Pink Floyd...)

....

He's gonna run...

You, sir, win the internets.

Now, let's see what you can do with 'Inna Gadda Da Vida."

[name lips]

OK there's potential for a really, REALLY dramatic scene in the MK.

1) Parson is dashing through
2) Janis and Marie are there
3) Sizemore is there
4) full squad of master-class Thinkamancers is on the way
5) the portal guards are there
6) Maggie, Wanda, and Jack are ALL literally 3 feet away from the action and could conceivably act as deus ex machinas for when (not if) things go wrong.


Just think of all those people in the MK all at once, half trying to stop Parson, half trying to help him.

[BakaGrappler]

I just want to briefly address the concern of Parson getting incapacitated due to the "Fall" rules in Erfworld. I think he'll be safe because the Fall Rules seem to apply specifically for the changing of hex zones from Aerial zones to land based zones. Basically, going from using the Flying in the Sky position to Hitting the Ground position. Since Parson will already be on the ground he should not be affected by that rule. And Sizemore is a smart guy who is incapable of betraying his Chief Warlord through Loyalty and Duty, so he would know exactly what Erf-Traps are dangerous and which are benign. This is most likely a Ruse Type trap that allows a fast retreat of units through a portion of Erf that is altered.

As such, I kind of expect Parson to say, "Hmm, maybe I should look into some more tactics that involve moving units through on the fly tunnels with hidden entrances. Redirection of units and ambush zones. Kind of a Startship Trooper thing." BTW, I refer to the board game here. Yes, there was one of those, loooooong before the movie was ever made. It was based on a book to begin with.

[Prime 2.0]

Xin is too good to us.

[fractal]

Turn the tide? Gobwin Knob is WINNING. Turning the tide at this point would be a BAD thing!

Gobwin Knob has not won. Caesar thinks the fight is winnable, if grim - he noted what Jetstone needs to do. Tramennis (and Slately?) also think that fighting might have potential, that's why they've kept that option on the table. Look at that huge force of soldiers in panel 1 - that's way more than Wanda has. This could go either way, that's why everyone, on both sides, is worried.

[Ninjaguineapig]

Why is Sizemore always so sad?

[No one in particular]

Gobwin Knob has not won. Caesar thinks the fight is winnable, if grim - he noted what Jetstone needs to do. Tramennis (and Slately?) also think that fighting might have potential, that's why they've kept that option on the table. Look at that huge force of soldiers in panel 1 - that's way more than Wanda has. This could go either way, that's why everyone, on both sides, is worried.

You sure about that? Last we heard, Caesar was saying how this was a losing fight, and Transylvito shouldn't be a part of it. Tramennis seems to think that there is enough danger that if Slately isn't evacuated ASAP, he's gonna get croaked. Slately figures someone's gotta die, and this is a good time to make amends with his only surviving son, and is trying to get a loan to promote Tramennis to heir so he can escape to carry on the side while Slately makes a last stand. As for the army there, those numbers don't matter. That's additive. Erfworld battles are all about multipliers (and in this case, pliers!) Wanda's buffing the decrypted, keeps hitting the leadership, and converting every fallen enemy into a new ally.

No one thinks Jetstone can win, they're all just hoping they can buy enough time to escape.

[ftl]

Why is Sizemore always so sad?

Because he doesn't like fighting but is stuck in a world where that's all there is.

....in this particular instance, it's because he's been ordered to betray the conventions of the MK; it must feel like he's betraying his friends for the sake of war. And he's having to lie to Janis. And it'll probably result in as much killing as the Volcano did (or at least so he fears).

[Smoker]

Why is Sizemore always so sad?

Because he doesn't like fighting but is stuck in a world where that's all there is.

....in this particular instance, it's because he's been ordered to betray the conventions of the MK; it must feel like he's betraying his friends for the sake of war. And he's having to lie to Janis. And it'll probably result in as much killing as the Volcano did (or at least so he fears).

And he's bald.

[No one in particular]

Why is Sizemore always so sad?

Because he doesn't like fighting but is stuck in a world where that's all there is.

....in this particular instance, it's because he's been ordered to betray the conventions of the MK; it must feel like he's betraying his friends for the sake of war. And he's having to lie to Janis. And it'll probably result in as much killing as the Volcano did (or at least so he fears).

And he's bald.

And he makes CRAP GOLEMS for a living.

Crap golems, people.

[atalex]

Why is Sizemore always so sad?

And he's having to lie to Janis.

Which is the saddest thing of all. He's upset at lying to the woman who has lied to and manipulated him from the beginning.