Book 2 – Page 66

[Dancing Cthulhu]

8. I can't place the man in the suit but i have a nagging feeling he's a cartoon character and one that would not be normally be cast as an intellectual.

The guy talking? That's Issac (Newton) and his apparence is inspired by Carl Sagan - both pretty high ranking intellectuals.

Not him, it's been pretty clear who he is for some time.

Yes, I didn't think he was the one you were probably talking about.

Or do you mean the judge? He looks familiar but I can't place him for the life of me.

Yeah, him.

I'm sure we wont have long to wait before a knowledgeable citizen of the forums reveals his identity.

[Revdarian]

Could that be Supreme's Court judge Clarence Thomas?

http://www.google.co.ve/search?q=claren ... 20&bih=993

[Berserkas]

Poor Parson, he has to do things like ally and stack when he can't even see unit stats or tell if he's stacked.

[asparagus]

Could that be Supreme's Court judge Clarence Thomas?

http://www.google.co.ve/search?q=claren ... 20&bih=993

Well that would explain why he seems to have a fondness for Pamela Anderson. Also he has the right amount of grey hair.

[Dancing Cthulhu]

Could that be Supreme's Court judge Clarence Thomas?

http://www.google.co.ve/search?q=claren ... 20&bih=993

I think you may be on to something there. While the comic version is too small to get a good idea of facial likeness it does look like a pretty good match (Judge Thomas appears to wear a red tie/white shirt in a lot of those pics), plus his hair looks similar.

Heh, I was too focused on thinking of fictional judges (though not being from the US I probably wouldn't have come up with Judge Thomas even if I had tried to think of real world Judges he could be).

[The.Healing.Mage]

So this is the part where I point out that my tinfoil hat (Marie being creepy as all getup) just got ramped up to 11. How does she know about how he didn't fit in back in stupidworld? And the casual "you're late to work" - she is trying to motivate him to get moving, but how did she know that?

Plus, she's laying it on more than Jojo did. Maybe she's a good guy (good girl, for anyone whose sense of PC outweighs their aversion of awkward wording), but she acts like a creepy puppeteer.

[Catbus]

Well, she is based on Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Dun-dun-dunnnnn.

I don't think anyone saw that coming. I know I didn't.

So-- the alignment of goals between the cabals is parted. Roll the tumbleweed.

It was an expected, on the forums, turn of events. Meaning, other forumites than me foresaw that the GMtTA (or just the Thinkas) will keep Parson safe by preventing access to Spacerock. I was happy to assume that Janis will delay Parson, just for a short while, with dr. Morgan's tea.

As to who exactly predicted that. Well, I forget the exact stance, but Infidel was arguing with someone else on this exact topic, for example.

And no text update... What is happening with Slately, Trem, the Jetstone casters, Warlord Greybrows, Oss - too much suspense!

At this very moment, Slately is kicking ass and taking names, because the Pinks run out of bubblegum.

Fun update. This interpretation of Morticia is pretty hot.

Morticia (love the Addams Family in most of its versions, I especially hope there is a Raul Julia Gomez running around. Hmmm, what kind of Mancer would he be?)

Yes, yes, and respectively YES. Oh wait that was a question. Uhm, Awesomancer.

So this is the part where I point out that my tinfoil hat (Marie being creepy as all getup) just got ramped up to 11. How does she know about how he didn't fit in back in stupidworld? And the casual "you're late to work" - she is trying to motivate him to get moving, but how did she know that?

Well, she's certainly being pushy, and I kinda winced at the "Duty- capital D" line. But yeah ... eventually the course of events will take a turn against Marie, seems like.

Hey here's some tinfoil, Marie is Charlie. That way my suspected BBs are economically the same person.

What do you mean, what are those "evidence" and "reasoned argument" thingies?

[warriortribble]

I can't help but wonder what the Great Mind(s) are thinking. How do they expect Parson to defeat Charlie by endangering his position in Gobwin Knob?

So this is the part where I point out that my tinfoil hat (Marie being creepy as all getup) just got ramped up to 11. How does she know about how he didn't fit in back in stupidworld? And the casual "you're late to work" - she is trying to motivate him to get moving, but how did she know that?

She doesn't know about his life in stupidworld. She only said Parson already has a home and responsibilities on erf. Really nothing more than a generic motivational speech.

[Vorteks]

Very awesome update! So much going on now. It seems every update makes the story MORE complicated (this is not a complaint, by any means!). I love the way things are going.

This page must've taken forever to draw with all the different characters and costumes, and reference shots that must have been needed for that matter. Thanks a lot to Xin for her awesome art.

I suspect the Thinkamancers might tell Parson something about Charlie once inside their temple.

[Sieggy]

". . . rather not do this by force" says the short guy to the really big warlord with a sword and a staff and a raft of magical items that we don't know about yet but must do something or he wouldn't be carrying them, not to mention 3 casters backing him up, who is what looks like two steps away from the portal he was heading for. Sorry, but given the Staff of Suckage, I can just see Parson saying "well, OK, we can discuss this when I get back, but right now I'm late for work", and just going through them like a bulldozer. The question becomes 'can they get past his magical defenses in the time it takes him to reach the portal?'. Hell, one step and a lunge, and he's through. And if they want to pursue him into JS, then they get to deal with Wanda & jack, which REALLY ought to be interesting.

Marie wants him through the portal, and Sizemore is on alert (and he has combat experience, unlike the thinkamancers, I would suspect), and Janis is doubtless capable of at least running enough interference for Parson to get through. If they're there to 'protect' him, they can't open up with their heavy stuff (sort of defeats the 'protect' notion).

Of course, I think it would just be uproariously funny if Marie simply gave Parson a really good shove from behind and he fell through the portal . . . after all, I doubt thinkamancy could affect a falling object.

[Doctor Grumpus]

I was thinking Clarance Thomas too, FWIW

[badninja]

Man all the people want to get Parson to the battle are not gonna like this. TGMTTA just cannot stop and actually think for a moment can they? I see this fully blowing up in there face because now they have cast Maggie as a traitor to GK and it is their only link to GK. By now Parson has gotten to know Maggie will he trust her enoufgh to call their leaders bluff or will Maggie get disbanded by an irate Tool? This update did change the flow of battle but how will Wanda and Jack handle it, they want their game breaker there. Can not wait for the next comic as book 2 is build to its climax.

[effataigus]

Aye, Sieggy. One would think a character based on Isaac Newton would know a little more about the power of mass in a game of Red Rover.

I know it won't happen, but I like the idea of this turning into a scrap on the JS side of that portal. Seven master class thinkamancers against 5 other-mancers, a tricked-out giant warlord, and a bunch of decrypted fodder. I'm guessing that would be short, brutal, and well worth the price of admission.

[jfiskars]

Good update!

My bet is on a classic misscummunication. Maggie should have written "ESCORT" instead of "PROTECT" in the g-string message.

[goodmorning]

Great update. This has to be the comic I most look forward to reading by FAR (and I read a lot of webcomics...).

Anyway, so apparently the GMTTA wish to discuss something with Parson, or else they wouldn't be taking him specifically to the Temple, which blocks out everything, including Charlie (they hope). Either they have something very important to tell him or they just want to figure out his relationship with Charlie. He has had quite a few encounters with the man after all. But yeah, Pamela Anderson as a Thinkamancer. Would not have guessed that. If that's really who it is, then I can see the reasoning, but wow that's crazy. Also wish that had been Varsuuvius instead of Sanaki. Lots more fun. Oh well.

I definitely agree with some of the rest of you though. He should just step forward. All of those epic Thinkamancers can probably get past the Staff of Suckage, but he only has to leap forward and he's made it. Go back and discuss things later.

Marie... I think she's seen the fates of too many to be that bothered by a little thing like death. Death is everyday for her, so she's totally fine with more of it if it will mean that a greater good will be served.

[darkgolem]

Marie is starting to annoy me. It's obvious that she makes mistakes from the fact that her kingdom fell, but she seems to think that she can atone for that by setting up Parson to stop war making it too terrible to be waged anymore. But she clings to her "I know everything because I am a predictamancer" schtick and risks the world just to get over her guilt.

Really annoying.

[Kreistor]

So, another nail in the Jojo+Charlie conspiracy. Now the scroll doesn't even need Charlie's financial backing. Jojo might have made it himself. Too bad we don't have the scroll making mechanic, or we might put this one to rest entirely.

And we have yet another confirmation that Parson has a reason to fear being in the MK itself, without his proposed charge into Spacerock.


Raw speculation:

I suspect the GMTTA want Parson to step up the timetable of taking out CHarlie. He's a big problem for the GMTTA and the Conspiracy. They may merely be filling Parson in on his activities against GK, which Parson is currently unaware of.

I could have sworn that there was an actress in the late 90's, early 00's that was also a physicist. Google is failing me though, since it only brings up Anne Hathaway and Sarah Jessica Parker as candidates, but neither are blonde.

[Morni]

Awesome updated, loved it. Didn't see the thinkers pulling parson away from the portal.

My tin hat Theory.

Parson goes with the thinkers. To prove that he isn't control by fate.

[EarwaxRock]

Has there been any indication so far that time works any differently in the MK (like, say, Narnia)? I'm just thinking something along the lines of Talking Is A Free Action to justify this taking less time in regular Erfworld than it is here. Otherwise this will certainly add an interesting twist to the battle in Jestone when GK Chief Warlord fails to show up through the portal, especially when going through one at all is dangerous if not fatal to all non-casters, and he's already had one strike.

For the Judge, I was thinking Clarence Thomas as well, although I'm not sure how he classifies as a Thinkamancer...