161 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 148

[nerf-dweller]

What confuses me a little is Maggie's Thank you in the final frame and the comment she made. What aspect was she referring to I wonder? Parson's mercy? Is mercy such a remarkable trait in a warrior, or was she referring to something else.

I imagine it's for talking to her and confiding a bit, as well. It seems that most Warlords and Overlord arrogantly just use and command the units under their command. Most likely as Stanley has done to most of the GK units before the battle. Parson respeced his commander/casters, used actual leadership skills in gain the trust of his troups rather than leaving it to Natual Thankamancy, and talked to and actually listened to his Commands/Casters. Even taking Parson's outsider state in consideraion, he's a remarkable warrior for Erfworld.

[Infidel]

Good point

[Welf von Ehrwald]

Parson doesn't strike me as someone with a lot of compassion in what we see of him on earth. He's lazy, uncaring of his own appearance, an devoted only to his games. He isn't a volunteer. Someone that doesn't care for himself can't care more for others.

Kreistor, here a tip for free: Do not criticize in the internet fat, sociopathic gamers, who secretly dream of going on a killing spree without any personal responsibility. You won't find any friends.

By the way, was I the only one who was a little surprised that Parson planed to sacrifice Maggie out of revenge? I got the feeling that he got along quite well with her. I got that image after their little exchange in the last panel of Page 116.

[The Old Hack]

By the way, was I the only one who was a little surprised that Parson planed to sacrifice Maggie out of revenge? I got the feeling that he got along quite well with her. I got that image after their little exchange in the last panel of Page 116.

It didn't catch me entirely off guard, mainly because someone else had already suggested the possibility. I admit my own notion was that Parson had intended to ask Maggie to split the backlash equally in the hopes that all three would survive, then decided that there was just no time and ordered them into the gate.

[teratorn]

Kreistor, here a tip for free: Do not criticize in the internet fat, sociopathic gamers, who secretly dream of going on a killing spree without any personal responsibility. You won't find any friends.

Hey, I'm not fat! (at least not yet).

[Welf von Ehrwald]

Hey, I'm not fat! (at least not yet).

The will counts. We are brothers in beef.

It didn't catch me entirely off guard, mainly because someone else had already suggested the possibility. I admit my own notion was that Parson had intended to ask Maggie to split the backlash equally in the hopes that all three would survive, then decided that there was just no time and ordered them into the gate.

I expected that Sizemore would die. Maggie and Wanda seemed to important, strategic and plotwise. I overestimated Parson's ruthlessness and underestimated his emotions.

[Mikalyaran]

Parson doesn't strike me as someone with a lot of compassion in what we see of him on earth. He's lazy, uncaring of his own appearance, an devoted only to his games. He isn't a volunteer. Someone that doesn't care for himself can't care more for others.

Kreistor, here a tip for free: Do not criticize in the internet fat, sociopathic gamers, who secretly dream of going on a killing spree without any personal responsibility. You won't find any friends.

By the way, was I the only one who was a little surprised that Parson planed to sacrifice Maggie out of revenge? I got the feeling that he got along quite well with her. I got that image after their little exchange in the last panel of Page 116.

I don't think they point is to make friends. The point is to look into the psychology of that mind set and specifically Parson's mindset. Which is, to my mind, an interesting discussion.

That being said...

Isolation and disconnection from society aren't the same thing as a lack of compassion. There are plenty of people who don't have the social skills to interact with the greater part of society, this doesn't make them compassionless, just kind of lonely.

Parson's not perfect, he isn't a saint, he doesn't always act with perfect compassion, but he's demonstrated a capability for compassion that no one he's surrounded by - save Sizemore - possesses. This compassion won't always win out against his desire to win, but that's what makes the story interesting.

My $.02

I think Bobby has got the right of it Kreistor. With specific regards to Paron he is just now truly getting to know himself. He's having to face down what the life he has led is made him into and start making himself into what he wants rather than what he has allowed circumstance to mold him into.

[Ragn Charran]

Where is compassion for Maggie's situation? She is forced to choose between harming three people, including herself, equally and saving only one person from that damage while possibly killing another. That is a horrible situation. That Maggie took the easy way out may have been as much compulsion as obedience, since this way, at least Stanley has one working caster out the other side, where the alternative is none.

I think a lot of the compassion that may have been out there for Maggie died here. Her attitude is just too smartass and callous and almost proud about what she did, then her reaction when Parson figures out what happened reeks of false remorse.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

I think a lot of the compassion that may have been out there for Maggie died here. Her attitude is just too smartass and callous and almost proud about what she did, then her reaction when Parson figures out what happened reeks of false remorse.

Meanwhile I ask myself how much of that attitude was in self protection, in order to avoid questioning her actions. Maybe she could have bore a little more of the stress and saved Misty's live.

[The Old Hack]

Horrible as this may sound, most of my compassion for Maggie was killed instantly due to her resemblance to a certain deceased British politician.

[doran]

Horrible as this may sound, most of my compassion for Maggie was killed instantly due to her resemblance to a certain deceased British politician.

Um... Margaret Thatcher isn't dead...

[Ragn Charran]

Horrible as this may sound, most of my compassion for Maggie was killed instantly due to her resemblance to a certain deceased British politician.

I see the [correct] resemblance to Thatcher now, but to be honest when I first saw her I thought Maggie was a spoof on Hillary Clinton.

[The Old Hack]

Um... Margaret Thatcher isn't dead...

Wishful thinking on my part, then. Never mind.

[teratorn]

Um... Margaret Thatcher isn't dead...

Wishful thinking on my part, then. Never mind.

There's a play though, about her death.

[Binty]

Careful not to judge Maggie too harshly. The original link-up may not have been her idea; certainly not her choice. She would have little hope that the link would be unpicked carefully. She knew it might be fatal, so what would you do in her place?

For example:

Q: You are a slave and your master forces you into a potentially fatal game of chance. You have 100 points to distribute between yourself and two other slaves. Those points become a percentage chance of the person dying. How do you distribute the points?

Also consider the possibility that Parson's interference with Misty's link may be a contributing factor...

[cloudbreaker]

I figured that when Maggie broke up her first link up, she was doing her 'level best.' She points out that a talented thinkamancer can protect herself, so she was using her powers to the best of her abilities. And I don't think she realized until Parson pointed it out that doing her best was actually not the best decision. Gobwin Knob would have been better off if she did a sub-par job of protecting her own mind.

[The Old Hack]

Careful not to judge Maggie too harshly.

You have GOT to be kidding. That woman is undisputably the worst...

Wait, wait, you meant Erfword Maggie? Sorry, my mistake, shutting up, you just carry right along. >_>

[blackcitadel9]

Gobwin Knob would have been better off if she did a sub-par job of protecting her own mind.

Perhaps so, perhaps not. Maggie was ordered by Parson to help Wanda recover from her own Thinkamancy based ordeal, while we don't know the extent of her aid, so Wanda could've been out for much longer, meaning that the tunnel forces that were uncroaked to GK's advantage would've been non-existent.
Maggie helped to contact Charlie and Ansom.

And it's possible, had Maggie shared out the protection, all that would've happened was Misty, Jack, Maggie and Wanda could've all been out. Maybe not dead, but 3 casters down in the position GK was in (Jack was taken by Stanley when he was messed up, so more messed up probably wouldn't change much) wouldn't be a good situation at all, even if they could recover.

But in the end, who knows. This is the way it turned out. Unless Rob and Jamie want to make "What if?" arcs when Erfworld is completed in it's entirety.

Speaking of Misty, I wonder. Misty might be the first Erfworlder to have been intentionally buried instead of just waiting for the body to disappear. I wonder if that changes the normal rules on bodies disappearing...then again a volcano was dropped on her resting place...

Right, I'm going to stop now. I always feel like my posts have pure condensed stupid in them and I end up not posting them if I put too much.

[Kreistor]

Right, I'm going to stop now. I always feel like my posts have pure condensed stupid in them and I end up not posting them if I put too much.

Must... resist... evil... response... Stay good, Kreistor, stay good...

[doran]

Careful not to judge Maggie too harshly.

You have GOT to be kidding. That woman is undisputably the worst...

Wait, wait, you meant Erfword Maggie? Sorry, my mistake, shutting up, you just carry right along. >_>

I was born in 1989, so I don't really have an opinion on Margaret Thatcher.
The current mp expenses scandal however...

Speaking of which, any British fans of Erfworld out there?