Book 2 – Page 62

[Beeskee]

I hope Parson remembers that Jetstone can't dance fight in the upcoming battle.


My own text update: Parson strides majestically through the gate, after overcoming whatever happens at MK. The Jetstone units gasp, they've never seen a warlord like this. Wanda smiles, a look on her face that says "The battle is WON, bitches." Parson puts on his glasses and takes a look at his assembled troops, and nods approvingly. "So, are you ready to ROCK?" He then proceeds to pwnzorz everyone in a 100-hex radius.


Okay, yeah, we need another update. Things are getting bad. Especially if I'm doing pseudo updates. Well, actually, that's pretty much the only reason, nobody take offense. ^.^;

Uhoh, here's another one:


MK text update:
Jojo: Free will, man! Can you even imagine it? You can CHOOSE to do whatever you want to do! Spoooooky, isn't it?
Parson: No. See, I come from a world with over 6 billion PEOPLE, all of whom have FREE WILL, and none of whom have an overlord or king who can kill them by thinking hard about it. And it all pretty much works, too.
Jojo: *head asplodes*
Parson: Let me tell you about our forms of government...
Jojo: *corpse twitches*


Ultimate spoiler: The comic ends with Parson sitting on a throne, looking bored.

[Sylvan]

The moment Charlie sneak attack erases a capitol or side from Erfworld he will lose a lot of mercenary and telecommunications income.

How do you know? Charlie was prepared to take Haggar off the map (at the very least it was a credible bluff), and seeing how there are, actually, quite a lot of sides in just the supposedly small part of Erfworld we're privy to, indicates that your argument is based on shaky premises.*snip*

This is even worse if he does it to GK right now, because then how scary will he look to the rest of the world? Everyone would form a royal coalition to go kill Charlie.

This fits with your previous idea not at all, as far as I can tell. In your first argument, you claim erasing a side means Charlie has one less customer. But GK doesn't hire Charlie, nor does anyone who fights GK! (Jillian is a money-sink).

Also, if we are to discuss decapitation strikes, how about going the whole hog on them and try to make them so that no one is left to point fingers? If nobody is left to put the blame on Charlie for GK's disapperarance, then hey, Charlie is squeaky clean.

It's been made pretty clear that Charlescomm only really survives as a side by appearing to be both neutral and mercenary. Being an opportunistic weasel only enhances the mercenary reputation. Doing decapitation strikes against leaders of sides unbidden would threaten the image of neutrality and start making other sides nervous about your true motives.

I think there are several discussions going on here.

One of them is about Charlie making a headshot on GK. Ok, then how about this- if Charlie could take out Stanley in an empty forest, would anyone hear a sound?

More seriously, the question should not be "is it reasonable for Charlescomm to headshot GK?". Because that's an obvious "YES, it's worth considering what means are at hand and their consequences". The question should be "could Charlie pull a headshot on GK and leave no direct evidence for anyone else?"

I think you slightly misunderstand my position, but that overall we're on the same page. I assume Charlie can't take out a capitol or side without *someone* finding out who it was, or looking into it. We've seen that rulers have a variety of ways to contact each other, and it is a simple matter to request the attention of an allies Thinkamancer, should you suddenly find yourself overwhelmed by hundreds of archons, so that you can relay a last message. (In fact, communicating your lasts to your buddies seems to be popular among royal sides) Hell, even a caster escaping into the magic kingdom could spread the word.

So, Charlie doesn't lose mercenary work from the side he does the decapitation strike on (though I suppose that may be a factor, if you want to nitpick), I'm saying he loses income once everyone finds out that Charlie is capable of doing decapitation strikes. And yes, I am aware that he has already played that card, because he is desperate to stop GK. But do you honestly think Haggar or anyone they are friendly with is going to hire Charlescomm anytime soon? Charlie would love to have these people back as customers, but GK is the bigger threat,

However, GK is not as big a threat as the rest of Erfworld ganging up on Charlie, or permanently losing the opportunity to be seen as a neutral mercenary force. Charlie is in a lose-lose scenario here with Parson. Muscle your way and wipe him out, you make everyone else on Erf scared of you, unwilling to hire you, and possibly willing to gang up on you. Leave Parson alone and he conquers Erfworld or brings peace, eliminating your mercenary work. Interfering with Parson from the sidelines has its own risks, but has the biggest (from Charlie's POV) payoff - GK gets stomped by some side they've riled up, with help from Charlie, and Charlie is free to go back to business as usual.

[dirocyn]

Do y'all digress into tangents about Charlie after every update? Sheesh. I read through 14 pages of posts to make sure, but nobody saw this:

The importance of this strip--and Jojo--is not as an enemy, but for exposition. What's important here is "He's a joker, he's a wild card. Better than an Ace, folks, he can beat everything. He can be anything!"

Jojo knows something about the summon perfect warlord spell that Parson doesn't, and this answers a lot of old debates. Parson is not a Hippiemancer, not a Knight heavy, he's human. He can be whatever he wants to be, do whatever he wants to do. In other words, Parson could learn to cast spells, he could learn to be effective in combat, he could learn to be whatever he wants. This is why he can enter the MK--he could be a caster if he wanted. This flexibility is normal for humans on Earth, but it's extraordinary for Erf. On Erf, if you're popped a piker, you'll croak a piker. Oh, you may be promoted to warlord. Even designated heir--but you're still a piker.

[Beeskee]

Parson is not a Hippiemancer, not a Knight heavy, he's human. He can be whatever he wants to be, do whatever he wants to do.

Very insightful, I agree.


Parson might even be able to be better than native Erfworld units at some things. Like croakamancy, normally they have to uncroak actual corpses, but Parson could rationalize, "Well, someone's probably died here at some point." and be able to pull uncroaked up from the ground.

[MarbitChow]

Parson could rationalize, "Well, someone's probably died here at some point." and be able to pull uncroaked up from the ground.

Canon has already established that bodies disappear on the following turn unless they are converted into trophies, uncroaked, decrypted, etc. He still has to follow the rules of the world, as the hex barrier update demonstrated.

[Lor]

Why dear sir, madam, hermaphrodite or executive transvestite, I do believe you have yet to spend considerable time in this venue. With said time, you will come to see what a truly charming establishment this is. Pay no heed to the regulars jabbing each other, in matter of fact there is only one individual behind it all.

(emphasis mine)

And that individual would be ... Charlie!



*ducks into level-9 fortified bunker*

[nth]

Do y'all digress into tangents about Charlie after every update? Sheesh. I read through 14 pages of posts to make sure, but nobody saw this:

The importance of this strip--and Jojo--is not as an enemy, but for exposition. What's important here is "He's a joker, he's a wild card. Better than an Ace, folks, he can beat everything. He can be anything!"

Jojo knows something about the summon perfect warlord spell that Parson doesn't, and this answers a lot of old debates. Parson is not a Hippiemancer, not a Knight heavy, he's human. He can be whatever he wants to be, do whatever he wants to do. In other words, Parson could learn to cast spells, he could learn to be effective in combat, he could learn to be whatever he wants. This is why he can enter the MK--he could be a caster if he wanted. This flexibility is normal for humans on Earth, but it's extraordinary for Erf. On Erf, if you're popped a piker, you'll croak a piker. Oh, you may be promoted to warlord. Even designated heir--but you're still a piker.

*cough*
Like I said: "Everymancer"

[Oberon]

I don't agree.

And neither do I.

[multilis]

The importance of this strip--and Jojo--is not as an enemy, but for exposition. What's important here is "He's a joker, he's a wild card. Better than an Ace, folks, he can beat everything. He can be anything!".... Parson is not a Hippiemancer, not a Knight heavy, he's human.

Do we trust that exposition? Parson was running for a reason. If he quits running he may be caught in the magic kingdom. The exposition may be half truths and flattery planned by Charlie to slow him down. (Plan A: try to stall him by talking, plan B: use scroll if needed to stall him)

...

Humans on earth can't do any sort of magic, so far the only magic we have seen for sure from Parson is with the help of artifacts.

[Decorus]

Charlie has nothing to do with this. This is entirely the Carnymancer's doing...

[multilis]

Charlie has nothing to do with this. This is entirely the Carnymancer's doing...

How does the Carny know about Parson, and know to wait by portal? Great Thinkers know, Predictomancer knows, Charlie might know.

If Charlie is a magnificant bastard, possible the predictomancer actually works for charlie, is under his suggestion or *is* Charlie which would leave 2 factions rather than 3. One small example of this common plot is Total Recall movie where the hero is the unwitting pawn of the top bad guy, in effort to flush out the top good guys (which may be great thinkers).

Jetstone only knew about Parson when Charlie told them.

[Housellama]

Humans on earth can't do any sort of magic, so far the only magic we have seen for sure from Parson is with the help of artifacts.

Erfworld's magic is a system in place by which the normal rules can be broken. It's a legal way to do things that are not allowed for or in some cases go directly against the normal rules of the system. There's the rules set that says "These are the rules", and then there's magic laid over top of the rules set stating "But in certain cases, you can break the rules by doing this". Magic is 'technically' legal, because it's incorporated into the world, but the fact that it is legal doesn't change the fact that it is designed to make things possible that are illegal or impossible by normal means.

Isn't that exactly what Parson's been doing? Everything he's doing is allowed by the normal rules. Obviously it is, otherwise he wouldn't be able to do it (making it 'technically' legal). But he's doing things that people in Erf have never seen or thought of. He's found a way to do the seemingly illegal or impossible without actually breaking the rules. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... Far as I'm concerned, that's magic by any other name. Sure, the only 'legal' magic he's done is through objects, but that's the point, isn't it? Parson's there to make his own magic. Erfworld wouldn't need him otherwise.

Parson's here to win. But more than that, Parson's here to win the human way, because that's the only way he knows. The human way of fighting. at least the best human way of fighting, involves conservation of resources. You kill as few as possible, on all sides. You do as little damage as possible, on all sides. You strive to do exactly enough to achieve your goal and no more. Anything else is a waste of time and lives and money and other resources. War is not a way of life in the human world. War is what happens when peace cannot be sustained any longer, and the best fighters strive to return to peace as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In the long run, by fighting the war his way, Parson is actually saving lives. Isn't that what Hippiemancy is all about? Peace?