Book 2 - Text Updates 053

[balder]

New One is up.

[MarbitChow]

Thank you, Rob. Now I can't get that 'I'll be there for you' song out of my head. /scowl

[DunkelMentat]

Love updates featuring archons. No plot movement but I love it none the less.

[KiltedNinja]

Heh, nice

Rule 17 : Charlie *always* gets paid back.

...just gotta wait for Parson to quote a Rule 34


(Also, that image really does need to be wallpaperfied - nice work)

[Megaduck]

Heh, it looks like us readers are not the only ones for whom this tower has taken months to fall either.

[fjolnir]

The tower's wall isn't the only one rapidly crumbling....

[Klivian]

I normally root for the Archon characters, but I'm hoping these three get vaporized, simply because I hated Friends

Also stunned that we would get clear confirmation that King World was Charlie's doing

[mblackadder]

Another distant boom rumbled from the direction of the tower, and Rachel stared angrily at its cracking facade. "Could that thing take any longer to fall?"

"I know, right?"

I know!
Don't poke the bear Rob.

[joosy]

Cool. I had wondered about the loyalty of the dwagons once they had been decwypt.. er decrypted - would they favor the arkenpliers over the arkenhammer?
Now we have the archons giving a distinct edge to the theory that they are also linked to the arkendish and giving some insight as to how they rationalize their new allegiance and allegiance to another arkentool. The influence of the first arkentool is not completely lost, it seems. It is also interesting to hear the archons express interest in their own self-preservation. None of the blind loyalty that we have seen previously with Wrigley but some serious rationalization of their predicament and even questioning of their own leadership past and present.

Wish I could go to some of the Con's and request a drawing of King Slately, Tramennis, Ossomer, and Ansom in a My Three Sons setting. or for Tramennis and Slately in Monty Python's Holy Grail as the tower bound prince and his gruff father.

[Zeku]

The archons look like bobbleheads.

I enjoyed the repetition of 'skirt' and 'shot.'

[effataigus]

Sweet! This text update answers a lot a of background questions! Do like.

Also, very ominous resurrection of the idea that Charlie might be planning another sumthin' big. I was beginning to worry that the dragon drop exploit was going to be the big gamechanger of book 2... it was reassuring to see the archons semi-belittling it! Even if Charlie doesn't do anything, this update seems to be guaranteeing that something unexpected will go down soon.

This is good in my book, cause I wasn't buying the threat of a super-charged Slately or a host of level-headed thinkamancers threatening the person who they had *just* promised to protect... especially with outrageous fortune apparently taking the main characters' side.

Exciting times!

[Sojiko]

Wait, I thought there would be no more text updates until the end of that story arc...


How, never mind, I like text updates so I'm happy to see one even if I'm slightly confused. let's not sweat the details and just enjoy this release.

[Squall83]

Heh, it looks like us readers are not the only ones for whom this tower has taken months to fall either.

Yup, that's what I thought, too, when I read that line, because we're getting to read each and every boom twice. First Tramennis' knock-out and Artemis' fight with the booms being repeated while the King was talking to his casters, then the King talking to Ossomer with the booms being repeated while we're watching the Archons.

Oh well, it was nice to get that background information. I completely failed to notice that besides the Dwagons the Archons are ALSO bound by 2 Arkentools and since THEY can speak they could actually reveal something about their loyalty. But I guess their binding to the Arkendish is weaker because afaik it was only used to increase their number more quickly by giving Charlie extra turns.

Also Charlie's rules rule. ^^

[Radagast]

So the one on the right is Phoebe... the one in the middle looks like Monica with Rachel's hair though.

[kagato23]

Cool. I had wondered about the loyalty of the dwagons once they had been decwypt.. er decrypted - would they favor the arkenpliers over the arkenhammer?
Now we have the archons giving a distinct edge to the theory that they are also linked to the arkendish and giving some insight as to how they rationalize their new allegiance and allegiance to another arkentool. The influence of the first arkentool is not completely lost, it seems. It is also interesting to hear the archons express interest in their own self-preservation. None of the blind loyalty that we have seen previously with Wrigley but some serious rationalization of their predicament and even questioning of their own leadership past and present.

Wish I could go to some of the Con's and request a drawing of King Slately, Tramennis, Ossomer, and Ansom in a My Three Sons setting. or for Tramennis and Slately in Monty Python's Holy Grail as the tower bound prince and his gruff father.

I'd say no, specially because of present arangements. Consider that while the girls can now thing charlie is wrong, they are also on an opposing side. So their other loyalty is trumped.

By contrast, the hammer is on the same side. And wanda's philosophy, which those under her pliers seem to subscribe to, is that the tools are meant to come together under one side.

The hammer and pliers already being on the same side, no disparity to force a choice. Both are good, both are together. But, since both are good, the Tool is still the overlord, so his orders take precedence. The tool can override rank, as seen with ansom, but Stanely has a tool and rank, which I think will beat just a tool.

A question I wonder is, do they both convey bonus? I'd think they would, undead still get combat multipliers in other ways beyond Croackamancy bonus, so Wanda and Stanley in one stack riding Dwagons would be really powerful. Probably up to near Ansom+Wanda stack.

[gameboy1234]

Like it! I do find it interesting when the decrypted discuss their feelings about that previous life and loyalties. It's fascinating to see how they rationalize all this duty and loyalty stuff.

I still think the resolution at the end of book 3 will be:

Spoiler: show

1. Wanda decrypts nearly everyone.
2. Parson gets hold of the pliers and chucks them in the volcano.
3. Everyone goes free and has independent will now.

[wrecan]

So no one told you Decryption was going to be this way... [clap clap clap clap]
Your Fate's a joke, your broke, your warlord's MIA
Seems like your next level you will never earn
When it hasn't been your turn, your turn, your turn, or even your turn...

I'll be there for you, when the dwagons start to fall
I'll be there for you, unless blocked by a wall
I'll be there for you, cause it's my Duty too....

[The.Healing.Mage]

Upskirts, panty "shots", and "I know, right?"? Probably one of the punnier episodes in a little while.

But onto more meaty topics, this is the first time we've really got a look at the dynamics of what Decrypted Archons think of Charlie and Wanda. While Wanda's pull is exerting more force, they still seem surprisingly loyal to Charlie. I think that Wanda's Dwagons are going to be much the same, and if it ever comes to a Wanda/Stanley showdown, the Dwagons will blink. Or maybe explode.

[kagato23]

So no one told you Decryption was going to be this way... [clap clap clap clap]
Your Fate's a joke, your broke, your warlord's MIA
Seems like your next level you will never earn
When it hasn't been your turn, your turn, your turn, or even your turn...

I'll be there for you, when the dwagons start to fall
I'll be there for you, unless blocked by a wall
I'll be there for you, cause it's my Duty too....

...

Your move's 0 at noon
Your turn started at dawn
Your warlord croaked it
And this time he can't respawn

Predicatmancers say there's turns like these
Oh but they didn't tell you when the titans brought
You down to your knees that...

I'll be there for you, when the cwap starts to rain
I'll be there for you, though it's probably in vain
I'll be there for you, cause it's my Duty to....

No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows
This kinda croakamancy
Someone to seige a cas' with
Make it through all the cwap with
Someone I'll always stack with
Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah

Seems like your next level you will never earn
When it hasn't been your turn, your turn, your turn, or even your turn...*

[repeat chorus x 2]

*Not gonna undo another awesome work, but I'd have said "When it hasn't been your sides, your hex', your stacks, or even your turn"

[Kreistor]

What could Charlie do?

Link with any of the Casters on the Tower. None of them are particularly offensive though, so not sure what creative spell they could cast that would be particularly tactical.