Salem wrote:Ytaker wrote:Parson is not a robot. Do you think he cares about his troops though, given this? It is perfectly human to care about yourself more than anyone else.
I don't think it's really either or. It could be a lot of things. He cares about himself 75~80%. Or more than likely, like most people, he's distracted from one value. If he was talking to jojo and was told OMG X just died. His own thoughts there would probably have went I'm bigger than yooooou buuullll ruuuuuusshhh. Or Haaamsstaaard ruuuush.
That's right. First off, it wasn't an emergency situation (as far as Parson knew) because the situation in Spacerock was well under control (the last time he checked). Second, the main reason Parson was trying to hurry was to escape notice of the casters, and obviously that plan had (at least partially) failed. Finally, it is highly likely that Jojo, being a carnymancer, is an expert sweet-talker and knows how to reel in someone's attention, given the right bait (that Fate stuff). (Additionally, he might have used magic to supplement his persuasive power; but either way he probably didn't need to.)
From what I've seen of your arguments, you're basically saying "He's not a saint, therefore he's a cold-hearted bastard."
If Parson wasn't a human being, and therefore fallible, I'd agree that your conclusions are the most logical explanations for his actions. But as it stands his actions can be explained by much, much less severe character flaws than a complete ambivalence for the lives or deaths of his troops.
coyotenose wrote:I don't get why folks are continuing to insist on Parson being "The Perfect Warlord" and criticizing his actions on that basis. He is very obviously NOT the perfect warlord, and has never been such, even with his sword, glasses and gauntlet. It was clear early on in Book One that said description came with an unspoken qualifier that no one in the story itself realized: Parson was the Perfect Warlord for The Battle for Gobwin Knob. Or perhaps more accurately, the warlord that would have been summoned in his place had Stanley not complicated the casting of the scroll would have been the perfect warlord for TBfGK, and Parson was as good as one could come and still possess all the specific Tool-decreed qualities.
Either way, TBfGK is long over. Now Parson is just The Warlord Who Is Incredibly Dangerous Because He Thinks Like A Player.
Hm, that's quite astute actually. There can be no such thing as the "perfect warlord" for
every situation, unless he was omniscient.
Kyrt wrote:Swodaems wrote:And they choose not to immediately fire. Instead they allowed Janis to arrange his safe incapacitation. As far as I'm concerned, the lack of shots fired means they weren't serious about croaking him. The drawn wands mean they were willing to protect themselves, but that is all.
They drew wands. They were and are hostile. That hostility has been commented upon by several casters and updates. The MK is not a friend of GK or of Parson. They don't like what his side is doing, they don't like that he is a Warlord who can enter the MK and they don't like the ramifications of where everything is leading.
As anyone who knows how to properly handle a gun will tell you, you never point it at something you're not willing to shoot. And you never shoot at someone unless you're prepared to kill them. These may not be guns, but they're no less dangerous. So the same principle applies here.
The reason they didn't shoot immediately is likely because they'd be starting the very thing they fear: a war in the MK. And before you point it out, of course there's a chance such an incident might
not start a war in the MK; but the same is true of how a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan might
not spread to the rest of the world. If it was
your finger on the trigger, would you
really want to take that chance?
Swodaems wrote:The introduction therefore means that any attempts he made to reenter the MK peacefully could not have included a thinkagram to the person that he knew could keep him safe while he is there. The lack of that element means any attempt was piss-poor at best.
Or, maybe he just never attempted it. I can think of no practical reason for it, since it'd only
heighten tensions. The best thing would have been to let things calm down for as long as possible before trying anything, and that's what Parson appears to have done.
Swodaems wrote:If they're still not shooting at him, I don't care how unfriendly they act. Depending on the local courts, I can tell you to your face that I am willing to kill you, but so long as I don't actually try, it's just harmless trash talk.
Ok, "the local courts" is about as arbitrary a frame of reference as you can ask for. Additionally, it doesn't matter what the verbatim letter of the law says, context gives plenty of credence to the threat. It doesn't even matter if it's trash talk, because it's by no means harmless given the gravity of the situation.
