Book 2 – Page 90

[balder]

New One is up.

[Beeskee]

Yay! And Parson proves he can still prioritize, even though he's unwilling to back down from his position of putting himself in danger.

I still have doubts as to whether Parson will actually make it through the portal. I'm thinking definitely not this year either.

[vintermann]

I wonder what Jeftichef's trick is "when everyone's heading for the exits". Has he tampered with where that portal goes? Maybe, but that sounds a little cheap. Whatever it is, I'm thinking it will seriously mess up Parson's (lack of a) plan, otherwise that would have been to cheap. Carnymancers should be good at tricking people.

[joosy]

So.. we have Predictamancy that Parson WILL make it through the portal. We also have hints of a plan by JeffitChew for some non-attack spell. My guess is it will be a "This way to the egress" spell that will temporarily mess up where each portal goes essentially making the portals useless but also possibly maintaining the Magic Kindgom's neutrality. I would like to see Parson end up at Charlie's capital!

I wonder if Jefftichew and Sylvia will meet up and, in order to save himself from being croaked by the one he loves, he dispels the spell keeping her alive and she dies in a fluke accident. Sigh.. a boy can dream..

[Whispri]

I'm very glad to hear that Prediction. Still this looks like it's going to get very ugly indeed.

And Wanda's cycled to the front (well secod line and ahead of Parson) of the stack, that's good to see.

[DrKlingmann]

Or JeffitChew will just make each portal lead to some other capital. That would make for some fun. :]

[Whispri]

Iirc, Wanda said something about natural magic of some sort or other guiding her to her home portal during a Book Zero update. Maybe Jeftichew intends to mess with that? Dunno why he'd bother with that though, what's the gain?

You know, if Parson and Wanda go through that Portal and conquer the City, the fastest route back would be for Wanda to refound Goodminton. If Isaac knows that maybe he'll insist.

[wrecan]

Or JeffitChew will just make each portal lead to some other capital. That would make for some fun. :]

Does Charlescomm have a portal, I wonder?

[CF_HoneyBadger]

Carnymancers scare me. Almost as much as real carny's do.

[Swodaems]

Jeftichew, the predictamancers are right next to the people you're speaking at. They can probably hear you. Before, you could have gotten away with saying that you were staging a legitimately peaceful protest. You can't now.

Does anyone else think Wanda is acting out of character here? When is she ever this inactive? Or the sort to stay behind the line of predictamancer? She should have felt the Archons dusting, just like she felt Ossomer turn. Why hasn't she done something about it? (IE. saying something or seeing if the thinkamancers will let her thru the portal (GK does arguably control it now).)

Also, this page has made me realize that Marie is really damned tall for an Erfworlder. (Sorry to be critical of the art, but I think it looks like the Carnymancers grow about 3 inches in the second to last panel, when compared to the ones before it. On that note, Wanda seems to have shrunk significantly from prior pages. (Compare the top of her head to Parson's cape clasp in this new page and this older one.))

[Amado]

Or JeffitChew will just make each portal lead to some other capital. That would make for some fun. :]

How fast we Predict the next plot point. We're all, myself included, so eager to see this great story move forward.

I'm more inclined to think that it's not going to be some spell cast upon the exits. I think it's a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_gaff . He wants to put on a bit of a show for when people are leaving, to spin the events and make people believe ...something... about whatever will have happened.

Of course, Portals are exits, so he might have meant "exits" literally or figuratively or both... bah. Too speculative. Guess I have to be patient and wait for Rob to tell the story.

[asparagus]

Notice that Jeftichew described Parson as a "Mark", implying that he will be paid for getting Parson out of the picture. Something we guessed anyway but confirmation nonetheless.

[0beron]

Iirc, Wanda said something about natural magic of some sort or other guiding her to her home portal during a Book Zero update. Maybe Jeftichew intends to mess with that? Dunno why he'd bother with that though, what's the gain?

If casters start randomly returning to other sides, on the same turn that Parson violates MK neutrality by passing to an enemy capital, then it looks all the more convincing that the MK is going to war. This helps Charlie immensely.

Does anyone else think Wanda is acting out of character here? When is she ever this inactive? Or the sort to stay behind the line of predictamancer? She should have felt the Archons dusting, just like she felt Ossomer turn. Why hasn't she done something about it?

I think she may still be in shock. Ossomer turning will have totally shattered her faith and she is probably questioning all of her assumptions and confidence that she has found the right Path again. It's not as extreme as the Jillian-suggestion-backlash, but it's having a similar outward effect.
As for the Archons, remember that this scene is still a little bit behind the events we have already seen in Jetstone. So not ALL of the Archons will have dusted yet, so she is just assuming the battle is continuing as normal. Or, her shock as I outlined above is preventing her from really NOTICING. Like how when you're really deep in thought, and someone says your name? You physically hear it, but don't register and respond.

[trench8891]

Notice that Jeftichew described Parson as a "Mark", implying that he will be paid for getting Parson out of the picture. Something we guessed anyway but confirmation nonetheless.

I disagree about this being a confirmation. I always imagined "Mark" simply means "target", and in this case doesn't need to imply a payoff.

[effataigus]

So.. we have Predictamancy that Parson WILL make it through the portal.

Did ya miss the predictamancer saying "I so predict it" in a previous strip?

I hope us hearing this from Jefti is the only reason we can subsequently figure out what happened after Parson making a break for it goes awry... because otherwise this comic was a full page of setup for the upcoming Benny-Hill scene... making it the... 10th? I didn't really count.

I feel Maggie's and Parson's frustration with how dense Isaac was with that question.

[MarbitChow]

I wonder if an Egress is a creature that a carnymancer can summon.

[FlyinFungi]

He could swap the portals.

[Oberon]

This way to the egress.

[bladestorm]

The predictions only state that Parson makes it through the portal, not that he makes it to Spacerock. Jojo could change the destinations of the portal so that exiting one dumps you back into MK through another portal. Prediction comes true, but Parson is no closer to the battle than before.

[Wrathwind]

Would be very interesting if jojo switched the portals so parson appeared at Charlie's.... Very unluckily however I get the feeling that Charlie wants parson as far away from him as possae (as long as he's not working for him at lest) also if he was going to do that why would he talk to slatly about offing parson...far more likely jojos spell will make him appear else where in Spacerock like in the middle of the king some casters and what ever else Spacerock still has alive....