Book 2 – Page 99

[tgriff02]

Wait, wait, wait, what? Parson's through the Portal?

Incidentally, if Wanda's in the MK, is she trying to make friends with the casters there? Last time we checked, she was not seen with fond eyes by the locals. Being stranded there after Parson's tricky maneuver and all, she may have some splainin to do.

Possibly she wants to consult with Marie, she made the comment recently that she thinks that she has strayed off of Fate's "Easy Way" and was having trouble seeing the path back to her proper course. Wanda would know Marie from Faq, and while she may or may not get along with the predictimancer, there is probably some degree of mutal trust there, given that I'm inclined to agree with the idea that Wanda's Loyalty stat is to Fate, not any particular Side. I assume that Marie would have some inate sense of that from their time together in court.

[No one in particular]

no one else is curious about the painting in panel 11? who is it? why is it so prominently featured? a deceased prince? a caster? the first king of jetstone? anyone have any ideas? or is it obvious to everyone else?

Considering how it's in the Portal Room, I'd guess that it's a former caster.

[tgriff02]

The painting did catch my eye, but more of a "Hey, that's cool" kind of way than a "hey, is this significant?"

Not saying that there isn't a meaning or a joke there, just that nothing like that jumped out at me.

[cheeseaholic]

The easiest "trick of some sort" for Jack to have used would simply have been lying earlier about being out of juice - note that he says "I am" rather than "I was".

That's one explanation, sure. But it assumes that Jack lied directly to Parson in a conversation with Marie, Wanda, Parson, Sizemore and Janis. I don't think it's the simplest one, and I don't like assuming that protagonists lie to each other so easily. If I'm supposed to figure that's a lie, what's to stop me from thinking every sentence of the entire comic is an outright lie? Do we really even have a good example of anyone other than a predictamancer lying to the reader? I'm sorry, I don't really buy that argument. He says he's out of juice to the reader and to his CW, then he's out of juice. To think otherwise is to be paranoid.

The possible enemy casters were like five feet from them. They could hear.

Well they could probably hear. Unless there's some weird Erfworld conversation rule.

[Chit Rule Railroad]

Interesting that Marie's response leaves open the possibility that GK will lose at Spacerock and/or Parson will be captured - possibly even decrypted.

[effataigus]

The painting

This isn't the first time we've seen that painting. If you're really curious, scroll back to where we first see it, and check the reactions thread from that page. IIRC, a person or two had a theory about it that made sense but that wasn't overly pertinent to the current story arc. My apologies if this is a waste of time.

"Finally, we have someone who hears a prediction, accepts it as reality, and marches forward to meet it, ready to adapt."

It really does seem like the best course of action is to pretend like you've never heard a prediction. Wanda needs to take a look at her life and realize that trying to dodge fate's punches worked out for her only marginally worse than grabbing fate's fist and slamming it into her face.

[Finwe]

Some possibilities for Jack's "trick":

1. Jack really was out of juice, but hadn't actually dismissed the illusion spell yet. Some remaining element of the spell allowed him to sneak in.

2. Jack walked to the other side of the tunnel, then walked in a big circle to approach the portal from the other side. Everyone was on the tunnel side of the portal paying attention to Parson and the ruckus surrounding him. The portal is opaque, and everyone not in Parson's posse was facing away from the portal towards the tunnel entrance, so he may simply have walked right up to it from the other side without anyone who cared noticing.

3. Jack somehow persuaded everyone to let him near the portal, and then simply walked through.

[0beron]

Some possibilities for Jack's "trick"

Or, that he was never in the MK at all, and simply cast his illusion to get Wanda through alone. He kept it up as long as he could, because if there's threat of a firefight, best to make everyone think there is an extra caster on your side.

EDIT: Also, we know Wanda is a multicaster, and it appears Decryption doesn't require Juice, meaning she's full charged. So the illusion may have been partly/entirely her doing all along at Jack's suggestion.

[Finwe]

Jack had a conversation with Parson. I'm not sure he'd be able to do that if he wasn't standing next to Parson to hear him.

I do like the "Wanda's foolamancy" idea. With so many casters around (and thus so many eyes with a chance to penetrate the illusion), she might not have been able to manage such a thing. But it could be possible if she was under Jack's guidance.

[vintermann]

That portrait in the portal room reminds me a little of The Little Prince.

[elecampane]

The painting

This isn't the first time we've seen that painting. If you're really curious, scroll back to where we first see it, and check the reactions thread from that page. IIRC, a person or two had a theory about it that made sense but that wasn't overly pertinent to the current story arc. My apologies if this is a waste of time.

All I can add is that it was in this thread and we didn't come to any conclusion besides that it could be another deceased caster or one of former Jetstone princes.
And only now I've noticed that it hangs on the wall directly opposite to Holly Shortcake, so probably they are related in some way.

[LTDave]

It occurs to me that I am disappointed that we don't actually see Parson go through the Portal. In one frame he is standing in front of it, and the next he is on the other side.
Where, I ask, is the Star Gate woosh, or the sticking of the hand through first?

I wonder if this is a deliberate act on the part of the author to derail BLANDCorporatio's Parson/Portal Erotic FanFic.

[tgriff02]

The painting

This isn't the first time we've seen that painting. If you're really curious, scroll back to where we first see it, and check the reactions thread from that page. IIRC, a person or two had a theory about it that made sense but that wasn't overly pertinent to the current story arc. My apologies if this is a waste of time.

"Finally, we have someone who hears a prediction, accepts it as reality, and marches forward to meet it, ready to adapt."

It really does seem like the best course of action is to pretend like you've never heard a prediction. Wanda needs to take a look at her life and realize that trying to dodge fate's punches worked out for her only marginally worse than grabbing fate's fist and slamming it into her face.

I do vaguely remember reading parts of that discussion, but I had not been following the forum for very long and was trying to get caught up on everyone's personal favorite epilectic tree, and my eyes were a bit glazed over by then. I'll try to go get caught up.

Yes, I mean when Jillian was "griping" about the uselessness of predictimancy, talking about how Marie would warm them of an ambush the next turn, and they would waste time trying to avoid it, or find it ahead of time. It really seems so obvious that the best reaction is to just accept that the ambush will happen, and keep your men at the ready so that it isn't a sneak attack. Don't know if if sneaky units get any kind of bonus, but it seems plausible; you can't preventt he ambush, but you can deny them a positive modifier. From Parson's own observations, the key to Erworld is stacking modifiers and multipliers, so Predictamancy SHOULD be incredibly powerful, even used passively like Faq did. But I agree with the comment made previously about the exchange between Wanda and Jillian where Wanda says, "When the prisoner requests the easy way, she gets the easy way; but when she requests the very easy way, she gets the VERY hard way." I think Fate has a similar attitude.

[tgriff02]

The painting

This isn't the first time we've seen that painting. If you're really curious, scroll back to where we first see it, and check the reactions thread from that page. IIRC, a person or two had a theory about it that made sense but that wasn't overly pertinent to the current story arc. My apologies if this is a waste of time.

All I can add is that it was in this thread and we didn't come to any conclusion besides that it could be another deceased caster or one of former Jetstone princes.
And only now I've noticed that it hangs on the wall directly opposite to Holly Shortcake, so probably they are related in some way.

Ok, NO. I went back and tried to re-read that thread. Now I remember why I stopped in the first place. That whole stupid Lawful/Chaos booppile. That bit of useless, unhappy discussion actually turned me off of the forums completely for awhile.

Although back to the main point, I would make my totally uneducated, highly speculative guess that Jetsone, being all about nobility and keeping up appearances, and stateliness; honors past casters who have croaked for the cause in a similar manor as the princes. In a smaller and less grand fashion, as befitting their rank as unique and powerful, yet non royal, units. And what more fitting place to put such a memorial than the Portal Room, the acess to the Magic Kingdom; where the *FACES* of those gone ahead can stare down at those in the now, reminding them of the shoes they have to fill, and the dissapointments of failed ambition. Just as the statues do for Slately.

*edited for poor(-er than normal) grammer*

[Housellama]

Personally, I think Jack did exactly what he said he did: used some kind of trick. I suspect it probably wasn't magic based. He's standing in the MK, surrounded by some of the most powerful 'mancers in Erfworld. Isaac is also a Masterclass Foolamancer, and there are others with Foolamancy among the Great Minds. Spells probably weren't the best idea. Since Jeffi did him the favor of focusing everyone's attention on Parson, who takes up quite a lot of attention, I suspect that Jack sneaked through using mundane means.

Also... Just because Jack says that he is out of juice in front of a bunch of potentially hostile casters does not necessarily mean he is out of juice. I suspect that he is telling the truth to Parson now, but whether he was really out of juice in the MK is an open question to me.

[0beron]

Also... Just because Jack says that he is out of juice in front of a bunch of potentially hostile casters does not necessarily mean he is out of juice...whether he was really out of juice in the MK is an open question to me.

Oh totally agreed, I think folks surmised as much when Jack first came though. Saying he was out then was almost certainly a ruse.

[Sonic Screwdriver]

I personally like the theory that when he had his head chopped off by the portal and roll away, he simply maintained the illusion and kept standing there with his head sticking through; thus never technically crossed over to the magic kingdom to begin with.

[junovalkyrie]

And what more fitting place to put such a memorial than the Portal Room, the acess to the Magic Kingdom; where the feces of those gone ahead can stare down at those in the now, reminding them of the shoes they have to fill, and the dissapointments of failed ambition.

Only if their side has a dirtamancer.

[Dancing Cthulhu]

Story-wise, this seems to be leading to a battle where casters aren't key. Jack is out of juice. Wanda is in the MK. Ace incapacitated or croaked. Cubbins incapacitated, and fleeing along with the Healomancer and Dittomancer.

So it's just units vs units. It gives Parson a chance to be clever in some way other than just "make up a spell for the casters to do".

I agree, and I don't think there will be another battle as such (for the remainder of Jetstones current turn at least), since there isn't really anyone to fight at the moment. The bulk of the Jetstone ground forces have left (I'd imagine they'll pick up the forces Trem left outside the city) and are marching for Jetstone. Trem and the casters have flown away. Slatley's suicide squad was never going to win the battle - with the cloth golems burning might pretty much be done, and Slately can last at most till the start of the next turn. Plus with the fire there seemed to be a real risk that every GK unit that wasn't a red dwagon would burn up (was the dungeon at risk?).

So if Slately succeeds, the dungeon/ex-portal room isn't at risk from the fire and Wanda is out Parson might find himself with a handful of red dwagons, Jack, an incapacitated/dead Ace, and whatever troops survive the burning. Not enough to go after the Jetstone ground forces, and Trem might out of range. Seems like it'll all be about whatever Charlie has up his sleeve, which probably wont be conventional.

[Slowness]

Look at how surprised all those soldiers are. I mean, it's like they had just spent so long waiting that they can't believe their eyes.

Well, I'd rather guess they never have seen their chief warlord before and would not have guessed that he is that big.

On another note, anyone any idea what the trick is? Some simple "you do not count as having entered something if part of your stack is still outside"? Or some magical pull-back to your stack leader? Or some way to get juice from non-casters in your stack?

I noticed that as well. I laughed out loud when I realized all of the little infantrymen were as impressed with Parson's size as Stanley was when he first met Parson (His other gripes with him not-withstanding).
Parson seems to make an awesome first impression with friendly troops, simply by being more than twice their size.

On another note:

Interesting that Marie's response leaves open the possibility that GK will lose at Spacerock and/or Parson will be captured - possibly even decrypted.

I hadn't even considered Parson becoming Decrypted. That's a bit of a disturbing thought, considering how he threw that sword that influences him into the lava, Erfworld may look for a more heavy handed way to control the Earthworlder.