New Erf. Never seen Janis that scary-looking.
Who’s the healamancer based on? She’s cute.
Beverly Crusher in a white star trek uniform maybe?
Well, that sound effect should settle any question as to whether or not Fate was taking a hand in these events.
I had totally missed that sound effect. Thanks.
Which one? thwopp? plop? punx? screee? none of them are making sense to me.
“Manos”, the sound effect in the first frame. It even has a little hand coming out of it.
I can explain “punx,” anyway. That big strongman carney punching the Predictamancer with the rodent on his shoulder? That rodent was Punxatawny Phil, famous Pennsylvanian prognosticator.
ETA: and “screee” is the sound a pissed-off groundhog makes when he’s retaliating on your ass after you deck the guy who brings the Purina Groundhog Chow.
Oh wow, didn’t even catch that one.
Thanks, it definitely makes sense now.
Thanks. I was wondering who that guy was supposed to be. Didn’t think that it was his critter that was the main referent.
So a victory for Team Parson, albeit one with significant consequences yet to be fully determined. Stanley has saved the day, Sizemore has saved the city*, Jack will be decrypted, the war has come to the Magic Kingdom and Parson has one more trick up his charred sleeve.
ETA: Oh, and Charlie’s total control over remote communications is out of the bag.
- and I learned what “P.A.S.S.” means - it’s how to use a fire extinguisher: “Pull (pin), Aim, Squeeze (handle), Sweep”. Also note the various fire suppression substances Sizemore cites, mostly inert gases.
Annual fire training at the chemical plant I work at: got that one right away. The “Manos” thing last strip: had to google.
Anyone have any clue what Parson’s clever idea is? I’m drawing a blank.
Since it involves Sizemore I’m guessing something to do with rebuilding the city, although why that would require holding off on decrypting the troops I don’t know. I was idly wondering if Parson was going to solve his comms problem with semaphore towers so maybe that’s what he’s up to.
Speaking of Sizemore, I assume that it’s not just me that’s assuming that Sizemore will end up running the side in the end. It was pointed out early on that he’s Stanley’s only kinsman (although Stanley seems to have forgotten this) and he’s getting a lot of character development. That, plus the Arkensaw, are the things I’m waiting to see at the end of this very long story.
“Stack’em like cordwood”?
He’s moving all the corpses into the Magic Kingdom in that pyramid fortification that Sizemore just built (hence, stacking them like cordwood to fit). Wanda will then decrypt them all, and Parson will have a 300-strong, Warlord-led (+ Chief Warlord bonus, + Wanda’s bonus) force to occupy the Magic Kingdom.
He’s just changed the rules of war for Erfworld, again.
I’m not sure that 300 soldiers against the huge number of casters in the MK is enough to “occupy” it, but whatever happens next will be interesting.
Well, the stack of casters in Portal Park that’s likely to oppose him is quite small – just the carnymancers, basically. The others’ll talk. And although casters can act as leaders, they won’t have a leadership bonus, whereas Parson’s units will have both his and Wanda’s bonuses, as well as the leaders’ for each stack. And Parson will have caster support of his own.
It’ll be overwhelming if anyone engages. And if they do, he’ll then have more decrypted casters in support – at that point, his force starts becoming exponential basically. There’ll be some engagements, then maybe detente as the other casters scramble for options.
The real question: can decrypted units survive going through the portals from the other direction? If so, Charlie and some other capitols may soon be in for some very unpleasant surprises…
Has it been established that Charlescomm even has a portal?
One question I’m not sure Parson knows the answer to: Will Decrypted units be able to survive being in the MK? Is it passing through a portal that croaks non-casters?
Personally, I wonder if the Magic Kingdom is actually a location. That is, if it has coordinates on the Erfworld map, such that it could (in principle) be reached without a portal.
Not officially, but he has a capital city and he hires casters. It’s not an unreasonable assumption. Mind you, there’s no telling what’s on the other side of it.
I’m not even sure if non-casters can pass through at all, dead or alive - I thought Queen Bea was annihilated by walking into the portal, not merely cwoaked with her dead body falling through into the MK.