Erfworld

Comic update and a newspost to go with. Book 4 is over, book 5 continues without schedule break. Not cliffangering us on the current page, luckily.

Because hoooo daaaamn that's a hell of an unfortunate turn for GK.

Edited by Adannor on Oct 10th 2018 at 11:50:37 AM

Uuuuugh this story is never going to end is it? I'll come back in a couple of months or something maybe, but for now I think I'm out.

That's shocking, but not unexpected. I do expect that she will return at some point.

I am upset by this turn of events.

Half of the named characters are decrypted. They better not have killed them all off, because if they're all dusted, I don't see a way for them to come back. Wanda might have a chance. But the dusted are gone. And if we just lost that many characters we care about, then I dunno, I might have to quit the comic.

I'll wait for the resolution of the cliffhanger, but if it goes bad, then I'm out. At least for a while.

It's not so much that they would be gone, but that they disappeared offscreen. I would want to see a bigger deal made out of such a sacrifice of characters to the narrative. And frankly, that's always been the approach the authors have taken toward the loss of named characters before (even unnamed characters).

No, I do not think they'll be dusted. They aren't like normal uncroaked, they are alive and could even turn away from Wanda. However they still may have some sort of a reaction to losing their personal side-leader. In fact, it seems like specifically set-up for it in parallel with Transylvito - contrast between normal units and decrypted units.

There is a long established theme centered around issues of free will and agency in this story. Characters who are suddenly sideless or deprived of the object of their unquestioned loyalty would very easily contribute to that theme. I sense that the authors want to knock the supports out from under all the characters as a way to force them into confronting the assumptions of their world, and in that way leading to an ultimate resolution of the evils of Erfworld itself. I expect that the Hippiemancers plan will eventually pan out, but not until even Marie and Janis are questioning their lifechoices.

I just wonder how they are eventually going to tie all this into the real world, and Parson's attitudes toward life back there.

How many named characters would this directly affect? I've forgotten.

Off the top of my head, Bonnie, Ace, Jack, Artemis, Marie, Lilith, and Ansom. I think I'm missing some, but I don't want to cheat and check the character page. Pretty much all of them except for Artemis and maybe Ansom have outstanding plot points dangling.

Edited by Discar on Oct 11th 2018 at 11:34:48 AM

So, does anyone else think that the newly sapient Arkenplyers eventually go "Wanda's dead? Nope!" and decrypt her?

It'd go back to that whole thing in book 0 where it was said Wanda had an astronomycal cost in terms of being super heavily fated, and bring her back "free" (maybe?) of a lot of the chains placed on her.

Though given Decrypted loved her as a side effect of being resurrected, I do worry this chain of events makes her essentially a narcisist.

Who thinks Parson decrypts her? (Which would be, like, super awkward)

Edited by DeMarquis on Oct 12th 2018 at 6:57:09 AM

Fate, uh, fate finds a way.

It's just getting plain weird now...

Am I the only one who saw this coming? I know I'm not the only one who expected the Arkenpliers to act on their own, but I figured there were only two corpses available that might fit their needs, and Wanda is in possession of the Dirtamancers. It's also been foreshadowed that Isaac would be getting his body back in some fashion for a while now.

Kinda, yeah. Though I still want to find out what an unlocked Arkenhammer has to say, if anything. No thanks on unlocking the Arkendish, though. And unlocking the Arkenshoes? That'd get super awkward before long.

Again, kinda, yeah. Sapient Arkenplyers doing Arkenplyer stuff (and probably more?) has been insinuated since the intelligent Towers are getting up to all sorts of fun. Plus yeah, what you posted about Isaac.

Mostly I'm curious about how the Isaac doll is still independently alive etc. But then again, we've been off the "established magic mechanics" reservation for a while now.

Keep in mind we're still on the same turn. The natural Dirtamancy reset hasn't had a chance to depop Bunny's corpse, delete temporary golems, or refill the juice of Jack and Maggie. That's one of the reasons this arc feels so ridiculously long. It has to all take place during one day or the game will change out from under everyone's feet.

Yeah, we’ve been on the same day for well over a year now, haven’t we?

But on a slightly more serious note, anyone here going to submit something for the Halloween competition on the site? The submission deadline’s creeping up.

Edited by Earnest on Oct 18th 2018 at 2:21:13 PM

It appears that Huehue has been a naughty boy.

That art is awesome! And the whole page is awesome.

Someone in the comments pointed out that Skyy's gun might have the 3D sheen of an Arkentool.

And what's wrong with Bunny? Her corpse shouldn't have depopped yet. Was the Thinkamancy worm really so horrible it would prevent decryption?

Speaking of the Decrypted, the fact that Jack is still alive in that last panel is a good sign.

Orders were automatically given as part of the contract to destroy her body, and bats were dispatched to do so.

That sheen imo is meant to show the gun got golden.

Bunny got foraged.

Oh yeah that bit there◊. Bunny's gone and now he's gone.

What a cliffhanger! I guess their turn can end now.

So am I the only one who went Sky!? Seriously? I mean, I like her and all, and she leveled up several times, but shooting a bunch of living statues with a rifle is one thing, and running a side is another. Does she have the emotional and intellectual maturity for this? What kind of ruler will she be?

Edited by DeMarquis on Oct 21st 2018 at 12:14:16 PM