Erfworld 152 - tBfGK - 139

[slayerx]

Also, cool swords, reminds me of Parson's blade. Why the heck didn't they use them when fighting Stanley? Maybe Vampire Mario would still be alive today.

I miss Vamp Mario.

Considering the little song routine they were doing, they may have been dance fighting... as such that might limit the kind of stuff they fight with, such as using the switchblades/butterfly knives
The swords are more for regular fighting... but since it was dance fighting, the bonuses would make up for not using the glowing swords

[Neuromancer]

Caesar's been rude and arrogant to Jillian from the moment they met. ("Chickie?") It probably is related to being a commander who can beat up most anyone (except an Overlord attuned to an Arkentool, obviously).

He's kinda a scary guy, really--he's tougher than Jillian, and he's the only person who's ever caught Vinny out yet (when he called Vinny on the carpet for not mentioning that Stanley might have a Foolamancer). Not a nice guy, but obviously very good at what he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a more central role in the story going forward, especially if the Transylvito takeover of Faq storyline becomes a major plot line.

[HamsterOfTheGod]

This would be a nice page to end on, but I feel like we're due a Charlie Scene...

No we need Stanley's reaction shot...

You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

or how about...

My Capitol! My beautiful Capitol! Vanished!

[TamLin]

I suppose I can see things from Caesar's point of view: After all, there's a war going on and he doesn't have time to handle people with kid gloves. Of course, his generally dickish attitude and his underhanded interest in Faq leads us to cast him in a negative light.

[Glome]

No we need Stanley's reaction shot...

You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

or how about...

My Capitol! My beautiful Capitol! Vanished!

Actually, considering that Stanley expected his capital to fall, (otherwise he wouldn't have fled), his reaction might be more tempered. It might be more of along the lines "Wow, I'm glad I got out when I can. Wait, did that volcano just completely destroy Ansom's army? Yes! The titans have lead me to victory once again."

[datalaughing]

I wonder what kind of reaction Stanley will have. When he wakes up in the morning and finds that he's a barbarian, he may not even go back to GK. I mean, he probably thinks it's in enemy hands. Going back would be stupid. Then again, the city being destroyed but not claimed by someone else might mean that he still owns it and as such isn't a barbarian. But let's say he does become a barbarian. Does he go, "Well, they lasted longer than I thought they would." Or does he go, "Those idiots lost my city to the enemy! Incompetent morons!" etc. etc.? I think the latter is probably more Stanley-ish.

[Noemz]

When Transylvito's turn kicks off next, will Jillian sneak off to Faq?

With Vinnie? ;) Maybe they can start a new side together, rebuild, then go after Stanley.

[Tola]

I wonder what kind of reaction Stanley will have. When he wakes up in the morning and finds that he's a barbarian, he may not even go back to GK. I mean, he probably thinks it's in enemy hands. Going back would be stupid. Then again, the city being destroyed but not claimed by someone else might mean that he still owns it and as such isn't a barbarian. But let's say he does become a barbarian. Does he go, "Well, they lasted longer than I thought they would." Or does he go, "Those idiots lost my city to the enemy! Incompetent morons!" etc. etc.? I think the latter is probably more Stanley-ish.

I'm expecting him just looking at it for several panels, then:

"...

...

...Well, God-damm."

Because really, the sheer scale of what's happened here defies belief for the people here. The capital's in smoke: Bad. the entire enemy force is GONE: Good. The volcano's now active again: WTF.

Would anyone have thought of blowing up the volcano to nuke the siege?

"Act of Titan, maybe?"

[Samargh]

I've no idea why, but my first reaction when I saw this strip was "Vinnie is a Captain Jack...!"

is that too adult for this strip???

must say, however that I have very much enjoyed the last few strips, it has tied everything together very nicely for me. SAtill a few to go, we know Stanley is free and clear but we need his take on it, and we need to know the ultimate fate of at least the trimancer, if not Parson.

He skipped the first few episodes of this comic, he can skip from now until his dramatic re-appearance in the next one.

I don't think Jillian is a spent character... we have to have the obvious misunderstanding of her meeting with Wanda (who will by then be carrying the arkenpliers she has become attuned to) and get mistakenly blamed for killing Ansom as a result.

I'm also wondering if Wanda isn't getting the hots for Parson... yes, she is a dominatrix and control freak, but the ultimate ruthless dominator at present is Lord Hamster... maybe she's about to go sub for him?

maybe I've had too much to drink...

[Xeticus]

I think we're going to see more of Jillian. She has to avenge her love and she really will want to find out why Wanda is on Stanley's side and how she could have helped kill Ansom.

Caesar is probably going to be more of a major player. He's probably the strongest warlord left on what's left of the coalition.

And Stanley despite what Parson accomplished will still be angry. He's always angry!! He'll probably cool down when finds out that Ansom is dead and most of the coalition with him.

I'm getting spoiled by all these updates i'm loving this!! Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Oslecamo]

And Stanley despite what Parson accomplished will still be angry. He's always angry!!

That's no true! He spends a good deal of time in self-delusional illusions of grandeur.

Anyway, Vinnie finally reveals a soft side. Who would guess vampires can cry too?

[hajo]

she can look for Jack in the Magic Kingdom (well, she can get a caster to do it for her) in a few turns when Stanley runs out of upkeep for him.

"Running out of funds" assumes that GK is captured, but nobody is going to do that. So, I guess GK kinda 'survives' with the treasurey intact.

That means Stanley can keep Jack and his dwagons for long enough to make any search or waiting out infeasable.

[fractal]

"Running out of funds" assumes that GK is captured, but nobody is going to do that. So, I guess GK kinda 'survives' with the treasurey intact.

That means Stanley can keep Jack and his dwagons for long enough to make any search or waiting out infeasable.

There won't be any search, unless Jillian does it personally. Those initial theories of Vinnie's were before it became clear that the Coalition is defunct. Gobwin Knob is gone (at least until it cools), the Coalition armies have been decimated, and Stanley and his six remaining dwagons are way way down everyone's priority list (except for Jillian's).

[Tola]

We have no idea how much is in that treasury. Worse yet, with Gobwin Knob reduced to Level 1, the money provided by that city has gone down sharply. What happens when a kingdom goes into debt?

[hajo]

When Transylvito's turn kicks off next, will Jillian sneak off to Faq?

With Vinnie? ;) Maybe they can start a new side together, rebuild, then go after Stanley.

Rebuilding a city is likely expensive, and Jillian was down to her last schmuckers.
And without defense, TV would find and conquer Faq shortly.
So, there is not much point going there - checking GK makes more sense.

And I don't think Vinnie would risk his position in TV's forces just for such a bit of fun...

[Lamech]

I doubt Stanley will be ticked. More like
"the Titan's have banished my foes! Oooo... and arkentool. And gems. And a plausible method of vieling."

Also translovito has probably re-allied at this point in the story with another side.

[kreszantas]

Without Jillian being put back into some sort of sanity, Cesar is not going to have this alliance continue, which means Jillian will be back to just her and her peeps. Vinny HAD to do this from all the other converstations he had previously with Ansom, otherwise that would be a pretty bad character flaw.

For some reason I can not get Accept's Balls to the Walls out of my head where they say they make ya drink your blood and tear your soul to pieces and the nutcracker sound depicting Jillians hand/knuckles in Cesar's grasp.

Also proves that Translyvito was never really involved with the whole RCC just Vinny until the turn order gambit that Ansom setup... now it really is blowing up in Jetstones, Jillian's and Vinny's face.

Stanley would have an evilgasm if knew what was going on.

[DragoonKain]

On the issue of magic, I'm thinking anyone can cast at night, since it's no one's turn at night.

[HandofShadows]

I think this proves that Vinnie is a stand up guy and I hope nothing bad happens to him. Anyone else notice that the TV's weapons glow read just as those of Wanda's Uncroaked? Would Wanda be abel to do soemthing to them if they get to close to her? The TV cahracters are powerful, Jillian is major nasty and Caeser took her down easily as vampires are super strong. Also they drink blood. Now if they follow through with the vamp bit, it will mean that they have a weakness, namely about getting a wood shoved into their chests. I wonder if the people of Erf know about that. Parson certainly will. Are the forces of TV about to their tail kicked?

Caeser has proven himself to be a nasty piece of work and I would not mind seeing him get staked. He lies to Jillian, treats her poorly and clearly would like to have her for lunch. The only two things are keeping her alive right now Vinnie and the location of Faq. And I don't think Vinnie will be able to save her in the end.

Think the next page will pick up with Stanely finding a erupting Gobwin knob (followed by an erupting Stanely) and THEN back to Pason and company.

Founding member of the "She's Dead Jim" Club.

[Glome]

I think this proves that Vinnie is a stand up guy and I hope nothing bad happens to him. Anyone else notice that the TV's weapons glow read just as those of Wanda's Uncroaked? Would Wanda be abel to do soemthing to them if they get to close to her? The TV cahracters are powerful, Jillian is major nasty and Caeser took her down easily as vampires are super strong. Also they drink blood. Now if they follow through with the vamp bit, it will mean that they have a weakness, namely about getting a wood shoved into their chests. I wonder if the people of Erf know about that. Parson certainly will. Are the forces of TV about to their tail kicked?

That's assuming that 'Our Vampires are different' isn't in play, which I'm pretty sure it is.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...esAreDifferent

Getting wood shoved in your chest is deadly to most creatures, not just vampires. It is noted as a vulnerability just because regular vampires are normally pretty invulnerable. Yet that doesn't appear to be true here, they did lose three vampires in the conflict with Stanley after all.

Anyway, I'm hoping we see a lot more of TV in the next chapter of Erfworld as well, they are an interesting tribe and apparently the most powerful force left in the region after that volcano went off.

[Kreistor]

"Running out of funds" assumes that GK is captured, but nobody is going to do that. So, I guess GK kinda 'survives' with the treasurey intact.

GK survives? We see half of it vaporizing, with no indication taht will stop. There is a top on the mountain, but all of GK, including the treasury, may be dust. We know treasuries are physical objects that can be captured.

That means Stanley can keep Jack and his dwagons for long enough to make any search or waiting out infeasable.

We can see that GK was not actually mined out, as Sizemore said it was. With the portoin o themountain mined out exploded into dust, the deeper gemstones may now be revealed, allowing a new city to start on the same spot... once it has cooled down enough.

[the_tick_rules]

Now we get some hot, hot, comfort sex.

[Architect]

GK survives? We see half of it vaporizing, with no indication taht will stop. There is a top on the mountain, but all of GK, including the treasury, may be dust. We know treasuries are physical objects that can be captured.

I agree. I think that the treasury was destroyed along with the dungeon.

We can see that GK was not actually mined out, as Sizemore said it was. With the portoin o themountain mined out exploded into dust, the deeper gemstones may now be revealed, allowing a new city to start on the same spot... once it has cooled down enough.

Bad guys get coolness points for building bases on/in active volcanoes. Besides, the full magma chamber indicated that it was still being fed and therefore capable of sustaining a lengthy period of activity.

[Zael Zuran]

Actually, considering that Stanley expected his capital to fall, (otherwise he wouldn't have fled), his reaction might be more tempered. It might be more of along the lines "Wow, I'm glad I got out when I can. Wait, did that volcano just completely destroy Ansom's army? Yes! The titans have lead me to victory once again."

Good point. Especially relating to Stanley becoming more convinced he is truly the Tool of the Titans.

[JenBurdoo]

I never imagined that a story with such cutesy illustrations could be so ... tender. Bravo to the authors! They have succeeded in making me feel awe, joy and even sadness over the fate of their characters.

[brob]

Did Parson do a bad thing? TV's sounding pretty dark right about now. At the height of the RCC the participants all sounded like reasonable people, but perhaps that was partly Ansom's influence.

Suddenly makes me wonder about the "lives" of erflings, and if Parson just did a bad by blowing up one of the relatively good parts of it.

[Zeku]

You called it: Captain Jack.

That's fine, it's always the eunuchs and the 'guys like Vinnie' who tend to be the best second-in-commands. They have all the competence and charisma of the leader, but different chemicals spinning around in their blood. They usually 'like' them enough to follow orders zealously, too.

Note that it's not his willingness to express emotion that makes it obvious, but how keen he is on sharing it with someone.

[Emmerson Grant]

I wondered which kind of Vinnie Vinnie was. That reminded me of a Doogie Howser episode where Vinny is doing jury duty.

He's Vinnie Delpino all right.

[Kreistor]

Bad guys get coolness points for building bases on/in active volcanoes. Besides, the full magma chamber indicated that it was still being fed and therefore capable of sustaining a lengthy period of activity.

Well, that depends on the spell. If they drew up magma and provided the pressure below it, then there's nothing to sustain the event. Mt. St. Helens, for instance, exploded and subsided in a single day. There was an aftermath of hanging ash, bt it was over.

See, that explosion happened because over months, the magma pushed up and was held down by very old rock. That built up pressure. Water htting the magma became steam, which slipped through the cracks, condensing hot in the rock, and helping weaken it, but increasing the pressure. Finally, the rock cap couldn't hold it back, and broke apart, becoming a massive rock slide (largest in history). The cap rolled away, the steam welled up, shattering the remainder, and the magma's pressure was released into the rock, turning it into hot, steamed dust. But that energy release removed the pressure, so the magma, after initially pushing up, no longer had pressure holding it up, so it slipped back deep almost immediately. The eruption was over, save for some hold out pockets that dissipated that day.

The pressure on GK was artifically created. Wanda awakened the lava, and it welled up. That effect is over. The magma should slip back down without the geological pressure holding it up, just like Mt. St. H. GK may be hot, but the worst effects are over. A couple of days should see it cooled enough to start a city again. Only if that spell created a permanent pressure under the magma in the crust (magma far below the images) would the eruption continue. That takes a lot more power and is entirely unnecessary to achieve the effect they were looking for.

[Varthonai]

Not even going think about it being used as an ominous turn of phrase? There's nothing other than logic (not always the best way to anticipate Rob and Jamie!) to mark that as a literal threat.

Whether that's true or not, this is still the first we've ever heard of blood even EXISTING in Erfworld. We've certainly never seen any before; even when badly-wounded Dwagons have exposed ribs visible when viewed from below we only see the muscle and bone tissue. No blood.

I'm surprised no one else has commented on this; bloodless carnage was one of the defining characteristics of Erfworld, going with the whole "for kids" theme. I'd think that the TVs would have to first CREATE blood in their victims in order to drink it!