Erfworld 45 (Page 41)

[SteveMB]

Most people who exercise control over others through sex do so by withholding it, actually (while at the same time creating an intense desire for such in the target). Based on their behavior, I have serious doubts that Wanda and Jillian are in what most people would consider to be an intimate relationship.

I don't think anybody considers their relationship to be what most people would consider "intimate" in the emotional sense; it's a one-way dependence fostered as a power play. As for whether or not they've been physically intimate (beyond the level of the snuggle in panel 2 and the kiss implied in panel 5), that's an open question.

To expand on my original point, it seems clear to me that Wanda has worked to emotionally bind Jillian to her as firmly as possible, and she's willing to use sexual tension (and perhaps sexual consummation, though if so it's left firmly offstage and unreferenced) toward that end. If Wanda happens to swing that way herself, it's a fringe benefit; if not, she seems cynical enough to regard it as part of the job.

Wanda looks more and more like the power behind the throne.

Hmmm... during their friendly post-interrogation chat, Wanda made a point of telling Jillian "You're a royal!" One of my speculations is that she's planning to put Jillian on the throne of whatever tribe she's royalty of (deposing Stanley? Slately? somebody else?) in order to take on exactly that role -- the power behind the throne -- with Jillian as a nicely trained and compliant figurehead.

[happyturtle]

Poor Jillian... she's never going to get her reward! Or perhaps I mean poor readers for not getting to see it.

The feet in panel 5 are so poignant.

[Livewire90210]

I am beginning to suspect Wanda could give SHODAN a run for her money.

I don't think Wanda would go quite that far, but now that you mention it, she does kind of have an annoyed attitude when explaining stuff. Kinda reminds me of "You are no longer welcome here, nuisance. Why must you stay, when you sense my displeasure?" (I'm WAY too addicted to SS2)

And yet, now that you've said that, I can't really picture Wanda without also seeing Shodan's face staring back at me... I can actually see how Wanda manipulates people the same way Shodan manipulates the player in System Shock 2 (and quite likely System Shock 1 (haven't played yet))... I don't think Shodan ever said "Trust me" however (probably a good thing, who would trust a computer once you've seen Terminator or Tron?)

Gotta say though, awesome comic. Never thought I'd get pulled into a comic that doesn't involve a battle every few pages, but for once I'm glad to say I enjoyed being proven wrong :) Keep up the great work please!

[Closet_Skeleton]

I find it scary that such a dumb looking skull ornament can be so sexy...

[Gez]

Are those Ents I see in the background of panel 8?

No. "Ent" is one of the Sacred Words defended by the Spooooooky lawyers of the Tolkien Estate. So spooooooky they frighten even the Spooooooooky Wizards who live on the coast.

Besides, it's obvious that they're Twees. I mean, what else could they be?

I must say I loved this ep. I really hope Wanda, and Jillian are working together as I would hate to think that Wanda is really that evil... I always pictured the Tool, and co. where more the missunderstood bad guys instead of the 'evil' bad guys.

Stanley has the evil of a little child, he's completely selfish -- a huge ego, and absolutely no empathy.

Wanda is different. She's cold and manipulating.

Writer's school says you either should have written this Fight with:

Lesser units from the Hero go up against the antagonist that are a tragic loss, but resolves the Hero more. (Possibly lose supporting character) Hero prepares by building the tech/uping his stats/ finding the magic sword to improve for next Fight.
--or--
Hero goes up against henchmen of the antagonist for a victory, improving the morale of the Hero more with this taste of success.

Here instead you're breaking convention by sending out the Hero's best units. Against not henchmen, but the antagonist himself.

There's a reason why scripts seldom do this. If you're not careful, you can easily paint yourself in a corner you can't get out of.

You know, being too formulaic and academic is what ultimately result in boring, cliché stuff. Conventions are made to be broken, or at least abused.

Beside, who's the Hero anyway? Parson? Stanley? Wanda? Jillan? Ansom? Webinar? Bogroll?

Emotionally manipulating someone you've been torturing into betraying her cause, then sending her back into the field as a double agent counts as romance these days? You kids and your whacky values.

Heaven forbid we simply admit that Wanda is evil.

Evil people have sex too, and being lover doesn't necessitate romance. Panel 5, with the feat, shows the two girls are firmly in each other's personal place. While we can't know if they had sex, there's no ambiguity that they kissed. Why the closeups on the lips we see here or on page 30.

I think it's kind of irrelevant whether or not Wanda and Jillian have actually had sex. It's clear from panel 2 and 4 here, and many other interrogation panels, that there is a strongly sexualised element to Jillian's conversion, and whether it has gone "all the way" or not doesn't change the plot importance or the pretty clear fact that the torture involved sexuality... which isn't a big surprise when it is an attempt to control, not truly break, the mind.

'Xactly.

'Sides, it isn't like we're going to get a real sex scene here, thank goodness. (for that matter, we don't even know if people have sex in Erfworld. Maybe they just cuddle, and find babies under cabbage leaves).

Given the nature of Erfworld, I think they don't find babies anywhere. People are born adult, and in the caserns or barracks where they buy troops.

Hmmm... during their friendly post-interrogation chat, Wanda made a point of telling Jillian "You're a royal!" One of my speculations is that she's planning to put Jillian on the throne of whatever tribe she's royalty of (deposing Stanley? Slately? somebody else?) in order to take on exactly that role -- the power behind the throne -- with Jillian as a nicely trained and compliant figurehead.

Stanley, himself, is not a Royal, and not even a Noble. If Wanda resent working for a dimwit like Stanley, and has some preconceptions about legitimacy and how only nobility has it, then she could fancy ultimately getting Jillan as the Queen of Gobwin Knob...

Poor Jillian... she's never going to get her reward! Or perhaps I mean poor readers for not getting to see it.

Not that the authors would show it anyway... Last time, we got Parson and Sizemore chatting about Erfworld's magic and fecal matter disposal techniques.

I find it scary that such a dumb looking skull ornament can be so sexy...

Sexy? To me, it looks Lenory.

[Nerd_Paladin]

And Wanda continues to get creepier and less sympathetic by the week...

[Erk]

We have Parson, Bogroll, Jillian, Vinnie and Sizemore to be sympathetic to. Stanley is laughable and Ansom conflicted. There needed to be a real pee-your-pants villain(ess). What I can't figure out yet is if Parson should be watching his back, or if Wanda is safely on his side for now.

[Marller]

No. "Ent" is one of the Sacred Words defended by the Spooooooky lawyers of the Tolkien Estate. So spooooooky they frighten even the Spooooooooky Wizards who live on the coast.

Besides, it's obvious that they're Twees. I mean, what else could they be?

Or Tweants?

[happyturtle]

I'd put Bogroll and Sizemore as the 'moral centre' characters, but Parson as the character I want most to 'win'. Wanda is a close second, which makes me nicely conflicted if she's undermining him in some way.

Are we supposed to be rooting for Jillian to break through her conditioning? Because I'm not. I wonder what that says about me?

[SteveMB]

Poor Jillian... she's never going to get her reward! Or perhaps I mean poor readers for not getting to see it.

If the setting of the trap happened on the turn that just began with the various breakfasts, it hasn't been "tonight" yet (and the reward is, apparently, being sent home).

The feet in panel 5 are so poignant.

Yes, that's one of the feelings that runs through this whole page. A tip of the hat to Rob and Jamie; you've outdone yourselves.

No. "Ent" is one of the Sacred Words defended by the Spooooooky lawyers of the Tolkien Estate. So spooooooky they frighten even the Spooooooooky Wizards who live on the coast.

Stanley has the evil of a little child, he's completely selfish -- a huge ego, and absolutely no empathy.

Wanda is different. She's cold and manipulating.

Yep. I've noted that Stanley dishes out anger and benevolence in accordance with his current mood, as determined by whether things are going well for him at the moment (classic immature and childish behavior). Wanda is calculating, doling out torture and comfort as required to get the effect she's working toward.

Evil people have sex too, and being lover doesn't necessitate romance. Panel 5, with the feat, shows the two girls are firmly in each other's personal place. While we can't know if they had sex, there's no ambiguity that they kissed. Why the closeups on the lips we see here or on page 30.

I assumed the comments early in the thread about this confirming that they are "lovers" refer to the purely physical. That may or may not have happened offstage; I'd say it depends on whether or not Wanda decided that unresolved tension would be a more effective psychological weapon than sexual gratification (see JonathanC's comment about manipulating people by feeding a desire for sex, then withholding it).

As for the emotional... well, I think Jillian feels in love with Wanda, in a very dependent sort of way, but if there's anything at all in the other direction it isn't what most people mean by that word.

Stanley, himself, is not a Royal, and not even a Noble. If Wanda resent working for a dimwit like Stanley, and has some preconceptions about legitimacy and how only nobility has it, then she could fancy ultimately getting Jillan as the Queen of Gobwin Knob...

I don't think Wanda gives a steaming load of Sizemore's raw material about hereditary legitimacy (except insofar as it makes it easier to rule or deal with those who do care about that stuff), but she'd definitely prefer a nice compliant Jillian to an annoying and thick-headed Stanley as her figurehead ruler. (The obvious guess is that Jillian is the heir to the royal house deposed by Stanley, but of course that's just a guess, hence my leaving the options open earlier.)

We have Parson, Bogroll, Jillian, Vinnie and Sizemore to be sympathetic to. Stanley is laughable and Ansom conflicted. There needed to be a real pee-your-pants villain(ess). What I can't figure out yet is if Parson should be watching his back, or if Wanda is safely on his side for now.

As noted earlier, Parson is useful as the fall guy if the plan "fails" (by Stanley's criteria, not necessarily Wanda's). Also, if his impression is correct that Wanda knows a fair amount about military matters but prefers to let somebody else deal with it, he has a long-term usefulness that will keep his back relatively safe.

[happyturtle]

I think we can conclude that Wanda's plans have some use for Parson other than fallguy, or she could have used Stanley's good looking warlord for that and avoided the whole rigamarole of summoning. But what? Is it simply to win the battle of Gobwin Knob? Somehow I suspect there's more.

[Caledonian]

Nice "Trust me" request.

Wanda may not be able to lie to /magically control Stanley because of the details of the rules binding her to him, but she might still find a loophole in their parameters - and there are no such restrictions on her interactions with others.

Would you ever trust a person who had demonstrated such a talent for manipulation? Even if her plan is precisely what she says it is, she's far too dangerous to be left alive once her usefulness ends. (Only problem is that she's probably aware we're thinking that, and is taking steps to [POOF] [Golden Sparkles]

So, Wanda is awesome, and is offering Stanley and Parson their best bet for victory. No wonder she's Stanley's favorite! I love that loveable magic-using woman.

[SteveMB]

Then let me be complimentary: Love the artwork, love the story, and the artists are growing in their skills with each passing month.

The usual Story Outline though is Intro-Skirmish-Investigate-Fight-Prepare-Big Fight-Resolution.

Writer's school says you either should have written this Fight with:
<snip>
Here instead you're breaking convention by sending out the Hero's best units. Against not henchmen, but the antagonist himself.

There's a reason why scripts seldom do this. If you're not careful, you can easily paint yourself in a corner you can't get out of.

You know, being too formulaic and academic is what ultimately result in boring, cliché stuff. Conventions are made to be broken, or at least abused.

Hmmm... something nobody has commented upon yet, perhaps because it's overshadowed in the immediate reaction to the revelations about Wanda's manipulation of Jillian, is Ansom's expression in 41:8. He's reading something, presumably (from context) the hat-o-gram reporting that Webinar's backup squad has found Jillian (the "What if he doesn't take the bait?" dialog box conceals the hat, if it's there).

He does not look overwhelmed with joy, as one would assume he would be upon receiving that news. He looks pensive... one might even say suspicious. Could it be that "flat learning curve" isn't a class feature for our Dashing Hero?

I think we can conclude that Wanda's plans have some use for Parson other than fallguy, or she could have used Stanley's good looking warlord for that and avoided the whole rigamarole of summoning. But what? Is it simply to win the battle of Gobwin Knob? Somehow I suspect there's more.

Well, winning this battle is a prerequisite for anything else -- she isn't going to get very far with her personal agenda (whatever it is) if she's croaked or captured, and even the best case after a defeat (on the run) would put a severe crimp in her plans.

If she is trying to set herself up as a ruler behind Jillian's throne, or some other position of power, she's obviously going to need a chief warlord, preferably a competent one -- once she discovered the option, she probably liked the idea of getting one from outside this world with no preexisting loyalties that might conflict with her goals.

[POOF] [Golden Sparkles]

So, Wanda is awesome, and is offering Stanley and Parson their best bet for victory. No wonder she's Stanley's favorite! I love that loveable magic-using woman.

Well, of course. Wanda is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

[20thLevelGeek]

Wow, this one was amazing, and no wonder it wasn't posted until late last night. I kept periodically checking my computer wondering "What is taking Rob and Jami so long" only to see the amount of text, and different fonts on this. This must have been a killer for Rob. However it was well well worth it.

I was in the camp of "We will see between Wanda/Jillian" but leaning extremely heavily towards them not being involved. But this one pretty much puts it to bed (honestly pun was NOT intended), without having to spell it right out for us.

Wanda is so many levels of evil, not all of them bad, but she's hitting a lot. I do not currently like the way she is running circles around Stanley and Parson, though the former is to be expected somewhat. When we first met her she seemed to be barely keeping Stanley under control from getting them all killed and keeping her sanity. Perhaps Parson (as stated by SteveMB above) was the leverage, or the spark she needed to put more serious plans into action.

All I know is, she's playing them, and us the audience over the past few weeks like a finely tuned violin. I really look forward to seeing where this goes.

[Fighteer]

Hmmm... something nobody has commented upon yet, perhaps because it's overshadowed in the immediate reaction to the revelations about Wanda's manipulation of Jillian, is Ansom's expression in 41:8. He's reading something, presumably (from context) the hat-o-gram reporting that Webinar's backup squad has found Jillian (the "What if he doesn't take the bait?" dialog box conceals the hat, if it's there).

He does not look overwhelmed with joy, as one would assume he would be upon receiving that news. He looks pensive... one might even say suspicious. Could it be that "flat learning curve" isn't a class feature for our Dashing Hero?

Thanks for pointing this out. After closely looking at Ansom's panel, it was clear that he was reading a hat message, and looked quite concerned/taken aback about it. I suspect we'll get to see his reaction to it in one of the next comics, and it'll be a good test of his character whether he smells the rat or bravely charges in to save his Jillian.

[Eromreven]

Wanda has one reason and one reason only to stay with Stanley. She knows that if she stays, she will likely die in the capital. She knows that if she stays, she will have to continue to obey the orders of a total idiot which will likely end up poorly for her physical and psychological well-being. Wanda is a very competent Croakamancer, and a decent everythingelsemancer. She has places to go. She could enlist in Ansom's army in the "I have seen the light, please take me into your awesome good hands" ploy, or hey, she could go to the Croakamancy division of the magic island. Wanda is in a poor position in Gobwin Knob, and there is only one reason for her not to go somewhere better.

She'd never be alone with Jillian in Ansom's Army, and she'd never see her anywhere else. She knows Ansom is in love with her, and thus they could never, ever, EVER have anything to do with each other if Ansom even had the slightest idea.(I believe it's been shown that Ansom is a righteous ******* who will do anything for his, admittedly quite selfish and irrational, cause.)

The only time Jillian can be alone with Wanda is in interrogation. Love is the only reason Wanda has to stay with the Tool. I believe this is also the reason Jillian lets herself be captured over and over like this. I think after the fourth or so capture by an evil interrogator who causes you pain and discomfort at the drop of a hat(ha! I made a funny.), you would be a bit more cautious.

That's my take on it, anyway. Also in panel 4, dey all up in eachodes bidness.

[innovan]

Wanda is not motivated by any power grab for the throne. She knows what that job entails and thinks it sucks.

She's already in the position she wants: Lots of power, minions scraping to her every whim, and a weak, easily manipulated boss that gives her anything she wants. She's spent some time setting this all up.

The problem is her Boss has screwed up and is about to lose the kingdom. So she's going to do whatever it takes to save the capital and keep her happy niche.

In the opening on p3, she flew to Gobwin Knob from somewhere else. She was summoned to the capital by Tool.

The somewhere else where she was summoned from is her real diggs, and what she is really protecting. If the Capital is lost, she loses her own creepy magic wizard lair as well. Which would really, really piss her off.

Wanda's little fiefdom of creepyness is for a whole other series. But that's probably where who she really loves is at.

[SteveMB]

Wanda is a very competent Croakamancer, and a decent everythingelsemancer. She has places to go. She could enlist in Ansom's army in the "I have seen the light, please take me into your awesome good hands" ploy

The problem is that this would probably entail, at a minimum, giving up Croakamancy -- Naughtymancy (i.e. forbidden arts, black magic) doesn't seem to fit in with Ansom & Company's side at all, and I certainly don't see him using any uncroaked troops. Worse, she might be held responsible as an accessory to Stanley's various aggressions against the coalition members.

or hey, she could go to the Croakamancy division of the magic island.

If she can find a niche there where somebody is paying her upkeep (the Erfworld equivalent of "if I can get a job there", and no more a foregone conclusion in the former case than it is in the latter).

She'd never be alone with Jillian in Ansom's Army, and she'd never see her anywhere else. She knows Ansom is in love with her, and thus they could never, ever, EVER have anything to do with each other if Ansom even had the slightest idea (I believe it's been shown that Ansom is a righteous ******* who will do anything for his, admittedly quite selfish and irrational, cause.)

The only time Jillian can be alone with Wanda is in interrogation. Love is the only reason Wanda has to stay with the Tool. I believe this is also the reason Jillian lets herself be captured over and over like this. I think after the fourth or so capture by an evil interrogator who causes you pain and discomfort at the drop of a hat (ha! I made a funny.), you would be a bit more cautious.

That's my take on it, anyway. Also in panel 4, dey all up in eachodes bidness.

I think it's plausible that Wanda has developed an emotional bond to Jillian in the course of forging Jillian's bond to her. Actually, the more I think about it, the more plausible... and the more creepy... it gets.

Wanda is not motivated by any power grab for the throne. She knows what that job entails and thinks it sucks.

She's already in the position she wants: Lots of power, minions scraping to her every whim, and a weak, easily manipulated boss that gives her anything she wants. She's spent some time setting this all up.

The problem is her Boss has screwed up and is about to lose the kingdom. So she's going to do whatever it takes to save the capital and keep her happy niche.

If the "grooming Jillian as a figurehead queen" theory is correct, then she's setting herself up for an improved version (a more compliant, less obnoxious, and more competent nominal superior through whom to exercise power without the headaches of actually being head of state) of the same arrangement (and perhaps even in the same place).

In the opening on p3, she flew to Gobwin Knob from somewhere else.

Yeah; she was flying back from the Warchalking battlefield, where she'd gone to pick up and uncroak the late Manpower the Temporary, as per her orders. (Note that the overview shot in 2:7 clearly shows the winding road leading up to Gobwin Knob, establishing that as the scene where Wanda receives the message.)

[happyturtle]

Wanda is so many levels of evil, not all of them bad, but she's hitting a lot. I do not currently like the way she is running circles around Stanley and Parson, though the former is to be expected somewhat.

I disagree that she's running circles around Parson. She's clearly manipulating him in this strip, but before that, she'd barely spent any time with him at all. And what else could he have done? A direct prisoner to Arkentool exchange is unlikely to be accepted by Ansom, because his coalition would turn on him for it.

Questions in my head:

1. If they've set her free before, which 'I don't like giving her up again' suggests, and Ansom's always ridden to her rescue, then why haven't they ambushed him and gotten the Arkenpliers before?

2. Does Wanda want the ambush to fail? Has she done anything to guarantee that it will, like planting a subconscious warning in Jillian's mind?

3. If so, what is Jillian conditioned to do after the ambush fails?

4. Why does Webinar look so unhappy to see Jillian?

[Doshi]

Rob has deliberately made it very hard for us to determine Wanda's real motives. She is skillfully manipulating both Jillian and Stanley in this last comic, but to what end? I could easily see her having developed at least some emotions towards Jillian. But I think the main thing that's influencing Wanda is probably her interest in the Arkentools.
Wanda is a very talented caster, perhaps one of the most powerful on Erf world. Magic, especially crockamancy but all magic to some degree, seems very important to her. And the Arkentools are the highest manifestation of magic on Erf. Of course she's interested in them. She may well respect them far more than Stanley does. Remember how surprised she was to find Stanley using a divine tool to crack walnuts?
We don't know if Wanda thinks it's possible for her to become attuned with one or more of the Arkentools. But if she does, I'm certain that's a major part of her motivation. If she knows she can't have all the Arkentools herself, she'll at least want one of them, and also to have infulence with other Arkentool users, like Stanley. She might see Jillian as a potential Arkentool user, either because she sees Jillian as someone she can continue to control, or else because she has developed some genuine feelings for her. Finding someone who can be attunned to an Arkentool might also be something she was looking for when she cast the spell summoning Parson. She might even see her assistant Sizemore as a potential Tooluser.

[SteveMB]

Questions in my head:

1. If they've set her free before, which 'I don't like giving her up again' suggests, and Ansom's always ridden to her rescue, then why haven't they ambushed him and gotten the Arkenpliers before?

Two possibilities (and one combination thereof) occur to me:

1. Maybe they tried, and failed.

2. Stanley expresses reluctance to execute the "risky" plan. Perhaps he vetoed it on previous occasions, and is only brought around now by the last-chance situation.

3 (1+2). Maybe they tried once, it was a debacle, and Stanley has vetoed a repeat attempt until now (again, because he's been convinced that it's now his last chance).

2. Does Wanda want the ambush to fail? Has she done anything to guarantee that it will, like planting a subconscious warning in Jillian's mind?

I think she wants Jillian to stay alive (although she talks as if she expects her to get croaked; I'm now of the opinion that this is for the benefit of Stanley "I lost another dwagon?!" the Tool). Whether this is because she's developed some emotional connection, or out of pragmatic intent to preserve a useful asset, or both, remains (like so many things about Wanda Firebaugh) unclear.

What steps she's taken to make sure the outcome is what she wants rather than what she's selling to Stanley, insofar as they differ, remains unknown.

3. If so, what is Jillian conditioned to do after the ambush fails?

Beats me, though I'd guess "return home, pay attention to all useful military information, and keep on getting in over your head".

4. Why does Webinar look so unhappy to see Jillian?

Perhaps he smells a trap (though, as I commented earlier, Ansom's expression suggests that he isn't as naive on that point as Wanda assumes).

[Rebecca]

"...we will croak or capture the coalition leader, plus the prisoner, and any other warlords they may have taken along."
"But even if she lives, she is worth more to us out in the field than in our dungeon."
(emphasis added)

Pretty cold, that.

Yep, looks like confirmation for the "catch and release" (let her go back, learn more useful information, and recapture her when she gets overconfident again) theory.

I was under the impression that that was our beloved Lord Hamster speaking.

[Scientivore]

I think it's plausible that Wanda has developed an emotional bond to Jillian in the course of forging Jillian's bond to her. Actually, the more I think about it, the more plausible... and the more creepy... it gets.

My speculation follows.

Spoiler

Show

Whatever you think and do changes you. The process of conditioning Jillian to one role would also condition herself to the other. Wanda easily fits into my "Holiness = Self-direction" analysis: she controls others with ease, yet controlling herself would require an optimism (to endure introspection) that she doesn't have. She parallels Ansom, an unimaginative leader who follows Society instead of leading himself. Wanda exercised power in making their bed yet I think that she's now as bound to lie in it as Jillian is (double entendres totally intended).

4. Why does Webinar look so unhappy to see Jillian?

For one thing, he's a warlord whose command over the stack has been usurped. (She must have a higher leadership bonus.) For another, Jillian took Dora's mount. Unless she can ride the giraffe or elephant cloth golem, she's going to be stuck riding the second tchotchke (a bear?), which is smaller and sometimes bipedal. I'm not sure that they planned ahead very well.

Finding someone who can be attunned to an Arkentool might also be something she was looking for when she cast the spell summoning Parson.

Intriguing idea. I can easily picture her wishing for someone who is passive and has the potential to attune to an Arkentool. Of course, if I'm right...

Spoiler

Show

...Parson would have to become self-directed in order to fulfill that potential. There can be no passive Tools.

[Vreejack]

I don't think Wanda would go quite that far, but now that you mention it, she does kind of have an annoyed attitude when explaining stuff. Kinda reminds me of "You are no longer welcome here, nuisance. Why must you stay, when you sense my displeasure?" (I'm WAY too addicted to SS2)

And yet, now that you've said that, I can't really picture Wanda without also seeing Shodan's face staring back at me... I can actually see how Wanda manipulates people the same way Shodan manipulates the player in System Shock 2 (and quite likely System Shock 1 (haven't played yet))... I don't think Shodan ever said "Trust me" however (probably a good thing, who would trust a computer once you've seen Terminator or Tron?)

Now those are both Old School games. SS1 was written before they had real video cards--it's all done in software. Great storyline, though. Anyway, Shodan is not so manipulative in SS1. Shodan is pretty much unaware of the player at first, just as the player is unaware of what Shodan is--or has become. It was one of the best stories I ever played. Incidentally, the "Shodan" level in SS2 is actually a weird copy of the first level in SS1. It gave me creepy flashbacks.

[SteveMB]

I was under the impression that that was our beloved Lord Hamster speaking.

Parson's speech is shown in a distinctly different font (see the dialog boxes in panels 1, 3, & 4). The dialog boxes I quoted from panels 5 & 9 are in the font used for Erfworld natives (i.e. everyone else) -- the one I quoted from panel 5 is explicitly not Stanley (it begins with the salutation "Tool,..."), and thus must be Wanda; the dialog box in panel 9 is clearly Wanda's, not Stanley's, speaking style.

[JordanGreywolf]

Btw, there is too much sex in this stuff to be a pure 'turn based strategy wargame world'. Well, i mean, i've never seen any where you could control a unit by sex :)
Wouldn't this strengthen the theory that all this stuff is in Parson's head?

I was wondering along similar lines, I think ... though I'd be reluctant to put it quite the same way. Parson may be in for a shock if he begins to think of this purely as a strategy board game, and then discovers that there are more random factors than just the roll of dice or drawing of a card. Some games have "morale" rules that give units a chance to rout, or compulsory actions in certain situations ... but at least they're more-or-less predictable, limited to a set of possibilities. Here, he might have to contend with "playing pieces" who have their own motivations and their own imagination.

But then, when he invited his friends over to play, there were more than just two, and it looked like it wasn't going to be a free-for-all between multiple armies. Perhaps the board-game parallel would be that certain of the "warlords" would be players in the game - and he's just one player who's at least nominally in charge of others. Wanda, in that scenario, might be another "player". I wonder if Wanda's manipulation of Jillian would be something that exists as "game mechanics" (i.e., a "charm spell", or a "seduce enemy" ability that would show up if Parson used his 3-D specs on Wanda) or whether this would be more akin to Wanda's player manipulating Jillian's player, because (to follow the game analogy), in the "real world", Jillian's player has a crush on Wanda's player.

As for the "teasing lesbian undertones" bit ... I think it's pretty plain that even if it's "not officially going on", the reader is meant to think of it as a possibility. It doesn't do anything for me, really; I guess it's just become so much of a cliche in the web comics I've run across - a too-simple way to be "edgy". (After all, there can't be strong emotional attachments and sentiments without something *sexual* going on, anymore, right? Friendship is passe, when you can always up the ante with something "steamy". Besides, sex is easy for a writer; you don't need to set up a backstory to justify the relationship, unless you really want to.)

Lest I end on a negative note, I am still looking forward to the rest of the story - and especially the next Klog. I'm especially curious to find out more about Parson's state of mind - whether he's starting to take this as reality or whether it's still just a dream/fantasy to him. How much "evil" (with or without quotation marks) is he willing to put up with for the sake of "victory"? (And what are the consequences of losing? Would Ansom accept surrender of the Arkenhammer, or is everyone under Stanley's command - including Stanley - doomed to die if Ansom's forces win? What are the "victory conditions" for Ansom's scenario?) I'm also wondering - does anyone live in Stanley's land (i.e., families of hobgoblins, or whatever), or is his kingdom wholly comprised of (potentially expendible) fighting forces? Who is Parson protecting/defending? What's he fighting for? (Does he care?)

[djharr]

Ummm, and this plan makes Parson a brilliant warlord? I am sorry, but if Wanda came to Stanley and said, "I have Jillian under my control, we can let her go and it is likely that Ansom will come running to save her.", guess what? BOGROLL could come up with the same plan. It is Wanda's plan, Parson is just going "oh yeah, duh, let's do that." I like the comic, but this feels WAY too much like Deus Ex Machina. It does absolutely nothing to advance the idea that Parson is somehow the last defense against Ansom.

Now admittedly, there is probably something that will go wrong that Parson will have to fix in his own inimitable ways, but right about now, if I were Stanley, I would be having a long talk with Wanda about exactly WHY we spent 350,000 schmuckers if she had even an inkling that something like this could happen.

Maybe I am being too hard on things here, but I think this ups the ante too much, in the wrong direction, to square with what has gone before.

[Stormthorn]

I don't think anybody considers their relationship to be what most people would consider "intimate" in the emotional sense; it's a one-way dependence fostered as a power play. As for whether or not they've been physically intimate (beyond the level of the snuggle in panel 2 and the kiss implied in panel 5), that's an open question.

To expand on my original point, it seems clear to me that Wanda has worked to emotionally bind Jillian to her as firmly as possible, and she's willing to use sexual tension (and perhaps sexual consummation, though if so it's left firmly offstage and unreferenced) toward that end. If Wanda happens to swing that way herself, it's a fringe benefit; if not, she seems cynical enough to regard it as part of the job.

I agree. Although i would like to say that for those of you who are sure they kissed in panel five...why? I personaly want them to have kissed cuz it makes things less complicated by adding something to define their relationship (and I just want them to kiss) but i realize that it could be something else.

[Caractacus]

If Wanda and her side get Ansom and even one other warlord, that might allow Jillian to be the leader of the coalition - then the idea would be to negotiate a peace... With Wand privy to the secrets of both sides and in a position of extraordinary power...

[happyturtle]

Ummm, and this plan makes Parson a brilliant warlord?

I don't remember anyone saying this proved anything about Parson (though I could have missed something). The plan is clearly Wanda's. Maybe Parson will be in charge of the ambush?

If the 'game' ends when the enemy warlord is captured or killed, then the ambush has to fail for reasons of Plot. If the game only ends when the enemy troops are defeated, then perhaps Ansom and the Arkenpliers could get captured, someone else (Vinnie or Webinar) holds at least part of the coalition together and leads it into battle, and Stanley's team defends Gobwin Knob while trying to attune the Arkenpliers.

Actually, the game doesn't end when the enemy warlord is down, because otherwise, King Stately wins the first time he croaks one of Stanley's warlords. So really the ambush could go either way. Personally, I'm rooting for at least the Arkenpliers to change hands, because they are doing nothing hanging at Ansom's side.