Erfworld Thread X: A Series of Unfortunate Cliffhangers

[eschmenk]

I imagine that's what Rob was referencing. That Isaac (our Isaac) is going to sacrifice himself.

Hmm, maybe Isaac thought of a better way to 'cheat' and leaves Wanda behind for her own protection. Telling her not to cheat is just his odd backwards way of saying stay loyal to Parson rather than her goal of uniting the Arkentools?

The Kafka quotes make it hard to figure things out, but I think Razade may be right. Perhaps the "cheating" he was talking about meant keeping himself alive because he said something about siding with the Grand Cosmos against yourself. He also said something about allowing the world to win rather than cheating, so perhaps he intends to die. He could have been filling himself with shockomancy in the first panel, so maybe he intends to blow himself up in a way that saves Wanda from the other casters or something. At least that's one idea.

[halfeye]

With a cliffhanger, you usually know what happened and more importantly you know what you're afraid will happen. As you pointed out, we don't know those things, so it's not a cliffhanger.

In a cliffhanger, we the audience are supposed to be kept in suspense until the next episode. I think that's what's just happened. Maybe you don't like my usage of cliffhanger, that's fine, I can live with that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhanger

The two main ways for cliffhangers to keep readers/viewers coming back is to either involve characters in a suspenseful, possibly life-threatening situation, or to feature a sudden shocking revelation.

I'd say Wanda's current situation is suspenseful and threatened. With a two month hiatus, there's an obvious need for something.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

In any case, its an unfortunate situation for us, the viewers, even if most of it is for happy things like weddings, so I still vote that the title for this thread is accurate. A little too accurate....we gotta stop making these titles stop coming true, or at least make them be used to our advantage.

[DigoDragon]

The Kafka quotes make it hard to figure things out, but I think Razade may be right. Perhaps the "cheating" he was talking about meant keeping himself alive because he said something about siding with the Grand Cosmos against yourself. He also said something about allowing the world to win rather than cheating, so perhaps he intends to die. He could have been filling himself with shockomancy in the first panel, so maybe he intends to blow himself up in a way that saves Wanda from the other casters or something. At least that's one idea.

I suppose that's a fair argument. Perhaps the cosmos' victory is that Charlie's side ends, but Isaac cannot cheat his role in this victory.

I wouldn't mind seeing an Erf-shattering kaboom.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I wouldn't mind seeing an Erf-shattering kaboom.

You mean a KRAAAKAAAKOOOM?

[DigoDragon]

You mean a KRAAAKAAAKOOOM?

Is that a... walnut?

[Emperor Demonking]

In a cliffhanger, we the audience are supposed to be kept in suspense until the next episode. I think that's what's just happened. Maybe you don't like my usage of cliffhanger, that's fine, I can live with that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhanger



I'd say Wanda's current situation is suspenseful and threatened. With a two month hiatus, there's an obvious need for something.

She's watching Isaac go non-chalently away without an enemy in sight. Indeed the tarred doll seems to have just been neutralised. She's been in less threatening situations, but not recently. (Probably not in this book)

[Jasdoif]

If you look at pg 141, it's just an unnatural point to break. Next page requires you to know what happened in previous scene. Book one and two started with an intro, this book starts in middle of a previous scene.

As for the point at which it should break? I really don't see one.

I think 141/142 is probably the best spot to insert a split, regardless of whether a split is a good idea. It wouldn't work as is, but 141 is already a set of single-panel summaries at the end of the Battle for Portal Park; decomposing it into wrapups of Book 3 and/or intros of Book 4, with additional material as needed, could make it viable.

There is no cliffhanger, so what does it have to do with the title of the thread?

It's an unfortunate place for a cliff, and an unfortunate place for a hanger.

[Razade]

The Kafka quotes make it hard to figure things out, but I think Razade may be right. Perhaps the "cheating" he was talking about meant keeping himself alive because he said something about siding with the Grand Cosmos against yourself. He also said something about allowing the world to win rather than cheating, so perhaps he intends to die. He could have been filling himself with shockomancy in the first panel, so maybe he intends to blow himself up in a way that saves Wanda from the other casters or something. At least that's one idea.

I just don't see why he'd reference a fairly obscure Indie Video game otherwise if that wasn't the message. Not that the Binding of Isaac is obscure to people who play video games but it's certainly not a banner name like CoD or that style of game.

[Emperor Demonking]

131 seems almosy ideal for a split. 142 is perfect for the start of an alterntive comic where Bonnie, Sizemore, Ace and Antium are major characters (although everyone getting a promotion is almost too on the nose), but that's not this one.

[eschmenk]

In a cliffhanger, we the audience are supposed to be kept in suspense until the next episode. I think that's what's just happened. Maybe you don't like my usage of cliffhanger, that's fine, I can live with that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhanger

I'd say Wanda's current situation is suspenseful and threatened. With a two month hiatus, there's an obvious need for something.

From the quoted Wikipedia article.

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction. A cliffhanger is hoped to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.

Note that the first sentence can be reduced to, "A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device...at the end of an episode of serialized fiction. I don't see any attempt by Rob to resort to a plot device specifically at the end of the page that would be intended to ensure that the audience would return. He's just telling the story. Yes, there is some suspense, but Rob is not raising the level of suspense to an unusual level at the end of the page. I could see someone considering the previous ending where Charlie ordered the archons to shoot Wanda to be a cliffhanger, but the threat to Wanda is much less obvious now.

[halfeye]

the threat to Wanda is much less obvious now.

She doesn't have the pliers, which are her best tool. She is under bedrock in the magic kingdom, it's not clear that there's air circulated down to her. The only portal within reach is Charlie's, which is hostile. If Claude and Ivan are alive, they don't have the Wonky wrench, which is necessary to get out of the bedrock (except through Charlie's portal). If she does get out of the bedrock, she's in the Magic Kingdom, where she is under sentence of death, and the friendly portal is guarded. So no imminent threats, but a lot of more distant ones, and nowhere to go to dodge them.

[keybounce]

And now I know what voice the mind of Charlie's tower will take. "I am CharDOS!"

So it's an 8 bit tower? Is that Red Mage coming next?

[Rockphed]

So it's an 8 bit tower? Is that Red Mage coming next?

I was thinking the "Genetic Lifeform And Disk Operating System" from Portal.

[keybounce]

Yes, but if it's a Char-DOS, then it's only an 8 bit version of Glados.

Heck, I did see a version of portal for the apple 2 ...

[Leewei]

I just don't see why he'd reference a fairly obscure Indie Video game otherwise if that wasn't the message. Not that the Binding of Isaac is obscure to people who play video games but it's certainly not a banner name like CoD or that style of game.

Isaac's reference to the gate ("This dear little mother has sharp claws") seems to also be a reference to the game. The signamancy of the doll suggests the gate would kill it, given the chance, although I'm not sure why it'd want to do so.

[Razade]

Isaac's reference to the gate ("This dear little mother has sharp claws") seems to also be a reference to the game. The signamancy of the doll suggests the gate would kill it, given the chance, although I'm not sure why it'd want to do so.

I don't see it. I guess Isaac's mom but there's no gate or anything in Isaac and going through doors is usually good.

[Ubiq]

Considering the last update and then this one,

Spoiler

Show

I think they actually went through with the plan to make Charlescomm a living tower, it not only refused to cooperate after that creation but tried to strike back (hence the claws remark), and wound up imprisoned in that doll for its troubles. Both attempts to cheat failed and they must move on from there.

[Officer Joy]

I don't want to read the post from Rob, because those tend to make me angry/annoyed. But when are new updates expected?

[Jasdoif]

I don't want to read the post from Rob, because those tend to make me angry/annoyed. But when are new updates expected?

The news post says Rob doesn't "expect to return to our normal update schedule until Friday, September 1st."

[Officer Joy]

So there might be updates before then, but who knows when.

I'll delete my bookmark, and check here for updates.

Thanks.

[lord_khaine]

That sounds kinda lazy. What the heck is the excuse?

[Razade]

That sounds kinda lazy. What the heck is the excuse?

They've been working for an entire year without missing an update and the artist they hired is moving on to another, better paying, job so they're getting his replacement up to speed on everything and taking a (unpaid) vacation to do it.

[DataNinja]

They've been working for an entire year without missing an update and the artist they hired is moving on to another, better paying, job so they're getting his replacement up to speed on everything and taking a (unpaid) vacation to do it.

Also, there's going to be a wedding.

[lord_khaine]

Alright those two things does make the rather long break very reasonable.

[Razade]

Also, there's going to be a wedding.

Yeah, in another country no less.

People are allowed to take breaks even just for mental health reasons. There shouldn't really need to be any other reason than "I need some mental health time". The fact that Rob has soiled his good will with a lot of readers makes it hard, I completely understand. But telling someone they're lazy for wanting a vacation for any reason especially when they've been consistently working...seems rather cruel to me.

[keybounce]

I know Rob has said that he doesn't like to consider his failure to produce a page on time the cause of other people's income loss, but that is the way it is. So, he pushes for another page.

I like Amber's method. She allocates 12 missed updates a year, 6 for sick days, and 6 for "time off". Rob could just as easily say "Our target is 80 pages per year, plan your salary expectations around that".

---

Meanwhile: I just learned something today. Does Wanda's coakamancy give her control of frogs and toads? If so, can she control what the dwarves do?

[Rockphed]

Meanwhile: I just learned something today. Does Wanda's coakamancy give her control of frogs and toads? If so, can she control what the dwarves do?

Is the connection here "Toady One The Great", creator of Dwarf Fortress? Because otherwise I am completely lost.

[keybounce]

Yep :-)

Did you know this forum has a 10 character minimum post length?

[Wayson]

I know Rob has said that he doesn't like to consider his failure to produce a page on time the cause of other people's income loss, but that is the way it is. So, he pushes for another page.

I like Amber's method. She allocates 12 missed updates a year, 6 for sick days, and 6 for "time off". Rob could just as easily say "Our target is 80 pages per year, plan your salary expectations around that".

Ashley from Unsounded does something that to my mind is even better. She release one chapter at a time and then takes a few months off in between chapters. Gives her time to decompress, write the next chapter, take vacations, etc, and once she starts again she meets the schedule without issue. When she chooses to release two or three pages at once because the scene flows better when it's not broken up over multiple days, she simply doesn't release any additional pages for the days that were 'accelerated', giving her a one week break sometimes.