There's some debate on the official forum about whether this is reality or part of Jillian's dream, but personally I think it's happening in thinkspace, so more then a dream, but not a physical reality either. If that's the case, take her Signamancy with a grain of salt.
Certainly it's more than a dream. Jill couldn't imagine the behavior of Wanda (and we know that the whole "mistress" thing will be the basis of their relationship).
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Originally Posted by Kaiyanwang
Great analysis KA. I second all things you said
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Originally Posted by JoeYounger
Great analysis KA, I second everything you said here.
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If I have a player using Paladin in the future I will direct them to this. Good job.
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THIS is proof that KA is amazing
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Killer Angel, you have an excellent taste in books
I'm kinda intrigued by Wanda's invention of grave markers. Death doesn't have the same meaning in Erfworld. The word, in fact, doesn't even exist. Corpses disappear the turn after they're made.
Erfworld is a culture that is desensitized to death in a far more extreme way than our world. Death comes quickly, and claims lives in large numbers, and their bodies just disappear. Age seems to mean little, so death is an accident, not something stalking them from first breath. The concept of a funeral beyond "Dang. He was a good man." or maybe "That's how I want to go out." should be virtually unheard of.
But here is Wanda, building a garden around grave markers, graves that are - by the rules of the world itself - empty. She is burying memories, wanting to store them among life (the plants in the garden). These are thoughts that should never even occur to an erfworlder.
Wanda Firebaugh is definitely a weird girl.
(Also, this does explain something I'd kinda wondered. It's not a surprise, really, that Jillian would respond that way to being powerless. I just always wondered how she discovered she actually liked it.)
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Ah, yes. "Art", an abstract term capable of turning products corrupted by laziness and arrogance into masterpieces that are not merely immutable, but inherently justified.
I'm kinda intrigued by Wanda's invention of grave markers. Death doesn't have the same meaning in Erfworld. The word, in fact, doesn't even exist. Corpses disappear the turn after they're made.
Erfworld is a culture that is desensitized to death in a far more extreme way than our world. Death comes quickly, and claims lives in large numbers, and their bodies just disappear. Age seems to mean little, so death is an accident, not something stalking them from first breath. The concept of a funeral beyond "Dang. He was a good man." or maybe "That's how I want to go out." should be virtually unheard of.
But here is Wanda, building a garden around grave markers, graves that are - by the rules of the world itself - empty. She is burying memories, wanting to store them among life (the plants in the garden). These are thoughts that should never even occur to an erfworlder.
Wanda Firebaugh is definitely a weird girl.
(Also, this does explain something I'd kinda wondered. It's not a surprise, really, that Jillian would respond that way to being powerless. I just always wondered how she discovered she actually liked it.)
One well-thought out post. I hadn't even considered the meaning of the graves in the world...
She is burying memories, wanting to store them among life (the plants in the garden).
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memories
Precisely the reason (or one of the reasons) why I believe what Jillian is experiencing is in Think-Space rather then Physical Reality per se. We've seen before (and today's update explicitly confirms)(*) that what someone "see" while in think space need not be an exact reflection of how things are in "the real erfworld." Both the garden and Wanda's signamancy need be no more manifestations of her self image, projected into Wanda's mind.
Wanda's obsesseed with croakamancy and death just as Sizemore is obsessed with the Erf, not for it's own sake but because that's what she is. She grieved for Tommy, even after she uncroaked him, and probably does so for in some part for all those she's been forced to end, and for that part of herself that dies with them, but she has no choice. It's what she must do by the rules of the world she lives in. What I think we're seeing in her appearance is the first signs of her surrendering to Fatism.
(*)
Spoiler
Parson: Why are you running in place?
Maggie: [I'm not] I can't spare the effort to alter my appearance at the moment [but] I am physically moving toward your position.
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Considering what has happened to Wanda so far it's not really that hard to blame her for succuming to Fatism. I think we now know what Jack was talking about when he said Wanda's mind had been more broken than his and had been put back together more poorly so long ago. Frankly after all she has been through it's a small wonder that Wanda isn't a totaly Ax Crazy.
The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.
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Originally Posted by Enterti, Cogidubnus
Glyphstone, out of all the playground I think you scare me the most...
Actually she isn't. We have never seen her kill for fun or anything similar. She can be rather detached about killing and death. See her and Jack talking about the "weather" and finding leadership in the first part of Book 2. Wanda is playing the role Fate forced her to play and really punished her for not playing it earlier in her life. I think the best description of Wanda is badly damaged and trying to avoid *more* damage/suffering until Fate is done with her and she can be free.
She can be rather detached about killing and death.
So are most Erfworld units. Sizemore seems to be something of an anomaly in that regard. If I'm right an Wanda's signamancy in the text update reflects not her enjoyment of but rather her distaste for what she's been forced to do, then she may be more morally "good-ish" then free-loving hippiemancer Olive. This encounter with Jillian may be what helps her reconcile her wish to remain among the world of the living while still being tied to the world of the dead.
When Olive basically asked if she'd rather be a live plant or a dead one, she didn't say she'd rather be dead, she said she'd rather be able to act then not act. Right now, under Olive, she essentially can't act - at least not independently. Jillian, who's all about acting independently, may be the path to regaining that.
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Ah... the current text updatre, sheds a new light on this old comic.
Apparently, it was a detail planned long time ago by Rob.
Rob certainly has a long term plan going.
Take a look at what Jillian said about Bart. She said he Blinked. I know Wanda is a (very) high level character at this point, but the uncroaking job she did seems a little to good. So if it is "too good" that could mean Bart and company are still alive. Or this is just part of Wanda's head games. Of course Wanada may be that good and it's still part of her head games.
Scarlet is whacked. And Carnymancy just got even more interesting, and creepier. Is cheating the rules of the game past a certain point the Erfian equivalent of making a deal with the devil, possibly literally? Does Erf's cosmology have an 'Evil Titan' who spends all his time trying to flip the metaphorical board over?
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The Atlas is also goofy but it has that whole "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" menacing smile thing going for it. The guy who drew that one up was obviously taken to the Nutcracker when he was a child... and he was screaming in terror the entire time.
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Originally Posted by Enterti, Cogidubnus
Glyphstone, out of all the playground I think you scare me the most...
So, Sylvia... What happens when your luck runs out? I mean, yeah, you keep winning Fate's game of poker, but what happens when the deck runs out? To paraphrase a certain grifter, Games rigged in your favor are the easiest to lose.
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Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic
I want to create a world that is full of possibility, and one of the best ways to handle it is by creating a bunch of stories that haven't yet been finished.
In my posts, smilies generally correspond to my expression at the time. As an example, means "huh?" and "Hmm..". Also, "Landis" is fine.
Fate: This Sylvia is definitely deceased!
Jeftichew (casting): No, no! She's just resting!
...
Fate: Hey! Why did she fall flat on her back the moment the next turn started?
Jeftichew (casting): These stabbers prefer layin' on their backs!
...
No wonder Parson was so put out about Scarlett being in charge.
Because she's batbloop insane?
As opposed to was in charge before??
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Scarlett is reminding me more and more of Asuka from Evangelion with her facial expressions here. I noted a similarity in the first strip in which she appeared, but Eva would be kind of an odd reference for the comic and 'redheads wearing red' isn't really specific enough by itself.
I'm not talking more about their base personalities and how they express them. If you took both of them and put them in a situation that didn't really touch on their mental issues they'd likely act in very similar ways. It's just a neat coincidence, like a particular song being perfect for a book or comic even though neither the songwriter or the author are aware of each other's work.
Erfworld is so full of references and little touches that there are bound to be some accidental details as appropriate as the intended ones.
Parson would be Gendo, although it's stretching things a lot as a comparison (and honestly, it's just the Fiery Redhead trope, which is as old as redheads.)
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Bad to the Bone!
Miko Miyazaki : Strip #120 - #464 : R.I.P.
