Inner Peace (Through Superior Firepower) – Episode 015

[balder]

New One is up.

[roninpanda]

This is good stuff and pretty hot ... I particularly enjoyed the sexual ambiguity. The offer to leave Wanda's brother in the bed too was a nice touch. This whole prequel has been really good but it seems like a very different vibe from the main story of erf. So when are we going to see Parson develop some of his hippymancy or see him again at all?

[pSycHOtic chICkeN]

I wonder why the plant was not immune to attack? Perhaps removing the floor from underneath someone does not count either. A trap door. A trap bed?

It is interesting that plants are "alive". If life is "that which avoids the decay into equilibrium." then the uncroaked are alive. Another definition "genetic material and the ability to reproduce, turn food into energy, and to evolve through natural selection" does not apply since "popping" avoids both reproduction and natural selection.

[Kreistor]

Wanda didn't win that exchange, but she didn't lose too badly.

[gameboy1234]

I wonder why the plant was not immune to attack? Perhaps removing the floor from underneath someone does not count either. A trap door. A trap bed?

Well, the plant is scenery, like Wanda said. Traps, however, are for combat, so I'd suspect not.

It is interesting that plants are "alive".

Of course the plant is alive. Whereas city walls aren't alive, but they don't "decay" either. Nor does any other scenery (rugs, banners, furniture, etc). I think "alive" has generally the same definition in Erfworld as it does our own, even if the mechanics differ somewhat.

Really I think everyone here, or most everyone, tends to over think things. We should be focused on the people here, not the plant. The plant is alive; Olive likes the plant, Wanda doesn't care. Rob is trying to advance their character development. Towards what, I'm not exactly sure, but Wanda seems to have grown a bit, and Olive's hotness is not all powerful.


EDIT: Booping spelling.

[badninja]

Why do I get the feeling that croakamancers and anyone on the naightymancery schools are seriously disliked for some reason? Wanda should have stood up a little more here for her professions instead of being distracted by those lovely curves.

Wanda is just getting played here I think that any side that uses a croakamancer has its neighbors get nervous so why does Goldmitton what her?

[BLANDCorporatio]

Aww man, I hate this. I really do. These updates are turning me into a Wanda fan. Which is bad, because as prequels, we all know where they are supposed to go to. It's not that I disliked the Wanda of the previous books ("Wanda = villain" doesn't quite fly for me), it's just that she was so ... leaves-me-indifferent-like, a mere cypher. Gosh, once Book 0 is done I'll need to reread the other books sometime, with a fresh eye.

[Orzel]

Why do I get the feeling that croakamancers and anyone on the naightymancery schools are seriously disliked for some reason? Wanda should have stood up a little more here for her professions instead of being distracted by those lovely curves.

I'd add carnymancers to that list.

Well Wanda didn't exactly have many conversations with those of her kind in the MK so I wouldn't be surprised that she couldn't defend herself that well. And the figure of her opposing debater would be difficult to ignore for a sensual person like herself.

[Fcannon]

Interesting caster debate. Given the typical responses I've seen to sufferers of locked-in syndrome, I'd say Olive's argument that life>motion would have a lot less traction than she'd expect.

[name lips]

Why do I get the feeling that croakamancers and anyone on the naightymancery schools are seriously disliked for some reason? Wanda should have stood up a little more here for her professions instead of being distracted by those lovely curves.

I'm pretty sure the seduction is more than a little magical in nature. Olive Branch is distracting them, throwing them off balance, making rational thought difficult.

When Wanda managed to get into an actual, intellectual argument, the effect faded. She regained her composure, her objectivity. As soon as the subject shifted to Tommy, to beds, to curves, she lost it again.

Only through the most intense mental effort did she resist going to bed with Branch. And it felt wrong, like she was missing out on something, to resist her. That's magic.

I think we're getting a good look at what Hippymancy is capable of. Peace, love, and joy. For everybody. Whether they wanted it or not... they WILL want it now.

[Knight13]

I wonder why the plant was not immune to attack? Perhaps removing the floor from underneath someone does not count either. A trap door. A trap bed?

Because the plant is just scenery, not an enemy unit or enemy structure. Therefore, smashing it does not count as engaging and is not prevented by the peace spell.

[random_guy]

This does not bode well for Goodminton. Both their chief warlord, and their chief caster are being seduced by an enemy caster.

It occurs to me that even though hippiemancers create temporary ceasefires, they can still be used for militaristic purposes. If they lure enemy forces to an area and keep them occupied for a few turns, they can launch an attack on their enemies from another direction. Haffaton has more cities than Goodminton. What are the odds that another city has forces marching towards Goodminton?

[Housellama]

Why do I get the feeling that croakamancers and anyone on the naightymancery schools are seriously disliked for some reason? Wanda should have stood up a little more here for her professions instead of being distracted by those lovely curves.

I'm pretty sure the seduction is more than a little magical in nature. Olive Branch is distracting them, throwing them off balance, making rational thought difficult.

When Wanda managed to get into an actual, intellectual argument, the effect faded. She regained her composure, her objectivity. As soon as the subject shifted to Tommy, to beds, to curves, she lost it again.

Only through the most intense mental effort did she resist going to bed with Branch. And it felt wrong, like she was missing out on something, to resist her. That's magic.

I think we're getting a good look at what Hippymancy is capable of. Peace, love, and joy. For everybody. Whether they wanted it or not... they WILL want it now.

Uhm, no. Nothing at all magical about that at all. That's skill. That's psychology. That's Olive knowing her game really well.

I've had philosophical debates while getting a lap-dance. I can do it, as long as I stay (ahem) on point. The moment I start to lose the thread, it's over. Had an old... well, let's call her an acquaintance, that liked to do that to me back the first time through college. If I kept my focus and held onto the debate, I could maintain an intelligent, well reasoned conversation. If she managed to break my train of thought though, it was very har... *coughs* difficult to get it back.

What Wanda did was use a little... Okay, a LOT willpower to resist a beautiful woman who was using her charms to seduce her. The fact that she felt regret at not sliding into bed with a warm, curvacious Olive just means she's most definitely human.

That's not magic. That's human nature at one of its most basic levels.

Edit: More on Wanda's regret and missing something, there's a reason I refer to the person above as an acquaintance. Boop just isn't adequate in some cases and this would be one of them. She enjoyed torment, and it never went beyond said torment. She gave me opportunities (much like Olive) when she knew I couldn't, or rather wouldn't, take them. I became an intimate friend with Wanda's regret. Trust me. No magic there. Just pure, old fashioned human nature.

[Whispri]

Will there ever be another chance? I'm leaning towards 'no'.

[Lamech]

Hey, seeing this little debate of motion v. life, I posit two theories:

1) The thinkamancers would say that the mind is what makes something important. A plant and an uncroaked are both basically the same thing. A plant can provide all sorts of materials: it can make food, wood for crafting, and so forth. (Even if Erfworlders never bother to try and exploit them much.) A decrypted can move around stab stuff ect. But they are both equally mindless, and hence both tools.
2) Decrypted do not have their life returned; note how they don't consume rations, leave dust like a uncroaked, get decrypted bonuses and really are like an uncroaked in all ways except a) absolutly everything got returned. Every little detail was perfectly fixed, and b) they have their minds again, maybe this is something like descrambling the brain or something, or maybe its some sort of recalling of the soul. Or maybe it is even fixing the brain to such a degree it can run the mind again.

Will there ever be another chance? I'm leaning towards 'no'.

I'm leaning to "the predictamancer said yes."

[Whispri]

Will there ever be another chance? I'm leaning towards 'no'.

I'm leaning to "the predictamancer said yes."

The Predictamancer is a known liar. And Wanda has free will.

[Arky]

Don't worry Wanda, you made the right choice, eating out at Olive's Garden would have been a very average experience.

We don't know the exact wording of Delphie's Prediction, do we? I'm getting a bit of a "you will kneel before me, Mara Jade" (right before you stab me to death) vibe here, with Wanda killing Olive to try to fight Fate only to discover she is fulfilling the prediction. That sort of even would also explain why Janice had particular reservations about Marie selecting Wanda as an instrument of their precious plan.

In the alternative, Olive as Wanda's chief caster might be a Prediction slated to come to pass in the Parson era of Erfworld. After his ringside seat to Flower Power in the Magic Kingdom, he might well be interested in getting Janice to provide Gobwin Knob with a Hippiemancer and also in taking some power away from Wanda.

Interesting update, anyway. Life without motion vs motion without life. Wanda is right, of course. Life without motion is not superior to motion without life (for sentient beings, anyway). Both are needed. The Titans knew what they were doing.

[Arky]

This does not bode well for Goodminton. Both their chief warlord, and their chief caster are being seduced by an enemy caster.

It occurs to me that even though hippiemancers create temporary ceasefires, they can still be used for militaristic purposes. If they lure enemy forces to an area and keep them occupied for a few turns, they can launch an attack on their enemies from another direction. Haffaton has more cities than Goodminton. What are the odds that another city has forces marching towards Goodminton?

I think you're onto something here, yes.

Whether Wanda kills Olive or not, I think she must end up barbarian (and Tommy dead or disbanded) so that she flees to the Magic Kingdom, gets an education and eventually ends up in a position to be hired by FAQ. She can't have got to FAQ by conquest or open trading.

[Gorky]

Awwwww, poor Wanda.

[jkosta]

Hey, seeing this little debate of motion v. life, I posit two theories:

1) The thinkamancers would say that the mind is what makes something important. A plant and an uncroaked are both basically the same thing. A plant can provide all sorts of materials: it can make food, wood for crafting, and so forth. (Even if Erfworlders never bother to try and exploit them much.) A decrypted can move around stab stuff ect. But they are both equally mindless, and hence both tools.

It's worth pointing out that Thinkamancy is Eyemancy, which is Life + Motion. Other randomish disciplines with the Life element are Findamancy, Mathamancy, Carnymancy.

It's especially worth pointing out that Healomancy does not have the Life element, or any other element.

http://www.erfworld.com/wiki/index.php/Magic