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Annotations Every Day - Written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn - Illustrated by John & Jason Waltrip

EVERYTHING seems pretty open to interpretation, dude.

Chapter 22 – Page 19

on April 16, 2013
Chapter: Chapter 22
└ Tags: Ashok, Brother Tom, Ulak
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Discussion (73) ¬

  1. Mordecai
    Mordecai
    April 16, 2013, 12:01 am | # | Reply

    Bayen and Brayen went mad? Changes my theory…

    • Mordecai
      Mordecai
      April 16, 2013, 12:02 am | # | Reply

      P.S. First.

      • biggmac
        biggmac
        April 16, 2013, 12:07 am | # | Reply

        OK, OK, yu pssd 1st. now getouttathejohn, i gotta pss too!
        (said in punny mirth, not malevolence) :)

    • Rowen Morland
      Rowen Morland
      April 16, 2013, 12:15 am | # | Reply

      Yeah, kinda leads you to believe that Byron might have been the last man standing in a town of madness. Which if true would imply the return would be them seeding another town in the same way. Then again a literal return of the town’s berserk population would also be pretty catastrophic.

      • Slowdjinn
        Slowdjinn
        April 16, 2013, 4:20 am | # | Reply

        Well he *was* using the handle “Byron the Berserker” when we first met him – so I’m guessing he was infected in Battleshire, managed to suppress it, after killing his also-berserking brothers who had massacred the rest of the village, then forgot the whole episode because of PTSD.

        • Joe
          Joe
          July 27, 2013, 8:00 pm | # | Reply

          Bonus points if he had to murder the brothers himself and kept their axes as mementos…

          • Speedy
            Speedy
            December 9, 2018, 5:27 pm | # | Reply

            Maybe he didn’t name his axes after his brothers. Maybe his axes are possessed by his brothers.

      • Asfriedhr
        Asfriedhr
        April 16, 2013, 11:18 am | # | Reply

        Oh! That makes a great deal more sense! (Re: a new town made berserk, etc.) Especially with, you know, Brother Tom explicitly saying a few pages ago that the Countless Limbs will be driving another town over into Berserk-o-Rama: Kids Eat For Free! OK. I understand a thing now.

  2. BW
    BW
    April 16, 2013, 12:10 am | # | Reply

    When I read the rhyming, I (finally) realized that Brother Tom is the fortuneteller that Byron and Syr’Nj saw in Chapter 7. D’oh.

    • Subtle
      Subtle
      April 16, 2013, 3:17 pm | # | Reply

      Looking at the the tags at the bottom can help with that :) See how this page shows you where you’ve seem Brother Tom, Ashok, and Ulak before?

      • Jack Vermicelli
        Jack Vermicelli
        April 21, 2013, 9:50 pm | # | Reply

        Where are these tags you refer to? Thanks.

  3. biggmac
    biggmac
    April 16, 2013, 12:11 am | # | Reply

    The madness is … RABIES!

    • SteelRaven
      SteelRaven
      April 16, 2013, 10:08 pm | # | Reply

      More like 28 Days Later Super Rabies

    • Zombie_Spacer
      Zombie_Spacer
      April 16, 2013, 11:24 pm | # | Reply

      Madness!? THIS. IS. . . Well, actually, yeah it is madness.

      • Zombie_Spacer
        Zombie_Spacer
        April 16, 2013, 11:28 pm | # | Reply

        No! My Zerking-Byron avatar’s been replaced by Contemplative-Gnoll! Stupid computer deleting cookies unexpectedly. . .

        Although, the new avatar does actually fit my comment. Hrm.

    • Ubuntu4Ever
      Ubuntu4Ever
      February 3, 2014, 4:48 pm | # | Reply

      I initially saw “The madness is … BABIES!” vis a vis Shortpacked!

      • SotiCoto
        SotiCoto
        February 18, 2014, 9:50 am | # | Reply

        I hear you there.
        Still not sure whether my getting banned from Shortpacked was due to saying certain main characters should have got an abortion… or due to my saying Thundercats is better than Transformers. I figure either one might have been the breaker.

  4. ThePuck1
    ThePuck1
    April 16, 2013, 12:13 am | # | Reply

    And that’s the creator’s head. And we have all seen who that is…

    • jiynx
      jiynx
      April 16, 2013, 12:27 am | # | Reply

      william h macy?

      • Jason
        Jason
        April 16, 2013, 12:44 am | # | Reply

        Billy comin’ down to kick some ass, y’all. Better watch out!

      • Messenger
        Messenger
        April 16, 2013, 2:43 am | # | Reply

        To be more specific, William H. Macy with a mustache and with much less charisma.

        • cliffmonster
          cliffmonster
          April 16, 2013, 8:59 am | # | Reply

          And a spellbook…

      • lumzi23
        lumzi23
        September 9, 2013, 5:25 pm | # | Reply

        I thought I was the only one who saw that.

  5. Asfriedhr
    Asfriedhr
    April 16, 2013, 12:13 am | # | Reply

    “[Battleshire’s] return” WUH-WHOA. More dead people that just won’t get the hint? (More like necromancy, I’m guessing.)

    Assuming H.R. essentially “tapped” into the existing universe of Arkerra (or that, as he assumes, he created Arkerra only for it to become its own being – kids! They never appreciate what their parents do for them!), I’m hella curious as to how his attempts to write/rewrite events have been interpreted by the peoples of Arkerra or played out over time. Like, how much of Arkerra – its peoples, its current political states – exists in its current form because of H.R.? Do their histories exist as we would first define existence, as a hard, material fact, or do they exist simply because the people believe them to be reality? Does my hand always look like this?? Is this how dogs see???

    • randomdude
      randomdude
      April 16, 2013, 11:03 am | # | Reply

      Check out Terry Pratchett’s book Only You Can Save Mankind. I think you might like it.

      • Asfriedhr
        Asfriedhr
        April 16, 2013, 11:20 am | # | Reply

        Oh, sweet, thank you! Haha, I’ve actually been slowly getting into Pratchett’s oeuvre, so this is especially awesome. :D Thanks again!

        • Amarikah
          Amarikah
          April 16, 2013, 2:16 pm | # | Reply

          I always think of eggs whenever I see the word “oeuvre” …

          • SotiCoto
            SotiCoto
            February 18, 2014, 9:51 am | # | Reply

            And I always think of lobotomised bible-belt kids whenever I see your username and avatar. Funny how that works.

  6. Tachyon
    Tachyon
    April 16, 2013, 12:14 am | # | Reply

    HR, they’re called sunglasses because they’re supposed to protect against the sun, not glow like headlights!

    • Saskyou
      Saskyou
      April 16, 2013, 2:56 pm | # | Reply

      If you think about it, if it reflects the light, it’s much more effective than black sunglasses.
      Btw, who told you it’s sunglasses?

  7. Marble Gargle
    Marble Gargle
    April 16, 2013, 12:18 am | # | Reply

    To recap. Death is a mire, that gives life meaning.

    Better get Chris Hedges on the phone. Brother Tom is stealing his schtick.

  8. Jean-Luc
    Jean-Luc
    April 16, 2013, 12:25 am | # | Reply

    “I accidentally an apocalypse.” – H.R. Dedalus

    • jiynx
      jiynx
      April 16, 2013, 12:27 am | # | Reply

      ‘CTRL-Z! CTRL-Z!’

      • FoolishOwl
        FoolishOwl
        April 16, 2013, 12:32 am | # | Reply

        Backgrounding the job won’t help. It just makes it confusing when you’re spammed with error messages.

        • Saskyou
          Saskyou
          April 16, 2013, 2:58 pm | # | Reply

          Ctrl+Z is the code for undoing something… Yep, it would help.

          • Valdrax
            Valdrax
            April 16, 2013, 10:40 pm | # | Reply

            On a UNIX/Linux command line, Ctrl-Z suspends the job currently running in the foreground, which is usually done before telling it to continue to run in the background.

            …But it’s adorable of you to think the poster above didn’t know that.

            • FoolishOwl
              FoolishOwl
              April 17, 2013, 12:35 am | # | Reply

              Right. Though come to think of it, if you’re switching between operating systems, that’s exactly the sort of interface confusion that can make things go horribly wrong.

              • Plaintextman
                Plaintextman
                April 17, 2013, 12:38 pm | # | Reply

                Hahaha, mental image! However, suspending the whole universe and then not bg’ing it doesn’t seem like a bad idea, even if it’s by angsty button-mashing accident.

      • JSStryker
        JSStryker
        April 16, 2013, 7:51 am | # | Reply

        More like alt F4, alt F4 :)

        • Saskyou
          Saskyou
          April 16, 2013, 2:57 pm | # | Reply

          That would be the very definition of the “End of the World” here

  9. Karishi
    Karishi
    April 16, 2013, 12:32 am | # | Reply

    I am now officially stoked to see Dedalus lose his right eye.

    Also: Today’s comic format is what’s known in the industry as “Foursooth.”

    • Amarikah
      Amarikah
      April 16, 2013, 2:17 pm | # | Reply

      If this Allfather loses his right eye, who would receive it?

      • Karishi
        Karishi
        April 16, 2013, 10:34 pm | # | Reply

        Goliath.

      • Valdrax
        Valdrax
        April 16, 2013, 10:42 pm | # | Reply

        Well…

      • SotiCoto
        SotiCoto
        June 28, 2013, 9:16 am | # | Reply

        The medical waste bin.

  10. FoolishOwl
    FoolishOwl
    April 16, 2013, 12:35 am | # | Reply

    I wonder if Dedalus has considered a way to resolve the problem that doesn’t involve killing everyone?

    • FoolishOwl
      FoolishOwl
      April 16, 2013, 12:37 am | # | Reply

      Also, I’m thinking of Surface Detail, by Iain Banks.

    • Carl-E
      Carl-E
      April 16, 2013, 10:43 am | # | Reply

      Maybe that is his answer – the only thing left to do with a world gone out of control is kill it off and start another…

      He’s gettin’ pretty desperate…

    • Jean-Luc
      Jean-Luc
      April 16, 2013, 12:14 pm | # | Reply

      He thinks it’s a game or something so he doesn’t really care.

  11. Jason
    Jason
    April 16, 2013, 12:48 am | # | Reply

    Anyone else think Dagrar resembles Frigg’s spirit animal or whatever?

  12. Trolldrool
    Trolldrool
    April 16, 2013, 12:57 am | # | Reply

    So basically they’re waiting for a game dev to come to vent his day to day frustration on pixelated humans and elves?

    • cliffmonster
      cliffmonster
      April 16, 2013, 9:00 am | # | Reply

      Woe betide those who have less than 16 bits!

  13. Merus
    Merus
    April 16, 2013, 12:58 am | # | Reply

    I am curious to see what retcons look like in this universe.

  14. Bartimaeus
    Bartimaeus
    April 16, 2013, 2:20 am | # | Reply

    Hey, it’s Harry Potter! Or at least, H.R. Potter.

  15. King of Zeroes
    King of Zeroes
    April 16, 2013, 2:26 am | # | Reply

    Madness: Indistinguishable from a Dr. Seuss book.

    • banjo2E
      banjo2E
      April 16, 2013, 3:20 pm | # | Reply

      I guess that’s why they call them Seuss-sayers.

  16. Messenger
    Messenger
    April 16, 2013, 2:55 am | # | Reply

    This raises these questions for me:

    Was Byron first infected with the berserker madness when he ran into Brother Tom while out with Syr?

    Or was he infected so many years ago in Battleshire but his madness was dormant and was only recently awakened by Brother Tom?

    I’m guessing the latter, but that raises other interesting points, such as if there are others similarly carrying the madness out there. If so, we’re looking at a sleeper situation running through both the Gastonian Alliance and the Savage Races (er, what was the more PC term for them that they prefer?).

    For that matter, I’m wondering how come Byron didn’t infect anyone else with his madness if both Harky and Brother Tom treat it as very communicable disease.

    • Khyrin
      Khyrin
      April 16, 2013, 7:14 am | # | Reply

      The non Gastonian faction prefers being called The World’s Rebellion.

      a sleeper situation is terrifying.

  17. dr pepper
    dr pepper
    April 16, 2013, 7:21 am | # | Reply

    The time to hesitate is through
    It’s time to swallow towns in mire
    This war both sides can only lose
    And the world become a funeral pyre

    Come on, follow Death’s desire!

    • Carl-E
      Carl-E
      April 16, 2013, 10:46 am | # | Reply

      — The (Interdimensional) Doors

  18. Jim
    Jim
    April 16, 2013, 8:19 am | # | Reply

    The plot thicks…

  19. punman
    punman
    April 16, 2013, 9:39 am | # | Reply

    When did Meatwad become a cultist?

    Do what now?

  20. Asfriedhr
    Asfriedhr
    April 16, 2013, 11:19 am | # | Reply

    Whoa, whoa, wait a minute here: if all of Battleshire went berserk, does that mean the babies went berserk, too? “Well, obviously, by definition ‘all of Battleshire’ includes the babies.” Don’t sass me!!! Anyway, the point is: what on Earth would a berserk baby look like? “Raaaawr, I’m gonna kick this air! Frick this blanket! I’m a baby, I can’t talk anyway!”

    • Dotcom
      Dotcom
      April 16, 2013, 6:24 pm | # | Reply

      Probably, but it wouldn’t matter because they’d be some of the first victims of the adults or older children. Funny to think about though.

      • Asfriedhr
        Asfriedhr
        April 16, 2013, 7:37 pm | # | Reply

        I love kids, but man, I would not want to handle a berserker toddler. I just want to say that.

        • Speedy
          Speedy
          December 9, 2018, 5:31 pm | # | Reply

          “Berserker toddler” is redundant. ;)

  21. Michael Corley
    Michael Corley
    April 16, 2013, 11:36 am | # | Reply

    Yikes! How ominous!

  22. ahdok
    ahdok
    April 16, 2013, 12:59 pm | # | Reply

    Behold! The Head of Vecna!

  23. MisterVec
    MisterVec
    April 16, 2013, 4:23 pm | # | Reply

    Holy crap!

  24. Drooling Fan Girl
    Drooling Fan Girl
    April 16, 2013, 4:55 pm | # | Reply

    Interesting comic, reminds me of Shetterly’s _Cats have no lord_. Thanks for the heads up on the con. I’ll be volunteering definately on friday, and maybe Saturday evening. So maybe we’ll run into each other.

  25. Acrox
    Acrox
    April 16, 2013, 9:04 pm | # | Reply

    “Half-forgotten gods…”

    Considering on how many MMOG/MMORPG players call the creators themselves “Gods” (and sometimes they are identified as that in the game), yet they are somewhat absent from their own creation… this is brilliant.

    Now let’s see if Bandit & Co. can pull a Lord British scenario.

  26. Zombie_Spacer
    Zombie_Spacer
    April 16, 2013, 11:46 pm | # | Reply

    “Gaze upon his mussed-up hair, his burning glare, and know there is no reason there. He’ll give you gifts, he’ll open rifts, then through your contents he will sift.”

  27. Plaintextman
    Plaintextman
    April 17, 2013, 12:52 pm | # | Reply

    Well, I hope for his own sake that Dedalus has brushed up on his mythology. Things like how Zeus overthrew the Titans. It’s just amazing what can go wrong for any god, the “original one/s” included. I’m especially looking forward to “HR vs Tectonicus”. *puts more popcorn in microwave*

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Guilded Age is co-written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn, and illustrated by John Waltrip. Site design by Samantha Kyle. Fonts by Blambot.com.
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