HR’s glasses represent the VR goggles that he put on, to test the 3D imagery in KoA. The goggles weren’t properly grounded, and the entire webcomic is taking place in a lightning flash.
The last page will show HR sitting slumped over, with smoke pouring out from under the goggles’ headphones.
Carol’s face will be the image of shock and horror, until it dawns on her that she just inherited a multibillion dollar game software corporation.
(Just kidding. Guilded Age isn’t really just a flash in the brainpan)
Believe it or not, the last sentence didn’t occur to me till I had already typed the rest of the comment. It really was a last second flash of inspiration. … Ouch.
I feel like this would be a very good time for people to go back to the beginning of the story and reread the archives. With HR’s machinations in Arkerra coming to such a pivotal point, it would be a good idea for people to reacquaint themselves with the overall narrative so they understand what’s going to happen in the coming months.
Remember, we’ve got a lot of plot threads, some woven together, and others running in parallel. We’ve got the Gastonian/Rebellion war, the Adventurers’ battle with the Cult of the Countless, Wolfgod’s visions to Frigg and the implied contrast with Tectonicus, the development of the World Rebellion champions, the mystery of just what happened to Payet Best, HR’s path to godhood, Carol’s efforts to keep them running smoothly, Shannon’s struggle with JJ Berton and her efforts to blow the lid off the whole thing, the exact nature of the relationship between Sepiaworld and Arkerra (not to mention what role Cyberia will play in all this), and probably a few more that I’m forgetting.
The story’s development going forward will be much more enjoyable to those who know what brought it on.
I got the feeling that Real world/Sepiaworld will break though and spill over/mix/open up a huge rift into Arkerra. If HR is the ‘God’ of Arkerra, then what do you think HR will become if those two worlds become one?
……….
Yea, that’s right. HR will likely become such a real supernatural powerhouse that he might as well BE a God.
One thing I keep remembering is Iwatani’s deal with Tom, which I can’t help but think set the stage for this whole Beechmill bait ‘n’ switch thing. Iwatani, who I like to think is JJ’s alt, is just way too shifty for me to stop being curious about him and his son’s roles in all this.
Not that that plot point carries as much weight as all this dimension-shattering godhood business, but I couldn’t help but throw in my two cents about it.
Only as untrustworthy as anyone else.
The difference between a cultist and any other spiritually minded person is only a matter of how many they share their beliefs with.
Yeah, brother Tom? You’re probably going to be joining your “brothers” pretty soon. Probably by the same means as poor Ferris all those chapters ago. And without you, I think your cult’s kinda gonna fall apart. You seem to be the real driving force behind it.
Also, found this web comic by accident, so glad I did. This is awesome and I spent all of today binge-reading this. Sooooo gooood.
Is anyone able to make out that very faint image in the background of the last panel? It looks like a magick circle, but I wonder if it’s that or something else.
I believe it’s just a background texture. They’re in most, if not all pages. I remember people commenting on them back when Erica was still the artist.
I actually think Homon isn’t H.R., H.R. didn’t actually “go into the machine” the way the guildies did, Homon literally is H.R.’s homonculus, built in his image to serve as his pawn in that reality. So who Brother Homan is referring to serving -is- H.R.
He’s been ordering extra tubes, though. It was implied more or less clearly that he would be going in.
Maybe the only distinction is in that he’s maintaining an awareness of the duality of his being (Arkerra/Sepia) and can thus quit any time he wants to?
What he just said is a reference to H.R. “Plato’s Cave” fixation. Brother Homon is no one because he’s a homonculus–he doesn’t actually exist– and he serves H.R. He’s not saying H.R. serves something else.
OUTCREEP
You can outcreep the creepiest bastards out there.
Benefit: You gain a +3 bonus to Intimidate checks made against a target whom you’ve observed using Intimidate at least once. If you have 10 or more ranks in Intimidate, this bonus increases to +6.
Pretty sure Byron’s dead. I think the only thing rising in him is the probability of people in the comments theorizing that future characters are his alts.
Well eye, for one, think something’s a little off with Brother Homon here.
Really? He seems on the up-and-up to me.
It’s plain to see that he’s now simply a shadow of his former self
**GASP** – His eyes … they … they’re … so much less cartoony than mine are!!
*Groan* – meant to post above as a separate thread. Well, I need a pun for this thread, to improve the optics of my actions.
How about:
Aye, I mean eye, don’t I?
Honestly, in a world full of magic, are weird eyes really that intimidating? To a cultist worshipping the Dark Nothingness?
Depends. He does seem to have some genuine prophecy – it’s possible that the eyes are part of one of his prophecies.
I’m drawing a blank on puns here.
You probably missed them due to blinking.
Like a florist without irises
Like a teacher without pupils
Both of these men are truly visionaries.
Yes, but their visions bring them disgrace. A stigma is them.
I would seem the all-seeing was blind-sided by this shadowy figure.
I see what you did there.
Ouch. That was painful. I think I’m going to need glasses after that.
These puns are getting a little cornea.
Iris I’d never seen such painful punning… but alas, my eyes have been opened :S
I scream, you scream, we all scream for http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EyeScream
“A stigma is them.”
Hmmm…good play on words there, but might read a *little* better as, “A stigma ’tis them.”
The hex has been convexed.
His nose looks really weird!
Oh, that’s why he wears the glasses.
HR’s glasses represent the VR goggles that he put on, to test the 3D imagery in KoA. The goggles weren’t properly grounded, and the entire webcomic is taking place in a lightning flash.
The last page will show HR sitting slumped over, with smoke pouring out from under the goggles’ headphones.
Carol’s face will be the image of shock and horror, until it dawns on her that she just inherited a multibillion dollar game software corporation.
(Just kidding. Guilded Age isn’t really just a flash in the brainpan)
Believe it or not, the last sentence didn’t occur to me till I had already typed the rest of the comment. It really was a last second flash of inspiration. … Ouch.
I feel like this would be a very good time for people to go back to the beginning of the story and reread the archives. With HR’s machinations in Arkerra coming to such a pivotal point, it would be a good idea for people to reacquaint themselves with the overall narrative so they understand what’s going to happen in the coming months.
Remember, we’ve got a lot of plot threads, some woven together, and others running in parallel. We’ve got the Gastonian/Rebellion war, the Adventurers’ battle with the Cult of the Countless, Wolfgod’s visions to Frigg and the implied contrast with Tectonicus, the development of the World Rebellion champions, the mystery of just what happened to Payet Best, HR’s path to godhood, Carol’s efforts to keep them running smoothly, Shannon’s struggle with JJ Berton and her efforts to blow the lid off the whole thing, the exact nature of the relationship between Sepiaworld and Arkerra (not to mention what role Cyberia will play in all this), and probably a few more that I’m forgetting.
The story’s development going forward will be much more enjoyable to those who know what brought it on.
You forgot – how will Timmi save the other woodland animals next time??
I got the feeling that Real world/Sepiaworld will break though and spill over/mix/open up a huge rift into Arkerra. If HR is the ‘God’ of Arkerra, then what do you think HR will become if those two worlds become one?
……….
Yea, that’s right. HR will likely become such a real supernatural powerhouse that he might as well BE a God.
I just got done doing exactly that. In fact it is the only way I do things.
One thing I keep remembering is Iwatani’s deal with Tom, which I can’t help but think set the stage for this whole Beechmill bait ‘n’ switch thing. Iwatani, who I like to think is JJ’s alt, is just way too shifty for me to stop being curious about him and his son’s roles in all this.
Not that that plot point carries as much weight as all this dimension-shattering godhood business, but I couldn’t help but throw in my two cents about it.
Well, shit. If only Tom had known cultists were untrustworthy.
Only as untrustworthy as anyone else.
The difference between a cultist and any other spiritually minded person is only a matter of how many they share their beliefs with.
Yeah, but cultists who stab people are particularly untrustworthy.
Cultists are very thrustworthy
What is untrustworthy about stabbing?
Maybe they’re stabbing to keep promises… Promises to… stab people?
But what about the promises they made to me? Promises to not stab people?
Do cultists make promises to not stab people?
I worship his shadow.
Lexx! Thank you, I’m so glad somebody else knows this show exists!
Long may he reign.
Yo Ay-Rah, Jerhume Brunnen-G
Yeah, brother Tom? You’re probably going to be joining your “brothers” pretty soon. Probably by the same means as poor Ferris all those chapters ago. And without you, I think your cult’s kinda gonna fall apart. You seem to be the real driving force behind it.
Also, found this web comic by accident, so glad I did. This is awesome and I spent all of today binge-reading this. Sooooo gooood.
Is anyone able to make out that very faint image in the background of the last panel? It looks like a magick circle, but I wonder if it’s that or something else.
I believe it’s just a background texture. They’re in most, if not all pages. I remember people commenting on them back when Erica was still the artist.
The textures in general, I mean, not this particular one that may or may not be a magic circle.
It is a texture meant to evoke that sort of imagery, yes.
This is wonderful! Turnabout is fair play! It’s particularly satisfying to find a servant or horrors himself horrified.
Also, serious praise for the imagery, the atmosphere and utter horror twist here!
—
In-story serious questions:
Who does H. R. “serve”? What is his ultimate agenda anyway? “Building a better reality” is actually quite vague.
He serves “a shadow”. Brings me back to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. How do we tie it in here?
I actually think Homon isn’t H.R., H.R. didn’t actually “go into the machine” the way the guildies did, Homon literally is H.R.’s homonculus, built in his image to serve as his pawn in that reality. So who Brother Homan is referring to serving -is- H.R.
This confirms that H.R. thinks of his world, not Arkherra, as the world of shadows. Which is what I thought all along.
Color is light, after all.
He didn’t put the Five to sleep, he woke them up. Everyone else is dreaming.
I don’t see how this confirms that. Maybe he thinks it’s all shadows (a la Allegory of the Cave).
It’s his GM avatar. All he’s missing is the blue robe :p
He’s been ordering extra tubes, though. It was implied more or less clearly that he would be going in.
Maybe the only distinction is in that he’s maintaining an awareness of the duality of his being (Arkerra/Sepia) and can thus quit any time he wants to?
What he just said is a reference to H.R. “Plato’s Cave” fixation. Brother Homon is no one because he’s a homonculus–he doesn’t actually exist– and he serves H.R. He’s not saying H.R. serves something else.
Wow. You just frightened Brother Tom. Quite a feat.
Indeed!
OUTCREEP
You can outcreep the creepiest bastards out there.
Benefit: You gain a +3 bonus to Intimidate checks made against a target whom you’ve observed using Intimidate at least once. If you have 10 or more ranks in Intimidate, this bonus increases to +6.
I’m sure Brother Toom will get all he wanted in good course. He merely does not understand the means by which he will do so.
[Note: Yes, that spelling was deliberate.]
You may serve a shadow, but *I* serve pancakes, albeit only until 12:30 when we close the breakfast menu.
Good thing he’s already wearing his brown cloak.
We all serve the shadow.
You know that advice “you should only fire when you can see the whites of their eyes?”
Good advice.
“urge to kill, rising…”
– byron. off screen.
Pretty sure Byron’s dead. I think the only thing rising in him is the probability of people in the comments theorizing that future characters are his alts.
inb4 Byron is Payet’s alt
Future? Nah, Morbundi was Byron’s alt.
*shrug* His player is really good at multitasking.
Byron’s like “COULD YOU HAVE THIS OUT WHEN I’M NOT BLEEDING OUT YOU ASSHOLES”
Anybody else feel like the alt-text is HR speaking directly to us? Comic is now going off the rails. Wooohooo!
Arkherra.
Sepia World.
Our world.
How many more layers above us?
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
Reality shows.
Who cares what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Unless evil’s carrying the Martini tray darling.
It is, but the Martini is made with vodka.
Would probably help Tom’s argument if he pointed out that the previous portal was also to Cyberia, and worked with the help of the guy who sent him.
Well, my shadow’s shedding skin and I’ve been picking scabs again. You dig?
BrotherTom: /ragequit
BrotherTom: /uninstall
BrotherTom has left the Guild.
BrotherTom is offline.
Last online: 2 realities ago.