Chapter 38 Cover & Page 1
Hey, Guildies! I’m just blowing back in from ConnectiCon BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP THE NEW CHAPTER DLC TRAIN.
ONLY DELAY IT SLIGHTLY.
WORK WITH ME HERE.
Enjoy your re-shuffled avatars and DLC!
Annotations Every Day - Written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn - Illustrated by John & Jason Waltrip
‘…And by “don’t have the vision”, I mean “would be missed if I was forced to kill you”.’
“Granted you’re a Microsoft shill, so you’d be ‘missed’ in a purely legal sense, but still…”
I knew it was time for another look at Sepia World.
Yay! Got another main character!
gravitaaaaaaar!
unimpressed.
So is your Gravitar.
I guess we are going to be talking about all kinds of evil empires in this chapter
Free DLC? Have I spent too much time in the EA slave pits if that sounds like madness to me? Also, lets see if my gravatar changed.
*whip* no blathering ! Collect more Bioware points for your masters, slave !
I had the impression that Kingdoms of Arkerra worked on a WoW-like model (and is, in fact, SepiaWorld’s version of WoW) – thus, it has expansions, but also content updates between expansions that are funded by subscriptions. Not really free, but not the nickel-and-diming that people often think of when they hear DLC either.
Which would also explain why it might be declining if the pace of updates is dropping: people might start dropping subscriptions if they don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth.
Vista! That’s really dating the, er, date of the comic.
[Rolls gav dice]
testes, testes, 1-2-3
I hope this doesn’t make a sad.
If you have three of them, well, that’s just plain nuts.
He’s got a lot of balls to be counting his testes in a public forum…
When Microsoft buys out a company:
1) Don’t worry! Nothing will change, except your senior employees are now Microsoft employees, and everyone else works through some third party.
2) Also, we’ll start integrating your software with somewhat related Microsoft software. Doesn’t everyone love OneNote?
3) And start adding more servers in our datacenters in Europe. Which run Windows Server 2012, of course.
4) And centralize everything in those servers, for security.
5) And phase out those old servers. Who uses Linux anymore? A server OS without a GUI?
6) Where’d everyone go?
“Y’know what else Microsoft can offer you? Chairs, to sit in while we have conversations like this!”
Nothing Chairmen like better than chairs.
High-powered CEOs don’t waste time sitting down! It looks like she opened the door and as he walked in he made his offer. She hasn’t even had time to close the door before she rejected it.
Aaaaaaand … the immersion is dead again.
Yep, not a fan of the whole uberworld/unterworld thing. This would’ve been a fine fantasy comic had it just been left as such.
I just returned from South Dakota. I have been able to read the 3 comix per week while on the road, but no time for reading comments. I follow a total of 5 continuing web comics. Any how I have time to enjoy the comments. Yes this would of bin a fine fantasy comic without the angle of a huminoid entering the world of game. But really I find that the Sepia world makes it jessospeschul!!!! And I think it is just so kewl that the creators have time to read all our posts.
Honestly, I kind of like it. Characters who don’t know they’re just in a game, what happens to the players in real life? Sure, it could’ve just been a fantasy comic, but I don’t mind it.
What? The fantasy bit would have been stale six times over by now. The sepia world (and how it applies in-game) is what keeps me coming back.
Agreed.
+1
concurrence
How can you say that with the glorious facial hair sepiaworld gives us! Not in this page, granted (I hate you you baby faced Microsoft shill!) but HR or JJ will show up sooner or later and that’s all the justification we need!
Awesome facial hair bros, unite!
http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1066910-marvel-comics
*holds up hand for a high-five*
Mine is so awesome that you’d die from the awesomeness if I removed my mask!
Yeah! Why can’t this be just another high fantasy comic with no twists or surprises at all? Everyone hates those! Its far better when a story follows the same rules as all the other stories of the same genre.
I beg to differ. I like the underlying ‘real world’ interludes. I like trying to translate the action on screen into game terms and mechanics, knowing that half the cast thinks its’ real and the other half is just RPing for fun.
Nope, this is what builds the immersion. It’s actually the main line that holds everything together. If you want to miss that, a whole big part of a layer is missing in the fantasy world.
I honestly don’t understand how you can get any enjoyment out of the comic at all, if such a fundamental aspect of the setting turns you off. After I got to the Big Reveal way back in chapter 9, I simply stopped reading. For several months.
Then I gave it just one more chance and read another chapter. And I kept reading. Not grudgingly, not in spite of disliking the new setting, but because I had started to be fascinated by it, and because I felt that it improved the story. I would not have kept reading if I hadn’t changed my mind about that. If my initial feelings had remained unchanged, then staying here through all these chapters would have been torturous.
I mean, we’re long past the point where we can pretend that the Sepia World segments aren’t really happening, or that they have no bearing on Arkerra. The massive plot developments of the last several chapters would very likely not have happened if not for machinations in Sepia World. It’s not optional. It’s absolutely integral to the story. And if you have even a shred of hope that this might change, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.
We’re also long past the point where we can think that they’re the only real world and thus invalidate the Arkherran plot.
I was very put off by the whole introduction of the sepia world myself. It is like a kick in the crotch when you find out, “Hey, you know all these characters and this world you’ve been emotionally invested in? Not real! Not even in its own universe, it doesn’t matter!”
(The “It’s really a game/dream/simulation/etc.” angle has been done before as well and *I* think that gets stale a lot faster than the the base content by itself).
What kept me reading however, was the message from the creators addressing this concern specifically. Considering how well-planned everything as whole up to that point was, I was willing to trust them that there was more going on than the typical “twist” and it was worth continuing to invest in the seemingly fake world and characters.
So now whenever Sepia world becomes the focus, of course I’m less interested in general, but I’m still willing to follow along because I trust the creators to make it relevant.
I agree with Psolo Ghoti. What is the plot of this comic without Sepia world? it would be nothing but a replay of a roleplay.
Spent the last 15 minutes trying to identify the sleeves accompanying the hands. It’s a conspiracy, but I’m still not certain as to who all is involved. There aren’t any blue jackets so I suspect this is just a pact between just the houses.
Heads of Houses
I think Jarvis *might* be the one at the bottom. What interests me more is that I think the archmage is one up from him.
The Archmage could be the hand at the bottom. It seems unlikely, but then again maybe he fears the influence the alliance is having on his people as much as the human leaders.
Gravatar check!
That… pretty much sums it up right there.
Tired of finding an opportune moment to say something to Check. Check!
Hm.
KNEEL BEFORE MY NEW VISAGE!
…would be an acceptable thing to say here, right?
Yes, yes it would.
Let’s see how this works out.
That is a terrifying face.
Better than mine.
ANYTHING with Frigg is better than anything without . . . and mine is without :(
random box of apples?
smug sexy frigg, check
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeck
Gravatar Check stream!
Heh, I had the exact same expression on seeing it. I don’t even know who that is.
Re-shuff…huh ?
Huh…nice.
Well, you KNEW this would cause a lot of let´s-find-out-what-my-new-avatar-is- spam, didn´t you ?
It always does. And I am totally not just saying that as an excuse to see my own avatar.
…and if you did HR would take your eyes out?
Security, show this man to the Gates.
SECURITAY!
(SNL)
If you press his button… will he power down? He’s a robot, right?
No, a proper robot would be Three Laws compliant.
Microsoft robots are actually just proto-Borg. They follow a different set of rules.
By rules, you mean expensive paid vacations, right?
Only if you select the appropriate item from the resulting menu, obviously.
>Switch User
>Log Off
>Overthrow
>Lock
>Restart
>Unbrake AI
>Sleep
>Hibernate
>Sell Out
>Shut Down
>Run App Launcher
The corporate stooge doesn’t even get his own tag.
He’s a pretty huge guy judging by panel 3. I don’t remember there being such a height difference between Carol and HR, or Carol and anyone else for that matter.
And HE was supposedly the condescending one.
I know, right?
you guys need to switch avatars for these comments…
The games afoot!
I mean, “The game’s at hand”
and the sharks are circling, and the gravatar is…
I guess I can be grumpy at everything.
testitty testtesttest
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Testing.
Yay! Back to sepia world. Need some time to process the end of last chapter.
The en dof last Chapter …bothers me… for some reason. Seems like Syr’nj pulled on her big girl britches and everything because hopey-futurey really fast.
What about the Bragga question? What about lingering bad vibes re: Bandit? What about the oncoming crisis of leadership that is eMerl? What about…about…about Gravy using the wrong kind of secret sauce on a certain dead berzerker?
This is either gonna be really good, or really all the feels. I may be a bit too invested in this story….
I’m glad Syr’Nj figured herself out again. Took her awhile to process Byron’s death. I can’t wait for Gravy to bring Byron back. I only wish he had said “Look to my coming, at first light, on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East.” E-merl is going to be awesome, he just needs the Wizard of Oz to give him some courage . . . or maybe confidence.
This looks a lot like the cover to Chapter 28…
Not sure if we’re supposed to notice that/draw any sort of conclusions from it…
Anyway! I was wondering what was up with Carol! But… I’m more wondering what’s up with Shanna. I hope we’ll cut to her soon. As much as I love the heroes in Arkerra-world, I feel that was a fairly nice place to pause. I like the sepia world story just as much as the Arkerra-world story, even if it does break the immersion a little. It keeps the fantasy story fresh, I think.
Even more like the cover to Chapter 5!
Seems like Carol got caught in H.R. craziness. No turn back for her.
Yeah, that possibility passed a long time ago.
Carol gives me the creeps. Like, the full on scary cultist eyes and not in the maniacal laughing Cultist way but the full on “will shank you with faith and a popsicle stick for your heresy” TRUE BELIEVER way. Yikes.
I wonder if my new Gravatar will?
That is all.
Ah. A cultist.
I see.
OH HOW APPROPRIATE.
The cultist-gravatar is indeed most appropriate. And yes, I second your sentiments. Carol is giving me the major creeps.
Aaaaand… appropriate Gravatar is appropriate.
Last panel, 4th speech bubble: “Also I’m going to kill you”.
Anybody notice a considerable resemblance to Bandit in our little corporate representative?
I’se hmmmmming, yes I is!
P.S. Sure hope I get a better gravitar than last time!
Wow! they pulled a direct camera captcha! Glad they didn’t add any vomit!
Lucky you.
If you’re saying Carol might be Bandit’s player, then nope, Chrissie is.
Fudderton is, like Baker, a name derived from a profession. About 10% of Microsoft’s marketing staff are Fuddertons.
That last panel has the vision INTO YOUR SOUL
“I’m going to make you an offer that’s very easy to refuse.”
Hey what’s my avatar
Papa needs a new pair of shoes.
So I started reading this about 36 hours ago. Now I am up to date, and I hate it. Now I must wait between updates like everyone else instead of devouring chapter after chapter for hours on end. Too soon to start from the beginning again.
Welcome on board!
Thanks bene. I just hate the moment when you are fully invested in a comic online, and you go to click ‘next page’ and there is no hyperlink, or it just flashes ‘You are at the last page’ across your screen. Makes me wanna cry
Testing to see who I get this chapter!
BUT DOES HE HAVE THE VISION TO SEE WHY KIDS LOVE CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH?
Damn. Beat me too it.
jpnaur1 even beat Phil to it. Have you noticed that the Cinnamon Toast Crunch joke has been in, what…5 or 6?…of the alt-texts already?