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

And we're off.

Chapter 33 – Page 14

on August 15, 2014
Chapter: Chapter 33
└ Tags: Bandit, Chrissie, Daniel, E-Merl, JJ Berten, Kaye, Lia, Rachel, Scipio, Shanna, Xan
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Discussion (181) ¬

  1. Berius
    Berius
    August 15, 2014, 12:06 am | # | Reply

    Ok now this is getting interesting…

    • Insanenoodlyguy
      Insanenoodlyguy
      August 15, 2014, 12:10 am | # | Reply

      Indeed. (dang it I was gonna say that)

      I now ship each of these people with everybody.

    • Kensou
      Kensou
      August 15, 2014, 12:20 am | # | Reply

      Agreed. I actually got little shivers of excitement seeing the faces of most of the newer gang (though I wonder what it says about not seeing Fry’Nj here? Hmmm…)

      • Ein the Superdoge!
        Ein the Superdoge!
        August 15, 2014, 12:28 am | # | Reply

        Honestly, Scipio’s irl surprised me. She looks super energetic compared to his stoic personality.

        • Valdrax
          Valdrax
          August 15, 2014, 12:45 am | # | Reply

          I’m actually not sure — is that a she? I’m only 65% leaning in that direction.

          Either way, he/she looks like a lot of fun in real life, and now I’ve got wonder what happens on the other side of the screen when Scipio shrugs off Frigg’s taunts.

          • Corker
            Corker
            August 15, 2014, 6:15 am | # | Reply

            Well, she’s drawn with lipstick on, and longer eyelashes. She’s certainly presenting as female.

            • Ghola
              Ghola
              August 15, 2014, 11:07 am | # | Reply

              Ehhh.. Could go either way really. Could just be darker lips.

              Either or, they look like Eccleston, and that’s all one really needs for smexy times.
              Gives a little new meaning to “Bringing a banana to the party” though yes?

              Hah… Fruit humor while they’re bedding a wood elf…

              • Kamino Neko
                Kamino Neko
                August 15, 2014, 2:32 pm | # | Reply

                Real men have full, dark lips.

                Men drawn by the Waltrip brothers do not.

                • SotiCoto
                  SotiCoto
                  January 26, 2015, 7:26 am | # | Reply

                  Curious words from someone with a trans-person as their avatar.

                  • Disloyal Subject
                    Disloyal Subject
                    March 29, 2015, 12:43 am | # | Reply

                    Genderfluid.

                    • Kamino Neko
                      Kamino Neko
                      July 14, 2015, 9:32 am | #

                      At the time that post was made, I had Claire from Questionable Content, so it was accurate… But it still doesn’t mean the Waltrips would draw a guy (cis or trans) with coloured lips, which are a gender signifier in their art.

        • flevine
          flevine
          August 15, 2014, 6:58 am | # | Reply

          When I used to game, I tended to run characters who were very different, or even the opposite of, myself. I get to hang out with myself the rest of the time…

          • Guesticus
            Guesticus
            August 16, 2014, 12:42 am | # | Reply

            Same here: although saying that, if could do like the Fragged Five (minus the being-stuck-in-a-test-tube thing) totally would

      • Minando
        Minando
        August 15, 2014, 4:31 am | # | Reply

        What´s there to say, she most probably is a NPC. Deal with it :-)

        • Quin
          Quin
          August 15, 2014, 8:36 am | # | Reply

          Honestly I was expecting them to be NPCs that evolved out of their programing like the old king and some of the plot driven NPCs like the cultist and some of the other important people. also goes to show that you never trust a PC’s looks to their owner’s looks.

      • Create a Comic
        Create a Comic
        August 15, 2014, 10:32 am | # | Reply

        I think Fry’Nj is probably our loyal assistant.

        • Ghola
          Ghola
          August 15, 2014, 11:13 am | # | Reply

          Well, that adds a whole new kettle of fish with her railing Eccleston up there…

          I’m all for this actually. ERP stigmata be damned.

          • Sortelli
            Sortelli
            August 15, 2014, 12:34 pm | # | Reply

            I think you mean stigma? Unless stigmata in ERP is a fetish thing in which case NTTAWWT

            • Ghola
              Ghola
              August 15, 2014, 4:16 pm | # | Reply

              they have these special goggles and gloves…

      • Nyzer
        Nyzer
        August 15, 2014, 11:24 am | # | Reply

        Remember, the “characters” are more than just characters. They’re people in their own right. How exactly they’re “controlled” when they seem to have no awareness of it whatsoever is unclear, but it’s fairly obvious that the “characters” function autonomically when their players aren’t around. (Even if the four additions to their party don’t need to leave the house for whatever reason, there should still be times when they go prepare food, use the bathroom, etc. and yet this has never been noticed in the game.) The only people in full control of their characters are The Five.

        Fry’Nj is almost certainly an NPC, but she’s still a person. She just isn’t controlled by any outside influence, unless it’s revealed that she DOES have a player of course.

        Another point leaning in favor of this is that The Four should be minor celebrities within the game, at least on the Gastonia faction, because they founded a massive guild with some INCREDIBLE plot development involved in it. Their guild is directly tied to the main storyline.

        Why are there not more players approaching their avatars? Why hasn’t this been noticed outside the game?

        • Tsapki
          Tsapki
          August 15, 2014, 11:37 am | # | Reply

          I imagine for one, Hurricane is carefully modding how easy it is to contact them. Ignore lists, friends only contact, etc. You woukd not give a second thought to a celebrity ignoring a pm from someone they dont know.

        • Mr. Mister
          Mr. Mister
          August 15, 2014, 12:22 pm | # | Reply

          Maybe it’s the tubed characters’ interactions with the rest of the player pool that’s supermagickomputered into realifesque manners for them.

        • Vic
          Vic
          August 15, 2014, 9:51 pm | # | Reply

          generly hasnt any sign of the game to the tube ppl
          i mean fine random peers migth be bloked out
          but the side main group?
          i mean they migth be super hardcore roleplayer…
          and maybe there are some filter set in place
          but still wouldn´t stuff slipp

      • Jason
        Jason
        August 15, 2014, 2:08 pm | # | Reply

        It might just be explained by the fact that Fr’Nj was a more recent addition to the group.

      • Not a name
        Not a name
        August 16, 2014, 5:01 am | # | Reply

        Fr’Nj is just Best’s alt.

  2. Gram91
    Gram91
    August 15, 2014, 12:08 am | # | Reply

    Huh, was not expecting that for Scipio

    • Jean-Luc
      Jean-Luc
      August 15, 2014, 12:15 am | # | Reply

      Yet it makes sense.

      • Ein the Superdoge!
        Ein the Superdoge!
        August 15, 2014, 12:28 am | # | Reply

        How so? Please explain, it really baffled me captain.

        • MichaelHaneline
          MichaelHaneline
          August 15, 2014, 1:45 am | # | Reply

          Really, a woman playing a male character baffled you?

          • span
            span
            August 15, 2014, 3:21 am | # | Reply

            A smiling, cigarless person playing Scipio baffled me.

            • Jean-Luc
              Jean-Luc
              August 15, 2014, 10:16 am | # | Reply

              The woman seems to be a tom boyish “tough chick” to whom a character of Scip’s constitution and make up would be appealing. While Scip’s personality is stoic it’s not in an uptight way, it’s more Clint Eastwood-esque (his western movie characters I mean) and the biker jacket (that’s how it looks like to me at least) sporting lady looks like someone who would appreciate the too cool for school cowboy attitude even if it’s colder than her own personality.

              • wwlaos
                wwlaos
                August 15, 2014, 10:53 am | # | Reply

                Is this going to be one of those special holodeck episodes? :/

                • Logos
                  Logos
                  August 15, 2014, 1:37 pm | # | Reply

                  At least it’s not Tribbles.

            • MinaxHatesThrall
              MinaxHatesThrall
              August 15, 2014, 8:15 pm | # | Reply

              And Captain Calm, Collected and Nordic-looking playing Rachael was as predictable as the sunrise?

              • Jean-Luc
                Jean-Luc
                August 15, 2014, 10:25 pm | # | Reply

                That woman kinda looks like she might be religious and single so…

        • Avris
          Avris
          August 15, 2014, 1:15 pm | # | Reply

          Fun fact: it’s actually really common. Driven not least by identity issues, there’s also the desire to avoid incessant flirting from the teenaged cockfingers. Not to mention the obvious fantasy “be someone else!” thing.

          It’s entirely possible that IRL!Scippy is a bit of all of the above.

      • Kennerly
        Kennerly
        August 15, 2014, 12:28 am | # | Reply

        All four of them are the opposite of their online identities. Which isn’t surprising, really.

        • Kennerly
          Kennerly
          August 15, 2014, 12:30 am | # | Reply

          Because people often play RPGs and MMO’s like Second Life so they can be someone else.

          • Nalano
            Nalano
            August 15, 2014, 2:07 am | # | Reply

            Yet surprisingly little gender bending thus far.

          • Hertzy
            Hertzy
            August 16, 2014, 5:08 am | # | Reply

            Actual roleplaying in an MMO is news to me. Perhaps I have been playing the wrong MMOs.

            • ThePuck1
              ThePuck1
              August 18, 2014, 10:24 am | # | Reply

              You have. Many games have RP servers, especially WoW. Loads of fun, in my humble opinion.

              Shan’re lo dor Talah for life, yo.

        • Shikome Kido Mi
          Shikome Kido Mi
          August 15, 2014, 3:10 am | # | Reply

          “Everyone one of them is the opposite”– well there’s an over-generalization based on extremely limited data. You can’t tell that much from a photo. But even what we can tell isn’t necessarily ‘exact opposites’.

          • Kamino Neko
            Kamino Neko
            August 15, 2014, 6:26 am | # | Reply

            Yeah…we can’t really get a feel for their personalities, only one is cross-playing. E-Merl, in fact, seems to differ only in weight.

        • Chaltab
          Chaltab
          August 15, 2014, 3:18 am | # | Reply

          Not sure in what way we can say any of them are ‘opposite’ of their characters except Scipio being stoic while his player seems… completely the opposite.

          • Minando
            Minando
            August 15, 2014, 4:13 am | # | Reply

            Another thing is that none of them seems to be under thirty years old. I mean, you´d expect at least one teenager in a party of…well, how many are there now ?

            • Ghola
              Ghola
              August 15, 2014, 11:19 am | # | Reply

              They play with people who never seem to break character.
              On a server that never seems to break character.
              It seems like that sort of social group would be older players who enjoy the dice-less parts of the game.
              My guess is, that this server is a premium “Pay extra” RP server that banhammers people who break immersion. As a matter of keeping the Five from Overdrawing at the Memory Banking their brains.

              • Tsapki
                Tsapki
                August 15, 2014, 11:40 am | # | Reply

                Sounds like heaven…or hell. I guess it depends on the day of the week.

  3. alicemacher
    alicemacher
    August 15, 2014, 12:10 am | # | Reply

    Well, there goes my head-canon that Bandit is Lisa from Penny and Aggie. (I realize it didn’t have much chance of being real-canon, though.)

    • Kensou
      Kensou
      August 15, 2014, 12:22 am | # | Reply

      As head-canons go, I quite like that one. XD Ah well.

    • Sentora
      Sentora
      August 15, 2014, 12:37 am | # | Reply

      Would have made a lot of sense though.

      Rachel’s reminds me of someone I can’t put my finger on though.

    • nemui
      nemui
      August 15, 2014, 5:27 am | # | Reply

      Scipio’s player kind-of sort-of looks a little bit like Sara might in a few years, though.

    • Frigg_Fanboi
      Frigg_Fanboi
      August 15, 2014, 7:26 am | # | Reply

      Aaand now for some reason I can’t seem to get Rachel = Charlotte out of my head. Miss that comic quite a bit :(

  4. Jean-Luc
    Jean-Luc
    August 15, 2014, 12:10 am | # | Reply

    The plot speedens.

    • TachyonCode
      TachyonCode
      August 15, 2014, 12:44 am | # | Reply

      I plot speedlines.

      • biggmac
        biggmac
        August 15, 2014, 1:30 am | # | Reply

        My plot is to mainline speed.

        • Taxil Necrobane
          Taxil Necrobane
          August 15, 2014, 1:36 am | # | Reply

          The plot is a Chevey Camaro, enough said.

          • Cubanpep
            Cubanpep
            August 15, 2014, 10:43 am | # | Reply

            The plot as in the hole someone will be buried in soon. Couldn’t resist!

    • Fiaryn
      Fiaryn
      August 15, 2014, 12:58 am | # | Reply

      Question is, will Xan be able to delay Joe or throw him off the trail?

      Odds are low Joe will kill him, since he’s Penk, but I dunno how much success he’ll have. I’m not sure how technically savvy Joe is.

      • nemui
        nemui
        August 15, 2014, 6:11 pm | # | Reply

        Is there a consensus in the comments that he’s Penk now? The appearances don’t match for any of the Auxiliary Four, I don’t see why they should match for Xan. Him surviving the Mustache would be a strong indicator that you’re right, though.

        • Fiaryn
          Fiaryn
          August 15, 2014, 11:21 pm | # | Reply

          It’s nothing definitive other than that his facial features, chin scruff, sideburns, and hair match Penk perfectly.

          It could be a red herring but I’m thinking not.

    • Charlie Spencer
      Charlie Spencer
      August 15, 2014, 7:51 am | # | Reply

      I suspect this is a cliffhanger and we won’t see any more sepia until next chapter.

      • Saskyou
        Saskyou
        August 16, 2014, 8:47 am | # | Reply

        I hope so!

        • Charlie Spencer
          Charlie Spencer
          August 16, 2014, 1:27 pm | # | Reply

          To each his own. Me, I like the ‘story outside the story’.

  5. Alex Neeley
    Alex Neeley
    August 15, 2014, 1:13 am | # | Reply

    So “Bandit” has glasses, “E-Merl” is heavyset, “Rachel” is a woman old enough to be his mother, and “Scipio” is a WOMAN?

    Well, this certainly took for a surprise. Unlike the Five, these four other protagonists seem to look almost nothing at all like their player characters.

    And “Scipio’s” real-life player being the opposite gender from the character throws “his” entire relationship with Fry’Nj into an entirely new light. (I wonder what Fry’Nj’s reaction would be–positive or negative–if she knew who her “husband” really was.)

    • LockeZ
      LockeZ
      August 15, 2014, 1:46 am | # | Reply

      Now that you mention it, it’s odd that Fry’Nj isn’t listed as one of their party members here. Is she perhaps an NPC?

      I suspect that the original Five’s characters were created for them, possibly by HR, which explains why they look like their players. I thought it was odd that they looked so similar like that; this page is much more realistic.

      • tejón
        tejón
        August 15, 2014, 2:23 am | # | Reply

        New spec: Fr’Nj is Best.

        • Guesticus
          Guesticus
          August 16, 2014, 12:47 am | # | Reply

          Stop, just… stop!

      • Otaking
        Otaking
        August 15, 2014, 3:09 am | # | Reply

        Fry’Nj doesn’t interact with them as much as the “Ancillary Four” so it’s not too odd IMO.

        The arcanometry process could easily include some sort of magical scanning/customization process to make your character as true to life as possible. It would make sense to provide this for greater immersion as you would have less of a disconnect inside the game instead of randomization where you might look down at yourself and see a body you don’t recognize.

      • Loyal
        Loyal
        August 16, 2014, 1:15 am | # | Reply

        Bear in mind that Syr’nj is the established daughter of other NPCs (no way the king and queen of elves would be PCs), and the sibling of a PC who PROBABLY isn’t in a position to have agreed to have a ‘sibling’ in-game.

    • Chantelune
      Chantelune
      August 15, 2014, 3:29 am | # | Reply

      She might not care because hey, this is a game and not real life ?

    • Kamino Neko
      Kamino Neko
      August 15, 2014, 6:28 am | # | Reply

      (I wonder what Fry’Nj’s reaction would be–positive or negative–if she knew who her “husband” really was.)

      ‘Really? What a coincidence. I’ve been cross-playing, too!’

      • Otaking
        Otaking
        August 15, 2014, 7:59 am | # | Reply

        It would go down something like this: http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=1429

        • phyre
          phyre
          August 15, 2014, 9:40 pm | # | Reply

          AAWWWWWW!!!!

        • Stephen
          Stephen
          August 16, 2014, 6:08 pm | # | Reply

          If you like piña coladas…

    • SotiCoto
      SotiCoto
      January 26, 2015, 7:45 am | # | Reply

      Is it that odd?
      I guess some people do take that sort of thing seriously… but it isn’t really that important.

      People trying to transition a simulated relationship in an RPG into a real relationship are… well… showing rather poor form at the very least. As long as one strictly maintains the divide between the real and the fictional then it doesn’t matter which gender one plays in a character relationship with whomever else, matters of realistic portrayal aside.

      Done correctly, the relationship between player and character comes across more like parent and child than like two routes to the same person.

  6. Rai
    Rai
    August 15, 2014, 1:21 am | # | Reply

    The more I see of Xan, the more he makes me think of Rendar. If that were to be the case, I’d be very curious to see who Sundar is.

  7. Zblackgoat
    Zblackgoat
    August 15, 2014, 1:28 am | # | Reply

    Woah, major reveal.

    Does spoil some theories about bandit and E-merl.

    • FoolishOwl
      FoolishOwl
      August 15, 2014, 2:50 am | # | Reply

      Pardon me. I’ll need some time to create new crackpot theories.

    • nemui
      nemui
      August 15, 2014, 5:31 am | # | Reply

      I like how they handled the reveal, but it just raises more questions – how immersive is this Arkhera experience that regular players don’t ever go OOC, or wonder about the RL identities of the core group? Or are they doing this off-screen all the time?

      • nemui
        nemui
        August 15, 2014, 5:37 am | # | Reply

        Theory: When these four log out, they characters still lead a life of their own inside the game, because magic.

        Hence all the non-plot-related stuff in between the action, like training and getting high and standing around moping about being propositioned by Frigg.

        • nemui
          nemui
          August 15, 2014, 5:38 am | # | Reply

          Their* characters. Oh edit button, how I yearn for thee…

        • wwlaos
          wwlaos
          August 15, 2014, 11:05 am | # | Reply

          Mmm, possible, but probably unnecessary. People who are really committed to playing on RP servers rarely if ever break character. Sure, there’s always the “my friend is really into this and I just wanted to play with them” people who don’t really get it, but most who specifically seek out and choose RP servers tend to be very dedicated to maintaining that illusion for themselves and everyone else. It would not surprise me in the least if the subject just never came up because, well, they stay in-character all of the time.

          • nemui
            nemui
            August 15, 2014, 6:00 pm | # | Reply

            I, on the other hand, would be very surprised if it’s all in a day’s work for those four people, especially Bandit’s player. The catch has to be in the phenomenon that HR can’t explain, which causes those who interact extensively with the Five to do stuff he can’t predict or control. If that’s the case, it’s possible (or even likely) that their immersion is deeper – maybe while they’re in the game they can’t go OOC because they feel that it’s real, and when they do log off, the details of the experience are dreamlike?

  8. Adell
    Adell
    August 15, 2014, 1:28 am | # | Reply

    starting to get some serious .Hack vibes now.

    SKIEEEEETH
    OVAAAAAAAAN!
    ATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLIIIIIIII!

    • Mujaki
      Mujaki
      August 16, 2014, 5:19 am | # | Reply

      Klaatu Barada Nicto?

  9. Siarles
    Siarles
    August 15, 2014, 1:29 am | # | Reply

    People are reacting to the revelation of Bandit’s true identity a lot more calmly than I would have expected.

    • MichaelHaneline
      MichaelHaneline
      August 15, 2014, 1:50 am | # | Reply

      They’re all too busy reacting to Scipio being a woman, because apparently playing a character of a different gender is THAT big of a deal. /sigh

      • Fenlander
        Fenlander
        August 15, 2014, 2:35 am | # | Reply

        MMORPG = Mostly Men Online Role Playing Girls :-)

        • kenneth
          kenneth
          August 15, 2014, 2:44 am | # | Reply

          This is what I was thinking, in a round about manner.

        • Corwin MacGregor
          Corwin MacGregor
          August 15, 2014, 3:09 am | # | Reply

          I’ll have you know! …. I’d rather stare all day at a female ass than a male backside. :p

          • Imrar
            Imrar
            August 15, 2014, 4:15 am | # | Reply

            And here’s where the two player types collide.

            You see, when I play a male char in a ROLEplaying game, I AM that character. Frankly I’m not so interested in staring at my own bum..

            Now that some MMOs have had gender specific classes I have played with female chars also. I found that I go more to the mechanic completionist mode. But still, after the start, I really haven’t stared at the chars bum. I’m too fixated staring at the world, targets, objectives etc.

            So, just out of curiosity… and I’m not trying to offend here, just trying to get into the state of mind.
            Is it that some players need to be sexually stimulated all the time, and want to see the girl chars ass? Or is it that they are unsure of their sexuality and are homofobic on the choice of their char gender? Or something else?

            • Imrar
              Imrar
              August 15, 2014, 4:19 am | # | Reply

              Ha, and I found an interestin part on my text after reading it. I play a male char, and I play With a female char.

              Is that it? You’re not fully immersed in the world, so you play With the character and you’d rather play with a female char than a male char?

              • Minando
                Minando
                August 15, 2014, 5:13 am | # | Reply

                Playing a female character always felt weird to me…and since I prefer playing undead Chars, even if I´d choose to playe a female charakter it wouldn´t make much of a difference- Death ist the great equalizer, even in the ass apartment….

                • Fenlander
                  Fenlander
                  August 15, 2014, 9:55 am | # | Reply

                  I only role played a female character once in an online game. I had some creep hitting on me for hours and just deleted and made a male version.
                  Perhaps I just role played too well? (and it’s not as if I even typed in “giggles” every 3 minutes)

                • MidnightDStroyer
                  MidnightDStroyer
                  August 16, 2014, 3:39 am | # | Reply

                  Wow! Talk about in-game drama being a dead-weight issue…

            • eschmenk
              eschmenk
              August 15, 2014, 2:39 pm | # | Reply

              Recent World of Warcraft infographic: 1.3 million pandaren (out of 11M) are females with foxtails. Apparently a lot of players care about their characters’ bums.

            • Karishi
              Karishi
              August 15, 2014, 3:46 pm | # | Reply

              For me it’s not sex but aesthetics. I don’t like the way the male form looks, as much as I like the way the female form looks.
              Perhaps the best example of this distinction: I play female undead rather than male undead in WoW. This is largely just because I dislike the hair/face options for male undead.
              While my focus, like yours, is almost always directed outward, it’s still worthwhile to me to have an avatar I’d like to look at since the character model will be part of the visual landscape for the whole time I’m playing. This is the same reason interesting character designs can make or break JRPGs.

              • Guesticus
                Guesticus
                August 16, 2014, 12:58 am | # | Reply

                Same here, in EQ1 had a mix of male and female characters, mostly depended on the creation process (some characters came vaguely formed, at least name-wise), in EQ2 started with a female as a distant relative of one of the characters from EQ1 (2 other female characters were created the same way, even done to similar or related names, 4th one was simply because wanted a female ‘squad’, when deciding on playing on another server decided would make them males, and again, first 2 were connected to characters from EQ1, one was a time-lost spouse and the other a cousin), in DCUO the females just look better imo

            • Missing Number
              Missing Number
              August 15, 2014, 7:40 pm | # | Reply

              It may not mean much, but I have played as female characters in MMORPGs myself and given the above reason when pressed to explain (I am male). I said it because people accept that reason more readily than the real reason. The reason was I just wanted to pretend to be a female for a bit. For some reason, this reason struck most people as absurd, but was more acceptable for women I knew who played as males.

              I did get flirted with a few times. Only once did it bother me enough that I reported the guy. Usually, when I said I wasn’t interested, they left me alone. A good friend of mine actually played a MALE character who got WAY more flirting than I ever did! O_o

              My main experience was playing City of Heroes, but I also played Shin Megami Tensei Online and a few other more obscure ones.

              • MidnightDStroyer
                MidnightDStroyer
                August 16, 2014, 3:50 am | # | Reply

                Yeah, I play both genders in most of my games. For games that have multiple slots open for a roster of characters, I usually go with half of one gender & half the other. Mostly it’s for the same reason that Karishi said, up above; aesthetics.

                I don’t make a point of keeping my irl gender a secret, but I also don’t go shouting it out all over the game world either. Sometimes, if my female PC’s get flirted with or if someone asks me outright, I don’t lie about it. What surprised me most, at first, was how non-reactive other players are when I’ve told them.

    • Chantelune
      Chantelune
      August 15, 2014, 3:32 am | # | Reply

      Well, in my case, I never thought that Bandit could be any of the already introduced RL characters, so this just confirm I were right all along.

      And yeah, I’m actually more surprised that there is that many women playing that game and that so far, we only saw one case of non-matching gender. If this was in our world, I think that there would only be one or two female player involved in those we know. XD

      • Benedikt
        Benedikt
        August 15, 2014, 11:45 am | # | Reply

        The notion that females play MMORPGs much more rarely than men is wrong. I recommend looking up some statistics.

        • Wylf
          Wylf
          August 15, 2014, 1:16 pm | # | Reply

          Yeah, especially in MMOs it’s a solid 50/50 I’d say from personal experience. Hell, these four are *clearly* playing on a Roleplaying Server, which are usually full of female players.

  10. davesignal
    davesignal
    August 15, 2014, 1:39 am | # | Reply

    So wait, the rest of the Guildies are real people playing the game.. and they’ve never once broken character when speaking with the original 5 4? That seems sketchy.

    • Fiaryn
      Fiaryn
      August 15, 2014, 1:43 am | # | Reply

      There is an implausible amount of roleplaying that the setting expects us to believe goes on in Arkerra, yes.

      It’s more Dungeons and Dragons with mass participation than WoW, by all indications. See also: Xan’s reference to the five being at the center of “campaigns”. The organic nature of the world (the fact that Arkerra is a real world, rather) is presented as GM run storyline events, apparently.

      • Fiaryn
        Fiaryn
        August 15, 2014, 1:45 am | # | Reply

        Aaaand I have no idea how the writers are going to make that jive when Rachel/E-Merl/Whoever gets clued in to what the hell is going on. The “NPCs” are real people, and are naturally going to react like you’re a crazy person if you “break character”.

        I think the moral of the story is that this is one aspect of the story you can’t think too hard about.

    • LockeZ
      LockeZ
      August 15, 2014, 1:52 am | # | Reply

      What the players press buttons to make their characters do and say in the video game Kingdoms of Arkherra isn’t necessarily the same as what E-Merl, Bandit, Rachel and Scipio actually do in the world of Arkherra.

      • TBeckett
        TBeckett
        August 15, 2014, 3:40 pm | # | Reply

        Yeah, I think that’s probably the key here.

    • Mister Zipangu
      Mister Zipangu
      August 15, 2014, 1:58 am | # | Reply

      Back when the “program-ancy” was being techno-babbled at us, we were told that the four sort of spread their “real life-ness” to everyone around them in the game, making every event they participate in much more real. This included other characters.

      • Fiaryn
        Fiaryn
        August 15, 2014, 1:07 pm | # | Reply

        So the character and the player are quasi-distinct entities then. That’s certainly an interesting take, and makes me all the more unsure what to expect out of the players themselves.

    • The Indomitable Eric
      The Indomitable Eric
      August 15, 2014, 4:27 am | # | Reply

      Yeah, because the sketchiest thing about divine technomancy are the HOTKEYS.

    • Hiryu02
      Hiryu02
      August 15, 2014, 10:46 am | # | Reply

      Is it at all possible that the Guildies think the Originals (Frigg/Grave etc) are characters that are being played by GMs/Mods? It would make certain things more plausible to an outside player, like Frigg’s unique powers being the Mod just making their toon a bit more OP.

      • Hiryu02
        Hiryu02
        August 15, 2014, 10:50 am | # | Reply

        Furthermore, IRL players would be more inclined to believe that a GM or Mod would never break character while in game, seeing as how some GMs already speak to players in WoW as if they are in-character.

        • The Indomitable Eric
          The Indomitable Eric
          August 15, 2014, 11:26 am | # | Reply

          H.R. mentioned a while back that contact with the guildies was having effects of other players. Its quite possible that the other non-tube guildies are under magical influence.

    • Jason
      Jason
      August 15, 2014, 2:27 pm | # | Reply

      Two possibilities:
      1) It’s not even possible to break character. You can’t type whatever you want, you’re only given a list of options, like more classic games. Admittedly unlikely, now that I think about it.
      2) The other players break character all the time, but the Five never notice, because (a) the magic changes the PCs words/actions to fit their characters, or (b) the Five’s own minds choose to ignore the OOC stuff because it doesn’t fit into their Arkerran worldview.

      But from what H.R. has said, I’m still considering the possibility that:
      3) Arkerra is a REAL UNIVERSE, and the people on it are REAL PEOPLE. The “players” in Sepia World don’t have the complete control over the “characters” in Arkerra that they think they do. Either that control is a complete illusion, or it’s more complex, like a merger of minds.

      • Derp
        Derp
        August 15, 2014, 3:04 pm | # | Reply

        I figure mostly 3). The game could even advertise that your character is a REAL PERSON with their own backstory prior to the game, and independent life in it. You don’t “make” a character, you CHOOSE one and merely influence their future path, a la ex-nun-NPC becoming Rachel.

        Dialog could be a list of options, but I imagine it could also be a translation thing: you type, the game converts it into intent, and “your” character works it into whatever they’re feeling. So you’d say “hey guys gtg 2am here nite, ” and your character would mention he’s tired, and go take a nap on his own, possibly after independently wrapping up whatever he was doing. Essentially, they never break character because they ARE characters.

        Dunno about you, but I’d play the hell out of that.

      • Psolo Ghoti
        Psolo Ghoti
        August 15, 2014, 4:54 pm | # | Reply

        My view on Sepia World went from “No, this is horrible, a complete asspull, WTF do you mean it’s not real?!” during the Big Reveal to “Actually, the way this is handled is really interesting, and one of the comic’s defining strengths!” some chapters (and a months-long reading break) later. Even so, I still would be disappointed if it turns out in the end that Arkerra and its inhabitants aren’t real in-comic. I don’t want Byron’s traumatic childhood memories or Syr’Nj’s family conflicts to be some made-up fantasies that they suffer from without actually ever having experienced them. I don’t want Gravedust to stop guiding souls or Frigg to stop Frigging as soon as their Sepia World counterparts leave the tubes.

        So, yeah, I’m going with 3) as well.

  11. Karmakat
    Karmakat
    August 15, 2014, 1:42 am | # | Reply

    oh boy

    scipio is a woman? WOW eheh

    • FoolishOwl
      FoolishOwl
      August 15, 2014, 2:52 am | # | Reply

      Look at those teeth! Look at them!

      • Karmakat
        Karmakat
        August 15, 2014, 3:11 am | # | Reply

        hmmm plus leather jacket… dating the miss druid… could she be? LOVING THIS HEHE

        • mrk
          mrk
          August 15, 2014, 12:52 pm | # | Reply

          well done with that reference;)

  12. Locke
    Locke
    August 15, 2014, 1:50 am | # | Reply

    Oh god, he has a Chevy.

    RUN, XAN, RUN

    • cliffmonster
      cliffmonster
      August 15, 2014, 1:28 pm | # | Reply

      Don’t worry, they will have 6 free pages while JJ has to have the transmission replaced.

  13. Ganurath
    Ganurath
    August 15, 2014, 1:56 am | # | Reply

    Wait wait wait.

    Back during the mess in the Wood Elf lands, didn’t Plato Purpletie mention that the character that thwarted the theft (Bandit) was an NPC? What happened there?

    • Mister Zipangu
      Mister Zipangu
      August 15, 2014, 2:00 am | # | Reply

      The Bandit character type was a premium offer on flash sale right after the event? :P

    • Chaltab
      Chaltab
      August 15, 2014, 3:14 am | # | Reply

      Dedalus didn’t say Bandit was an NPC, he said she was a regular player and shouldn’t have had the same hightened in-game agency that those in the tubes do–shouldn’t have been able to discover the intruders.

      • ThatGuy
        ThatGuy
        August 15, 2014, 7:57 am | # | Reply

        yea, she’s probably one of the many people out there that are the type to use exploits or are determined to “go see hyjal” before its implemented and get a 1 week ban.

        Seems like something bandit would do.

      • Beroli
        Beroli
        August 15, 2014, 8:43 am | # | Reply

        “Non-imbedded” was the word he used.

    • Chantelune
      Chantelune
      August 15, 2014, 3:34 am | # | Reply

      “Bandit is a npc” was just yet another theory there, dismissed in comic as Chaltab said.

  14. Dave
    Dave
    August 15, 2014, 2:12 am | # | Reply

    I wonder if Scipio being a burly stoic gentle giant of a man who is played by a woman is some sort of counterpart to the guy who plays a scantily clad flirtatious female character. I.E. roleplaying as the kind of person you wish would show an interest in you in the real world.

    • Otaking
      Otaking
      August 15, 2014, 3:03 am | # | Reply

      Looking at that jacket and hairstyle…I don’t think so XD.

    • Corwin MacGregor
      Corwin MacGregor
      August 15, 2014, 3:11 am | # | Reply

      I’ve read some reports that some women play male characters simply to avoid the kind of attention that being a woman playing a female character attracts. That is, the /unsavory/, unwashed fanboi kind of attention.

      • Otaking
        Otaking
        August 15, 2014, 3:18 am | # | Reply

        My wife keeps wanting to do this when we MMO because she gets no end of attention IRL but I discourage it so I don’t feel funny giving her my unsavory unwashed fanboi attention in game.

        • Timelost
          Timelost
          August 15, 2014, 4:00 pm | # | Reply

          You could play female and let her play male.

      • Dave
        Dave
        August 15, 2014, 12:04 pm | # | Reply

        I used to know a couple women who did this, but also because they were tired of people insisting that they were lying about being female for some reason. “no girls on the internet” etc.

        • Samuel
          Samuel
          August 15, 2014, 2:01 pm | # | Reply

          This. I know plenty of women who play male characters in order to avoid lots of unwanted attention/dismissal of their identity or skills/horrible gendered harassment.

          • phyre
            phyre
            August 15, 2014, 3:27 pm | # | Reply

            I always play female characters and most people seem to assume I’m a guy anyway. o_O

  15. phyre
    phyre
    August 15, 2014, 4:53 am | # | Reply

    Bandit’s player looks like Xan’s sister, or possibly mom. Also, I’m not so sure Scipio’s player is female. S/he could just be a metrosexual, or possibly trans. And, as others have said, where the hell is Fry’nj?

    • Beroli
      Beroli
      August 15, 2014, 8:44 am | # | Reply

      Why do people keep calling Fr’nj Fry’nj?

      • Wylf
        Wylf
        August 15, 2014, 1:20 pm | # | Reply

        Because it is easier to pronounce for mortal tongues? :p

        • Beroli
          Beroli
          August 15, 2014, 1:39 pm | # | Reply

          It’s easier to pronounce Fry-inj than Fringe?

          Your mortal tongue is weird.

      • phyre
        phyre
        August 15, 2014, 3:24 pm | # | Reply

        In my case, because someone misspelled it like that in an earlier comment and I was too lazy to check whether they were right.

        • Kensou
          Kensou
          August 18, 2014, 12:37 am | # | Reply

          It was me. And it seems my mistake was virulent… @_@

    • Fiaryn
      Fiaryn
      August 15, 2014, 1:11 pm | # | Reply

      Given that Fr’nj is royalty and the sister of one of the embedded, I think she’s an honest to god NPC.

  16. Ivresse
    Ivresse
    August 15, 2014, 5:33 am | # | Reply

    Dunno why people are reacting so heavily to Scipio’s player being female. It’s not exactly a new concept, in Questionable Content, Marigold plays a male Tauren in World of Warcraft.

    • Kamino Neko
      Kamino Neko
      August 15, 2014, 6:37 am | # | Reply

      Agreed.

    • Acrox
      Acrox
      August 15, 2014, 6:44 am | # | Reply

      Nothing new, but something rarely mentioned.

      And I think it fits perfectly.

      Scipio character remains stoic both to (maybe) conceal any suspicion (from asshats who keep analyzing every word an mannerism, just check people who put everery single manly and girly action of TF2 Pyro on a scale to do a guess about s/he/it’s gender) and (most certainly) to not be that “look, I’m a GIRL and I PLAY GAMES. Yeah you heard that right. There are girls on the internets. LOOK AT ME”.

      And just a note on characters being color on sepia world… assuming everything related to Arkerra is magic from Sepia’s POV, reminds me of certain disciplines of VtM – Namely, an advanced Presence ability which made you so charming that even pictures and still images of you will inflict whatever charm and compulsion you can do if you were there in (dead, glittery) flesh.

      • Fiaryn
        Fiaryn
        August 15, 2014, 11:24 pm | # | Reply

        It might not even be as complicated as that. Or maybe “it might be more complicated than that” is more appropriate. As some people are dicussing above, there’s a non-zero possibility that Scipio is a person distinct from his player. IE, Arkerra is a real world and Scipio is a real person whom his player interfaces with, but only within a limited context.

        It’s probably the best theory that most neatly explains the complete lack of breaking character.

    • ThatGuy
      ThatGuy
      August 15, 2014, 7:54 am | # | Reply

      well it would seem to some sources that males play females more often than females play males.

      But naturally those sources could be scewed.

      but i think alot of it has to do with Scipio’s relationship, and that he’s a big fat antisocial buttface guy. She is roleplaying him very well indeed.

      • Wylf
        Wylf
        August 15, 2014, 8:32 pm | # | Reply

        From personal experience I’d say that it’s about the same amount of females-that-play-guys and guys-that-play-females, especially on RP Servers (which this clearly is, with the whole roleplaying aspect and all ;P). Nearly every single woman I met in my WoW RP days played a male character either occasionally or as her main.

        Funnily enough a lot of these guys were played as bisexual or even gay, so the whole “male roleplayers play lesbians” stereotype doesn’t seem to be all that male-exclusive :D

  17. RANDOM WHATEVER
    RANDOM WHATEVER
    August 15, 2014, 5:54 am | # | Reply

    Hmmmmmm. Does the Camaro transform into a robot?

    • Guesticus
      Guesticus
      August 16, 2014, 1:07 am | # | Reply

      Hope not, absolutely loathed that more than any other loath-able thing about the movies, specially what they did to the beetle in the caryard: why bring in a lovable character like Bumblebee, and then actively piss all over his legacy? If the sponsors insisted on having one of their cars as a ‘main character’ they could have made up one, like they did with those twin car things in the second movie

  18. Random_Idiot
    Random_Idiot
    August 15, 2014, 6:44 am | # | Reply

    This exposition throws the “Ask An Adventurer” strips into a whole new light

    • CoridimusPrime
      CoridimusPrime
      August 15, 2014, 7:02 am | # | Reply

      Curiously appropriate avatar.

      • Random_Idiot
        Random_Idiot
        August 15, 2014, 10:12 pm | # | Reply

        Any avatar’s appropriate with this username, really

    • LockeZ
      LockeZ
      August 15, 2014, 4:00 pm | # | Reply

      Not necessarily.

      Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

      • Random_Idiot
        Random_Idiot
        August 15, 2014, 10:11 pm | # | Reply

        Not when it’s a mind-controlling cigar!

        Now I’m wondering what in the world the Cultists could be – hackers who have managed to get into the very code of Arkerra? A Matrix-like ‘necessary problem’ that inevitably develops in the program due to the nature of the game? UGH. Too many questions.

  19. Ariadne
    Ariadne
    August 15, 2014, 7:30 am | # | Reply

    I think it’s interesting that so many people are reacting so strongly to Scipio being played by a female ISW (In Sepia World), although I agree that it’s pretty fun and different to have someone who looks so outgoing playing a stoic. I’m a female gamer, and only half my toons are female. Of the people I game with, loads of the men play female characters. I’m more surprised that not one of the female characters are played by a guy ISW.

    Yes, sometimes I play male toons because I like the character design better, but I also do it to avoid negative attention. I have frequently gotten into random dungeons and raids and told them my mic was broken in order to avoid the ten minute “OMFG ur a gurl!1!11!! How old r u!?” conversations. Pretty sad that my talent goes out the window for them the moment I speak out loud.

    • Np
      Np
      August 15, 2014, 7:45 pm | # | Reply

      Well, I wouldn’t think less of your skills because you are a woman. My girlfriend kicks my ass in PvP. She is also playing both sexes, mostly 50-50. I play girls mostly, about 70-30. (Men are usually badly designed or just straight hideous.)

      Also… whenever I stay in char, I get immersed a lot better than her. Why not? I am still a man, I am not one with my char. I lead her on in a story I watch, while immersed. (My mic is usually “broken” too. It would ruin my immersion to speak to a mic, hearing my voice instead of the chars voice. I wouldn’t be able to imagine his/her voice in my head…)

  20. ThatGuy
    ThatGuy
    August 15, 2014, 7:52 am | # | Reply

    I think you can see how it goes easily.

    The 4 heroes are fully immersed in the game, so their avatars greatly resemble themselves. They probably started fully immersed from the get go and so just end up in avatars closest to their visual look.

    The other players can pick and choose though.

    and each one makes a kind of sense. Bandit is probably one of those “go get em” office persons. She’d much rather relax naturally but has recently gotten into the flow, yet freedom of middle management. So like me, when things are going crazy in game, she’s got a knack for taking on a leadership role in a pinch…even if she’d just rather be a unimportant mook in the office.

    E-merl looks like on of those guys who take care of himself (neatly trimmed hair and goatee, as well as collared shirt). We know he’s a people person yet bad that the whole relationship thing. So i imagine him as one of those guys who is real fun to be around within his social group, DMing, talking grammar, knows what coffee shop to go to to get the best Chocolate truffles (with Jasmine).

    Rachael seems like the “Had a career, kicked its ass, now going to sit at home and write” type….if not having been a writer for most of her life. Point being i think while the other three use the game as entertainment, while she uses it as an escape. Hence despite being a middle aged woman she is playing a hardcore Obsessed with Lore (a lot of the other characters, the nature of the world doesnt matter to their personality, and would explain her telling frigg in game how to use her powers) super “into it” with Roleplay, relationships, and intensity. She is probably latching onto the “young girl” she once was knowing that there is little risk of being so (some would say) Naive in a fictional world.

    Scipio seems the type to be one of those Ironic characters. She probably has lots of energy and so went out of her way to challenge herself picking a strong character and playing the part. I bet alot of Scipio’s silence is her thinking “In what way would the antisocial badass i’m roleplaying as convey his indifference. Should he just star at them, or walk away…”

    I wouldnt be surprised if the fact that the game apparently has advanced programming that allows your characters to “have a life” while you are logged off based on your decisions in game is a big selling point of the game.

    • Aurora Moon
      Aurora Moon
      August 15, 2014, 10:42 am | # | Reply

      I like your theory.

  21. Psyrin
    Psyrin
    August 15, 2014, 10:01 am | # | Reply

    Has anyone suggested that Best may have died in game because H.R. killed him out of game trying to take him off life support? His “consciousness”, meaning Best, was sucked into a vortex possibly back into sepia world.

    • Psyrin
      Psyrin
      August 15, 2014, 10:14 am | # | Reply

      Best did seem higher level and just a bit more badass. I’m wondering if he was the original “beta tester” and was in the game before our “four” showed up. So when it was time to take them out it would have made sence to take Best out first since he would have been “in” the longest.

      • Benedikt
        Benedikt
        August 15, 2014, 11:53 am | # | Reply

        Not sure about the rest of your theory, but the original five – including Best – started the same day. This was mentioned only one or two pages ago.

        • Syddin
          Syddin
          August 15, 2014, 1:03 pm | # | Reply

          I know it seems like Xan is Penk, but my favorite theory is that Best is Penk. Best disappears in chapter 11 and Penk first shows up in chapter 16. And that hair!

          • LockeZ
            LockeZ
            August 16, 2014, 12:50 am | # | Reply

            Best is dead.

            The player is probably brain-dead.

  22. Anom E. Nos
    Anom E. Nos
    August 15, 2014, 11:07 am | # | Reply

    Why does no-one break character? I assumed everyone was an NPC or in a matrix coma. Could the reason none of them break character be because something stops them? Are they losing themselves in the game? Are they being controlled so even they don’t know it’s a game? How can to Player characters be siblings

  23. Karishi
    Karishi
    August 15, 2014, 11:12 am | # | Reply

    I admit, the last panel all I can hear is Coulton’s “The ‘Stache”

  24. MisterVec
    MisterVec
    August 15, 2014, 1:43 pm | # | Reply

    Bandit’s player looks so familiar. I can’t place her, though. It’s really bugging me.

    • guest
      guest
      August 15, 2014, 1:53 pm | # | Reply

      Just like Xan and Shanna, they’re probably all alternate universe versions of the writer and artist’s other characters.

    • Aydr
      Aydr
      August 16, 2014, 3:21 pm | # | Reply

      Seriously. I can’t place her, but I’m sure I’ve seen her before. I feel like it was actually in Guilded Age, too.

  25. TBeckett
    TBeckett
    August 15, 2014, 3:41 pm | # | Reply

    And the comments section explodes!! :D

    • Cubanpep
      Cubanpep
      August 16, 2014, 7:54 am | # | Reply

      Was thinking the same thing! This is a very good episode… meaning that there are something significant new plot reveals going on that have basically expanded the entire scope of the story. If this particular comic doesn’t excite you about where this is going… not sure what will.

  26. Psolo Ghoti
    Psolo Ghoti
    August 15, 2014, 4:29 pm | # | Reply

    My reactions to the players:

    Bandit: Huh. *shrug*
    E-Merl: Oh, yeah, he’s playing himself, except how he’d like himself to be, not how he actually is.
    Rachel: Hmm. Older. She’s definitely the one I’m the most interested in finding out more about.
    Scipio: Heheh. Oh, Scipio, you fancy bastard. Except the other way around. ^_^

  27. Guesticus
    Guesticus
    August 16, 2014, 1:13 am | # | Reply

    Okay, Xan isn’t being such a prat now (but still allowed to not like him, right?)

  28. Dolash
    Dolash
    August 16, 2014, 7:29 am | # | Reply

    Does it seem strange to anyone else that out of a random draw of nine MMO players, none of them look to be teenagers or children?

    • Benedikt
      Benedikt
      August 16, 2014, 8:09 am | # | Reply

      This is by no means a random draw. Quite the opposite.

      • Guesticus
        Guesticus
        August 16, 2014, 10:02 pm | # | Reply

        Agrecian: the Fragged Five were selectively picked, and the 4 sub-group members are ‘social media friends’, possibly selected by a program through similar interests (to make it seem like the F5 aren’t incubated in a giant test tube)

  29. RANDOM WHATEVER
    RANDOM WHATEVER
    August 16, 2014, 12:10 pm | # | Reply

    I just watched “Oz, the Great and Powerful” Which starts out in black and white and turns color. Everything on Xan’s screen is monochrome until he starts looking at thumbs of the Arkerra crew. Which I didn’t even notice until after I watched that stupid Disney movie on DVD. In sepia world, color means magic. (Small “m” not the Gathering.”) Does that mean that all the real life players are seeing a display on their screens magically when they play. This is some deep shit. Along the same lines, Is that frigging greenie with the speeder from Cyberia mono chrome? I mean like pre VGA green?

  30. Dr. Shiny
    Dr. Shiny
    February 7, 2015, 4:01 pm | # | Reply

    At first I was shocked by Bandit not being HR, but then I realized that if the CEO and mastermind behind the whole game had a character that he played quite often, he wouldn’t advertise that. He is fully capable of covering it up to remain anonymous. And besides, deep down, he really just wants to be a clever, scheming, lovable gnome thief girl that’s seeking acceptance. Headcanon until the bitter end, yo.

  31. Observer
    Observer
    March 16, 2015, 2:16 am | # | Reply

    Hmmm, so none of the “past” people comments are talking about how the nice reporter lady told the last guy to happily lead any big bads who showed up directly to this hacker? I would think that after she finds out he actually knows stuff and is opposed to the conspiracy that she better cough up the fact that he needs to boogie the heck out of there. The crazy part is if she had decided NOT to come there the guy would have been at risk anyway and also would have no chance of a warning.

    Hope all his best gear can be thrown in a car real quick and the rest have programs to wipe themselves thoroughly.

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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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