Latest Page Discussions/Comic Update Chitchat

[Vulpes]

Roísín, it does leave one wondering. As do many things...

JoB, those are hilarious examples. Again, it leaves me scratching my head, wondering at the things that apparently can be seen as a "good" idea by someone, somewhere.

[JoB]

JoB, Ngl I was really confused for a bit and was about o give up, but then I realized you were talking about “quoting” your post.

Ooooooooooops, sorry. I must've slipped to Thunderbird-ish for a moment there ...

May I share this fine power with the rest of the Jedi cult?

I don't have the slightest idea what the Jedi equivalent of an exorcism looks like, but if you're dead set to finding out ...

Again, it leaves me scratching my head, wondering at the things that apparently can be seen as a "good" idea by someone, somewhere.

I don't think that those specific cases ever made it to the level of a thought with the developers until the bug reports started to flow back in, much less saw an evaluation that could've led to anything like "yup, wanna" ...

(Nonetheless, I assume that running the new version on some text corpus or even e-mail archives and reviewing the matches returned could have revealed such possibilities beforehand. It'd take time, though ...)

[sudden mental picture of what would happen if a net-nanny developer dpt. were to use its product themselves]
"As a native speaker of Mumbo, I would suggest to unlist 'w***a' and keep only the first person singular futur of it, 'w***ayi', blocked."

[thorny]

I have had a thought, which I keep thinking of, which of course is no indicator of its accuracy.

And the thought is this: yes, that's Grandma (something about the hands brings on this thought); and Grandma is Surma. The kade (who's probably the non-Surma figure we saw killing birds) managed to turn her into a troll, despite immunity. She was a powerful mage, and a very strong woman; she made a very strong and very nasty troll.

But she was a powerful mage, and a very strong woman; so there's still some Ensi in there. She ran off to, and stayed in, the wilderness, so that she wouldn't kill humans, at least. And she's not going to kill Lalli or Onni, either -- she may actually be hunting the trolls which threaten them.

[Grade E cat]

On one hand, this is too convoluted by my own abritrary standards. On the other, I'm too much of a forgiving optimist at heart to not be onboard with the "monster assumed to be a big danger was protecting the protagonists all along" twist. And come to think of it, that could work even if it's not Ensi. Maybe Surma is actually attracted by gunshots because its instincts are less "FoOd",  and more "SoMeOnE nEeDs HeLp". But the help takes a form that gives people the wrong idea and makes them assume they'll be next if they don't scatter away while it's taking care of the trolls that were attacking them.

[thegreyarea]

On one hand, this is too convoluted by my own abritrary standards. On the other, I'm too much of a forgiving optimist at heart to not be onboard with the "monster assumed to be a big danger was protecting the protagonists all along" twist. And come to think of it, that could work even if it's not Ensi. Maybe Surma isn't attracted by gunshots because its instincts are less "FoOd",  and more "SoMeOnE nEeDs HeLp". But the help takes a form that gives people the wrong idea and makes them assume they'll be next if they don't scatter away while it's taking care of the trolls that were attacking them.

Interesting theory. I don't think, however, that it's going this way. I believe that all points (particularly the info pages about Kades) to Ensi being ensnared by the Kade and somehow part of its internal "community". And I also believe (but that's the writer in me) that the upcoming epic boss fight with the Kade will be somehow played in the dreamworld... Inside the Kade's dreamworld, to be more precise.
Anyway, if "monster assumed to be a big danger was protecting the protagonists all along" theory was Minna's chosen one then we could expect Surma unexpectedly dropping in the fight to protect them from the Kade (maybe buying them some precious time?). it would be a nice twist.

[wavewright62]

Surma: We have got to stop meeting like this.  Seriously.  They're mine.
Kade!Ensi: You said that about the last seven.  Now stop flirting.  They're mine!
S: Mine!
E: Mine!
Gulls suddenly converging: MINE! MINE!
E: NOW look what you've done!  YOUR turn to deal with their master!
S: perkele

[Grade E cat]

Just thought of the fact that neither Ensi nor Anne-Mari's graves were shown in the graveyard, and that we have only gotten an in-story explanation for the absence of Ensi's. And that Anne-Mari was definitely not immune. 

[thegreyarea]

Just thought of the fact that neither Ensi nor Anne-Mari's graves were shown in the graveyard, and that we have only gotten an in-story explanation for the absence of Ensi's. And that Anne-Mari was definitely not immune. 

Oh, so we could have a scene with Onni trapped between Surma and a chasm, where "she" invites him to join the dark side and adds "Onni, I'm your mother" ?

I'm sure the Emperor Kade would approve... "Everything That Has Transpired Has Done So According To My Design."   

[Vulpes]

Just thought of the fact that neither Ensi nor Anne-Mari's graves were shown in the graveyard, and that we have only gotten an in-story explanation for the absence of Ensi's. And that Anne-Mari was definitely not immune. 

Wasn't that discussed somewhere (forum or comments), and somebody pointed out that maybe her stone simply wasn't shown? Not to say that's not a suitably spooky idea, just that the stone not being visible may have been a matter of page composition, not foreshadowing. But what a plot twist that would be...

[wavewright62]

I think I was the one to point out Anne-Mari's stone's absence, but really haven't speculated much about it since.  It certainly would be spooky if she were It, as perhaps a tool forged for use by the kade. 

[Grade E cat]

I currently subscribe to "It" being what Onni calls the Kade, while Surma would be a different entity, possibly mutated from Anne-Mari.

[Vulpes]

I currently subscribe to "It" being what Onni calls the Kade, while Surma would be a different entity, possibly mutated from Anne-Mari.

Oooh, now I get what you're saying. Interesting! It never occurred to me to connect Surma with the Hotakainens, I figured it was yet another scary monster, that's all. But whatever it's origins, I do wonder why it's so darn touchy. The nature of each troll seems to be connected to its former life. Who was this scary creature?

[thegreyarea]

Oooh, now I get what you're saying. Interesting! It never occurred to me to connect Surma with the Hotakainens, I figured it was yet another scary monster, that's all. But whatever it's origins, I do wonder why it's so darn touchy. The nature of each troll seems to be connected to its former life. Who was this scary creature?

A librarian?

(They usually get very touchy with noises...)

If we find out that its lair is on the former Joensuu library we will have an answer.

[Vulpes]

A librarian?

(They usually get very touchy with noises...)

If we find out that its lair is on the former Joensuu library we will have an answer.

Haha, brilliant suggestion!  :'D

[Jitter]

All of this got me thinking - back where Kade!Hilja tricked Ensi, we speculated a lot whether Ensi could be so strong as to be able to resist the Kade at least partially. Sooo... what if Surma is what's left of Ensi, and It is the Kade, hunting for Onni and Lalli to use them as weapons / bait / bargaining chips to finally get Ensi fully into itself.

On the other hand, as Ensi was immune, she shouldn't have physically trollified like that, especially if not integrated into the Kade. Surma notwithstanding, maybe there still is an inkling of hope something of Ensi survives within the Kade?