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Alice goes on quest to send them home

Gavia and Ardent panic and cause mayhem (again)

Jack's back

Ardent regrows his Tail

Gavia challenges Alice - and gets her ass handed to her again

Everybody carries a Pokin' Stick

Miss Wheelwright strikes back

The 'Vacation' becomes permanant

Blue Monkeyboy Waiter

[Kugai]

Another Month upon us.

[Zebediah]

Hm... If the vacation does indeed become permanent, then "Blue Monkeyboy Waiter" is plausible. Ardent's going to need to make money somehow, and I don't see him having a lot of marketable skills.

[jwhouk]

Gavia can always blow stuff up.  Unless, of course, that talent is cancelled by her nanotech getting smooshed by Alice.

[BenRG]

If multiple votes were allowed, I'd vote for both Alice going on a Quest and the Vicissitudes (accidentally) causing chaos. However, two panicking super-children is  the most likely content of the next chapter. Alice's quest will follow later on once she's sure Jack and Maggie Wheelright have their... er... 'guests' nailed down to reasonable behaviour.

[Kugai]

Ask and ye shall receive BenRG, there are now TWO Voting Options available.


And to be fair to everyone else, I've reset the Vote Count to zero so you may all Revote.

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

Hm. Any possibility that Chapter Two might be a cutaway to the outer world, showing just what the hell's up with the Praesides?

[SubaruStephen]

Ask and ye shall receive BenRG, there are now TWO Voting Options available.


And to be fair to everyone else, I've reset the Vote Count to zero so you may all Revote.

Dangit!

Should've read that first, THEN voted.

[NilsO]

Here are some of my impressions after reading Chapter One:

• Alice's "grove" (for lack of a better word) seems to lack basic civil administration. There is a doc, probably providing basic health care, but no signs of a mayor or police force (I guess the explosion would have triggered some action if they existed).
• Alice seems to assume the role as witch, mayor, judge, adviser, or police force whenever necessary. She is treated with respect, people seem to be in awe of her.
• This tells me the grove is not part of a bigger society, but a relatively happy, isolated, self-sufficient, and possibly quite primitive community of a few hundred people maximum.
• Also, Alice is not part of that society. She knows things others are not aware of, and has strange powers. The best analogy I can think of, is that she is some kind of foreign aid worker or caretaker, charged with governing this place and keeping the inhabitants happy.
• So, what is the bigger context? Is the grove some kind of preserve or museum? The outside world may use it as a kind of social experiment, or just for their own entertainment, but are prohibited from interfering with it (except for Alice, of course).
• The outside world seems to be run by the Praeses, which seem to be a collection of AIs. The AI known as Cupressaceae seems to be Gavia and Ardent's superior, mentor, or possibly (rebellious) slave.
• Ardent and Gavia seem to be utterly spoiled brats, possibly from always getting what they want. Cupressaceae might want to improve their behavior, by forcing primitive life upon them for a while.
• As the grove is not used to visitors, this is probably not a common punishment (or there may be other groves also set up for this purpose).

[Isyrion]

Here are some of my impressions after reading Chapter One:

• Alice's "grove" (for lack of a better word) seems to lack basic civil administration. There is a doc, probably providing basic health care, but no signs of a mayor or police force (I guess the explosion would have triggered some action if they existed).
• Alice seems to assume the role as witch, mayor, judge, adviser, or police force whenever necessary. She is treated with respect, people seem to be in awe of her.
• This tells me the grove is not part of a bigger society, but a relatively happy, isolated, self-sufficient, and possibly quite primitive community of a few hundred people maximum.
• Also, Alice is not part of that society. She knows things others are not aware of, and has strange powers. The best analogy I can think of, is that she is some kind of foreign aid worker or caretaker, charged with governing this place and keeping the inhabitants happy.
• So, what is the bigger context? Is the grove some kind of preserve or museum? The outside world may use it as a kind of social experiment, or just for their own entertainment, but are prohibited from interfering with it (except for Alice, of course).
• The outside world seems to be run by the Praeses, which seem to be a collection of AIs. The AI known as Cupressaceae seems to be Gavia and Ardent's superior, mentor, or possibly (rebellious) slave.
• Ardent and Gavia seem to be utterly spoiled brats, possibly from always getting what they want. Cupressaceae might want to improve their behavior, by forcing primitive life upon them for a while.
• As the grove is not used to visitors, this is probably not a common punishment (or there may be other groves also set up for this purpose).

Good Analysis, I personally think Alice is one of Ardent's and Gaiva's people (or at least affiliated with them in someway).  Would explain what she knows so much about them and why the townspeople would hold her in high regards.

[Wildroses]

Hm. Any possibility that Chapter Two might be a cutaway to the outer world, showing just what the hell's up with the Praesides?

I don't think so myself. Jeph has gone to a lot of trouble to invest readers in this story by giving them lots of unanswered questions about Praesides, and it strikes me as too early in the story to start giving us answers. Mysteries can't be resolved too soon or it ruins the effect of having them in the first place. Also, the fact this story is named after Alice indicates to me that it is highly unlikely we will ever be very far away from her and she is currently nowhere near a Praesides.

I predict chapter two is going to be based around gags of Ardent and Gavia experiencing culture shock as they adjust to the fact they are trapped on a primitive world. Gavia looks like she's about to have a full on freak out and after her explosion display I think she's going to find herself a deeply unpopular person in the village, and Ardent clearly has no idea how their society works as he is only familiar with the concept of an economy based around money in theory and was shocked it is appropriate for women to respond with physical violence to being propositioned.

I could be wrong though. For all I know, Alice has ways of communicating and gathering information from the places outside her home that she is about to start using.

[TinPenguin]

My expectation/hope is that chapter two will start with us discovering just what the hell Jack has been doing all this time.

[BenRG]

My expectation/hope is that chapter two will start with us discovering just what the hell Jack has been doing all this time.

"Miz Alice? I got the towels and hot water you asked for!"

"Good. Gavia, whilst you're stuck here, your first lesson is to wash down my dirty dishware."

"WHAAAT?

"Ardent, you can dry afterwards."

"WHAAAT?"

[Zebediah]

And Alice is grinning her creepiest grin while she says the above. She's enjoying this part.

[ysth]

Withdrawal symptoms starting to set in.

[Channelore HellicottAtham]

Argghhhh puhleeeeese update today!!11!

Still I must say adding the structure of chapters is a nice idea.. just without the break would be best! 

[Dark Matter]

My expectation/hope is that chapter two will start with us discovering just what the hell Jack has been doing all this time.

"Miz Alice? I got the towels and hot water you asked for!"

"Good. Gavia, whilst you're stuck here, your first lesson is to wash down my dirty dishware."

"WHAAAT?

"Ardent, you can dry afterwards."

"WHAAAT?"

This turned out to be a surprisingly prescient prediction (minus the part about Jack).

[Kugai]

Bet that this has been the first 'Real' work those two have done.

And nice to see Ardent got his tail back. 

[pwhodges]

It's been "weeks", but that's still pretty quick to regrow a full-length tail, I'd say.

[BenRG]

It's been "weeks", but that's still pretty quick to regrow a full-length tail, I'd say.

That's the wonders of nanotech, I guess! Ardent's nanobots have probably been working overtime to turn every bit of excess nutrient he consumes into a new tail. He's probably been 'overeating' by baseline human standards but something tells me that Alice knows how the technology well enough not to mind.

Notice that Gavia is flying and telekinetically manipulating the pail. I think that she has decided that she is not going to touch the dirt (yuck!) or get her hands dirty with these 'primitive' chores and implements (yuck!). I have the feeling that Ardent is going to throw himself into the local culture feet first (if he and Jack don't end up as BFFs, I'll be surprised). I'm also betting he'll unintentionally cause a lot of trouble along the way! Gavia, on the other hand, will probably have to be dragged kicking and screaming into socialising with the 'primitives' or having anything beyond the bare minimum to do with this world where she's stuck for the moment. Whilst Ardent is happily wearing what I suspect is a shirt Jack leant to him, Gavia is still wearing her futuristic space-robes. Wearing the disgusting bio-product apparel of the Preserve is another thing that she will only do under threat of immediate harm.

Something tells me that Alice would consider dragging Gavia kicking and screaming to do something or forcing to do something to fit in a personal pleasure. I'm waiting for the first time we see poor Gavia stuffed into one of those 19th Century dresses to attend the Town Fayre or something.

[TinPenguin]

It's been "weeks", but that's still pretty quick to regrow a full-length tail, I'd say.

"Regeneration is not an instant process," study co-author Elizabeth Hutchins, a graduate student at the university, said in a written statement. "It takes lizards more than 60 days to regenerate a functional tail."

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105004

That is over eight weeks, and Ardent is significantly bigger than a lizard. But most lizards don't have nanotech and rich resources of handwavium.

[Isyrion]

Bet that this has been the first 'Real' work those two have done.

And nice to see Ardent got his tail back. 

Also nice that Ardent found some clothes as well lol

[BenRG]

Also nice that Ardent found some clothes as well lol

I'm wondering if Jack lent him those clothes. I have a bad feeling that Ardent will 'corrupt' Jack and Jack, in turn, will 'corrupt' Ardent.

[explicit]

Yeah, blue nipples make me feel weird.

[Thrudd]

Yeah, blue nipples make me feel weird.

I think that is a sign of the onset of hypothermia.

[pwhodges]

Well, it depends rather whether they are your nipples or someone else's.

[ysth]

Ferdinand to Alice's Miranda?

[FayeDouble]

Cool, he regrew his tail.

[cesium133]

It was taped back on. Duct tape: it's useful for everything.

[ysth]

Cute lil plant guy has teeth?

[cesium133]

The best plants eat animals.

[Neko_Ali]

We'll call him Audry III.

[Fig]

Feed me, Seymour!

[explicit]

Is that thing from Mario?

[Kugai]

The Yin and Yang of their High Tech world.

[osaka]

Gavia seems like the type of person to buy extra lives on Candy Crush Saga.

[BenRG]

The Yin and Yang of their High Tech world.

Not quite; Ardent just doesn't use it constantly. This plays into my idea that the Praesedes want the Vicissitudes to learn how to live low-tech and in a less self-centered society.

Yeah, that's a carnivorous plant alright. I'm wondering wondering if removing 'alien invaders' like that is part of her job as Caretaker? Will Audrey III be replanted or thrown into the fire? If it's the latter, then Ardent and Gavia are lucky to be alive!

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

So Ardent's a biohacker and Gavia prefers technology indistinguishable from magic. I get the feeling that, in their society, for however many people (n) you gather, you'll find n# of philosophies regarding how they use their technology.

[Schmee]

So Ardent's a biohacker and Gavia prefers technology indistinguishable from magic. I get the feeling that, in their society, for however many people (n) you gather, you'll find n# of philosophies regarding how they use their technology.

More like n².

[KevxD]

So they're humans... huh.

[BenRG]

So they're humans... huh.

Humans from such a technologically advanced society that total body modification or the casual use of technologically-provided superpowers are considered mundane and day-to-day things.

[bhtooefr]

I think we just got Alice's philosophy on all of this too.

Gavia can float. Jack saw Alice "flying" when she fell from the wind turbine, and survived.

I think Alice can use nanotech, but it's a "only in cases of dire emergency" thing.

[osaka]

I think we just got Alice's philosophy on all of this too.

Gavia can float. Jack saw Alice "flying" when she fell from the wind turbine, and survived.

I think Alice can use nanotech, but it's a "only in cases of dire emergency" thing.

Gavia seems like the type of person to buy extra lives on Candy Crush Saga.

So to use a similar analogy, Alice is the kind of person that looks for a guide when she gets stuck?

(Ardent would be the dude that buys those 20$ skins in League of Legends)

[NilsO]

Is that thing from Mario?

Yes, it is a potted piranha plant. Probably very dangerous. Apparently, genetic engineering has progressed to a level where they can create plants from fiction.

[KevxD]

I think the over-reaching arc of the comic is going to revolve around the introduction of nanotech to the society Alice lives in.

Alice is clearly trying to prevent such an introduction. I'm assuming she has nanotech herself ('flying', being referred to as  a witch by the locals) and that is why she lives a bit out from the town. She's made it obvious she doesn't want Ardent and Gavia mixing with the townspeople, referring to them as "simple people with simple lives". I get the impression she isn't all that sold on nanotech, even if she uses it herself when necessary. She certainly thinks the town would be better off without it.

The question is, is this the plan of the Praeses in tricking Ardent and Gavia into being trapped wherever it is the comic is based? To introduce nantoech to a simple townspeople? And is it for benevolent or malicious reasons?

[Neko_Ali]

I think we just got Alice's philosophy on all of this too.

Gavia can float. Jack saw Alice "flying" when she fell from the wind turbine, and survived.

I think Alice can use nanotech, but it's a "only in cases of dire emergency" thing.

Gavia seems like the type of person to buy extra lives on Candy Crush Saga.

So to use a similar analogy, Alice is the kind of person that looks for a guide when she gets stuck?

(Ardent would be the dude that buys those 20$ skins in League of Legends)

Hey! Don't judge me.. DJ Sona is cool....

[DSL]

"I reject everything about your modern civilization! Except for the parts I like."

[sitnspin]

It's entirely possible that Alice's nanotech is fully integrated into her system and that she couldn't be rid of it if she wanted.

[osaka]

I think we just got Alice's philosophy on all of this too.

Gavia can float. Jack saw Alice "flying" when she fell from the wind turbine, and survived.

I think Alice can use nanotech, but it's a "only in cases of dire emergency" thing.

Gavia seems like the type of person to buy extra lives on Candy Crush Saga.

So to use a similar analogy, Alice is the kind of person that looks for a guide when she gets stuck?

(Ardent would be the dude that buys those 20$ skins in League of Legends)

Hey! Don't judge me.. DJ Sona is cool....

I head she has some funky meta stuff, like being capable of changing songs and having your teammates listen to your beat. I know some actual DJs have looked at it if only for the novelty xD

[eschaton]

Okay, the last comic made a lot of things clear to me.  Mainly because Gavia referred to human history.  That implies that she and Ardent are in fact human, even if they live in space, not aliens at all.

I think we're looking at a classic sort of post-singularity/post-human world here.  AI has advanced so much that they're basically indistinguishable from gods to normal folks.  Present day high technology is indistinguishable from magic.  Humans can alter their DNA at a whim.  Most humans may have downloaded into machines at this point, which might explain why the Earth seems (so far) to be empty.  Alternately Alice's "grove" might just be a tucked away refuge for baseline humans. 

[jwhouk]

So Ardent's a biohacker and Gavia prefers technology indistinguishable from magic. I get the feeling that, in their society, for however many people (n) you gather, you'll find n# of philosophies regarding how they use their technology.

More like n².

I would hypothesize that it's more n^x.