OOTS #635 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Varkarrus]

You wouldn't beleive my suprise. I just checked to read 634 again, and after rereading it, 635 popped up! Whopee!

Wow. Var became evil. :p

[Nevitan]

I don't care about the whole gender thing, Evil V is Hawt :smallbiggrin:.

Also... I can't wait to see even one of hir spells in action.

[Saint Nil]

The chorus made me laugh the hardest, not to mention the Raistlin joke. I love you Giant!:smallbiggrin:

[Erutaron]

Wow... just Awesome...

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Vampire V? :smalleek:

[Porthos]

Ah, boop. This ain't gonna be good. :smalleek:

[Lupy]

That was the best comic since the Raistlin jokes began! :smallbiggrin: And I loved the choir.

Course I read it three times before getting over the whole "ZOMGZ!" thing going on in my head.

[dragongirl13]

OHMIGOSHAWESOMEEVILSUPER-V!

That is so frikkin AWESOME!

I think I'm suffering from the giddiness often experienced by people who have just witnessed something purely awesome.

V's pink and black speech bubbles RULE!

I wonder what hir mate will think of this tho...

[Llama231]

O.O

This is going to get messy...

[Vince3]

In a word: YIKES!

[ArlEammon]

I loved the castration joke. "We snip e'm fresh every morning"

[Darc Discordia]

Evil-V has officially the coolest clothing of any character in anything ever.

[Calmness]

Nice comic title.
:smallbiggrin:

[Demus]

Oh crap! V's gone to the dark side! This *does not* bode well for anyone.

[Rodrick_the_Red]

WOW, Love the evil V!

Still laughing over the fake latin!

[Saint Nil]

On another note, V is now obvious CE. Look
LE Conjurer Conquerer-No hair
NE Necromancer-Short Hair
CE Sorcerer-Long Hair
V-Long Hair!

Behold my unrefutable logic!:smalltongue:

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Wow, epic V in all meanings of the word AND pedophile castration jokes. Bravo!

[Destichado]

The power... THE POWER!

iiiity bitty living space. :smallbiggrin:

[Mando Knight]

:smalleek: Oh. Shoot. Ominous. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OneWingedAngel) Definitely Ominous. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OminousLatinChanting)

Scary and awesome-tastic Lampshade-hanging at the same time. You truly are amazing, Giant!

[Zelthax]

HOLY-

This is a very, very epic scene.

[Jokasti]

A masterpiece. Awesome jokes, I actually lol'ed. Evil V is truly.... evil. Can't wait to see how this plays out. Keep us on our toes!

[ref]

And the downfall is complete. V has finished digging her tomb. Now for the jump in.

[Aethir]

V is looking insanely awesome. Can't wait to see where this goes next!

[rosebud]

So, how would this affect V's alignment after the meld? (Dare I ask such a question?)

[SteveMB]

Oh, dear.

I don't think V is exactly "the one in control" even if s/he keeps the other three leashed. :smalleek:

[Dracons]

So true about the faux singers...

[TheSummoner]

I like evil V ^_^

Bunkus! Nonsuch! Jibberos! Gobblygoos!
Bunkus! Nonsuch! Jibberos! Gobblygoos!

[Saint Nil]

So, how would this affect V's alignment after the meld? (Dare I ask such a question?)

Read earlier post. But in al seriousness, V used to be rather N, so mixing LE, NE< and CE togther with that will probably pop out NE.

[rgrekejin]

Warning: side effects of ultimate arcane power may include looking totally badass.

That, and pointy teeth.

[Collin152]

And now to inadvertantly kill hizer familial relations in the process of wreaking a horrible vengeance on an overgrown lizard.
Course, if it casts antimagic field again...

[Lira]

Woah. :smalleek:

I'm in a state of shock at the moment.

EDIT: Ok, now that I've recovered enough to be able to string some proper sentences together:
Wow. I love V's new appearance, I'm not ashamed to admit that I think V looks totally hot like that. :P I reaaaally hope V keeps the long hair and maybe the fangs when the splice is over because I love those. Great strip Mr Burlew!

[Querzis]

Yay, you actually used the comparison with Raistlin! But now I kinda wonder if the comparison was obvious or if you read one of my post about it...nah, I guess it was obvious.

[CapedLuigiYoshi]

:eek: That strip looked AWESOME.

Still, with the spirits' voices, I don't know how stable V will be.

:elan::Dun dun DUN!

[Assassin89]

V has just obtained an evil costume change. If we assume that V's long hair equates to being female, that would answer the gender question, but that is not necessarily true.

[TBone]

the new V is quite possibly my favorite character. Super awesome. badass. all look upon hir and despair.

[xyzzy]

A pedophile choir.

That's a disturbing thought.

[Farmerbob]

No one noticed the title?


Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens every day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

Hmm, hmm, hmm,...

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah!

[Porthos]

I know I said it a few minutes ago, but after thinking about it, I must say again:

Ah, Boop!

Yeah. This ain't gonna end well for V. :smalleek:

Love the commentary by the IFCC though. Their "chips in the pot" comment sure would seem to lend credence to the whole Gate speculation, I would think. :smalleek:

[bluedolphin359]

Wow, am I the only one who's sad that V looks so evil? I guess so.

[Raging Gene Ray]

No one noticed the title?

I got the reference...and is that a Final Fantasy reference about the faux Latin choir, or has the whole "Dramatic Latin Choir" been famously done elsewhere?

[Chirurgie]

wow...am stunned at how good this comic is becoming...despite all the predictions of V going 'bad', it still blows me away to see the way it was presented!

and typical GitP, a very funny ending to an epic tale too!

My good sir, please keep up the good work and I promise to do my part by buying every published comic there is :smallsmile:

[SPoD]

I got the reference...and is that a Final Fantasy reference about the faux Latin choir, or has the whole "Dramatic Latin Choir" been famously done elsewhere?

The fight with Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace springs to mind.

[Winged One]

You know, they're quite correct. *puts some faux-latin chanting on* I wonder what other side effects they didn't tell V about?

[Fargo1168]

I haven't had a lol like that in a long time! Ominous Latin Chanting FTW!

[Starknight]

Yes V is technically in control of the soul splice.... V is going to go STRAIGHT for the Ancient Black Dragon, no matter WHO is in the way. This is so not going to end well. However, if V kills one (or more) of his family trying to get to the ABD, sh/he might well decide to unleash some payback on My Three Fiends. (Payback is a b***h and Super Evil V is that B***H).

Starknight

[Haven]

Wow, that was awesome.

I hope we don't jump back to Haley and Celia immediately. I want to see this play out.

[Trog]

For the curious the runes translate into:

B E T
Y O U
T H O U G H T
Y O U
H A D
F O U N D
A
S E C R E T
M E S S A G E
I N
T H I S
D I D N ' T
Y O U

[Scion_of_Darkness]

Nicely done with the Evil V. Quite dramatic and terrifying.

[BarGamer]

Having only read the first Raistlin book, and a long time ago at that... What's the joke?? *Hangs head in shame.*

[chiasaur11]

This is in no way a good sign.

Smily face in the thread title, you are a dirty liar!

[Kranden]

Evil V is king

[ladysekhmetka]

No one noticed the title?

Y'know, I thought the same thing... must be a generational thing :P

[Evaine]

No sir, I don't like. (The implications for the OOTS, that is. I love the comic! :smallsmile:)

As for the whole red robe/black robe thing, it hearkens back to Dragonlance, where mages were connected with one of the three moons, which were white (good), red (neutral), and black (evil). Neutral mages wore red, and evil ones wore black. Here endeth the leason. :smallwink:

[Grunthos]

"Roy's gone bye-bye, Elan. What have you got left?"
"Sorry, Durkon, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought."

[SandyCaesar]

My joy that both OotS and Erf have been updated pretty much concurrently is tempered by the realization that the internet connection is jammed up the wazoo as a result. Connect, damn you, connect...

I'll agree, V's transition has to rank up there as one of the most dramatic moments the history of the webcomic. And, just as the tension peaks, Giant delivers, perfectly timed:


Bunkus! Nonsuch! Gibberos! Gobbleygoos!
Bunkus! Nonsuch! Gibberos! Gobbleygoos!

Drama and humor. It doesn't get much better than this!

[otakufan]

And now to inadvertantly kill hizer familial relations in the process of wreaking a horrible vengeance on an overgrown lizard.
Course, if it casts antimagic field again...

I'd be willing to bet that V would hang back and toss a Mage's (Mordenkainen's) Disjunction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesDisjunction.htm) (or two) at it. With hir sudden jump in levels, however temporary, I think shi has a fair shot at destroying an antimagic shell outright.

Now then...

*Joins the faux Latin chanting*

[Porthos]

For the curious the runes translate into:

B E T
Y O U
T H O U G H T
Y O U
H A D
F O U N D
A
S E C R E T
M E S S A G E
I N
T H I S
D I D N ' T
Y O U

Wait, are you serious? That's awesome. :smalltongue: :smallcool:

I wonder if anyone has ever tried to translate the other runes that have appeared in the strip over the years?

[Waspinator]

This simply can not end well.

[ref]

Wow, am I the only one who's sad that V looks so evil? I guess so.

Not really. But as I said before, what we see here is just the culmination of a long downward trip, so I'm not sure if I had any sadness left.

[Porthos]

Rich, if you're still reading the thread...

Can we PLEASE have the panel that shows Black Robed V in the Runic Circle as a Donation Wallpaper?

Preeeeety Pleeeease? :smallcool::smallcool::smallcool:

[Mando Knight]

I got the reference...and is that a Final Fantasy reference about the faux Latin choir, or has the whole "Dramatic Latin Choir" been famously done elsewhere?

It's a whole trope. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OminousLatinChanting) Still, if anyone in a webcomic could possibly qualify for this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5st0b3ln5U), it would be New V. Just replace Sephiroth with Vaarsuvius and it all becomes clear...

[afroakuma]

The Raistlin reference is the important part.

Now, I wonder what "everything" is...

[Warlord JK]

V is totally BADASS!!!!!

But yeah, V has definitely gone from slippery slope too vertical drop into the Abyss of Evil. I mean "the voices...?"

On a side note, the title made me pop in some old Rolling Stone's albums (figuratively, its actually an mp3 on my iPod).

[Toper]

For the curious the runes translate into:
Damn, so they do. Nice work! I wouldn't even have thought to try.


I'd be willing to bet that V would hang back and toss a Mage's (Mordenkainen's) Disjunction (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesDisjunction.htm) (or two) at it. With hir sudden jump in levels, however temporary, I think shi has a fair shot at destroying an antimagic shell outright.
No need; most epic spells will go right through it (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/spellsIntro.htm#dispellingEpicSpellsAndAntimagicFi eld).

[Quorothorn]

Whoo boy...this'a gonna get woirse befoh it gets bettah.

[SporeGames]

Am I the only one who noticed that V picked the BLUE orb?
But it just shows how V's most dealy si is hirs vainity. (S)he was willing to let hirself become seriously blooped up rather than admit hirs own fallacy. Ego: it'l **** you right up.

[Horatio@Bridge]

RICH BURLEW, YOU TOY WITH US!!!!! **tears hair out** Cool comic and all, but just tell us whether or not V succeeds in saving his family already!

The suspense, it hurts so much!

[otakufan]

No need; most epic spells will go right through it (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/spellsIntro.htm#dispellingEpicSpellsAndAntimagicFi eld).

Ahh... I had forgotten about that. Guess it's been a while since I've read the epic caster rules.

Still, the point remains. Antimagic Shell is not as big an obstacle as it previously was.

[FoE]

WHOA. That is one badass makeover. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EvilMakeover) I think some angels are wetting themselves right now. :smallamused:

Is anyone else sexually aroused right now? :smalltongue:

[Darius1020]

wait, what was the raistlin reference? i mean, other than him turning evil...

but also, i opened up the site and read the name of the comic... and Paint it Black came on my iPod... it was crazy...

good comic btw

[Finwe]

Can someone explain what the Raistlin reference is? Is it just the robe turning black?


For the curious the runes translate into:

B E T
Y O U
T H O U G H T
Y O U
H A D
F O U N D
A
S E C R E T
M E S S A G E
I N
T H I S
D I D N ' T
Y O U

Are the runes in an actual language, or just a cryptogram?

[Aragehaor]

:smalleek: That has to be the single Most awesome thing i have seen to ever come from a comic


On another note.. wouldnt it be just fiendishly evil if he scene changed right now? :smallamused:

[Querzis]

wait, what was the raistlin reference? i mean, other than him turning evil...

When Raistlin went from neutral to evil his robe suddenly went from red to black (its also pointed out in the title of the comic, though apparently thats also a song reference).

Anyway, how do you guys translate those runes?

[afroakuma]

A red robe turning black as a sign of accepting the arcane power of an ancient deceased archmage of untold evil and power.

Thaaaat's the Raistlin. Classic.

[kusje]

Originally Posted by Trog
For the curious the runes translate into:

How did you translate it?

[Weezer]

That was amazing, loved the title with both Rastilin and the rolling stones references it couldn't be any better.

[Porthos]

though apparently thats also a song reference

Specifically the famous song, Paint It Black (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paint_It,_Black) by the Rolling Stones.

*loves the song and feels ashamed that he didn't immediately twig the reference*

[Mando Knight]

Anyway, how do you guys translate those runes?

It's a simple cryptogram. Write down the symbols in a line and then replace them with standard English/Roman letters... Doing it myself is beyond my skill, so kudos to the Giant for encrypting it, and to Trog for deciphering it that fast.

[Trog]

It's a simple cryptogram. Write down the symbols in a line and then replace them with standard English/Roman letters... Doing it myself is beyond my skill, so kudos to the Giant for encrypting it, and to Trog for deciphering it that fast.

Thankee.

It was in English and was just a rune-y font I'd bet. There are sites online where you can make your own font for free. Just fill in odd characters for the letters and voila. :smallcool:

[Enlong]

And now to inadvertantly kill hizer familial relations in the process of wreaking a horrible vengeance on an overgrown lizard.
Course, if it casts antimagic field again...

Well, V now has conjuration spells, and we all know the Orbs are in the OOTSworld, so if all else fails, They can cast those.

[Genios]

:biggrin:I personally wouldn't mind if V stayed like this for a while. So...awesome...

[Aragehaor]

:biggrin:I personally wouldn't mind if V stayed like this for a while. So...awesome...

Seconded. (i want at least 5 more panels of Evil V goodness!*and a Wallpaper.* :smallbiggrin:)

[Phase]

Oh my goodness, there has to be a bigger catch, true evil is evil, no matter how you spin it.

[Genios]

Yeah. I especially like the long hair+fangs look. Long live Evil V!

[Warren Dew]

And the downfall is complete.

It's not complete yet. While the other three are definitely showing through in the appearance - and yeah, it looks cool - Vaarsuvius's actual words in this strip have no hint of evil, despite being on a black background.

[Voyager_I]

The comic actually was better while listening to O Fortuna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kvtl59jY4)...


Very atmospheric.

[kusje]

What do the fiends want?! What is their aim? You'd have thought that they'd be egging V on to abuse the power and do some evil stuff but instead, they're reminding him of the dragon and to save his family.

Why? And what were they talking about after V teleported away?

[Tordek]

Thought I'd whip this up real quick:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/CaptainChewbacca/Inspiration/AlignmentChange.jpg

[kusje]

It's not complete yet. While the other three are definitely showing through in the appearance - and yeah, it looks cool - Vaarsuvius's actual words in this strip have no hint of evil, despite being on a black background.


Um... Evil laughter?

[Beren]

Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.

[Leper Master]

Warning: side effects of ultimate arcane power may include looking totally badass.

That, and pointy teeth.

I second that!

[Ascension]

The comic actually was better while listening to O Fortuna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kvtl59jY4)...


Very atmospheric.

After the final panel I felt compelled to reread it with One Winged Angel in the background. Chanting really does make anything better!

[RosesOnConcrete]

Holy mother of BADASS. That was too freakin cool for words. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

And the bs latin just about fits in with part of "One Winged Angel" so I am in nerd nirvana right now. *cues up FF7:AC version of said song*

[The_Weirdo]

Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.

*Sigh*

V's spells and magic are all pink.

And a triangle pointed DOWNWARDS also means it's pointing towards the LOWER PLANES.

Law on the left, Neutral down, Chaos on the right. The three, Evil. An ascended Vaarsuvius would have a triangle pointing upwards.

[Tordek]

Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.

I doubt it. The inverted triangle is a common symbol in magical rites, where it is used to focus the energy of a binding circle. As for the pink, well, the magic was ALREADY pink.

[Kish]

Well, V now has conjuration spells, and we all know the Orbs are in the OOTSworld,

However, Tsukiko called them evocations, as they were in 3.0ed.

so if all else fails, They can cast those.
It occurs to me that They is now an entirely correct pronoun for Vaarsuvius!

[Kneenibble]

Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.

Well I have to disagree -- much as I'd love for Vaarsuvius to be so. I know its history with gay men in Nazi camps and all, but I see the pink triangle used far more generally all the time for all matters LGBTQ. I think it's hard to deny that the symbol was chosen deliberately, but it fits with V's broader theme of gender-queering and doesn't add any weight to his being a gay man. Edit: in addition, of course, to its other semiotic layers.

[Porthos]

What do the fiends want?! What is their aim? You'd have thought that they'd be egging V on to abuse the power and do some evil stuff but instead, they're reminding him of the dragon and to save his family.

Why? And what were they talking about after V teleported away?

The Current #1 Theory is that it has something to do with when Sabine left to tell her superiors about The Gates. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0380.html)

Which would be... Bad. Ghostbusters level bad. :smallwink:

[kviri]

Oh my goodness, there has to be a bigger catch, true evil is evil, no matter how you spin it.

My guess is that the catch has to do with the duration of the spell. The trio told V that it would last "for as long as you can hold onto it" and that they were "sure someone of your unimpeachable mental fortitude could make it last for weeks if need be."

I'm betting that the truth is that V can hold onto it for as long as (s)he wants to -- and that the longer the splice lasts, the less (s)he will want to let it go.

It'd be a coup for the IFCC -- they'd successfully turn a PC to their side (and made hir much more powerful in the process) for as long as (s)he lives, and then have hir soul under their control for three times that duration once (s)he dies.

[Aaron]

Warning: side effects of ultimate arcane power may include looking totally badass.

That, and pointy teeth.

I totally have to agree! Evil-V looks totally badass!:smallcool: However, this doesn't look like it will end well for V and hir family, or the divided Order of the Stick...

[dps]

Well, I'm surprised. I expected that strip 635 would jump back to Elan and Durkon on the ship. Glad it didn't, though.

On a totally different note, I wonder if the voices are also a reference to Rand from the Wheel of Time series.

[PrGo]

So epic. I can't help not to feel sorry for the dragon mother :smalltongue:

[dogmac]

Oh V!

Wait, I said that last comic too.

But...

Oh V!!!!! You look fantastic evil, though, it must be said.

[DarkNewton]

Truely awesome, only way it could have been cooler is if it's comic number was 31 higher

[enarch3t]

I really hope that Giant finishes with V and the Dragon . . . Damn, that dragon is headed to a world of hurt. Also, I think that V's family and that entire Elven enclave is going to suffer something fierce.

[DrakebloodIV]

Hey, one of the voices said "Kill everyone who has ever slighted you." Do you think that means V will kill Belkar?

[Vectner]

Well done.
Will we switch back to Durkon now and have to wait to see the battle royal?

[Beren]

Well I have to disagree -- much as I'd love for Vaarsuvius to be so. I know its history with gay men in Nazi camps and all, but I see the pink triangle used far more generally all the time for all matters LGBTQ. I think it's hard to deny that the symbol was chosen deliberately, but it fits with V's broader theme of gender-queering and doesn't add any weight to his being a gay man. Edit: in addition, of course, to its other semiotic layers.

I guess I wasn't necessarily thinking "gay man." When I think of the word "gay," I don't think of a particular gender, although I guess the correct terminology is "gay" for male and "lesbian" for female, isn't it?

Maybe you're right, and it doesn't mean V is gay/lesbian, and it's more of an Ambiguously Gay Duo sort of joke... so now we can debate V's sexual orientation along with the gender.

If I understand you correctly, you are agreeing with me that at least it was more than a coincidence, even if the exact message is unclear, right?

[Warren Dew]

Um... Evil laughter?

The laughter by itself isn't evil; in the absence of the pointy teeth and eyes, it could well be a big neutral belly laugh.

Not to mention it doesn't really count as words.

[DDogwood]

The fight with Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace springs to mind.

That wasn't faux-Latin, though, it was real Sanskrit.

[arkwei]

For the curious the runes translate into:

B E T
Y O U
T H O U G H T
Y O U
H A D
F O U N D
A
S E C R E T
M E S S A G E
I N
T H I S
D I D N ' T
Y O U

I have to respond to this. You win this thread, really.

[Liriel]

Rich, if you're still reading the thread...

Can we PLEASE have the panel that shows Black Robed V in the Runic Circle as a Donation Wallpaper?

Preeeeety Pleeeease? :smallcool::smallcool::smallcool:

And a black tee shirt with the picture that says on the back, in pink "Yes, Ultimate Cosmic Power IS Pink!"

[grautry]

I'm betting that the truth is that V can hold onto it for as long as (s)he wants to -- and that the longer the splice lasts, the less (s)he will want to let it go.

Even if it is actually held in place by will, V has just had three epic spellcasters grafted onto his soul. It's quite probable that his Will save is currently absolutely astronomical.

With this comic HSQ went from "omg" to just +Infinity.

[tigerhawkvok]

That ... is possibly my favorite OOTS yet, and that's saying something.

I hope V comes out of this OK, but I love this arc.

[Kneenibble]

I guess I wasn't necessarily thinking "gay man." When I think of the word "gay," I don't think of a particular gender, although I guess the correct terminology is "gay" for male and "lesbian" for female, isn't it?

Maybe you're right, and it doesn't mean V is gay/lesbian, and it's more of an Ambiguously Gay Duo sort of joke... so now we can debate V's sexual orientation along with the gender.

If I understand you correctly, you are agreeing with me that at least it was more than a coincidence, even if the exact message is unclear, right?

Yeah yeah, exactly. The author of these comics is a smart, worldly man, he's created a character that queers the hell out of gender -- he wouldn't use a pink triangle like that unaware of the significance it creates.

Its use punctuates the question but does not signify any answer.

[Sovjohn]

OK, this seals it. I'm a longtime fan, but this strip was awesome in itself!

I'll go buy the books now, and whip myself for not doing that so long ago, and of course I have to pass my congrats for this strip to the lovely Giant =)

Best strip in the 6xx series thus far, easily (unless 666 for plot reasons becomes better :P )

[otakufan]

Hey, one of the voices said "Kill everyone who has ever slighted you." Do you think that means V will kill Belkar?

I guess it depends on how pragmatic V is... On the one hand killing Belkar would get the SSGoW out of V's hair permanently, but on the other where's the fun in doing that? V already has a long history of messing with the halfling and, even when neutral, went to the effort of *wasting* some of hir spell slots just to torment the pint-sized horror ("Explosive Runes" brand coffee, anyone?).

Assuming V ever properly rejoins the OotS and keeps hir new alignment after the soul-splice wears off, I suspect we'll instead see a new level of depravity in the art of Belkar-baiting.

Of course, Belkar's done some "growing" of his own, so I'm quite sure he'll return the favor with great enthusiasm.

[daggaz]

Rich must really like this part of the story (I know I do!!!), damn those updates are just spamming in! Keep 'em coming, Giant! :smallsmile:

[DoctorJest]

I guess I wasn't necessarily thinking "gay man." When I think of the word "gay," I don't think of a particular gender, although I guess the correct terminology is "gay" for male and "lesbian" for female, isn't it?

Historically, "gay" is used as slang for both men and women. "Lesbian" is the only one that is gender specific. Although the correct terminology for both is "homosexual". :smallwink:


Maybe you're right, and it doesn't mean V is gay/lesbian, and it's more of an Ambiguously Gay Duo sort of joke... so now we can debate V's sexual orientation along with the gender.

Personally, I think the giant is just yanking everyone's chain.

The whole V-Gender-Ambiguity thing is going to be a running gag right to the end. I would be surprised (and disappointed) if V is ever revealed as even having either a gender or a sexual orientation. The reason for the joke is obvious: elves are typically portrayed as being very androgynous beings and V is being played up as the exaggerated stereotype. Therefore it can be very accurately said that V does not, in fact, have a gender for all intents and purposes. More accurately, V's gender is "Elf", because when it comes to elves, no one can tell the difference anyways. And that's the joke.

[harami2000]

Didn't need to be (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KnightOfCerebus) a literal dragon (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDragon), but feeling sorry for the scaly one already... Nice work, Rich. :smallsmile:

Truely awesome, only way it could have been cooler is if it's comic number was 31 higher
Too obvious a destination for the story arc, phps. Anyone for plotting out the next 31 strips...? :smallwink:

[eras10]

Re the speculation on what the big goal of the Fiends are - we'd have to be crazy to ignore the Sabine hint. That's by far our best clue. They're from the lower planes, and so is sabine, but sabine has no particular big-picture goals. They have undoubtedly been responding to her - there's no way in hell V's selection is random. They picked her because she's critical.

As for their plan, if you've read SoD, several things are implied about Redcloak's god - and the whole Snarl plan from there:

1. His god is not well liked. Some evil gods tolerate him, but it's implied that not all of them do.
2. Controlling the snarl is about upsetting the divine balance of power, with the snarl as uberweapon.
3. The other gods, even the evil ones, have been in the dark about the whole thing.

I'm pretty sure that the big picture here is to use V to gain control of the Snarl. Either she's going to blast Redcloak out of the picture and dominate Xykon, or she's going to slip off and go for Gate #5 while OOTS / Xykon focus on #4. Either way, the end goal is - I'm willing to bet - Snarl control for a new master.

Either that or the lower planes would like to just vaporize the planet because it will weaken the good gods more than the evil ones.

Worth noting that I can see some classic Uncomfortable Alliances of the OOTS-Redcloak model - or even the OOTS/Xykon model - from this.

And yeah, I think the soul splice "control" is both not that hard and a false premise. You can't control the impact of having your soul spliced in with someone else's, even if your brain has the final say.

The whole point of the cut-your-throat scenario was to break V, similar to how someone was broken in SoD. It was to psychologically acclimatize her to the acceptance of evil. She knows she did it to herself, and for that reason she will deny it until hell.

I also see this scene as the two-steps precedent to The Last Days of Belkar. Sorry.

[Draz74]

The fight with Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace springs to mind.

Hmmm, not enough "Evil Ascension." Fortunately, IIRC, similar musical themes follow in Episode III when Anakin has his final encounter with Mace Windu, then the younglings.

[brionl]

No Belkar anymore I want it to turn black
I see Haley walk by dressed in her summer clothes
I have to avoid Roy until my darkness goes
I see an Azure Fleet and they're all painted black
With Durkon and Elan both never to come back

[Covenantwgw]

New comic means happy time! Oh V....this won't end well for you...I just know it.

[Werekat]

Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.


*Sigh*

V's spells and magic are all pink.

And a triangle pointed DOWNWARDS also means it's pointing towards the LOWER PLANES.

Law on the left, Neutral down, Chaos on the right. The three, Evil. An ascended Vaarsuvius would have a triangle pointing upwards.


I doubt it. The inverted triangle is a common symbol in magical rites, where it is used to focus the energy of a binding circle. As for the pink, well, the magic was ALREADY pink.

Wow. The number of semiotic layers to a simple geometrical figure... Just to add one, for fun: http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/kos/kos26.htm

Funnily enough, the 7th pentacle of Saturn is the only one I'm currently aware of in the classical pentacles to use an upside-down triangle.

Description: Figure 17.--The Seventh and Last Pentacle of Saturn.--This Pentacle is fit for exciting earthquakes, seeing that the power of each order of Angels herein invoked is sufficient to make the whole Universe tremble.

Pretty fitting - then again, most of the Saturnian pentacles are, and a bit more complex a geometrical figure than it should be. But fun enough, nontheless.

[xanaphia]

No Belkar anymore I want it to turn black
I see Haley walk by dressed in her summer clothes
I have to avoid Roy until my darkness goes
I see an Azure Fleet and they're all painted black
With Durkon and Elan both never to come back

I was just about to write something on that theme.

[CelebrenIthil]

It's 2.07 a.m here, I should be asleep since long, damn you Giant for making me go "Holy Foop! ...need to DRAW THIS!" at the awesome rendition of Evil V!
Damn you scanner that hates me! Damn you Photobucket to be in maintenance, Tinypic for loading eternally! And dang that V with the long hair, I now my infatuation with the darned elf hits the level of fangirly crush! (male or female or shemale or whatever hir may be >_>).

Attack of the lame, badly scanned, unshaded, wacky-proportionned-but-I-can't-be-bothered-I-don't-find-my-eraser 2am crayon sketch:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/TheSilverstar/ZomgEvilVbyCelebrenIthil.png

[Porthos]

Attack of the lame, badly scanned, unshaded, wacky-proportionned-but-I-can't-be-bothered-I-don't-find-my-eraser 2am crayon sketch:
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2420/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png)
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png/1/w596.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img5/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png/1/)

That is very well done. I don't know if you were going for a Joker motif or not, but I saw a hint of it to my eye at least. And the runes were a nice touch as well.

Give yerself a big pat on the back for that one. :smallcool:

PS: I fixed your tags. :smallsmile:

Just copy-n-paste in this (spoiler-boxed coz it was breaking the page width):

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2420/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png)
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png/1/w596.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img5/zomgevilvbycelebrenithi.png/1/)

[LordSintax]

Ok. so in this installment, we have: A Rolling Stones reference, a TV Tropes-style stab @ nearly every evil ascension scene there is, V turning to the dark side, faux Latin, V off to kick some SERIOUS ABD hind-end, and the castration of pedophiles....

my head hurts from the awesome.:smallbiggrin:

[kreszantas]

V it was nice knowing ya... your journey is now complete... But the Stones say it better... Paint it black! and don't worry about those petty alignment differences they build character.

[slurpz]

I approve of V's costume change.

[Das654]

...Meep!

Can I hide under the table now?

[whitelaughter]

A pedophile choir.

That's a disturbing thought.
That's an *awesome* thought! Freshly snipped every morning! The 3 fiends get my vote to rule the lower planes!

[werik]

I'm just going to admit that this evil Vaarsuvius frightens me. If I have misbehaving children, I will show them this comic for proof of the monster that gets kids that don't pick up their room.

[factotum]

Hmmm. I can't help but wonder what's going to happen when Aarindarius sees someone as obviously evil as V pop up on his territory...


Could V end up killing his old master in a magical duel? I reckon that'd be almost WORSE for him than killing his family...


Also, am I the only one getting a Watchmen "Tales of the Black Freighter" vibe from this?

[Underground]

Cool Comic.

[derfenrirwolv]

My guess is that the catch has to do with the duration of the spell. The trio told V that it would last "for as long as you can hold onto it" and that they were "sure someone of your unimpeachable mental fortitude could make it last for weeks if need be."

No, the catch is that there was nothing that the demons said, hinted at, implicated, or otherwise suggested that they get V's soul after he dies. They didn't disabuse him of the notion (he expresses it right before he hits the orbs) but they didn't imply it either. They will get control of V's body while he's alive, and they're probably going to save it for something big (like V being the other half of the Divine Gate Arcane sandwich)

Because V thinks he'll be tortured just before his final reward, he's probably going to try to hold onto the splice as long as possible (especially after goading about his impeachable mental fortitude.)



I'm betting that the truth is that V can hold onto it for as long as (s)he wants to -- and that the longer the splice lasts, the less (s)he will want to let it go.

Until she does something she'll regret.

[Jeivar]

So . . . will V even care about his family in this state?

[dish]

Fantastic artwork! Stunning comic! Raistlin and the Rolling Stones! Fake Runes (thanks Trog), and Fake Latin (did Monty Python originate that meme, or was it around before?).


Did anyone else notice the big upside-down pink triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)? I think V is gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just don't think it was a coincidence, that's all.


*Sigh*

V's spells and magic are all pink.

And a triangle pointed DOWNWARDS also means it's pointing towards the LOWER PLANES. ...


Wow. The number of semiotic layers to a simple geometrical figure... Just to add one, for fun: http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/kos/kos26.htm

Funnily enough, the 7th pentacle of Saturn is the only one I'm currently aware of in the classical pentacles to use an upside-down triangle.
....

Plus everyone else in the discussion (sorry, I am not quoting all of you this is taking too long as it is...)

I'm aware of the multiple layers of meaning, but intrigued by the one originally mentioned (homosexuality). V's children are adopted. V states it clearly here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0631.html). Therefore, I think there is a reasonable chance that V and mate are a same-sex couple.

[Gh0stim15]

I have 2 things too say.

1.MUST HAVE WALLPAPER!!!!!!!!

2.Okay, I got that out of my system, and I also looked through the archives and found that the scaly oracle's prediction for V has come true.

Comic #331 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html)
V: "How will I achieve complete and total ultimate arcane power?"
Oracle: "By saying the right 4 words to the right being for all the wrong reasons."

Later....

I... I must succeed.

[DrakebloodIV]

Hey! This officially proves V a Dude! I can prove it!

1.) V = Evil spellcaster
2.) Female Evil spellcaster = Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
3.) V ≠ Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
4.) V ≠ Female

[Uncle_Putte]

Ah, V - black suits him so well. He looks so much healthier in it, doesn't he? :smallbiggrin:

[Greep]

Hey! This officially proves V a Dude! I can prove it!

1.) V = Evil spellcaster
2.) Female Evil spellcaster = Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
3.) V ≠ Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
4.) V ≠ Female

Heh, that's like that smbc comic

programming = awesome
sex = awesome

Q.E.D programming = sex

(So and so proved he was not a virgin)

[David Argall]

What do the fiends want?! What is their aim? You'd have thought that they'd be egging V on to abuse the power and do some evil stuff but instead, they're reminding him of the dragon and to save his family.

Why? And what were they talking about after V teleported away?
The prime theory, with variations, goes about like this...
Having been tipped off by Sabine, the fiends want to control the Snarl. They plan on using V as a weapon to do so. V thinks she gets controlled after she is dead, but instead he will be controlled whenever the fiends want to, which will be at one of the Gates, where the fiends will use her to grab the gate and place it under fiend control. [Just how possible this is and how much the fiends are just assuming it can be done is unclear.] So they want V to remain in control for as long as possible to allow them more time to get control of the Gate later.
V will not be able to maintain control for long because very rapidly the story would end if he did. One possibility is that V toasts the dragon with a superfireball, that also toasts her family, leaving nothing to raise or resurrect. V gets all emotional and loses the needed concentration.
Alternately, V may take time to gather the party together, and then goes to call on Xykon. The result will again be a loss of control by V and the end of the meld, tho this could happen before Xykon is even aware of the danger, or after he has been killed for a week again. Either way, he is going to live, er, unlive.



wouldnt it be just fiendishly evil if he scene changed right now?
Please reread the comic and notice that our writer does not do cliffhangers. The scene shifts when the scene is done, not before. O'Chul is not left staring at the acid-breathing shark or the rift. We leave him going to sleep. Haley is not left with a sword at her throat. Instead things are "quiet" for the moment. We can go on, but the picture should be clear. We are not going to have a cliffhanger here. We will stick with V until he comes to a good stopping point [which is likely by 640].

[Quistar]

Oh my goodness, there has to be a bigger catch, true evil is evil, no matter how you spin it.

I don't think there is any catch. What the Fiendish Trio gave V is more than sufficient to guarantee his/her downfall. Just agreeing to the deal is enough to start a shift towards evil alignment. Once V sees what he/she can do with this newfound power...how many of you think he/she will give it up so easily? V might even try to think of a way to never die so as to keep the power forever, which practically guarantees eventual damnation.

Sometimes the worst trap is the one that you can see clear as day, but know you're going to walk into it anyhow because it's a deal you can't refuse.

[Fabuloso]

Okay.

- First: Epic. Extraordinaire. Elf. EVIL. There's a theme in that. I hereby dub V as "E-Man".

- Second: As in "I second the request for a background."

- Third: The Ominouuusssss Latin reminds me of Liberi Fatali (FF VIII) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5f_VBd_17M) more than anything else. It just fits!

Bunkus!
Nonsuch!
Gibberos!
Goobleygoos!

But I admit that One Winged Angel is just that mile awesomer.

- Fourth: There's no fourth. I'm speechless.

Also, buying books. Brb.

-- Fab
Posting overwhelming-caused nonsense.

[Iranon]

It's so obvious! V's mate will love the new look and ask h** to never change back.

The 4 words will be V's acceptance :)


@drakeblood: Damn you for ruining a perfectly good comic for me! Now I want V dressed as a slut (regardless of sex).

[kamuishirou]

Awesome comic! I can't wait to see what happens. Whew this arc has gotten even more epic!

[Pandabear]

I nearly wet myself seeing that.. that was awesome! :smallbiggrin:

[Darius Midnite]

You went beyond epic with that strip. You somehow managed to combine lethal drama with stomach cramping humor.

[ishnar]

Oh wow Rich. The top panel really has a lot going for it. The energy waves in the background and long hair give a submerged look which really brings out a shark feel to V.

If there is anything disappointing about this comic, it's that I liked the long hair look so much that I was disappointed in panel three where half of V's hair vanished and it went back to normal length. Long hair is a vanity thing usually so it seemed a fitting mod since V basically just committed one of the most vain acts possible.

[RedMike512]

Very exciting. There's so many possibilities as to where this goes from here. I'm really looking forward to the next couple strips.

[DrivinAllNight]

I so approve of this latest strip :), not that any one needs my approval, but it is there none the less

[Tundar]

Rich, you... you cartoonist!!

That was absolutely awesome. So many things boiled down into one page.

And poor V, his taste for this much power will be his downfall. But he does look badass, that's for sure!

[iceguy]

I haw only one thing to say: awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe
awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomea wesomeawe

[Tyrmatt]

"Nor past nor future now the soul employ,
The present only constitutes our joy."

Oh dear oh dear...

[HandofShadows]

Great strip. It will be VERY interesting to see how things turn out.

[Ancalagon]

Awesome. "Taking 40 levels of badass" ;)

[Z-dan]

Holy flurking shnizzle...
That... that was... :smalleek: *is literally speechless*

Fortunately I'm not type-less :smallbiggrin: But all I need to say is that I don't care whether he's a guy or girl either any more... I would :smallwink:

[Alces]

The imp nailed it: temptation masterclass. Except, on this plane we call it "sales". I want these three fiend guys working in business development for my organisation, but I don't think we can afford anyone that good (non-alignment reference - good sales people are always evil).

I just loved how they immediately went into post-meeting analysis. "Went well"... "chips in"... they've just sold a totally new solution for the first time and are more concerned with how the process will pan out rather than anything else. Now, if only the Outer Planes Anti-Trust Commission could rumble them for collusion. I mean, the three largest and dominant providers of evil collaborating on an exclusive, powerful consumer product? That's bound to result in price-fixing.

[Holammer]

Roy turning into a woman did not make him grow any hair. V Turning into a soul-spliced behemoth of ultimate arcane power... Here it actually did! :smallamused:

[Weiser_Cain]

I really didn't need to be reminded of pedophiles...

[Oxymoron]

Zomg Omg! Waaaaaay Cooooooooooooooool!

[Majutsukai]

Why does everyone jump to One-Winged Angel first? I was thinking that E Nomine's Schwarze Sonne (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqDuR1NM7ps) (the latin parts of it, at least) was much more fitting.

OWA is a good song, but it's overdone sometimes. :smallfrown:

[SatyreIkon]

Awesomeness. A fall from grace if ever I saw one! And definitely an improvement in costume!!! :smallbiggrin:

I could not help wondering... with his nearly-divine but not quite divine power, will V play a major part in the defeat/control of the Snarl?

As we all know from Shojo, "Some have theorized that gods are [...] more vulnerable [...]" to its powers, so maybe a mortal with comparable power will be able to smash it - or at least bring it under control... which would explain the "higher purpose" for the fiends providing aid for V.

[Taekwondodo]

I don't care about the whole gender thing, Evil V is Hawt :smallbiggrin:.


I have to agree with you there:smallbiggrin:! He/ she should let hir hair down more often, it looks good. Also black is so hir colour!

[Mollusk]

The reason for the joke is obvious: elves are typically portrayed as being very androgynous beings and V is being played up as the exaggerated stereotype. Therefore it can be very accurately said that V does not, in fact, have a gender for all intents and purposes. More accurately, V's gender is "Elf", because when it comes to elves, no one can tell the difference anyways. And that's the joke.

But who would have thought that a genderless being could be so deliciously hot? Evil V, I want you! :smallsigh:

[Sunday]

you know, theorestically this could end all gender debates with the simple arguement:

female mage = skimpy clotheing
greater powerful female mage = allot more skimpier clothing
greater evil powerful female mage = practically no clothing

or in the very least a greater increase of cleaverage xD

but none the less the page is awesome! I just adore the first panel ^_^

[Z-dan]

- Third: The Ominouuusssss Latin reminds me of Liberi Fatali (FF VIII) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5f_VBd_17M) more than anything else. It just fits!


OK, I just re-read the strip whilst listening to that track... And yup- couldn't agree more. Especially if you listen to the song starting at the previous strip, and ending at the end of this one :smallwink:

[Khatoblepas]

I like the juxtaposition between the pathetic neutral V (with scratches, rimmed eyes, and matted hair, barely able to stay functioning), and the new V.

The new V is almost superhuman in hir appearance. Smooth, pale skin, perfectly coherent (in terms of composure, anyway), and far more charismatic than V ever was. New V has PRESENCE. Hir robes seem to have been washed and repaired, decorated, and hir hair is now flowing free.

I think the loss of the headband, which V so recently had, as well as the free flowing hair, symbolises the unleashing of inhibitions, while the pointed teeth and inhuman eyes belies a more feral, untamable V.

Very, very nice character design, if that was intentional. More than just turning the robes black. V is going to be dangerous, and if hir appearance is anything to go by, he isn't actually herself at the moment. Maybe vestigially, but this isn't V.

I look forward to seeing new V in action, and if he transforms back, the further contrast between the charismatic and hyperpotent V, and the pathetic, frail evoker V.

(By the way, if V had Cha 8-9, and needed charisma to cast his spells spontaineously as a sorcerer, a +12 is very reasonable, and could explain why V looks so damn cool.)

[warmachine]

If real world psychology has any meaning in OotS, many schizophrenics are influenced by the voices in their head. Vaarsuvius is likely to do something he'll later regret.

[AslanCross]

Is it just me or do I imagine the choir singing the nonsense faux Latin to the tune of One Winged Angel? It kind of...fits.

[Karuma]

Hey, one of the voices said "Kill everyone who has ever slighted you." Do you think that means V will kill Belkar?

If anything I think Belkar is the only one who can pull V back while Roy stays dead.

[homeosapiens]

Sameone already said it - those fiends know Sabine, and AFAIC the reasons they told V might be actually true. The whole neutral man gone bad thing might be as Quarr said just point for them. Not a really important one(as the blood and television entertainment :smallcool: ).

[jamroar]

Hmmm. I can't help but wonder what's going to happen when Aarindarius sees someone as obviously evil as V pop up on his territory...


Could V end up killing his old master in a magical duel? I reckon that'd be almost WORSE for him than killing his family...


Hmm, what if

Fiendish Versusuvius pops in just as the ABD falls to Aarindarius and elven heroes, having been detected the last time she was skulking around the village, her inevitable attack anticipated and well prepared against?
In V's splice-induced euphoria, might he attack his family's saviours for upstaging him or in frustration for having sold his soul for nothing?





Also, am I the only one getting a Watchmen "Tales of the Black Freighter" vibe from this?
That might also be possible, if the Oracle had foresaw this turn of events and cared to warn the ABD accordingly as a draconic servant of Tiamat.

[Grail]

No one noticed the title?

Yeah, I was just about to give props for that - one of the coolest songs of all time. Nice touch indeed.

[Darius Midnite]

"Destroy anyone who has ever slighted you..." Belkar is out on S*its Creek now. Proved Vas listens to the voices.

[Michaelart]

When Raistlin went from neutral to evil his robe suddenly went from red to black (its also pointed out in the title of the comic, though apparently thats also a song reference).

Well, Raistlin's robe didn't turn black suddenly... he just decided to wear the one that Astinus left for him in his room at the Library of Palanthas.

Awesome comic, by the way!

Now I bet we will switch to Elan and Durkon.

[Grail]

I'm not an evil fanboy, so this comic isn't badass, or cool, or anything to me though. the title was the best bar none, but the rest of the comic was kinda meh!

Good luck to those people who get all gooey when evil comes along though. I'm sure this will rock their socks.

I would like nothing more to see V fail to save his/her family. That would be beautiful, and make this comic completely worthwhile IMO. Maybe save the souls of the kids, but not their lives. V is now, and has been for some time, my least favourite character (of the title characters). I could think of nothing that I'd like more than for complete failure and fall to evil at the same time.

[Aotrs Commander]

OK, I just re-read the strip whilst listening to that track... And yup- couldn't agree more. Especially if you listen to the song starting at the previous strip, and ending at the end of this one :smallwink:

First thing that popped into my head when I read the faux latin chanting...I could just hear the chanting to that track. Mostly the reason I nearly crippled myself laughing.

The Giant once again proves that he's one of the very few writers - in any media - who tries (and suceeds superlatively) to blend humour and drama.

Awesome.



Also, V's magic circle kinda reminded me of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha - she's got a pink triangle-ish magic runic thingy too (albiet a horizontal one). And she's also ridicolously badass. Coincidence?
(Almost certainly, but why let facts get in the way...)

http://uruchai.com/images/14.jpg

Starlight Breaker's got to count as an Epic spell, right?

[silas the monk]

I got the reference...and is that a Final Fantasy reference about the faux Latin choir, or has the whole "Dramatic Latin Choir" been famously done elsewhere?

I thought the most obvious reference is Carmina Burana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana_(Orff)) by Orff.

[Way1and]

Look, for you few doubters left out there: here is incontrovertable proof of V's sexuality.

- Long flowing haired, sexy vampire look (Anne Rice anyone?)
- An upside down PINK TRIANGLE

C'mon people! Do I have to spell it out for ya?!

lol.

Still lovin' it, giant.


You fan,

The Quiet, Scary Guy in the Corner.

[Just Joseph]

I'm surprised no one has brought this up (maybe it came up in another thread) but I would think V's children, if they still live, are going to be as terrified of this evil omnipotent pointy-toothed version of their Other Parent as they are of the ABD - maybe moreso. And that's going to have bad effects on V's already unstable psyche.

[Selene]

Add me to the Raistlinization fan club. :smallbiggrin: Giant, I love you for the black robes.

And I forget who said it, but yeah, the voices do remind me of Rand. :smallcool:

[LuisDantas]

Wow, am I the only one who's sad that V looks so evil? I guess so.

No, you certainly are not.

And as others noted, V can barely keep hir own mind already. This is not going to end well at all.

[Burley]

I'm surprised to even come to this realization, but this is (apparently) the exact turn of events I wanted for V. I feel contented by this, and will be happy with whatever V decides/to do. Can't wait.

Also, for such a short script, compared to most other issues, there were a lot of very solid jokes in it. I applaud The Giant for his comic, each update, but especially for this one. Good form, Sir. Good form.

Also, good to see Dresden Dolls being appreciated via parody. :smalltongue:

[Robaato]

I thought the most obvious reference is Carmina Burana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana_(Orff)) by Orff.

I always think it's amusing that Carmina Burana (especially O Fortuna) has become almost ubiquitous in horror-type productions, considering that it's basically a collection of Germanic-Latin drinking songs...*

This makes its use in the "Big Ad" beer commercial that was all over the internets a while back quite appropriate, I think.

*(yes, I know, not really, but still)

[Ricky S]

OMG V!!!! NOOO!!!!! PURPLE RUNES OF DOOM!! DOOM I TELL YA! Seriously though how could V do that? That is now my favourite comic of all time because of V in the centre of the awesome rune circle. I cannot wait to see the next comic. Also why did V's teeth suddenly become pointy? is it like a magical tooth file?

[Tingel]

I thought the most obvious reference is Carmina Burana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana_(Orff)) by Orff.
Carmina Burana is not pseudo-Latin, it's actual and proper Latin (the parts that are not German, that is).

As such it is not a good example for a "faux Latin choir" at all.

[faith]

normally i don't post much but... oh dear god V!

on the plus side he looks well rested now.

[SkredlitheOgre]

Choir of dead pedophiles. That's hilarious. I'm just hoping that at some moment during a heated 'battle' down the line, where V is slaughtering people for the 'greater good' (this is all my opinion, by the way), that she realizes that her magic failed AGAIN, because she's no longer in control, she's done horrible, evil things, AND she has to look forward to the three fiends getting her soul for however long. Ah, sweet justice.


[QUOTE=Way1and;5849694]

- Long flowing haired, sexy vampire look (Anne Rice anyone?)

I don't think V looks like Anne Rice at ALL! :smallbiggrin:

[Carteeg_Struve]

Well.... I guess I'll head over to the Dragonlance Nexus and see if V's ambiguous gender issues have re-sparked the "Raistlin is a woman" debate.

[daggaz]

My guess is that the catch has to do with the duration of the spell. The trio told V that it would last "for as long as you can hold onto it" and that they were "sure someone of your unimpeachable mental fortitude could make it last for weeks if need be."

I'm betting that the truth is that V can hold onto it for as long as (s)he wants to -- and that the longer the splice lasts, the less (s)he will want to let it go.

It'd be a coup for the IFCC -- they'd successfully turn a PC to their side (and made hir much more powerful in the process) for as long as (s)he lives, and then have hir soul under their control for three times that duration once (s)he dies.


My thoughts exactly (except for all the V gender bs)...

Also, apparently black is the new pink! :smallbiggrin:

[Ronan]

Wow... I believe that's all I'm saying... wow.

If she doesn't pass the will save to end the soulsplice... she'll be an epic Frenzied Mage Berserker. I've seen what those can do to a party, without the mage, of course. We're talking big here.

That's so awesome. So much that I missed the jokes :smalleek:

[Laketh Stadt]

Now I have the Rolling Stones playing in my head and visions of Vietnam era helicopters flying around.

[TedEBearNC]

The comic... PURE AWESOME! And I agree, we must have an evil V wallpaper.


Why does everyone jump to One-Winged Angel first? I was thinking that E Nomine's Schwarze Sonne (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqDuR1NM7ps) (the latin parts of it, at least) was much more fitting.

I love that song! I'd never heard of E Nomine before and I really, really like. I just wasted the past hour or so on YouTube listening to some of their stuff. I'm not sure whether to thank you or hate you! :smallbiggrin:

[The_Weirdo]

That's right. Bear with me for a moment.

The demons DO want to try a new approach to evil, and the races to join.

However, they ALSO have an interest in preserving creation, mainly because THEY are in it. Evil is not stupid.

Their interest is also in V being in a psychological condition that allows V to fight to preserve the world they are trying to control.

So they further their own cause and preserve V in the process. Thus why they reminded V that V was in control and that V had to save V's family. They ALSO have an interest in V's splice lasting, but that means nothing in and of itself, as they only want their profit, after V is dead, to become larger.

Chaotic Evil might not think that way, but the Neutral Evil cleric who heals the Lawful Good fighter that will later take hits so the cleric doesn't have to, and the Lawful Evil wizard who creates an armor for that same fighter for the same reason might.

[petersohn]

I thought the most obvious reference is Carmina Burana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Burana_(Orff)) by Orff.
Not only that. It's in almost every fantasy story. For example, it's also in LOTR. Also, if you have ever listened to Rhapsody, they do things like that quite often.

Anway, welcome to the dark side, Vaarsuvius! I wonder how long s/he can hold onto this spell. I also wonder if Durkon can dispel it.

[Calamity]

Look, for you few doubters left out there: here is incontrovertable proof of V's sexuality.

- Long flowing haired, sexy vampire look (Anne Rice anyone?)
- An upside down PINK TRIANGLE

C'mon people! Do I have to spell it out for ya?!

Connotations =/= Proof.

It's certainly a possibility, but we cannot know.


Third: The Ominouuusssss Latin reminds me of Liberi Fatali (FF VIII) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5f_VBd_17M) more than anything else. It just fits!

Funnily enough, and perhaps even more fittingly, that song also contains some fake Latin (the 'Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec' part).

[Zevox]

First reactions:
- Holy *censored* that is an awesome first panel!
- "Tear down creation just to see if you can." - I like this guy :smallamused: .
- Pedophile, castration, and old-school faux latin chanting jokes were hilarious.

Next reaction:

"Alignment feedback" eh? Somehow, I'm not surprised - I figured that may be a potential unstated drawback of the splice back when they first offered it. I wonder what other aspects of this the IFCC conveniently forgot to mention to V... and I have a bad feeling that we'll be finding out very shortly.

And why did V's teeth suddenly grow to "Vampire fang" length? :smallconfused:

Zevox

[Vercon]

Nice comic title.
:smallbiggrin:

That might be my favorite part.

[DigoDragon]

Poor black dragon lady. Looks like she's going to suffer a grusome fate worse then death. I'm going to miss her. All she wanted was justice for the loss of her son, but alas she will just be another statistic on the XP chart...

...well, not that V will get XP for it, but you know what I mean.
Dragons tend to get raw deals in fantasy stories.

[Bloodrage]

Haha! V has moved to The Dark Side! :smallbiggrin:

[silvadel]

Ok -- here is my speculation on the future and the present(in spoiler tags)[interesting -- look :) ]



What V doesnt realize is V is ALREADY DEAD..... The act of soul splicing killed V and V is now a vampire. V will remain a vampire when the whole thing is over.

[Monsterknuffel]

reminds me of Willow, in the last episodes of Buffy, Vampire Slayer <_<


Nice rune circle

[HOLEkevin]

I knew Vaarsuvius would bite. And I love the new "Dark Vaarsuvius!" He (or possibly she) is really gonna kick some ass now!

[motub]

I'm surprised no one has brought this up (maybe it came up in another thread) but I would think V's children, if they still live, are going to be as terrified of this evil omnipotent pointy-toothed version of their Other Parent as they are of the ABD - maybe moreso.
Well, you seem to be the first, but I was going there as well...

... what is the child who was just "yesterday" (or just a couple of strips ago) blissfully making macaroni pictures of hir beloved Other Parent (I mean, how much more sweetly innocent can you get?), hoping that said Other Parent would be home soon, going to think when V shows up instead?

I thought that V was going to fail to save hir family, but I've changed my mind-- I think V will save them, but then lose them, because they reject hir. There's no place for hir with them anymore, and it's hir own fault. If we wanted to go over-the-top, someone might even say that they'd rather be dead than to see hir like this. That would be something of a... slap in the face, to put it mildly. Wonder if shi'll then kill them in a fit of rage...

[Taiyama]

I know it's been said so VERY MANY times, but Evil V is AWESOMESAUCE!!

Also, a question for my fellow forum-goers: would you have taken the deal like V has? Being in the exact same circumstances, that is. Me? I call myself alignment-wise "Neutral Good" but I would probably hesitate a bit out of pride but choose the blue sphere.

Now, if the temptation offered ultimate knowledge along with ultimate power (or heck, just ultimate knowledge by itself)? That...would have been extraordinarily tough for me considering it's recently become an obsession of mine to try and learn everything possible. I sort of have this crazy, impossible goal of learning everything in the world. But that desire for knowledge would possibly lead me down the wrong path if I lived in a fantasy world instead of good ol' Earth.

[Bedinsis]

After copying and pasting this page into Paint, I've found a slight error:
V's skin colour changes between panel 1 and 2. In the first it's well-rested-Vaarsuvius-skin-coloured and in the second and third panel it's exhausted-Vaarsuviuis-skin-coloured.
I don't know if it's an error or if the sudden tremendous power temporarily increased the colour in V.

Also, AWESOME (with capital letters) comic!

[HandofShadows]

I'm surprised no one has brought this up (maybe it came up in another thread) but I would think V's children, if they still live, are going to be as terrified of this evil omnipotent pointy-toothed version of their Other Parent as they are of the ABD - maybe moreso. And that's going to have bad effects on V's already unstable psyche.

The reaction of the the Other Parent and the kids might also be the thing that snaps V back ot reality (What have I become?!?).

[Jack_Banzai]

Two words:

rut oh!

[Ikialev]

Yaay veins on face disappeared

[Warren Dew]

I'm not an evil fanboy ... I would like nothing more to see V fail to save his/her family.

Those two statements don't seem terribly compatible to me.

[Mr. Pin]

Now the suspense is really killing me! will the next comic be the one in which Vaarsuvius starts her reign of death and terror? Are her kids and husband dead yet? will the dragon manage to weasel out? WHO KNOWS????

[KIDS]

EVIL!

The first panel looked a bit silly, but the one before he casts greater teleport (with hair streaming behind him) is badass.

A question if you see this and it's not a secret, Giant: are the runes based on some kind "existing" runic script, or you drew them just like that?

[Mordokai]

Soooo... Roy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0430.html) and V (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0635.html) had their badass panel. Will we see other members of the Order in something similar in future? I would very much like to see something akin to those two. And yes, wallpaper version of both of them would be very nice.

[Silverraptor]

Thought I'd whip this up real quick:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/CaptainChewbacca/Inspiration/AlignmentChange.jpg

Man, this motivational poster is TOTALLY AWESOME!

Also, I was really mad at V for taking the deal, but now I can't stop laughing.:smallbiggrin: V has total power and I feel the giddyness of him being uber-powered. The song at the end was great!

WAY TO GO RICH!:smalltongue:

WAY TO GO V!:smallwink:

[TheBST]

Oh DAMN

And yet...

Say V manages to kill the Dragon, what will s/he do with the remaining time on the Soul Splice?

What if s/he teleported straight into Azure City and straight to challenge Xykon?

Now THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, would be awesome.

[Tharivole]

It took me a little time, but I calculated V's approximate challenge rating now. Since she was originally a 15thish lvl wizard, and since she now has the power of 2 at least 20th lvl wizards and an at least 20th lvl sorcerer, V now has a challenge rating of at least 75 . . .
:smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek: :smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek: :smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek:
I'm totally scared for the world right now!!!:smallfrown:

[Tharivole]

Anyway, I love V's new look. Definitely a girl.
1. Pink magic
2. Long hair
3. Used to room with Haley. (The only other girl on the party)
4. She kissed Belkar. (and it would just change the meaning of the whole scene waaaaaaaaaay tooooooooooooo much for my taste)

[Pieces]

Has anyone else noticed that the magical field in which V is depicted in the first panel is pretty clearly the Pink Triangle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_triangle)?

Originally the badge used by Nazis to identify homosexuals, the downward-pointed pink triangle, within a circle, is now a well-known mark of gay pride.

For an alignment change to evil, I might've expected a pentagram...

I know, I know, it's splicing three magicians, Ganoron, Bloodsoak, and Jepton, but the direction of the triangle (downward) and the color (pink) makes the iconography pretty darn clear.

So... what does this imply within this comic, I'm wondering? And what does it imply for V?

[Keshay]

The fight with Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace springs to mind.


Yeah, too bad it was Sanskrit they were singing in.

[hamishspence]

not really that high. Challenge ratings don't stack in this sort of situation. Even if it was a party of all 3 mages, plus V, their CR as a group would only be a point or two higher than CR of any one individual.

And, in this case, we don't have a group. We have one, very squishy, 15th-odd level mage, able to cast spells at higher level, from 3 extra spell pools. V is still only able to cast spells at normal rate (maybe a little faster if V has quicken spell).

As a threat, V's CR will be higher than it was before, but 75? Unlikely. unless, for some reason, it was ruled that V is indeed getting stacking Caster Level.

EDIT: Also, the triangle in circle is shown as a fiend-binding (or possibly protective circle) symbol in BoVD and FC1.

[Rotipher]

I agree with the folks who expect that V's new "look" is going to give vir kids nightmares. Even if the other village elves don't attack vir outright, the look in the Loved Ones' eyes is going to crush V's spirit ... perhaps even enough that ve loses vir dominance over the other three souls.


Hmmm. I guess Mama Dragon did make a whopper of a mistake, after all: she must've asked the Oracle "Where can I find my son's killer?", rather than "Where should I look for my son's killer?". With the latter question, the kobold could've said "Nowhere, unless you'd like to be the meat filling in the killer's spouse's pies."

[dcviana]

I loved the Rolling Stones Paint it Black reference in the title.

And V is now too awesome to describe in words, I think h/she will beat the dragon with pure awesomeness.

Unfortunately this is the kind of thing that would never happen in a real game. Even if a player gives the DM this idea just so he can roleplay an awesome role, the DM would still just say "year, I will totally believe that the only reason you want your character to have this kind of power is to roleplay the consequences".

[pendell]

What? No hourglass eyes? Come ON. When you've got a red-robed mage who switches to black because he needs more power, you've *got* to give 'em golden skin and hourglass eyes.

Last panel was GREAT. Hilarious even. It's a pity you didn't attach an MP3 to the hyperlink. It'd go great in the background.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Samakain]

....wow. Thank you giant, once again a page packed full of awesome and evil cake.

I don't think this is gunna pan out the way people seem to think it is. I think V is going to arrive to late, his kids and mate are gunna be spread over the forest like a thin buttery spread (they are elves, they bleed pastry) He may get there in time to stop the binding

OR he doesn't even get there in time to stop the binding, theres plenty of ways to stop a caster even without an anti-magic field no matter his power. Dragon could be there with a couple of illusions and polymorphed into V's mate even, being what V wants to see so badly would he question it? i doubt it, and it'd put the dragon in the perfect placing to seriously mind violate our poor V.

Either way the idea that V is still going to fail, and this will cause him to loose control of the souls, with them imprinting some of there own viciousness on his already bruised, battered and sad soul is sure to make the costume change more permanent.

you ask me, he's damned either way. :(

my 2 cents anyway.

[Kaytara]

:smalleek:
Proof that Evil will always triumph, because Good simply doesn't look that damn good. :smallamused:

Order of the Stick is the only webcomic - or the only STORY, for that matter - that makes me laugh, cry and whimper with dread all at the same time. Simply amazing.

Anyway, the change of appearance isn't only badass, it's quite significant. It now takes only a stray glance to realize that Vaarsuvius is EVIL and must have done some pretty horrible things to get that powerful - whereas, without the change, no one would be the wiser as to why Vaarsuvius is slinging around Epic spells.

However this ends, it would be wonderful if V got to keep the long hair. :) It looks quite awesome. ^^

[David Argall]

Hey! This officially proves V a Dude! I can prove it!

1.) V = Evil spellcaster
2.) Female Evil spellcaster = Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
3.) V ≠ Dressed like a slut (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html)
4.) V ≠ Female

Haera (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html) shows that #2 is incorrect.
Properly stated, it is that female opponents of Haley are dressed like sluts.

So V's sex remains uncertain, and may have changed.

[hamishspence]

Ah, but do we say that this is the culmination of a long trend, and that V, like Miko, has:

"pushed and pushed at the boundaries of V's alignment, until V finally broke through"?

Or do we say this Soul Splice is the only evil act V has committed in a long time?

I think its end of a long trend.

[Duma]

Soooo... Roy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0430.html) and V (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0635.html) had their badass panel. Will we see other members of the Order in something similar in future? I would very much like to see something akin to those two. And yes, wallpaper version of both of them would be very nice.

Belkar had his badass panel too: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0439.html

I'd like to have V's badass panel as a poster, or at least as a t-shirt...

I like this comic even more with each new strip. That single panel was my favorite so far, Evil V looks so awesome and hot! :smallredface:

[jmucchiello]

Ok. so in this installment, we have: A Rolling Stones reference, a TV Tropes-style stab @ nearly every evil ascension scene there is, V turning to the dark side, faux Latin, V off to kick some SERIOUS ABD hind-end, and the castration of pedophiles....It is missing a Jedi Acid-Reflux reference. Maybe next comic.

My lame prediction No physical damage to the children. Just the mental mind-screw of seeing OtherParent's new look. Perhaps a chewing out by V's SO culminating in a "I never want to see you again, you monster. And you better stay away from the kids." Vaporizing her insolent SO and the whelps afterward, optional.

[snafu]

Regarding the design of the circle, if I remember my Goetia correctly, the floor art typically involved a circle and a triangle - although they weren't concentric, the circle went around the mage conducting the ritual, and the triangle was very much outside the circle where the demon was expected to appear. Putting the triangle inside the circle as we see here would summon the evil spirit to appear exactly where the mage was standing... which, come to think of it, is exactly what's just happened to V.

Anyway, go V! Strike down the dragon! Fulfil your dessssssssstiny!

(My 'Evil Willow' fetish glands just fired up in full force and I'm loving this. There's no way V is going to let this power go. Once the deal's over she'll pay anything to keep it going. She'll be sacrificing babies to the Dark Powers on a daily basis soon enough. Oh, rapture!)

[jmucchiello]

What if s/he teleported straight into Azure City and straight to challenge Xykon?

Now THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, would be awesome.

Anti-climactic is a better description, I think.

[Bilbo27]

wow, was expecting something different, but V just looks awesome, but the downfall will be even more intense.

[AJ the Ronin]

Awesome strip but when I read the title "Paint it, Black" starter to play in my head and once the strip was over and the faux Latin joke was done there was a clash of music in my head.

:P

[Deckmaster]

When I first checked out the new comic, it froze and all I could see was the top. I had to refresh the page. At first, I thought V had turned into the Joker. Or Dhoulmagus from Dragonquest VIII.

[The Bookworm]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, (they probably did) but V lost his/her Headband of Intellect! Where did it go?

[CrimsonAngel]

*screams and cries* *throws sharp dagger at V* I've lost all faith in him/her... T.T

[The_Firenail]

I gotta give props to the second Rolling Stones reference, after the one at the beginning of Book IV.

The plotine is moving pretty fast, dontya think?

[The Bookworm]

So, it looks like Book IV may well be V's book! Unless, of course, Belkar is killed by V. Then it might be Belkar's book. Or they could split it...

[Finwe]

....wow. Thank you giant, once again a page packed full of awesome and evil cake.

I don't think this is gunna pan out the way people seem to think it is. I think V is going to arrive to late, his kids and mate are gunna be spread over the forest like a thin buttery spread (they are elves, they bleed pastry) He may get there in time to stop the binding

It's been, what, a half a minute, at most? (Remember, the whole encounter with the fiends was time-stopped)



OR he doesn't even get there in time to stop the binding, theres plenty of ways to stop a caster even without an anti-magic field no matter his power. Dragon could be there with a couple of illusions and polymorphed into V's mate even, being what V wants to see so badly would he question it? i doubt it, and it'd put the dragon in the perfect placing to seriously mind violate our poor V.

1. True seeing > illusions.
2. Why would the dragon be waiting for V? She has no clue that he has any way of following her, and her goal was to leave forever, cursing him to a live without children, not to kill him.



I feel that, if V is going to fail to save his family/"fall", a more likely scenario is:

1. V teleports in, smacks ABD around until it is near death.
2. The voices in V's head tell him to make the dragon suffer, instead of just killing her.
3. V chooses the Evil course of action, and decides to play with the dragon before finishing her off.
4. While V is tormenting the dragon, the dragon manages to kill his family using a spell/breath weapon.
5. V's mind breaks.

[Grail]

Those two statements don't seem terribly compatible to me.

Why can't they be compatible. I'm not an evil fanboy - I'm not all excited and don't think the comic was orgasmic as some would seem with their gushing praise (more power to them, they obviously like that stuff).

Seeing her fail to save her family doesn't mean that I'm an evil fanboy, I mean - what has that got to do with anything? I would like to see the evil fail to work. Come on, it's not that hard to understand. Sheesh. I dislike the character of V, I would like to see the character fail, and fail hard.

[JessiTsuki]

The world's men are gay for Bridget, it's quite possible I am gay for V. Considering V's secret gender I may in fact be straight.

Is anyone else imagining the choir singing to the melody of One Winged Angel? Or whatever that Sephiroth theme song is called XD *Has never played FF*

[moret]

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal...

[Catskin]

Thanks for the comic. Amazingly awesome art.

[The Blackbird]

The Giant should make evil V a shirt design.

[JessiTsuki]

The Giant should make evil V a shirt design.

I agree XD

[Kai_Lord]

Am I the only one seriously concerned by the reference in the title? Paint It Black is a song about a person in despair because of the death of their lover. At least to me, it seems to suggest that the ABD has already killed the V's SO. After all, the fiends never specified how long it would take to do this soul splice, now did they? :smallamused: