Just it's just 'Xykon' now?

[Liwen]

I have notice this just now and it's possible someone else pointed it out already, but Redcloak dropped the "Lord Xykon" now. Is it possible he's building up some balls?

[Flickerdart]

I have notice this just now and it's possible someone else pointed it out already, but Redcloak dropped the "Lord Xykon" now. Is it possible he's building up some balls?
In battle, formality is not one's strong suit.

[Starwaster]

I have notice this just now and it's possible someone else pointed it out already, but Redcloak dropped the "Lord Xykon" now. Is it possible he's building up some balls?

Or, possibly he got hit by part of Xykon's, back in strip: OOTS 114 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0114.html)

[The MunchKING]

Xycon didn't have his Superball of insanity there. :smallwink::smalltongue:

[King of Nowhere]

I have notice this just now and it's possible someone else pointed it out already, but Redcloak dropped the "Lord Xykon" now. Is it possible he's building up some balls?

Redcloak started building balls after Xykon was destroied. It was a gradual proccess, and came to conclusion after the battle for Azure city.

[[TS] Shadow]

Hmmm...I haven't noticed. That's a good point, maybe Redcloak is finally starting to act on his own.

[R. Malcovitch]

It's doubtful that Rich had Redcloak's backstory thought out when the strip began, more likely Redcloak was Minion #1 to the Chimera's Minion #18. It was after the beginning when the comic began developing a story that Rich fleshed out RC, including his subtle hatred of Xykon.

[Tempest Fennac]

Looking at Start of Darkness, I'd say that RC's interractions with Xykon made perfect sense. (There was that comic with Xykon being completely indifferent to RC's feeling when he needed a Speak With Dead to ask someone about his keys which shows that RC was pretty much under Xykon's thumb). I agree with RC growing a backbone after Xykon was destroyed. Xykon possibly wasn't that bothered by this due to RC's actions demonstrating that he is loyal to Xykon.

[RMS Oceanic]

I kinda figured it was him growing a pair. Leading the hobgoblins has given him better self esteem, and maybe the courage to treat Xykon as a partner again, rather than accept being fully subordinate. I'm pretty sure he's still nowhere near Owning up to his deep investment in the "Sunk Cost" fallacy of killing his brother but he is improving.

[Tingel]

Considering how Redcloak treats Xykon in strip #543, I'd say dropping the 'Lord' is hardly a noteworthy development.



Hmmm...I haven't noticed. That's a good point, maybe Redcloak is finally starting to act on his own.
He has already been acting on his own for some time now. His agenda is not Xykon's agenda at all, and somewhere down the line he and Jirix will become enemies of Xykon and Tsukiko. Just look at strip #548.

[Ancalagon]

Redcloak always had a spine but also was always under Xykon's thumb.

1. Redcloak invested already too much into Xykon for The Plan to give up now. And he's nearer with Xykon to the completion that without.
2. Xykon is a risky, but also very powerful ally. With Xykon, there are only very little threats from a "power perspective".
3. Redcloak still has the problem he did murder his brother for Xykon and The Plan. This is going to be hard to overcome. As long as Redloak follows Xykon and uses him for The Plan, the murder (and death of literally thousands of goblins, the exact people for whom he is doing all this) was for some good.

[Ellye]

It's doubtful that Rich had Redcloak's backstory thought out when the strip began, more likely Redcloak was Minion #1 to the Chimera's Minion #18. It was after the beginning when the comic began developing a story that Rich fleshed out RC, including his subtle hatred of Xykon.That's how I see it too.
In the first arc of the comic, Xykon and Redcloak were just lame generic villains to the lame generic plot. But OotS ended up evolving into an awesome story with very well developed characters.
So we see some changes like Redcloak dropping that "Lord Xykon" thing that never really suited him that much. And Xykon actually being a powerful and cunning villain, not a sad sack of bones that went down to a bare-handed low-level Fighter faster than a kobold with a lung infection.

Well, I drifted off-topic a bit, I think (blame is on the linked old strip) - even if Rich already had Redcloak character planned from the start, he probably would be calling Xykon by "Lord Xykon" in the beginning anyway.

[JJ48]

I think Redcloak's starting to remove his blinders to what's going on, and develop as a person. Yes, there are a lot of things from SoD that he will have to overcome in order to actually move away from Xykon permanently, but I think, in the end, he will, mainly due to ANOTHER SoD spoiler:

Xykon gave MitD strict magical orders (sorry, forgot which spell it was) as to what to do to Redcloak should RC ever betray him. This seems too big of an opportunity to simply write off. I believe, towards the end of the comic, Xykon will do something that once and for all convinces RC that The Plan has no further use for Xykon, and RC will cut his ties. The MitD, acting of its own free will, will probably join him. But then, the magical order will kick in, and he'll eat Redcloak.

[Optimystik]

It's hard for Redcloak to maintain the honorific when he has so little respect for Xykon. "What Xykon wants and what's a good idea tend to diverge significantly," as he tells Tsukiko. He does periodically call him "sir" though.

[Dagren]

It's hard for Redcloak to maintain the honorific when he has so little respect for Xykon. "What Xykon wants and what's a good idea tend to diverge significantly," as he tells Tsukiko. He does periodically call him "sir" though.Well yeah, to his face. That doesn't really mean much, IMO.

[Ancalagon]

It's hard for Redcloak to maintain the honorific when he has so little respect for Xykon. "What Xykon wants and what's a good idea tend to diverge significantly," as he tells Tsukiko. He does periodically call him "sir" though.

Xykon demanded to be called that way (since there are worse forms of goverment than crownocracy)...

[Optimystik]

Well yeah, to his face. That doesn't really mean much, IMO.

Calling him sir to his face means he recognizes Xykon as his superior. It's possible (and indeed, common) for an underling to have little respect for his boss, however.

[Ancalagon]

Calling him sir to his face means he recognizes Xykon as his superior. It's possible (and indeed, common) for an underling to have little respect for his boss, however.

Redcloak surely has a lot of "respect" for Xykon, respect born in fear from the knowledge what Xykon WILL and CAN do. And Redcloak also very well knows Xykon is in regards to "Evil" like three or four levels higher than him.

[Optimystik]

respect born in fear...

..is not respect.

Redcloak hates Xykon; see SoD for details.

[jidasfire]

I think the game of power between Xykon and Redcloak is darker and more subtle than people realize. One of the more interesting things Xykon said to Redcloak during the SoD verbal beatdown was that in exchange for Redcloak's loyalty, Xykon would let him pretend the events leading up to it never happened. It seems to me that Xykon holds that card in reserve in case Redcloak becomes truly insubordinate. Xykon is a vicious player of mind games, and I think he lets Redcloak be sarcastic and play his games of subtle defiance, because he knows that in reality, Redcloak is too much a coward to ever turn on him. The fact that Redcloak does seem to have forgotten his brother indicates he's pretty broken on the inside, and his recent displays of courage could be easily brought crashing down if necessary.

[Morgan Wick]

I think Redcloak has grown some balls since before 543 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0543.html).

[Optimystik]

I think Redcloak has grown some balls since before 543 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0543.html).

#147 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0147.html), to be precise.