The reverse Epilectic Tree thread

[Turkish Delight]

Or 'reverse crazed theories', if you prefer.

That is, in this thread, we will no longer be starting with little snippets of what the Giant has said in the past or utterly forgettable little moments that prove that such-and-such completely off the wall theory is true. We will no longer be reading the comic, seeing some throw-away moment or bit of dialogue, and concluding from it that the Monster in the Dark is the Snarl or that Mr. Scruffy is actually a polymorphed Balor waiting for a chance to devour Belkar's soul.

Here we will start with the crazed, wacked-out theory and work our way backward, justifying said crazy theory with whatever snippet of the comic we can find. Sky's the limit, my friends. Points to whoever comes up with the best justification.

First theory:

Haley's mother is actually TIAMET.

...

Go.

[derfenrirwolv]

Haley said she isn't exactly ... something. Being half dragon god could fill in that blank with "mortal" "human"

Haley constantly feels she isnt good enough. This stems from the fact that she knows her type is evil.

Haley often uses a LOT of acttacks in a round (same as dear old mom)

Tiamat went to heaven like her mom... to take it over!

She admited to being half dragon in the inn that blew up

She shines her hoard

She's used a variety of elemental weapons, from firey arrows to an icy burst bow

[Moff Chumley]

Turkish, I like you. :smallwink:

Well, this one is relatively strait forward. Tiamat is the goddess of greed, right? And we know Haley is perhaps the greediest character in OotSverse, so OBVIOUSLY TIAMAT MUST BE HER MOTHER!!

EDIT: Ninja'd

[Nevitan]

EDIT: Ninja'd

And how! 

[ZeLinator]

I approve of this idea. Any more crazed wacked out theories?

[The Pale King]

Xykon is really from Modern Earth:smalltongue:

[Darius1020]

The whole party is controlled by giant space cats

[The Bookworm]

Xykon is really from Modern Earth:smalltongue:
Where else would one acquire Teevo?
And all those references. Darth Vader. CNN. etc.

[Maximum Zersk]

The whole party is controlled by giant space cats

*cough*Mr.Scruffy*cough*

[Pyron]

Miko is actually Roy... from the Future!

[Berserk Monk]

Thog is actually Durokan.

[alchemyprime]

Miko is actually Roy... from the Future!

Well, even though the curse was removed from the belt, Roy could conceivable have the belt Recursed, and have his skin bleached by falling in the acid that the shark in the tank lives in, ala the Joker from Batman. Besides RIch has mentioned Collusus, Batman and Cyclops all before, so why not the Joker? Roy has been ressurected a few too many times, and ends up using optional variants of the PHB2 retraining rules to switch some fighter for some Monk. Then, after realizing he's stuck as a woman and a pale one at that, and now has a head of luscious hair, he tracks down the only other person who can help him: Vaarsuvius. V helps Roy out with a reversal spell, but ends up accidentally sending them back in time. V then realizes they accidentally killed the real Miko Miyazaki, and so uses Programmed Amnesia to chjange Roy into the Miko they need and swaps ther rest of Fighter for Paladin.

Then, V goes off to find a way to fix all this while near Azure City, while "Miko" goes off to be under the patronage of Shojo.

Phew!

[Tijne]

The Snarl will break free of his cage, just a little; just enough to unmake the physical concept of time. -- He'll literally stop the earth from rotating around the sun indefinitely.

Therefore, the next 'year' won't come, and Belkar can live to see the end of the campaign.

[blueblade]

Durkon is actually the BBEG of the story.... GO!

[Eloel]

Durkon has casted Command Undead on otherwise harmless Xykon, and is commanding him to try and take over the gates for him with his powers. Durkon refers to Loki as Thor, mostly because Loki is the god of trickery and wants his follower to use deception to reach his own ends. Someone from the dwarven community figured Durkon's evil-worshippery, and that's why he has been kicked out of the dwarven lands.

Seriously, it wasn't that hard.


Redcloak is actually a being of Pure Good.

Try THAT!

[blueblade]

The Dark One has realised that the snarl is actually a multiversal threat, and with every day of its imprisonment it grows stronger, feeding off the lifeforce of the world.

Knowing that no force in this realm (including the gods) has the power to stop the snarl with the death of the Eastern gods, the Dark One has realised the only way to prevent it from destroying all realities is to destroy the earth, something the other gods are too stubborn and proud to accept.

So it falls to the underpowered Goblin race to go against all odds and Do The Right Thing (TM), led by the fearless Redcloak, possibly the only mortal in the realm who truly understands what's at stake here.

[Hurkyl]

The whole party is controlled by giant space cats
*cough*Mr.Scruffy*cough*
Okay, so Mr.Scruffy is a miniature giant space cat. :smalltongue:

[Jan Mattys]

The Dark One has realised that the snarl is actually a multiversal threat, and with every day of its imprisonment it grows stronger, feeding off the lifeforce of the world.

Knowing that no force in this realm (including the gods) has the power to stop the snarl with the death of the Eastern gods, the Dark One has realised the only way to prevent it from destroying all realities is to destroy the earth, something the other gods are too stubborn and proud to accept.

So it falls to the underpowered Goblin race to go against all odds and Do The Right Thing (TM), led by the fearless Redcloak, possibly the only mortal in the realm who truly understands what's at stake here.

So, basically you are saying that Dark One = Ozymandiaz?
:smallbiggrin:

[Jarin_G]

Or 'reverse crazed theories', if you prefer.

That is, in this thread, we will no longer be starting with little snippets of what the Giant has said in the past or utterly forgettable little moments that prove that such-and-such completely off the wall theory is true. We will no longer be reading the comic, seeing some throw-away moment or bit of dialogue, and concluding from it that the Monster in the Dark is the Snarl or that Mr. Scruffy is actually a polymorphed Balor waiting for a chance to devour Belkar's soul.

Here we will start with the crazed, wacked-out theory and work our way backward, justifying said crazy theory with whatever snippet of the comic we can find. Sky's the limit, my friends. Points to whoever comes up with the best justification.

First theory:

Haley's mother is actually TIAMET.

...

Go.

I was born for this. . . .

[blueblade]

So, basically you are saying that Dark One = Ozymandiaz?
:smallbiggrin:

Nah, he's more like Dr Manhattan with a spine :smallamused:

[Kaytara]

Guys, aren't we supposed to come up with semi-plausible EVIDENCE of the epileptic trees, rather than just elaborate on the epileptic tree?


Durkon is actually the BBEG of the story.... GO!

That's easy. Durkon is a relatively high-level cleric. He's been a cleric for years. He has high wisdom.

And then, when they're facing Xykon, even he of all people never says anything about a phylactery, though that is the most important thing about defeating a Lich and something a cleric simply cannot not know.

Pretty convenient, no?

When allowing Miko to capture and brutalize the Order, he again conveniently stands back, shielding himself with the excuse about his god. All so that the Order would get involved in the Gate business, allowing him to use them for his own ends.

Note that he's also the one who ends up convincing Haley to stay with them when she turns out to be the only one who tries to leave, revealing a shrewd and manipulative mind.

He has high enough wisdom to recognise the folly of fighting a Lich in the air, but makes no effort to stop Roy. Later, he not only actively prevents Elan from trying to rejoin Haley but also deliberately hinders Vaarsuvius' research while demoralising and breaking the elf's confidence as much as possible.

All in order to splinter and thus stall the Order and allow his unwitting pawns the Linear Guild (along with the IFCC) some time to take control of a Gate without distraction.

Truly an evil mastermind.

[Mystic Muse]

Haley is actually in love with Roy.

I only have one piece I can find of in strip evidence.http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0666.html

it's your guys's job to find the rest.:smalltongue:

[Almaseti]

I would add to the Durkon = BBEG theory that he prevented V from explaining about the splice to the rest of the order by abusing his position as "moral compass" of the group and telling V that she/he did good, when in fact he played right into his and the IFCC's hands.

Note also that the IFCC had a lot of insider knowledge about the team in terms of personality quirks, items equipped (by Durkon himself, no less), general plans and things Sabine couldn't possibly have known. Durkon must be working with them, either with them as his subordinates (implying that not only is he likely the BBEG, but possibly some kind of demigod as well) or he's using them the way they're using the Linear Guild.

[mockingbyrd7]

Belkar will eventually redeem himself and emerge as the story's main protagonist.

[Moff Chumley]

Are you TRYING to start a flame-war? :smalltongue:

Anyway, Rich gets forced at knife point to do that by some random die-hard Belkar fan-boy. Is it implausible? Yah. But not impossible. :smallwink:

[Mystic Muse]

no. it is indeed impossible. RICH DOES NOT CRACK. it doesn't matter what you do to him. It won't work. Just ask Silverraptor

I even gave him cookies.:smallfrown:

[Moff Chumley]

Eh. It's improbable, but under the right circumstances, possible. Possibly. *shrug*

[waterpenguin43]

I think I know about Snarl!!! Snarl is really Durkon in disguise, it also created the beer of annihilation. Also, Vaarsivus and Roy really are taking turns in the disguise of Belkar so they can be rude to the others and nobody will know.

[Lappy9000]

I think I know about Snarl!!! Snarl is really Durkon in disguise, it also created the beer of annihilation. Also, Vaarsivus and Roy really are taking turns in the disguise of Belkar so they can be rude to the others and nobody will know.It's all quite logical, really. After all, the Pre-OOTSverse did consist mostly of crayon, being drawn by Roy's younger brother. Needing a dour and orderly babysitter, the unwitting Durkon was chosen for this monumentous task when he was thrown out of the Dwarven Halls under a falsified task. Unfortunately for Durkon, the scribbles also took more concrete forms in Vaarsuvius and Roy, and escape occasionally only to enter the shell that is Belkar's pre-brain.

[Forbiddenwar]

Find evidence that MitD and Scruffy is the SAME creature!

[blueblade]

Find evidence that MitD and Scruffy is the SAME creature!

Not only are they the same creature, both are manifestations of the Snarl!


Never been seen together, or with the snarl!
They are members of the two groups responsible for the constant breaking of the gates, which is the snarl's ultimate intention. Neither group on their own has this purpose, but by pitting the two against each other, this is the assured result each time.
MitD could have stopped Roy from destroying Dorukans gate at any time, yet stood by willingly.
Mr Scruffy was key in twisting Miko's mind just far enough to belief that Shinjo was evil, which ultimately drove her to fall, become insane, and smash the gate.
MitD helped V and O-Chul escape (using his godlike powers of course) to keep the gate smashing going, also sent them to the location of Mr Scruffy, to keep an eye on him.
The fact that nobody suspects them (one due to feigned idiocy, the other due to feigned cat-ness) is further proof of their godlike disguises)
STRONGEST EVIDENCE YET MitD further disguises his involvement, by denying the very existence of the gates, despite clearly having sufficient intelligence to know of them. Genius

[itaibn]

While I know this not what you meant, here is my idea of a reverse epilectic tree:

Just as the IFCC planned, Xykon stops procrastinating and starts taking the gates much more seriously. In particular, he sends a spy to see what the OOTS is doing. Eventually, the Order of the Stick finds Girard's gate and unveils its many illusions. The spy informs Xykon of this, and Xykon comes with Redcloak and Tsukiko to Girard's gate. Them and the OOTS have a big fight, ending with Durkon bravely opening the fourth gate, killing himself and Belkar. Thus we wait for the final battle in Kraagor's gate.

I'd continue this if I knew a way to resolve the MitD's identity, the planet in the snarl, the elves counterattack, and V's true gender without it being an epilectic tree.

[Brendan]

Haley is actually a male succubus. She has disguised this with the shapechanging ability.
Prove this.

[Gift Jeraff]

She made out with girls before. She never said what else happened.

The comic is an actual campaign.

[Larocs Macalar]

That giant purple worm will ate them and take them to Xykon. At the doomed Azure city, Xykon will reveal the Mitd and start a death fight against the order. at the end, our heroes win, but V dies (instead of belkar).:smalltongue:

[Larocs Macalar]

They are members of the two groups responsible for the constant breaking of the gates, which is the snarl's ultimate intention. Neither group on their own has this purpose, but by pitting the two against each other, this is the assured result each time.


Common, the Mitd doesn't even knows what gate xykon always told him.
¬¬

[Liwen]

Try this one : Elan is actually the smartest character of all time.

[Random832]

Common, the Mitd doesn't even knows what gate xykon always told him.
¬¬
So people keep talking about these "gates" - I don't remember any such thing in the comic, is this something that's only in the books?

[Brendan]

Try this one : Elan is actually the smartest character of all time.

Any Bard has ranks in perform (acting). Elan Obviously has high charisma. Everything that happens to him turns out well in the end. For example, when he was captured by bandits, or well, when he discretely joined the arms of his 'enemies', he ended up fulfilling one of his evil goals: to have sex with the bandit queen. He, as his role as the lovable dimwitted oaf, is the only one to have a happy ending. Coincidence? I think not! he has been manipulating the enemies, even casting illusions of himself being stabbed early on so that he could be considered the useless member of the party. Also, the evil opposites idea fits in, as Nale's plans always seem to fail, but Elan has been spot on this whole time.

[Turkish Delight]

Any Bard has ranks in perform (acting). Elan Obviously has high charisma. Everything that happens to him turns out well in the end. For example, when he was captured by bandits, or well, when he discretely joined the arms of his 'enemies', he ended up fulfilling one of his evil goals: to have sex with the bandit queen. He, as his role as the lovable dimwitted oaf, is the only one to have a happy ending. Coincidence? I think not! he has been manipulating the enemies, even casting illusions of himself being stabbed early on so that he could be considered the useless member of the party. Also, the evil opposites idea fits in, as Nale's plans always seem to fail, but Elan has been spot on this whole time.

He's pretty genre savvy, as well. He may have realized that the Powers that Be are much less likely to inflict horrible suffering followed by a gruesome end on the light-hearted, dull-witted comic relief character. Under such circumstances, what possible greater sign of intelligence could there be than to be incredibly stupid? It takes a real idiot like Vaarsuvious to tempt fate by being so smart.

I am well pleased with how this thread has been proceeding, so here's another one:

From the very start, Therkla was actually THOG IN DRAG!

[Kaytara]

From the very start, Therkla was actually THOG IN DRAG!

We know Therkla likes purple. When we see Thog getting angry, the illusions around him are disrupted and we see the real colour of his underwear - purple. Considering the variety of colour Rich uses, that's a pretty big coincidence.

They are remarkably similar in appearance. Tusks, green skin.... We also know that Thog has a long history of close contact with Elan. After their Cliffport adventure, he came to regard Elan as a friend, even going so far as refusing to harm him on Nale's orders. For someone with absolute loyalty to Nale, the only way to explain this is if he developed romantic feelings for Elan, which fits well since he has a pathological fear of girls. His assault on Haley, who has just revealed herself as a potential rival, stems from this. He dealt with her the way only a jealous, infatuated half-orc can - by brutally beating her with a door.

Most conscpicuously, we haven't seen him at all since he left Azure City. The idea that the infatuated half-orc would have dressed himself as a female (knowing that Elan isn't into guys), killed a ninja trying to assassinate Hinjo during the battle and taken her place as an employee of Kubota - it all fits together perfectly. Note that a job to kill Kubota - as well as continuously failing to succeed in that - allowed him to be near his bodyguard, Elan, many times.

We know Therkla had to swim back to Kubota's ship after the orc island incident. That sort of strength and endurance - braving dangerous waters and water monsters - is hard to come by - unless, of course, one is ALREADY a strong half-orc barbarian with upper body power.

Therka's refusal to take sides in the end perfectly mirrors Thog's "Thog want all of Thog's friends to have ice cream together" attitude. Thog doesn't want to take sides, he wants everyone to get along.

QED. :D

Now, the next round.
Prove that the Flumphs are future Red Guy and Green Guy gone back in time.

[The Pale King]

Try this one : Elan is actually the smartest character of all time.
Take this one step further: Elan is Obfuscating Stupidity, and is in fact, the Chessmaster and has been manipulating the entirety of the events of the comic in his favor.