Elan needs to take a level in euphemism

[JonahFalcon]

Seriously, if he wants to be a true Bard, he needs to be able to make coy euphemisms and sexy double entendre.

[derfenrirwolv]

I think receiving the coded message is based on sense motive... which is based on wisdom.

You may use Sense Motive to detect that a hidden message is being transmitted via the Bluff skill. In this case, your Sense Motive check is opposed by the Bluff check of the character transmitting the message

Haley should pick up on it fast enough...

[thubby]

I think receiving the coded message is based on sense motive... which is based on wisdom.

You may use Sense Motive to detect that a hidden message is being transmitted via the Bluff skill. In this case, your Sense Motive check is opposed by the Bluff check of the character transmitting the message

Haley should pick up on it fast enough...

the implications here are amusing. he can make spectacular euphemisms, but he can't understand them.
he wouldn't know what he was saying >,<

[Ancalagon]

Seriously, if he wants to be a true Bard, he needs to be able to make coy euphemisms and sexy double entendre.

Actually, I think that he does not get all those things breaks his character. I'd ignore it and hope for an explanation that makes sense...

[Marnath]

Actually, I think that he does not get all those things breaks his character. I'd ignore it and hope for an explanation that makes sense...

Why does it break character? His knowledge of genre and dramatics is mostly for tropes and cliches, the euphemism's flying around in this strip aren't really common ones.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Actually, I think that he does not get all those things breaks his character. I'd ignore it and hope for an explanation that makes sense...
Nah, the reason he doesn’t get it is because he’s fixated on the perfectly innocent literal meaning. That’s plenty in character. He’s shown an inability to switch the context of phrases before. If he were in a situation where he wasn’t already thinking of the phrase literally, he’d be more likely to pick up on the meaning. Maybe.

[Ancalagon]

That’s plenty in character. He’s shown an inability to switch the context of phrases before.

He has been shown as utterly dumb in most situations but with a very keen insight into plot and genre conventions, he also is very aware of drama. He's a high level bard and I think he should get obvious sexual tensions.

He might have his father stored in another role in his mind... surely possible. But as it is right now with the explanations that we have (none) I simply don't buy the character and the scene Rich is trying to sell here.

[Marnath]

You....don't buy that Elan might just be too stupid to get the hints? O.o
I don't know what to say to that aside from....hmmm. :smalltongue:

[Shhalahr Windrider]

He has been shown as utterly dumb in most situations but with a very keen insight into plot and genre conventions…
“Wash the ape” is a conventional entendre?


He's a high level bard and I think he should get obvious sexual tensions.
That’s what’s confusing him. He’s hearing one thing and seeing another.

[John Cribati]

What irks me the most is that thread is improperly titled. It should be something like "Elan needs more ranks in Knowledge (Euphemism)"

But, yeah, Elan is taking Tarquin's entendres literally because "giving their pet orangutan a bath" was meant to be taken literally. It's a misunderstanding on both parts.

[JustIgnoreMe]

Back in 3rd Ed, there was a skill called Innuendo. I can't remember what it *actually* did, but when I used it, I made sure everything I did with it could be taken both ways. So to speak. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

[the humanity]

Elan, like most people, probably tries to ignore the idea of sex involving his parents.

this and his tendency towards being low wisdom is probably hurting him.

[GSFB]

as I understand it, innuendo is used to send a hidden meaning, whereas bluff is used to deceive.

example of innuendo: "wash the monkey" meant to say "have sex"

example of bluff: "wash the monkey" meant to say "I want you to think I am talking about sex, but actually I am planning some other nefarious activity unbeknown to you."

and, I believe, sense motive would be the ability to determine the real meaning in either case.

[veti]

Back in 3rd Ed, there was a skill called Innuendo. I can't remember what it *actually* did, but when I used it, I made sure everything I did with it could be taken both ways. So to speak. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Back in 1st Ed, my DM invented a prestige class (as it would have been called, if the term "prestige class" had existed back then...) called "Pervert". Open to chaotic spellcasters only. It had its own spell list, and the ability to borrow spells from other lists provided the titles lent themselves to, umm, reinterpretation.

Fireball was one of my favourites. Then there was Magic Mouth. And you really don't want to know about Animal Growth.

[John Cribati]

Elan, like most people, probably tries to ignore the idea of sex involving his parents.

Duly noted.
/thread

[Ancalagon]

“Wash the ape” is a conventional entendre?

As everyone here got it... understanding stuff like that is apparently not working as you think. ;)

[Shhalahr Windrider]

As everyone here got it... understanding stuff like that is apparently not working as you think. ;)
Hint: The readers were around for the final panel of OotS 740. Elan was not.

[Querzis]

Hint: The readers were around for the final panel of OotS 740. Elan was not.

Indeed. If Tarquin would have said all of this without the last panel of 740 to tell me that he thought washing the monkey was a sexual innuendo, I would have been very confused at first too. I think I would have realized Tarquin was talking about sex after a while but honestly I'm not sure.

[Ancalagon]

Hint: The readers were around for the final panel of OotS 740. Elan was not.

What's your problem? I think we have one of the very rare cases of bad writing in OotS here. I do not like the joke and I think it makes no sense, given what we know about Elan.
Even if it has a good reason (like he does not connect his father with something like that, whyever) it's not communicated in a way that makes sense.

The point is I think Elan really should get it and that he does not is "wrong".

You can have a different opinion and think it's an awesome chain of jokes, that is perfectly fine. But that does not change the fact that I think it makes no sense, even with your "hint" it does not.

[DemLep]

And you thinking it is "wrong" does not make it bad writing.

From what I know of Elan it make sense to me.

[Ancalagon]

And you thinking it is "wrong" does not make it bad writing.

In this situation, given the info we have? I say "yes".


From what I know of Elan it make sense to me.


Well, isn't it nice that some people can like peanut butter while others have the freedom to dislike it?

All I said is how I interpret the current situation with Elan, not more, not less and - in a rare case - did not fall into the general praise "how awesome the latest comic" is. I might praise the next one again, though, but I do not know that until I saw it.

[hamishspence]

Elan shows a certain cluelessness about why Haley's angry, in the bandit arc. It may not be entirely out-of-character for him to not get some relationship nuances.

In Paladin Blues, the Giant says:


In particular, I wanted to dispel the myth than Elan is asexual because he's so childlike. Quite the opposite; Elan probably has a great deal of experience with women. He's attractive and fun to be around, so no doubt many women have shown interest in him. What he lacks is the understanding of love and meaningful relationships, as well as the ability to understand that Haley- who is "one of the guys" to Elan- might be in love with him.

In Origin of PCs, Elan manages to misunderstand a mildly sexual compliment, as one about his steed:

"Thanks! His name is Dandelion!"

[BadAndyMk3]

Elan has always come across as pretty clueless. That hasn't changed. I guess I don't see the problem.

[Querzis]

In this situation, given the info we have? I say "yes".

Yeah so nobody else think that. Its not just a case where you're in the minority, just read the main thread, nobody else think that. I dunno whats your perception of Elan but it obviously doesnt match the perception everybody else (including the author) has of Elan.

You can still have your opinion obviously. But when you say its bad writing and that it contradict what we know of the character, thats not an opinion, you're stating it as if it was a fact.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

From what I know of Elan it make sense to me.
Exactly. Elan may have a fair bit of sexual experience, but doesn’t mean he is smut-minded. He doesn’t go looking for innuendo where he doesn’t expect it.

[Chainsaw Hobbit]

In Elan's defense, those euphemisms were petty vague.
I probably wouldn't have understood them when I was, say, 10. And at that point I had more reasoning ability than Elan.

[137beth]

He has been shown as utterly dumb in most situations but with a very keen insight into plot and genre conventions, he also is very aware of drama. He's a high level bard and I think he should get obvious sexual tensions.

He might have his father stored in another role in his mind... surely possible. But as it is right now with the explanations that we have (none) I simply don't buy the character and the scene Rich is trying to sell here.

The fact that he understands the cliche's of plots does not means he understands metaphors that are NOT cliche.

[ThePhantasm]

Elan is misunderstanding Tarquin because Tarquin first misunderstood HIM.

Note that he does recognize that Tarquin is using a euphemism, but thinks it is something to do with a Dwarf because that is what Elan's euphemism was about. Tarquin is always thinking about sex so he misunderstood Elan; Elan is a bit more naieve and innocent so he doesn't notice that Tarquin misunderstood.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Oh, man. It never actually occurred to me that Elan's euphemism was about meeting with Durkon. All this time I had just assumed that his mutant brain worked so hard at decoding Tarquin's double-entendre that he went right past the intended meaning and wound up at another, completely unrelated double-entendre.

I was wondering why nobody was talking about that.