Elan's Happy Ending?

[Katrover_Swatroad]

Remember this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html)? Elan was promised a happy ending -- for him, at least. But now ... how can this is possible? I see a bittersweet ending, at best.

Oh, I can see it now. Elan complains to the Seer that his ending was anything but happy, only to have the latter taunt that he meant the overall story concerning the gates, not Elan's personal side arc.

[Tass]

Remember this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html)? Elan was promised a happy ending -- for him, at least. But now ... how can this is possible? I see a bittersweet ending, at best.

Good point.

[Acero]

Tarquin sees the error of his ways and turns good for his son?

btw: i couldn't write that with a straight face

[Swordpriest]

Why does the happy ending necessarily need to involve Tarquin? :smallconfused:

[Kareasint]

I am fairly sure that the ending hinted at by the Oracle was back in Strip 400.

[Thanatosia]

I am fairly sure that the ending hinted at by the Oracle was back in Strip 400.
If this comic had a reasonably solid 4th wall I could agree with that interpretation, but given how flimsy the 4th wall in OOTS is, especially in all things regaurding the Oracle, I can only see the 'Happy Ending' Refering to the ending of the OOTs storyline, not any sub-arc therein. In Life, stories never end, they go on forever, but in a webcomic with an open 4th wall, stories end when the story ends.

[krossbow]

It involves a helmet of opposite alignment and ruling the three empires with his father.:smalltongue:

[Sylthia]

The Empress of Blood will try to toast Elan, Tarquin intervenes and tosses the Empress into the gate, and turns Good moments before dying. The End.

[Morquard]

Nothing says everything the oracle prophecises has to happen.
There could be different reasons for that:
- He's just wrong sometimes
- Some big unexpected stuff happens that changes reality (like someone Familiciting 1/4 of the black dragons) and therefore the prophecy
- The oracle is an ass and lies sometimes for cheap giggles
- Oracle tells the people what they need to hear so they do what they have to do so HIS (or whoever gives him the prophecies, Tiamat probably) plan works. Think self-fullfilling prophecies etc, once they know it, they work towards it and then it usually happens like he "prophecised". But sometimes that involves lying. Who cares, it was a questiona bout "the end", so he can't come back and complain since you can always just say "that wasn't the end yet, wait a bit longer".

[Lord Vukodlak]

Why does the happy ending necessarily need to involve Tarquin? :smallconfused:

It doesn't.

[Porthos]

I am fairly sure that the ending hinted at by the Oracle was back in Strip 400.

Not according to Rich's commentary in WaXPs. :smallsmile:

As for the general thread, what could be more satisfying than bringing your Corrupt Father to Justice and Foiling His Evil Plans? I mean, it's totally dramatic and everything! :smalltongue:

[NerfTW]

I am fairly sure that the ending hinted at by the Oracle was back in Strip 400.

Nope, in the commentary, Rich stated that it was referring to the actual end of the adventure, given all the downer prophecies being given.


As for not being possible, why? There's nothing stopping him from still having a happy ending. His father that he's never known popping up and verifiying that yes, indeed, he is evil doesn't change anything. That's like saying that he can't have a happy ending because he stubbed his toe. The prophecy wasn't "You will be happy every second of the rest of your life".

And as for not being true, that's just ridiculous. Once you start assuming the Oracle can lie, it defeats the whole purpose of the Oracle. There's been no indication of this being a possiblity. You might as well assume that Belkar is really a lawful good Paladin on a special undercover mission from his gods.

[Yendor]

As for the general thread, what could be more satisfying than bringing your Corrupt Father to Justice and Foiling His Evil Plans? I mean, it's totally dramatic and everything! :smalltongue:
:elan: "Hey Dad, remember when you asked if I'd foiled any villains yet? Well, now I have!"

[UltimatheChosen]

The Oracle is lying, because he worships Tiamat, foresaw what V was going to do while under the merge, and took it upon himself to do something about it.

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

A Happy Ending doesn't necessarily mean everything in his life is perfect. It means that the adventure will end in some way that he considers a victory. It probably implies Roy and Haley surviving, but, if they sacrificed themselves to save the world, Elan could probably come to terms with it. Technically, Happy Ending doesn't necessarily imply that Elan survives. If he ends up in the afterlife in the process of saving the world, he'd probably be happy knowing he gave his life to do what needed to be done.

I'm not really sure we can say for sure what has to be true in order for Elan to be happy with how the story ends.

[Psyren]

Tarquin sees the error of his ways and turns good for his son?

btw: i couldn't write that with a straight face

Great, you made me snort pepsi everywhere :smalltongue:

[Porthos]

The Oracle is lying, because he worships Tiamat, foresaw what V was going to do while under the merge, and took it upon himself to do something about it.

???

I guess he didn't do a very good job at stopping the merge then. :smalltongue:

[Zevox]

Remember this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html)? Elan was promised a happy ending -- for him, at least. But now ... how can this is possible? I see a bittersweet ending, at best.

Oh, I can see it now. Elan complains to the Seer that his ending was anything but happy, only to have the latter taunt that he meant the overall story concerning the gates, not Elan's personal side arc.
:smallconfused: Why on earth would you assume he was referring to this personal side-story? Elan asked if "this story" would have a happy ending. The story arc we're in now did not exist then, so he can't have been talking about this one. He was clearly referring to the comic as a whole, not any given sub-plot of it.

Zevox

[Crisis21]

Elan's happy ending, as I view it, really only requires a few things. They are:

1) The good guys are victorious.

2) Elan is alive.

3) Haley is alive.

4) Elan and Haley get married.

That's pretty much it. Anything beyond this is open to negotiation.

[Red XIV]

The Oracle is lying, because he worships Tiamat, foresaw what V was going to do while under the merge, and took it upon himself to do something about it.
It's been made clear that the Oracle cannot give false predictions, even when he knows that doing so will lead to his (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0567.html) death (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0571.html). Sure, seeing into the future means that he can make sure he always has a cleric or two on hand to to raise him, but dying still hurts. Naturally it's something that you avoid if you can.

[doodthedud]

Tarquin sees the error of his ways and turns good for his son?

btw: i couldn't write that with a straight face

If they follow the Star Wars theme, he will, as he's dying.

[ThePhantasm]

I don't see how his father being evil prevents him from having a happy ending any more than his BROTHER being evil prevents him from having a happy ending.

[Swordpriest]

Elan's happy ending, as I view it, really only requires a few things. They are:

1) The good guys are victorious.

2) Elan is alive.

3) Haley is alive.

4) Elan and Haley get married.

That's pretty much it. Anything beyond this is open to negotiation.

This is my view as well. Especially since this is a genre-savvy happy ending, for stories from time immemorial, and Elan would definitely view this as the trope-based happy ending that the Oracle would be most likely to predict for him.

[Kish]

???

I guess he didn't do a very good job at stopping the merge then. :smalltongue:
Yes, I'd love to hear that theory explain why the answer to Vaarsuvius' question wasn't "by steadfastly refusing to deal with fiends even when the stakes seem highest."

[Zevox]

Elan's happy ending, as I view it, really only requires a few things. They are:

1) The good guys are victorious.

2) Elan is alive.

3) Haley is alive.

4) Elan and Haley get married.

That's pretty much it. Anything beyond this is open to negotiation.
I wouldn't necessarily assume they have to get married in the end, but the first three I certainly think are correct.

Zevox

[fizzybobnewt]

The Empress of Blood will try to toast Elan, Tarquin intervenes and tosses the Empress into the gate, and turns Good moments before dying. The End.

toss...the Empress of Blood? The giant obese dragon?

[Crisis21]

I wouldn't necessarily assume they have to get married in the end, but the first three I certainly think are correct.

Zevox

I'm not necessarily saying that they would get married in-comic, but anything that would imply they didn't get married afterward would probably invalidate Elan's happy ending.


toss...the Empress of Blood? The giant obese dragon?

The problem with that analogy is that while Tarquin likes to pretend he's like Darth Vader, he actually has much more in common with Emperor Palpatine.

[cho_j]

- Some big unexpected stuff happens that changes reality (like someone Familiciting 1/4 of the black dragons) and therefore the prophecy


I mean neither to dispute your point nor to be unnecessarily rude, but the little typo there that turned FamiliciDe into FamiliciTe gave me the amazing mental image of V standing at the front of a looong line of black dragons with a list in their hand, reading off family trees. XD

[Psyren]

:smallconfused: Why on earth would you assume he was referring to this personal side-story? Elan asked if "this story" would have a happy ending. The story arc we're in now did not exist then, so he can't have been talking about this one. He was clearly referring to the comic as a whole, not any given sub-plot of it.

Zevox

Except the Oracle then said "for you at least." Given the circumstances, he could only be referring to Elan specifically or the Order as a whole (of which Elan is a part.)

[Swordpriest]

Except the Oracle then said "for you at least." Given the circumstances, he could only be referring to Elan specifically or the Order as a whole (of which Elan is a part.)

I'd narrow it down further and say it refers to Elan specifically. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense, for example, in light of Belkar's doom. :smallwink:

[ZakRenning]

Except the Oracle then said "for you at least." Given the circumstances, he could only be referring to Elan specifically or the Order as a whole (of which Elan is a part.)

I always read that to mean, for you not the bad guys like Redcloak and Xykon (or Belkar for that matter)

[Zevox]

Except the Oracle then said "for you at least." Given the circumstances, he could only be referring to Elan specifically or the Order as a whole (of which Elan is a part.)
No, he was clearly referring to Elan specifically. But as I said, the story in question was plainly the comic as a whole, not any given sub-plot. Elan is guaranteed a happy ending to the comic - he is not guaranteed that everything in the comic will go happily for him, nor are any other characters (except probably Haley, due to being a likely part of Elan's happy ending) guaranteed a happy ending even to the comic in general.

Zevox

[Kish]

The problem with that analogy is that while Tarquin likes to pretend he's like Darth Vader, he actually has much more in common with Emperor Palpatine.
The Empress of Blood will balk at how evil Tarquin is and throw him into the gate!

[HandofShadows]

As for the general thread, what could be more satisfying than bringing your Corrupt Father to Justice and Foiling His Evil Plans? I mean, it's totally dramatic and everything! :smalltongue:

Does it still count as dramatic if the currupt father sets up his own fall?

[Crisis21]

Does it still count as dramatic if the currupt father sets up his own fall?

:eek: OMG! Tarquin could totally be doing that!

He admitted, to Elan's face no less, that he and his group set up coups against their 'rulers' every now and then. He's also expressed a love of the dramatic equal to Elan's, only evil in nature. Tarquin could be setting up Elan as the heroic liberator deposing his tyrannical father, and even further his own plan in the process!

Tarquin isn't trying to set up Elan as his heir, he's trying to goad Elan into a classic heroic son vs. villainous father duel!

If Rich is setting it up this way, I may have to bow and worship him even more.....

[Gift Jeraff]

I envision Elan killing Tarquin, with T dying happily since he got to be the first villain his son truly thwarted. Both will be proud that he got to die so dramatically. (EDIT: Basically the above. :smalltongue:) As for Elan's actual happy ending, I see two possibilites:

-A "the adventure continues"/"setting off into the sunset" type ending: They continue their lives as adventurers. In this scenario, I'd say Roy is guaranteed to survive, V is more likely to survive, and Durkon is more likely to get resurrected.

-A "settling down" type ending: Elan and Haley live happily ever after. I still think Roy is quite likely to survive, mostly because he already died. For some reason, I imagine the Linear Guild being put in Elan and Haley's custody, probably because Nale having to listen to Elan for the rest of his life is the worst fate he could suffer.

Of course, Rich says something to the effect that it may not be what you expect (using Durkon's reaction to his prophecy to demonstrate that), so who knows!

[abc123]

Elan has a child with Haley

[Jan Mattys]

Elan's happy ending, as I view it, really only requires a few things. They are:

1) The good guys are victorious.

2) Elan is alive.

3) Haley is alive.

4) Elan and Haley get married.

That's pretty much it. Anything beyond this is open to negotiation.

I, for one, would love to see the respective parents having a part in the equation. Haley turned adventurer to save her dad, and Elan wants a father more than anything else. Remember that he loves big-brother-Roy because he craves for a father-like figure.

I agree that probably both Ian and Tarquin will not live to see the end of it all, but seriously, with the messed up families Roy and V brought to the table, and Durkon being basically an outcast who will only reunite with his ancestor posthumously, I'd really love to see some "family happy ending".

Also, As much as they love each other, it doesn't seem to me that Elan only needs Haley to be happy. His happy ending only including Haley would probably taste bittersweet to him, imho.

[Scarlet Knight]

:elan: "Hey Dad, remember when you asked if I'd foiled any villains yet? Well, now I have!"

*gurgle* Good...pun.....sooon."


Besides, didn't Elan get a "happy ending" just before dinner?
:smallredface:

[2-HeadedGiraffe]

I always read that to mean, for you not the bad guys like Redcloak and Xykon (or Belkar for that matter)

I took it in a less-hopeful sense. I'm imagining Elan managing to find happiness after some sort of Phyrrhic victory. It could just mean that it's not happy for the antagonists, a reminder that one person's happy ending is almost always someone else's unhappy one, but I suspect a number of good people won't be happy with the ending, either. We already have the strong implication that Belkar and Durkon will be gone before this is all over.

Yeah, I know, Belkar's not good, but he's a protagonist.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

I'd narrow it down further and say it refers to Elan specifically. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense, for example, in light of Belkar's doom. :smallwink:
“At least” only specifies a lower bound. Belkar’s the only one we’re certain doesn’t qualify as being in the upper bound.

Durkon is happy with dying, so he can still get his happy ending. However:

On the Origin of PCs:
If he knew about the “Doom for the Dwarven Lands” prophecy, then it probably is less happy for him.

As mentioned earlier, Elan probably wouldn’t consider it happy for him if Roy and Haley didn’t find happiness of their own, so they are probably included.

V is totally up for grabs.

[Souhiro]

You might as well assume that Belkar is really a lawful good Paladin on a special undercover mission from his gods.

I find this theory very appealing. Belkar as the true paladin, protecting the group, and doing the two ultimate sacrifices: His honor for the greatest good, and his life for his only friends.

Now, everything makes sense. We have reached The Great Wisdom

[Hardcore]

Elans happy ending only means that the story ends and that Elan is happy.

1.This does not exclude the failure of the mission, nor that he is dead.

2.Given that he is in love with Haley it requires she is sharing his location and mode of existence.

3.That really is all.

[Souhiro]

You know, if The Sacred Order of the Stick fails, Xykon conquers the world, the creation is undone, or worst of all, if RedCloack survives and isn't tortured to his well deserved death, Elan could be jumping over the clouds in the paradise, but he (and WE) would said "This Sucked (http://www.gigaville.com/images/foxhound_499.png)" and even Roy's younger brother would have said "No, YOU suck"

Plus, that would make the Oracle a really hateful character. You know... Xykon is going to undo the very same creation! Stupid kobold, do SOMETHING!


PD: I Really hope that there isn't any rule against linking an image from another free, and ended webcomic. If there is one, please make me know and I will take it out

PPDD: I am really, REALLY sorry about my awful grammar. You know... Non native english speaker.

[Kish]

1) ...I am fairly certain Elan's happy ending doesn't hinge on Redcloak being tortured to death. Yeesh.
2) There's no such organization as the Sacred Order of the Stick.

[factotum]

Elan is guaranteed a happy ending to the comic - he is not guaranteed that everything in the comic will go happily for him

Case in point: Therkla. That little episode certainly didn't turn out happily for Elan, as his sad speech at her graveside proved.

[dehro]

happy endings are easy to fix... all you need is a massage parlour...

ok, ok, I'll crawl back in my cave, shall I?

on a more serious note... what constitutes a happy ending may vary for each of us..or each of the characters..so..I wouldn't worry overmuch